Chapter 282: The Presence of An Archdemon

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"You might as well enter, I can sense all of your presences. The longer you stay idle there, the harsher I will make my pressure. None of you will be able to sneak past my perception," a loud voice bellowed. Despite the distance, the voice sounded as if it was within Apollo and Typhir's ears.

On the other hand, Furcas spat on the ground and chuckled at this display, "Such false grandeur. I can see in the stars that you're nothing but a newly born Archdemon. Does this accomplishment make you feel grand?"

"Well, that goes without saying. Less than 50% of the Demon Race possess the ability to crossover the threshold and hone their bodies to enter the Archdemon Realm. For example, you. You are but an extreme peak Greater Demon. While strong, you still pale in comparison to me," the voice said.

"Yet another demon who believes themselves to be high and mighty. Little do they know their fate is within my eyes. Tsk tsk, what a shame. Should we deal with this problem before us?" Furcas questioned while glancing over his shoulders as Typhir and Apollo.

Naturally, they were both ready for combat. While Apollo wanted to test his current strength, Typhir was just generally interested in fighting. Not to mention, the feeling of learning while in combat was unsurpassed. The only way to hone the basic technique he was taught was by accumulating experience during fights.

While Typhir drew his greatsword, Apollo conjured a scythe made of hellfire. When he saw how realistic it ended up looking, he was utterly shocked, 'Is this what my Hellfire is currently capable of? It's no different than a real weapon. In fact, it should be much stronger than that Dark Cutter,' Apollo estimated.

All of sudden, a demon holding an immense halberd appeared before their eyes. It was similar to Typhir in height, but his physique looked as if it contained countless times more power. At a glance, Apollo could tell that he didn't wish to receive a hit from it.

Even in his current Iraym Form, it wasn't smart to receive a blow from this particular demon. Compared to a sword or scythe, a halberd was many times heavier. While attack speed was compromised in the process, this was only true if one's strength didn't allow the weapon to be wielded effortlessly.

And, Apollo could tell it wouldn't be the case with this demon. Be that as it may, Apollo is shocked by the suggestion of the demon.

"You're all simply puny. It wouldn't be any fun to get into conflict with you all. If you present adequate resources, I will allow you to access the Link Portals. If not, I'll have to take matters into my own hands. Only an Archdemon can freely use this portal and none of you have reached such a state," the guardian demon said with an unmoving tone.

"Resources, you say? Very well, If this can be resolved without combat then so be it. What resources do you require exactly?" Apollo inquired.

Without delay, the guardian answered, "Fragments of Sin, this is non-negotiable. If you don't have them, access will be denied. As for the amount, it will be 3 per person. This is also not under discussion. Also, since you are a single party, an additional piece needs to be included. Thus, we can say 10 will suffice."

At first, Furcas wanted to intervene and say this was highway robbery, but Apollo raised his hand and stopped him from doing so. When the guardian saw this, he was surprised Apollo held the authority to stop the older demon.

'This youth must have a good background or has presented this old demon some empty benefits. I'm willing to bet he said something cheap like being able to help him enter the Archdemon State despite his decrepit age,' the guardian inwardly chuckled.

"10 Fragments of Sin, this is acceptable," Apollo replied without much thought. He waved his hand and retrieved exactly 10 pieces before presenting it towards the guardian, "I'm sure this guarantees our entry now, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps so," the guardian nodded in return. Upon receiving the items, he inspected them while in thought, 'It seems I wasn't wrong. He must come from quite the background.'

Suddenly, while sensing the Fragments of Sins, his eyes widened, 'It couldn't be!' He turned back towards Apollo and the other departing figures before vanishing on the spot.

"Halt!" The guardian bellowed before appearing before them, barring them from entry once again. Of course, when Apollo saw this, he frowned. He had paid the fee, yet he was being stopped once again. Furthermore, he didn't like the look within the guardian's eyes.

"Where did you acquire this item?" the guardian asked Apollo.

Without much delay, Apollo responded with aggravation apparent in his tone, "From this place, where else? If that is all, step aside so we may continue on our journey."

Based on the guardian's expression, Apollo was positive they didn't believe him. It was only now that he recalled the words of the guards of the front door.

"That's a blatant lie. Such an item doesn't exist here. This Fragment of Sin isn't contaminated by Ira, it is pure! This means it is universal and can be utilized by anyone! So tell me, where is the gold mine located? Let me make this exceptionally clear, you don't possess the strength needed to keep this all to yourself," the demon stated before flaring a portion of his aura.

The atmosphere grew heavy upon him doing so. Yet, despite that Apollo didn't budge. Since it was acquired from the system, there wasn't another option he could blame. Thus, his only other choice was to once again repeat his words. Even if they weren't the truth, unless one scoured the entirety of Ashiraem, they couldn't necessarily prove this to be false.

Nevertheless, it was clear the guardian wasn't going to accept this answer. 

"Very well, I will simply have to check your belongings for more. If you won't share the location, I'll just have to make all your possessions mine," the guardian said with a cold and greedy look in his eyes.

'Avaritia and Ira, two lovely Sins. A lovely combination to make one less sensitive to reason,' Furcas thought before taking a deep inhale of his pipe, 'We will just have to solve this issue.'

"Prepare for battle!" Furcas bellowed as the domain of eyes opened up around him. Immediately after, the symbols in his eyes appeared. Unlike the previous fight with Apollo, he utilized as much of his aura as he could from the start. 

"Very interesting indeed. Your momentum is stronger than one would think. But, it is still weak nonetheless," the guardian laughed before releasing a torrential aura that clashed with Furcas' domain. From the initial collision, Furcas was instantly put at a disadvantage. 

However, Apollo and Typhir didn't dawdle in the slightest. Both of their Intents appeared at the same time as they dashed towards the Archdemon. Even though Saehtyn's warnings were fresh in his mind, now wasn't the time to worry about them. This Archdemon was much stronger than the power Furcas could currently exhibit.

On the other hand, when the guardian saw their Intents, he gave a praising nod, "Not bad at all, two high-level Intents for piddling beings. If you had simply listened to my requests, we wouldn't be in this mess. Sadly, it's too late for all that. When you all perish, I will claim your belongings and suck the Ira out of your bodies."

In response to their two slashes, the Archdemon raised his hand and created a solidified wall of Hellfire that repelled their strikes. Furthermore, striking against the wall made their wrists and arms vibrate.

'How sturdy!' Apollo marveled with widened eyes. The strength of the Hellfire he was up against went beyond his. Yet, the guardians' eyes narrowed when he gleaned something from his wall.

'He was able to leave a nick in my Infernal Rampart with a single slash? What type of intent is that on his weapon? If he was any stronger, it would become dangerous,' the guardian estimated. Simultaneously, he kept Furcas subdued as he realized close-combat seemed to be his weakness due to his feeble body.

Meanwhile, Apollo was cursing this demon in his mind, 'Just like humans, demons can't be trusted. Never again will I go along with their suggestions. All that matters is the ability to subdue them, and that I shall. Whether it is a struggle or not, it will be accomplished!'

Once again, Apollo rushed in but this time, his scythe was coating in the aura of a Perfected Demonic Massacre Wave. The moment he sensed it, the guardian turned his attention towards Apollo.