Chapter 504 - Knowledge Of Angels

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Despite the fact that Xonnomor had already joined a side that went far beyond a faction, he used cryptic words to disrupt his father's assumptions after receiving instructions from Apollo. Although he didn't go into great detail, Xonnomor understood that Apollo didn't wish to make their connection known just yet.

As his follower, Xonnomor felt it was of utmost importance to respect Apollo's wishes. Hence, the current situation of following up his earlier words that hinted towards joined a new part with words that debunked the hints.

Apollo smiled after Xonnomor recovered the situation. However, he held other feelings for the display that took place earlier. It had been quite some time since Apollo brooded over the absence of parental care, but the argument between Xonnomor and Xorgrah sparked those hidden emotions.

'I wonder if the relationship between me and father would be similar if history were much different,' Apollo wondered. After all, the reason for his current situation was partly his father's doing. What was supposed to become a training regiment to erase the needless compassion from Apollo's true soul turned into an extended nightmare.

Before that, however, there was a particular memory that Apollo awakened, making him wary of the relationship between him and his father. Surprisingly, despite his reputation as the strongest demon to walk the Nihilistic Rings and the most ruthless leader, the depiction of Aztraval was different in Apollo's memories.

Up until he could begin training in demonic practices, Aztraval doted upon Apollo, or rather Zethroz, keeping him in the care of the Kings and Fuhrer at all times. Unfortunately, memories of his mother were still hazy in Apollo's mind, so he wasn't aware of her origin or even her name for that matter.

However, what Apollo did understand was that his rebirth was impossible without the assistance of his mother. After all, demons didn't carry the ability to tamper with life and death. Their domain was Sin and Infernal Darkness. As long as the situation involved corrupted behavior, it was their specialty.

But, once the topic transversed out of that domain, the demons were powerless. Under normal circumstances, Aztraval wouldn't be able to acquire anyone's assistance, but his circumstances were far from normal. In addition to being a strong leader, Aztraval possessed unmatched charisma as well as the ability to adopt a form similar to a human if need be.

Aztraval utilized this ability to capture the heart of a woman that at the very least, possessed a status equal to his own. What's more, she carried the unique power to control reincarnation to a certain extent. Regrettably, that action was the cause for the Great War of the Upper Races. Which inevitably led to Apollo's condition.

Luckily, Apollo was fortunate enough to make out from that endless pit of darkness and assimilate with his current body.

Recalling this information, Apollo turned towards Fuhrer and passed a mental message. Listening to the contents of the message, Fuhrer was stunned for a moment before returning a look of surprise.

"You wish to learn about the unique power of the Upper Races?" Fuhrer questioned while rubbing his chin. In truth, this information was something that Apollo would have to ultimately learn. If not, he'd be walking into a situation while being completely unaware of his opponent's ability.

The lack of information was one of the gravest mistakes one could make when heading into battle. Therefore, Fuhrer decided to inform Apollo of all the abilities known amongst the higher-ups of the Upper Races.

"Well, I won't delve into the powers of us Demon as you're aware that it involves four crucial aspects―Sin, Demonic Anima, Aura and finally, Dominions. Outside of these four, there aren't many other abilities that a demon can utilize because they're all derived from one of these aspects," Fuhrer said.

For example, Amduscias's Dark Lightning was derived from his Sin mixing with a potent trait. Without his Superbia undergoing a mutation, wielding the Dark Lightning would be impossible since it wouldn't exist. In fact, the number of demons with this special power numbered less than ten. And this was during the time of Amsduscias's birth.

As for right now, the numbers were unknown. It was even possible that Amduscias was the sole user of this ability.

"Let's begin with our nemesis race―the Angel. They operate upon a power known as Virtue. Just as we have Ira, Superbia, Invidia, Luxuria, Gula, Avaritia, and Acedia, the Angels have seven distinct groupings as well. In a sense, each distinction is a direct counter of our own."

For Ira, there was its counterpart, Patentia. Angels of this distinct typically used passive-aggressive battle styles to infuriate their opponent into attacking with greater fervor. When paired against a demon of wrath, the outcome was unusually disastrous once the demon snapped.

When it came to Superbia, its counterpart was known as Humilitas. Angels of this distinction usually utilized defense battle styles without assaulting their opponent. Or, they redirected their opponent's attack back towards them with a sturdy defense.

Next, Invidia's counterpart was known as Humanitas. Of all the Angel's distinctions, this was the most aggressive as from Fuhrer's knowledge, most of the Angels who used this power took control of the battlefield's tempo, unleashing a flurry of "passionate" attacks.

Castitas directly opposed Luxuria since they utilized a reserved battle style and generally held on to the idea of protecting themselves as well as allies. What's more, it was usually the strategist who traveled this path since they were rumored to possess great wisdom and knowledge of battle and behavior.

Gula was opposed by Temperantia. The Angels of this classification utilized their great holy power to defend against most attacks. Whereas Gula was known to devour, Temperentia was known to resist. It was one of the only powers that could resist the absorption force of Gula.

The next group of Angel was overwhelmingly scary because of their tendency to forgo defense while unleashing terrifying attacks. They were known to generally sacrifice themselves willing to ensure all expectations. Thus, the Angels of Caritas directly opposed Avaritia's selfish nature.

Lastly, was the Angels known to spearhead all assault. Diligentia, the Angels with the undisputed strongest power, boasted the most substantial reserves as they were withstood the most assaults with their unrelenting diligence. 

Apollo's expression grew colorful as Fuhrer explained all of his experience. 

"Oh? It counters one another?" Apollo muttered with great interest. While he understood that the relationship with the Angels was an inconsolable topic, he didn't expect that their core powers opposed one another this much.

"Theoretically, it does. However, achieving perfection is truly difficult. The cancellation that should occur oftentimes doesn't. Because, the counter that we expect means that it can inflict grave damage upon both sides simultaneously. Hence, most battles come down to equipment and maintaining a certain range," Fuhrer answered.

"That's understandable. If that's the case, I suppose weaker Virtue can't overwhelm Sin and vice versa. Truly a worthy opponent," Apollo muttered.

"Heh, if you think that's bad. Then wait until I tell you about Radiance. It's similar to our Auras, except that Radiance is the overwhelming condensation of Sin. Even in the past, once an Angel used their Radiance, a Demon without an Aura was bound to die," Fuhrer said in a grim tone.

Once again, he imparted a few more stories to Apollo. Just as Aura sometimes took on unforeseen attributes, Radiance experienced the same situation. The only difference between an Angel's Radiance and a Demon's Aura was that the demon performed their power by understanding their Sin on a greater level.

The Angels were different. Their radiance was determined by an item that the Angulus Race protected at all times. Only once an Angel reached the Archangel level could they come in contact with the fabled stone so that it could judge their Radiance.

Although it seemed like the stone granted the Radiance, in truth, all it did was quantify an Angel's dedication to their Virtue. The stronger their dedication the stronger their Radiance. In short, the stone determined the amount of faith an Angel had towards their Virtue.

"I see," Apollo responded while nodding repeatedly. The abundance of information left Apollo baffled for a moment. Initially, Apollo thought there was a hierarchy to the strength of the Upper Races but based on Fuhrer's description that didn't seem to be the case.

After all, the Angels possessed powers directly on par with Demons. Although it wasn't confirmed, Apollo felt the same should ring true for the Titans, Celestials, and Spirits. 

"Also, you should note that the Angel possesses an equivalent to Demonic Anima and Dominions as well, but we'll refrain from talking about the Dominions equivalent for now since you have yet to reach that level. While it'll serve as a good motivator. We should also address the other races, what do you think?" Fuhrer suggested.

At first, Apollo wanted to nod, however, glancing towards Xonnomor and Xorgrah, Apollo decided against it. There was ample time for him to learn about this matter. For now, he needed to move forward without something more pressing.

'It's about time.. We should begin preparations."