Chapter 253: Hastened Advancements (I)

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Once they entered the dark space Fuhrer created, Typhir's eyes widened. This was the first time he heard of someone's Spirit creating an entirely new set of space. Thus, he glanced between Fuhrer and Apollo with an incredulous expression.

In response, Apollo chuckled at his behavior, "As I told you before, we're demons now. You must come to understand that the power you can obtain is beyond your imagination. To put it in perspective, this guy is only utilizing the power of a second-level demon. There are many levels beyond his current one which are capable of doing far more astonishing feats."

Typhir gulped and nodded, "I see. I guess there is no other choice than to accept your words as the truth." While looking around, Typhir watched as Fuhrer manipulated the area and created things from seemingly nowhere. In an instant, not only was there a designated training area for both Typhir and Apollo, but there was also a small area for Fuhrer to idle. 

"Before I commence in any further training, Apollo, you need to continue with what you were doing previously. However, Typhir you shall come here, I need to check something. Once I ascertain whether or not it is correct then we can move forward," Fuhrer voiced before beckoning Typhir. 

At the same time, he conjured the essence he took from Geneva and pushed it towards Apollo. After it floated for a while, Apollo reached out his hand and grasped it. Upon initial contact, the energy felt warm.

However, when he touched the energy he froze. For a moment, he had an experience. Unlike Fuhrer who simply encased the energy in his own and held it, Apollo touched Geneva's bare Essence. As a result, his mind became submerged in a scene that both shocked and intrigued him. 

An expansive battlefield, torn asunder by cataclysmic battle and obscene aftershocks entered Apollo's view. He then saw an innumerable amount of terrifying beings clashing against humans. Be that as it may, it seemed like humans were overpowering the beings. 

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for long. In the middle of the battlefield, a shocking scene took place wherein one of the terrifying beings began to devour its surrounding brethren. Slowly, the momentum it possessed intensified. 

The more it devoured, the stronger it became and as a result, the humans began to experience a slaughter. However, one valiant woman with an upright posture blazed a path of infernal destruction as she mowed down the Terrors. Soon enough, she arrived before the one devouring its own kind.

It was then the two became embroiled in a heated battle, one in which the aftershocks shook the battlefield and rendered nearly all allies on both sides immobile. The thunderous impacts of the clashes reverberated in Apollo's ears as he continued to spectate the memory. It was all going good until the Terror was pushed to desperate straits. 

Once it realized that its end was imminent, it started to neglect defense, even taking lethal attacks to inflict damage upon Geneva. In fact, it smiled with a cunning gleam in its eyes, "Mutual destruction is still destruction achieved. If I'm to perish, something is coming with me," the Terror uttered before unleashing a wave of decrepit energy.

Everything within a radius of 300 meters began to decay and slowly span into the distance. In response, Geneva unleashed a torrential flame that soon formed enormous dark wings. Faster than anyone could track, the two dashed in and collided numerous times. With each collision, their aurae grew until it reached a peak. Then, they dashed towards each other for the final clash.

Although it seemed like Geneva possessed the upper-hand, a slip in concentration could change everything. While it didn't happen, the near Disaster-Grade Terror was too cunning. It diverted some of its power to launch a second attack while Geneva's first attack overwhelmed the first clash. Even though its end was near, the Terror smiled while its body deteriorated.

On the other hand, Geneva clutched her torso and gasped for breath. If one looked closely, they'd see small bits of essence being devoured in the wound. When the Terror launched its last attack, it vested all of the essence that was in the process of upgrading. As a result, the attack reached a standard that was capable of damaging Geneva at her core. 

Once this event took place, the image faded. 

Suddenly, Fuhrer asked, "What did you see?"

Before answering, Apollo gave him a strange look but then he realized that Fuhrer should be extremely familiar with the process of absorbing essence. "Ah, I saw the image of how Headmaster Geneva received her egregious wound."

"I see. I had a feeling it would be the case. After all, when we take someone's essence, based on what is plaguing their soul at the moment, we'll receive a small piece of information surrounding that matter; it's all determined by what affects them most," Fuhrer answered.

In Geneva's case, Apollo saw this scene due to the fact his Hellfire provided such a relief towards the wound. The ecstasy she felt from the flames "purifying" the wound left a large impression on her mental state. Thus, Apollo in a sense experienced firsthand what she went through. 

"Now, since it took you over 10 hours to complete that experience, I think it's time you proceed with your training," Fuhrer voiced, causing Apollo's eyes to widen in shock. At most, he thought he was stationary for 30 minutes. However, according to Fuhrer, he was stuck in that state for much longer than he assumed.

Nevertheless, he didn't dwell on the matter. After all, experiencing Geneva's last strike also left an impression on him as well. Until now, the only manifestations he made with his Hellfire were weapons, but what if he could train to cause it to take other shapes? The practicality of the technique would skyrocket. Not to mention, there was also the fact that it would become a utility technique to assist other techniques in his arsenal. 

Silently, Apollo started to train in the Monarch's Tenebrosity while also focusing on cultivating his Ira in the process. While that happened, Fuhrer monitored Typhir's actions. As he watched Typhir's movements, Fuhrer's frown deepened and soon turned into a scowl.

"No no no! Wrong! All wrong! Terrible, in fact! Just what have you been doing?" Fuhrer snarled with an incredulous expression.

In return, Typhir blinked, "I'm just training in my former sword technique. Is that wrong?"

"Completely! What you're doing is just garbage! How can you expect to surmount anything with a child's plaything for a technique? The imbecile who created this technique should be tortured until their mind no longer spouts asinine thoughts," Fuhrer spat.

'M-my ancestor,' Typhir silently thought while receiving Fuhrer's lengthy criticism.

Fuhrer then approached Typhir and claimed the sword in Typhir's grasp, "Since you don't know the essence of this, there is no need for you to utilize it right now. First, retrain your basics. A true swordsman knows that no matter the sword used, the sword always comes down to the 8 foundational movements." 

One by one, Fuhrer began to articulate the foundation of a swordsman's eight foundational strikes. Before allowing him to use the sword, he had him perform thousands upon thousands of repetitions of just the movements alone.

"Until you can perform them mindless and use them as a means of both attacking and defending, I won't supply you with a weapon to wield. Based on your talent, I'll determine exactly how much I want to teach. However, it isn't just talent I seek, a swordsman must know diligence. Hence, even when I am not present, I expect you to move under the impression that I am," Fuhrer announced.

With almost no hesitation at all, Typhir agreed. This was because when he guided Typhir, he demonstrated each of the strikes. And, the knowledge he saw within each of the strikes were perfection, it left Typhir mystified. 

Inside the dark space, the trio engaged in each of their respective practices. Apollo would absorb some of Geneva's essence until his body was saturated and couldn't continue and then switched to practicing his other techniques. As for Typhir, he executed countless strikes while chasing Fuhrer's attainments. 

The minutes turned into hours and hours into days, yet neither Apollo nor Typhir grew sick of the training. After all, each of their advancements was becoming noticeable. In addition to their strength, the repeated actions presented discipline. A certain order was coming to light as these two kept up with their actions. In fact, Fuhrer nodded with praise looking at them.

Meanwhile, as Apollo opened his eyes, he was alerted of a notification that was pushed to the back of his mind for the moment. 

〈System Alert! The first round of the Lucky Draw is available. When ready, simply give the mental command to begin the randomizer.〉