He was hungry, but not to that extent. It wouldn't be the first time he tried eating someone after all. Now that he thought about it, maybe Triny would be tasty.
"Just give me an arm!"
"Nooo!"
"A finger?"
"Waaaaa! Leave me alone!"
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|DxD|
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Time Chamber: Four Months Later (1 year and 9 months after entry)
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Time passed peacefully in the time chamber. To Igor's dismay yet still within his expectations, he would be unable to train for a few more months. The damage to his ki veins, particularly those in his left arm had gone far beyond his threshold.
Thankfully, no permanent damage was done and he'd soon recover, especially with the help of nature energy. He couldn't produce it in his body, but Triny could in their shared mindscape. All he had to do was…nothing. Some of the demi-ki he passively generated would be diverted by her into the mindscape and in return, his body would be baptised by nature energy.
For the past eleven months, his body has continuously been washed with nature energy. Besides boosting his healing rate, there weren't any benefits worth mentioning. Perhaps it did help with his lifespan, but the Kaioken he passively maintained achieved the same effect, though he wasn't using it for now.
If he truly wanted tangible benefits, then he'd need enough nature energy to enter what they both called the Origin State. Alas, his veins were too damaged to support that kind of power for now. He knew if he tried, his withered veins would burst apart. Channelling just enough nature energy to heal himself further was already his limit.
Since he was in a state of decommission, he'd decided to focus his attention on Triny, particularly her training on the Aura-Flowing State. He was no chakra user, but his insights from the Kaioken were able to help the little lass a lot.
The only disadvantage to the Aura-Flowing State was the lack of ability to use any sort of non-physical attacks. Triny could not release flames, manipulate the earth, or even shape the chakra in her hand. The flow of chakra was too fast for her to grasp it. She was only left with punches and kicks which admittedly, were quite strong.
Igor wasn't sure if there was a Kaioken-equivalent for demons, but he reckoned Triny just needed to improve her chakra control to the point that even in the Aura-Flowing State, she'd be able to use other techniques.
During this time, Igor also chose to brush up on his knowledge. He recognised what he did was far too risky, even for him. The throbbing pain in his ki veins was a constant reminder of how close he was to permanently crippling himself.
If that happened…he didn't want to think about it. He'd made a lot of enemies over the years. Too many people wanted him dead. One did not need a strong imagination to guess what would happen.
So when he wasn't overseeing Triny's training, he was reading a book on all the energy systems. Expanding his knowledge might help him further his Spirit Control or perhaps enhance the quality of his demi-ki. Who knew? He just had to buckle down and read a few more books.
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|DxD|
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Of the four months that had passed, Igor spent the majority of the last month in the library. Triny joined him a few times since she also needed to read up on a few techniques and theories related to chakra. But most of her time was occupied with training.
Igor rarely oversaw her progress. The difference in the type of energy they used made him unable to help her in many aspects. Nonetheless, he continued to guide her where needed while also submerging himself in knowledge.
What he did find out in his studies was at the moment, it was impossible for him to obtain chi. This was all because he had activated his divine strand. From the moment it was activated, he had been soldered into the path of ki.
Every trace of his ki would contain trace amounts of demi-ki and overtime, those trace amounts would increase until eventually, his ki would completely transform into god ki. His only hope of possibly obtaining chi was if he unlocked god ki, but that was still a few years away.
Initially, such a process was supposed to take a thousand years, but because of the Kaioken and the Demigod State, a massive chunk was taken off.
Igor vaguelly felt if nothing happened, he'd be able to attain god ki in a hundred years or so. If he continuously used the time chamber, that could translate to less than two years.
But that goal was unfeasible since it required him to constantly keep either his Kaioken or Demigod State active. It was easy on paper, but it was insanely hard for him to do so. The subtle changes to his mental state was not something he could resist even under meditation.
Just like hunger, channelling his demi-ki activated his instinct to fight. The longer he went without a fight, the more irritable he'd become until eventually, he'd turn into a mindless beast that craved battle.
Thankfully, continuous usage of the Kaioken over the years has allowed him to maintain a two-times multiplier without significant change to his mentality.
Theoretically, he could squat in the time chamber for the next few months until his time for training with Shiva would arrive, but that would interfere with his plans of training Asia and Akeno. At the very least, he wanted them to gain the power of Low Class before he left some time around next year.
It was times like these he wished he had the Soul-Tearing Bell. With it, he was confident he could increase his soul strength which would undoubtedly help him in fighting against his instincts.
As his level of Spirit Control increased, the fusion between his soul and his body would also increase. This would make him more in-tune with his instincts, which would conversely affect him negatively when it came to the Kaioken and Demigod State.
But alas, Nandi denied him when he asked for it, with adequate reasoning too now that Igor thought about it. Nandi could heal his soul with a touch of his hand, injuries that could take years to recover from.
Regardless, this didn't 'suade Igor from trying to study methods of controlling his inherent aggression. He remained holed up in the library and continued reading. If Aurelia saw this, he was sure she'd be immensely surprised.
But what could he say? Some things just couldn't be ignored forever. Putting aside the issue of attaining god ki, he also needed a way to control his full-powered state without losing his rationality. He was sure Nandi and Shiva would help him with this in the future, but that didn't mean he couldn't start now.
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|DxD|
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Time Chamber: Three Months Later (2 years after entry)
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The farther one ventured into the time chamber, the more perilous the weather becomes. From scorching desert temperatures to blistering arctic cold, few could bear such treacherous conditions.
If one chose to venture even deeper, they would find the weather would change sporadically. Searing heat, strong winds, and blistering cold---one could experience everything within a day. If one still chose to venture further, they would steadily encounter an increase in gravity.
The gravity would increase as one ventured further in along with a deadly increase in weather intensity and variety. Hailstorms were not uncommon. A tornado could form out of nowhere.
Venture deep enough and you'd encounter weather so hot it'd be hard to breathe. Remain long enough and the temperature would drop to margins so low every breath would feel like a stab to the lungs.
The ones who can withstand this are few. The ones who can function somewhat normally are fewer. The ones who can fight in such conditions are a distinct minority.
In gravity levels easily surpassing Earth's by hundreds of times, in sporadically changing weather that could shift from flaming hot to drop-dead cold, the ones who could shrug all of it off were a cut above the rest, the elite of the elite.
Right now, two monstrous entities were about to engage each other. To them, hurricanes felt like a breeze. Temperatures exceeding the norm weren't qualified to even be listed as an inconvenience in front of them. Gravity easily eclipsing nine-hundred only served to make their hair droop a little lower. Nothing more.
Two blondes: one short, one tall, yet both exuded power many envied. The air was dense with the radiance of nature energy. Steady golden auras covered their individual forms like a blanket.
Over the months, Igor found a solution to his problem over his instincts. The solution was right at his fingertips---nature energy. Pure nature energy brought peace and could balance out some of his more destructive urges.
It was why he took to learning more about it as quickly as possible, even going so far as to further temper his control over the mystical power. The results after months of training and meditation showed themselves.
No longer was his body covered by tribal markings. The markings just barely stretched below his forehead. A pure golden aura surrounded him, a result of nature energy effortlessly synchronising with his ki.
Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su
When he opened his eyes, they were golden-yellow in colour like the afternoon sun. His entire demeanour gave off a sense of gentleness and peace, but that could swiftly change in an instant.
GRUUUUU!