Chương 191: Chapter 191

"You're strong…"

…and excitement.

"Really strong."

So strong that he felt very tiny. Even the presence he sensed in the Dimensional Gap felt puny to his. This level that Shiva was in…it was no longer within the realm of Supreme Class. It couldn't possibly be defined nor contained within the scope of Supreme Class.

It was beyond.

|DxD|

The realm of perception Igor achieved by tapping into this unknown state was…immense. His already powerful perception was enhanced countless times. He could suddenly see dozens of strange energies that permeated the air. But none of them, absolutely none of them could compare to the gigantic bonfire Shiva was.

He couldn't identify what it was, but instinct told-no, forbade him from coming into contact with it.

"You're strong…"

Shiva was unlike anything he had ever felt before. This level of power, this level of danger that makes his body tense in trepidation…it excited him.

"Really strong."

It took almost all of his will just not to collapse from fear. It was a daunting fact, but Shiva could quite literally kill him and he would have no way of defending. He was to Shiva what a normal human was to him: an ant. A very tiny insignificant ant that could be squashed should he so feel like it.

Some may claim it to be an exaggeration, but it was the honest truth. His Demigod State? It was a joke. What Shiva had was true power. And he wanted to possess that same level of power.

"Oh my. You can sense Lord Shiva's energy?"

"..."

At Nandi's words, Igor was finally snapped out of his reverie. Turning to look at the pale man, he frowned as he scrutinized him.

"You…I can't sense you, Lord Nandi."

"You flatter me, young one. Please. Call me Nandi. I am but my lord's humble attendant."

"..."

Igor didn't feel alright calling someone who's both older and most likely more powerful than him.

"Alright…"

But he would try.

"...Nandi."

"Wonderful. Now, I believe I asked if you could sense Lord Shiva?"

"Oh…"

Once more, Igor turned to face the ever-stoic Shiva. That feeling of immense power made him wonder if this was how insects would feel when in front of an elephant.

"Yes, L-Nandi. I can sense his power. You're stronger than anything I've ever felt, Lord Shiva."

There was a hint of amazement in his tone.

"I mean…even Uncle Indra doesn't come close. Unless he has some transformation I don't know of?"

""…""

The two just looked at Igor in slight amusement, though Nandi was more obvious.

"Ohohoho. I think you already know the answer to that question, young Dimori. Though rest assured. My lord is certainly more powerful than Indra. Though…"

Nandi turned to face Shiva with a light smile.

"The fact that he can sense you means you still need to work on your controlling your energy, my lord. Pray-tell, young Dimori. How does my lord feel to you?"

With almost visible stars, Igor spoke in amazement.

"Like a giant bonfire. When I look at you, Lord Shiva, I see a giant fire."

"..."

The only indicator that Shiva gave of his annoyance was his eye twitching just slightly.

"We have not come here to discuss me, Nandi. Dimori. I offer you the chance to become my personal student. Do you accept?"

"..."

Igor looked at Shiva with visible surprise. For a second, he almost dumbly asked if he was joking.

"Will I have to switch sides in the upcoming war?"

His dues to Sun Wukong for helping him find Asia had long since been paid. Now, he mostly stayed on Indra's side because he was used to it there.

"Your loyalty to my army is not necessary. My only requirement is that during the time you are not fighting, you are to be training with me on Mount Kailasa."

"..."

Oh. OH. No. This was going to be problematic. This was going to be really problematic.

"Lord Shiva. Just to…clarify. Do you mean that I will not be able to see my family?"

This time, it was Nandi who answered.

"Of course you can, young Dimori. However, you should understand as a fighter yourself that there are some stages of training where family interruption would not be appreciated. Those periods can often range from months to years. And with what we intend to teach you, whole years could pass by without possibly seeing your family."

"..."

Igor was at a crossroads here. He could possibly decline and stay with his family, or accept and undergo new levels of training he could never imagine. He wanted to agree. He truly wanted to agree. But ten years had passed since he stayed with his loved ones.

Missing out on more years, especially years outside the time chamber was something he truly wasn't willing to endure.

"I…can you let me think about it? This isn't something I can decide right now."

"..."

Crossing his arms, Shiva was slightly disappointed.

"You have until the end of the week to decide, Dimori. I can teach you things you can never possibly imagine. I can show you sights you have never seen, and help you attain levels of power that might've taken you decades, if not centuries to obtain."

"..."

Now Igor was really tempted. Shiva was never one to brag so he knew the god was speaking honestly. But still, one of his wishes was to be present for when Asia and Akeno grew up. He still hadn't been able to teach them as much as he wanted to, especially Asia.

"Ohohoho~. It seems you still need a bit more convincing, young Dimori. Perhaps I should give you a taste of what is to come. For example, why don't you try using your Kaioken? Just up to the fiftieth multiplier. Not any higher as I believe that is the current maximum your body can handle."

"..."

Slightly confused, Igor decided to listen to his words.

"Alright, Nandi."

It still felt weird having this warm energy coursing through him, but it didn't mess with his ki. On the contrary, it seemed to enhance it.

Closing his eyes, he focused on pulling his ki into his divine strand. It responded faster, much faster than usual, but not to the extent that he would have trouble with his ki-control.

su su su su Su Su Su Su Su

Gradually, his power crept up.

"?!"

Instead of using the Kaioken like Nandi suggested, Igor decided to use his Suppressed Demigod State. It also gave him a 50x multiplier so there shouldn't have been that much of a difference in what method he chose. Apparently, there was.

Like an old car failing to start, he was met with an insurmountable wall. Beyond a red aura surrounding him, his power failed to increase despite his efforts.

"Ke…kii…"

Visible mist emanated from his skin as he tirelessly tried to power-up, to break through whatever was preventing his divine strand from consuming all the demi-ki he was sending to it. Despite doing everything right, it simply didn't react to the ki he sent to it.

[What is…going on…?]

His body was already being sent into overdrive from the strain he was placing on it. Like the starter on a car, his body would soon give out if his divine strand didn't react to his ki like it usually did.

Su Su Su Su Su Su! Su! Su!

Shiva and Nandi wordlessly watched, the former with an impassive expression and the other with amusement.

[My, my. I did tell him to use his Kaioken. It would've been much easier.]

For very brief moments, Igor's ki fluctuated sporadically before diminishing to its previous levels. He tried to push himself as much as he could before his body gave out…and it was working.

Su! Su! Su! Su! Su! SU SU SU SU SU SU

His aura fluctuations gradually increased in intensity, the pressure he was releasing causing even the ground beneath him to crack.

"Haaaaaa…"

With his divine strand finally "igniting", he did not relax in the slightest. Continuously stepping on the accelerator, he funnelled ki into his divine strand. Slowly but surely, it was working. His power was rising. He could feel it.

SU SU SU SU SU SU SU SU

And finally...

"HaaaaAAAAAAAA!"

GRUUUU!

Suddenly, his power exploded in a burst of violent red aura. It spread like a giant bonfire the size of an entire house. The pressure he released absolutely destroyed everything around him, his power skyrocketing far beyond even his power-level at his absolute full-power.

BOOOM!

The trees around them were suddenly and swiftly uprooted, the powerful explosion from the rapid build-up of ki sending a shockwave that instantly blew them away.

*Crackle*…*Crackle*…Pa!

Lightning started cracking around him, his hair slowly turning into a long mane. Like the sped-up growth of grass, his hair visibly grew from his head, the immense power and nature energy flowing in his body sparking its growth.

150x!

200x!

250x!

His power continued to rise with each second. His fists were clenched tightly, his legs spaced apart as he pushed himself as much as he could.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

GRUUU!

300x!

350x!

400x!

Everything. Absolutely everything had been blown away by him rapidly powering. The immense pressure he released alone caused the weather to change.

In the middle of the night, constant flashes of lightning made it seem like it was day. Rain clouds started sporadically forming and dissipating, his power causing catatonic winds that hastened the weather changes.

425x!

450x!

475x!

His now spiky hair grew longer and longer, his yells resounding loudly along with the roars of the wind.

"HaaaaaaAAAAAAAAA!"

Slowly nearing the peak, he was starting to struggle with pushing forward. Too much ki was leaving his body faster than he could generate. It was becoming too much, but he wouldn't stop, not yet.

480x!

485x!

490x!

His body grew bulkier from all that endless power and energy flowing through him like a torrential wave.

495x!

496x!

497x!

498x!

499x!

500x!

GRUUUUU!

Finally, let let out a very powerful burst of power, a shockwave so strong and an explosion so bright that for a few seconds, the night had become day. In a haze of golden-red radiance, Igor reached his absolute peak, all while Nandi and Shiva calmly watched.

Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su

Under the glistening radiance, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of his aura constantly fluctuating. The winds continued to billow, the absolute and sheer power he was outputting upsetting the very weather itself.

But slowly, the radiance faded to reveal Igor.

SU SU SU SU SU SU SU SU SU

He was standing upright with his fists clenched, his hair flowing right down to his back like a wave. His eyes were pupil-less, his expression completely neutral. Absolute power flowed through him, the kind of power that made one feel invincible.

His muscles visibly stretched underneath his clothes, a multitude of veins bulging beneath his skin while a hazy golden-red aura violently fluctuated around him like a violent flame.

This power…even Sirzechs, Ajuka…all the four satans were nothing to him now. Azazel? He was nothing.

This power…he loved it.