The Demon Monarch System

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〈System: Congratulations, the Demonic Dark Lightning Duke Amduscias has agreed to return to the Dominus Household. [One of the qualifications to upgrade the level of the household has been achieved.〉

〈System: Because of the restriction placed upon you by the system, all of the rewards except for the purification of your Superbia and an increase to the Experience Pool shall be put on hold.〉

〈System: Since the household possesses a character with a sealed title of a Duke, all of the lower level hidden pieces can be acquired without battle by using the proper methods.〉

Aside from the last message, Apollo pretty much expected the outcome. After all, the message was similar to when he acquired all of the other pieces currently in his possession. However, as the only piece with the most substantial title by far, excluding Fuhrer, of course, Amduscias's presence produced some extra quality of life effects.

Apollo could acquire them through other means instead of wasting time battling the lower-level demons that maintained a certain level of importance. Presumably, this means had something to do with his title as the true heir. 

Moreover, Apollo estimated that the lower-level mentioned in the notification only included those at the Demonic Earl or lower. At that level, all of the demons were essentially much weaker than Apollo, so it shouldn't take much effort to overpower them with strength regardless.

Meanwhile, the faded insignia of the Dominus Household located on Amduscias's chest returned to its former glory as he felt the power of the household authority return to him. While his authority was still lacking compared to Typhir since he was without a proper role at the moment, Amduscias still smiled.

"Furcas… Old Man Fuhrer and Valac, the rest are all unfamiliar to me," Amduscias said as he stared at Apollo. Based on what he felt, he could tell that the household members all possessed an odd power signature, proving that each member had a unique bloodline tailored to their abilities.

'How could he get so lucky? Even the weakest of these demons possess a Major Bloodline. I believed them to be on the decline, yet this young Lord managed to find so many with a bloodline like such?' Amduscias thought to himself.

As mentioned before, not only was the caliber of the demons on a steady decline, but the presence of powerful bloodlines was also. So, while Minor Bloodlines were easy to find, Major Bloodlines were much harder to locate, and Perfected Bloodlines were essentially impossible to find.

So, Amduscias's shock was to be expected. Even he didn't possess a bloodline surpassing the Major level. However, despite having a bloodline, he was an individual who rarely used it because it appeared before he awakened the dark lightning, so it didn't agree with the power.

Suddenly, Apollo gestured for him to come over. While doing so, an obscure aura appeared at the tips of Apollo's fingers. A portion of it seemed identical to the Aura of Domination, but the other half was in fact his bloodline, which Apollo learned to be a strong influencer of the system.

It was required when he wanted to move forward with any problematic actions, such as altering the foundation of an ancient member. Though he wasn't sure if he was at the level, Apollo wanted to test if he could heighten the physique of a member that surpassed the others by leaps and bounds.

Answering the beckon, Amduscias sauntered over before Apollo and stood face to face with him. "Is there something else we need to address?"

"In fact, there is," Apollo answered with a faint smile. He then thrust his arm into Amduscias's chest without any indication of performing this action. Despite the scene, Amduscias didn't flinch at all.

It was true that Apollo moved suddenly, which would usually rouse suspicion, but Amduscias sensed zero dark intentions. Therefore, he let Apollo be.

Conversely, Apollo glanced at the notification before his eyes, sitting on the edge of his seat.

〈System: The system is estimating the best scenario for this member. The result shall appear momentarily.〉

Although the system said it would appear momentarily, seconds soon turned into minutes, but Apollo didn't fret. Instead, his grin deepened as he watched the loading bar inch towards completion. 

While it wasn't a confirmed assumption, Apollo realized the duration of the system's processing time usually hinted at the strength of the change it was estimating. In Amduscias's case, there were too many factors that contributed to a long time.

There was his robust physique, his understanding of Aura utilization, the presence of a completed Dominion, and finally, his higher title. So, while there was a chance that a proper upgrade was incoming, there was also the possibility that the system just needed more time to comprehend his power thoroughly.

Apollo waved his hand during this time, causing Typhir and the others to walk up to him. Apollo turned slightly, allowing his eyes to fall upon Valac alone. "Come."

Since his tone was calm, Valac wasn't sure of the reason for his summons. As a result, a shred of nervousness entered his mind as he stepped towards Apollo. "Y-yes, my Lord? Do I do something wrong? Oh, please no! I was good. I'm telling the truth!"

"Not particularly. I just want to know why a fight took place so fast? I dispatched you all not too long ago, yet I received blaring signals that you all were in trouble. If you behaved, how is that so?" Apollo questioned.

In response, Valac choked and stuttered over his words. After all, the reason behind the confrontation was his past conduct, not his present one. So, in a sense, it was his fault regardless. Valac just hoped that Apollo didn't see it this way.

Releasing a defeated sigh, Valac dropped his head and revealed the reason behind the confrontation. Off to the side, Amduscias was surprised by the development. From what he knew, Valac wasn't one to lower his head and admit to his wrongdoings without someone having to torture him endlessly.

However, not even a hand was raised to him, and Valac spilled the truth. It was indeed a sight! In Amduscias's memory, only four individuals were capable of invoking this type of fear within Valac.

'Does this new Lord invoke fear on the level of Old Man Fuhrer, the Savage Queen, the Ruthless King, and finally our Monarch? If so, then this shall be an exciting next set of years,' Amduscias thought to himself. Unlike the others, he had yet to witness Apollo's wrath firsthand.

Only once that happened would he understand that Apollo traveled a path either on par or far worse than what Amduscias had seen in the past. After all, Apollo's strength could be seen as the culmination of all demons who followed him.

The system prepared Demonic Conduct to give him a sense of the demons who drew strength from a power separate from Sin.

Suddenly, a message appeared before Apollo's eyes as a voice sounded within.

"Have you succeeded young Lord? Did you manage to claim that proud boy?" Fuhrer asked. His tone seemed lazy as if he was sauntering around or relaxing rather than his normal poised demeanor.

"I did," Apollo replied. After a moment, he continued. "It was difficult, but not as difficult as I estimated. According to Valac, he appeared here on purpose to expose himself to Amduscias's anger, which in turn, exhausted a large amount of his energy."

"Oh? What a shrewd boy. In a sense, he rendered you aid without breaking the restrictions placed upon us by the Monarch. Interesting. I'm sure he's unaware of the restrictions since only I was made aware, but I commend him nonetheless," Fuhrer answered.

"Ah, by the way, it is done. I have accomplished what you've asked of me. Though, if I'm being honest, I was quite heavy-handed. So I've claimed three strongholds for you in this Ring. You can manage them as you see fit when you return," Fuhrer added.

A look of surprise appeared on Apollo's face but he just chuckled afterward. 'It seems that everyone shows their eagerness for chaos when I'm not present. Well, it has given the desired results so I have no issues with it.'

Next, Apollo shifted his attention to the notification before him.

〈System: Absorbing the Demonic Duke Dark Lightning Duke as one of your summons has resulted in a slight change to your attributes.〉

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(Demon Monarch System) Lv.6

Name: Apollo Kaiser

Race: Greater Demon [100%]

Title: Monarch's True Heir, Azridan's Successor

Age: 18

Level: 199

Experience: 100%

Health: 100%

Demonic Anima Reserves: 220,000 units

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Strength: 5,343.0

Agility: 4,919.0

Intelligence: 2,787.5

Vitality: 2,668.0

Comprehension: 308.8

Willpower: 278.8

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[«Traits»]- 8

«Supreme Demon Body»

«Unbound Eyes»

«Gluttonous Soul»

«Vacant Soul»

«Eye of Mimicry»

«Eye of Desire»

«Intrepid Mind»

«Tempting Corruption»

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[«Techniques»]- 5

«Demonic Imposition: Adamantine Servitude» [Partially Awakened]

«Demonic Providence: Domination» [Sealed]

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[«Sin Margins»] 

Ira - Late [Infernal Hellfire]

Gula - Primary [Endless Devouring]

Avaritia - Initial [Boundless Desires]

Superbia - Late [Adamant Will]

Invidia - Initial [Covetous Eye] 

Luxuria - Initial [Corrupted Eye]

Acedia - Initial [Languish Perception]

...

'I guess I should expect as much from someone who specializes in pure agility,' Apollo thought.

At the same time, Apollo pressed his palm against Amduscias's forehead, opening an expansive menu with more options than Apollo thought was possible!