The Demon Monarch System

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Saehtyn's expression changed drastically as soon as he sensed the sudden monstrous change within Fuhrer's attack. While he expected the old demon to ack quickly on his promise, he didn't expect the delivery to occur so rapidly. Therefore, Saehtnyn gave a grim look as a humongous axe appeared in his grasp.

Sweltering flames encapsulated the weapon as magma spewed from the edge of the axe's blade. Compared to his prior usages, it was clear that Saehtyn held nothing back as he sensed the dire threat of the incoming attack fueled by Fuhrer's Dominion.

Saehtyn met every attack with an unrelenting swing of his axe in the next moment. At first, his auctions seemed promising, effortlessly shattering some of the incoming blades. However, Saehtyn quickly realized that his satisfaction was misplaced. 

'What a disgusting attack,' Saehtyn thought to himself with a frown. He was in disbelief as witnessing the horrifying restoration of each blade with a mere flick of Fuhrer's fingers. Evidently, his control over this power was much more troublesome than Saehtyn presumed.

"What's the matter? Are you not the fellow who claimed he could handle this power? If that is the case, I suggest you pull out all of the stops lest you suffer injury. Granted, there is no animosity between us, so I will not allow it to escalate that far," Fuhrer said, causing Saehtyn to gnash his teeth in anger.

It was true; he had brought this predicament upon himself by overestimating his ability. But, as a Lord who sat at the highest plateau of power within the current Demonic power infrastructure, Saehtyn felt he had something to prove. Thus, the surrounding atmosphere underwent a bizarre change as dreadful sparks flickered around his body.

The sparks were entirely different from Amduscias's Dark Lightning because they weren't related to lightning in the slightest. Instead of an energized sensation, these sparks contained a dreadful he that Fuhrer was quite familiar with. Admittedly, Fuhrer's power had forced Saehtyn to make a dangerous move―openly wielding Purgatory's Blood.

Despite the numerous confounding consequences of utilizing this power, Saehtyn felt he needed to understand his most desperate straits compared to Fuhrer's strength. Could he push his back if he put everything on the line? This curiosity drove Saehtyn to commit to his decision, increasing the amount of Purgatory forming around him by at least three hundred percent.

From specks of Purgatory's Blood, the sparks grew into clusters of flames resembling the crimson color of fresh blood, except there was a hint of dark and silver shadows interspersed throughout the crimson blood-like flame.

At the same time, the magma spewing from Saehtyn's axe adopted the same appearance, releasing a terrifying that even Fuhrer had to commend.

"That is quite the serious move you're making this. I guess you're taking this more seriously than I expected. However, there is something I need to ask you―what about your allies?" Fuhrer questioned.

"What about them?" Saehtyn responded, giving Fuhrer a complicated expression. Evidently, Fuhrer was aware of something if he asked this question. After all, this question wasn't geared towards the relationship of his allies but the safety of the individuals nearby.

"No reason to hide it. That power is destructive to both ally and foe―it doesn't distinguish between the two. This is why even demons of the distant past were reluctant to use it unless they fell into a dangerous situation with no other choice. Of course, this was only applicable to Demons of the Noblesse status and below," Fuhrer answered.

"I'd like to believe my control is impeccable when it comes to an amount well within my limits," Saehtyn readily responded. Although many uncertainties plagued his mind, his ability to control this power wasn't one of them. His extreme limit was a thirty percent factor of the Purgatory's Blood destructiveness, but right now, it was only be used a twenty percent.

Hence, Saehtyn felt it was within reason to employ this tactic. After voicing his concerns, Fuhrer didn't address them again. He gave a simple nod before appearing before Saehtyn with a vanishing shadow trailing behind his figure.

However, Fuhrer's appearance possessed a stark difference when he reappeared. For starters, he appeared bulkier, as if his armor expanded twice as much as before. Additionally, another set of horns appeared on his forehead as a thin crimson layer coated Brynhildr.

"Then, let's test out your endurance with this ability," Fuhrer said in a deep voice before unleashing a heavy strike. 

In response, Saehtyn retaliated with a double-handed downward swing of his axe, meeting Fuhrer's blade right above his head. Upon collision, a massive shockwave of condensed heat spread outward, nearly reaching the zone of the Dakea Stronghold below.

Fortunately, the shockwave's momentum dissipated just before reaching any of the buildings. This event was Fuhrer's doing as he suppressed the speeding shockwave by clutching his hand.

'I'll have to admit, his ability to keep the Purgatory's Blood from escaping his grasp even after a collision is excellent. Let's see what other matters he's capable of,' Fuhrer thought to himself as a pleased grin gradually crept onto his lips.

On the other hand, Saehtyn's eyes widened in horror, 'What is this sturdiness? He didn't move an inch despite my attack from above. Usually, that'd be enough to at least displace or disorient the enemy. I suppose I underestimated his raw strength; that sudden transformation wasn't just a ruse to hide his age. I fear he has genuinely amplified his power.'

Nevertheless, Saehtyn didn't allow Fuhrer's change to disrupt his momentum. He delivered another attack just moments after their first collision, except this time, the strike included a more intricate usage of Purgatory's Blood. The flame possessing liquid properties hardened around the blade of Saehtyn's axe as he slashed it forward, igniting several tiny sparks. 

Some of them were strong enough to land upon Fuhrer's armor, creating a prolonged sizzling noise which he surprisingly dismissed after a glance. 

Suddenly, Fuhrer thrust his sword forward, prompting a considerable change in the Dominion surrounding them. Four dense tendrils originating from each cardinal direction detached from the Dominion's wall and fired towards Saehtyn the moment Fuhrer began his counterattack.

This multifaceted attack required all of Saehtyn's focus, as he analyzed the best way to avoid or defend against this attack. In the end, he concluded that evasion was almost impossible judging by the rapid changes in the attack's angle. Fuhrer would simply readjust the attack's trajectory to track his new position if he dodged.

Not to mention, Saehtyn's wasn't sure about the highest speed this attack could muster. Saehtyn was forced to power through the attack with all the missing information, delivering an unrelenting barrage of slashes.

Not only did this sap his stamina at an alarming rate, Saehtyn soon learned that attacking these tendrils caused his movement to slow and his body to increase in weight gradually. Since Fuhrer's power was the ability of Suppression, touching his Dominion meant that the moment within would suffer indiscriminate pressure.

"Don't worry, boy. Losing isn't the end of the world. Besides, this demonstration shows you the power that the old demons had access to. With the right training, this power could be at your disposal as well. Isn't that exciting?" Fuhrer said with a slight chuckle.

Unfortunately, Saehtyn didn't wish to hear this right now. In response to his waning momentum, Saehtyn chose to increase the flame's purity to twenty five percent. Although this was a hazardous move, he wanted to prove that this power wasn't omnipotent and could be overcome.

Sadly, his defiance made Fuhrer chuckle, followed by another snap. With this movement, the number of tendril lashing against Saehtyn increased from four to ten. However, the destruction they unleashed didn't improve in the same linear fashion.

After witnessing this, all of the Lords and even Xorgrah were forced to give up and watch from the sidelines as Saehtyn desperately defended against the overwhelming number of tendrils. But, the inevitable soon came as Saehtyn was on the verge of losing control.

'No… This power has to have some type of weakness. Even if it doesn't, there should be some factor that's able to limit the worth of it,' Saehtyn thought. Truth be told, the reason for him being against the power of Auras and Dominion was linked to his inability to grasp one until now.

What's more, if he was unable to grasp it until now, then perhaps it was a power that was fated to elude his grasp. The realization that another demon could master this power and assume his role bore into Saehtyn's mind.

Once he noticed this, Fuhrer teleported before Saehtyn and flicked his forehead, canceling all of the abilities present. However, he didn't lose consciousness. "With the signs that are presenting themselves, I believe this demonstration is over."

"It was a decent fight, but you must understand when to admit defeat. This is a quality that both you and that other Lord share. Perhaps this is why your relationship is so sour. You two are more alike than you care to admit," Fuhrer said.

"Similar? I doubt that. I am my own person; there is no reason to compare me to Lucifer," Saehtyn said as the axe in his grasp disappeared.

"I disagree, but you'll learn what I mean in the future. Just remember to keep an open mind to my earlier suggestion. If you truly want to complete your power, then you'll have to supplement the weaknesses in your current ability," Fuhrer reminded.

Afterward, he teleported back to Apollo's side, with the Lords following shortly after.