Chapter 185

"Meanie! Don't laugh at me!"

Seems like he won't have to anymore. Though, he certainly would have to teach her about the unwritten rules of maintaining a persona when transforming. No one ever saw Goku at Super Saiyan 3 acting like a child. Maybe he should introduce her to the holy book after this. With her own transformation in her skillset, she definitely needs it.

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|DxD|

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The closed-off wing in the hospital of Grigori was relatively peaceful, emphasis on relatively. There were three locations of interest, each location with its own key characters and its own atmosphere.

In Baraquiel's room, things were rather suspenseful. Penemune, Shemhazai, and Azazel were all there, marking him as the fourth person. As the last member, Baraquiel was being informed about recent discoveries and hypothesises on Igor.

To say he was surprised was putting it lightly. He was infinitely mindblown. Finding out that Igor was most likely the host of Trihexa was information that could send the entire supernatural world into chaos if revealed.

In another location of the hospital, said host was peacefully sleeping in one of the more luxurious rooms similar to Baraquiel's. Tarnishing the opulent atmosphere of the room by sleeping on the bed like a drunkard, his steady and calm breathing hid the chaos going on in his head.

"Come on, old hag! Give me your best shot!"

"Maaa! Stand still!"

Engaged in yet another tumultuous battle in their shared mindscape, they wrought another wave of destruction upon the environment with their immensely powerful attacks. Triny, now fully conscious, used her natural abilities as a demon to their full capacity.

Bending the elements to her will, she made Igor come up close and personal with super-sized boulders more than a few times. A hurricane or two there and she was making him sweat. She wasn't very proficient with water and fire, atleast proficient enough to significantly harm the redhead, but she would get there-

Tswii!

Gu!

Suuuuu…BOOOM

"Is this your best? A little wind and some rocks?"

"..."

Getting up from the newly made crater she was just kicked into, Triny wiped the blood off her face as her lip healed.

*Clenches fists!*

In the name of the person who imprisoned her, she was going to wipe that annoying smirk off his face by force if she had to.

Flapping all six of her wings she launched herself towards him along with a literal armada of black tendrils rising alongside her. In response, a massive deluge of ki blasts rained down on her like a torrential downpour.

Her advance was slowed, but not stopped.

"RAAAAA!"

Making one final advance, she finally reached him with a sphere of dark chakra in her palm.

BOOOOOM!

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|DxD|

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In another part of the hospital, the mood was rather somber. The lounge, a place meant for relaxation and cooling off had now become an abode of distress and sadness.

Aurelia expected a lot of reactions from Shuri with most of them being anger. But the last reaction she expected her to have was resignment.

"I don't…what do I do now?"

She held Shuri in her embrace, the woman soaking her dress with silent tears. Truthfully, Aurelia felt no sense of pride, no sense of victory. Unintentional or not, she robbed Shuri. She robbed her of the desire of her affections. She robbed her of the pillar she had subconsciously been relying on since her revival.

To her question, Aurelia truly had no answer. What should she do? She didn't have a clue. Recommend she return to Baraquiel? The man wasn't horrible by any means, but the flames of love died in that forest with no hope of rekindling them.

Recommend she find another person? Then Aurelia might as well see herself out that door. Shuri was blatantly clear in her desire for Igor. Weaning her off the blonde was a process that might take months or even years.

An even more impossible process was if she tried distancing herself from Igor. Disregarding that she wouldn't want to even entertain the thought, Igor might very well tie her up if she tried leaving him. Even prior to their consummation, their relationship was far too strong for either to suddenly distance themselves from the other.

So what could she do? What could she do to comfort the woman who seemed as if part of her world had just been broken? By her no less.

"..."

Shuri was a mother, a very good one at that. Despite losing her memories and self-identity, she settled into the role very quickly. She had a good head on her and a body that rivalled or had even more potential than Vasco himself. With proper training, it was not impossible for her to reach Ultimate Class or if possible, God Class.

She was kind, nurturing, and a woman who wasn't worldly. She had Amaterasu's favour and if possible, that could extend to her becoming the Sun Goddess' apostle, a title that may even grant her eternal life.

She was a political boon given form and if used correctly, could see anyone have a direct link to the leader of the Shinto Pantheon, one of the most powerful pantheons in the world that stood alongside the Hindu Pantheon.

"..."

Aurelia couldn't believe it, but a small part of her was actually considering it. In her new and budding relationship with Igor, she was actually considering an idea that may not make her happy, but was possibly the most optimal outcome for everyone.

"..."

She wanted to dispel the thought, but Shuri was truly sad. The woman was holding onto her, her hollow eyes echoing her sadness. Shuri was a strong woman. Knowing her, she would put on a fake smile and raise Akeno. But a part of her heart would always be clouded in darkness from an unrequited love.

"..."

Closing her eyes, Aurelia came to a decision. It was a decision she knew she would regret. She already regretted it even now. But she would feel more regret if she didn't choose this option.

"Shuri-sama. There may be…"

Her tongue halted in its tracks, hesitation making it its goal to impede her words. Shuri was now looking at her with a mix of confusion, apprehension, and…hope?

"..."

Those eyes that looked like a trapped mine worker finally seeing the light made her bite her lips.

"There may be…a solution, Shuri-sama. A solution that would make us all…happy."

That was a lie. This solution would not make her happy, would never make her happy. If she wasn't using politics to reinforce this idea, it would've been torn apart before it barely came to fruition in her mind.

This idea of possibly having to…sha-

"?!"

Suddenly, her head whipped around so quickly that a normal person's neck would've broke from the twisting force. It was slight…very slight, but instincts that came from years of monitoring the reckless blonde made her very aware of the sudden and very abnormal fluctuation of his energy.

Standing up under the questioning gaze of Shuri, Aurelia paid her no heed. Her senses focused on Igor and she found he was asleep. But more than anything, she found his energy flow seemed to spike at random intervals, making her mind narrow at the possible implications.

[Mental attack?]

It was a slim possibility given how powerful Igor was. It was almost impossible, especially for anyone here in Grigori to douse him in an illusion. No mana was getting through that thick layer of ki, at least not without blatantly trying to force unequivocally large amounts of mana into him.

But she wouldn't take chances. If someone was trying to control Igor, she would kill first and ask questions later.

"Pardon me, Shuri-sama. Something urgent has come up. I shall take my leave first."

Without elaborating, she vanished.

Su!

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|DxD|

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Mount Kailasa, Shiva's Abode

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It was daytime in Shiva's mountain and today, it was particularly peaceful. Without the mountain owner conducting one of his training regiments, everything was well.

Relaxing underneath a tree, Shiva was back to the appearance of a young teenager. Dressed in casual wear and some flops, his back was rested against one of the many unnaturally massive trees on his mountain.

Interestingly, a spotted deer calf was lying next to him and was enjoying the ministrations of his hand along its back. With its head laid on his lap, its eyes were peacefully closed, its breaths slow and steady.

Shiva had a very small and imperceptible smile on his face. He had seen the universe during his tenure as the God of Destruction. Yet, such simple and mundane enjoyments like this brought him more happiness than anything else.

Vwong

Right in front of him, his ever-loyal attendant appeared in a ray of blue light. For so many years, Nandi had trained him for this role and eventually served him once he adorned the mantle.

If there was one person Shiva would always respect, it was this person who had made him who he was.

"What is the matter, Nandi?"

"Pardon me for interrupting, my lord. I have further news on the son of Dimori that might interest you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Sigh…

Annoyed at that small smile his attendant was sporting, Shiva spoke the words Nandi wanted to hear.

"I am listening."

Giving a nod of approval, Nandi gently chastised.

"It is important to give your subordinates verbal proof of your attention, my lord. It does wonders for morale. Continuing my earlier account, young Dimori has managed to make Trihexa's avatar further open up to him. As we speak, he is drawing in untainted nature energy."

Shiva's eyes widened slightly. This was not a very simple matter as Nandi made it out to be.

"Untainted, you say?"

"Yes, my lord. A rather interesting development if I must say."

With soft movements, Nandi gently tapped his staff on the ground before the view suddenly changed. Now it was no longer of the forest, but the room Igor was in. Appearing as blue spectral figures, they were entirely invisible to Aurelia who was also in the room.

Not paying the silverette any attention, Nandi remarked with a hint of joy in his voice.

"Do you see, my lord? Isn't this fascinating?"

"..."

Shiva was silent, more so out of surprise and…nostalgia. It had been so long since he saw such pure, unadulterated nature energy. This was the Underworld, but so much pure nature energy filled the room that once again, Shiva was surprised by Igor.

"Those marks…"

Spreading from the diamond tattoo on his forehead, Igor was covered in tribal marks that spread through his skin. They spread all the way to his hands and even made their way to his sandalled feet.

"Yes, my lord. The last person to adorn these marks was young Adam."

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AN

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I will speak honestly. In my very, very personal opinion, I don't really see Igor entertaining the thoughts of getting together with Shuri. This is just my personal opinion from what we know so far about his character.

He did once say women will be in the way of him getting stronger and stuff, but Aurelia was an exception. As for Shuri, I definitely don't see him accepting her just for the sole reason that he respects Baraquiel. Taking his woman would go against his pride and his father's teachings. Perhaps that's why Shuri felt everything was hopeless.

Maybe it is hopeless. Who knows? Though, I'm leaning on it being hopeless. Even Asia would have better chances and she's still seven.

On another note, today is Thursday and very unfortunately, the only time I can update is Sunday. My Friday is already packed with two tests I have to write and an assignment I have to submit. Again, I do hope for your understanding. Once this week is over, it's back to normal schedule.

If you are interested in reading ahead, you are welcome to become my patrons.

Thank you and until the next chapter.