Chapter 512 - Exceeding Expectations (I)

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Although Asteroth's actions disgruntled Fuhrer, his expression returned to normal almost immediately as he sensed a significant disturbance originating from. If it wasn't Apollo's doing, what else could it be? Besides, Fuhrer could feel Apollo's unique energy signature laced within the disturbance despite its unusual condition.

' Hmm? Why does this presence feel so odd? It's quite familiar but also unfamiliar at the same time,' Fuhrer thought to himself. The familiarity stemmed from the fact that Aztraval wielded this power at all times in the past, so Fuhrer had become accustomed to its overwhelming presence.

However, the unfamiliarity was due to two reasons. One, the power Fuhrer felt didn't even amount to one percent of the genuine strength granted by this simultaneous usage. Secondly, Fuhrer didn't expect Apollo to risk using all seven Stigmata simultaneously, given his Demon Body's incomplete.

'Surely, this body hasn't done what I think he has, right? Then again, it'd be difficult to survive down there if he didn't take the necessary drastic precautions,' Fuhrer thought to himself while focusing on the bottomless pit's opening.

It was barely audible due to the depth of the hole, but Fuhrer could make out a sonic boom occurring followed by the bubbling of excess amounts of Purgatory's Blood. Still, despite the bubbling of the Purgatory's Blood and how close Fuhrer stood to the pit, he remained in place.

Evidently, the presence of Purgatory's Blood didn't frighten Fuhrer in the slightest, which was understandable, seeing as he was a demon who mastered the path of Wrath. He could wield a large amount of Purgatory's Blood alongside his Void abilities in his prime.

Similarly, Asteroth sensed something amiss once he felt the growing tremors deep beneath the surface. As a result, his eyes narrowed as he intently scanned the pit's depths. Unfortunately, no matter how deep he sent his perception, it was obscured by the bizarre power Purgatory's Blood possessed.

In short, Purgatory's Blood was the epitome of destructive existence. In addition to existing beside Ira as one of the purest sources of power, it was also influential in assisting many demons to purify their Auras in the past. Granted, it was only effective if the demon walked the path of destruction.

Any other power would not withstand the rampant destruction brought about by this destructive flame.

Finally, an immense geyser of Purgatory's Blood erupted from the bottomless pit, followed by a small figure compared to the geyser's magnitude. Be that as it may, the presence of the small figure amidst the geyser was more distinguishable than the geyser itself.

'So he did do it….' Fuhrer muttered to himself as he analyzed the armor wrapped around Apollo. At a glance, he understood that the unique colors on the armor overlapped with the placement of each Stigmata, indicating the activation of every available Stigmata.

Meanwhile, Apollo shifted his gaze to Asteroth. He was silent for a moment as he gritted his teeth. Although the system estimated that his body would hold out for 30 seconds before falling apart, the appalling speed granted by this armor caused pain beyond Apollo's expectations.

It took a moment for him to adjust to the backlash before he could move once again. Of course, his stoic expression didn't reveal this issue, which made Asteroth's impression deviate from the truth.

'Vengeance? I know those eyes; those are the eyes are someone who wants payback. Tch, you think you're enough for that kid?' Asteroth thought to himself. Correspondingly, Asteroth's pressure flared alongside his anger as he raised his hammer towards Apollo once again. 

"Come if you have the guts," Asteroth snarled. 

As a result, a burst of cold laughter sounded as Apollo indifferent raised his hand and clutched the space before him before pulling back. Like pulling on a bowstring, once Apollo released the area before him, an endless barrage of Void Blades hurtled towards Asteroth.

This sudden action surprised Fuhrer as he rubbed his chin in fascination, 'The simultaneous activation of each Stigmata should have given him access to exceptional control over his environment. The Old Monarch called this Infernal Supremacy if I'm not mistaken.'

When wielded by the Old Monarch, Infernal Supremacy represented the effortless usage of a permanently active Dominion. However, it was different in Apollo's case because the scale was rather underwhelming. 

However, Apollo understood this because the system alerted him of this matter as soon as the armor finished forming.

〈System: The scope of this power Infernal Supremacy has been restricted a level within the capabilities of your body. Therefore, only techniques already learned by you are affected by this ability.〉

〈System: You have been granted the temporary fusion ability: Boundless Conversion. [Due to your current attainments, this ability is limited to Ira and Superbia.]〉

Although the information seemed ambiguous, the system injected the necessary knowledge directly into Apollo's mind, giving him a thorough understanding of what he was currently capable of.

Nevertheless, Asteroth didn't just stand around and allow countless Void Blades to assault his body. His arms turned into a whirlwind as his hammers flailed about, smashing all of the incoming Void Blades before burning them to ashes with the help of his Dominion.

"Is that all you've got? If so, you'll end up back inside that pit once again," Asteroth roared through a fit of boisterous laughter. Although he felt Apollo's attack possessed more strength, it wasn't anything he could handle. 

Besides, Asteroth was sure that Apollo's current appearance possessed a time limit. Once that time limit passed, it'd be his turn to unleash hell upon his opponent. And this time, he'd make sure that his actions were thorough.

Conversely, Apollo smiled. "Do you think I endured all this pain to unleash this meager attack? Watch closely. You will understand that you're destined to follow under my banner."

Apollo snapped his finger in the next instant, creating a miniature black hole before his chest. Once it finished forming, it was the size of a tablet, and Apollo swallowed it with ease, or at least that's how it appeared.

The moment Apollo closed his mouth, his cheeks swelled as the surrounding atmosphere vibrated. Asteroth took notice of this phenomenon and felt something was amiss. The attack was formed from Gula judging from the emanations of the black hole, so it shouldn't be able to react within an environment composed of Pure Ira.

Under normal circumstances, that would be the truth, but the temporary ability granted by this simultaneous activation allowed this abnormality to take place. With the help of the power, Apollo could unlock one ability linking Gula, Ira, and Superbia together since they were his three most vital Sins at the moment and the only ones that facilitate the process.

Apollo suddenly opened his mouth, emitting a loud bellow as a sizeable crimson beam with green and gold energy spirals coating its exterior fired towards Astertoh. The excessive pressure of the place took Asteroth off guard.

"Isn't this the fusion of three Sins? That's… outside of my expectations," Asteroth muttered with widened eyes. Despite his surprise, he didn't freeze as he snatched his hand, converting a portion of his destructive Dominion into a destructive shield.

However, Apollo revealed an unsettling smile when Asteroth performed this action.

"The power of the Monarch is unstoppable even before the face of destruction. If you don't believe me, then allow me to show you," Apollo said. Suddenly, Apollo lifted a single finger towards Asteroth, creating a small orb once again.

The only difference was that while the previous one focused on Gula, Apollo created this orb from the sparse remnants of his bloodline reserves as well as Aura. Apollo then flicked the sphere towards the center of the earlier beam, watching as it pierced through it like butter.

Eventually, the tiny orb slammed against the destructive shield causing an odd result. The center of Asteroth's shield decayed at a rapid rate as Apollo took a deep inhale. Although the center appeared to break down due to the presence of the orb, that wasn't the case.

The reason for the deteriorating was Apollo linking the power of the beam and orb followed by reversing the energy channels. This allowed Apollo to convert the destructive energy within Asteroth's power into pure fuel.

After experiencing the deterioration of his shield, Asteroth frowned. "It's that damned perverse powers!" At this point, Astertoth had zero doubts about Apollo's identity. While Gula could absorb Sin, no matter how pure the Sin, it couldn't do anything against a fully formed Dominion since it existed on a higher plane of power.

However, the Monarch's perverse powers allowed him to manipulate the properties of Sin as he saw fit. Granted, this was only possible if the degree of Aura existed within two levels naturally. Thus, since Apollo's Aura was forcibly elevated to the fifth degree, if Asteroth could wield his aura at the seventh degree once again then Apollo would be powerless the Dominion.

Fortunately, Asteroth's control was no longer that high, granting Apollo the chance to redeem himself. Even then, Apollo understood that in a situation where they utilized both of their base powers, Apollo fell short of being Asteroth's opponent.

Nevertheless, Apollo didn't mull over his powerlessness. Using every power at his disposal still counted as his own strength.

All of a sudden, Asteroth growled before smashing his hammer against the ground. Numerous geyser erupted and spewed lava on the ground while some of it floated around Asteroth. Judging by his actions, it seemed Asteroth grew tired of holding himself back.

At the same time, the hole in his Dominion repaired itself. "Though perverse, the scale of your power is lacking. Meaning, there isn't much time remaining until you become powerless. I just need to stall you for that long."

"Only a fool would listen to your intentions and allow you to actualize them," Apollo responded. No one understood his situation better than Apollo did, thus he decided to exhaust himself as quickly as possible.

A burst of darkness appeared as the number of phantasms surrounding Apollo exceed six! 'I may not have the Sin Reserves or such to defeat him, but I have my trusted techniques.'