The Demon Monarch System

----

When Fuhrer noticed Erebane's change in expression, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Did you perhaps believe my words were just to amuse you? I meant every last word I said; there will be death and it will be on your head," Fuhrer said before creating yet another horrifying rift.

The two rifts were executed in such a way that caused them to be perpendicular to one another. Afterward, their centers overlapped, which caused a new type of oppression to appear. Everyone within a 100-meter radius felt a tremendous amount of pressure bearing down on them.

"Hah?! What makes you think I care about their trivial lives? Whether they live or die is of no concern to me," Erebane retorted. Except for himself, there wasn't much else he cared about. As a simple Rogue Spirit, he only chased two things—power and immortality.

Unless something came along to threaten either of these desires, then Erebane wasn't moved by many conflicts. However, Fuhrer was one such person capable of doing that!

"Hoh? That's interesting seeing as you're talking to a Demon," Fuhrer countered. A flash of demonic energies circulated in his eyes as he searched around for some victims. 

When his gaze met the youths, they blanched. They didn't understand why but they felt the aura of death radiating from his eyes. In fact, when they looked into his eyes they felt as if their minds were endlessly descending, stuck inside a sinister temporal loop.

Inside that place, there was only gloom and nothing else. In a matter of seconds, some of them fell to their knees and started screaming hysterically. After all, this was Fuhrer's intention. For him to activate the technique and operate it to its utmost capacity required the sacrifices to be insane.

For those who possessed a more concrete mind, Fuhrer amplified their anguish. In addition to endless falling, Fuhrer added a recurring increase and decrease of supergravity. Sometimes they couldn't breathe, other times they couldn't grab stabilize themselves to alleviate the nauseating feeling.

When this didn't work for a select few Fuhrer moved on to even move cruel methods. After all, as a Daemos who had lived for countless years, his repertoire of torturous methods was endless!

Shhcct!

A tearing noise could be heard, as a disturbing scene took place inside the illusion they were placed under. It started with their most advanced of extremities—their toes and fingers. One by one, they were gradually torn away to exacerbate the excruciating pain felt.

However, since the body tended to shut off pain reception after a certain amount of pain was inflicted, Fuhrer committed an action that rectified these obstructions. Fuhrer flicked his hands back, injecting a wisp of Demonic Anima inside all his targets.

As the energy flowed through their body, it altered their internals to Fuhrer's fondness. This way, he could control how much of the pain remained within their minds without any diminishing effects.

'No...he's a fiend!' Erebane thought with rattling eyes as he stared at Fuhrer in horror. Although he had engaged in some maleficent behavior, it was never to this level. At the very least, he singled out a single person whose nature was already corrupt and preyed on it!

What Fuhrer was doing was much worse! In fact, they couldn't be compared. Based on his estimations, there were at least 100 people who were under the influence of Fuhrer's actions and the numbers seemed to be growing.

If those many minds were to be attached to his own, then he wasn't sure just how he would be affected. Bearing the nuisance of one soul haunting him was acceptable, but if that number was to skyrocket indefinitely then his estimations became obsolete!

With that being said, Erebane didn't dawdle. He remembered the item given to each participant and motioned to retrieve it. However, with Fuhrer paying such fine attention to him, how could he not discover his actions?

"Eh? Just where you doing think you're going? Stay," Fuhrer said. While his tone was light, his actions were extremely heavy. Fuhrer pressed his palm against the air, causing the overlapped rifts to shift forward.

At the same time, Fuhrer also actualized a zone of Suppression Intent around Erebane. As this zone restricted his movement, the rifts sealed off his route of escape. To make matters worse, the summoned mirror swords were suspended at all of the openings in Fuhrer's actions.

If Erebane moved in the slightest, one of those swords were bound to attack without discrimination. 

"F-fuck! Release me! How dare you this! I know of the pact between Spirits and Demons, you can't do this! This is akin to suicide for your race. It's treason!" Erebane bellowed in a manic rage. His eyes were a bloodied crimson as he strained to break the restraints that held him in place. 

"Ah, quite the argument but there's an issue with that reasoning. In fact, there's more than one. Would you like me to inform you of them?" Fuhrer said whjile sparing Erebane a menaching smirk.

That smile carried an eerie chill that penetrated Erebane's bones. He didn't know why, but something was off about this Demon.

'There's no way he can possibly know. He isn't strong enough to have been alive then. I refuse to believe he has access to that vital information!' Erebane inwardly thought, hoping Fuhrer didn't shatter his route of retreat with any ancient facts.

"Ah, it seems as if your mind is in turmoil. Don't worry, allow me to appease your worries. The pact between the Spirit Race and Demons isn't what you believe. We aren't allied the way you assume. We are only allied to a single factor.

"Seeing as your Archlyte rejected our request to ally, your information is wrong. And, although we are allied to you Spirits of Darkness, you don't count because you seem to be an anomaly," Fuhrer stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Erebane's expression paled when he heard these words. It seemed that Fuhrer was truly aware of the inner workings of the deal. But, Erebane couldn't understand how.

'I don't get it...for him to have this information, he would need to have been there. However, with his strength that's impossible. It'd take a Noblesse at the very least!' Erebane thought, searching through his link to the past.

As a Spirit of Darkness, bearing the Ere lineage, he had access to a source of accurate information. Some of it came directly from Erebus, but a majority of it was sealed due to Erebane's lacking power.

While Erebane was lost in thought, Fuhrer continued to bury the hatchet deeper in Erebane's mind.

"Also, the Grand Spirit Council won't mind your death in the slightest. It slipped my mind beforehand, but it has now dawned upon me—I recognize why you don't bear the innate feeling of a Spirit."

The sentence jolted Erebane's mind. It made him recall a certain meeting and he didn't appreciate that very much. It was a memory he tried to bury in the depths of his mind. In fact, it was the very reason he turned to the "dark side". angrily

"NO, shut your mouth. Don't act as if you know," Erebane roared indignantly. Based on his reaction, it would seem the history wasn't as black and white as Fuhrer presumed. Nevertheless, Erebane's sanity wasn't his worries. Thus, Fuhrer proceeded forth.

"You're just a Rogue Spirt; one who has had their Quintessence Mark erased. That's why you lacked the presence of a Spirit. You're abandoned!" Fuhrer uttered coldly, yet kept a gleeful smirk the entire time.

"SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH! You don't know my history, you don't know my experiences!" Erebane bellowed. His roar reverbated throughout the pagoda's staircases endlessly. Everyone was frightened by his infuriated roar, trembling from the vibrations.

So much so, some abandoned their thoughts of venturing higher and immediately chose to enter some of the doorways on their levels to guarantee protection. 

Meanwhile, the white etchings on Erebane's black armor pulsated with glimmering gray light. It seemed as if the black from the aura was bleeding into the etchings, which in turn produced an effect that boosted one's power.

In other words, it seemed Erebane's berserk state stimulated some hidden strength buried in the depths of the armor. 

Black veins carrying a frightening dark power crept up Erebane's face. Once they connected to the bottom of his eyelids, his entire eye turned white.

Fuhrer was surprised by this change and so was Apollo. It was similar to when Valac and the other Demons of the Lost Council underwent their Second Awakening! This source of power wasn't Erebane, it was just something imbued into his body.

Quietly, Fuhrer muttered to himself, 'I can feel it, this is his power!'