Chapter 495 - Bad Blood From Ages Ago

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Based on the fluctuations of the incoming aura, Apollo felt their destination was none other than the place they stood. The aftershock and violent waves caused by their battle stretched far beyond the boundaries of the building, possibly attracting some unwanted attention.

Usually, Fuhrer was on standby, containing any signs of battle taking place. However, he wasn't present, so it was impossible to limit the area affected by the exchange of their strong blows.

Nevertheless, Apollo wasn't frightened by the fact that others were alerted. Though he was caught off guard by the immensity of the approaching aura, it wasn't severe enough to turn into fear. After all, there weren't many existences that were capable of instilling fear in Apollo as assimilating with his Conqueror Bloodline.

Be that as it may, he also couldn't look away since the speed at which the aura traveled was on par with Amduscias's accelerated speed. Eventually, he turned towards Amduscias, who until now took the time to assess the changes in his bloodline.

An icy blue crystal spiraled over his palm while flickering with arcs of black lightning. Although the shard was no bigger than a thumb, Amduscias's expression revealed his deep focus. As a foreign power, it'd take some time for Amduscias to utilize this ability on a uniquely effortless level.

"Amduscias," Apollo said all of a sudden. Because of the sudden call, the crystal shattered as he shifted his gaze towards Apollo, who looked towards the distance. 

"Mm?" Amduscias uttered while gradually turning his focus towards the same place as Apollo. Even without receiving any information from Apollo, his expression grew severe within a few moments.

'Quite strong,' Amduscias thought while witnessing a dot grow more prominent in the distance. Soon enough, his expression changed once again as he realized there wasn't one but three dots growing larger at an exponential rate.

What's more, one of the aura's seemed bloodthirsty as if they were on an injured prey's trail.

"Is this unexpected company some of your friends?" Apollo questioned while lightly snapping his fingers. In the distance, Gram vibrated before flying towards Apollo's sword. He didn't wield the weapon just yet, allowing it to float idly by his side.

In the meantime, Apollo continued to scratch Ouroboros's scale. Not only was the action to appease Ouroboros, but it also augmented Apollo's Sin recovery rate.

"With a reputation like mine, the notion of possessing friends is impossible," Amduscias answered with a shake of his head.

But, Apollo chuckled while returning a shake as well. "Oh no, this is a loose term. Who said anything about amicable friends? Perhaps they'd just like your company."

"Oh?" Amduscias replied with a meaningful expression. A cold grin appeared on his face as he connected the dots to the bloodthirsty aura. 'Could someone be bold enough to attempt coming while believing me to be in a weakened state? Sadly, they'll be in for a rude awakening if that's the case.'

Meanwhile, Valac stumbled to his feet while cradling his ribs. Although his Sin Vessel was saturated with Sin, his body was still in shambles after receiving extensive injuries in the fight against Amduscias. The slightest movement caused several jolts of pain to surge through his body.

However, he was too curious about Tirasha's transformation. Not only did he need to confirm his suspicions, but Valac also wanted to know if she was possibly stronger than him now.

"Lord…" Valac muttered, attempting to draw Apollo's attention. Sadly, he didn't receive the response he wished for.

"Not right now," Apollo said while raising his hand. There wasn't any time to explain before a large quake occurred, followed by a large cloud of dust. Fortunately, a screen of black energy appeared before Apollo, forming a small dome that prevented the dust from breaching his personal space.

On the other hand, Amduscias swiped his hand horizontally, splitting the dust in half with a dense arc of dark lightning. As he did so, the colossal figure of three demonic silhouettes peered through the thin smokescreen.

For a while, there was silence as neither side exchanged greetings or any words for that matter. Instead, Apollo analyzed the other side, feeling a faintly familiar power from one of the individuals. 'Who…?'

Conversely, while Apollo observed the other side, Amduscias sneered while revealing a general dislike for the other side. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your freakish existence? And you've bought your two brainless sidekicks."

"What was that?!" A gruff voice responded. A second later, a giant hammer wafted through the smoke revealing a behemoth of a demon spouting enraged eyes. Moreover, a bloodthirsty aura continued to spew from his body as he clenched his hammer.

Despite the reaction, Amduscias continued to give a teasing smirk. It seemed Apollo's guess wasn't too far off, seeing as they engaged in banter as soon as Amduscias recognized the owners of this enormous pressure.

However, before the newcomer could act on his impulse, the middle individual raised their hand and shocked their head. "Calm yourself, Rargith."

"But… Lucifer, this fool is making a mockery of me!" Rargith retorted. However, Lucifer didn't utter another word as he spared Rargith a meaningful look. Judging by that look, it appeared Lucifer would take necessary action if Rargith didn't oblige.

Hence, Rargith reluctantly took a step back but kept the same menacing expression.

Meanwhile, Apollo continued to watch this strange part with an odd look. 'Lucifer? This sounds familiar; is the same Lucifer that Saethyn spoke? If so, then our battle alerted the current Lord of this ring? I didn't expect the ripples to extend this far.'

Not only did Apollo and Amduscias's scuffle alert the Lord of Suprenis, but he even brought the two strongest enforcers of the tower. Based on this action, there had to be another reason to check on the situation within this area. 

This question was something that bothered Apollo, causing him to lean towards Amduscias for answers. "Is there some past relationship with you and this Ring's Lord?"

"Not quite," Amduscias replied before smirking tauntingly. "It just so happens that I almost killed that angry brute in the past when his boss tasked him with getting me to serve him. Obviously, he isn't someone influential enough for me to pledge my allegiance to."

Hearing this remark, Rargith once again clicked his tongue, threatening to take a step forward. However, Lucifer's hand remained in place, blocking him from moving in the slightest.

On the contrary, Lucifer was the one to step forward with a displeased expression. "Oh? I see that mouth of yours hasn't changed despite me allowing your freedom. Do you believe that you are a truly untouchable existence? I merely had better things to do rather than fool around with you personally."

"Yet here you are," Amduscias retorted, causing Lucifer's gaze to narrow. Despite this reaction, Amduscias continued in the same carefree tone, completely disregarding Lucifer's position. "Since you're here, I guess you no longer have anything better to do. Therefore, your argument is void."

Subsequently, Lucifer clicked his tongue in annoyance before momentarily shifting his attention to Apollo. "Judging by the remnant aura and the current condition of this place, it's safe to assume that a battle took place here. What I want to know is who your opponent was."

"And why would that matter to you? This area could be considered a demilitarized zone. In other words, it's a place where your jurisdiction doesn't extend. So, I'm not obliged to satiate your curiosity. However, you're more than welcome to see yourself out," Amduscias remarked in a snide tone.

Regrettably, Lucifer didn't react to his instigation. He silently shifted his gaze between all those present, starting with Valac, who presented the most blatant signs of injury. 

'He undoubtedly battled with this unorthodox individual, but considering his injuries, he wasn't the slightest match, so there's no chance those counter-attacks came from him.'

Next, Lucifer turned his attention to Typhir, who was still recovering from the damage he received in battle while relatively less injured. Once again, Lucifer immediately removed this person from the list of potential enemies. Besides, he felt Typhir's demeanor lacked the same impression the earlier attacks presented.

Therefore, Lucifer shifted his gaze to the last possible person―the individual standing right next to Amduscias. However, Lucifer didn't understand how Amduscias could stand next to someone willingly despite recently engaging in a heated battle.

It didn't make any sense until Lucifer realized something that angered him greatly. "I recall you saying something earlier about pledging allegiance? Could it be that you've done just that with this child who seems to be wet behind that ears?"

Though his voice was calm, Apollo could sense the cold malice brewing under Lucifer's placid expression. Evidently, his gargantuan pride was peeking through his composed demeanor. There was no telling whether he was a ticking bomb waiting to explode or worse.

'Surely, he's not thinking of making a scene, is he?' Apollo wondered.

Unfortunately, Amduscias belonged to a trio of otherwise rambunctious-mouth fiend in the Dominus Household? 

"Why? Is the little man feeling inferior?" Amduscias chuckled, resulting in Lucifer finally dropping his composed demeanor.. A raging golden storm appeared around him with tinges of dark shades interspersed within the swirl.