262: The End Draws Near

The End Draws Near

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As the despair-inducing energy of the Nether Severance hurtled towards Aaron, his eyes narrowed with a slightly solemn expression. However, he soon relaxed as he received a message from his abnormal Spirit. In response to Apollo's attack, he thrust his spear forward.

When the two strikes collided, both sides were blown into the distance. Be that as it may, when the distortion caused by the impact subsided, Aaron's silver armor possessed quite a few cracks. Although his state wasn't terrible, he relinquished his armor and weapon before gazing upon Apollo.

"It seems I am still not your match when you go all out, but I am making ample progress. I don't aim to be your rival, I just seek to be as strong as you," Aaron stated with a resolute demeanor. 

In response to his statement, Apollo released his demonic form as well, "I admire your dream, however, the weight of my destiny doesn't allow for this to happen. Based on what I have to accomplish, there is no way I can allow someone to claim to be my equal. Nevertheless, you are getting stronger. You have found the path to your power, now continue to walk it."

After some time in silence, Aaron agreed and asked Fuhrer to allow him to leave. Once he opened a spatial fracture and allowed Aaron to step through, he turned towards Apollo, "You can stop feigning your condition now."

Almost immediately after he said this, Apollo's countenance paled. Although he didn't suffer any extensive injuries outside of the pierced torso, the short moment wherein he formed the entire Sin Armament was a strenuous instant. This made Apollo believe it wasn't made for a Lesser Demon to wield a complete Sin Armament.

"It would seem that woman's vitality has helped you immensely," Fuhrer said while scanning over the closing wound on Apollo's torso. In addition to tendrils of Hellfire searing wound close, there was the aura of the pendant that assisted the progress as well. But, when Fuhrer gazed upon the pendant, he grew interested.

"Youngin, who gave you that pendant?" Fuhrer questioned before raising his palm. When he touched Apollo's pendant, his eyes turned abyss black. At the same time, a pleased expression appeared on Fuhrer's face.

"I received this from my father," Apollo answered without hesitation.

"Indeed you did," Fuhrer chuckled before releasing the pendant. Since this was the first time Apollo was injured in his presence, this was the first time the pendant's abilities were showcased. 

Although Apollo didn't understand why Fuhrer's reaction was so odd, he was sure that this pendant would become important in the future. 

"All praise be to the Monarch," Fuhrer said before bowing his head. Shortly after, he looked to Apollo and thought about something before voicing his opinion, "What shall you do for the time being? It has been quite some time since you have visited Ashiraem. Do you wish to return now?"

"Not yet, I can't," Apollo responded while looking at the cooldown on the ability. There were still a few more days until he could utilize it once again. 

"Why not? Is your body not in the ideal state to travel there once more? If not, I can open it for you. If I'm the medium, it should reduce the burden on your physique and Ira," Fuhrer commented.

At first, this sounded good to Apollo but then when he thought about it, he still refrained from entering it right now. As for his reasoning, there were a few. Firstly, he was sure that the Demon Monarch System was a tool that was established for him to follow. If he did anything to bypass any restrictions placed on him, he would have to stay wary of any consequences. The risk at the moment wasn't worth the reward to him.

Secondly, on this next trip, he wished to bring Typhir along and as of right now, he was still within the origin room. Not to mention, he still needed to give Typhir the much-needed time to acclimate to his current body. If he didn't do so then he would become vulnerable to the enemies within Ashiraem. After all, this next visit to Ashiraem would be different as opposed to the prior two. 

"Let's hold off on entering there. In the meantime, I'll continue to hone what I need to," Apollo answered. A few moments later, he retrieved the Nebula Shard and sat before it. Silently, he continued to comprehend the fragments of the Tenebrous Path. 

To pass time, Fuhrer exhaled and then took up a sword form. Diligently, he went through countless slowed versions of his sword arts. Since this was simply a Daemonic Avatar, he needed to make sure his Will stay attuned with the avatar properly at all times. The easiest to make sure this happened was to avoid using the idle state of the avatar.

While it cost Apollo far more Demonic Anima this way, it also trained his mind to handle the continuous strain of this happening. In the long run, this would turn out to be very beneficial to Apollo. Especially so when he arrived at the prerequisites needed for the Noble Art Fuhrer wanted to impart to him. 

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While waiting for Typhir to return, numerous days passed. During this time, both Apollo and Fuhrer remained active. Apollo, learning the Tenebrous Path, even getting it to interact with his Baleful Steps on a basic level, and Fuhrer, swinging his sword in a path that looked almost as if it presented an omnipotent defense. 

Slowly, Fuhrer opened his eyes and released a tempestuous breath. The heightened aura around him calmed at the feeling of a demonic sword vanished, "He is here," Fuhrer announced before slicing his hand downward. Another spatial fracture opened up, only this one was made to allow Typhir to enter.

Once Typhir entered, it closed. Almost immediately, Apollo could sense the difference in him. For one, Apollo could sense the stigmata under his skin that was forming. While it wasn't of the same grade as Apollo, it wasn't too far off. This made Apollo wonder, 'Will all my acolytes created from me have rather strong stigmata as well? If so, then an army of my own creations will be the best course of action for me to take.'

All of a sudden, Typhir bellowed and flexed his body. A rush of infernal burst from him before he returned to a relaxed state, "That feels so much better. I have been restraining that since I started my comprehension in the origin room, and that only made the feeling even more constraining."

"What do you mean?" Apollo asked. Truthfully speaking, other than the heated atmosphere, he didn't see much else of a difference in Typhir.

Naturally, Fuhrer was more privy to the things that just happened though, "The formation of his Infernal Nucleus and Tainted Temple is complete. Furthermore, they have skipped the stage. Either this is linked to the fact his body was already partially developed, or your Ira has had a positive effect on him."

Whichever it was, all Apollo knew was that the stronger Typhir became before entering Ashiraem would make their matters easier. Since he had yet to come in contact with Ahsiraem's harsh environment, Apollo preferred Tyhpir's starting experience to be better than his own. This would allow the two to save precious time.

"I see. Any advancement is a small fortune," Apollo answered. 

But, Typhir seemed to remember something as he snapped his fingers, "Oh, right! On my way back from the institute, there was an announcement being made. The Headmaster said there is an assembly happening in a few minutes. I'm sure you didn't receive any notification while inside this place."

"Assembly? What for?" Apollo questioned while stowing the Nebula Shard away. 

"I'm not so sure, she didn't give any information about it. The only way to know is to attend it, I guess. Also, I saw Odessa, she was asking about you. How long have you been in this space?" Typhir asked while rubbing his chin. At the same time, he also looked towards Fuhrer.

"Lord Fuhrer, can you continue to train me in the correct way of the sword?"

"I intended to do so, there is no need for you to ask. It is my duty to make sure that my liege's followers are up to par. However, first, you two should go find out what that assembly is about. In the meantime, I'll remain here. Since there is no great danger, let me take it upon myself to reduce the strain. After all, you're in for hell once you return," Fuhrer responded with a small chuckle.

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