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"Mn!" Apollo nodded, exhaling as well as calming himself. He was unaware of what was to come, but he didn\'t underestimate Azridan\'s words. He understood he would have to rely upon Azridan to be his guide. Attempting to harness Sin was something foreign to him, but, in his mind, there was nothing to fear—he possessed the former Demon Monarch by his side.

[First and foremost, we\'ll have to enable contact with the Sin. You\'ll have to create what one would call a Dantian in this world. However, what you are creating is what is known as an Infernal Nucleus. To do so, you\'ll need two things, both of which you possess.]

[Withdraw the Fragment of Sin and the Inferior Crystallized Chaos. While useless apart, when used in tandem, they bolster each other\'s effects to new heights. This will enable you to come in contact with the Demonic Chaos as well as tap into the Sin Barrier confronting Ira.]

Following the instructions, Apollo waved his arm summoning the items. In his palms rested an unblemished black shard followed by a thread of dull yet unsetting colors. The shard was the Inferior Crystallized Chaos whereas the thread was the Fragment of Sin.

For a moment, Apollo opened his eyes gazing at them silently. Albeit faint, he could feel the two objects damaging his hand. Although the damage was small, this was simply from holding them! \'If it\'s like this before extract the energy inside...what will it be like when I break the exteriors?\'

Apollo looked at the items with uncharacteristic caution. It took a moment, but he was soon able to subdue the apprehension he held towards these items.

[Wrap the thread around the shard and puncture your abdomen.]

\'I\'m sorry, you said what? You want me to stab myself in the torso with this item?\' Apollo repeated Azridan\'s words in disbelief. He was under the impression he just needed to digest the energies, not physically impale himself to do so.

[Yes, if the energies contained in those objects are subject to this atmosphere, it will be rendered useless. If that\'s your plan, then, by all means, proceed with your earlier thoughts.]

\'No need, I\'ll comply.\' Apollo replied. However, there was hesitation in his actions after saying that. Perhaps it was innate self-perseverance but the aura of death looming around these items made him feel uneasy.

\'What will it kill?\' Apollo asked himself as he gazed at the object. It wasn\'t long before he threw caution to the wind, piercing his torso. Immediately after, his eyes widened due to the indescribable pain. Gritting his teeth, he clung to his consciousness.

"What...NEXT?!" Apollo roared through clenched teeth as his breathing hastened.

[Draw all of your essences to the pit of your stomach. For a moment, your body will need to be devoid of all types of energy. In exchange, the Hellfire will appear.]

Inhaling and exhaling sharply, Apollo extracted all the bits of Natural Essence from his bones, muscles, skin, and even meridians. For the moment, he felt powerless but he understood this was part of the process.

[Excellent. Repeat after me; Ira corrupts but the Hellfire cleanses. Ira may be boundless, but my heart walks through the embers unwavering. As my Wrath is produced, my heart remains stoic, for I am the one who overcomes Ira.]

Clutching the shard in his stomach, Apollo repeated the words. But after doing so, his heart faltered. Grey and black flames spurted from his heart, traveling through his meridians to the pit of his stomach.

At the same time, on the skin above his heart, an obscure pattern and a smoldering aura formed. With their appearance, the atmosphere began roiling, an intense heat exuding from his body. In moments, the skin on Apollo\'s body bubbled and fell off.

With each passing second, the pain grew more intense but due to the state of this advancement, he couldn\'t lose consciousness. If he did, the repercussions would be dire.

[As I said before, the pain you\'ll be subject to is unimaginable but that should be no excuse! I surpassed Ira; so prove to me you can do that same. Show me, you being chosen was the right choice. Form your Stigmata and harness your Sin!]

\'Harness...my sin…\' Apollo thought to himself but his current self was weak. The Hellfire coursing through him was running amok and his heartbeat was growing faint. As it did, the speed the Hellfire spread slowed noticeably. It depended on his heartbeat to make its progress but he was losing himself amid the pain.

[Apollo! Get ahold of yourself. I assumed you were stronger than this. Was I wrong? As you are now, your efforts are letting me down. Are you telling me your existence is still a putrid disappointment?]

"D-disappointment?" Apollo muttered. His grip on the shard in his torso was loosening by the second. Furthermore, the Hellfire was now receding back into its source instead of advancing. Noticing this, Azridan became furious.

[All those experiences, all that training, and the pain you were inflicted with, do those mean nothing!? Your will is still weak. I am ashamed to call you my successor. Out of all the possible candidates of much better qualifications, what were you chosen for?]

"I…" Apollo tried to speak but the light in his eyes was growing faint. Soon enough his heartbeat ceased, the transformation halting in progress. While his breathing stopped, his mind was still active.

The prior words of Azridan were still ringing inside. While he could understand them, he didn\'t understand why couldn\'t respond. As the words repeated, they grew in volume.

[Useless...USELESS...USELESS!]

The memories of his past life first appeared. He relived the day of his 5th birthday, taking his Mana Resonance and Potential Determining Exam. He relived the looks of scorn that fell upon him. These instances had been etched into his soul.

The departing back of his mother, the sneers of the family, the abandonment. Everything flooded into his mind at once. His fingers twitched, and his closed eyelids fluttered. Indignance as well as an abominable fury rose from the depths of his souls.

\'N-no….no….I\'m not…\' A voice sounded in Apollo\'s mind. The scenes then changed once again. This time, he experienced being trampled by a group of boys. The injuries he suffered could be felt on his current body.

His body shuddered from the psychological impact. With that, his defiance grew.

\'No… No!\' The voice in his head screamed.

\'Thud!\'

He watched as rocks were thrown atop his blackening vision. Reliving his past, tears of blood trickled down his eyes. The anguish he was suffering now was something which appeared within every demon—The Trial of Rage. Unfortunately, he wasn\'t born a demon.

As such, he didn\'t possess a mind nor body as strong as them. Hence, the reason he was on the brink of death. For a true demon, only at the height of their trial would this danger present itself, yet he was already subject to it from the beginning.

At this point, he was unable to hear Azridan\'s voice anymore. The only thing present in his mind was the recurring scenes now mixing. He was driven to the brink of madness, the tears of blood turning to a pool underneath him.

"You are weak. You will always be weak and when you perish, your weak existence will be forgotten. You are unfit to be a demon and you\'re a disgrace to all. Your existence is one that should have never been," stated a voice. A towering demonic image appeared within Apollo\'s mind.

It seemed akin to a ball of flame. That was, until the image settled, revealing a demon with crimson skin and infernal horns standing before him. Again, the image talked.

"You should have never approached Wrath. Your puny soul can\'t survive the impact of the Ira. Look at you, struggling to survive. For me, it was a walk in the park. I have always experienced Wrath, therefore, I didn\'t deny its presence.

"Although you don\'t deny it. You can\'t contain it. It is greater than you," the imaged chuckled darkly. His word openly scorned Apollo.

Once again, Apollo\'s body trembled in the independent space. His weak voice sounded, "No...I\'m not...useless."

"Laughable being. You should have never attempted this. Within your trial is pride laced within. You\'re unable to admit your faults, it is your fault you are weak. No one else is to blame except you but I can give you power. Submit to me,\' the image smirked and faded away. His words seemed to the spark that ignited an explosion.

"NOOOO!!!!!!" Apollo opened his eyes, roaring to the sky, a demonic flame ejecting from his mouth. At the same time, the Hellfire resumed spreading throughout his body.

"I am not weak, I will never be weak!" Apollo snarled, his voice extremely guttural, unlike the typical voice he possessed.

[Fuck...that is not Apollo…]