Chapter 511 - A Difficult Decision, Placing One's Trust

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Apollo attempted to utilize his powers at a level he had never done before for the first time. Aside from his Superbia and Ira, the rest of his Sin Purity was severely lacking to the point where they were essentially insufficient in sustaining the usage of his other stigmata. After all, with the unprecedented caliber of Apollo's Stigmata, they required an obscenely pure source of Sin to power them correctly. 

A Sin Purity of the Initial grade was barely enough to engrave them, much less activate their abilities. Hence, Apollo had only used his Infernal Ira Stigmata and Dauntless Superbia Stigmata thus far. Although he borrowed some of the strength from his Deluging Luxuria and Voracious Gula Stigmata, it wasn't on the level of activating their abilities in full force.

Since this was uncharted territory for Apollo, he was skeptical about the success of activation. Apollo didn't know if he was ready to bear the ramifications of activating all of this power despite his father's reassurance of his traveling the correct path. 

Granted, Apollo also understood that with his current attributes, there was no chance of him grasping an opportunity to gather enough power for the Fourth Annihilation. And even if he managed to secure a chance, Apollo wasn't sure how effective the Fourth Annihilation would be when pinned against Asteroth's destructive force.

Therefore, Apollo possessed no other choice than to place his faith in the capabilities of the Supreme Demon Body, despite how immature its completeness was.

One by one, radiant colors beamed from Apollo's body, starting with a glaring crimson light as his hands continued to grip Asteroth's hammers. Shockingly, the pain present from before disappeared instantly as the various streams of power flowed through Apollo's body.

Unfortunately, the blissful feeling coursing through Apollo's body was fleeting. The sensation was soon replaced by immeasurable pain as Apollo's eyes widened and his expression contorted in pain.

At the same time, a tide of warnings well within his expectations appeared before Apollo's eye.

〈System: W A R N I N G! The simultaneous actuation of all 7 Stigmata surpassed the integrity of your Supreme Demon Body. It is recommended for your Demon Body to reach the peak of the Matured caliber before attempting this power.〉

〈System: The possible disastrous consequences of your actions has triggered the system's safety protocol. Your consent is needed if you wish to continue with your efforts.〉

〈System: All activities will be terminated if an answer isn't received within 10 ten seconds. [Time Remaining: 9.57 seconds.]〉

'Disastrous consequences?' Apollo thought to himself as he watched his stigmata swell with immeasurable might. Although activating a single Stigmata wasn't dangerous, utilizing multiple is a different story altogether. At most, Apollo had only utilized two simultaneously, and even then, he used his Aura to keep them from colliding.

An internal collision between two Sins could lead to catastrophic consequences if Apollo weren't careful. So, just the thought of seven simultaneous clashes occurring inside his body terrified Apollo enough to consider terminating this activation.

Even if he wished to continue, he wasn't sure if the third-degree control of his Aura was enough to maintain a stable suppression of the Sins. Doing so would mean that he'd need to set up seven screens, effectively dividing his focus into seven parts.

What's more, they couldn't be equal since each of his Sins possessed a varying force. As Superbia and Ira were his most substantial Sins, they'd require a significant amount of focus to contain. The more Apollo thought about it, the more he felt it wasn't possible. 

Soon enough, another message appeared before Apollo's eyes.

〈System: Five seconds remain until your actions are forcibly terminated.〉

Apollo's options were quickly running out as the timer decreased rapidly. At this point, it appeared his only choice was to resign himself to the system's suggestion. One thing he couldn't risk now was inflicting irreparable damage upon his body. Too much was on the line for his progress to take a devastating blow.

Eventually, Apollo closed his eyes and exhaled as he analyzed his choices. There were only three options available to him right now: Risk his body's integrity and increase his chances in acquiring more of his ancient member to assist him on his journey, stop his actions and admit defeat which would allow Fuhrer's intervention, or find a way to circumvent the dangers within the remaining time.

Out of the three options present, the second was the easiest, but it would also damage his reputation if the other members caught wind of this incident. How could they follow a leader who couldn't defeat their subordinate? There was no demon alive who was willing to follow a weak leader who could not guarantee their safety.

Once Apollo understood this, he gnashed his teeth in anger. 'You told me not to kill him, and I assume you don't wish for me to kill myself either. But, I also tell from your words that you don't want to give in either… if that's the case, then what do I do?!'

Truth be told, Apollo questioned why his father asked him not to kill Asteroth because, from his perspective, he didn't even have the power to do so! Up until now, Apollo was on the losing end throughout the entire fight. 

Suddenly, Apollo released his grip on Asteroth's hammer as the Conqueror's Arms began fading. Asteroth wasn't sure if this was an expression of admitting defeat or Apollo's power waning, but he didn't wait to receive an answer.

Asteroth gathered an immeasurable amount of power before smashing Apollo towards the center of Ashiraem. After unleashing the attack, Asteroth kicked his foot and flew out of the bottomless pit, landing on the side while gazing at Fuhrer.

When Apollo didn't reappear despite a few seconds passing, Fuhrer's eyes narrowed while looking at Asteroth. "What did you do?!"

"I drove him to the center of Ashiraem," Asteroth answered in a brusque tone.

"You did WHAT?! Do you understand what's down there? That is the purest deposit of Purgatory's Blood, responsible for at least sixty percent of the Ira generated by this Ring? How do you suppose he survives that with his current Demon Body?" Fuhrer snarled. 

At the same time, Fuhrer's left hand instinctively moved to the hilt of Brynhildr as his fury soared. If Apollo didn't survive this, then Fuhrer had no qualms with sending Asteroth to that place as well.

"Tch, this is something he deserves. How can he claim to be the Monarch's son but only unleash this bit of power? Not to mention, he is the reason the Monarch chose to abandon us. After all, what's more important than one's child? Nothing else matters once they're involved," Asteroth said sourly. It was clear that a shred of jealousy seeped into his heart, which was understandable given the history of his experiences with the Monarch.

"That boy has trained for less than four years to reach his current position. You think he is weak, but he has just been born. Furthermore, you are correct. Once it pertains to your children, nothing else matters! How do you think the Monarch would feel about your behavior?"

Asteroth clicked his tongue and gave Fuhrer a vicious gaze. "Hypotheticals are useless! Countless years have passed without the Monarch returning, so your question is irrelevant. After this, we will go our separate way, and I shall locate my own path."

Fuhrer merely snorted before glancing at the pit with an obscure look. 'You are his son; therefore, I believe in you. Reveal a scene powerful enough to destroy this boy's resentment.'

….

Meanwhile, deep inside the pit…

Apollo watched as the timer reached the final second before his eyes. Once that happened, time seemed to slow to a bafflingly slow rate, allowing Apollo to perceive as each millisecond on the timer vanished.

During this time, Apollo's thoughts raced while his heart rate hastened rapidly. The higher his heart rate grew, the more distinct the surrounding heat became. Even breathing became difficult since his body was coated in a thick layer of Purgatory's Blood.

Nevertheless, being surrounded by this material inspired a significant change in Apollo's thought process. 'Blood… it's all about blood. Since I am his son, I am the only one capable of withstanding the consequences of all these Sins. There is no reason for fear as long as I understand my position!'

Thump! Thump Thump! Thump Thump Thump!

Like when the pendant absorbed the wyvern's blood, Apollo's reacted the same way as he bathed in the Purgatory Blood. Once clarity returned to his mind, Apollo made his decision.'

"Abort the termination," Apollo commanded.

〈System: Decision granted. Continuing with the activation of all seven stigmata.〉

His decision became irreversible after giving the command as the system would no longer interfere in his actions. However, Apollo counted on this outcome as he stimulated the Abysmal Conqueror Bloodline.

'This is what you were hinting at, right? I need to trust my bloodline if I wish to dominate the Sins.'

A moment later, a blinding light escaped Apollo's body as he roared in pain. Despite the stimulation of his bloodline, the pain he felt continued to skyrocket at a frightening pace. At the rate it was going, he wouldn't last more than three seconds before losing consciousness. But, how could Apollo come all this way to give in now? 

'Come on,' Apollo thought to himself. As his fading Conqueror's Arms returned in full, followed by the appearance of each Stigmata manifesting as a physical inscription. Upon witnessing this phenomenon, Apollo marveled at each one before tapping a finger against each of their surfaces.

Followed by the tapping, each stigmata turned in a metallic armor matching the Conqueror's Arms. However, each armor fragment that resided upon a stigmata's location possesses a unique color flowing through it.

Consequently, Apollo felt all remains of his bloodline reserves evaporate along with his Demonic Anima. Even his Sin Volume drained at a monstrous rate causing another warning to appear.

〈System: Due to the current consumption of your internal resources, this current technique possesses a finite duration. [Estimated Time Remaining: 30 seconds.] 〉

'30 seconds? It'll have to suffice,' Apollo thought before rushing to the surface with an explosive sonic boom.