----
"Should we go fetch the person of interest first?" Apollo questioned. He was almost certain that once he began the process of understanding the knowledge, he would be here for quite some time.
If that was the case, then it was much more practical for him to fetch Sapphyr before he got too invested. Once that happened, it would be difficult to muster the desire to bring her here without first advancing upon the inheritance knowledge.
After all, if he needed to familiarize himself with the environment and utilize it to his benefit, then that would take a certain amount of time. During that period, interruption could easily disrupt the sensitive state he would enter as a prerequisite.
As a result, Destroys felt this was a sound suggestion, "Hm, you're not wrong. Very well, let's have you go them." After conceding, he crossed his arms and waited for Apollo to return before moving forward with anything."
At first, Apollo was simply going to exit through the vast gate behind him, but then recalled Geneva. If he left now, then it wouldn't be useful. Undoubtedly, she would pester him for information about the odd state the orb was in.
"Is it possible for you to transport my body along with the conscious to the position of the woman and Spirit?" Apollo inquired. If he could bypass Geneva for now, then it was best.
"Of course, that is a simple task. I see you want to avoid that woman for now, very well. Here," Destrys waved his arm causing a strange marking to appear on Apollo's palm. It looked similar to a dagger, but also a tooth. The other difference was that it seemed doubled-sided.
"This inscription will allow you to teleport to the desired person. It is composed of 2 separate sets of inscriptions. One is for you to travel, and the other for you to return. Remember, it can only transport 3 beings at max. Don't bring anyone else here, even someone linked towards," Destrys warned.
As he heard this, Apollo smiled wryly. Truth be told, he thought of bringing both Ouroboros and Elaia here as both of them utilized dark techniques. There was a large possibility of them advancing further under the guidance of this knowledge.
Now, however, his desires had been doused by Destrys words, "Am I barred from bringing people here completely?"
"No, not at all. However, while that woman is here, she'll already create interference. Even though this place is separate from the orb's true space, you two will share the same space. In other words, the more people you bring to this special area, the less you'll be able to derive from it," Destrys revealed.
All of the gates here operated on a shared source. If it was a single person absorbing the energy and engraved knowledge, it wouldn't pose an issue. However, the addition of a single person would immediately split the available source volume in half.
After all, the intended purpose of this special area was only to have Apollo understand everything here. If another person was introduced, then they weren't accounted for, to begin with, and would throw everything out of tune.
"I see. So until I reach my limit, I shouldn't extend this opportunity to anyone else. Got it," Apollo assented. Afterward, he tapped his finger on the inscription on his arms causing his consciousness to disappear from this space.
Be that as it may, once he disappeared, Destrys chuckled, "Silly boy. You could have just asked me to increase the capacity of the area. Nevertheless, closed mouths don't get fed. Furthermore, his course of action is unique. He favors deals over debts."
----
Meanwhile, back in the Vermillion Night Academy grounds, Xezym's appearance grew serious as he felt an unexplained surge of dark energy. His hand instinctively reached towards his weapon, "Who has the audacity to break into the residence of my Lady?"
As the ripple's fluctuations intensified, so did Xezym's aura. At first, he was just building it, but now he was on the brink of releasing it.
All of a sudden, Apollo appeared from within a fracture in space. The moment his foot touched the floor, his eyes widened, "Woah!" A cold, obsidian long sword pressed against his neck as Xezym's cold eyes remained on his body.
"Apollo? How did you get in here?" Xezym questioned with narrowed eyes. This residence wasn't like Apollo's in the Outer Barracks. The security formations had been strengthened three times over. It was at the standard of all residences within the Core Barracks.
"I...can't reveal that right now. I'm sure you know that the formations are outfitted with recording functions. Because of this, I can't reveal my secrets. However, can you lower your blade?" Apollo remarked, pressing his finger against the tip of Xezym's weapon.
Although it wasn't overly sharp, it was still strong enough to sever his outer defenses fueled by Demonic Anima. 'Xezym must have gotten stronger, or the strength he used in our past spars was irrelevant when compared to his true strength.'
"Tch, you're lucky. If you were someone else, your body would no longer have a head to command it," Xezym replied, lowering his blade at the same time. Once he sheathed his weapon, Xezym glanced over Apollo repeatedly.
"A Spirit Warrior now, huh. I see. You're progressing rather quickly too. If I'm not wrong, you should be somewhere within the middle levels right?" Xezym voiced, more or less measuring Apollo's current strength.
"Yeah, something like that. But-
"What's all the commotion?" A feminine voice echoed, interrupting Apollo's words.
From within the doorway behind them, Sapphyr appeared with her head wrapped in a steaming towel. As she looked up, she noticed Apollo's presence, "Apollo? Xezym, you let him in?"
"I did not, he let himself in. He just appeared here. If he knocked, I would have told him that you were currently trending to your humanly needs," Xezym replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
Meanwhile, Apollo stood there silently. As he looked Sapphyr up and down, he subconsciously made a comparison between Geneva and Sapphyr, 'Maybe it is unjust the influence of Azridan and Fuhrer, but I am becoming more conscious of them.'
"Ahem, it's kind of rude to just intrude Apollo. Haven't I taught you any manners?" Sapphyr sighed, exaggeratedly shaking her head. She also tossed the towel aside as the rest of the water on her evaporated.
"Mm, that's beside the point. I came here with a purpose, or more so a proposition. How would you like to obtain more power?" Apollo voiced with an enticing tone. Subconconsiciouly, he used the innate temptation ability of a demon. Especially so with his appearance refining as the days passed.
Compared to 5 years ago when he first started his change, his appearance now could only be described as enthralling. This was especially true when talking about his eyes. They now resembled crystalline amethyst gems with a dark sensation to them.
"Power? No. I've learned my lesson to stay away from you. I don't know how you do it, but you perform some illogical feats. I don't wish to meddle with something I don't understand," Sapphyr instantly rejected.
Ever since Apollo absorbed her negative thoughts more than once, she found herself curious about the purpose of his power. Yet, she also found herself becoming warier of him. If he could do that while m, any times weaker than her, would he be able to devour her mind who when he became stronger than here?
These types of thoughts inhibited her from trusting the power Apollo held.
Of course, Apollo could feel her apprehension. Moreover, it was to be expected. If the roles were reversed, he would do the same thing. Unfortunately, Apollo wasn't the type to simply give up.
"Oh? You may say that, but I don't believe it true. Aren't you tired of being weak?" Apollo questioned. The tone he used could come off as rude, but it also carried a tinge of self ridicule.
Nevertheless, it still made Sapphyr's frown deepen, "Weak? Where do you get off calling me weak?"
"Well, against me you might not be. But, what hjappens if we account for someone stronger? Someone like your sister, Sarai. I believe that was her name right?" Apollo retorted with a light chuckle.
Due to his disrespectful demeanoer, even Xezym reacted, "We may share a faint relationship, but watch your words!" One thing Xezym found unaccepted was contempt towards Sapphyr. After all, he had been in her presence for over a decade.
"I only speak the truth, isn't that right, Sapphyr? I know you need power," Apollo insisted, targeting Sapphyr's weakness.
Behind Xezym, Sapphyr trembled as her teeth punctured her lip. Apollo's word were making her react!
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