"I'm going to get strong and I'm going to live!"
There was no choice. The world, the gods, would finish what they started if he didn't. His family did everything so he could live. Only power would ensure he would never have to live in fear.
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|DxD|- Chapter 26- Broken Mirror
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Six Months Later, Seven Months Since Entry
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One boy, one spear, and endless skies.
"Ha!"
*Pa!*
Sound like fireworks cracked. Each swing of the spear snapped the wind like a whip. Six months of training, and Igor was a blur through grey.
The chamber remained unchanging, but Igor had evolved. He moved swiftly and with great flexibility. Each thrust of his spear had wind circling the blade. A slash would see the wind arcing around the blade edge, compressed onto the blade before snapping into the trailing vacuum.
In the past months, Igor did not allow himself unnecessary rest. Each waking moment was spent striving to be better than the day before, to arm himself with the capability to survive. Baraquiel promised he would train him once he left this place, but that didn't mean he shouldn't push himself further.
Igor moved with the finesse of an acrobat. He contorted his body to deliver maximum power through momentum. He maintained a facade of seriousness, but there was no restraining his smile. Each time he compared himself to the him from a year ago, he couldn't help but think of the massive improvement he'd made. Even in these few months, he'd made a substantial leap.
"Hhup!"
The ground caved under the force of his muscles. A single jump shattered the hard surface like a broken mirror. Igor leaped into the skies, higher than the tallest tree dared to dream. Vitality shielded him from the harsh winds and forces.
As he reached his apex, his hold on his spear tightened. He spun in midair while reinforcing his weapon with vital energy. The wood creaked, but did not fracture nor explode. Igor reached the limits of his jump and he looked down, ready to throw it.
From this high, there was nothing to appreciate. The 'Grey', as he had come to call the time chamber, was nothing more than a place of training.
Igor locked on the spot he jumped from. His golden eyes gleamed in utter focus. His arm swung with anatomy-defying speed Using all the force in his body, he launched the spear.
*Crack!*
His spear pierced the air like glass. It was a missile shooting down, leaving behind only tiny motes of yellow from the golden sheen covering it. It whistled through its descent and barely a moment later, it struck.
*Doof!*
It pierced the ground with a deep heavy thud. Over half of its length sank in and around it, the fractures spread like a dry riverbed.
Seconds later, Igor fell like a sledgehammer. His feet thumped harshly, yet instead of his bones breaking, the ground splintered beneath his heels.
Igor grabbed the spear and with some exertion, pulled it out of the ground, leaving behind a smooth round hole wide enough to put his fist in. The vital aura around the spear had faded, but it was still intact.
He smiled.
"I finally got it right."
Vitality, while indeed lacking in versatility compared to mana, had some of its uses. Reinforcing a weapon was one such use. It wasn't quite easy to do since too much vital energy could destroy the weapon. He'd stopped counting after breaking ten swords and maces. The armory was almost brought to ruin by him.
Golden eyes traced the spear from blade to butt. His level of reinforcement, while fine, wasn't perfect yet. A few parts of the wood had splintered off, revealing the lighter-coloured wood beneath. As long as the blade wasn't chipped, it was enough.
"Alright. I really should pause for now."
He looked at the carnage he'd caused over the past few months. This area of the chamber was riddled with potholes. Even Shuri's car would have to take a detour before travelling here. The thought made him chuckle lightly. He wondered what their reactions would be if they saw him now. They'd definitely be proud of his growth.
"Let's move onwards, Igor. Time can't be wasted."
With optimism, his hold on the spear tightened and he bounded towards the cabin.
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|DxD|
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'Training Manual I: Vitality Basic Knowledge And Utilisation'—this was the only book he'd been using for the past several months. Aside from knowledge he'd already memorised, there were interesting ways to use vitality.
Reinforcing weapons was just one aspect. Another way was to move relying solely on vital energy. Just like reinforcement, Igor had problems with it.
Igor held the book in his hand. The soft yellow paper cover had been dyed brown by finger smudges and dirt. This wasn't from months of use. Just today. The library had the effect of repairing and cleaning all books placed on the shelves. Otherwise, with his rough handling, the cover might've been torn apart.
[Maybe I really do lack this 'finesse' thing.]
Igor scratched his head. Today was a new day and with 'reinforcement' finally out of the way, he had to tackle his latest issue. Moving with the help of vitality was called Instantaneous Movement. It was a name he came up with. In his opinion, it was much better than the original 'Vitality Aided Movement'.
There were a few varied methods of using vitality to move. The most basic was explosive movement. By exploding vitality around certain parts of his body, he could swiftly move in a certain direction.
It wasn't too hard and after some training during the past months, he could explode vitality even through his back and arms rather than just his hands and feet. Explosive instantaneous movement was possible, but there was also a subtler way of moving, one that could have him glide across the ground like he was on invisible wheels. It was that very subtle movement method that gave him endless headaches.
Igor held the book in hand, wishing he could strangle the author. He was already miffed from his failures.
"Sigh…"
He helplessly opened the page. Right after 'Explosive Movement' came 'Finesse Movement'. The two were separate sections and the moment Igor read the first word, he felt the familiar shift of mana gathering in the air.
"Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Not today, teacher."
"The Finesse Moveme—"
Igor pushed the magic ball away and Marcei's voice stopped. It was a neat feature he discovered months prior. By pushing their mana balls of insight away, they would stop speaking beyond a certain distance. He'd heard Marcei's repetitive insights on finesse movement so many times his ears had grown calloused.
He flicked away the loose strands of his hair hovering over the pages. The passages were filled with extensive descriptions of the hated technique. His ancestor tried to convey the feeling, but it only made Igor want to bash his head in.
"What do you mean by 'crawling on a spider web'? Couldn't you write some sense?"
He mumbled his displeasure. Weeks upon weeks of fatigue had numbed him. Even without vitality improving his memory, he could recite the entire section by heart at this point. Igor sat cross-legged on the hourglass and placed his cheeks between his palms. He felt he always thought better like this, especially when that stray's ashes were beneath his butt.
"Come on. Help me think, you know? It's the least you could do after taking a chunk of Dimori premium meat."
Igor grumbled out loud. The book lay open next to him while Marcei's insight hovered at the edges of the hourglass's bronze lid. No reply came from the ashes. They only sizzled through to the bottom.
"Tch. Thought so. Dead monsters like you can't do anything anyways."
Shuri would lose her mind if she heard him speak like this, but he was dissatisfied after months of effort, especially with this stupid book! The minutes had stretched uncomfortably long and no understanding was forming in his head.
He was desperate at this point. A stupid technique shouldn't be holding him back this much. To execute finesse movement, instead of explosively releasing his vitality, he had to fine-tune it so it could interact with the air like it was a wall. Igor placed his hand on the hourglass lid. This was firm. He could push himself off of it. But air? Even with a bit of vital energy in his palm, he pushed against nothing.
"This is stupid. 'Prowling through the air'? Imagine if I said, 'Turn this chocolate into mist'. How would you feel, huh? If you were in front of me, I'd kick you in the head you—…wait a minute."
His arm, rising in righteous indignation, lowered as realisation dawned. Information about vitality quickly swirled in Igor's head.
Vitality came right from his blood. When it flowed, it moved no different from a liquid. But as he exerted himself, vitality would gain more and more energy, becoming no different from a torrential wave that powered his body. A part of that torrent would be like the vapour of water which would seep through his skin and form an aura cloak around him.
If he were to compare it, vitality was a sludge. With a bit of energy, it becomes running liquid. Then if he were to put more energy, wouldn't it become air? If it's loose like air, then maybe it can interact with the air around him.
"It has to be it!"
Igor quickly stood up and leaped off the hourglass. He sprinted until he was a few hundred metres away from the cabin. He had a eureka moment, but his little experiment might damage the house.
"Alright, alright. All I have to do is power-up enough until my energy becomes gas."
His grin was so wide it curved into his cheeks. Finally, he would no longer be a failure! If he cared enough, he might even thank that mutt rotting in the hourglass. It wasn't useless after all.
"Let's power up just like Master Roshi!"
Igor spread his stance and held his fists to his sides. His heart, peacefully at rest, was stroked awake by his demand for power.
"Haaaaaaaa!"
Vitality surged and his body rippled. A blazing golden aura breathed to life around him. His eyes were over-laden with gold and strands of his hair rose.
Igor could feel every stretch of vitality in his body. His power was growing and so were his senses. Vitality burned like a bonfire around him. This was the peak of what he could reach, but he pushed.
"Moreeeee!"
He summoned every ounce of strength within him, pushing beyond the limits of his endurance. His heart responded, doing its absolute to power the flow of energy. Igor felt so strong he could lift the world…until he didn't.
"Hrgh!"
His body seized up. The golden bonfire blazing around him vanished like smoke in the wind. He was frozen. His muscles contracted and relaxed violently without end. His eyes had narrowed to the size of pinholes.
"..eee…"
His voice was lower than a mosquito. Everything…everything hurt. He felt cramps all over his body. Every muscle visibly wriggled beneath his skin like a mass of worms.
*Plop*
He collapsed on the ground, appearing no different from a fallen statue. His body was as rigid as iron. A single tear trailed down his cheek. He was never…ever…doing this again.
AN: Hope you enjoyed the read. Thanks for the continued support, and until the next chapter.
Chapter 26
END