Chapter 280: The Umbra Phantom Mantle Shifts

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"That's quite the formidable pressure you're emitting there. I guess it's safe to say you have succeeded in elevating yourself to another level. Except for your demeanor, everything else can be comparable to a Greater Demon," Furcas commented while examining the notable increase in Apollo's power.

On the other hand, Apollo marveled at his body's current strength as he opened and clenched his fists, 'Amazing, so this is the power granted by a stable Ira Stigmata. The energy flowing through me is at least twice as vibrant as before. Furthermore, my Demonic Anima holds a trace of Ira without me invoking my stigmata's power,' Apollo inwardly exclaimed. 

This newfound power elated Apollo. Along with the increase in power, came an addition to his ego. Certain opponents didn't even enter his eyes anymore. For example, he wasn't even interested in combating Lesser Ifrits, he wanted to attempt battle with something far greater.

"I'm at the cusp of the evolution requirements," Apollo responded. Not only did he realize that his path contained many variations, but he also became aware of the fact that he could bypass his Demonic Conduct. Moreover, he could also substitute the individual paths with the true Monarch's path.

When he claimed Furcas as his follower, there was another piece of information that slipped past his attention until now. 

〈System Alert! As each of the pieces is obtained and you absorb a fragment remaining inside them, the Monarch's presence is being restored. As a result, based on the pieces you obtain, your state will elevate.〉

Naturally, the state mentioned pertained to his body. In other words, his current power. However, this also meant that different pieces rewarded a different amount of benefits. Since Furcas was amongst the lower end, he was only able to bypass two stages within the Demonic Conduct.

As long as he confronted the pieces, the system would judge his current state as having been tempered. After all, the presence of the pieces was much more important than the slaughtering of meager humans. Since the Demons were a warring race, a massacre amongst their own kind wasn't an abnormality. In fact, it was a normal event that took place quite often.

If he could kill his own kind, then there was no doubt that he held no qualms over killing a human. Not to mention, Apollo felt a small yet perceivable change in himself now that the power he received from Furcas settled down.

On top of his increased senses, his personality felt altered albeit not majorly. Nevertheless, even the slightest change could have a monumental effect on the future. A flap of a single butterfly's wings at the right place, at the right time, could give rise to colossal storms at a predetermined place.

"It's true, but you can do even more before you become a Greater Demon. You should look at this period as your foundational phase. You should take the time to lay a foundation as sturdy as it could possibly be before seeking to advance. If you do so, I read from your fate that you could be unmatched within your own realm of strength," Furcas revealed.

When he heard this, it sounded enticing to his ears. At the same time, something also crossed his mind, "With your ability, you should also be rather difficult to overcome. I wish for you to teach me that ability. Just the foresight will suffice, I don't seek to learn divination," Apollo requested.

For a moment, Furcas rubbed his chin and thought this request over, 'In truth, if he awakens his own abilities, the ability of foresight would become pointless. As for divination, a leader should be able to read the signs. Even if he doesn't want to, his bloodline will coax him to master this ability.'

After ample deliberation, Furcas made his decision, "Very well, but I want to know, how much do you know about the First Monarch? Do you know the great deed he performed disappearing?"

"Great deed? I have never heard of such a thing," Apollo answered truthfully. Even though Fuhrer had told him some stories, it wasn't to the extent that allowed him to instantly recall the events surrounding him.

"When fate spelled doom, he sacrificed a portion of his power to forcefully alter it. These Rings aren't in their rightful position. If it returns there, we'll be within the range of our mortal enemies. Luckily, the Monarch's right hand accepted the curse and allowed his power to be sapped," Furcas said.

The moment he heard this, Apollo understood what the great deed meant, "I know about this. Fuhrer has told me of this, just not in great detail. Tell me, who is our mortal enemy?"

"No, not an enemy, but enemies. There are quite a few, just the Titans alone led us to despair. As for the others, let's just say we require a strong army to even think about returning to our rightful home. To cross the nebula would be dangerous for us right now. The consolation indicates that they have all grown stronger and not stagnated," Furcas answered with a grim expression.

"Titans? What abilities could they possibly have to counteract you all?" Apollo questioned.

"Hmph, you think the stature of a demon is large? The highest-ranking Titan is probably as large as a Ring itself. That type of enemy, unless you are overwhelmingly strong, it would be nonsensical to enter a conflict," Furcas answered with a trace of amusement in his voice.

When Apollo heard this, there was a look of horror plastered across his face. He truly couldn't wrap his mind around an opponent the size of a planet. It was too mystifying to think about. To his current self, it sounded like a fairy tale. Even if he had seen some crazy things, this all sounded like an exaggeration to him.

"Nonetheless, let's stop digressing. To learn foresight, you must open the eye of your temple. Once that is done, a rudimentary form of it will appear. There are no directions to opening it; once you have liberated your mind and learn to look beyond, you will know when the eye is open," Furcas explained. 

'Open the eye. Sounds awfully similar to the sealed ability the system mentioned. This may just be a dumbed-down form. Now that I think about it, Furcas did say this was an ability learned from the Monarch. Maybe my own foresight will be different and I don't need to learn this,' Apollo assumed.

After coming to this conclusion, he told Furcas he didn't need to focus on this as of right now. When the time came, this ability would awaken of its own accord. For now, he retrieved the Nebula Shard in his possession. There was only a small portion of power remaining inside for him to absorb.

"Once I finish absorbing the essence of this, we can begin to make our move," Apollo announced before falling silent. As he absorbed the embedded energies, the Umbra Phantom Mantle appeared by itself. It was stimulated by a certain fragment within the Tenebrous Path. 

The second fleeting shadow he managed to awaken earlier solidified continuously. It wasn't until it matched the first image that the color of the Nebula Shard completely dulled. With this, the first transformation of the Umbra Phantom Mantle concluded.

It was only but a matter of time before he reached the same proficiency as Fuhrer and then unlocked the Third Baleful Step. When that happened, the true emperor of darkness would arise once again. 

Additionally, the moment he absorbed the rest of the shard, another notification appeared before his eyes.

〈System Alert! The first level of the Monarch's Tenebrosity has been achieved. All techniques related to the darkness will be strengthened. Moreover, a seal has been removed.〉

All of a sudden, a scene flashed by Apollo's eyes wherein a man wearing a dark hood was seen standing with an imposing posture. This seemed to be a first-person point of view as the scene was from the eyes of the beholder. 

The person's face shifted and revealed the bottom of their face covered with a small smile that soon turned into a pained from, "It pains me that our time may be cut short together. But, to help you in the future, I will stop you from remembering our past for now. Remember, should your body perish, it doesn't matter. Being born an inherent Daemos, you aren't bound to the physical. When you remember this, it means the first step has already been taken."

When he came to, Apollo was left stunned, 'What was that?'

Yet another question arose in his mind.