The Demon Monarch System

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"The boundaries of my powers, you say? First of all, what do you believe my abilities to be? You have already called out my moniker, Wiseman of Corruption, however, do you understand what that entails?" Furcas answered with a question in return. Moreover, his expression was more serious than it would typically be. 

Once again, Apollo didn't know how to initially answer. He called out this name due to the fact that the system made him privy to it. However, now, he couldn't just push all the responsibility upon the system. It was now a proven fact, even the pieces weren't aware of the presence of the system. 

As of right now, he was starting to get the feeling that only the monarch was privy to the existence of this tool. After all, all of their information was recorded inside and even the warden, Azridan, was someone who attempted to become the Monarch as well. 

"I thought your ability was foresight. Can't you see the immediate probabilities?" Apollo answered after giving the matter some thought. In truth, this assumption wasn't incorrect, however, it also didn't touch all the bases of Furcas' power.

"You're not wrong, but allow me to let you in on some interesting information. A Wiseman is one whose mind has traveled beyond. In other words, we are privy to matter others wouldn't be. Of course, this comes at a cost as well. Others may perceive us as mad, but it is truly just the countless possibilities at work. In short, you'll develop multiple personalities," Furcas answered but then grinned.

"On top of increased senses, my true ability goes beyond foresight, it is cursed divination," Furcas announced while pointing upwards. Once Apollo heard this, he started to connect the dots. That earlier motion had nothing to do with another entity being nearby, Furcas was just using his technique!

"You mean to say that you can sense and read possibilities based on the alignments of the stars?" Apollo questioned.

"Correct, but it is limited to the matters connected to us Demons. Hence, why I am a Wiseman of Corruption. I can only use my ability on the dark stars. The fate of being outside of our ordinance can't be perceived by me," Furcas admitted. He then took another hit of his pipe before adding another piece of information.

"Of course, this was someone much more skilled in this than I was. In fact, it was he who gave me this ability by showing me the way. His guidance will remain unmatched, now it is my turn to teach you how to further increase the sensitivity of your senses," Furcas revealed before raising his index to the connecting point of Apollo's eyebrows.

"This needs refining. You must be able to stretch your perception. There will come a time when the entirety of the Nihilistic Rings will need to be sensed by you. The amount of soul strength required to do so is immense. After all, these string of worlds are by no means tiny," Furcas further commented.

In response, Apollo nodded. He also thought back to Furcas' utilization of Hellfire, "What was that technique you used? The one where you formed a ring of flames."

"The prerequisite to my divination, the Ring of the Abyssal Flames. A higher medium of Hellfire. It isn't something you need to learn, since you have the Domination Intent, your Hellfire will do your bidding. In the future, you simply need to warp its current properties," Furcas responded.

Meanwhile, Apollo's eyes took a gander at the notification that had been looming in his field of vision. 'Just like Fuhrer, it seems I can affect him as well. It also seems that he is a Demon Knight as well. I'm starting to think this isn't a state of power, but rather some type of ranking. If that's the case, then what is beyond these few?'

〈System Alert! A piece of the Lost Council has been retrieved. You have been rewarded 2,000 Demonic Achievement Points and +5 Levels. Furthermore, the piece found has also given the hidden reward: Unbound Eyes.〉 

When Apollo read the last piece of information, he became curious. However, when he tried to open the information pertaining to it, another prompt appeared that made him frown.

〈System Alert! The Sin compatible with this partial awakening has not been found. As a result, information surrounding this change will be withheld. Once the Sins have been awakened, the Unbound Eyes will present their purpose.〉

Since it wouldn't do him any good to dwell over this matter, Apollo pushed this incident to the back of his mind. As of right now, there was something more important to him.

"You said you can divine right? Then is it possible for you to locate the other pieces of the Lost Council?" Apollo asked after closing the window before him.

Naturally, Furcas grinned with great pride apparent in his eyes. "Of course! However, I will also warn you, I can't find the position of the Kings with my current abilities. To find them...I'll have to surpass my old condition. Unfortunately, with what's left of me, that's easier said than done. My potential has been exhausted."

Towards the end, the pride in his eyes dwindled. Since he wasn't geared towards combat, the amount of attention he received was less than the others. Only in times of war was his ability utilized to the fullest. Thus, instead of practicing on himself, most of Furcas' time in the past was spent on honing his ability to read the signs.

When Apollo heard the despondency in Furcas' voice, he understood what it was centered around, 'In the past, he must have been powerless as I was. Perhaps he is more relatable than I thought. Additionally, now that he is my follower, his fate isn't as bleak as he seems.'

In the corner of his eye, Apollo looked at another message that appeared.

〈System Alert! Your Demonic Follower; Furcas, Wiseman of Corruption possesses an otherwise exhausted potential. However, based on your efforts, you can change that. If you reinvigorate their source, their future will become just as vibrant as yours. But, their limit will not be comparable to yours, holder of the system.〉 

〈System Alert! Due to the presence of Furcas' energy, Comprehension +20 has been rewarded. Furthermore, other benefits will appear as you continue to hone the mind.〉

In light of this information, Apollo fell into a pensive state, 'Could it be that he is unable to sense a change in his fate? Now that the system has become part of his fate, he should be able to feel the changes. Unless...he can't even sense the system influence?'

As he rubbed his chin in thought and looked at Furcas, he felt this was the truth. It appeared the system was something that couldn't be sensed at all. 'I wonder if I'll ever meet the creator, or if they even exist anymore.'

Not long after, Apollo's thoughts traveled elsewhere, "If you can divine their position, can you tell me where the next one's position is?" 

What the system didn't make him aware of was the fact that using the active part of the locator also caused the passive form to go into an inactive state as well. In other words, as of right now, he couldn't sense the next path.

Luckily, Furcas' earlier words seemed to hint that he was in fact the true locator.

"I can… but I will warn you now, the closest one is located in Suprenis, the Ring of Superbia. If you venture there, I suggest you remain on guard. The demons there are well... let's just say they are unconventional," Furcas said with a wry smile. 

"Unconventional? I find that hard to believe, I mean aren't you all demons?" Apollo answered with an odd expression. In his eyes, there couldn't be much difference between the actions of demons. However, he couldn't be more wrong.

Furcas chuckled, "Do you think all Sins are one and the same? Just like the Sin are unique, so are the demons birthed from their presence. A demon of pride could be seen as one of, if not the strongest strain. Not to mention, the Link to that world is one the harshest to experience. It may even warp your mind if you aren't careful. Before we depart, I suggest you strengthen your mind."

"Why now?"

"Because it was too easy to rile up your emotions. While emotions empower us, they should never be evident to our enemies. A placid surface yet seething demeanor is the ideal situation for a demon," Furcas said.

Apollo then relented. It was true, it was still too easy to tamper with his mental state.