Chapter 6

"LET GO OF MY DAUGHTER!"

BOOOM

A massive fist landed on Igor's chest, sending him flying through multiple trees. 

Crack Crack Crack Crack Crack Crack Crack

Baraquiel was about to give chase when Akeno grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait daddy! I know him! I know him!"

Baraquiel looked at his daughter's begging expression. But before he could even provide a reaction, Igor came flying back. A blue aura of ki covered his form with a noticeable chunk of it converged on his fist.

Glaring at Baraquiel with veiled anger, Igor cocked his fist back…and let it loose.

"Bastard!"

BOOOM

Baraquiel was too busy throwing Akeno out of the way to properly block Igor's punch. But he managed to block it nonetheless with the only consequence of being sent sliding across the ground. A tree behind him managed to block his path.

But Igor was not done yet.

"Punching me out of nowhere?!"

The boy powered up again, his blonde hair shaking like ruffled feathers.

"Punch your mother!"

He gave chase. At this point, Baraquiel had flexed open his wings and readied himself. But upon seeing Igor's speed, slight shock formed on his face.

[Is he still human?]

CLASH

He blocked Igor's punch with a cross-guard and countered with a kick to his stomach. Igor was pushed back by the kick. But immediately, he opened his mouth and released a blast wave from his mouth in retaliation.

"RAAAH!"

Although Baraquiel was caught off guard again, centuries of combat experience allowed him to sidestep. The blast wave barreled its way through a few trees before Igor cut off the supply of ki in favour of blocking Baraquiel's light spear.

Whoosh…CLANG

But despite his lack of combat experience, Igor supplemented that with knowledge. Having coated his finger with ki, he slapped the spear away and got into his nameless stance.

The two of them stared at each other, one in surprise and the other in focused fury. The physical discrepancy between them was as clear as night and day. Baraquiel was tall and wore a grey robe. Ten wings were unfurled behind him in preparation to either evade or attack. He took no noticeable stance, only standing tall with his arms hanging at his side.

In comparison, Igor looked short with his current stature of an eleven-year old child. With his feet placed shoulder-width apart and his hips squared towards Baraquiel, it looked like a reenactment of a David vs Goliath fight. His knees were bent at the ready, his arms raised with his hands in a protective guard. His elbows were tucked close to his body, ready to defend or launch a quick counter-strike.

Baraquiel immediately recognised the basis of his stance. Having lived a long life and witnessed the birth of many martial arts, his experience allowed him to discern origins of Igor's stance at a glance.

[The open guard of muay thai, the inward-facing elbows of wing chun and the high guard of boxing.]

Unknowingly, a slight smile came to his face.

[His stance needs some working on, but this is already better than almost every martial artist's I've seen. Nonetheless, it has truly been a while since I've seen such talent in a human.]

In that moment, Baraquiel got into a similar stance as Igor, abandoning any tactics for evasion. He saw his daughter flying over but before she could speak, he stopped her with a motion of his hand while keeping his gaze on Igor.

His eyes which were usually closed, analysed Igor.

"Boy-"

Swoosh…CLANG

" 'Boy', my foot!"

He unleashed a high kick that would've smashed Baraquiel's chin should the man not have blocked it with his forearm. But Igor didn't stop there. He swung his other leg in order to try and get a heel kick to Baraquiel's forehead. 

But the Fallen quickly blocked Igor with his other arm.

"Tch!"

Igor jumped back from Baraquiel, especially after noticing his wings poised to stab him. Being called 'boy' was the same as an insult to Igor. Having short blonde hair and blue eyes made him a "pretty boy". In addition to his short stature in his previous world, it was a complex he despised in his previous world and it continued in this one.

He was about to charge up a ki blast when his field of vision was filled with the black sole of a boot.

"?!"

He quickly put up his guard.

Boom…pssshhhh

He slid across the ground, his arms tingling from the kick. He almost tripped over an exposed root but a graceful backflip saved him some face (respect). 

But Baraquiel didn't stop right there. Dozens of light spears formed around him and with a gesture of his hand, sent them after Igor.

[Sh-SHIT!]

Igor began dodging on the spot like his life depended on it. What he wouldn't be able to dodge, he slapped away with his hands. But the spears were coming at him so incessantly that his hands were beginning to ache from deflecting so many spears.

[For Christ's sake, PLEASE GET TIRED!]

He was releasing metaphorical tears at this point. He cursed himself for attacking whilst still wearing weighted clothing. It was making his movements awkward and restricted. He could practically hear his joints and ligaments hurling curses because of the strenuous movement lag caused by the armbands and boots.

The heat of the situation was getting to him and his stamina was depleting at a worrying rate. He briefly eyed Akeno, considering whether to make a break for it and use her as a hostage. 

Baraquiel naturally noticed his gaze and he already made a decision in his head.

[Regardless of how much potential he has, I will kill him if he touches my daughter.]

Fortunately, Igor had too much pride to use a little girl as a shield. He found a gap in the barrage and used a game-inspired move derived from dragon ball games. Although it would consume a great amount of his stamina, he had no other choice he could make at present. He could either consume a great deal of stamina now and escape, or he could hope that the Fallen in front of him would exhaust his stamina.

In light of his situation, he quickly made his decision. Focusing a great deal of ki towards his muscles, Igor froze in tension for just the smallest split-second, before instantly vanishing. During that small window of time, a light spear had managed to just slightly pierce the small exposed 'V' of the chest area exposed by his undershirt. It was just about to tunnel through the flesh before it was replaced by empty air, allowing the spear to move forward and pierce through the trunks of four trees before losing its momentum on the fifth.

The instant vanish was so fast that the only proof of Igor's presence was a whistling sound associated with his rapid movement. Appearing just a dozen-or-so-metres away on the branch of a tree, there was a slight lag in the blonde's movements.

His chest heaved a bit, the weight of the stamina drain baring its fangs.

[Crap! Instant Vanish still sucks me dry after use. But I can't stay here. And I need to lose these clothes and regenerate as much of my stamina before I fight him again.]

With an objective in mind, he started jumping from tree to tree in an impressive display of acrobatics and speed. While he could've used ki to fly away, his stamina recovery would be slower. In his escape, he furiously began taking off his clothes, an unconscious smile marring his face.

[I'll beat that old man black and blue if it's the last thing I do.]

.

|DxD|

.

Baraquiel stood still with his arm outstretched. 

[You chose well, young warrior.]

His gaze held approval for Igor's choice of action. Meanwhile, Akeno flew over with visible concern on her face.

She grabbed Baraquiel's cloak and pleaded.

"Daddy! Please don't kill him!"

Akeno was trembling, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes. She was truly scared just then. Watching Igor get assaulted by those spears made her heart threaten to jump out of her chest.

Baraquiel rubbed his daughter's head.

"Do not worry. I am merely testing him."

"Huh?"

Baraquiel was about to elaborate when he suddenly swiveled his head towards the rest of the forest.

"Seems as if he is ready."

He turned to face Akeno, a warm expression on his face.

"Listen, my daughter. Go home and wait for me there. This area is about to become dangerous for you."

Akeno wanted to argue, but she knew better. So with some slight hesitation, she rose into the air and flew away. 

Feeling his daughter's energy get far away enough, Baraquiel flexed his wings before clenching his fists.

"I look forward to what you have in stock, young warrior."

With that, he flew with great speed towards where he felt Igor's ki suddenly spike*.

.

|DxD|

.

"Haaa~. That feels SO much better."

With his boots, shirt, and armbands flung to the side, Igor stretched himself a bit before his gaze turned serious.

[That old man is a tough nut-?!]

Swoosh-Swoosh…BOOOM

A giant plume of dust and scattered rock particles, grass, and sand rose into the sky. Cracks of trees toppling over resounded throughout the clearing. 

Even from the sky, Igor felt the ground shake, showing just how much power was behind the attack.

"..."

Igor stared at the large crater below him with wide eyes. It was only through the skin of his teeth that he managed to dodge Baraquiel's descending stomp. He didn't even have time to finish his inner thoughts before he almost got booted from life…literally.

His ki churned through his coils.

[Being bullied like this…]

He didn't train for four decades just to be treated like a mouse.

"Fuck it!"

Swoosh…CLANG

Zooming in from the skies, he aimed his fist at the head of Baraquiel. But even though it was blocked, he wasn't going to let up. With his weights tossed aside, his limbs felt as if they were laced with gunpowder.

Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang

His movements were fast. He was placing Baraquiel on the backpedal. They were zooming through the forest floor, their exchange so fast that the shockwaves uprooted the grass and cracked the bark around them. But even though their exchanges were fast, Baraquiel showed no signs of strenuous physical exertion on his part. He was blocking Igor's attacks exactly like how a master would block their student's attacks. This caused a small thrum of fear to form in Igor's throat. But although there was fear, there was also…anticipation.

Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang

Something about going all out against an opponent was…

Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom

…exhilarating. Even though this was his first genuine opponent, there was a feeling of satisfaction.

Swoosh Swoosh…CLANG

The feel of his blood pumping as he exchanged fists with Baraquiel sent a spark of pleasure through his body.

Clang. Swoosh…Clang. Swoosh…Clang

Gradually, fear and uncertainty began to be replaced by joy and surety. Igor and Baraquiel covered the entire forest in their exchange of moves. Branches were split open by stray ki blasts or fists and kicks missing their target. They moved far too fast to be observed by the naked eye. Only the sounds of leaf-rustling sonic booms could be perceived by a mundane third-party.

The usual serene environment enhanced by the rising of the morning sun was offset by sounds of sonic booms that caused all manner of wildlife to flee from the scene.

As for the two fighters responsible for disturbing the peace, neither showed much care to their wanton destruction. Igor was utilising every single move he had in his belt to score a solid hit on the man. Every part of his body became a hidden weapon. Fists, elbows, knees, feet, and even teeth. He wasn't above trying to bite Baraquiel.

As for the Fallen, he released an approving nod everytime they clashed fists.

[His foundation is solid. His energy is pure and abundant. The strength he possesses for his age is astonishing, far surpassing even sacred-gear possessors thrice his age.]

CLASH

[More importantly, his character is satisfactory.]

Throughout this entire fight, Baraquiel did not once detect any killing intent from the lad. And it was not from naivety. He personally verified it. People who've killed have a certain look in their eye and an aura that they give off. With Baraquiel having lived for millenniums, he could easily tell that Igor was a killer. Despite the lad's seemingly brash attitude, Baraquiel could tell that he had killed…a lot.

This fact only served for him to place the young blonde in higher regard because this meant that he had the necessary conviction to live in this world.

[But that isn't enough.]

Baraquiel was coming to a decision…a decision that he had never made in a long, long time. In order to make such a decision, he needed to see if Igor had one more thing.

FUUUSH

[He must have an iron will.]

.

AN

1. With that, he flew with great speed towards where he felt Igor's ki suddenly spike*

Explanation: When Igor is wearing weights, some of his ki will be used in making himself hover above ground to an extent. This is so that he doesn't leave heavy footprints every time he walks. This also goes for his whole body. Wearing weights puts stress on the joints and ligaments so ki will be unconsciously focused there as well. The reason for the sudden spike in ki however, is that all the ki that was used to prevent the body from being literally torn apart by the weights, is now available for use.