“I agree.”

Indra knew he might not compete with Shiva and Nandi in terms of teaching, but his son wasn’t lacking in teachers either. He had him, the annoying dragon in his gauntlet, and his mother to teach him all he needed to know.

“May the best heir win.”

.

|DxD|

.

The Heavenly Realm was bound with frequent activity as preparations for war went underway. Both Shiva’s and Indra’s armies had already begun readying themselves for the inevitable clash coming in a few days.

However, few knew this, but the war already started as soon as preparations began. Small skirmishes already existed as small teams were sent to intercept convoys and destroy supply lines. While not constrained by land features such as bridges, region-wide spatial barriers deployed in key flight-paths could delay the delivery of artifacts by hours, if not days.

There was mutual consent for no one from the Ultimate Class and above to take part in these skirmishes. This was to give those from High Class and below, usually children and teenagers, the necessary combat experience and a chance to shine.

As these skirmishes were happening, Sun Wukong finally brought Igor and Atid. They appeared in Indra’s war room situated high up in the skies. Currently, the only occupant other than them was Indra. He was looking at a holographic screen with rather intense scrutiny.

Being the first to walk forward, Igor was about to greet when Indra motioned with his hand to remain silent.

“?”

Curious, Igor walked over to see what he was watching. Peering over Indra’s shoulder, he saw two squadrons of uniformed children fighting against each other. At a glance, one team seemed to be setting up a barrier while the other was fighting their hardest to prevent the barrier from being set up.

From the uniform and emblem, Igor could tell that the defending side was Indra’s army. While they were lacking in numbers due to a few of their members having splintered off to set up the formation, they were not losing.

That had more to do with a young boy who wasn’t even a teenager. Maybe he was ten or eleven at best. But most interestingly, it was the spear he was using as a weapon.

“He’s quite good.”

Igor might not be a weapon’s master, but he’d fought enough of them to know the boy wasn’t half-bad.

“Yes, he is. He’s one of our newer recruits. He calls himself Cao Cao and holds the True Longinus. Quite fascinating, don’t you think?”

“Maybe. It’s just a spear though.”

Atid couldn’t help but mock.

“ ‘It’s just a spear’, he says.”

He walked over and watched the boy fight.

“That’s the Ultimate Longinus, Brother Igor. Even you will suffer quite a bit of damage if it stabs into you.”

“Whatever. I’m sure I can kill him before he can even take out that spear.”

Sun Wukong couldn’t help but sigh as he hovered over.

“Can you not fantasize about killing my newest protege, brat?”

“Protege? Did you replace me already, monkey sage? Why I oughta…”

“...”

Indra did his best to ignore the two most annoying people in the room. He already missed the peace and quiet that existed before they arrived.

Sigh…

“Wukong. Igor.”

Dismissing the transluscent screen, he turned to face them both. There was no need to delay now that they were all here.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“There’s been a few changes. Igor. From now on, you are discharged from my army and will be considered an enemy combatant effective in five-minutes. Should you wish, you are to report to Shiva’s camp where you will be welcomed as his newest officer.”

“...”

*Blinks Once*

*Blinks Once More*

“Heh?”

.

|DxD|

.

To no surprise, the news came as an absolute surprise to Igor. He didn’t expect such a sudden change, but surprisingly, he wasn’t completely against it. After Indra elaborated a few points to help him understand, a large part of him even began to look forward to it.

For one, he would finally be able to square off against Atid as opposing camps. While sparring with each other was fun in of itself, adding heavier stakes to the whole matter made victory that much more enjoyable.

Besides, the reason he wasn’t too hesitant was because his “enemy” status would only last during wartime. Once the war is concluded, he’d be more than welcome to come back here. After all, neither side were truly enemies…to an extent.

Emnity was somewhat inevitable when it came to Asuras and Devas.

“Alright.”

Igor was very quick in his agreement. Turning to face the old monkey, he had a signature look of superiority.

“You can go ahead and keep your apprentice, monkey sage. See if I need you.”

“Really? Then who will bring you out of the Heavenly Realm?”

“...”

Igor stood silently. It was a good question. He couldn’t use the Instant Transmission since his perception couldn’t penetrate the barrier between the real world and the Heavenly Realm. So who woul-

Sigh…

Atid couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Brother. Sometimes I swear you just choose not to think. Lord Shiva will obviously make arrangements for you.”

Igor looked at Atid with his eyes slightly squinted in confusion.

“I know that, brother. It’s kind of obvious. But I don’t feel comfortable leaving my life in the hands of someone I don’t know.”

“...”

Atid was a bit…confused. What did trust have to do with travelling between worlds? Fortunately, Sun Wukong had an answer.

“Atid. Igor here is very sensitive to spatial fluctuations. As such, he can feel when we’re crossing between realms.”

Igor further elaborated.

“And if someone drops me right at the point of crossing, there’s a chance I’d become a mangled corpse. Even if I survive, I might become a cripple.”

“...”

Atid wasn’t unaware that Igor was sensitive to spatial fluctuations. But he didn’t think it was to this degree. If he could even feel the moment they transitioned to the real world, then it would make sense why he would be so wary of something most would casually dismiss.

“Huh. I guess you’re not an idiot after all.”

“Unlike yo-”

Before Igor could finish his sentence, Indra interrupted him.

“I am sure Shiva or Nandi will teleport you themselves. But if that doesn’t happen, you are welcome to come back here where Wukong or my son will send you back.”

It was a compromise he was willing to make for Igor. Part of his camp or not, he liked the kid.

“Thanks, Uncle.”

With everything sorted out, it was time to bid farewell. No tears were shed, but many barbs were shared. Igor would only be gone for a few days so no one was particularly emotional about his departure.

Atid was particularly looking forward to versing off against Igor just as the latter was against him. While Igor was indeed stronger than him in their base state, his Boosted Gear could quickly outrun that advantage.

.

|DxD|

.

Kuoh Town, Japan

.

A few hours had passed since Igor left without giving proper goodbyes. The ones most affected by his sudden departure were Akeno and Asia. Neither could accept that he had suddenly left again without a word. Although they were told he would be back in a week, their grievances weren’t completely placated.

Shuri on the other hand fared somewhat better. She was not anxious about his sudden departure, but it was clear it did miff her.

Aurelia did however, see this as an opportunity. With Igor gone, the air between her and Shuri was somewhat tense. It was time that it was cleared up for good.

“Shuri-sama.”

Entering the living room, she went ahead and sat next to Shuri. It was already mid-afternoon and the children were in their room. With a wave of her hand, she erected a privacy barrier, something Shuri was able to pick up on.

“We need to talk.”

Rather than wasting pointless time, Aurelia felt it was best everything was done now. Without getting into needless pleasantries and lead-ups, she went right into the matter.

“I will be the first to admit it, Shuri-sama. I will never regret what I have with my lord nor will I give up on him. But…I will not be opposed if you were to pursue him.”

It was a conclusion she had arrived at ever since their return from the Underworld. Shuri cared for Igor, immensely so. When he was recovering from the injuries that came with assuming that new state, Shuri showed sincere care.

This nurturing moved Aurelia and finally, though very, very…very reluctantly, she arrived at this conclusion. She told herself she owed it to Shuri, especially since she was the one who got Shuri’s hopes up.

“I do not like it, Shuri-sama. But I understand the feelings you hold towards my lord are something that even time might find hard to era-”

“No. No amount of time will erase what I feel for him, Aurelia-san.”

Shuri quietly denied her words. But what use was it? Even if Aurelia was willing to compromise…

“But it doesn’t matter, Aurelia-san. As long as I carry the title of Baraquiel’s woman, he will never accept me. And I have…accepted that.”

Even if she divorced Baraquiel a hundred times over, he would never touch her because the man he respects was once her husband.

“Shuri-sama. I have a way to remedy that.”

“...”

.

.

Silence…

“?!”

.

AN

.

I’m looking forward to a fight between Atid and Igor. With how there’s no permanent death during war, I’m hoping for a complete no holds barred fight.

I also come with some news. On my page, you can now read up to five chapters ahead of everyone else instead of three. If you’re interested, check out my p.a.t.r.e.o.n under the name, HolyGambler.

Until the next chapter.