The Demon Monarch System

Chapter 384 - Household Expansion (I)

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"My gift?" Sapphyr giggled. Afterward her charming smiled deepened once Apollo didn't reject his "gift:". According to what she remembered from interacting with him previously, Apollo was an individual who seldomly allowed contact—from anyone, it wasn't based on gender. So, him not pushing Sapphyr away was already a huge improvement.

Not to mention, based on his expression, it seemed like he even welcomed her presence. It appeared the state of his attraction towards others was transitioning as well.

"Yes, your gift. What else can I call something so pleasant? It certainly isn't a nuisance," Apollo chuckled, before turning his head to the side. The end of the tunnel was right before them, but Apollo presented an immediate change in expression.

"What's wrong?" Sapphyr questioned once she noticed it. To grow from smiling to serious in one moment was not only astonishing, alarming as well. Could it be that he sensed incoming danger?

However, Apollo's next words only made Sapphyr stop and stare in shock for a moment.

"Nothing is wrong, we'll just have to continue this later on. If we exit the portal with such an amiable smile, I'm almost sure that Furcas and Valac will have a field show. Perhaps even Fuhrer will find something to tease me about," Apollo voiced.

"W-what...just that? Isn't that fine, my Lord? They're your followers, aren't you allowed to just order them?" Sapphyr responded with a partially curious gleam in her eyes.

"I could, but I wouldn't use my authority for such a petty reason, besides I'm not sure how effective that would be," Apollo muttered in response. With his special pact, Fuhrer alone was immune to the Absolute Order of the system, so even if he willed it, Apollo couldn't stop Fuhrer from partaking in some harmless banter.

Meanwhile, the Absolute Order could control the others, but it wouldn't be able to wipe the smug look off of Valac and Furcas' faces. Thus, although they could be silenced, dealing with their actions entirely was quite hard to accomplish. Until he achieved a higher authority of the system, confirming whether his control of them was so concrete was hard to discern.

In the meantime, Apollo and Sapphyr finally exited the portal, followed closely behind by Xezym. Different from where they entered, Fuhrer cut a portal linked directly to the outside of the Umbra Night Institute.

Once that took place, he cut another portal linking directly to Apollo's residence, but Apollo had another route in mind. "You all can go ahead and meet in the residence, I'll be there shortly. There's something I must do in the meantime."

With a nod, the others disappeared from the scene, leaving these 3 alone.

"What do you have to do and why do I suspect it involves me?" Sapphyr questioned in a small voice. The way Apollo looked into the distance focused on a certain building before looking at her told Sapphyr that he intended to do something… irregular.

"Well, you've been locked away in that Legacy Gate for quite some time, shouldn't we pay your aunt a visit and allow her to know that you're safe and sound?" Apollo chuckled softly. Immediately after, a pair of dark wings unfurled from his back before shooting into the sky and zipping towards the position of the Administration Hall.

Left with no other choice, Sapphyr followed quickly behind through the use of her own enchanting set of wings. Xezym, on the other hand, simply sunk into the shadows cast by the buildings and traveled that way.

Since all of them boasted new movement techniques, all of them arrived before the Hall in a few short moments. 

Whoosh!

Apollo and Sapphyr's wings disappeared the moment they landed, followed by them entering the Hall. Without stopping, they advanced to the highest floor housing Geneva's office. Usually, Apollo would have Fuhrer open a portal, but since he wasn't here, Apollo didn't feel like wasting any time to summon him.

Instead, he took the manual route. At the same time, Sapphyr retracted Xezym's presence. So only those two remained.

Once before her office, Apollo held out his hand. Since there was an absence of a door handle, there was only one way to enter—being permitted by Geneva. However, both Apollo and Sapphyr's aura were vibrant, so she sensed them in an instant.

"Come in," Geneva instructed, causing a deep swirl in the middle of the door.

After entering, the familiar space of Geneva's office greeted them.

Almost immediately, Geneva was bewildered by the person who stood next to Apollo. While some of their features felt familiar, their aura was something she had never seen before, which made it difficult for Geneva to link this body with her precious niece Sapphyr.

But, Sapphyr stepped forward after noticing her aunt's quizzical expression, "Hello Aunty."

"S-Sapphyr?" Geneva sputtered with widened eyes. She found this hard to believe, but the voice attached to the body was authentic. Not to mention some of Sapphyr's earlier mannerisms remained as well. So, as the moments passed, Geneva started to realize more welcoming similarities.

"Yeah. I know I look different, but let's just say both Xezym, and I managed to come across a fortuitous encounter. Though short, the lessons learned were many," Sapphyr admitted. At the same time, a pleasant smile crept upon her face. Something that once again shocked Geneva.

'When's the last time this girl smiled so happily? Could she really have obtained what she needed? If so, then where was she for all this time and why can't I sense the exact change she's gone through. It's almost as if..'

Suddenly, Geneva's expression filled with horror, "Sapphyr, don't tell me the fortuitous encounter you speak of is accepting the power of Apollo? I hope that isn't the truth."

All at once, the memories of the enticing allure of Apollo's power revisited her mind. And, compared to before, they were much stronger. Powerful enough to make the wound on her torso pulsate in thirst of more of that delectable power.

"Partially. Truth be told, I don't regret my decision at all. If it can fix all the problems, then the consequences it brings are worth it. But, I've come for something else, for you. Haven't you suffered enough?" Sapphyr said.

After a short pause, she continued, "I've heard stories of how much you loved the battlefield, but after the catastrophe, you had to leave it and never return since. But, I can sense some of Apollo's energy coursing through you. Why not allow him to finish the job?"

Truth be told, Sapphyr couldn't sense what she claimed, instead, this was all dialogue that Apollo requested her to say. During their short flight to this place, Apollo briefed her on his intention of coming here. And, with how close she was to Geneva, surely she would accomplish this better than he could.

Plus, after verifying that he could create strong Greater Demons like Typhir and Sapphyr, he wasn't apprehensive about turning Geneva. That was, unless the change her innate body would garner was still stronger than his current limit.

Geneva's expression became complicated once she experienced the persuasion of Sapphyr. All of her claims were correct. The position of a Headmaster truly wasn't her calling. Not a day went by that she didn't revel in the past.

Even then, a voice gnawed at her incessantly to decline this offer. Would she even be able to retain her free will? She didn't wish to be someone else's pawn, acting without her own discretion taking into account.

"Aunty, don't be so defensive about it. I promise, there is only more power on this side. Apollo will deliver on anything he promises you. All you need to do is place your trust in him," Sapphyr added.

Eventually, Geneva's willpower crumbled. "Okay… but, what will we do about filling the role of Headmaster?"

"Two choices. One, I allow you to stay here while I leave for quite some time and you remain as the Headmaster. Two, I take you with me to an intriguing place and introduce you to more power while you allow Robyn and Sylvester to succeed you. Leave this place behind," Apollo voiced.

At the same time, he raised his hand to Sapphyr. She had done her part so the rest was up to him.

"An intriguing place? Could it be your home? If so, I would like that see that place. Is that where you continually disappeared to?" Geneva questioned.

"Yes, now come," Apollo instructing before walking right past her. According to his memories, this window was only for show. And, he was correct.

The moment he stepped through the window, he arrived outside. Since there was no platform under his feet, he immediately started to fall. However, that was solved without fail.

His wings unfurled and he met Geneva's worried gaze. But, instead of beckoning her, he turned around and flew towards his residence at a moderate speed.

"Come," Sapphyr said before matching Apollo's actions. 

Witnessing this scene left Geneva in awe, muttering incredulously, "They both have wings."

....

Soon enough, Apollo arrived inside his residence with both Geneva and Sapphyr accompanying him. Immediately, the sight of numerous demons nearly caused Geneva to faint but Apollo shook his head.

"They aren't dangerous, to you at least," Apollo smiled. But before moving forward, he whistled.

Fwoosh!

"Masterrrrrr, I missed you," Ouroboros exclaimed. Compared t before, two horns appeared atop his heard and his previously silver scaled released an unusual aura. Compelled to touch, Apollo found that these scales sapped his energy, specifically his Anima and Gula the moment he made contact.

Meanwhile, a few prompts appeared as a lithe woman with foxy eyes appeared from between the large bodies of the demons.

?System Alert: Two potential additions to the Households found.?

?System Alert: They are directly linked to you, do you wish to add them to the «Dominus Household» registry? [Y/N]??