546: Dreadful Presences, A Slow Preparation

Dreadful Presences, A Slow Preparation

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The members of the Dominus Household gathered themselves before Fuhrer cut open a portal leading directly to the depths of Ashiraem that housed both the hidden source of the Nihilistic Rings' protection and a few entry points linked to various ancient ruins. 

After stepping inside, many of the members were shocked to find Fuhrer's true body motionlessly perched on a stalagmite with a flat surface due to Fuhrer carving off the top. Aside from Apollo, none of the other demons were aware that the current Fuhrer was nothing more than a duplicate formed by extracting some of his residual soul power and using a unique ability of the Daemonic Demon Body.

However, since Apollo required an enormous feat, Fuhrer needed to return to his original body to draw on some of the power accessible only to the actual body. But, doing this also meant that Fuhrer's real body would grow comparably weaker without breaking his control over the protective barrier.

Of course, Fuhrer was aware of this. Still, he was worried because a miniature version of the barrier that protected the Nihilistic Rings also existed outside of the barrier, which is why Apollo found it extremely difficult to sense it at first. If it weren't for the system's interference in notifying him of the location, the odds of Apollo finding this location organically was abysmal.

Meanwhile, Forcalor stood in awe as he analyzed Fuhrer's body more thoroughly than the rest. After all, he was the only individual present with the perceptivity required to understand the situation's intricacies before their eyes.

'So, the Fuhrer that has been accompanying the Lord is merely an avatar, yet his pressure is still disgusting? I guess this is to be expected of the most fearsome person on the battlefield. Even after being split, it is hard to find someone who can stimulate the same fear,' Forcalor mused inwardly while gradually shifting his gaze between Fuhrer's idle body and the avatar besides Apollo.

Even now, he could barely perceive any difference between the two. However, that was understandable, as a Daemonic Avatar was created by utilizing some of the purest portions of one's Daemonic Soul. If a Noblesse could sense the difference between a technique that was beyond their capabilities, then it wouldn't be worth it to go through the hassle of learning it and then nurturing the avatar's embryo until it was mature.

"Is there something wrong?" Fuhrer asked with a faint grin after sensing Forcalor's gaze. At a glance, he could tell that Forcalor was rattling his mind to find the difference between the two.

"No, it's nothing. I'm just baffled by this technique and expectant to reach that level. I can only imagine what it would be like to claim the power of a Daemos. In fact, I imagine this is how all the Dukes feel while reminiscing about our feats," Forcalor admitted while experiencing a faint nostalgic episode.

Fuhrer understood how he felt because he frequently found himself reliving their glory days when he was confined to the morbid solitude of this cave. Thus, he merely smiled in response while gently patting Forcalor's shoulder.

"I believe all of your Dukes have what it takes to become Daemos. It's just unfortunate that you all weren't given the time to. But, as long as we manage to recover what we need to, then you all can regain the opportunity," Fuhrer said. 

The requirements of becoming a Duke didn't just mandate that the demons fight for it, but Aztraval only allowed those with the potential to reach the level of a Daemos to contest for these positions. So, what Fuhrer said was correct. If given the time in the right setting, every Duke possessed the makings to become a Daemos.

Of course, as it is a special state for a Demon, it can only be attained while in the presence of the correct Primal Source because it requires a unique connection that then sparked a type of battle between the demon and said Primal Source. It was then up to the demon to either overcome the Primal Source's test or lose, which meant suffering some drastic consequences. 

After recalling the test he had to go through, Fuhrer could only shake his head, 'Nothing is free in this world, but the opportunities that come with immense sacrifices are worth it.'

Meanwhile, Apollo searched around the cave before finding the Tenebrous Sword, Brynhildr, impaled into the ground. Now that his perception was much stronger than what it was previously was, he could sense the faint ripples of Brynhildr's dormant soul. Since Fuhrer was in a half-slumber, so was Brynhildr.

"It isn't your body that you need to draw on, but Bryhildr, right?" Apollo questioned after feeling minor signs of increased activity originating from the demonic eye located on the sword's guard between the cross-guard and base of the blade.

"Correct, since Brynhildr is the medium I use to contain my tenebrous abilities, it has absorbed a considerable amount of that energy. With its help, it should be possible to achieve what you seek. It's just a question of whether or not my soul can keep the channels open," Fuhrer replied.

Although Fuhrer didn't mention it directly, Apollo's expression changed slightly after understanding the implications behind Fuhrer's words. 'That's right. I should have expected as much. A majority of his soul is being utilized for the Nihilistic Rings; if he uses more… then things could awry.'

"In other words, you may not be able to participate in direct combat," Apollo said after a faint pause.

"Correct, that could very well be a possibility."

"That's fine. Maintaining the stability of the linking portals will be your primary objective. Leave combat to the rest of the household," Apollo decided after giving the matter some thought. After considering Astarat's power level as a whole, Apollo felt there were very few situations dire enough to require Fuhrer's intervention.

Afterward, Fuhrer raised the Brynhildr's copy and touched the tip of the blade against the demonic eye on the real sword embedded in the floor before him. A sudden burst of torrential demonic energy filled the room as a cloud of dense tenebrous energy coated the duplicate.

The initial presence of the energy was enormous, but it gradually dissipated as the power transference between the two swords slowed at a visible rate. Upon noticing this fact, Fuhrer frowned slightly. 'Have I grown so weak? I don't recall expending so much energy over these past few years. What is it?"

Curious about the issue, Fuhrer closed his eyes and linked psyches with Brynhildr. Only after a thorough conversation did he understand the reason for the weak energy stored within Brynhildr. After sensing the deterioration of the barrier, Brynhildr acted of its own accord and amplified the barrier as much as it could by sacrificing some of its accumulated energy.

In short, Brynhildr was the reason for the deterioration's nearly inconsequential pace. Even though it came with a significant sacrifice and Fuhrer didn't order Brynhildr to do so, Fuhrer didn't reprimand his partner. After all, he knew all too well that the one thing Apollo needed was time.

'You've made an insightful decision. As always, you have my complete trust,' Fuhrer praised before extracting all of the energy necessary. The glow surrounding Brynhildr's duplicate changed as the lower half of the blade took on a purplish-black sheen with an aura so dense that it condensed into a liquid with an unusual property of defying gravity.

Fuhrer lifted the blade and pressed it against the area before him. A spatial crack appeared as soon as the blade punctured air before him, but the liquid energy seeping from the tip of the blade filled the fissure before morphing into an unusual rune letter.

It was only for a second, but Apollo felt something dreadful from the other side of the crack, which made him understand Fuhrer's abnormally focused posture. His gaze was solemn as he moved to seal every spatial crack the moment they appeared.

Unfortunately, the creation of each rune was just as Fuhrer said―unusually slow. After all, forming a linking portal that cut between dimensional walls required so many demonic runes that it was nonsensical. Only a Daemonic Soul was resilient enough to withstand the toll.

This is also the reason why Aztraval and Estran were the ones who established the Link Portals, connecting all of the Nihilistic Rings together. They were the two most well versed in this rune language and not to mention carried an affinity for all Sins.

'This will take a while. But, the longer it takes, the more stable it will be. I'd rather safety than unforeseen events,' Apollo thought to himself before closing his eyes patiently.

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