Chapter 349: Familiar Voi es
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----
"N-no! It's him! It is himm!" Claire screeched, terror dripping from her mind as she clutched her head in madness. The influx of memories was so vivid, it was as if they were reliving the terror from that day. While the others weren't aware of the reasoning behind the bloodied shrieks, Apollo was.
Wisps of dark energy circled their heads as Apollo gazed directly into the despair. Images of their fears were laced into the forming cloud, allowing Apollo to glimpse into their view of things.
He bore witness to his abnormal demon form, different from the Iraym form. An odd feeling engulfed Apollo, feeling both foreign as well as familiar. At first, he thought to ask Fuhrer for answers, but Apollo noticed something odd—his surroundings morphed into pure darkness.
"My young one, it isn't the time to be seeking answers. Grow more before you attempt to seek answers. Even Fuhrer will not reveal them to you. Until you understand who you are, finding out more is out of the question. If you are alerted of the issues now, then all my actions will have been for naught," a voice said, echoing in the darkness.
Apollo looked around, attempting to pinpoint the voice's origin. However, there was no light in the darkness. Even his hand disappeared when held before his face. Not to mention, the voice sounded as if it was reverberating throughout the darkness.
Nevertheless, Apollo needed some answers, anything. "Are you the First Monarch? What is your name? Are you the one who created that system that guides me?"
A sigh was heard in the darkness, followed by another set of mystifying information.
"Unfortunately, the origins of the system are even beyond me. You only have it because I wasn't willing to merge with it. Instead, I kept it for the reasons of inheritance. After all, Furcas had already divined the inevitable and before we knew it...it was upon us," the voice replied.
"Then...is that confirmation of your identity as First Monarch? Are you alive right now? What about our relationship? How am I the liege to all of this?" Apollo questioned in disarray. His mind was racing.
First, he didn't understand why the voice appeared now of all times. There were many times when he was in danger, yet the voice never once interfered. Leading Apollo to believe the First Monarch was dead
However, back in the Dark Ruins Labyrinth, he felt an odd beckon, which then led to the chance meeting of this voice. Since then it was nonexistent. Moreover, he wasn't in any imminent danger.
Apollo didn't even view the Glories as a worthwhile opponent anymore. Yet, unbeknownst to Apollo, the voice had orchestrated the events this way. When he sealed their memories, he left a crack in it.
Only Dominance Intent could shatter the seal.
So, when Apollo assailed them with his intent, the imprint the voice left on the Glories reawakened, creating the perfect moment for them to talk amongst themselves.
"Life, death; at my boundary, those are just trivial worries. No, I am plagued with something much greater. As for the rest, once you are strong enough, at least becoming a Daemos, travel to the core of our lost ring. You'll find all the answers there."
Towards the end, the voice began growing faint but Apollo caught the instruction loud and clear.
A few moments later, a whisper was heard, "There were some before, but don't trust their words. Corruption festers in their beliefs and betrayal begets their desires."
With a gasp, Apollo was ejected from the darkness, staring into Lazaro's eyes. That lifeless gaze frightened him, chilling him to his core. In fact, Lazaro shivered as if he was dropped into an otherworldly tundra.
"I-it wasn't us. It wasn't us! It was the Scion!" Lazaro shrieked in fear. If he was that strong back then, just how strong was he now?
The silence made Lazaro worry, believing Apollo was concocting devilish applications of torture. Yet, what Lazaro didn't know was Apollo's gaze was beyond him right now. The whisper had drawn all of his attention.
'There were some before… Is this related to my origins, or could the voice be mentioning Azridan's situation? If I remember properly, there were instances of overwhelming hatred back when Azridan was awake. Furthermore, it was a reaction to the mention of former Monarch candidates.'
Azridan was betrayed, thus Apollo was linking the events together, possibly chancing upon some answers.
All of a sudden, Apollo felt a small stir in his mind and it was very familiar.
"Azridan?" Apollo muttered, causing Fuhrer to freeze and turn back towards him. As he surveyed Apollo's current condition, he realized Apollo was in a small trance.
'Inside his mind? But...why would he utter that name if he's caught in a trance? Could it have something to do with His Majesty? It's possible, but also highly unlikely. No, I must remember the mystical spectacles to were birth from his presence.'
Apollo continued to utter Azridan's name, but there was no response for some time until finally, a pained groan echoed in Apollo's mind.
[U-ugh…]
That familiar voice astonished Apollo, his eyes widening with shock. According to Azridan, it would take years to recover the damage down to his soul by the restriction imprint. Yet, Apollo could hear his voice loud and clear.
"Azridan, can you hear me?" Apollo questioned again. This time, he spoke internally, burrowing deep into his mind.
[Ugh, kid...shut up already. I heard you already! You're giving me a migraine.]
The groggy snarl of Azridan's disgruntled voice sounded. Although Azridan was reprimanding him, Apollo was ecstatic.
"Welcome back," Apollo chuckled, the life returning to his eyes. The change in his eyes further alarmed Lazaro, who desperately clutched his short swords. Their slender appeared swelled with the aura of his Spirit.
In response, Apollo merely smiled. It was both genuine and dark at the same time.
[Boy, handle your business and give me time.]
"I guarantee I will," Apollo responded.
When he stepped closer, Lazaro blubbered. "D-don't you dare. I won't go down without a fight. I told you before this was the work of a Scion!"
Apollo's eyebrow twitched, finding Lazaro's behavior to be laughable. Back in the pavilion, he was dripping with insufferable arrogance. The individual before him, on the other hand, seemed broken and lost.
Nevertheless, Apollo couldn't care less; he vowed to see things through until the end.
"Whether that may be true, I'm sure you tried to curry their favor. And for that, I still give you the same sentence. Everyone, you may now move."
A pleased grin appeared not just on Valak's lips, but all of the demons. Each of them moved to intercept at least one of the Glories whereas Apollo remained stationary, watching Lazaro's frightened movements.
Unlike the rest, Fuhrer remained stationary, gazing at Apollo's back.
"My Lord, you mentioned Azridan just now? Why did you do so? Fuhrer inquired. As his first student, Azridan held a special place in Fuhrer's heart. After all, he guided the boy through hellish training to see him blossoming into one of the strongest Demons of his era.
"I'll reveal it later. It should be a rather moving reunion for you. The faster we extinguish these fools, the quicker I can clue you in," Apollo responded.
'Reunion..?'
Fuhrer nodded, incentivized to destroy everything. However, he kept his actions limited to three figures. Like the others, they hailed from Great Families, namely the Krauss, Duran, and Aldair Families. Each of them was famed for a singular technique.
Therefore, as heirs, these individuals were given access to it.
Without a moment's hesitation, Fuhrer sprang forth, emptyhanded. Since Typhir had Brynhildr currently, Fuhrer returned to his formless sword style. Others would see this as a delusional practice but that was wrong.
Fuhrer was most dangerous when utilizing his formless sword twice. In short, it held another name.
"True Tenebrous Sword: Formless Void Submersion!"
A deluge of void blades assailed his opponents, slashing not only them but even their Spirits countless times over. Despite their attempts to defends, none of Fuhrer's strikes failed to contact its target.
As the undisputed champion of the First Monarch, it would be a blemish on his reputation if he allowed these kids to contest against his famed technique. Thus, in mere moments, his opponents' lives dangled by a thread.
Simultaneously, a thunderous explosion was heard as a portion of the stairs was completely destroyed. Both Aeon and Ainz slammed into Claire and her Spirit donned in white cloth robes.
On one side, Typhir appeared holding his two swords and Jorgun appeared cracking his fists.
"Not bad," Jorgun nodded.
"Likewise," Typhir responded.
With another move, they moved to claim the lives of the others.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
A blood-curdling scream was heard accompanied by an alarming surge of Spiritual Essence.
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----
"N-no! It's him! It is himm!" Claire screeched, terror dripping from her mind as she clutched her head in madness. The influx of memories was so vivid, it was as if they were reliving the terror from that day. While the others weren't aware of the reasoning behind the bloodied shrieks, Apollo was.
Wisps of dark energy circled their heads as Apollo gazed directly into the despair. Images of their fears were laced into the forming cloud, allowing Apollo to glimpse into their view of things.
He bore witness to his abnormal demon form, different from the Iraym form. An odd feeling engulfed Apollo, feeling both foreign as well as familiar. At first, he thought to ask Fuhrer for answers, but Apollo noticed something odd—his surroundings morphed into pure darkness.
"My young one, it isn't the time to be seeking answers. Grow more before you attempt to seek answers. Even Fuhrer will not reveal them to you. Until you understand who you are, finding out more is out of the question. If you are alerted of the issues now, then all my actions will have been for naught," a voice said, echoing in the darkness.
Apollo looked around, attempting to pinpoint the voice's origin. However, there was no light in the darkness. Even his hand disappeared when held before his face. Not to mention, the voice sounded as if it was reverberating throughout the darkness.
Nevertheless, Apollo needed some answers, anything. "Are you the First Monarch? What is your name? Are you the one who created that system that guides me?"
A sigh was heard in the darkness, followed by another set of mystifying information.
"Unfortunately, the origins of the system are even beyond me. You only have it because I wasn't willing to merge with it. Instead, I kept it for the reasons of inheritance. After all, Furcas had already divined the inevitable and before we knew it...it was upon us," the voice replied.
"Then...is that confirmation of your identity as First Monarch? Are you alive right now? What about our relationship? How am I the liege to all of this?" Apollo questioned in disarray. His mind was racing.
First, he didn't understand why the voice appeared now of all times. There were many times when he was in danger, yet the voice never once interfered. Leading Apollo to believe the First Monarch was dead
However, back in the Dark Ruins Labyrinth, he felt an odd beckon, which then led to the chance meeting of this voice. Since then it was nonexistent. Moreover, he wasn't in any imminent danger.
Apollo didn't even view the Glories as a worthwhile opponent anymore. Yet, unbeknownst to Apollo, the voice had orchestrated the events this way. When he sealed their memories, he left a crack in it.
Only Dominance Intent could shatter the seal.
So, when Apollo assailed them with his intent, the imprint the voice left on the Glories reawakened, creating the perfect moment for them to talk amongst themselves.
"Life, death; at my boundary, those are just trivial worries. No, I am plagued with something much greater. As for the rest, once you are strong enough, at least becoming a Daemos, travel to the core of our lost ring. You'll find all the answers there."
Towards the end, the voice began growing faint but Apollo caught the instruction loud and clear.
A few moments later, a whisper was heard, "There were some before, but don't trust their words. Corruption festers in their beliefs and betrayal begets their desires."
With a gasp, Apollo was ejected from the darkness, staring into Lazaro's eyes. That lifeless gaze frightened him, chilling him to his core. In fact, Lazaro shivered as if he was dropped into an otherworldly tundra.
"I-it wasn't us. It wasn't us! It was the Scion!" Lazaro shrieked in fear. If he was that strong back then, just how strong was he now?
The silence made Lazaro worry, believing Apollo was concocting devilish applications of torture. Yet, what Lazaro didn't know was Apollo's gaze was beyond him right now. The whisper had drawn all of his attention.
'There were some before… Is this related to my origins, or could the voice be mentioning Azridan's situation? If I remember properly, there were instances of overwhelming hatred back when Azridan was awake. Furthermore, it was a reaction to the mention of former Monarch candidates.'
Azridan was betrayed, thus Apollo was linking the events together, possibly chancing upon some answers.
All of a sudden, Apollo felt a small stir in his mind and it was very familiar.
"Azridan?" Apollo muttered, causing Fuhrer to freeze and turn back towards him. As he surveyed Apollo's current condition, he realized Apollo was in a small trance.
'Inside his mind? But...why would he utter that name if he's caught in a trance? Could it have something to do with His Majesty? It's possible, but also highly unlikely. No, I must remember the mystical spectacles to were birth from his presence.'
Apollo continued to utter Azridan's name, but there was no response for some time until finally, a pained groan echoed in Apollo's mind.
[U-ugh…]
That familiar voice astonished Apollo, his eyes widening with shock. According to Azridan, it would take years to recover the damage down to his soul by the restriction imprint. Yet, Apollo could hear his voice loud and clear.
"Azridan, can you hear me?" Apollo questioned again. This time, he spoke internally, burrowing deep into his mind.
[Ugh, kid...shut up already. I heard you already! You're giving me a migraine.]
The groggy snarl of Azridan's disgruntled voice sounded. Although Azridan was reprimanding him, Apollo was ecstatic.
"Welcome back," Apollo chuckled, the life returning to his eyes. The change in his eyes further alarmed Lazaro, who desperately clutched his short swords. Their slender appeared swelled with the aura of his Spirit.
In response, Apollo merely smiled. It was both genuine and dark at the same time.
[Boy, handle your business and give me time.]
"I guarantee I will," Apollo responded.
When he stepped closer, Lazaro blubbered. "D-don't you dare. I won't go down without a fight. I told you before this was the work of a Scion!"
Apollo's eyebrow twitched, finding Lazaro's behavior to be laughable. Back in the pavilion, he was dripping with insufferable arrogance. The individual before him, on the other hand, seemed broken and lost.
Nevertheless, Apollo couldn't care less; he vowed to see things through until the end.
"Whether that may be true, I'm sure you tried to curry their favor. And for that, I still give you the same sentence. Everyone, you may now move."
A pleased grin appeared not just on Valak's lips, but all of the demons. Each of them moved to intercept at least one of the Glories whereas Apollo remained stationary, watching Lazaro's frightened movements.
Unlike the rest, Fuhrer remained stationary, gazing at Apollo's back.
"My Lord, you mentioned Azridan just now? Why did you do so? Fuhrer inquired. As his first student, Azridan held a special place in Fuhrer's heart. After all, he guided the boy through hellish training to see him blossoming into one of the strongest Demons of his era.
"I'll reveal it later. It should be a rather moving reunion for you. The faster we extinguish these fools, the quicker I can clue you in," Apollo responded.
'Reunion..?'
Fuhrer nodded, incentivized to destroy everything. However, he kept his actions limited to three figures. Like the others, they hailed from Great Families, namely the Krauss, Duran, and Aldair Families. Each of them was famed for a singular technique.
Therefore, as heirs, these individuals were given access to it.
Without a moment's hesitation, Fuhrer sprang forth, emptyhanded. Since Typhir had Brynhildr currently, Fuhrer returned to his formless sword style. Others would see this as a delusional practice but that was wrong.
Fuhrer was most dangerous when utilizing his formless sword twice. In short, it held another name.
"True Tenebrous Sword: Formless Void Submersion!"
A deluge of void blades assailed his opponents, slashing not only them but even their Spirits countless times over. Despite their attempts to defends, none of Fuhrer's strikes failed to contact its target.
As the undisputed champion of the First Monarch, it would be a blemish on his reputation if he allowed these kids to contest against his famed technique. Thus, in mere moments, his opponents' lives dangled by a thread.
Simultaneously, a thunderous explosion was heard as a portion of the stairs was completely destroyed. Both Aeon and Ainz slammed into Claire and her Spirit donned in white cloth robes.
On one side, Typhir appeared holding his two swords and Jorgun appeared cracking his fists.
"Not bad," Jorgun nodded.
"Likewise," Typhir responded.
With another move, they moved to claim the lives of the others.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
A blood-curdling scream was heard accompanied by an alarming surge of Spiritual Essence.
----"N-no! It's him! It is himm!" Claire screeched, terror dripping from her mind as she clutched her head in madness. The influx of memories was so vivid, it was as if they were reliving the terror from that day. While the others weren't aware of the reasoning behind the bloodied shrieks, Apollo was.Wisps of dark energy circled their heads as Apollo gazed directly into the despair. Images of their fears were laced into the forming cloud, allowing Apollo to glimpse into their view of things.He bore witness to his abnormal demon form, different from the Iraym form. An odd feeling engulfed Apollo, feeling both foreign as well as familiar. At first, he thought to ask Fuhrer for answers, but Apollo noticed something oddhis surroundings morphed into pure darkness."My young one, it isn't the time to be seeking answers. Grow more before you attempt to seek answers. Even Fuhrer will not reveal them to you. Until you understand who you are, finding out more is out of the question. If you are alerted of the issues now, then all my actions will have been for naught," a voice said, echoing in the darkness.Apollo looked around, attempting to pinpoint the voice's origin. However, there was no light in the darkness. Even his hand disappeared when held before his face. Not to mention, the voice sounded as if it was reverberating throughout the darkness. Nevertheless, Apollo needed some answers, anything. "Are you the First Monarch? What is your name? Are you the one who created that system that guides me?"A sigh was heard in the darkness, followed by another set of mystifying information."Unfortunately, the origins of the system are even beyond me. You only have it because I wasn't willing to merge with it. Instead, I kept it for the reasons of inheritance. After all, Furcas had already divined the inevitable and before we knew it...it was upon us," the voice replied."Then...is that confirmation of your identity as First Monarch? Are you alive right now? What about our relationship? How am I the liege to all of this?" Apollo questioned in disarray. His mind was racing.First, he didn't understand why the voice appeared now of all times. There were many times when he was in danger, yet the voice never once interfered. Leading Apollo to believe the First Monarch was deadHowever, back in the Dark Ruins Labyrinth, he felt an odd beckon, which then led to the chance meeting of this voice. Since then it was nonexistent. Moreover, he wasn't in any imminent danger. Apollo didn't even view the Glories as a worthwhile opponent anymore. Yet, unbeknownst to Apollo, the voice had orchestrated the events this way. When he sealed their memories, he left a crack in it.Only Dominance Intent could shatter the seal.So, when Apollo assailed them with his intent, the imprint the voice left on the Glories reawakened, creating the perfect moment for them to talk amongst themselves."Life, death; at my boundary, those are just trivial worries. No, I am plagued with something much greater. As for the rest, once you are strong enough, at least becoming a Daemos, travel to the core of our lost ring. You'll find all the answers there."Towards the end, the voice began growing faint but Apollo caught the instruction loud and clear.A few moments later, a whisper was heard, "There were some before, but don't trust their words. Corruption festers in their beliefs and betrayal begets their desires."With a gasp, Apollo was ejected from the darkness, staring into Lazaro's eyes. That lifeless gaze frightened him, chilling him to his core. In fact, Lazaro shivered as if he was dropped into an otherworldly tundra."I-it wasn't us. It wasn't us! It was the Scion!" Lazaro shrieked in fear. If he was that strong back then, just how strong was he now?The silence made Lazaro worry, believing Apollo was concocting devilish applications of torture. Yet, what Lazaro didn't know was Apollo's gaze was beyond him right now. The whisper had drawn all of his attention.'There were some before Is this related to my origins, or could the voice be mentioning Azridan's situation? If I remember properly, there were instances of overwhelming hatred back when Azridan was awake. Furthermore, it was a reaction to the mention of former Monarch candidates.'Azridan was betrayed, thus Apollo was linking the events together, possibly chancing upon some answers. All of a sudden, Apollo felt a small stir in his mind and it was very familiar."Azridan?" Apollo muttered, causing Fuhrer to freeze and turn back towards him. As he surveyed Apollo's current condition, he realized Apollo was in a small trance.'Inside his mind? But...why would he utter that name if he's caught in a trance? Could it have something to do with His Majesty? It's possible, but also highly unlikely. No, I must remember the mystical spectacles to were birth from his presence.'Apollo continued to utter Azridan's name, but there was no response for some time until finally, a pained groan echoed in Apollo's mind.U-ughThat familiar voice astonished Apollo, his eyes widening with shock. According to Azridan, it would take years to recover the damage down to his soul by the restriction imprint. Yet, Apollo could hear his voice loud and clear."Azridan, can you hear me?" Apollo questioned again. This time, he spoke internally, burrowing deep into his mind.Ugh, kid...shut up already. I heard you already! You're giving me a migraine.The groggy snarl of Azridan's disgruntled voice sounded. Although Azridan was reprimanding him, Apollo was ecstatic."Welcome back," Apollo chuckled, the life returning to his eyes. The change in his eyes further alarmed Lazaro, who desperately clutched his short swords. Their slender appeared swelled with the aura of his Spirit.In response, Apollo merely smiled. It was both genuine and dark at the same time.Boy, handle your business and give me time."I guarantee I will," Apollo responded.When he stepped closer, Lazaro blubbered. "D-don't you dare. I won't go down without a fight. I told you before this was the work of a Scion!" Apollo's eyebrow twitched, finding Lazaro's behavior to be laughable. Back in the pavilion, he was dripping with insufferable arrogance. The individual before him, on the other hand, seemed broken and lost.Nevertheless, Apollo couldn't care less; he vowed to see things through until the end."Whether that may be true, I'm sure you tried to curry their favor. And for that, I still give you the same sentence. Everyone, you may now move."A pleased grin appeared not just on Valak's lips, but all of the demons. Each of them moved to intercept at least one of the Glories whereas Apollo remained stationary, watching Lazaro's frightened movements. Unlike the rest, Fuhrer remained stationary, gazing at Apollo's back. "My Lord, you mentioned Azridan just now? Why did you do so? Fuhrer inquired. As his first student, Azridan held a special place in Fuhrer's heart. After all, he guided the boy through hellish training to see him blossoming into one of the strongest Demons of his era."I'll reveal it later. It should be a rather moving reunion for you. The faster we extinguish these fools, the quicker I can clue you in," Apollo responded.'Reunion..?'Fuhrer nodded, incentivized to destroy everything. However, he kept his actions limited to three figures. Like the others, they hailed from Great Families, namely the Krauss, Duran, and Aldair Families. Each of them was famed for a singular technique.Therefore, as heirs, these individuals were given access to it.Without a moment's hesitation, Fuhrer sprang forth, emptyhanded. Since Typhir had Brynhildr currently, Fuhrer returned to his formless sword style. Others would see this as a delusional practice but that was wrong. Fuhrer was most dangerous when utilizing his formless sword twice. In short, it held another name."True Tenebrous Sword: Formless Void Submersion!"A deluge of void blades assailed his opponents, slashing not only them but even their Spirits countless times over. Despite their attempts to defends, none of Fuhrer's strikes failed to contact its target.As the undisputed champion of the First Monarch, it would be a blemish on his reputation if he allowed these kids to contest against his famed technique. Thus, in mere moments, his opponents' lives dangled by a thread.Simultaneously, a thunderous explosion was heard as a portion of the stairs was completely destroyed. Both Aeon and Ainz slammed into Claire and her Spirit donned in white cloth robes.On one side, Typhir appeared holding his two swords and Jorgun appeared cracking his fists."Not bad," Jorgun nodded."Likewise," Typhir responded. With another move, they moved to claim the lives of the others."NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"A blood-curdling scream was heard accompanied by an alarming surge of Spiritual Essence.
