Chapter 411: A Gruesome Brawl, Inflicting Punishment (I)

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The abrupt appearance of multiple demons shrouded in an unfamiliar dark energy shocked both Xonnomor and Gallmath. Although all of the newcomers were only Lesser and Greater Demons, that didn't take away from the fact that they appeared from seemingly nowhere, almost as if they were summoned!

'Could that be possible? Is there really a demon that can summon other demons? Isn't that too much of a convenient ability? If so, there should definitely be some type of limiting factor,' Gallmath thought with a solemn expression.

While the situation appeared manageable from the start, it was devolving quickly. So much so that Gallmath abandoned his fight with Geneva to retreat towards Xonnomor, who stood in place with a complex expression.

"Why the face?" Gallmath questioned while sparing Xonnomor a glance. From his words, it was apparent that just like his partner, he couldn't sense the dreadful energy circulating around Xonnomor's neck.

'What type of energy is this for even Gallmath whose instincts surpass even my own to fail to sense its presence,' Xonnomor wondered while staring at Fuhrer but then immediately shifting his gaze towards Apollo. 'Did I read the situation wrong? Are they in fact following his orders? If so…'

"Your purpose in coming here, what is it? Surely, you don't mean to raze the place to the ground. I don't sense any opposing insignia from you, so there is no enmity," Xonnomor questioned while looking directly towards Apollo.

Since his initial guess was wrong, after watching Apollo summoned nearly a dozen demons, Xonnomor understood that this demonic youth was truly their leader. And, based on his expression, he had fallen into a maddened rage.

"Survive this assault and perhaps you will learn my motives," Apollo said in an ice-cold voice while covering his closing wound with his hand. However, once he touched it, an odd situation occurred.

It was faint and almost an inconsequential amount, but there was genuine Purgatory Blood pulsating from Apollo's hand. With a simple swipe, he thrust the flames towards both Xonnomor and Gallmath, whose eyes constricted to the size of needles.

An intense wave of danger inundated their minds, causing them to split apart from each other. Four drops of Purgatory Blood landed where they once stood, burning ghastly holes in the floor.

But, their retreat, while effective at dodging Apollo's stroke, caused Xonnomor to suffer a deep gash on his neck. Fortunately, Gallmath walked away unscathed.

Still, the vitality of an Archdemon was not to be underestimated. Although Xonnomor's expression contorted from the painful sensation, the wound of his neck healed at a visible rate once a thick screen of Ira coated his body.

"If that's how it will be, then we won't go down without a fight," Xonnomor said before placing a second hand on his gargantuan hammer. An exuberant aura burst from his body as his aura fluctuated wildly, creating a crimson tempest.

In response, Fuhrer chuckled, "Foolish."

The same aura from instants before began to leak from Fuhrer's body, but Apollo's voice sounded in his head.

"Don't use that power yet. We can't afford the consequences. At most, I'll allow you all to utterly destroy this place, but we can't expose ourselves to that degree."

"Understood, Young Lord," Fuhrer obliged before retracting that aura. Every time he did so, he risked the chance of weakening the Nihilistic Rings defense even further. Although he was furious, this was something that Apollo just couldn't condone because it wasn't worth it. 

Initially, Apollo didn't wish to destroy this place as he was now. His original plans were to have Fuhrer overwhelm the weaker Archdemon, while he and Geneva took care of the other side. This way, he could force them into submitting to refrain from causing too much damage.

Because, it was listed in the reports that the leader of this stronghold held too much care for this place with bear witness to any wanton destruction. However, that scenario was discarded once he learned of the third Archdemon. His priority after learning of that information was to devise a plan capable of taking that Archdemon out of the equation.

But, the safety of his subordinates was something he didn't want to risk. So, Apollo was forced to challenge his current abilities. Since most demons were restricted to one Sin, his first thought was to overwhelm his opponent with the plethora of Sins at his disposal.

It worked, but Apollo didn't account for the suicidal attack that he was struck with. Because Arleo used it, it provoked Apollo to ignore the rational decisions made. Any shred of hesitation he held towards producing mass destruction dissipated instantly, causing the situation to go awry for the leaders of the Dakea Stronghold. 

Therefore, the initial three vs. three evolved into an all-out brawl. The first two to take the lead in the assault were Typhir and Valac. Although they were both only Greater Demons, they far more furious in comparison to the others.

For Valac, it was because of his willful action of entering Adamantine Servitude, but Typhir's reason wasn't as forced. Learning of Apollo's condition produced a strong reaction from Typhir, provoking him to release his unbridled fury in the form of a terrifying aura. 

After all, out of all of Apollo's followers, Typhir held the strongest loyalty, even more than the system could instill. It was simply in his nature even before he became a demon.

During the time in the academy as well as the Dark Ruins Labyrinth, Typhir displayed extremely high levels of loyalty, even going as far as to render aid despite the lack of benefit. So, once he appeared and sensed the situation, he rushed towards the nearest enemy while holding his greatsword horizontally.

Typhir's expression darkened immensely as he rushed towards Xonnomor. While he could tell from the large disparity in their aura that he wasn't a match for this opponent, Typhir wasn't worried about this matter.

Because, Valac rushed alongside him with a comparatively cold expression. Moreover, he revealed his second transformation from the beginning, taking this fight seriously.

Not to mention, as this was a brawl, all of Apollo's minions rushed towards the fight, not giving the other side the chance to retaliate properly.

Meanwhile, Apollo turned his attention towards the unconscious Arleo still laying in the center of the crater. Although he was the cause of the blast, he didn't die from the strike. True, he was severely wounded, but Apollo could still sense powerful signs of life from him.

'I guess it pays to be an Archdemon,' Apollo thought to himself while calmly walking towards Arleo. A cluster of Ira appeared in his hand before forming into a short sword that emanated a truly ominous presence. 

Both Xonnomor and Gallmath's eyes widened when they noticed Apollo's actions.

Did he intend to kill him!?

Without a word, Apollo lifted his hand over Arleo's body, causing a strong force to lift him from the ground and draw him into Apollo's grasp. Quietly, he looked at the bloodied features of Arleo, contemplating what he should do with this demon.

From what he sensed, Arleo wasn't much older than he was, speaking volumes of his potential as he was already an Archdemon. However, despite how attractive his potential may be, his earlier actions were a threat to Apollo's life.

Therefore, Apollo was unsure as to whether he should simply kill this individual or find a way to milk his usage to the fullest extent. While doing so, Apollo's hand subconsciously tightened around Arleo's neck causing him to react.

His eyes fluttered weakly before barely opening. His gaze was distant, but he summoned enough strength to realize that Apollo's condition was much better than his. Instantly, he understood how things could possibly turn out.

"Kill...me. Are you...going to kill me?"

"Haven't decided yet. It's possible," Apollo answered in a stoic tone. The more he looked at Arleo the more his expression change from one of rage to one where all signs of emotion vanished.

Then, a thought surfaced in Apollo's mind, 'Strength is what I need, so let's test something.'

Wrrmmm!

An odd and almost eerie humming noise lingered from the short sword in Apollo's hand as he touched it against Arleo's sternum. At first, there was little to no reaction, but then like a broken dam, a crimson stream gushed from Arleo's chest.

Compared to just moments before where Arleo barely clung to consciousness, his eyes were now wide open as he realized what Apollo was doing.

"No!" Arleo scowled while trying to force away Apollo's hand. Unfortunately, the strength that he sacrificed for the last attack made it so he couldn't escape Apollo's clutches.