The Ascendance

Chapter 11 - Angel's Prowess

This is the fourth year of Joffiel for her training, she only needs two years before she could get her main tasks.

"This will be your last training before you go down to the human world," Angel Zai said.

"That means, it would take two years of training," Joffiel replied.

"Yes, the first part of the training will be the lectures and the second part is the practical training," Angel Zai confirmed.

“What will this training be about?” Joffiel asked.

“This will be training for a battle. As an angel, you are prone to the attacks of demons. So for everyone to be prepared, we usually gave one year of physical training to all of the angels. However, in your case, the Creator wanted you to train for two years,” Angel Zai replied.

“I understand, I never thought that angels do endanger their lives for the tasks in the human world,” Joffiel replied.

“Those don’t usually happen, for twenty years now, the demons are very passive when it comes to war. But the Creator advised us to be more careful because those things are very odd for demons to do,” Angel Zai responded.

Joffiel just nodded.

“For this training, there will be another mentor that will join us. Actually, being in battle is not my expertise, I’m more of a mentor, so I will introduce someone to you later. I will handle all the lectures but in terms of physical training, she will be the one to guide you,” Angel Zai replied.

Angel Zai started her lecture. She started, “Angels that have expertise in battle have four main weapons. They are called, angel blade, angel sword, angel bow, and angel harp. Those four have different purposes, obviously.”

“So, in these training, I have to choose one of those four which I wanted to learn?” Joffiel asked.

“Usually angels that would be the Creator's guide would choose amongst those four, but in your case, the Creator advises that you should learn all of it,” Angel Zai answered.

Joffiel became happier as she heard what the Creator had advised.

Angel Zai continued on with her lecture. She explained, “Angel blade is the most common weapon among the four. It is light and very easy to handle, however, one of its downsides is that you needed to make very close contact with your enemy so you could effectively use it. This weapon is best for assassination.”

“Ohh, that’s why it’s very important for us to hide our identity especially when we use those kinds of weapons,” Joffiel responded.

“That’s correct. The next weapon is the angel sword; they are almost the same as the angel blade but they have higher reach but heavier weight. The disadvantage of using a sword is that it needed intense training and higher level of mastery. And of course, the weapon is not as small as angel blade so hiding it would be very difficult,” Angel Zai added.

“I see, so training with an angel sword will take a longer time than training with an angel blade,” Joffiel responded.

“Normally, that’s the case. But it all depends on you. The third one is the angel bow. A very different weapon than the previous two. This weapon could be used even if you are far away from your enemies. The downside is that you need to be precise on shooting it or else it will not damage your enemies. Meaning, you also need to train very hard to master this weapon,” Angel Zai explained.

“Okay, Angel Zai. How about the angel harp? How does it become a weapon?” Joffiel curiously asked.

“So for the last one, the angel harps. Just like the angel bow, you could use it even if you're far from your enemies. As you struck the harp in a specific tune, it would induce a different effect to your enemy like making them sleep or paralyze. Usually, angels who use this weapon would not go alone to battle out demons since it does not hurt the demons. Also, some tunes could help the angels by boosting their speed and many more,” Angel Zai answered.

“Those weapons are interesting, I can’t wait to try them all,” Joffiel said.

“They are really interesting, but be careful on how you use them. You might hurt other angels or even humans with those weapons. I did not go into detail on explaining all of the weapons since someone would explain it to you as you practice on using it,” Angel Zai said.

“When will I be able to practice those weapons?” Joffiel excitedly asked.

“In this coming week, the one that will teach you about this is on one of her missions. She would be here the day after tomorrow but she needed to report to our God. So for now, we will only discuss things about what you can do during your battle,” Angel Zai answered.

Joffiel continues to listen to her mentor.

“The weapons used by angels are created by angels that are assigned on crafting them, however, each of the weapons have one corresponding golden weapon. Those weapons were created by God Himself, they are one of a kind,” Angel Zai discussed.

Joffiel was amazed and Angel Zai saw in her eyes that she wanted more details about those weapons.

“Okay, I could see that you wanted to learn more. So here it is. Those weapons are already there since the beginning of time, we just know that God created them. Those are indestructible, unless God decided to vanish those weapons,” Angel Zai replied.

“How is that thing different from the weapons the angels created?” Joffiel asked.

“They are a lot more powerful and only those who are worthy could use them. Those weapons were the key items that made the war in Heaven to be in favor of the angels. That’s why only those the Creator trusted are allowed to see them,” Angel Zai replied.

“So it’s not possible for a normal angel like me to see one of those?” Joffiel asked.

“Well, based on your progress, I think you are closer to seeing those than me seeing them. However, Heaven only has three of them, the Golden Angel Blade was stolen by one the previous archangel. For hundreds of years, there's been no news about it. ” Angel Zai replied.

Joffiel was dumbfounded when she heard that an angel stole something from heaven. She said, “I don’t understand why there are angels like that, but I think that whoever they are, they could not use the golden weapon since they are not worthy.”

“Yes, that’s why it’s not a big deal for the angels. However, if another golden weapon is stolen or even if the demons learned how to control the golden angel blade, the balance in the power of angels and demons will be destroyed,” Angel Zai responded.

“We should be careful about those weapons, that’s the only one that could see them are those who were selected by God,” Joffiel said.

Angel Zai wrapped up their discussion and proceeded to give Joffiel a rest. They decided to meet on a specific date for her to introduce the one that would teach Joffiel on battling.

As the day passed, Joffiel met up with Angel Zai and the one other angel.

Angel Zai started the conversation. She faced the other angel and said, “This is Joffiel, the one that our God chose, she’s my apprentice so take care of her, Archangel Michelle.”

Joffiel was surprised at how Angel Zai called the other angel. It’s her first time hearing those words.

The other angel looks at Joffiel. She introduced herself, “Hello, Joffiel. I’m Archangel Michelle. It’s very pleasant to finally meet you.”

“H-Hello, Archangel Michelle. I’m Joffiel and I'm also pleased to meet you,” Joffiel stuttered as she also introduced herself.

“Are you puzzled on what she’s called?” Angel Zai asked Joffiel.

“Yes, why is that?” Joffiel asked.

“A true angel that was selected by God to be His personal assistant will be called an Archangel. There are seven archangels, and Archangel Michelle is one of them,” Angel Zai replied.

“Really, that’s very cool. So you’re a very important angel, Archangel Michelle?” Joffiel asked Archangel Michelle.

Archangel Michelle laughed and replied, “Well, assisting our God is an important thing to do but as your mentors have said, we are all on the same level so don’t look at me as someone higher than you, alright? I’m just here to train you, as a matter of fact, you’ve done better things than me when I was your age. Though that was a long long time ago.”

“One of the main reasons that Archangel Michelle will be the one to teach you is that she's very versatile in using the angel weapons. She mastered all of those in just two years, the same as the amount of time given to you,” Angel Zai told Joffiel.

Without any further ado, the physical training begins. Joffiel and Archangel Michelle started with the angel blade.

Archangel Michelle showed how she handled this kind of weapon to Joffiel. After teaching the basics, Archangel Michelle knows what should do to train Joffiel faster. She learned that Joffiel understands complex things so Archangel Michelle does not hold back on teaching her.

She teaches Joffiel all the secrets she knows. However, Archangel Michelle realized that during the training, Joffiel always tried to make new things, new movements, new techniques. She was astonished how Joffiel trained with her weapon.

Archangel Michelle explained that the key in using the angel blade is stealth, it’s hiding one’s intention to defeat some or in human words, hiding the killing intent.

Months have passed and they decided to move to the other weapon. They chose to train the angel sword. Just like the training on angel blades, Joffiel was very fast at understanding the concept behind angel’s swordsmanship.

Joffiel trains her best and always tries to complete every move that Archangel Michelle wants her to do.

Angel Zai always came to their practice to give Joffiel further lessons on how to handle the demons.

On training archery or using the angel bow, Archangel Michelle explains that there are two kinds of arrow. One is the holy arrow that is just like an arrow from the human world but with the attribute of being holy. The second one is the hallowed arrow, it is like a holy arrow but the difference is that it is not affected by different factors such as wind, sound waves and others. However, the second one is very rare as it takes time for the angels to produce it.

As Joffiel practices these weapons, Archangel Michelle was surprised at how accurate Joffiel is. Just from the start of their training, Joffiel could hit the target at the dead center without her helping Joffiel out.

Archangel Michelle gives Joffiel many trials before they proceed to the next weapon. Joffiel swiftly accomplished all of it. One year just passed and Joffiel already mastered three of the four weapons.

For the fourth weapon, Archangel Michelle asked the help of Angel Zai to assist them in demonstrating the effect of the angel harp. The method of teaching this weapon is different for others since it is mostly for supporting other angels.

Angel Zai's main weapon is the angel harp so she’s a perfect assistant in training.

Archangel Michelle explained the negative buffs that angel harp could produce. These negative effects includes; sleep, paralyze, deafen and movement slow. She also discusses its positive buffs that include; strengthen, speed boost, increase defense, and heal.

As they discussed how the buffs work they proceed to demonstrate all of it.

Angel Zai uses her angel harp to Archangel Michelle, Joffiel takes note of it and tries to copy how Angel Zai played her harp.

After a month passed by, Joffiel already mastered all the existing effects of the angel harp.

The three of them decided to repeat all of the training starting from the angel blade. As Archangel Michelle became satisfied with Joffiel's progress, she told Joffiel and Angel Zai that she and Joffiel should fight so they could see how Joffiel fought.

Their fight was scheduled at the last month of Joffiel’s training. They gave her ample time to practice on her own. They decided that they would fight using the three weapons aside from the harp.

As the last month came, the duel between Archangel Michelle and Joffiel took place. They started with the use of angel bow.

In using angel bow, Joffiel knows that her position and mobility will decide if she could beat Archangel Michelle.

As their fight proceeds, Archangel Michelle already gains an advantage. She tried to make a handicapped so Joffiel could show her ability and as soon as Archangel Michelle let down her guard. Joffiel at the right time and at the right place gave the finishing blow that made Archangel Michelle to lose.

As Angel Zai proceeds to heal Archangel Michelle, Joffiel also runs towards Archangel Michelle to ask how she was.

Archangel Michelle smiled at Joffiel. She said, “I never thought that you would do that, is that intentional? For you to show me that I’ve gained so much advantage so I would let my guard down?”

“Actually, that’s the only strategy that I devised. I can’t think of any. I think that if we both go all out, I would definitely lose,” Joffiel answered.

“But that would only work once, right?” Angel Zai asked both of them.

“Yes, I don’t think I could anymore,” Joffiel answered.

Archangel Michelle laughs. She mentioned, “I have been outsmarted by your apprentice Angel Zai, but I would not make my reputation go down when it comes to angel sword and angel blade.”

As the three laughed out the first round, Archangel Michelle became serious in the second round. With the use of an angel sword, Archangel Michelle achieved a complete victory over Joffiel.

At the last round, since being stealthy or even hiding the killing intent would not be effective they fought out vigorously using the angel blade. The fight was intense and not one sided unlike the previous round.

With all their strength they finished the duel with Joffiel being the victor.

Both Archangel Michelle and Angel Zai were amazed by Joffiel's skill. This is the first time in their life that an angel moves like that using an angel blade.

Angel Zai speaks with Archangel Michelle, “If only we have the golden angel blade, it has the rightful owner.”

Archangel Michelle nodded in agreement. As the duel was concluded, they officially gave Joffiel a medal commemorating the success of Joffiel on all of her tasks and her training.

The thing that she wanted, the main tasks, awaits for her.