章 39: Chapter 39

The chair turned into rubble and the blonde lay groaning on top of it. All the tea was spilt on the table due to the sudden vibrations that caused the table to shake.

Sun Wukong watched the blonde's red aura fade with a tired gaze.

[Was I like this as well?]

|DxD|

Only a few minutes passed again and both man and monkey were sitting on the table again. Both were simply looking at each other in silence. While Igor would normally be angry, he was instead looking at Sun Wukong with a hint of admiration and respect.

His own strength that he was proud of, even under the boosted influence of the Kaioken, was crushed like paper.

It only served to make Igor curious how the old sage did that.

[I have to get him to show me how he amplified his strength with ki. Maybe if I attack him, I can see it in action-]

"Stop right there, kid. We don't even know each other's names and you're already itching for a fight."

"Oh…"

Igor chuckled with some embarrassment.

"Hehe, remember this well monkey sage. My name's Igor von Dimori, number one contender for the title of strongest in the universe. And you?"

Sun Wukong idly drummed the table with his finger while looking at the blonde. The silence stretched out but Igor did not seem embarrassed at all. In fact, he sat down quietly as well while waiting for the old sage to introduce himself.

But what Sun Wukong said wasn't an introduction.

"Such a lofty goal. But you won't reach it if you remain this much of an idiot."

Contrary to his usual actions, Igor didn't fly off the handle. He tilted his head in simple curiosity, wondering why the old sage said that.

Knowing the blonde was waiting for him to continue, Sun Wukong didn't hold back.

"You possess the time chamber artifact of the Aryans?"

While it was posed as a question, Igor knew it was rhetorical since Sun Wukong must've sensed it.

"Yep."

"You are an Aryan?"

"Not sure."

While the rhythm seemed cut off, Sun Wukong didn't pause.

"You possess the time chamber of the Aryans. So you are an Aryan."

But Igor's brows scrunched up in confusion.

"But aren't Aryans born ridiculously strong? I started off with the strength of a normal human, monkey sage. Saying I'm Aryan is the same as saying all this power I worked hard to earn came naturally."

Sun Wukong scrutinised the blonde for a bit before speaking.

"Who said Aryans are born powerful?"

Igor's eyes widened.

"Huh? You mean they're not?"

Appearing confused, Sun Wukong decided to enlighten the blonde a bit on the common misconception of Aryans.

"When Aryans are born, they are no stronger than a normal human baby. If they grow up in the mundane world, they won't exhibit any strength beyond the norm. The reason why there is such a misconception in the first place, is to reduce the chances of the offspring being kidnapped…especially by other humans."

Igor stood up with a start, a look of complete shock on his face.

"Please explain further, old man."

But Sun Wukong remained silent. He gazed into the pristine view of the lush valleys of Flower-Fruit Mountain. There seemed to be a hint of reminiscence and forlorn in his gaze, something Igor noticed.

Yet before he could point it out, the old sage spoke.

"A long, long time ago, I stumbled upon a child, a girl. She was just a newly-born while her mother was lying next to her…dead. The mother had a bloodied knife next to her , on her stomach a massive cut."

Igor processed the words before it suddenly hit him.

"Did…did she…"

"Yes. She cut open her stomach and took out her child. She did not want her child to die with her. When I arrived there, she had a hole in her chest. Over half her heart and left lung had been torn apart. She was using ki to keep herself alive…for her child."

Igor felt like a basin of cold water was dumped over him. He couldn't even imagine what was going through her mind in those last moments.

"So then-"

"I'll tell you the rest of the story next time."

Sun Wukong then stood up.

"The main focus is, that child had absolutely no power within her while her mother still had ki comparable to a high-class fighter."

But Igor wasn't having it.

"Come on old man! Don't leave me hanging like this!"

Sun Wukong seemed to ponder.

"Hmmm…I won't tell you much. After all, you haven't paid me in full for the information I've given you."

Igor banged his fists on the table.

"What?!"

For the first time since they met, Sun Wukong laughed.

"Pwahahahahaha! There's no such thing as a free banana in this world, kid!"

"But you dragged me here in the first place stupid old man!"

Sun Wukong's mouth twitched slightly at being called 'stupid' but he shoved his grievance down.

"If I didn't 'drag' you here, you'd be in some cage held by against your will by whoever captured you first. That's why I said you're an idiot, idiot."

"Even if I was captured, I could easily escape them!"

Sun Wukong narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the blonde.

"You vastly underestimate the supernatural world, kid. Many before you thought the same and became arrogant. Yet whether it be their confidence in teleportation, or YOUR confidence in hiding within that artifact of yours, there are numerous methods to prevent you incapable of using your abilities."

"..."

There was silence as Igor carefully processed the monkey's words. He was confident in using Instant Transmission or escaping into the time chamber if he couldn't overpower whoever captured him.

[But like the old sage said, I'm underestimating the world.]

Igor's brows creased in annoyance.

"Hmph, fine then! What do you want?"

Like the flip of a switch, Sun Wukong suddenly gained a mischievous grin.

"I'll tell you later. But for now, I'll give you another little tidbit. The descendants of that child eventually settled down in Italy about 200 years ago."

"I-Italy?!"

|DxD|

Grigori Headquarters, Underworld

In an office filled with only a few stacks of documents, Azazel was working through different documents at the same time. Most of them floated in the air and a pen went through each one and signed them. Even though the lights were on, the atmosphere was dreary with all the stacks of signed documents placed on the floor.

Azazel was working silently, his face completely neutral without a single ounce of positive or negative emotions. It was as if he was simply going through the motions of everyday life- like a typical office worker.

This was the sight that Shemhazai came to when he entered the office. Closing the door behind him, the fallen carefully navigated around the stacked documents on the floor.

"Greetings brother."

Azazel looked up from his paperwork with a smile.

"Ah, brother. What do the reports say about the brat's little light show?"

Shemhazai walked over next to Azazel with a few documents in his hand.

"Reports state that Dimori-kun released a massive burst of power that spread throughout the region that could be felt halfway across the world by most supernatural entities."

He then placed the documents on the table and showed Azazel coloured images of the giant red pillar of ki that emanated from Igor as well as eyewitness reports stating that they saw the red ki.

"I believe that this is the Kaioken technique you told me about?"

Azazel leaned back into his chair with a yawn.

"Yeah. It's some kind of power-multiplying technique that can boost the brat's overall power-level."

Shemhazai shuffled the papers with a raised eyebrow.

"Truly? How powerful is this Kaioken compared to the Red-Dragon Emperor's 'Boost' ability?"

"Hmm…"

Azazel stroked his beard as he mentally compared the two abilities.

"For starters, both depend on stamina but if we take the quality and retainability of the boosts into account, the Kaioken wins. I've noticed over the years that while the Red-Dragon-Emperor can boost their power, it ultimately depends on the wielder themselves. When they boost, they will quickly begin to lose their power. Sometimes, they will lose that power in an instant due to not being able to retain it for long. That is why even if they boost ten times in a short interval, they will only retain that strength for a moment before it disappears. At the very least, that is what I have observed."

Azazel then sat up properly and pointed towards the picture of the 'Red Pillar'.

"As for this Kaioken technique, I don't have much knowledge about it to be honest. I've never even heard of such a technique until I met the blonde and saw it for myself. Different than the Red-Dragon-Emperor, the blonde can seemingly maintain his 'boosts' indefinitely. As long as he has stamina, he can keep that technique active. Of course, the higher the multiplier he uses, the more stamina he drains. I've seen him use a power multiplier of four and he soundly defeated our dear Baraquiel. And judging from the aura we just felt a few moments ago, I can safely say that he can multiply his power by more than twenty-times."

"I see."

Shemhazai then collected the documents and neatly placed them on the side of the desk.

"How is our relationship with him?"

Azazel released a smile as he thought about Igor's antics.

"It's quite good. I heard from Baraquiel that the blonde has taken quite a liking to them, especially little Akeno. He even affectionately calls her 'little chick'."

"Mm. That's very good indeed. Do we know when he will return?"

"He didn't specify, but we do know it will take a few years."

"Mm."

"..."

The silence grew unnervingly long. Shemhazai still stood next to Azazel while the latter was now looking up at the former in confusion.

"Anything…else?"

"No. Since you've been working so diligently for the past month, I have nothing I need to give to you. In fact, we're already way ahead of schedule."

Azazel perked up.

"Oh? Well that's certainly nice. I'll go and grab myself a drink after this."

"Indeed. You've been working so hard in silence that not once have you ever left the office. Not even to deliver the information you got about the exorcists to…what's her name?"

Azazel stopped moving, his expression gradually darkening.

"Do not go there, brother."

But Shemhazai had no intention of listening.

"It was…Cleria, right?"

But Azazel slammed his fist on the table in anger. The topic of Cleria was a sore subject for him. It was mostly the embarrassment and humiliation he felt towards himself that he overthought things.

"Shemhazai!! Do NOT ask. Do NOT ask around. What has happened, HAS happened."

Silence…

The silence in the office was disturbed by the cracking sound of wood slowly splitting. Azazel tapped the desk with a finger, quickly mending it before the crack could spread further and compromise the structure of the table.

A few more seconds passed before Azazel sighed.

"I have received a clear answer from her. There is no need to pursue this matter any further, brother. So please…"

Azazel did not want to revisit this topic anymore. It made him feel pathetic and that feeling only served to make him angry. He was not angry at Cleria rejecting him, but at himself for overthinking things and ruining their relationship with his impulsiveness.

Shemhazai watched as his brother looked at the wood patterns on the desk with melancholy.

[You have finally experienced your first love, brother.]

Besides Kokabiel who showed no obvious interest in such matters, Shemhazai and Baraquiel had always wanted their wayward brother to finally settle down and experience the peace and fulfillment it brought.

Shemhazai still clearly remembered the unconscious smiles and the sparkle of life in his brother's eyes whenever he mentioned Cleria.

[I will not let things end like this, Azazel. Not when you were so close.]

|DxD|