The Demon Monarch System

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Unlike Typhir, whose body failed to bypass or destroy the dark lightning fence, Xezym's situation was much different. His clothing blazed with potent shadowy flames, enabling him to drift past the arcs of dark lightning without suffering any damage.

Even Sapphyr showed slight surprise as she witnessed this. 'Could Xezym have continued to comprehend more of Destrys's power while sealed up within my mind? If so, his understanding of the expanding darkness should outclass mine as well.'

Though Sapphyr and Xezym were introduced to the same techniques, Xezym was more receptive to Arcanic Arts as a genuine Spirit. Therefore, giving him the slightest bit of time allowed him to understand more of the legacy that Destrys bestowed upon him.

Afterward, the shadowy embers recollected into his muscular figure hidden by loose-fitting shadowy robes befitting of a master assassin.

"There's something odd about this lightning. It's like a perfect fusion of the elusiveness of darkness yet the danger and sudden power of lightning. Though, if I'm being honest," Xezym said with a faint pause as he touched one of the arcs.

"There's something else to it that I can't describe. Almost as if this lightning teeters on the edge of becoming sentient," Xezym muttered before withdrawing his hand. While there were zero signs of Sin being introduced to his body, Xezym could more or less sense the irregular pride emanating from the lightning.

'Oh? Can this spirit sense Amduscias' remnant pride that circulates through the lightning? His senses are more acute than I thought. That usually isn't sensed until the lightning invades your body and causes indescribable pain,' Valac thought before turning his gaze towards Xezym.

"Although your concealment surpasses anyone here, and you're a Heroic Arcana, I would suggest exercising caution. Now, proceed inside that building and tell us what you find," Valac said.

In response, Xezym gave a wordless nod before disappearing from where he stood. A cluster of shadowy embers dissipated gradually, which revealed a collection of dark scorches on the ground.

Once they realized this, everyone looked amongst themselves. After all, those scorch marks were identical to the earlier one. In other words, it wasn't Xezym's shadowy flames that caused these marks, but the lightning from the fence.

"Is… the lightning passing through him without causing any apparent damage? If that's the case, didn't he reach an incorporeal state that's impervious to physical damage?" Typhir questioned in shock.

However, Sapphyr immediately shook her head, denying Typhir's assumption. 

"Not at all. Yes, it's passing through him. But he's not impervious to damage, and that technique can only be used a finite number of times. I remember glancing past this technique in the legacy gate. It's known as the Umbra Film, but its comprehension was beyond me."

In short, the Umbra Film was a technique unique to Dark Spirits that allowed them to make a mirage copy of themselves, but it couldn't be separated from their body. Instead, the mirage acted as a thin armor that diverted attacks to their intended target without harming the technique's user. 

In other words, the Umbra Film turned the user into an elusive target. Instead of canceling after receiving a set amount of damage, the Umbra Film could only guard against ten attacks equal to half of the user's defenses.

Fortunately, the lightning fence didn't operate at total capacity because of the second technique Xezym used, Shadow Strafe. Compared to his understanding of this technique in the past, his application was leagues above; its usage wasn't just limited to his body.

"I see. But there's another question on my mind. What do you intend to do if Amduscias is in the middle of channeling his dark lightning?" Typhir asked while glancing in Valac's direction. Although they were here to collect information, it seemed that interrupting Amduscias' process came with dire consequences.

"Mmmn, I'll just play with him a little," Valac said with a mischievous chuckled. At the same time, he began nodding his head with a devious smirk. 'Hehehe, I hope you're in the middle of doing so. Then I can give you some payback!'

Slowly, Sapphyr approached Typhir and whispered into his ear. "Errm, is this okay? Valac's smile suggests he's up to something. And, the Lord's orders were to not render aid if he's the one to start problems. Does… this also count?"

"I'm not quite sure," Typhir answered honestly. A moment later, he rubbed his chin in thought. "Thought, it would be quite interesting to see what comes of their meeting."

Sapphyr's eyes widened after hearing this. "HEY! Not you too! We're here for a strict reason, not to see Valac make a huge fool of himself."

"Oh? Isn't it the household's job to watch Valac make a fool of himself? He's the household's main source of entertainment. I don't think that will change even if he matures. It's just a part of who he is," Typhir said while shrugging.

As a result, Sapphyr sighed in defeat. But, then she thought about another matter while looking at the dark lightning fence's perimeter.

"Even if he's in the process of converting lightning, what will we do about this fence? If any of us other than Xezym tries to bypass it, it'll just end up inflicting more damage. Besides, I'm uncertain about how much Xezym's combat strength has increased."

"Mmm, I doubt he's a match for a former Demonic Duke. Receiving a title like that isn't easy. We can easily view him as Asteroth's counterpart. Speaking of which, I wonder what type of Aura this guy would have," Typhir muttered curiously.

Conveniently, Valac overheard their conversation and turned towards them with a freakish smile. "If you're curious, we'll have you bust open the fence. Isn't that just satisfactory?"

In response, Typhir gave a blank look that soon turned into a look of disappointment. "I'm not sure if your brain doesn't work, but did you not see the properties of that fence? Or, do you just want to see me become a seared demon?"

"Now that you mention it… I know a perfect sauce to go with that," Valac chuckled playfully. However, Typhir seemed unamused as his expression grew stoic, causing Valac to click his tongue in frustration.

"You're not the slightest bit of fun! Anyway, what you tried was to use your body. In the next attempt, let's shift towards using your Aura of Destruction at a high level to disrupt the fence," Valac suggested.

For a moment, Typhir was silent. But, as he glanced at the gate, he felt foolish for not thinking of this outcome himself. Still, he turned towards Valac with a narrowed gaze. However, before he could say anything, an angered voice sounded next to Typhir.

"Why did you just now suggest this solution? We could've done so without sending Xezym within those walls. You have exposed him to needless danger!" Sapphyr seethed.

Yet, Valac remained calm while shaking his head. "Nope, I haven't because we can't use this method without verifying that Amduscias is currently busy. This method produces a lot more clamor than you think."

"Not to mention, using Aura against this causes an unusual reaction that alerts Amduscias. Did you really think that powerful demons weren't sensitive to other strong demons? Especially your power. Do you understand what I'm insinuating?" Valac said while giving Typhir a particular look.

After a while, Typhir nodded in understanding. Although Valac compared Amduscias to Asteroth, their relationship couldn't be seen as amicable. In fact, there was always conflict when the two met because Asteroth's rebellious nature couldn't stomach Amduscias' narcissistic ways.

So, if an Aura of Destruction were to bombard his lightning fence, it'd immediately raise red flags that Asteroth was on to him. After all, Asteroth was famed for doing irrational things. Despite lacking a source to draw power from in this Ring, Asteroth had once gone on a rampage inside Suprenis and even other Rings.

"So what you're saying is that I could be mistaken as Asteroth and cause a heated response?" Typhir questioned.

"Precisely," Valac nodded. But, he then continued a moment later. "However, we don't need to worry about his unmanageable reaction if he's already in a peculiar state. Once that happens, we can even call on our Lord!"

Finally, both Sapphyr and Typhir's eyes widened as they understood Valac's intentions. He intended to obscure Amduscias's resources before summoning their Lord to possibly overtake him in battle!

Suddenly, a ripple of darkness fluctuated in the atmosphere as Xezym materialized slowly. His placid expression was challenging to decipher, but Sapphyr gave a faint smile after receiving a message from Xezym.

"It seems we can move forward," Sapphyr revealed.

Directly after, Xezym also revealed what he saw. "There's only a single person inside. It was difficult to get close to see their appearance, but I saw enough to tell you that a prism of mirrors surrounding an individual, which continually reflected golden energy."

"After a while, that energy should have turned sharp and black in color, right?" Valac interjected.

Ultimately, Xezym nodded his head, confirming Valac's suspicions. Once Xezym confirmed Amduscias' actions, Valac turned towards Typhir with a giddy expression. "I believe it's up to you big guy. Let that fence have it!"