“Very well, Shuri-sama. Then I can only propose one solution that may give you the happy ending we both desire.”

Taking the time to breathe, Aurelia delivered her words.

“Should you receive the opportunity to be with Baraquiel-sama in private, come clean with your thoughts and feelings. It will be better for everyone involved.”

.

|DxD|

.

It was a bustling day in Kuoh. With it being a Monday morning, a large number of cars filled the streets. Shops had opened and business was in full swing. The sidewalks were filled with mostly school children who were making their way to one of the few schools in this town.

Travelling back from dropping off Akeno was Igor. With Asia at his side, the two blondes made their way across town, their hands intertwined with each other. While he walked silently, Asia couldn’t help but excitedly stare at the various people and vehicles that passed by them.

They also received varying amounts of looks due to their foreign appearance. With the both of them being blondes, they were definitely out of place.

[She’s enjoying this.]

Whether Asia was aware of their gazes or not, she seemed unbothered by them. She happily took in the sights around her as she excitedly pointed out things. For once, Igor was glad that he didn’t instantly speed them back home.

“Watch your step, Asia.”

“Waah?”

Raising his arm, he effortlessly lifted her body over a flood drain built into the sidewalk.

Glancing over her shoulder as Igor dropped her on the ground, Asia asked with interest.

“Big brother. What’s that?”

“?”

Looking over to where she was pointing, he explained.

“That’s a flood drain, little Asia. It works so that when there’s lots of rain, the water will drain into it. This will make it so that the streets don’t become waterlogged and cars won’t slip and slide on it.”

“...water…logged?”

“Pfft.”

Watching her cutely scrunching her expression in confusion made him laugh, which only served to make Asia mad.

“Mouuuu! Don’t laugh, big brotheeerrr.”

“I can’t help it. Who told you to be sooo cute, Asia?”

“Hmph”

The little blonde turned her face away from him with a huff.

“You’re being mean.”

“No. It’s called teasing~.”

“...”

Asia didn’t reply to him. She was more concerned on putting up an angry front. Though, she could’ve better pulled off that front if she wasn’t still holding his hand.

[Cute~]

Pulling her to him, he picked her up and let her sit on his arms.

“Eh?!”

So surprised was she by his action that she gripped his forearms with a vice-like grip.

“That’s not nice, big brother…”

Looking at him with a pout, she was silenced by a sudden kiss to her forehead.

Chuu~

“?!”

*Flush*

Taken completely by surprise, she buried her head in his neck, her eyes closed shut as her embarrassment rose by considerable margins.

“Y-y-you…you…”

“Hahaha! It’s so easy to tease you, Asia.”

Uncaring for the few numbers of people watching them, Igor made his way towards the edge of town with Asia on his arms. He had his family with him. He ate good food. He was happy. It was still far from noon, but today was a good day.

.

|DxD|

.

Mount Kailasa, India, Shiva’s Abode

.

When one imagined the home belonging to a God of Destruction, they would imagine a home filled with nothing but death and decay. However, it was the opposite that was true. Inaccessible from the rest of the world through normal means, the true Mount Kailasa was anything but barren.

For one, it was teeming with life everywhere. The trees were very tall and unnaturally thick, so thick that the thinnest trunk was already the size of a large room. The grass was so green it was as if every single blade had been doused in premium-grade fertilizer.

The wildlife, especially the deer, were nearly over twice the size of normal deer. The same could also be said for the predators. Tigers as large as grizzly bears prowled about on the hunt with eyes that seemed far too intelligent for an ordinary animal.

The only thing ordinary on this mountain was a simple two-storey house that had smoke coming out of its chimney. Flowers and other shrubbery had been planted along the sides of the house and had been maintained very well.

Behind the house was even a rather modest garden with fresh produce ready to be harvested. But, with a massive forest surrounding the house, it still seemed rather tiny in comparison.

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While the mountain was peaceful, that was only on most days This mountain had an owner, and this owner was the God of Destruction. There were bound to be some noisy days in the home of god who’s role is to destroy.

On this particular day, Shiva was fighting against Nandi…with full intent to kill.

Su!

His athletic figure flashed forward towards his teacher, his fist clenched to deliver a powerful strike to the top of his head.

BOOOM!

Instead of a skull, his entire arm sunk deep into the earth, vambraces and all. It was rather telling of his speed and control that he could punch his arm into the ground without causing a crater.

“...”

Narrowing his gaze, he swiftly removed his arm from the ground. Jumping back, he dodged a quick sweep of Nandi’s staff, easily backpedaling away despite the massive weights on his arms.

A swift exchange ensued after that. Nandi would strike with his staff while Shiva would dodge, deflect, or counter.

Clang!

Despite how thin Nandi’s staff was, it was very, very hard. The pale man masterfully wielded it with one hand, his remaining hand comfortably placed behind his back. Not once did his foot touch the ground nor was there a single stain of dust on his clothes.

His eyes were closed for most of the time, which only served to make Shiva slightly irate.

[...]

Dodging another swipe of Nandi’s staff, he jumped back to create some distance. Idly, he noticed the position of the sun which caused him to halt combat.

Motioning for Nandi to stop, he stood tall, his sweat glistening in the sunlight.

“Nandi. How long has it been?”

“Almost three days have passed since we begun, my lord. Only two more minutes until we can officially remove the ‘almost’.”

“...”

The weight over his entire body was gradually getting to him, especially when the majority of his energy was sealed. As it stood, he only had enough energy for slightly enhancing his physique leaving just barely enough for levitation.

Over two days had passed and he had still yet to land a proper blow on his mentor. It was mildly frustrating to say the least, but he was used to it.

“Alright then, Nandi. Let us continue.”

Disregarding his body’s desire to rest, Shiva got into a stance. He said he would last three days so he would see that desire to its natural conclusion.

Su!

There was no flicker of movement. There was no sound. One moment he was there. The next, he was gone. The entire vicinity seemed silent…too silent. They couldn’t be seen, but they were there. Nandi and Shiva…were fighting.

Their movement was far, far too fast for anyone to perceive. The immense level of control they had over their powers all but guaranteed that unless a dodged fist to the ground couldn’t change its course, there would be no visual or auditory effects.

Fighting within a realm of speed completely invisible to the naked eye, Nandi was casually dodging each and every one of Shiva’s blows. There were no over the top backflips or other fancy manoeuvres.

Sway to the left, sway to the right, or backstep. If all else fails, block the blow…with a finger.

“...”

With their figures having frozen long enough, Nandi and Shiva were once again perceivable to the naked eye. Both of them were in the skies. Shiva had his fist outstretched while Nandi had blocked it with a finger.

The attendant had a perpetual closed-eye smile on his face, his effeminate features making the situation all the more grating to Shiva.

“And that concludes the third day, my lord.”

“...”

Resisting the urge to continue the fight, Shiva stood up straight.

“Good.”

Unhesitantly began unclipping the golden vambraces on his arms. With two synchronous ‘click!’, the metallic accessories fell down to the ground under the pull of gravity.

And down they fell…like a tub of ice-cream.*

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

The consequences were nigh instantaneous. Surpassing even the impact of an asteroid, the weight and density of the vambraces were so immense that a deafening roar erupted as soon as they touched the ground.

The shockwaves alone shred apart anything and everything around the vicinity and would’ve continued further were it not for the intervention of Nandi. Tapping the bottom of his staff on solid air, a massive transparent-blue barrier formed around the site of destruction.

With everything inside the barrier frozen in time, Nandi looked at his lord with a hint of amusement.

“Is destroying the environment that I so dearly love your method of venting your frustrations, my lord?”

“...”

Shiva didn’t deign to give me a reply. With Nandi having blocked his attack with a finger of all things, he had the damn right to feel vindictive. He was only glad none of his children were watching.

Turning his back on his attendant, he made his way back to the house. His wife would’ve no doubt made a meal and he was already feeling hungry.

Behind him, Nandi only smiled wryly before he began reversing time. Slowly, everything inside the barrier began rewinding. The destroyed trees began piecing themselves together while the rocks and rubble went back to their previous locations.

Animals unfortunately caught in the blast also had their pieces and bits of flesh perfectly recombined as life once again flashed in their eyes. Once everything was slowly restored, the vambraces eventually began rising up from the massive crater they created upon their landing.

When time was restored to a satisfactory level, Nandi cancelled the technique with a satisfied smile on his face.

“And that’s that.”

Turning to face his lord, the vambraces eventually hovered behind him, only to soon disappear in motes of white light.

Making his way to Shiva, Nandi eventually caught up to him. However, instead of his lighthearted expression, he was serious. It was time to review the battle and as a teacher, it was his job to raise certain concerns.

“You fought well my lord. However, I could tell that there was something on the back of your mind during our bout. Might I hazard a guess and say it relates to the Son of Dimori?”

“...”

No answer.

“To be more accurate, is it also related to Trihexa, my lord?”

Upon hearing “Trihexa”, Shiva stopped in midair.

“...”

Also stopping alongside him, Nandi faced forward with a serious expression.

“Please let me remind you, my lord. Your title prevents you from interfering in mortal affairs. Unless the planet itself is at risk, you as the God of Destruction shall not interfere under any circumstance.”

“...”

Nandi was right. His job wasn’t to participate in the affairs of mortals. His job was to oversee and preserve the sanctity of the universe. When fulfilling his duties, his heart was not to affect his decisions.

Lowering his head, Shiva couldn’t help but frown.

“Sometimes, I arrive at moments where I dislike my role.”

“Hohoho~. Do not worry so much, my lord. If your concern lies in Dimori’s treatment of Trihexa, then you have no need to worry. I took it upon myself to observe a brief moment of their interaction. To best describe it, they are like brother and sister.”

Uncharacteristically, Shiva smiled lightly.

“Good. That girl deserves better.”

“Indeed she does, my lord. And since we are on this topic, might I know when you intend to finally honour your self-imposed promise and train Young Dimori? He has attained the power of the Supreme Class in less than a hundred years.”

It was surprising how quickly Igor reached his new level of power. While it was not achieved under the best of circumstances, it nonetheless cemented his status amongst the strongest entities in the world.

“Soon. I will extend the opportunity to him in the next war against Indra.”

“Oho? Would your actions not offend our dearest Indra?”

“His opinion on the matter is irrelevant. Should Dimori agree, I will bring him here.”

Nandi brought a hand to his mouth in mild surprise.

“Oh my. That soon? You seem to be in quite a rush, my lord. Dare I presume you intend to make him the next God of Destruction?”

“...”

Shiva stopped hovering in midair, his brows crunching in thought.

“Possibly. If he proves to be better than Indra, then I will hand over the title to him. However, that matter will be discussed after a few decades at best.”

Having said his piece, Shiva flew forward, temporarily leaving Nandi behind to stew in his thoughts.

“...”

Nandi had raised the issue as comedic relief, but it seemed that Shiva was truly placing some of his hopes on Igor.

[My lord is tired. He has held his role for far too long.]

The disappointment Indra showed him when he stopped striving for more strength was a rather sore spot for Shiva who had been sincere in teaching him.

[Even if young Indra had not accepted the title, just having someone else of decent strength would’ve been enough for my lord. Perhaps…the son of Dimori might be able to take up that role and if possible, the mantle of my lord. However, the current him does not have the disposition necessary to fulfil the role of a god of destruction.]

Smiling lightly, he flew after Shiva and caught up with him.

[Whether young Dimori will be the replacement my lord desires, only time will tell.]

.

AN

.

1. And down they fell…like a tub of ice-cream.*

Explanation: I don’t know what it is, but you never see a tub of ice-cream fall. One moment it’s in your hands. The next, it’s on the floor. That’s how fast those vambraces fell.

If you wish, you can read ahead on my patreon. Just look for HolyGambler.