Chapter 295: Numerous Awakenings

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After opening his maw, Ouroboros breathed a burst of white breath on Apollo that rapidly healed the burnt skin on his body. Although he used a large portion of Demonic Anima to form a reinforced protective layer around his skin, it was shattered in a mere instant!

The only reason he didn't sustain further damage was due to Ouroboros awakening when he was on the brink of death. In his rage, he absorbed the energy to stop Apollo from suffering any more damage. Of course, this wasn't the only thing that took place.

When he felt the condition of Apollo, Ouroboros' mind fell into a chaotic state. The abundance of surplus Ira he constantly absorbed from Apollo was running rampant as it connected to Apollo's source. Usually, it wouldn't affect Ouroboros like this. However, due to Apollo's state, Ouroboros was already enraged.

It was merely the perfect situation for the dormant Ira to cling to his emotions. 

On the other hand, since he was connected to Ouroboros, Apollo could feel his desires, "You wish to fight alongside me?"

"Yes, Master! We need to teach that bad, bad person a lesson. If we work together, we might be able to conquer that dummy!" Ouroboros responded without hesitation. The childish agitation in his voice continued to grow as he looked at Valac. 

While Apollo didn't believe it to be true, an additional participant in the fight would give the time needed to activate some of his more draining techniques. Of course, Valac wasn't a rookie, and the appearance of Ouroboros put him on high alert. 

As he looked at the glances they shared, he could immediately tell what their intentions were, "Just because you brought an ally into the fight, it doesn't change a thing. In fact, it makes things more exciting as I can get even more violent!"

After he said this, Valac rushed forward without giving them the time needed to formulate a proper plan. His lightning-quick movements allowed him to close the distance between them in little to no time. As soon as he arrived before them, he brandished his spear. 

Since Apollo was prepared to retaliate, Ouroboros took it upon himself to act. He opened his mouth and fired a beam of dark energy. Moreover, the beams seemed to be rather odd. It caused some of the space to collapse and fracture.

This shocked Valac, however, it wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. He struck his spear and deflected the beam. "Hoh? You can draw upon the void? That is some high-level dark energy you have. I wonder, what type of serpent are you? There aren't many who can accomplish this at such a young age."

Valac took interest in Ouroboros and he continuously deflected the beams. Although it seemed to be useless, it wasn't. Ourorboros' actions served a purpose; it gave Apollo the time needed to trigger auxiliary techniques. First, he used the Infernal Arms of Damnation. Then, he activated the Tartarean Fiend Regalia. Lastly, performed the last major feat of igniting his Ira. 

In his current state, he didn't want to risk activating the complete Sin Armament. Thus, he simply activated the fragments. As the incomplete armaments bolstered his abilities, Apollo rushed in to assist Ouroboros.

While Ouroboros continued to fire the beams of darkness, Apollo took a more physical approach. Due to the special properties of the gauntlets, despite activating the Infernal Arms of Damnation, it retained its shape. It just looked more menacing compared to its previous state. 

The strikes that followed were terrible as Apollo attacked with the intent of ripping Valac to shreds. Sadly, his attacks continued to meet emptiness. Valac dodged his strikes effortlessly, all while deflecting Ouroboros' dark beams as well. 

Since his Agility was insufficient in its current state, he started to hasten his movements with the Umbra Phantom Mantle. Finally, one of his strikes was fast enough to warrant Valac's defense instead of evasion.

"Hoh? I know this technique! It's a Noble Art. What is a Lesser Demon doing with a Noble Art? Truly a beggar holding treasure. You must want to invite tragedy upon yourself," Valac stated before stabbing his spear forward. A spiral of icy blue flames followed as it burrowed through Apollo's defenses.

Fortunately, the Infernal Arms of Damnation were durable. Only a small portion of his forearms appeared as if it was put through a metallic grinder. Nevertheless, it wasn't the time for Apollo to complain. He had a task and if he wished to accomplish it, it would require an immense amount of concentration.

In line with his mindset, Apollo's Tainted Temple became increasingly active. This allowed Apollo to read Valac's movement more clearly. While it wasn't perfect, it alleviated some of the difficulty nonetheless. 

Because he used so many techniques at once, Apollo paid close attention to his current Anima Reserves. After reaching over 10,000 units of Anima, his reserves felt boundless, but Apollo knew this was far from true. If a mere Lesser Demon could contain this much energy, the higher counterparts were undoubtedly much more frightening. 

"Master, don't worry. I can assist you with your consumption issues!" Ouroboros said before opening his maw once again. This time, he absorbed a large amount of energy in the air and blasted a dense black energy beam towards Apollo. His reserves which had fallen under half of his maximum capacity gradually started to replenish.

Due to this, Apollo's action became increasingly wild. He used several techniques in tandem with each other. He unleashed Perfected Demonic Massacre Waves in a torrent from nearly all angles.

This caused Valac to retaliate with slashes that grew faster by the moment. Nevertheless, the sheer number of strikes allowed some of Apollo's attacks to pass through Valac's active defense. One of the Perfected Demonic Massacre Waves bashed against his chest causing him to take a step back.

An incredulous expression appeared on his face, "A Lesser Demon has damaged me?" As if this was something that couldn't be accepted, Valac looked at Apollo with undisclosed disgust.

"I guess it is time I stop toying around with you," Valac said. A moment later, a shattering noise came from his body as his wings closed. Numerous cracks spread across them before the luster changed to a blackened gold.

When they saw this, Fuhrer and Furcas clenched their fists. He was using a power unique to the demons bestowed strength by the First Monarch!

'Fuck, I didn't think he had reached the mastery to do this. It would seem the passage of time confounds all,' Fuhrer inwardly cursed. Before their eyes, Valac was transforming! His priorly bare body grew a layer of rocky, metallic armor. A dark gold infernal liquid flowed through the crevices of the armor as Valac's eyes glimmered with a golden light.

"How long it has been since I've used my Awakened Form," Valac uttered. All of a sudden, he vanished. Apollo's eye couldn't even track his movement. No, even his Tainted Temple didn't pick up on Valac's presence.

In the next moments, Apollo felt like a boulder came crashing down on his chest. Despite activating the Dominance Intent, it seemed to not affect Valac's movements. Apollo bounced around like a rag doll and he coughed up numerous mouthfuls of blood.

A large fist-sized indent was left on his chest as he struggled to rise to his feet. 'W-what the fuck is that strength?' Apollo thought. If this was Valac's true strength, then he was powerless in this fight.

Valac's current power was even worse than Fuhrer's raw power. To put it differently, continuing was pointless. However, when Ouroboros felt Apollo's thoughts, he became indignant, "MASTER! Don't tell me you're thinking of giving up. We still haven't taught this bad demon a lesson!"

"Sometimes, there are just fight you aren't meant to win. I believe this is one of those. The moment he transformed, he became an insurmountable opponent," Apollo responded while coughing another mouthful of blood. 

The smartest choice would be to cut his losses and return to fight another day after acquiring more strength. 

Unfortunately, Ouroboros didn't accept this answer, "No! Absolutely not. I won't listen. I will make sure you win!"

While Ouroboros threw a fit, Valac approached them with leisurely steps. His gait was one of absolute victory. There was no rush as in his eyes, Apollo was far from being an opponent. 

Once he arrived within 50 meters, Valac tapped his foot and arrived before Apollo in the blink of an eye. He then used his free hand to punch Apollo straight into the ground. An immense crater formed as Apollo was knocked unconscious.

When he saw this, Ouroboros' horn shone with pure silver light. Without hesitation, he rushed at Apollo and entered the gem on his forehead. Apollo's body shook in response.