The Demon Monarch System

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Upon noticing Axel's expression, Aaron glared at him, "Stop being childish! We have to take care of them, or else the situation could worsen." On top of being angered by Axel's behavior, he felt worried for the safety of his mother. This was truthfully the first time he had witnessed her battle.

Ultimately, Axel groaned, "Shut up! I understand already."

As that happened, Apollo glanced at the Dark Cutter and frowned, 'You've been with me for a while now, but this may be our last day together.'

Each attack against a Rank 2 Flame Salamander increased the amount of small nicks in the weapon. It was only a matter of time until it shattered.

Left with no other choice, Apollo waited for Aaron and the rest to gather a worthwhile number of salamanders before unleashing the weakest Demonic Massacre Wave possible.

The way the attack landed, all of their Essence Cores were exposed, allowing Apollo to extract and store them easily.

Conversely, Aaron took a stance with his focus on the tips of his sword. A fleeting silver light appeared as he unleashed a similar horizontal slash. "Second Quicksilver Slash: Silver Flash!"

A sword light hurtled towards the salamander who were wounded but not killed by Apollo's attack, finishing off the job.

Similar to Aaron's intentions, Lily summoned a water lasso and gathered multiple Flame Salamanders in place. However, it wouldn't hold long.

Upon noticing this fact, Apollo retrieved the throwing knife pried off of Slaid's corpse.

'I haven't tried this, but it wouldn't hurt to try,' Apollo thought while each of the throwing knives in the gaps of his finger were saturated in a ghastly aura.

A delighted expression appeared on Apollo's face, 'So it works! It doesn't follow that principle.'

With his curiosites verified, Apollo unleashed the flurry of throwing knives.

Pucht! Pucht! Pucht!

The knives saturated by the Demonic Massacre Wave either pierced right through the salamander or was wedged in the middle of their skulls, killing each target on the spot.

In the meantime, Cynthia and the others were having a much harder time. They were hard-pressed to damage the beast's scales. The density was insane!

"Why is this Wyvern so durable? Our techniques are barely scratching the surface. How do we resolve this issue?" Danyul questioned as he executed his Aqua Rend continuously.

Since each of them were near the peak of the Zul Knight Realm, with Cynthia now occupying the peak, they should at least be able to inflict some damage! Yet, the most they could do was scratch the surface of this wyvern's scales, or dent them.

Admittedly, their current actions were completely ineffective, which caused Cynthia to think of another route. "Pick an area and focus your strikes. If we can't overwhelm it with power, we'll do it with an endless onslaught aimed at the same place," Cynthia comanned as arcs from a blend of wind and water fired towards the Wyvern.

Moveover, she kicked the air a couple of times, creating a few ice arrows that sped towards its position as well.

Simultaneously, a blizzard took place around Danyul before continuously condensing into a strike that resembled a specialized version of Danyul's Aqua Rend technique.

"Frozen Lance: Tundra's Pierce," Danyul bellowed as the condensed blizzard formed into a beam of ice and hurtled toward the same target Cynthia aimed at.

However, a dangerous gleam appeared within the wyvern's eyes as it noticed the strength of the incoming attacks. As a result, it retaliated with an attack of its own.

A black fire beam ejected from its mouth as it panned its head around the cave. A deep scar occurred on the walls just until the beam collided with both Cynthia and Danyul's strikes.

An explosion of steam took place as both of their attacks were neutralized. The fact that it deflected both strikes simultaneously made these two understand the disparity in strength.

Meanwhile, Apollo and the others finished off the Flame Salamanders but were apprehensive after witnessing this scene.

"Do you think we should really join that battle?"Lily murmured as she gripped her sword tightly, so much so her palms turned white from the force.

"What choice do we have? I doubt the beast will let them go after this. Why; are you scared?" Apollo replied as he looked towards Lily with an indifferent gaze. Why did it seem they all lacked the desire to confront danger and prosper from it?

"O-Of course! Who wouldn't be scared in this situation?! That beast isn't something we can even help with,"Lily retorted aggressively.

This situation was simply absurd. A Zul Warrior knew that running from a Rank 3 beast was the only viable option, and that was only if the beast permitted them to do so. After all, if they were so much weaker, how could they possibly outrun the enemy?

Nevertheless, Apollo smiled while looking towards Lily and the rest, "You might not be able to, but I'm a different story altogether. All that awaits is a little difficulty."

With the Dark Cutter in hand, Apollo looked towards the wyvern.

"Tch… go ahead. Bite off more than you can chew so I can rub it in your face as you perish," Axel scoffed revealing a derisive expression. He couldn't stomach the fact that Apollo was able to remain this calm.

Glancing in his direction, Apollo smiled. It was a cold one, "Are you saying providing aid to your family in need is needless? What a familial one you are."

"Y-you!! You twist my words!"

"He doesn't. This is what can be gathered from your statement,"Aaron added with a cold gaze whilst a metallic gleam emanated from his sword. "Apollo, let's go. No matter how difficult it is, I'll join you to back up mom."

Whoosh!

Apollo placed his hand on Aaron's shoulder and rushed forward while locking sights with the Wyvern's rampaging gaze. But, Apollo thought of something else while locking eyes with the wyvern, 'Its defenses are too high because of its focus, therefore, let's make a distraction.'

Apollo let go of Aaron because utilizing his Partial Shade Silhouette at maximum potential. The aura surrounding him  thickened as Apollo's speed increased to a new height, even surpassing the speed Ashur was displaying.

[Lad you're a brave one. I can't tell if it's selfless courage or mindless lunacy. Either way, you're simply insane! Even in the presence of something like that capable of ripping you to shreds in a mere instant, you want to provoke it so? I love it! Continue those actions. Plunge it into madness!]

'Heh. You're beginning to sound more and more like an amused demon. While it is a reckless move, it's truly the easiest way to help,' Apollo responded.

With the help of this demonic technique, Apollo moved like a phantom.

A few seconds later, he arrived near the crystalline fruits, which caused an immediate reaction from the Wyvern.  It emitted a deafening screech that didn't perturb Apollo in the slightest. In fact, a smirk inched upon his lips.

Since he didn't stop, he drew even more of the wyvern's fury. He was coming too close for comfort to its treasure. However, it also didn't act irrationally. The position Apollo remained in was tricky.

He wedged himself between the fruits and the wyvern, which meant it couldn't retaliate with its destructive flames. Thus, it fell into a helpless fury.

It repeatedly slammed its wing into the walls causing the tremors that opened up a few chasms. Additionally, stalagmites fell from the ceiling resulting in the others dodging for their lives.

But, that wasn't the worst matter. The opened chasms allowed magma to seep into the cave slowly. The area was becoming increasingly dangerous by the second.

Of course, as reckless as Apollo was, he attempted to grasp the Natural Blessings, but knew to pull back once a pungent sensation of death washed over him. A black thread passed by where he was a moment before.