Encyclopedia

Definitions of the various terms used in the Chrno Crusade manga universe

The Chrno Crusade manga uses a lot of words commonly used in Catholicism, such as “nuns”, “demons”, “apostles”, etc. These words, however, have practically NOTHING to do with the Catholic religion and should be taken into context inside the Chrno Crusade story. There are also certain non-religious words and concepts that have a lot of significance. Here is a list of the most common terms, and their basic definitions:

Apostle: A person that is able to call the Astral Line and use its powers, mostly for healing purposes. There are seven of them, from different parts of the world. The Apostles can fly using their luminous white wings, which appear on their back whenever they need them. Their supernatural powers, however, have a very high cost for them, and they are the reason they are targeted by ambitious people desiring to use the power of the Astral Line for their own wishes.

Astral Line: A river of spiritual energy, invisible for the human eye, that is the source of life of every living being in the universe. The Astral Line is also the energy source of the powers of a demon. 

Contract: A pact between a hornless demon and a human. Hornless demons are unable to absorb the energy of the Astral Line, the source of their powers. Since the Astral Line is also the source of life of human beings, a demon can take energy from the lifetime of a person desiring to use his powers and pays his debt with services.

Demon: Monsters who are mostly hostile towards humans (Not to be mistaken with the fallen angels of the Bible who rebelled against God). Demons in the CC universe, though they do seem to have a violent nature, are not completely evil. They are born with a material body, they are not immortal and they can be either male or female. Demons have their own society, an oppressive community similar to a beehive, where everyone has a rank according to their power level. High-ranking demons (like Chrno and Aion) are similar to humans in intelligence and figure, except that they never grow old, and have extraordinary powers that are based on the energy of the Astral Line. All demons are born from one mother, Pandaemonium, the demon queen.

Eden: The Sinner's headquarters, a large floating fortress hidden in the clouds.

Exorcist: A member of the Magdalan Order able to fight against demons and monsters.

Geas: A barrier that turns all demons with horns into Legions, that is, deformed monsters.

Holy maiden: A prophet. A person able to use the power of the Astral Line to see the past or the future.

Horns: Astral-absorbtion organs that demons use to absorb the energy of the Astral Line, the source of their life and their powers. If they’re broken, the demon is condemned to a very slow death, unless he or she finds an alternate way of getting the energy they need.

Jewel witch (or Jewel summoner): A person able to use the power of magical jewels.

Legion: Low ranking demons. They have different shapes and sizes, usually deformed and monstrous, and have very little intelligence.

Magdalan Order: A religious, militaristic organization that specializes in battling all sorts of monsters and investigating mysterious supernatural cases. There are several branches in the United States, but some of the most influential ones are in NY and Chicago. The Order also has the duty of protecting people blessed with special abilities (like the Apostles) from any evil person who desires to use their powers for their own ambitious purposes. The Magdalan Order is also a powerful, technologically advanced organization, and its members have to undergo a very difficult military training and are sent to all kinds of dangerous missions.

Minister (or priest): A male member of the Magdalan Order. Ministers are able to use all sorts of weapons, but they seem to be experts in hand-to-hand combat.

Nun: A female member of the Magdalan Order. Nuns are able to use different kinds of weapons (mostly firearms) and other types of equipment (like cross- barriers).

Oratorio: A large room in Aion’s fortress where the 7 Apostles gather to collect Astral energy. 

Pandaemonium: 1) The demon queen, mother of all demons. 2) The demon society, that is hidden deep under the sea and is named after the queen.

Pursuer: A demon (usually a powerful, high-ranking one) that is in charge of hunting down the Sinners. All demons from Pandemonium are potential pursuers.

Sinner: A demon that betrayed Pandemonium, the demon society. There are only 6 of them: Aion, Chrno, Jenai, Rizel, Sheda and Wid.

Soul: The lifetime of a person. Not to be mistaken with a person’s “spirit”.

Time Freeze: A time barrier that can turn people and/or things completely or partially into stone. Its effects are reversible. This ability seems to be almost exclusive of Chrno, though Joshua is also able to use it due to the power of Chrno’s horns.