The Demon Monarch System

----

Once Sylvester made the announcement, everything fell silent. Just like Apollo's battle, the others exhausted themselves as well, it just happened much faster. Thus, the announcements that followed weren't easy to determine. However, based on the small bit of attitude they saw while in Sylvester's presence, they were sure he was an impartial individual.

In actuality, this was true. Not only did Sylvester take the outcome into account for his calculations, he even factored in the difference in cultivation base found on their identification cards. Thus, after a short period of silence, he looked over the 6 individuals.

"The results are as so, Apollo Kaiser will take up the 9th Seat of the disciplinary committee. After recovery, Adeon Welsh and Ephraim Astarte will undergo a round of combat to determine who will claim the 10th Seat. On the other hand, Ragnvald Duran claims the 10th seat of the student council whilst Zach Duran falls to the 11th. Lastly, William Stuart replaces the last seat of the disciplinary committee," Sylvester announced.

Surprisingly, no one felt surprised or frustrated by this result. After all, there was no reason to be frustrated. Unlike this freshman selection that happened once a year, the seats were allowed to combat each other an unlimited number of times. Furthermore, they could also challenge up to 3 seats per term. In other words, up to 6 challenges could be issued per year.

In light of this, the student council and disciplinary committee members dispersed. Some needed to heal while others continued to undergo training. In truth, Sylvester picked up on something during Adeon and Ragnvald's fight.

"Rezar, it wasn't my eyes that were fooling me right? Did that young lad overpower William? His Flowing Swallow Sword Style is light yet quick, so there is no way he should have been overpowered in speed. Yet, that boy didn't move from his spot. The speed at which he conjures his Ice Element is reaching the Law Boundary. If he opens early invocation, he'll reach the second layer of Ice," Sylvester uttered while gazing upon Adeon.

"Correct, but if you looked closely, you'd realize something very important," Rezar smiled while nodding his head.

"What is that?" Sylvester questioned while rubbing his chin in thought.

"Well, first, you must remember that the resources for the seats have already been disbursed. So, even if they lost, by pulling their punches they suffered no losses. Notice how neither William nor Zach utilized any of their killing moves. If they did so, the defenses of these newcomers would have been broken. They're playing for the end game, the fights against these freshmen were just a way for them to gauge their strength and determine what place to aim for," Rezar commented, shedding light on the situation. 

"Ah! That's correct, how could I forget about this? That is definitely true. Hmm, what cunning youths we're fostering. But, it's insight like this that is needed on the upcoming battlefield. Those who use their brains before their brawn will possess a higher chance at surviving," Sylvester added in agreement.

"Furthermore, if there is a new addition to the student body management, it'll call for a summons. That way, they'll be able to catch wind of how the higher seats who don't associate themselves with the lower seats are progressing. Nevertheless, give them the slip and allow them to claim their items from the resource hall," Rezar stated as he waved his hand.

This matter didn't require his supervision,  so once he delegated the task, he departed from the area. In response, Sylvester distributed the special slips given to these persons every term. Although the resources given to the seats prior to this competition could be reclaimed, it wasn't.

On the other hand, the next term's resources would be cut in half should they fail to reclaim their old spot. It was designed this way to promote competition amongst the other seats. This allowed them to constantly push themselves and strive to be on par or better than those above them.

Meanwhile, as the others departed, the winner of the Loser Bracket and William Stuart were asked to stay behind to determine who would truly claim the last spot. Unsurprisingly, since his position was in danger, William didn't hold back as he did with Adeon. 

He ended their battle with one attack. A single swing of his sword knocked his opponent unconscious. While sheathing it, he walked away. 

----

Outside of the Arena of Challenge, Odessa waited for Apollo. When he appeared, and she saw the slip in his hand, she smiled, "You did it! You got into the special student body!"

"I have," Apollo nodded in response. At the same time, he inspected his internals silently. Although they weren't in a bad shape, it was depleted. Due to the quick verdict, he didn't have any time to recover. But, it wasn't all bad. That last strike had caused his meridians connected to the Tainted Temple to react. Now, he could sense them better than before. In fact, this gave him a few insights into the way to increase the rate in which he trained them. Even if it presented more pain, he would take this route. Based on the expectations both Fuhrer and Azridan had for him, he needed to grow faster. And, quite frankly, he too wanted to grow stronger.

"So? Which one did you join? The student council, right?" Odessa questioned while moving closer. However, when she saw Apollo's amused expression, she felt something was wrong.

"Not at all, take a look," Apollo responded while presenting the slip in his hand. As she read it, Odessa's eyes widened in shock. Although she knew his personality wasn't suited to joining the student council, she didn't expect him to aim so high.

"You actually chose to go against the 9th Seat of the disciplinary committee and won?! There is a reason why only the 10th and below are presented. Anyone on the 9th and above Seats each owns a Spirit!" Odessa exclaimed.

"I'm aware. I went against the Spirit and won," Apollo shrugged. Although, he omitted a few specifics, such as the fact that both he and the Spirit were pushed to the point of exhaustion. The only reason he was given the 9th Seat was due to the fact he didn't possess a Spirit and could combat one. Thus, a substantial amount of expectation was placed on Apollo unknowingly.

"WHAT?! My goodness, how reckless can you get? I advise you to never do that again. Certain Spirits after reaching a certain level can release a second form. What will you do if you're caught in a situation like that? The two forms are not to be compared. The way their power is amplified is shocking," Odessa warned with a solemn expression.

However, APollo was more intrigued by the fact Spirits could change forms, 'This sounds eerily similar to what I can do while Ashiraem. But, it also sounds like they take on a form that just compounds on what they can already do. I believe I should find out more about these spirits,' Apollo thought to himself while gazing at the Dining Hall. 

After the nonstop combat in Ashiraem and the fighting against Salem, he was famished. Thus, before returning to his living quarters, he had Odessa accompany for a mean. But, when she found out that he only brought her along to use as a wallet, she frowned.

Nevertheless, since she deemed him as one of her subordinates, she footed the obscene bill. Compared to a normal person, Apollo ate enough food for 5 people. Naturally, this was due to the Hellfire that burned through nearly all of his energy.

Shortly after, Apollo retired to his room. But, before he could go inside, Odessa grabbed his arm, "Don't get sucked into cultivation. There is a compound class tomorrow. Not only will they discuss Spirits, but apparently the Headmaster will make an appearance as well. If I'm not mistaken, the Institutes should be opening shortly," Odessa stated as she released his arm.

"Oh, the Institutes? I'll keep that in mind, thank you for the information," Apollo nodded. As he entered his room, he pondered over a few things. Both of the schools' Institutes would be worthwhile to attend, but according to Headmaster Geneva, the special admittance couldn't be achieved yet.

Nevertheless, since he had ample time in the Academy, he pushed this matter to the back of his mind. Right now, it was more important for him to push his body while it was raw. In light of Fuhrer's training, every time he pushed Apollo's body to the brink of collapse, where he was void of energy, he made him circulate Pure Demonic Anima. 

Needless to say, the effects were leagues above when one merely cultivated incessantly. Combat could be seen as the fire that tempered the body whereas cultivation was the hammer that made further tempering possible. Similarly, the entire process could be seen as forging the vessel.

While he entered this state of cultivation, Apollo drained the 3 Anima Crystals in an instant. Surprisingly, each one of them contained 1,000 units of energy inside. And, when he absorbed a 4th, he was shocked to find that he had completely drained it as well. But, unlike the prior three, he felt saturated with energy. 

"It seems reserves have increased around 10% from pushing myself and utilizing Sin like that. I need to continue to train in control. If my control can suffice, then I can attempt to learn the Second Step," Apollo muttered to himself.

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