章 122: Chapter 122
"Tch. It seems more training will be in order from now on."
Gradually, he began cycling down his power level until he sat solidly at fifty-times his base strength. The red colour in his hair faded back to blonde, yet it still remained raised up. The immense aura he was emitting gradually shrunk until it became the misty shroud it previously was.
Slowly, the blonde opened his eyes, those crimson orbs glinting ominously in their wake.
"Bearable. I should last for about half an hour in this state."
Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su
Igor was satisfied. That much was assured. But anyone who knew the blonde could tell that...
[He truly seems like a different person.]
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|DxD|
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Igor continued to hold the transformation. Recognising the risks involved in obtaining it, he opted to hold it for a while longer in order to fully immerse himself in the feeling. But, it was hard to properly focus with all these emotions he felt.
It was apparent that with the more natural boost in power, it also came at the cost of heightened emotions. He could feel that his rage and battle-lust were specifically enhanced. His blood was simmering for no apparent reason and the blonde recognised that.
[I will need to learn how to control it properly.]
In the meantime, Aurelia approached him and enquired on his current condition.
"Igor. How do you feel?"
The blonde looked at her with a contemplative gaze. Knowing his sister was smart and trustworthy, he decided to be completely honest.
"I feel angry. No matter how hard I try, I cannot relax. The more I stay like this, the more I feel as if I want to fight something."
Ever quick on the uptake, Aurelia provided a reason.
"A constant state of battle-readiness. I suspected that would be the case. Your current state was one initialised by anger so it is relatively normal that you would feel that anger followed by a desire for battle within you."
She walked around him with an appraising look.
"Your power is truly immense, Igor. But it is imperative that you learn how to control it."
She stood in front of him and looked him in the eye.
"That rage of yours...you understand what I mean, right?"
"Yes, sister."
How could Igor not understand the implications. He felt it himself how much rage he had. The only reason it had not manifested itself was because he was isolated in the time chamber with Aurelia, someone he only harboured goodwill for.
His mind flashed back to the memory of the first time he engaged in war. He lost himself in a haze of killing intent, acted cockily, and displayed astonishing levels of arrogance. It was only fortunate that his opponents were not significantly powerful or used trickery at the time.
But what if? What if in the future, he delayed finishing off a threat out of arrogance? That was not an outcome he wished to witness. And to accomplish that, he must not be swayed by his emotions when in combat, otherwise…he would truly have no tears to cry for.
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|DxD|
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Training began in earnest. Barely ten minutes had passed since his talk with Aurelia and he already sat cross-legged on the ground. His eyes were closed in focus as he sought to understand every single thing he could about this transformative state he had achieved.
Aurelia on the other hand, had brought over her desk filled with all the books, documents, and seals she was studying. While she continued working on her research, she would watch over Igor and ensure his safety and satiety.
With a bit of magic involved, she made sure that any sounds of her moving her chair, flipping a book, or using any magic would not reach his ears. So while the blonde worked to understand his transformation, she went back to working on the seal. Despite the gravity being doubled over, a bit of magic negated it, allowing her to work without any problems.
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|DxD|
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[This power is…immense.]
Deep in meditation, Igor was examining the inner-workings of his body.
[Everything: my bones, muscles, organs…every single part of my body has been strengthened.]
The demi-ki flowing throughout his body was of significantly higher quality than before. Comparing the demi-ki of his Kaioken x50 to the quality of demi-ki he had now, the quality was visible both inside, and outside his body.
Both possessed a fifty-times boost to his power. But while one was a technique, the other was purely a transformation, an evolution inspired by a need for power. But that power was not without a price.
[Even in this state I can still feel it, the desire to destroy.]
It was the same feeling as being in the battlefield again. It was persistent like a headache, a compulsion urging him to fight, to kill. It wasn't something he couldn't handle, but it was quite annoying. Being involuntarily left in a semi-permanent battle-ready state was something he would be able to handle.
[Let me first get used to this feeling, first.]
With the fifty-times Kaioken as reference, Igor began familiarising himself with his newfound power. Having already stood up from his spot, he began going through his motions. He was deliberately slow in his execution of each moveset as he slowly let the ki in his body guide him.
Moving his right foot forward, he stretched out his left palm slowly. At the same time, his left foot also moved forward. Mimicking his calm movements like a river, the misty red ki surrounding him also fluctuated around him like the flames of a candle.
His hair had risen up in a way similar to two cupped hands. Only two strands hovered over his eyes, yet they did nothing to suade the laser focus in those crimson orbs.
[Power must not be wielded arbitrarily. Only through understanding can one advance further.]
Taking inspiration from the manga of Dragon Ball, Igor sought to emulate the process of how Goku sought to fully master his super saiyan transformation in the Hyperbolic Time Chambers. If he could accomplish the same feat, then he was confident he could draw even more power from his newfound state without wasting any unnecessary energy.
[Only by understanding power, can its full potential be unleashed.]
It may be due to the current state of his mind, but he was not in a rush.* As much as a dormant part of him wished to fly through the skies and unleash a massive blast similar to the one he released in Kyoto, his energy would be drained and he wouldn't be able to study this technique for a while.
Gaining access to this transformation in such peaceful conditions was optimal for him. But, he still didn't have a name for it.
[Unimportant. I will consider it later.]
While there was the option of calling it the "Super Human Transformation", it did not count as one. With its origins in the Kaioken, his current state cannot necessarily be referred to as a human's evolutionary form,
But, this wasn't the time for those kinds of thoughts.
[Thirty minutes, Igor. Make this count.]
As much as he tried to control it, he couldn't quite grab a complete hold of his energy. With the demi-ki coursing through his body being very dense and flowing very fast, it was hard for him to prevent it from leaking through his body. He was facing a predicament similar to the Aura-Flowing State.
But this was a much better figure than his full-power state. Disregarding the raging battle lust he felt then, he found he would barely be able to support that state for five minutes. He tried, but there was absolutely no chance of him preventing the demi-ki from escaping his body.
[Power and control go hand in hand. I must learn to master this denser version of demi-ki. Only then will I be able to have a straight back in the presence of the true gods.]
The years had passed, but Igor never forgot the bet he made with Sun Wukong when the monkey was disrespecting Vasco.
'That's it! If I don't beat you into the ground in ten years, I'll change my bloody name to Shit von Dimori!'
Looking back on it now, it was a promise made rashly. But since those words came out of his mouth, he would still honour them. Besides, out of the ten years he promised, he still had seven left. He wasn't exactly sure how powerful Sun Wukong was, but he didn't want to underestimate the old sage.
For all he knew, the monkey could be ten, a hundred, or even a thousand times stronger than him in his full-power state. Yet instead of making him despair…
su su su su Su Su Su Su
He found himself getting excite-
[Focus, Igor.]
Mentally chiding himself for letting his thoughts get the best of him, he steadily brought his ki under control. But his thoughts were an entirely different matter. Having spent two years in here, he was already suffering from battle-withdrawal symptoms.
Having tasted the intense adrenaline rush of the battlefield, he had a relatively hard time readjusting to the peace and quiet of the time chamber. While Aurelia did help him wear the ebb off over the years they'd been here, she wasn't exactly a strong opponent and in time, he'd gradually surpassed her in his base state.
He wanted to experience a-
[Focus, Igor!]
The clock was ticking and he had no time to be losing his focus over fleeting thoughts. He estimated he had roughly twenty-to-twenty five minutes before he would not be able to sustain this state. He had already analysed his divine strand and his ki-flow. Next time, he was confident that he would not need to risk his life to reach this state again. But that did not mean he would simply cancel the transformation.
After all, there was one more man he made a promise to defeat besides Sun Wukong.
'A hundred years. If I don't reverse this situation in a hundred years, I will willingly subordinate myself to you.'
Indra, the God of War was his goal after Sun Wukong. The god was powerful without a doubt. He had not forgotten how Indra treated him in their first meeting. While no longer holding a strong grudge for it, he still wanted to get equal with the god. One way or another, he would make the god look up to him with gritted teeth just like how he was forced to.
There was still over nine decades left and he was sure that within that time, he would absolutely surpass the-
"Damnit! Why can't I focus!"
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AN
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It may be due to the current state of his mind, but he was not in a rush.*
Explanation: As clarified before, Igor had most of his emotions with rage and his battle-lust being the prime focus. In simpler terms, he was in a battle-ready state. Although it is not shown much or rather, there weren't many opportunities for it to be shown, Igor is a war veteran. We can be pretty sure that patience was something he was instilled by Sun Wukong, or something he forcefully learnt to have himself.
If you're interested in reading ahead, here's the link: patreon.com/HolyGambler
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