466: The Third Ring

The Third Ring

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Inside the Void Portal…

Fuhrer turned towards Apollo as they leisurely transversed the portal's breadth. There was a nostalgic look upon his face because it had been quite some time since it was just the two of them. 

After all, except for Fuhrer, most of the team was left on Ashiraem to help guard the Dakea Stronghold while also furthering their strength. In the meantime, Apollo ventured elsewhere, to a ring utterly unfamiliar to his knowledge.

"Are you sure it's best to leave them there? Do you think they're ready to be on their own?" Fuhrer asked after a moment of silence. Although Apollo decided to delegate tasks that would hasten their progress, Fuhrer wasn't sure if it was the best time to do so. However, he also couldn't stay behind to monitor the rest.

While Apollo was strong, he was venturing to uncharted territory. There was no telling what would appear before his eyes. So, Fuhrer felt more at ease by being by Apollo's side.

"I believe so. I've given everyone equipment best suited to their bloodline and titles. Once they acclimate the increase in strength, they should be next to unstoppable," Apollo answered.

Though the answer was sound, the spread-out forces of the household still troubled Fuhrer.

"True, but you only sent Typhir, Valac, and Sapphyr to Suprenis. Shouldn't you have sent Zarkath and Jorgun as well?" Fuhrer questioned.

In response, Apollo glanced at him with a pensive expression. At first, he was silent, but after contemplating his choice for a moment, Apollo ultimately shook his head in disagreement. "No need. Valac has his second transformation, and this is the best time for Typhir and Sapphyr to form a connection."

Once he heard this, Fuhrer's expression changed significantly. "You don't mean?"

"I do," Apollo nodded with a faint smile. He then continued after a brief moment, "Just as my father had you and Estran as his most trusted members; I will create my own. And those are my two choices. So, they should learn to be in agreement."

After listening to Apollo's intentions, a genuine smile appeared on Fuhrer's face because it stirred many of his pleasant memories. Many of them involved Estran standing at Astraval's side, directing the flow of battle during their wars. In contrast, Fuhrer stormed through the battlefield, wreaking havoc throughout the expanse of the battlefield.

It was indeed an enjoyable time. To think that those memories would be rebuilt caused a stir of emotion within Fuhrer. As such, he placed his hand on Apollo's shoulder and nodded. "I'm sure your transformation would please your father. It just saddens me that he can't witness it firsthand."

Apollo froze momentarily as he thought about Fuhrer's words. 'His whereabouts are unknown, and his death is also a mystery. I wonder… was this all orchestrated to weaken the demons? But, could that be true?'

Unfortunately, there was no way for Apollo to verify his speculations. On top of barely understanding the history of that time, understanding the current events of the demon's deteriorating power was even more complicated.

Regardless, Apollo was hellbent on deciphering the cryptic history of the demons.

"True. So, are you ready to enter that place?"

"I'm always ready," Fuhrer chuckled as the void portal split open not too far away from their current position. "So, you've decided to enter the third Ring. The Ring of the Devourers, Guloria."

Gradually, the other side of the portal became clear. However, heaviness saturated the space before their eyes as a dense mist comprising two colors―a deep green that gave off the sensation of unmatched toxicity and a dense grayish-black color reminiscent of miasma. 

The combination of colors formed an atmosphere that produced a strange feeling in the pit of Apollo's stomach. At the same time, a message appeared before Apollo's eyes.

〈System: Now that you have visited the Gula's Ring, only four seals remain.〉

Similar to Ashiraem, there was a colossal obelisk situated in the center of this Ring as well. However, unlike the blood-like color of the tower in Ashiraem, this tower matched the atmosphere. Therefore, it was hard to discern the tower's presence.

"Why does it feel as if the Ring itself is trying to devour us?" Apollo muttered while staring at his hand. He felt a powerful force trying to suck away the anima in his body. Luckily, his bloodline forbade the force from doing so. 

Additionally, the stigmata on his tongue emitted a signal that also kept the sensation at bay.

"That's because it is. It is impossible for a demon without the Sin of Gula to arrive in this place unless they've reached a truly powerful state," Fuhrer replied. However, his expression was solemn as he expended a considerable amount of mental strength to create a barrier against this Ring's force.

Although the Demons suffered a decrease in power, the same couldn't be said about the cores of the Rings. Since they were all linked to the Primal Sources that were hidden, their influence was undiminished. 

Once he learned of Fuhrer's actions, Apollo narrowed his eyes before touching Fuhrer's back. A thin yet obscenely pure layer of the Gula coated Fuhrer's body. Shockingly, instead of devouring his power, the flow of energy was reversed. 

As a result, the two forces acted against each other, effectively neutralizing the suppression on Fuhrer's body. This all came as a surprise to Fuhrer, causing him to look at Apollo with a quizzical expression.

"Has your minute control grown this well to reverse the polarity of Sin?" Fuhrer asked.

But, contrary to Fuhrer's expectations, Apollo shook his head.

"I didn't learn how to do this. It was just an innate feeling," Apollo responded, which caused Fuhrer to recall his bloodline.

'Ah, that's right. How could I forget? All the Sin under his control can be molded at his whim as a result of his identity. Thus, it should be easy for him to command the Sin to act against the atmosphere.'

Because Apollo handled the matter, Fuhrer stopped consuming his mental strength. In the meantime, he glanced around and then upward. There would be nothing wrong to the naked eye, but Fuhrer revealed a deep frown, indicating his immense displeasure and overall worry.

"The atmosphere is eating away at this Ring's defenses faster than the others."

"Even faster than Ashiraem?" Apollo asked.

According to Fuhrer's earlier revelation, because Ira was a hostile Sin, the barrier surrounding Ashiraem was being consumed rapidly. The Sin's rampaging energy was burning through the introduced weakness in the barrier's infrastructure.

Yet, based on Fuhrer's current tone, it seemed Guloria was suffering a far worse fate.

"At least three times faster. Because that area is being burned, therefore ruining the integrity of the barrier, Guloria's portion of the barrier sustains a weakened defense," Fuhrer said with a sigh. "Your transformation couldn't come at a better time. Otherwise, I fear for our race."

"Likewise. That means we need to move quickly. So, unlike Ashiraem, we visit the source," Apollo commanded before unfurling his wings. Unlike his first appearance within the demonic world, Apollo wasn't focused on slaying anyone in this Ring.

Due to the nature of Gula, Apollo was confident the Lord of this place didn't possess the same mindset as others. Insatiable greed was a trait he could easily take advantage of as long as he didn't mess up his words. A deal that was too enticing would arouse suspicion, which was where Irzanach failed tragically.

"Ah, this should be fun. Targeting the Lord of this area? Are you sure you're strong enough for that?" Fuhrer teased. But Apollo merely smirked in response.

"Strength isn't a part of this equation. At least, physical strength isn't. In this case, I believe financial strength is much more alluring."

A moment later, Apollo zipped through the sky while monitoring the action below. Compared to Ashiraem, the state of this Ring was nothing short of chaotic. It appeared that some sort of confusion took place at every corner of the Ring.

Furthermore, whereas Ashiraem only possessed Firaria, Guloria had a number of cities connected to the central city that housed the tower. Be that as it may, the current state of the Ring wasn't of any importance to Apollo. 

Fuhrer followed behind but didn't use his Void Shuttling technique. Instead, he took a page out of Typhir's book and zipped through the sky using condensed void panels to support his mystifying speed.

Although the Ring was massive, it only took less than half a day for them to move from the outskirts of Guloria to its central city.

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