Chapter 196

Remaining hard at work until early morning, Cleria finally put the telephone down just as the sun peeked through her window. Looking at the time, it was just around five in the morning.

"Haaa…"

Yawning gracefully, she was just about to leave to take a well-deserved nap when a magic circle formed once more in her office, the magic circle of Serafall Leviathan.

Vwong

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|DxD|

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17/08/1999- August 20, 1999 (Friday)

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Three days had passed since the event. During that time, many things had happened. One of the major events to take place was Serafall's visit to Kuoh. To Cleria's eternal befuddlement, she had made Kuoh her new place of residence.

Next was Cleria losing her title as overseer…in name only. Officially, Kuoh no longer had an overseer until further notice. Unfortunately or fortunately for Cleria, she still had to resume the responsibilities that came with the now nonexistent title.

When she finally mustered the courage to ask why Serafall didn't find a replacement soon, the satan had only smiled cryptically and told her her replacement would come soon. Whether that would be in a few months or a few years, it remained to be seen.

Once a person lives a certain number of years, their sense of time becomes warped. What Cleria was definitely sure of was that Serafall's sudden occupation of Kuoh had a lot to do with how the only two known Aryans in existence had made the town their residence.

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|DxD|

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Another event that happened concerned the mystery boy named Issei Hyoudou. Soon after securing Kuoh, Baraquiel had immediately returned to the Underworld and relayed the news of his discovery.

To say that Azazel was shocked was an understatement. If it was true, then Issei was the very first discovery of a human who naturally wielded two sacred gears. They were only simple Twice Criticals after further verification, but that didn't disqualify him from being a unique case.

Over the course of the week, Azazel, Baraquiel, and Shemhazai held private meetings to decide what to do with this information. While plans to take him into Grigori existed, it was ultimately decided to let him live a normal life until further notice.

Of course, a few agents would be sent to both surveil and hide the boy's aura. Azazel wanted specific reports on how natural development would affect him in his daily life, but also didn't want any devils or other faction recruiting him.

Unlike him, most other factions wouldn't hesitate to take a small boy from his parents. Once Issei matures enough, Azazel could see about extending an offer.

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|DxD|

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In the Himejima household, things had quietened down after three days. Compared to Tuesday and Wednesday morning, the mood was much better. The most pressing concern at the time were the children.

Asia and Akeno simply didn't have the necessary mental acuity to tolerate nor process such an incredible amount of power. Igor had never before felt so worried, worried that because of his reckless actions, he might've harmed his precious little sisters.

Thankfully, the girls soon recovered by Wednesday afternoon. Under the careful explaining of Shuri, the fear the two girls had suddenly turned into unquestionable awe for Igor. To now understand that this was the might their big brother attained soon made them very excited.

It was the same as telling a child that thunder had struck their school. They might still fear the thunder, but they would undoubtedly be happy that it was on their side.

But the worst had yet to come. Somehow, Igor underestimated just how concerned women could be. When Aurelia finally recounted to Shuri what had happened, the ravenette had almost tore off his clothes in a bid to assess his physical wellbeing.

When it was also revealed that he had burnt quite a substantial amount of calories, he had been fed like a pig. Given bowl after bowl of food, the table had creaked under the weight of the bowls stacked on top of it.

Shamefully, Igor was indeed hungry that Wednesday morning. He had his pride, but it wouldn't feed him good food. So shamelessly, he ate all the food Shuri and Aurelia made for him, though he did feel a bit guilty after.

And so as the days passed, peace returned to the house. A sense of normalcy returned and since schools had been cancelled for the week, some familial bonding took place during that time.

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|DxD|

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The next day, Hidden Training Ground, Svargaloka, Heavenly Realm

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In a vast expanse of savannah filled with tall grasses and few trees, a youth sat in the lotus position. His long brown hair fell over his naked torso, his muscled chest glistening with sweat. Yet, his eyes remained closed, his breaths calm and steady.

Suddenly, a red gauntlet adorned his left arm, but he didn't flinch. Yet soon enough, a heavy pressure began to emanate from him.

"I, who am about to awaken, am the Heavenly Dragon who has stolen the Principles of Domination from God."

Gradually, green aura formed around him like a hazy mist. His body slowly began to hover above the ground, the pressure around him continuously growing.

"I laugh at the infinite, and I fret over the dream."

Each sentence was spoken methodically and resolutely.

"I shall become the Red Dragon of Domination, and I shall sink you to the depths of the crimson purgatory.''

Zuu…

His eyes opened to reveal a deep emerald colour.

"Juggernaut Drive."

The words were calm, but the explosion was fierce.

GRUUU!

Shaking the very air itself, a giant blaze of green aura covered his form. A strong shockwave blew away everything around him, the powerful pressure he released causing the trees to bend backwards.

The gauntlet on hand crawled up his arm even further, covering his skin in red scale-like armour. Gradually, the scales moved on to cover the left side of his chest until the advancement finally ceded.

His power was immense, his aura glowing so brightly that the vicinity was covered in a radiance of green.

Suuuu…

Soon enough, the radiance ceded to reveal a bonfire of misty green aura, along with the sudden appearance of another man who had an immensely proud smile on his face.

"HAHAHAHA! That's my son! That's MY son!"

With the visage of his son reflected in his sunglasses, Indra was immensely proud.

"I never thought taming your Juggernaut Drive would yield such a drastic increase in power. Wonderful!"

"..."

Atid who was hovering midair slowly stood on the ground. Finally, after months of training, he had mastered the Juggernaut Drive to the point that he could use it in human form. Giving himself a once-over, he was silently proud of himself.

Slowly, he dismissed his new state and reverted back to normal. His hair flopped down while his eyes reverted back to their natural amber.

"Thank you, father. Though I am still a bit far from you."

"Nonsense. In a few more years I'll be able to hand you my empire in peace. Then I can finally go on a honeymoon with your mother."

"..."

Atid felt embarrassed when his father spoke like this. It was only thanks to his thick skin that he didn't flinch or blush.

"Father. Please, I beg you. Refrain from including me in certain topics that include my mother."

"..."

Indra had to resist the urge to grin.

"It's because of that perverted animation you watch that you're now like this. Truthfully, if you weren't a hard worker I would've burnt it all already."

*Twitch!*

"Father…please don't."

Indra just waved him off.

"I know I know. They're your life. But you have to stop at some point, Atid. Your mother and I want a few grandchildren from you. You are at that age after all."

"..."

And just like that, his excitement of finally accessing a unique variant of the Juggernaut Drive was snuffed out.

"Father. If I spend my time looking for wives, Brother Igor will surpass me. You know how ridiculous that time chamber of his is."

He was aware of the Himejima massacre and just how powerful Igor was in that time. It was because of it that in the last month, he had put aside all his other training and focused on solely mastering the Juggernaut Drive.

"Igor, hm? Then you'll be surprised when I tell you that just recently, his strength had increased by another margin. Just two days ago, he released enough power to shake not only Earth, but every single dimension connected to it. Even our Heavenly Realm wasn't unaffected."

"?!?!"

Before Atid could voice his disbelief, Indra interrupted him.

"However, it seems he still can't control it yet. That should give you enough time to gain proficiency in this new form of yours. By my guess, if you can manage three boosts while in that state, you should be able to match him."

"..."

Atid lowered his head in thought.

"So he's almost 8x stronger than me?"

"..."

Indra said nothing. Instead, he placed a comforting hand on his son's shoulder. He was aware of how much work Atid had put in to not be left behind.

"You're brothers just as much as you're rivals. And, you are my son. I'm sure that with that dragon's help, you'll think of something."

Vuuu

In that moment, the green gem on the sacred gear glowed for a brief moment before it dimmed. Atid gained a dazed look for a moment before he smiled.

"Ddraig is mad that you aren't calling him by name, father."

"Hmph. He lacks the qualifications to have me call him by name."

"Hehe…"

"..."

Watching his son chuckle, a flash of fatherly love appeared in Indra's eye before it instantly vanished.

"Don't worry too much, my son. You always figure something out. If you have any questions or need any advice, you know where to find me."

Having said his piece, he silently vanished, leaving Atid alone.

"..."

The teenager was at a relative loss on what to do or where to start, but preparations for war would start tomorrow.

[I'm not sleeping tonight.]

According to Ddraig, boosting himself while in his variant Juggernaut Drive would take away his lifeforce. He had temporarily ignored that issue, but today, he would solve it.

[Goku was always ahead of Vegeta. I will not disgrace him by remaining behind Igor.]

In the name of Goku, he would surpass Igor. By fire or by force.

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AN

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Never heard of a Juggernaut Drive in human form. I'm not even sure how that works or how to even begin explaining it. Maybe we'll get some tidbits about the machinations behind it as the chapters flow along.