Chapter 217

"Mother?"

"Don't speak anymore, my son. Your father is right. You fought well against your rival. Now, you must rest. You deserve it."

"I…yes…"

Feeling safe within the warmth of his parents, Atid let himself fall into unconsciousness. The last thought he had on his mind…was how much he would gloat his victory over Igor.

[Goku always wins.]

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|DxD|

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Destruction was everywhere. The ground had been dyed red with the blood of thousands, turning it from brown to crimson. Such a landscape that was originally flat had now become a smouldering mess of craters.

The region had darkened. The aftermath of Igor's and Atid's clash completely blotted out the radiance of the skies. Everyone below the realm of supreme class had long since been forcefully teleported away even prior to their final bout.

The remaining few hundred Supreme Class entities in the skies remained rooted to their spots. A minute hadn't passed since the final clash and although they would never show it, most of them had become somewhat frightened by the power displayed by these two boys.

The Heavenly Realm valued strength above everything. Despite both boys being under a century in age, they displayed power at the level of High-Supreme Class. That was power only very, very few people possessed.

In the supernatural world at large, these two on their own at such a young age, possessed enough power to wipeout entire factions. Even those who weren't convinced had to grit their teeth and accept that not only were those two worthy of standing alongside them, but they were also worthy of being the heirs chosen by their leaders.

Mahabali was also one of those who had previously found Shiva's arrangements unacceptable. He did not desire the position of heir, but was disgruntled that some boy, especially one who came from Indra's side would eventually become someone who could order him.

But seeing how much power Igor wielded, he could only sigh and accept the results.

"Soldiers! Depart for home base!"

"""BY YOUR ORDERS, COMMANDER!"""

With Indra's army already gone, there was no need for them to stay any longer. Although the new heir did not win, he fought valiantly.

[They both fought well.]

Temporarily disregarding his hatred for Indra, Mahabali could admit that Atid was raised well and had the capability to lead Indra's army in the future.

Vwong!

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|DxD|

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Shiva looked at Igor's prone form with a somewhat complicated gaze. Open wounds littered the boy's body like weeds. They were clotting, but with how slow the process happened, he would bleed out before he even begun to heal.

"..."

The only fortunate thing was that the blonde was alive…barely. It was also the reason for Shiva's complicated gaze. Through his eyes, he could see Igor struggling to hold on. His heart-rate was abysmally low, and even that was because his ki was manually pumping it. Even before he was possessed by Trihexa, his heart had already stopped functioning.

"His instinct to survive is quite something, alright. Isn't it so, my lord?"

Nandi casually remarked as he levitated Igor's body off the ground.

"Young Dimori is truly a strange case. Should the conditions be replicated on others, I dare say ninety-nine out of a hundred would let death embrace them."

Nandi was not speaking carelessly. Here in the Heavenly Realm where death meant little, he had seen many let death overtake them in war. Very few over the years had the will to fight to live. Such a need was nigh-redundant when the possibility of instant resurrection existed.

Almost none had the will to needlessly prolong their suffering.

"He has grit, Nandi."

Shiva approached Igor's hovering body and placed a hand on his back. Briefly, a golden radiance flared before it gradually vanished. At a sight visible to the naked eye, the wounds all across Igor's body started closing in on themselves. Even the particularly gaping wound on his shoulder closed itself like an eyelid.

Removing his hand, Shiva felt a bit annoyed at Nandi's slight smile.

"Don't think too much. I'm only giving him a fighting chance."

Healing magic was not his forte. He just happened to pick up some things along the years but never invested the effort.

"I believe with your help, he definitely has a fighting chance now, my lord. Should I take him back to the mountain to recuperate properly?"

"..."

The mountain Nandi mentioned was Mount Kailasa. Apart from his family, no other being is allowed on his mountain. Even his subordinates dare not stay for long after reporting to him.

"Do what you feel is necessary, Nandi."

"As you wish, my lord. I shall entrust Lady Parvati to him."

"..."

Shiva said nothing in response. Him saying nothing was the same as him tacitly agreeing, something Nandi grasped very quickly. In all honesty, it was quite amusing seeing his lord provide special privileges for the young lad.

Fortunately for Shiva, he did not have to endure Nandi's smile anymore once Indra came over. His wife, a blonde young woman in a long red robe landed alongside him while carrying Atid on her back.

"Greetings, Lord Shiva, Nandi."

"Hello to you too, Kristina."

While Nandi happily greeted back, Shiva did not reply. It wasn't out of disrespect, but more-so because his focus was on Indra…and he was getting annoyed by his smile.

"Ind-"

"I win."

Flashing a peace sign, Indra grinned.

"Not only did my army defeat yours, but my son defeated your heir in one-on-one combat."

"Really? Do you forget that were it not for that dragon, my fighter would've decapitated him?"

Shiva casually reminded Indra of the scenario a few days ago. It was when Igor had almost managed to end the fight with one slash of his sword. Atid at the time had been too slow to react.

"If that dragon did not control your son's body at the last moment, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Sighing as he repeatedly shook his head, Shiva crossed his arms.

"I thought you would have some degree of awareness, Indra. It seems I overestimated you."

"Hmph. Is it a problem if my son uses the tools at his disposal? I thought this was war, not those pesky human tournaments."

"..."

Feeling some slight anger at how shameless Indra was, Shiva composed himself.

"Then tell me something, Indra. In a real war, who has the time to counsel someone else's mental state? Don't think I didn't hear your conversation with your son."

Shiva did not forget to bring up the words of inspiration Indra said to his son. In the face of Igor's overwhelming power, Indra's words allowed Atid to calm down and attain his Velocity Ascend form.

"If you had not interfered like we agreed not to, my fighter would've won twice by now."

Counting Ddraig's interference and Indra's calming words, Shiva looked at Indra with eyes that dared him to say something different. He dared him to come up with some nonsense to justify his son's victory.

Unfortunately, even after countless years of knowing each other, Shiva underestimated how shameless Indra was.

"Bah. All of those were reliant on my son's abilities. The lizard is a tool my son uses. So even if the lizard controls my son's body, it still counts as one of my son's abilities. As for my words, they would've meant nothing if my son didn't inherit his father's awesomeness."

Arrogantly adjusting his glasses with a finger, Indra displayed a signature look of superiority.

"Admit it, Shiva. My son is better. Besides, I wouldn't have said anything if you also said some words of encouragement to Igor."

He lifted his arms helplessly.

"It's not my fault if you chose not to. Just admit that my son is the better fighter. I won't shame you…much."

"..."

Vein Twitch!

A thick, misty purple aura formed around Shiva. He possessed more than half-a-mind to destroy Indra right here and now. This so-called War God was so thick-skinned that he wanted to test his mettle against-

"Please calm down, my lord. Indra. I do congratulate you on your son's victory. It is truly well-deserved and while you do make valid points, it was agreed that no one would interfere. This includes verbal interference and your words count as such."

Completely unbiased in his opinion, Nandi announced his verdict.

"Under normal circumstances, young Dimori would've bested Atid, Indra. As much as you might dislike my words, young Dimori is by overall, the better fighter between them. While I am happy for your son's growth, there is a significantly high chance he would've fallen in battle eventually. This may be your son's victory, but there is a significantly high chance he might not win the next one after all."

"..."

Indra could say nothing in response. If Nandi said it, then he was willing to believe it…to a certain extent.

"Hmph, whatever. Speculation exists in people's heads. This is reality. You speculate that my son will lose his next encounter. I speculate that he will dominate Igor over there. You or Shiva's training will mean nothing."

Not willing to stay any longer, he held his wife by the shoulder and vanished.

Su!

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Silence…

"..."

*Tremble* *Tremble* *Tremble* *Tremble* *Tremble*

"I'll kill him."

Not only did the young brat from before become more shameless, he even grew thick skin to match with it.

"Please calm down, my lord. Right now, our concern is young Dimori. After such a long fight, he will be very hungry once he wakes up."

"..."

Temporarily pushing aside Indra, Shiva agreed.

"Alright. Take us home."

"At once, my lord."

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AN

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