Chapter 444 - Bountiful Ruin

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'Now, let's see what secrets rest behind these doors,' Apollo thought before raising his hand. A burst of overwhelming power emitted from his palm, ultimately taking on the form of an enormous, dark claw.

The claw latched onto the door, intending to wrench it open, but the sturdiness of the door surprised Apollo. Even after experiencing the depth of his dominating force, it didn't budge in the slightest.

Because of this development, Fuhrer approached his side, "Do you require my assistance? Some of these doors require an insane amount of force to open. But, I can just cut through if need be."

"No need," Apollo said, declining Fuhrer's offer. Although Ouroboros's evolution sapped a substantial amount of his power, Apollo wouldn't allow mere doors to restrict his advance.

Instead, Apollo raised his other hand and summoned a second claw of identical size and strength. It also grabbed hold of the doors and pulled, producing an appalling noise.

Eventually, the noise grew into a vigorous rumble as Apollo's actions opened a small crack in the doors. Suddenly, a burst of mystifyingly pure Ira blasted from the door, shocking almost everyone present with the intensity of the surge.

Meanwhile, Apollo continued with his actions uninterruptedly.

Within moments, Apollo ripped the colossal metal doors from the wall and tossed them aside with a resounding clang. He gazed at them with a complex expression because, according to what he sensed, these doors weighed just as much as Ouroboros, requiring all of his strength to remove them.

"Wow! That's a lot of loot!" Valac exclaimed with a shimmering gaze.

Countless gems and metals of varying rarity and worth sat inside the vault. Some of them were familiar to Apollo and others were unfamiliar, but they followed the general usages of the materials found in Ashiraem.

Apollo could sense that these materials were indispensable, especially if wished to increase the number of demons allowed to create a personal Armament before the system provided the increase. 

"Follow me," Apollo said with a wave of his hand as he entered the vault. Everyone followed behind him, but he stopped suddenly after sensing the increasing purity of the ambient Ira.

Except for his time spent in the Trial of Rage, this was the absolute purest Ira Apollo has seen to date. Even the Ira signatures emanating from Saehtyn's body paled when compared to the current environment.

After experiencing this sensation, Apollo made a quick decision. His aura flared, causing the immense doors behind him to levitate. "Until every drop of Ira is absorbed, we'll remain here. Is that understood?"

"Understood, my Lord," Typhir nodded immediately. Without another word, he chose a suitable rock. Once seated, Typhir activated his stigmata, provoking a vast amount of Ira. It formed a whirlpool above his head before piercing towards his glowing stigmata. 

"Count me in as well!" Sapphyr exclaimed. She copied Typhir's actions and activated her stigmata, creating an identical whirlpool.

Soon enough, everyone within the Dominus Household endeavored to absorb all the Ira present. Apollo had everyone do this for a reason. There was only so much experience he could spare before it encroached on his progress. Therefore, the members would have to precipitate their progress as well.

Just as everyone focused on their tasks, Apollo clenched his fists.

Bang! Bang! Szzzzzzzzt!

Both doors slammed against the wall, covering the entrance seamlessly as a cluster of Ira seared the hinges shut. Once it cooled down, Apollo removed his aura, yet the doors remained. Unless someone with acute senses inspected this place, then finding any signs of the doors being opened was next to impossible.

In the meantime, Apollo walked around the ruin's storage vault before picking up an unfamiliar piece of metal resembling a stone. Similar to the Blood Amber, the item in his hand was a demonic material capable of amplifying a certain manic ability.

「«Terronite Ore»

Ranking: Archaic (Demonic Material)

Effect: Infusing this ore in the forging process will give the equipment the ability to induce fear and amplify Ira-based abilities under the rank of this item.

Description: A metal ingot birthed after being saturated by obscene amounts of wrath. Though it is unsuitable to be used in high amounts, it is a powerful addition for the process of equipment creation after its purification. 」

Apollo examined the ore in his hand. It was predominantly grey, with a hint of a reddish-orange imbued in the core. Since the grayish exterior carried all the impurities, it would disappear after purification and reveal the true beauty of its ingot.

"There's a good amount of items present. I suppose this further cements your decision to fight against Asteroth?" Fuhrer asked while glancing at the ore in Apollo's hand. There were a variety of items present on par with this Terronite Ore. However, each of them required an overwhelming flame to deal with them.

In Xonnomor's current state, his aura-less Hellfire was incapable of performing the task at the level Apollo wished. While Gram was a sublime weapon, it was far from reaching the level of a pseudo armament. A pseudo armament and incomplete armament were two completely different entities.

An incomplete armament meant there were too many impurities within the weapon for it to approach the level of being a true armament. Additionally, it almost meant the Sin structure inside the weapon was insufficient.

If Gram's Sin structure was complete, then Apollo could adjust the consumption of his Ira used per strike. Even though his Ira was restricted to the late stage, it didn't mean his control was insufficient. The issue remained with Gram, not Apollo.

Apollo's control was amongst the highest tier within his stage. There was no other demon with a late-stage purity that could manipulate Ira at his level. He was simply one of a kind.

Meanwhile, a pseudo armament was an entirely different story. Though it was still short of becoming an armament, the state of the weapon wasn't the issue. A pseudo armament, in the simplest terms, was an armament without a soul―an empty husk.

There was no need to purify the weapon because the wielder simply needed to partition their soul, creating a base for the weapon's unique soul. After receiving the unique soul, the pseudo armament fulfilled the ultimate requirement. It became a genuine armament.

"It does. Asteroth is a crucial piece of the puzzle. I don't wish to waste my time learning the complexities of forging when I can use someone who has already mastered the craft for millennia," Apollo admitted. 

Fuhrer's expression changed after listening to Apollo's reasoning. For the first time, Apollo opted to not take matters into his own hands, which meant that his Sin of Acedia was showing signs of strengthening.

Until now, Apollo always completed the task himself. After all, only by performing the task himself could Apollo ensure that the job's proper completion. Outside of a select few of his demons, Apollo understood that most of them were far from ready. None of them could handle the struggles of the demonic world.

Which was one reason the system instilled bloodlines in the; to close the gap at a rapid pace. After all, it wasn't the lower echelon within their targets; it was the upper echelon. But, conquering those folk required power beyond their current level.

'If they've excavated ruins of this level, although they aren't on par with the ancient standards, I'm sure the Council's leaders have all experienced some type of strengthening,' Apollo thought to himself.

"I see, but are you sure you're ready? Once you expose yourself to Asteroth, that's it. He's known to become a beast that continues his hunt until his target is destroyed," Fuhrer responded while taking a seat.

"I'd be lying if I said I'm sure. But, the stakes are too high for me to shy away now," Apollo replied before turning towards Fuhrer. Suddenly, a thought entered his mind.

Fuhrer's expression became awkward as he looked at Apollo's expression, "What?"

"Well, why not a friendly spar since we're both Greater Demons for the moment?" Apollo suggested with a faint chuckle.

"A spar?" Fuhrer muttered with a thoughtful expression.

It was an entertaining idea, because Apollo's growth until now was nothing short of substantial. Besides, Fuhrer was truly curious about how much Apollo's strength increased after accepting his true identity.

Therefore, Fuhrer ultimately nodded. "Sounds good. Will it be with a weapon or no weapon?"

"What does it matter? Anything and even nothing you touch becomes a weapon, so we might as well allow them to level the playing field," Apollo said.

Soon enough, Apollo caught a glimpse of Fuhrer's terrifying stats after agreeing to have a small spar.