The Demon Monarch System

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A pair of disgruntled faces glanced at each other while rushing through the Shadowy Forest.

"Tch… to think that kid would be so venomous. He ruined my desires. But I couldn't take the chance of these Natural Blessing's being rendered useless. Surely, I'd be punished if that were to happen," Myrin's expression darkened as he stowed away the fruits.

"I feel differently. I find his demeanor to be rather alluring, even if it takes a little more effort to tame him. But, that's where the fun comes in," Krystella chuckled, licking her lips in the process as she glanced at Myrin's unsettled appearance.

She continued after a brief pause, "Of course, that doesn't mean we can just let him off. He'll have to become my victim. It's regrettable but it'll be worth it if I'm able to savor his unique taste," Krystella licked her nail as a malevolent gleam passed through her eyes.

Myrin, on the other hand, continued to look at her silently. Shortly after, a small frown appeared, 'Truly a slut. This is why I find her revolting. However, I'm curious as to what plans she had in store for that hateful youth. Anything untoward Azrael's seed is pleasurable to me.'

"Very well. I look forward to what you plan," Myrin responded before increasing his speed, which left a disheveled Krystella in his wake. It seemed as if he had other things on his mind.

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Meanwhile, back in the Central Region of the Shadowy Forest...

Apollo looked at Aaron after listening to his question. Before answering, he looked towards Ashur and Axel with a faint smile. "I suppose I could work something out to return."

'Though, you shouldn't expect a warm appearance,' Apollo thought, but kept the comment to himself.

Apollo agreeing to return overjoyed Cynthia. This way, she wouldn't have to spend another night in worry! Her concerns had been taken care of! However, Axel and Ashur clearly felt differently based on their current expressions.

'Should I be happy or worried about this?' Ashur wondered silently while looking at Apollo. It was too hard to tell what would come of Apollo returning. After all, he revealed some shocking things in the past few hours.

"Let us return home then," Cynthia said with a delighted expression. Her current demeanor radiated newfound happiness.

"Onward to the estate!" Aaron bellowed, raising an arm in triumph. His brother was returning home and it left him excited, which caused Lily to give a genuine smile.

But, Axel detested the current atmosphere.

"Tch...why do you need to return? No one is waiting for you," Axel spat in a hateful tone. The earlier disgust was now replaced by fear―the fear of being overshadowed. Envy was a dangerous sin. It gave birth to ideas and feelings that were ultimately venomous.

Both Danyul and Cynthia turned towards Axel with a displeased expression. It seemed the family had spoiled this child to the point of rotting his personality.

"What…? What did I say wrong? This is the truth! Not once has his name been mentioned throughout the family in the past 4 years. It makes no sense for him to return. Why not stay out in the wild and survive on your own?" Axel defended himself, turning towards Apollo with a hostile gaze.

He didn't forget the fact Apollo had nearly caused catastrophic damage to his mental state. If that were to happen, his future would have been virtually destroyed! Hence, he thought to return a dose of that same medicine.

Unfortunately, he didn't understand who he was dealing with.

"His words aren't incorrect. The family's activity has gone unaffected by his absence. Therefore, his return wouldn't change a thing either," Ashur added his input as well.

Though he tried to hide it, Danyul and Cynthia sensed the anxiety hidden underneath the malice of Ashur's words. Evidently, even he didn't believe his own words.

"Hoh? I don't recall asking for your input. Apollo said he will be returning and that is final," Cynthia retorted. It seemed her stimulated temper was still active as her cold gaze landed upon these two. However, this time, Ashur didn't take a step back. Instead, he butted heads with her, once again offering his opinion.

"Tch. Look at you, playing favorites again. What's so great about Apollo other than being your brother's child? He isn't as talented as you believe him to be. You want to know what he is? Reckless! That's why he has gotten to where he has. Axel, on the other hand, didn't need to do such things. This is the difference between births!" Ashur spat contemptuously.

Cynthia's disgust with Ashur increased once again apparent from her current scowl, 'Difference between their births? Hah. Playing favorites? Look who's talking!'

"Listen up you idiot. How dumb are you? Talent is hereditary! Both of his parents possessed a talent in their pinky toes greater than yours let alone this boy Axel. You mention birth? How about I cripple Axel's meridians and see if he possesses the mental strength to climb out of that pit of despair," Cynthia threatened in a severe tone.

Ashur's asinine words had truly infuriated her.

"Hoh? You jest! You threaten him? How dare you! I'll be relaying this to Grand Elder Kayn and Patriarch Rhyne. Let us see who gets the last laugh," Ashur retorted with a dark chuckle. Axel's backing within the family was immense, whereas Apollo's was nonexistent. This was a fact he couldn't dispute.

As a result, Danyul entered the hectic situation in fear of it devolving into a bloodbath.

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down Cynthia. And you two! Do you two have shit for brains? Even after his earlier achievements you still have the gall to say su-" Danyul began reprimanding them, however, Apollo lifted his hand with an emotionless gaze. He wasn't one who needed someone to fight his battles.

Furthermore, he didn't converse with barking dogs.

[Hoh? Look at this, they're trying to dissuade them from allowing you to return to the family. Not only is it not birthed from jealousy, but it's also attempts birthed from deep-rooted fear. It appears they fear your growth and the way you handle situations. If only they had witnessed that marvelous scene before.]

'I'm aware of their feelings towards me, Azridan. But if I'm being honest… they're irrelevant. Because, soon enough everything will disappear before them.'

Apollo's frigid eyes pierced the two as he voiced his own opinion.

"You're wasting your words. Those whose eyes have been blinded by greed, hearts clouded by envy, and minds plagued with stupidity will be forever close-minded. I'm not here to rebut their words. We'll just see how true their words are in the future," Apollo said before walking away from the matter altogether.

Both Axel and Ashur scowled after hearing Apollo's response. Not only did he insult their intelligence, but their mind games had no effect! It was like talking to a stone wall coated in rubber. Anything they fired at it failed to penetrate and simply ricocheted.

On the other hand, Cynthia and Danyul were shocked by his calm—this wasn't what they were expecting to unravel.

'Who would have thought he would be the one to diffuse the situation? Perhaps, I was too childish.' An embarrassed blush appeared on Cynthia's cheek as she grasped Aaron's hand rushing into the distance.

However, unbeknownst to everyone present, his calm surface hid the cold fury bubbling within. His dreadful ire would be released upon them at the best moment, offering a blissful experience.

After this small falling out, the journey home became eerily silent as if everyone had split into two parties. Unaffected by the situation, Apollo inspected himself as he continued the journey home.

'More or less 60% healed. It won't be long until I'm back at my peak state. By then, it should be time to both ingest the wyvern's spirit heart and these natural blessings,' Apollo thought to himself.

All the requirements were within arm's length. It was only a matter of time before he evolved into a Lesser Demon, which would effectively leave one remaining objective.

Eventually, Apollo noticed everyone stopped, causing him to look up. This caused a sight he hadn't seen for over 4 years to enter his eyes. Since Apollo spent the entire trip focusing on the path of vitality distributed from the pendant, he didn't realize just how much time passed. To him, it felt like no more than a few minutes.

'I'm back~.' Apollo thought with a malicious smirk.