He spared a glance at Aurelia. She avoided his gaze. The same happened with Shuri. Asia was kidnapped right under their noses so they were feeling guilty. Akeno…she looked at him with a gaze full of hope. Her silent plea told him all he needed to hear.
"I'll find Asia."
Tswii!
.
|DxD|
.
Igor hovered in the skies of the Underworld. His coat billowed in the winds that pushed the clouds in the sky. He held the items Ajuka gave him tightly. His eyes were closed as he engraved the very scent and smell of Diodora.
Again, he reminded himself to remain calm and focus on the task at hand. Worrying about the safety of his remaining family would distract him from his current goal—finding Asia.
[I'll need your help, Triny.]
{Mm!}
The power he wielded steadily began to climb. To find Diodora wherever he had hidden, he would need to scour the entire Underworld, Earth, and perhaps Hell as well.
"Whuuuu…"
He released a breath he'd been holding and closed his eyes. His fading rage showed in the softening of his aura. His hair fell and framed his face like a blanket and his creased brows eased once more.
Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su
The red aura around him slowly turned lighter and lighter in colour. Nature energy seamlessly mixed with his ki in larger and larger quantities. His divine strand bloated from the influx of energy, but quickly processed and released a golden secretion of demi-ki and nature energy—origin ki.
*Breathes In…*
The purity, the radiance—the golden shower of energy steadily enveloping his form oozed tranquility. His hair rose slowly like the rising tide. The influx of energy flowing into each strand of hair made it become more and more rigid with each passing moment.
His power rapidly increased through the multipliers until his divine strand finally reached its first stable baseline, one that gave him a grand 500x power increase. Like a car after idling or the body after finally warming up, its secretion of energy finally stabilised. What was previously quantity, now shifted to quality.
The golden energy shifting around him steadily dimmed and became more transparent. The shimmering golden cocoon shielding him from the eyes of the world faded away to reveal Igor with long glowing golden hair stretching down his back like the spikes of a porcupine.
Booom…
A sudden boom of released pressure escaping rattled the winds, betraying the immense power hidden behind his soothing energy. The air around him shook and seemed to shimmer like a heatwave on a humid day.
"Whuuuuu…"
Igor released a breath. His eyes opened, revealing a glorious golden hue like the setting sun. Nature energy truly was a boon for him. What would've been a 50x increase was multiplied by ten with minimal side-effects.
More than that, the level of perception nature energy gave him enhanced his already impressive sensory capabilities. Indeed, barely a moment after, his perception was quickly spreading throughout the Underworld.
From the Devil Territory, to the Fallen Territory and forbidden lands in between, his perception covered it all. Yet despite it all, he found no sign of Diodora or Asia.
A momentary frown marred his face at the discovery. Most gods would find it impossible to hide from his enhanced perception. It made him question his enemy's capabilities if they could hide Asia from his search—if she was still in the Underworld in the first place.
{Move on to the second plan?}
"..."
Igor didn't respond. A creeping surge of frustration threatened his rationale and he needed to quell it.
*Breathes in*
Life-giving air purified by his aura entered his lungs in time with his energy surging once more. His power blazed around him like golden flames, and high up in the sky, a steady pressure was building up. Igor closed his eyes and focused his energy into countless tiny tendrils barely visible to the eye.
Such a monumental task would be strenuous for him without the help of his tenant.
[Move on to the second plan. I'll read their minds. You handle the threads.]
{Okay!}
Igor closed his eyes. The power he'd been building up was enough to spread across multiple realms. No domain would be off limits. For Asia, even if he had to spread his senses into a pantheon, he would do so without hesitation.
"Hmph!"
KRUNNNNG~!
.
|DxD|
.
The city of Lilith was now a shadow of its former self. Streets were empty and neon signs blared with not a single lifeform to gaze at them. This bustling metropolis was turned into a ghost city in under five minutes.
All the citizens in the city of Lilith were separated into different districts where evacuations would take place. A few minutes had passed since the evacuation and all the residents had been moved to special locations outside the city. Those locations would isolate them into a separate dimensional using the same technology used in Rating Games.
Evacuating so many people at once with such speed was possible because of Aurelia's and Ajuka's ingenuity in creating one mass-teleportation circle that spanned across the city and countryside. A viewing portal in the dimension allowed all devils present to observe the outside world.
Right now, there was no conflict between nobles and commoners. They were all standing in a field with no places to sit or food to eat, but no one complained. Right now, thousands of devils had their eyes on the large screen the width of stadium floating above their heads.
In it, it showed a singular figure hovering above their city. Many people had never seen Igor in real life. His fame was widespread, yet only pictures of him existed. The opportunity to see such a legendary figure, the fifth strongest person in the world, was attractive to the devils who always admired strength.
The golden light enshrining his form made them look on in awe. The bright glow from the view was like a star sparkling in the sky…one that was steadily glowing brighter.
"Whoah…"
A young devil took out his phone and recorded the sight, unaware that not just him, but every single devil in this separate dimension had their minds read by the very person they were watching.
Neither Grayfia nor Souji noticed anything, not that they could in the first place. Triny's immaculate control over the strands of energy and Igor's fast processing far eclipsed what they could ever hope to notice.
It wasn't just this minor dimension. Any and all minor dimensions were infiltrated by thousands upon thousands of very tiny strands of energy that would penetrate the minds of all living things and transfer the memories.
Igor wasn't just searching for clues on Asia and Diodora. He also wanted to find anyone even remotely responsible. Devils, Fallen—nearly everyone in the Underworld was perused.
The strands stretched hundreds of thousands of kilometres in all directions. Private dimensions, noble holdings, secret locations—none were left alone. His senses spread as far as to reach the Forest of Familiars. He sensed both a dragon and a devil, both who were quite strong, especially the devil. Yet neither sensed his perusal.
.
|DxD|
.
Igor hovered in the sky. His legs were crossed in a meditative posture and his eyes were closed in focus. The radiance emanating from him completely obscured his form. Those looking from the ground would see a small star shining brightly like a second sun.
Thousands of kilometres have been combed thoroughly, both underground and on land. Barely five seconds had passed and Igor focused on processing the millions of memories he received. His eyes were closed, but his eyes rapidly darted in all directions.
The memories appeared to him like small miniature screens playing five years of everyone person's history. Not only did he see the memories, he also felt them from the person's perspective. Five years were a long time for an individual and Igor never skipped a day for fear of missing any plots related to his sister.
He processed the memories in far less than the time it took to blink, yet he saw through the pain and elation devils, fallen, dragon, and all other races and species went through. None of the feelings stayed behind, however. He filtered them out with mechanical precision and observed from a spectator's perspective. He had no intention of exacting vengeances, mending broken hearts, ending despair, or congratulating achievements. His sole focus was Asia.
There was still no trace of her aura despite his enhanced perception, suggesting she must be behind some powerful spatial barrier. Whether it was on Earth, Hell, or in some pantheon's grounds, he'd find out sooner or later. A few more seconds and he'd get the Underworld out of the way.
{How are you holding up?}
[Continue.]
Igor's answer was firm. His golden aura remained firm. His will and conviction stood strong. Reading memories wouldn't influence him, especially when he cared not for these people.
[We're almost done with the Underworld. Hell will be our next location.]
{...}
Triny didn't probe further. She could feel he was doing well, but in such a delicate situation, all that was needed was one lapse for everything to go awry. Failing to properly discard a foreign memory would allow it to etch itself into the reader. A child that was never yours would be treated as your own blood. A woman you never knew would be all that you thought of. Revenge which was never yours to take will become yours. It was all too easy for failure to occur.
Nearly twenty seconds had passed and by now, Igor's aura not only enveloped the planet like a blanket, but he knew more about the denizens of the Underworld than their own leaders.
Shuuuuuuuuuuu!
Igor withdrew all his energy. There was nothing to search for anymore in the Underworld. He read all the minds he could reach and combed the entire realm. Asia was not in the Underworld. Either Sirzechs lied to him or the enemy had other means to bypass the dimensional barrier.
Sirzechs must pray it was the latter for he wasn't exactly in a forgiving mood.
[Hell is our next location.]
He found the method to enter Hell from one of Hades' henchman meandering in the Underworld. The God of Death might not be happy and Igor might be pitting himself against the Olympians, but who cared? Finding Asia was his priority and if Hades had anything to do with her being gone, he wouldn't mind killing him.
Tswii!
His aura flared like fine needles and tore a hole into the Dimensional Gap. His body was swallowed as the fissure fixed itself. The barren "Dimension between dimensions" was a familiar sight for Igor. The colourful expanse would corrode a person into nothingness. Only those strong enough could hope to resist with their bodies alone.
Igor had no intention of staying here long. His goal was hell and he'd already tethered himself to an undead he sensed. When he was ready to tear another hole into Hell, time seemed to suddenly freeze. His passive perception had spread into the nothingness and within it, he sensed…
"?!"
His attempt to teleport into Hell was immediately stopped. His head snapped towards the direction he sensed not just her aura and Diodora's, but the very presence of the being he would never forget, a very powerful being he once nearly stumbled into all those years ago.
{Ophis? Why is she here? Wait! Did she…}
"..."
Igor's face had frozen. His eyes trembled within their sockets, wide-eyed as he looked at the direction of the powerful entity. His skin turned pale and sweat covered his forehead in droves.
A Great Dragon God was near his sister.
A Great Dragon God…was near his sister.
GRUUUUUUUUU!!!!
Igor's aura exploded in an uncontrollable surge. Nature energy could not soothe the turbulent wave of anger, fear, and absolute panic that flooded him. Hows and whys did not cross his mind. His previous calm and methodical calculations burnt like cinders before a flame. His only desire was to protect his sister, uncaring for the danger he might be placing himself in by facing the Ouroboros Dragon.
Su!
.
|DxD|
.
Remote Location, Devil Territory, Underworld
.
A barren environment existed in one of the Underworld's most inhospitable regions. The rocky desert was so hot it would melt the soles of shoes that dared tread on the rocky surface. In this region, a hidden dimensional space existed. It was a paradise compared to the outside. Lush fauna flourished on neatly kept lawns. A large pristine mansion formed the core of this small dimension.
Zelefam Bael, head of the Bael Clan, was the owner of this residence. He concocted many of his machinations from his office on the top floor.
Today however, he wasn't on his chair like normal. In the large office, a white capsule on the farthermost corner let out a puff of smoke before it opened like a coffin. While the lid opened, the machine raised it up to vertical height, allowing the person inside to almost walk out.
Indeed, Zelefam opened his eyes in the comfy cushioned interior. He was completely naked, revealing his pale, yet extremely athletic form. His eyes calmly absorbed the surroundings before a small smile graced his face.
"It seems my precautions weren't an oversight indeed."
He gripped the edge of the capsule and pulled himself out. A visible mist of sweat wafting off his skin betrayed his body's less-than-optimal state. Upon standing upright, his legs wobbled, prompting him to seek support from the table in front of him.
He chuckled lightly at the slight weakness.
"Well then. It seems losing one's memories does come with a few side-effects."
His body glistened with sweat and a few droplets trickled down his cheeks.
"Time to correct this…unsightly sequence."
Dormant demonic power rumbled throughout his body, imbuing his limbs with much needed strength, and allowing him to stand upright. His feet fell flat on the tiled surface and left a wet footprint, but not for long. A flash of red and Zelefam's form was covered in a burgundy suit that accentuated his violet eyes.
He adjusted his cuffs with elegance befitting a young magnate and walked towards his desk. Zelefam knew he lacked crucial memories in his mind. It felt like years were missing from his head, but he never panicked.
"Now then, I believe the message said I would find my rings here."
He sat down on his chair and saw the small nordic rune etched just underneath his desk. He placed his hand the rune and it glowed with a faint blue light. Moments later, a small box like polished wood appeared on his desk. He lifted the cover and inside were ten rings, each made of different precious gems. They were magical in nature, yet they released not demonic power, but mana.
He took each of the rings and slot them into his fingers. One at a time, they glowed, restoring bits and pieces of himself.
"My, my. Aren't I the brave one? To consider dividing my soul—just what threat was I facing that I needed to take such drastic measures?"
He slot the rest of the rings in with a light smile, unpeturbed by the risky actions his future self made. Zelefam knew himself very well. Actions were never taken unnecessarily. He was looking forward to know what worthy foe prompted him to not only erase his memories, but also divide parts of his soul. Well, he would find out shortly.
When he placed the final ring on his pinky, a surge of memories assaulted his mind. Ten year's worth of memories assaulted him like a torrent, making it clear exactly what threat he was facing. Beyond a decade's worth of machinations, beyond his future plans, beyond his failures and achievements, the face of his greatest challenge yet, a blonde nuisance with unnatural power formed the forefront of his memories.
Zelefam closed his eyes due to the headache. His head felt heavy like someone placed a slab of cement on it.
"Hmmm…"
He gripped the edges of the desk with suppressed pain and dissatisfaction. Memories of the Aryans, of that farce of a meeting three years ago, how Aurelia took control soon after and cemented her control, and how he had to watch as centuries of power and influence got taken down in mere years.
"I see now."
Zelefam opened his eyes. They glowed ominously as a slight pressure caused the windows to rattle. He was mad, but he calmed down just as quickly. Letting anger consume him wasn't the most optimal path forward. Anger clouded judgement, and faulty judgement could cost one their life. The higher someone was, the more they needed to make clear decisions in order to survive.
"If I am currently awake, then it must mean the kidnapping of Asia has been successful and as I suspected, Dimori's aura must have penetrated this dimension."
Zelefam reintegrated with the memories he had and with that, his previous smile disappeared. He couldn't tell if his mind was read, but lessons from three years ago have taught him to overestimate rather than underestimate his blonde enemy. If the rumours of him training with the God of Destruction were true, then it wouldn't be far-fetched if he had gained something similar to omniscience. Peering into minds was every god's forte after all.
"Diodora was successful. The next step must commence."
Zelefam placed his finger on the table where a small magic circled formed. An invisible barrier sealing this room faded, and another magic circle formed before his subordinate appeared.
Vwong!
It was a woman in a black robe that hid half of her face. Two swords were strapped to her side and her cold blue eyes promised no mercy. She got down on one knee and met her master's eyes.
"Raven. What news do you have for me?"
"Raven reporting, Bael-sama."
Raven reached into her long hair and pulled out a small scroll hidden in it. She unfurled the scroll and presented it to Zelefam who made it float over to him.
"Asia Argento has been taken by Diodora Astaroth. Ajuka Astaroth has declared his brother a stray of the highest level with orders to capture or kill on sight. Igor von Dimori returned soon after and it is reported his aura spanned the entire Underworld before he vanished soon after. This concludes my report, Bael-sama."
[Hmm…]
Zelefam pondered slightly.
[He did not become violent like I expected. But no matter. The opportunity is always there.]
He stood up from his seat and took the tiny scroll in his hand.
"You've done well, Raven. As expected of my named operatives. Converge with Darkness and Owl and continue to observe the current state of affairs. There is much to do."
"Yes, Bael-sama."
.
AN
.
Hi everyone. I won't dawdle so here's the thing. I need to go into hiatus for two weeks. Too much has happened in the last two weeks that I can't keep up anymore. So for one, I got a job. Big achievement, except it trashed my original plan of focusing on Season 2. I help up for two weeks, but I eventually had to tap into my stockpile of chapters. Last week was simply the worst since I had to find time between lunches and after work to write. Didn't turn out well since Chapters 11 and 12 weren't good in my opinion.
If I'm rushing to write like this, it no longer becomes about translating the world I see in my mind into words, but purely for the sake of word count. I failed to translate chapter 11 and 12 into what they could be so during the hiatus, I will redo them.
Thankfully, I got an exam from Pearson I had out of the way so on Saturday nights and Sundays, I'll have time to write chapters and then during the week, I'll have enough time to edit them. For that to work, I need two Sundays just so everything pans out. So this Sunday and the next, I'll be incognito.
I know what picture it paints and what rep gets planted on me for having a second hiatus, but after reading chapter 11 and 12, I know if I continue trying to strain chapters out, the quality will be worse than the first 100 chapters of season 1.
TLDR (Too Long, Didn't Read)
Going on a two week hiatus. Reason? Suddenly landed a job and while I'm happy for it, it screwed up my schedule. Had to adapt while studying for exam so I couldn't keep up anymore.
Sorry for springing this on you. I wouldn't do it if I had another choice. Thanks for your support all this time.