"I do not hold any blame over you for the words you said. You told me the truth, a truth I chose to ignore for a long time. I burdened you with the same expectations as your predecessor and that is inexcusable."
His eyes dimmed once more to their natural blue colour.
Sigh…
When he still thought of the days where he called her 'auntie', he wondered how much he hurt her. He felt regret, yet his admiration for this woman rose to another level.
"You no longer have to worry about me. I've accepted the truth for what it is and I thank you for it."
.
|DxD|
.
Shuri felt like she was dreaming. Igor's eyes were undeniably tender yet filled with remorse. If it weren't for the sound of trees ruffling under the force of the wind, she would've thought this was a dream.
"..."
She didn't know what to say. 'Thank you'? 'I'm glad'? 'You're welcome'? What does one say in her situation? No matter what she said, it would come as unsightly or self-centered.
[Igor…]
All she could see in his eyes was acceptance. His gaze was clear without ripples. It no longer had that hesitation. He had truly moved on.
But…did she have the right to feel relief? Could she even dare to? She didn't know how to feel. At the core, her motivation for her choice was for him to see her for her, to not just be his aunt, but to be-
"Shuri."
"?"
The call of her name brought her out of her reverie. When her eyes regained clarity, she saw Igor looking at her with that stupid smile of his.
"I'm pouring my heart out and you're not listening to me? I'm really hurt by that."
"..."
Shuri was caught dumbfounded for a moment before she couldn't help but release a soft laugh.
"Fufufufu~"
It was a lighthearted jest, but Igor's mock anger served to lighten the air between them.
"I'm sorry. I'll cook you a nice breakfast if you forgive me."
"?!"
The allure of food made him forfeit even the tiniest hint of grievance.
"You have a deal Shu-…are you fine with me calling you by your name? I can call you 'sister' if you want."
"I don't mind if you call me Shuri."
She brushed aside a strand of her hair.
"You don't mind if I call you Igor-kun?"
His face scrunched up like a fist before he shook his head.
"Remove the 'kun'. It doesn't go well with my name."
"Fufufu~. Indeed it doesn't."
"..."
"..."
The two looked at each other before bursting out in light-hearted chuckles once more.
"Fufufu~"
"Hehehehe. Let's go home, Shuri."
"Yes. I'll trouble you to take me there, Igor."
Igor looked at her with a confused, yet amused eyebrow-raise.
"Can't you get there yourself?"
Shuri shook her head.
"No."
She took the initiative to place his hand on her shoulder.
"You brought me here. Take responsibility and send me back."
"Hehehe"
He chuckled as he tightened his grip on her shoulder.
"Women."
"Men."
"?"
Igor turned to face her, but Shuri's eyes remained facing forward. No matter what, she wouldn't turn to face him, though there was a subtle smile spreading on her face.
[This is a nice side to her.]
She had a good sense of humour.
"Fine. I'll take you back."
Su!
.
|DxD|
.
Shuri was alone once more in her room. This time however, there was a small smile on her face. Her mind flashed to her interaction with Igor. It was natural and blissful. Her smile bloomed like a rose when she thought of the laughter they shared over a silly joke.
"Fufu~"
She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The worry she'd been carrying for almost a week vanished like smoke. Igor not only accepted the truth, but also accepted her.
It was selfish…very selfish for her to think of this, but she couldn't ignore the chance this realisation brought up even if she wanted to.
[Perhaps? …no, Shuri. Just be happy with how things are.]
She pushed aside the dangerous thought and switched off the lamp beside her.
[Other things can be decided in the future.]
.
|DxD|
.
The moon fell and the sun rose. In a flash, a brand new day came. For others, this Monday signified brand new beginnings and it was not any different for Igor. Yet regardless of everything, old habits were not forgotten.
As always, Igor got up at the crack of dawn and commenced his daily meditation. His fight with Atid in the last war along with Nandi's impromptu session allowed him to get a further understanding of his limitations.
Now he just had to carefully document those limitations in his head so he would know what to train when he returned to the time chamber.
[I must get stronger.]
To reach the likes of Indra, he wanted to push himself. Because of the upcoming war, he could only afford to train for roughly five years in the time chamber. This time, he would place further emphasis on training his soul.
[I'll ask Nandi for the bell.]
He hated the Soul-Tearing Bell with a passion, but its efficiency could not be denied. Just one session and he felt the strength of his soul rise. The stronger his soul was, the stronger his perception, and the further he could rise in his level of Spirit Control. For the goal of achieving true unity with his body, he was willing to endure that bit of pain.
Igor meditated underneath his regular spot in Shuri's yard. His heart was calm without turbulence. A gentle white aura of ki flared like a gentle flame around him. On the outside, it appeared gentle, but only those skilled in perception would be able to sense just how quickly he was circulating his ki.
The speed was great and it only continued to increase. It was to the extent that despite his stringent control, some of it leaked into his divine strand, causing a slowly densening red aura of demi-ki to envelop his normal ki.
[My strength has increased by an estimated sixty-percent.]
Speeding up one's circulation of ki does increase their strength to an extent. Previously, Igor could increase his strength by fifty-percent before his ki would be enough to trigger his divine strand and produce demi-ki.
This was a testament to his increased control. The faster his ki circulated, the denser it would become. Controlling dense ki was hard and inevitably, some would diverge from the pathway into his divine strand.
To be able to increase his power by 1.6x before triggering the Kaioken might seem minor, but doing this would allow Igor to polish his control, pursue higher multipliers, and gain an edge in combat.
[Triny. How are you doing?]
In his mindscape, Triny hovered over the grass in a meditative pose. Her long blonde hair glistened in the sun, her olive skin reflecting its rays. Her eyes were closed in focus all while a black aura surrounded her.
"I'm making some progress."
Gruuuu!
Her aura exploded as if to insinuate that progress. Fortunately it was controlled so only a few strands of glass were torn apart.
In the real world, Igor marveled at the power he felt from her.
[What multiplier is that?]
{The tenth one. I feel I can go for the thirteenth, but it'll affect my control.}
[Don't rush. Take the time to learn the Aura-Flowing State properly.]
The Aura-Flowing State was a multiplier technique suitable for wielders of chakra. Unlike the Aura-Burning State, it did not rely on lifespan to be activated nor was it uncontrollable once executed.
Time continued to pass as Igor meditated along with Triny. For the next three hours, he utilised the Yin-Yang Breathing Method to continuously train his control. With each breath, he would flare his ki to its greatest intensity before withdrawing it once more.*
Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su
Igor could by now tell the time depending on the Sun. Just from feeling the intensity of its radiance, he knew it was around seven in the morning.
[I should take Akeno to school today. After that, I should go to the Underworld and find Souji.]
He knew sparring with the man would undoubtedly aid him in sharpening his perception. Speed was not his biggest concern at the moment. In short bursts, he was undoubtedly faster than Atid. His Instant Vanish allowed him to blitz towards a location nigh-instantly.
What he wanted to do was temper his perception, particularly his reaction time. He needed to be able to process the high volumes of information his body was delivering to him and sparring with Souji would fix that.
[Yes. I will find some time this week to go-]
"Big brother!"
.
AN
.
Time continued to pass as Igor meditated along with Triny. For the next three hours, he utilised the Yin-Yang Breathing Method to continuously train his control. With each breath, he would flare his ki to its greatest intensity before withdrawing it once more.
Explanation: It is unclear whether flaring ki and circulating ki are similar phenomena or not. We might get information on why there's such a difference when he perhaps enters the time chamber. With all this talk about ki-control, Spirit Control, perception, and whatnot, we'll maybe receive explanations for all of this.
Just a little tidbit, it was stated in chapter 17 that the faster ki circulates, the denser it becomes, thereby making the person unable to move. Though for that to happen, the user's circulation speed must increase by 100%.
As for Triny learning the Aura-Flowing State, I'm more interested in when chi is going to be mentioned. Since Igor has a demon, working to get chi should be possible now.