Chapter 127: Seeking Guidance, Enlightenment

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"Xezym if you'd like, you're more than welcome to accompany me into the room. In fact, I think you should," Apollo nodded in accordance with Sapphyr's words. As he was now, he was unable to see exactly how he should advance with the Partial Shade Silhouette, however, in front of him stood someone well versed in the ways of the shadows. 

"Mmm… My lady are you sure about this? This youth is too excited to be surveilled by me. I think he has other plans. What do you think?" Xezym spoke telepathically with Sapphyr, gazing at Apollo under his hood.

"Mm… that depends. I'll leave all decisions up to you. If I'm not mistaken, he wants to use you as a training partner. I give you permission to do so but don't damage him greatly. He still needs to partake in the upcoming trial, understand?" Sappyhr said after a short deliberation.

"Very well my lady, I will go along with this odd youth, however, I will watch out for his cunning ways. If he seeks my guidance then it will come at a cost," Xezym nodded with a small smirk on his lips.

When he saw this smirk, Apollo felt a shiver run down his back. Coupled with his shadowy attire, that smirk only served to exacerbate the dark feeling Xezym exuded. Since both of them had come to their decision, Sapphyr bid her adieu.

Meanwhile, both Apollo and Xezym entered the Supreme Room that was partly out of commission. At a glance, Apollo understood why it was so. Despite the intact formations, numerous cracks littered the wall. It seemed as if the previous party's target wasn't the formations but rather the material of the room itself. 

Compared to the Perfected version, this one was many times sturdier. With a single cursory glance, Apollo could discern there was no chance of him damaging this place. Furthermore, he could tell if he sought to do so, the only thing to suffer damage would be him.

After coming to this assumption, Apollo extricated his gaze from the wall and instead looked at Xezym, "Ahem, esteemed Master Xezym, may I bother you to offer me some guidance. I understand you're unparalleled in the way of the shadows. Thus, I implore you to help me. Is this possible?" Apollo shamelessly praised Xezym with flowery words.

"Hmph, cut the act. This isn't you, I've seen your technique already. While it is strong, it lacks the basics of the shadows. The problem isn't the technique but you. You lack familiarity with the Dark Element. In other words, to correct that, you need to increase your resonance," Xezym waved off Apollo's folly. 

"My resonance?" Apollo tilted his head in bewilderment. This was the first time he heard the term resonance. Hence, his reaction. Not to mention, unlike typical people his elements weren't determined by him but rather the techniques he used. 

To put it differently, while a human would be element locked after a certain age, this wasn't the case for a demon. As a result, this was a topic Azridan grazed over. In his mind, it was something Apollo would sooner or later come in contact with of his own accord. Thus, it posed no meaning to disclose prior to now.

"Yes, resonance. It just means how well certain elements interact with you. Like so," Xezym raised his hand, waving it around in the air. Even an instant was an understatement for how fast the Dark Elements gathered around Xezym's finger. Before Apollo could blink, Xezym's entire arm disappeared.

"You see this? The Dark Elements have lowered their defense to me, becoming docile. This allows me to then bend them to my will at a whim. Unfortunately, this is something you're incapable of completing for two reasons.

"Firstly, based on the fluctuations in your mind, you lack a Dark Source or a source of any kind. Without one, the amount of elements you can interact with is limited. Secondly, your temple you've opened is one immature and two, irregular. I can't tell what you are but I can say with certainty, the elements don't flow within you properly," Xezym asserted.

"Mm, that's true. It's due to my cultivation technique that I'm unable to mesh with these elements well but in exchange, I've gained other things. All I need is for you to demonstrate one of your techniques. Also, what is a Dark Source?" Apollo questioned, while faintly addressing his irregularities.

"A Dark Source is just like any other. It's a marking inside the Soul Temple that signifies the basis of an Element. Usually, one acquires this in a spur of comprehension and engraves the symbol birthed by their soul on the object in their mind but I'm not sure how you'll go about that," Xezym stated with apparent uncertainty.

'Hmm, engrave? Why does this sound similar to the Infernal Ira Stigmata on my body? Does this mean I'll have to engrave a second set on my mind but that doesn't seem entirely correct...

'While plausible, there should be some minute differences. After all, the mind and body are one but not the same. Maybe if I ruminate over this matter for a short while I'll achieve the answer,' Apollo mused, contemplating the way to advance with the spiritual side of the Sins.

"If your true intention isn't to learn my techniques but instead grasp comprehension from it, then I don't mind showing you a few instances of my specialties," Xezym offered. Although his image of Apollo was obscure, there still remained the fact he helped his master out of her emotional turmoil.

"Of course! This is what I've been asking for this entire time!" Apollo exclaimed, exiting his small session of contemplation.

"Very well, watch closely," Xezym casually stated. In the next moment, his body slowly sunk into the floor, taking possession of Apollo's shadows. Inside, he moved around like a fish in water, reappearing behind Apollo, but when he did so, Apollo didn't respond.

His presence was so well concealed, Apollo hadn't even noticed him rising from the shadows.

"Do you understand now? The darkness surrounds us and when one embraces it, we become imperceivable. At that moment, we are our deadliest and in our most comfortable form," Xezym uttered, startling Apollo.

"Again! This time, slow down the process and don't enter the shadows. I'm not capable of that yet. Instead, do something simpler for me. Can you emulate this technique?" Apollo asked, executing the Partial Shade Silhouette immediately after.

"Certainly, this is similar to my Phantom Strafe, just many times slower," Xezym said, his tenebrous attire cascading into shadowy embers. A moment later, his black appearance took a step appearing 5 meters away from Apollo. With the next step, he landed face to face with Apollo.

"Is this what you want? As you see, when I'm under the transient umbra, my presence is obscured and enshrouded with the protection of the darkness. Of course, if someone with a deeper understanding were to enter with me, they could knock me out of this state but that requires a concrete mastery," Xezym explained, realizing Apollo had fallen into a trance-like state. 

Due to this discovery, Xezym fell silent, observing Apollo, 'Has he gained comprehension from a single usage? Perhaps his mental state is sublime. If so, maybe I will see if he's able to learn the arts of the spirits. Typically, humans should be incapable of this until they become a Spirit Warrior, but for some reason, I have faith in him.' 

Amidst Xezym's observation, Apollo's figure vibrated, small bits of shadowy embers flowing from his body. Unlike his prior utilization, the mantle of shadows crept up his waist, and beyond. Both his mastery of the technique and understanding of the shadows were deepening, entering a profound area.

Although his entire physique wasn't enveloped in the shadows, more than 60% was. However, just as the technique became stronger, the consumption multiplied. Apollo's brows furrowed while his Demonic Anima depleted at a rapid rate.

'As I thought, an anomaly is what he is. His technique is absorbing fragments of my technique to make it complete. Maybe the next level of this skill he is using is similar if not identical to my own. That's the only explanation for this uncanny resemblance but then… what is he and where did he chance upon this technique?'

While Xezym pondered to himself, Apollo's body autonomously absorbed Natural Essence, converting it for his use. With this, time continued to pass, seconds turning into minutes and minutes into hours. 

Despite him neglecting it, Apollo's cultivation was still increasing as well as something else. Throughout the entire process, unless Apollo asked for pointers, Xezym stood to the side, witnessing his familiarity increase.