The Demon Monarch System

Chapter 214 - Glimpse Into Shadow's Truth

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The moment Apollo sat down, he started to follow Lance's instructions without hesitation. With the information verified as the truth, unlike the others, he didn't wish to stay here for an extended period of time. He just wished to confirm some doubts he had about this place.

After all, the best way to validate anything was to test it yourself. Hearsay was what it was, just hearsay. However, your own experience was a truth that couldn't be denied as there was concrete proof that it happened. Hence, why Apollo performed such actions.

Based on Lance's information, before one could truly meditate in this place, they needed to attune their consciousness with the orb in the middle of the space. But, there was a catch, it could only contain so many consciences at once. Each person that mediated on the orb occupied a small piece of the orb's capacity.

Thus, each person's mind couldn't delve into the same comprehension. Just as each individual was unique, so was the information that was spewed out the orb. This was another reason that each person came upon with their own Prime form of an element's base ability. 

Even if they possessed the same fundamentals, if a technique was wielded by a different person it wouldn't be the same. There wouldn't just be differences in outputs, their inherent energy would perform small tweaks to their technique to best suit them. This was known as the adaptive nature of Essence.

It was another leading reason the humans were able to survive under the conflagrations of war with the Terrors.

As Apollo's conscience entered the orb, he found himself in a blank area with countless black doors. However, some of them were secured by chains of varying thickness, others were ajar and the rest were simply closed.

'I'm guessing the ones with chains must be those with a comprehension strong enough to secure their spot and those that a closed are just areas that are occupied by normal peoples. As for the open doors, those should be free game,' Apollo thought while gazing at the marvel before his eyes.

Beyond that, Apollo picked up on another bit of information that lance warned him about. Each door varied in dimensions and aura. This symbolized the fact that the requirements to enter different fields of comprehension differed greatly and even became incredibly stringent. 

Furthermore, some doors with looked gave the same feeling as the door itself. That meant these places were sealed by the orb itself. To enter, one needed not just a high comprehension, but a tyrannical will.

According to the information given to the second-years, those areas were set aside and fabricated by some supreme Spirit from within the world the orb originated. In other words, there was an inheritance hidden within this orb and until now, there wasn't a single soul to receive it properly. 

The administration even went as far as to deem the inheritance only fit for a Spirit. A mortal soul probably wouldn't be able to withstand the immensity of whatever was hidden away.

Meanwhile, since this was his first attempt and Apollo was only here to prod, he settled for an open door. Additionally, it was one that could barely fit a full-grown man. When he walked inside, Apollo was immediately bombarded by a wave of darkness.

Subconsciously, the moment his consciousness entered the orb, his eyes closed. In light of this, a few people opened their eyes and looked at Apollo.

"This newcomer appears to be a freshman yet his consciousness is solid enough to enter the orb. Perhaps he'll have a worthwhile future in this place. However, it seems it isn't overly strong as the dot he lit up is the size of a pin. He must have entered the lowest tier of areas," someone spoke.

But, Lance's take on the situation was different, 'It's difficult to advance in Spiritual Cultivation compared to the body. Not to mention, he has only been within the academy for slightly over 1 month. With this rate of advancement, it's safe to say he'll contract a Spirit before his freshmen year elapses. He may even earn the chance to enter those specialized departments."

While Apollo was unaware of the conversation with him as the topic of focus, he continued to withstand the wave of darkness. After some time, he started to realize something, 'I think this simulates a technique, however, it doesn't appear to be something that resonates with me.'

As he continued to withstand wave after wave of spiritual darkness, a string of information appeared in Apollo's mind, 'Recurring Dark Tide. An offensive technique that mimics the recurrent nature of crashing waves. This isn't something for me. The control needed is something I'm unfamiliar with.

Left with no other choice, Apollo withdrew his consciousness and reappeared in the blank area. Unlike the prior time, he saw other people standing around while pondering what to enter now. More importantly, Apollo noticed something else.

[Recurring Dark Tide. Rank C Partial Spiritual Art derived from Xezym's initial phase.]

The door he just entered now displayed information on the matters that could be learned inside. However, when Apollo asked a person next to him if they could see the information, they denied it. This further confirmed what Apollo thought.

Although this was a shared space, it wasn't interconnected at the base of things. Each person's view of this place was individually locked. Or at the very least, this is what Apollo believed. Until something appeared to disprove the notion, then he wouldn't think otherwise.

When Apollo looked in the corner of his eye, he realized he was only inside that area for 8 minutes. Similar to when he experienced the Temporal Dissonance, there was no concept of time. Only when one exited would they become privy to how long they were inside.

Nevertheless, since he was well within his schedule, he paid this length of time no mind. After all, that venture gave him direction. He knew what to do. He could explore all the small doors until he located what he sought.

And so, he did just that. He tried as accurately as he could to comprehend the essence of each area he visited. Even if he didn't try to learn them, there were small bits he could extract to use for later, should he ever want to create a technique to call his own.

3 hours later, nearly 100 Academic Credits were spent. Yet, when he recounted what he learned in this timeframe, he realized it wasn't looking the best for him. 'At this level, each and every door I have visited seem to be either an offensive or defensive technique. It seems my preconceived notion was incorrect.

'As long as there is innovation, any element can cover all sections of combat. Unfortunately, I'm not here for that. Where are the concealment and movement techniques? Is it possible to sense what I'm looking for? Wait, that's it!' Apollo exclaimed.

Inside the orb's interior, Apollo's spiritual form closed its eyes. It then proceeded to release the aura of his Partial Shade Silhouette. At first, the connections with the doors were fleeting, but the longer he upheld this state, the stronger the connections grew.

In particular, one door began to vibrate. However, the size of it was at least 3 times bigger than any other. Before entering, Apollo took a step back. First, he memorized its position. Then, he awaited the next pulse from the orb.

Once he actively absorbed it, he reentered the orb's internal space. Without delay, he sacrificed a great deal of his spiritual energy to pry open the door. When he entered inside, the feeling that assaulted him was 10 times stronger than what he felt in the first door.

But, the second assault never came. On the contrary, he could tell that the initial assault was never left. It seemed to be continuously present. Due to this sensation, Apollo's mind churned and attempted to complete the process of completion.

When he linked the aura of his Partial Shade Silhouette to here, his body felt weightless. Compared to the normal execution, he could feel changes happening.

"I think I understand why I was lead to this place," Apollo muttered. As he long into the darkness, a scene replayed itself without end. A shadowy figure turned light into darkness and ruled over what they created. When their opponents appeared, all hints of light were converted at their whim.

"Darkness will always be present. Even within the light, there is darkness. Therefore, one can't avoid being swallowed and covered in darkness. It is best to embrace it and gather strength within," Apollo uttered in an almost trance-like state. Then it happened, the great change he was awaiting.