Chapter 459 - Numerous Annihilations

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In a short few moments, Apollo reduced the initial number of over sixty demons to exactly ten while suffering zero damage in the process. It wasn't because of Apollo's overwhelming strength but because of his tactical usage of his arsenal. Instead of executing the expected reaction, Apollo used a nearly undetectable attack to shave off the needless enemies.

Although the remaining ten were the strongest of the bunch, Apollo was still indifferent about their presence. As long as he monitored the Archdemons closely, then he didn't fear suffering any brutal injuries.

"Damn it!" Tanath snarled. Apollo's attack wasn't the principal source of his anger; it was because he lost so many members while under his watch. Even if he cinched all of the resources this place had to offer, Tanath wasn't sure that the price matched the losses already suffered.

While this current team was only twenty percent of his stronghold's martial force, every downed Greater Demon was a considerable loss for their stronghold. While the stronghold could replace Lesser Demons effortlessly, only one in every twenty Lesser Demons possessed the potential to become a Greater Demon.

So, the chances of recruiting new members of that level were much slimmer than recouping the slain Lesser Demons. Not to mention, Tanath would undoubtedly receive a heated reprimanding from his superior. 

Thus, Tanath decided to pull a savage move. 

"Move ruthlessly. Every Archdemon is to assail the area with your Sin. While they do that, the Greater Demons will lead the assault on the individual. Too many of our brothers have fallen to suffer another loss."

"Understood!" One responded.

"Roger!" Another answered.

In seconds, a palpable surge of Ira appeared. The first thought in Tanath's mind was to overwhelm Apollo by suffocating with a dense cloud of Ira. Not only would it disrupt his senses, but it would also interfere with any attacks he tried to muster.

At least, that's what Tanath believed would happen.

Conversely, Valac shook his head with a delighted grin. He jumped up and hopped around with a giddy expression after sensing the foreign Sin signature.

"They fucked up! They have royally screwed themselves! Ah hahaha! Why would they reveal so much Ira before the Lord? Don't they understand he isn't like that? What laughably dull senses they have," Valac sputtered as he guffawed at Tanath's chosen actions.

"Shush, and just watch the show. Let me enjoy the scene instead of listening to your annoying babbling," Fuhrer groaned while waving Valac off. However, Valac was unaffected because the situation was too stimulating for him.

If there was one thing he enjoyed more than causing mayhem, it was watching as an individual's foolish mistake plunged them into despair. 

Meanwhile, Apollo took notice of the change instantly. 'Oh? Let's first entertain their expectations.'

Without hesitation, Apollo launched a haphazard attack, pooling a significant amount of Ira into a Demonic Massacre Wave. The sudden increase of Ira appeared on Tanath's radar, causing him to grin.

'As expected, every demon feels a slight panic once exposed to so much Sin. It either means a terrifying incoming attack or an enemy that truly surpasses their limits, which causes their hasty reaction,' Tanath thought before extending his hand.

He tapped the Archdemon who wielded two maces and gave a signal.

In the next instant, the twin mace-wielding Archdemon slammed the weapons together repeatedly, creating a recurring wave that inundated Apollo's position. Tanath simultaneously slashed his swords toward the presence of the Ira surge.

In addition to creating a pressurized atmosphere, Tanath also intended to reveal Apollo's position since the darkness obscured his location. So it was within his expectations that Apollo's current attack allowed them to pinpoint his position.

But, what they didn't understand was that Apollo was already on the move.

The initial surge was merely a feint using a tactic he learned just a few days prior. It was a stationary Demonic Massacre Wave, which he continued to feed Ira remotely. It was an attack meant to divert their attention once again while he approached a convenient position.

An explosion once the undulating pulses from the Archdemon's weapon touched Apollo's planted Demonic Massacre Wave. However, the darkness was unaffected by the torrential winds of the collision.

After all, the Tenebrous Dark Winds weren't simply winds that could be affected through typical means, hence why it was so difficult to learn. It required a deep affinity for the demonic winds to interact with them.

"It's over!" Tanath bellowed after experiencing the aftermath of the explosion. Although he wasn't damaged, he was intrigued. Why did the darkness persist after such a violent collision? Surely the culprit couldn't withstand that outcome unscathed.

"Not yet. We still need to have some more fun," Apollo replied with a mischievous giggle.

In response to the reply, Tanath's eyes widened. It wasn't because of Apollo's bouncing voice; it was the fact that any signs of damage were missing from his tone!

'Could he have avoided all the damage entirely? Impossible…' Tanath thought while scrutinizing the location of the attack. Despite his thorough scan, he found zero signs of Apollo suffering any damage.

Tanath's incredulous expression intensified once he noticed an identical surge of Ira appearing yet again, but that wasn't the worst part. The palpable screen employed by the Archdemons on his side was thinning while various of Apollo's signature continually appeared.

Soon enough, Tanath thought of something dreadful.

'There's no way that this demon possesses such a ridiculous combination? This person has revealed Ira and Superbia already, could there be a third Sin as well!? I thought it was impossible for that type of ability to occur,' Tanath internalized with a deepening frown.

Although it was foreign to Tanath, he understood just how awful going against someone who could destroy and sustain that destruction was, especially one who could convert other's power into their own.

While there was a limit, chances were that the opponent would always fall before approaching said limit unless it were against an unbeatable enemy.

"Stop what you're doing! You're just feeding his actions!" Tanath exclaimed.

Unfortunately, his warning came too late. 

Apollo had already created numerous Demonic Massacre Waves! And, they all zoomed towards their target after Apollo snapped his fingers. Their perfected states were not to be underestimated. As it was the first technique in his arsenal, it was the ability most familiar to Apollo.

So, the destruction that followed the attack defied its low rating.

Sssszttttt!

An alarming sizzling noise occurred as faint traces of Hellfire were embedded within the Demonic Massacre Wave, leaving thorough burn marks on most of the Greater Demons. Finding an opponent within the Greater Demon capable of withstanding Apollo's attacks was impossible with his current attributes.

As a result, bloodied screams escaped the Greater Demons' mouths as the attack burned them alive without end. Apollo was strong enough to infuse one drop of Purgatory's Blood into each strike with his current Infernal Ira Stigmata.

Purgatory's Blood was something that no Greater Demon could defend against. Even though it was only a single drop, it was several times more destructive than an attack fueled by a Greater Demon's entire Sin Volume, which is why the Council used it to imprison uncontrollably heinous demons.

They would be burned out of existence if they so much as touched the bars crafted from pure Purgatory's Blood.

Because of Apollo's horrifying attack, Tanath seethed. His eyes turned crimson as he clutched the longsword to the point its hilt emitted creaking noise. Unless he killed Apollo with his own hands, this bloodlust wouldn't subside.

Meanwhile, Apollo flapped his wings and took to the sky while spreading his arms. The gathering of darkness followed before melding with his body. With the battlefield cleared of the obstructive darkness, Apollo got a good look at the outcome of his attack.

A pleased smirk appeared on his face as he nodded.

Only the four Archdemons remained, and two of them received wounds from the last attack. While it wasn't enough to render them unsuitable for combat, the injuries were sufficient to affect their battle power.

At the very least, it allowed Apollo's aura to reduce their stats further. The initial 15 percent increased to 25%, which meant they were more or less equal to Apollo's base attributes without the augmentation of his stigmata.

Regrettably, the Archdemons recharged Apollo's Ira Volume, so he wasn't even close to running out. In fact, because he absorbed their Ira, his reserves rivaled theirs. The winner in the battle of attrition would be challenging to determine.

"Idiots," Valac snickered. Although Tanath finally realized the issues with their actions, it was far too late.

Meanwhile, Apollo extended his palm, creating a powerful suction force.. The force extracted a massive cluster of essence from the demons and their corpses, causing a stream of notifications to appear before Apollo.