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The puppet\'s body split apart while retaining the core parts such as the internal energy system along with the crystal source embedded in its chest. Other than that, its body was akin to a hollow chasm. At first, Apollo didn\'t understand why the puppet\'s body was reacting this way, but when he realized the changes in the area, he started to piece everything together.

\'Could it be that the next stage has changed and this singular puppet will undergo another transformation? If that\'s the case, then wouldn\'t its difficulty skyrocket to new heights? Hmph, as if I\'ll let that happen, I\'ve spent enough time here,\' Apollo thought, scrutinizing the pillar of flames before glancing in Valac\'s direction.

"Destroy it," Apollo ordered, crossing his arms. 

"Tch, you can\'t always order! You think I\'ll always listen to you?" Valac scoffed. Despite his actions, he still rushed towards the pillar of flames with an amused gleam in his eyes. Truth be told, even if Apollo didn\'t order him, he already held an interest in destroying this pillar. 

Valac moved swiftly, taking flight after summoning his other wings, dashing towards the pillar of flames. As he flew, he avoided some of the heatwaves that undulated from the pillar. Although they weren\'t strong enough to cause despair, they were undoubtedly strong enough to disrupt him.

After all, this pillar was even stronger than the one birthed to create this exceptional puppet, part of the reason why Apollo deliberated this order to Valac. With his current strength, breaking that pillar was akin to suicide. And, as he stood now, he didn\'t possess a death wish.

On the other hand, he started to compare the strength of the fluctuations against flames he sensed in the past. \'It pales in comparison to Irauk, but it resembled the severity of Geneva\'s flame for now since hers is extremely damaged.\'

While Apollo made his comparisons, Valac reached the pillar and thrust his spear forth. However, an odd sight took place. Numerous reinforced panels focused on the area under attack appeared before Valac.

Unlike a typical defense, it only covered that single area, but it was superimposed, generating a nonsensical defense value. Even Valac\'s strike was only able to puncture 2 out of the 10 layers.

"Interesting," Valac muttered, raising an eyebrow. This type of barrier was new to him as he was used to an individual conjuring either a single barrier enveloping one\'s entire surface or an external barrier, one similar to a dome or cube.

Similarly, Apollo was intrigued as well, \'Individual use of the barrier, focusing it on one position to amplify the defensive ability? Astute display of usefulness,\' Apollo thought, rubbing his chin in the process. 

While looking at Valac\'s continued attempts to shatter the barrier, he learned a new way of distributing his Anima. \'This isn\'t useful for enemies on the same level, it\'s more practical to use it against enemies who possess a stronger offense. This should thoroughly neutralize their strike as long as they aren\'t overwhelmingly strong.\'

In light of the pillar\'s barrier, Valac changed his course of action. Twin flames wrapped around his spear, encasing it in a sweltering blue light. Without hesitation, he thrust it forward, shattering 5 layers of the barrier in the process. 

\'That\'s it?! I was expecting more than this. What the fuck is up with the durability of this barrier. It\'s harder than these damn puppets. Piece of crap," Valac swore, continuously impacting the barrier with unrelenting strikes. Despite his onslaught, the barrier still wasn\'t compromised.

When one layer was shattered, a new replacement appeared to reinforce any weakness from Valac\'s attacks. Apollo noticed this thanks to the increase in his mind\'s sensitivity.

\'Is this a lost cause? Will we have to follow the instructions laid in place, or will I just have to summon Fuhrer as well?\' Apollo wondered. Frankly speaking, he didn\'t wish to summon Fuhrer right now and there were multiple reasons for that. The main one being the pillar before them.

Apollo was almost certain by summoning Fuhrer, he would accelerate the process and maybe even worsen it. Although Fuhrer was strong, Apollo possessed an odd feeling about this place, almost as if they were being watched by some unknown entity.

If that was the case, then it would be convenient for him to reveal all of his cards in the beginning. Even if the entity\'s purpose was to find someone worthy, he wasn\'t interested. Unlike the rest, he could sense this area was related to humans.

Any methods learned from humans could easily be learned from the Demons and at a stronger level at that. Thus, rather than searching for another teacher, Apollo was more intent on fulfilling his vengeance. Until now, he still hadn\'t forgotten his animosity with the Glories. 

Inside this space where the eyes of authority were blinded, it was the best time to take advantage.

All of a sudden, before Apollo and Valac could react, the pieces of fragmented puppets levitated, launching towards the opened puppet. Its body grew as the pieces melding into its body, creating a larger frame, but that was far from the astonishing part.

Different from the rest of the puppets, this one was odd. It could even meld the energy within the cores on the ground into a liquid, injecting it into its own core.

\'Those are my rewards,\' Apollo thought, glaring at the pillar. Regardless of what he thought, he was powerless to change it. The pieces simply moved too fast. From the flight path, it appeared an attractive force greater than their reaction speed was guiding it. 

"I suggest you prepare yourself. This is inevitable. We will just have to fight together," Valac uttered, floating back to Apollo\'s side. Since his actions were useless, it made no sense to continue tiring himself out.

"I can see that," Apollo replied, sparing Valac an annoyed glance.

"W-what the fuck yer looking at me like that for?" Valac snarled. From his point of view, this look Apollo gave was almost condescending.

"I\'m looking at you because you\'re weak. I should\'ve summoned someone else. I\'m sure Fuhrer would have dealt with this easily. Next time, I\'ll think twice about allow you to stretch those useless bones," Apollo said with a sneer, infuriating Valac.

"W--w-w-w-WHAT?! Useless? Yer FUCKING calling me USELESS?! How dare you. When have I Valac, ever been useless?" Valac scowled, his pupils shifting to a crimson tint. Anger circulating in his eyes and the pale flame that surrounding his body crackled in response.

"Just now. After all, you did fail to destroy that barrier, right? As I said, useless. And, because of you, we have to wait for the completion of this unknown transformation," Apollo grumbled, disgruntled by the lack of control he held in this situation. 

"That\'s it! Send me back! SEND ME BACK! I won\'t deal with this shit from you as well," Valac growled, demanding Apollo to relinquish his summoning. Sadly, it wasn\'t as easy as he wished. First of all, Apollo wasn\'t in the best of moods.

"You\'ll stay right here and when that puppet appears, you fight alongside me. This is an Absolute Order, do I make myself clear?" Apollo commanded while turning his head towards Valac. An ominous glow containing a pure Domination Intent spilled from within that his gaze.

A chill traveled down Valac\'s spine, prompting him to nod. When Absolute Order and Apollo\'s Domination Intent fused as one, it was a terrifying sensation to experience. If he wasn\'t the wiser, Valac would have assumed it was the First Monarch who stood before him. 

\'He\'s even worst than Fuhrer and them. He can actually control me by force,\' Valac thought with a frown. Quietly, he stood next to Apollo and watched as the pillar cracked apart.

A golden figure was revealed. Its size was comparable to a demonized Valac but the energy signature it released was shocking. The moment its feet touched the ground, a ring indent formed on the ground, a wave of energy burst forth from within the ground.

\'This pressure…\' Apollo marveled, raising his defenses. At the same time, the color of his skin changed, and his physique grew. He wasn\'t willing to take any chances! To deal with this enemy he had to demonize! 

\'Fwoosh!\'

Without any indication, the new puppet made a move, his movement rivaling that of teleportation. Furthermore, despite how fast it moved, there was no disruption in space or a sonic boom accompanying it.

"Wait!" Apollo exclaimed, but it was too late. He could only cross his arms and prepare a shoddy guard.

\'BANG!\'

Before he realized it, his body flew into a stone beam behind him. The strike was so sudden that the sound from the blow and the explosive noise from the collision blended as one. To achieve this, it required the utmost control of their strength.

Standing in the position Apollo was launched from, the golden figure opened and closed their hand, reveling at their power. "How exhilarating."

"Tch," Valac clicked his tongue. In that short window, he demonized as well, throwing a blow.

However, it was effectively neutralized by the golden figure\'s hand, holding his punch in place. "Strong but also weak."

\'BOOM!\'

The golden figure launched a devastating blow, winding Valac in the process. This was a first for him. Except for Fuhrer and a few other Noblesse, he had never been winded from a single punch. This was an odd occurrence, one he couldn\'t tolerate, but also couldn\'t rectify.

This opponent outclassed them in all aspects, leading them to believe this stage would be unclearable by all others.