IMPORTANT NOTICE. PLEASE READ. NO SPOILERS.
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I'm aware of my unannounced hiatus and it's a fault on my part for not notifying all of you invested in reading my work. What I'm about to say is not an excuse, but more of a reason as to why I haven't been updating.
For the next three-to-six months or maybe more, I'll be studying for several certifications. I've already written two of them and thankfully passed. Now, studying and writing is too much for me to maintain. From this chapter onwards a month ago, I've been uploading only to my patreon. The chapters there were free to read for those who casually checked.
Again, it's a fault on my part for not respecting you as readers and not informing you of this. Uploading on four platforms was mentally tiring which caused me to only upload on patreon. At the time, I was both studying and writing at the same time. As it can be guessed, fatigue accumulated and I ended up taking deep naps in the middle of the day just to cope.
Eventually, I decided to issue a hiatus that would begin on February. I had plans to upload all the chapters to Webnovel, FanFiction.net, and RoyalRoad by the fourth, but something stupid happened. All my chapters are saved on my USB and I so happened to forget that USB when I left for another city where I'd study for the whole of February. My cloud only contained chapters up to 302 instead of the 316 I'd written by then.
Logic dictates I should've issued a message on all platforms I'm uploading to informing you of all of this, but I didn't respect you by doing so. For that, as cringy as some of you may find it, I apologize. My actions completely disregard the support you've shown me for reading this far. God knows how many grammar errors and subpar delivery you've had to go through. The delivery is wholeheartedly my fault, but I blame MTLs for corrupting my ability to spot grammar errors.
It is unfortunate I can't continue with the story for the next few months, but these certifications I'm studying for are needed if I want to advance any further in my field.
I hope you'll enjoy this batch of chapters. They officially bring an end to the arc and I trust some of you will enjoy the ending. Of course, the ending is only temporary. I'll breeze through these exams and bring you the next arc.
The Author's Notes (ANs) at the end of each chapter were largely kept the same. Only those relating to my hiatus were removed. Thanks for reading.
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|DxD|
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"Hahahaha~."
If he has Asia in his grasp, he can remotely control Igor into severing his ties with the Underworld. As long as he's careful not to go too far and remains meticulous in his steps, Zelefam was confident he could keep Igor underneath his thumb for the next twenty years.
"Oh how I love it when a plan comes together~."
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|DxD|
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Japan was home to many lush forests, particularly along the shoreline. Small rural villages completely separated from the government thrived through hunting, gathering, and fishing. The people who lived here were completely self-sufficient and lived like those from the old times with very traditional buildings.
Just a kilometre-or-so from one of these villages, Igor idly sat against a tree and waited for his sisters. He did not need eyes to see how they were flying towards him. They were low on energy, making it difficult for Akeno to teleport herself and Asia back home.
He had thought of teaching Asia how to use the Instant Transmission like him, but it would be immensely difficult for her. Mana was way,way,way less dense than ki, not to mention spirit ki. Just for her to flare her mana and tear a void in the Dimensional Gap would require reserves belonging to a Peak God-Class.
She could learn the standard Aryan teleportation circle, but that would require her to be a full Aryan, not a half-blood. Unfortunately, Asia was still a bit too weak to be inscribed with the inscription that would break the curse seal. High-Class was a hard requirement and no way would he let her use a random teleportation circle. Those things required a lot of mana and took time to prepare.
It was fortunate the flying speed of his sisters was fast. He made sure to train their physiques to margins beyond normal. At the speed they were flying, they'd probably cover those several-hundred kilometres in half-an-hour or so.
[Let's let that experience marinate in their heads for a bit.]
It was their first battle experience and Akeno had her first kill. Seeing someone die and being the cause of someone's death were very different things, but Igor knew his sisters were strong.
Akeno witnessed him rip out the hearts of the Himejima assassins and Asia witnessed the deaths of many people her sacred gear couldn't save. Both in their own rights were mentally strong enough to handle this. He believed in them.
[Should I get them some food? It'll be nine soon.]
His sisters definitely wouldn't be in the mood to hunt, but roasted whale should lift their mood.
[I hope that village sells salt.]
He wasn't in a rush to leave. He'd wait here for his sisters, bear their grievances, offer them some comfort, and then go out hunting. The multiple tsunamis Akeno caused were all stopped by him otherwise this village along with others would've been flooded before the tenth hour.
He cared not for the inhabitants of those places. He certainly wasn't a hero. He only saved them because he didn't want to overwhelm Akeno with the responsibility of causing multiple deaths.
[I'll have to teach them to disregard the lives of others. It isn't realistic to fight with the intent of limiting damages.]
In a brawl between two men, it is inevitable their boots would trample a few unlucky insects to death. At their level of power, humans were the equivalent of those insects. Trying to prevent wanton destruction of life is a noble goal, but making it a priority is a foolish ideal with the end result being death.
[Akeno will be easier to convince, but Asia will be difficult.]
His cute little sister offered a prayer to their enemy just before they left. She was very kind, but he needed to nurture a certain depth of ruthlessness in her.
[I'll see what I can do over the weeks.]
These things could not be rushed. He had to do it gradually, perhaps introduce her and Akeno to the scum of society. It was inevitable as their power rose, the status of weak sentient lifeforms in their hearts would be eroded. His only job was to increase the rate of that erosion.
For now though, he'd relax in silence. His sisters would arrive in a few minutes and congratulations were in order. Neither of them needed to feel bad about the loss of life. They were scum humans and scum devils---unworthy of his sisters' precious tears.
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|DxD|
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The flight was silent. For the past five-hundred kilometres, Asia and Akeno traded no words. They could sense Igor's aura in a town just a few dozen kilometres away. They'd get there in less than a minute if they kept up their current pace.
Their thoughts were transparent or rather, Akeno's were. She just had her first kill and Asia didn't need to be smart to know her bestfriend was affected by this. She herself didn't know how she'd feel if she ever took a life one day.
[I hope I won't have to…]
It was a naive thought. She was only eight, but she'd managed to grow some sense. Her big brother educated them daily on their worth without mincing words. As the younger sister of an influential person like him, it was inevitable she and Akeno would be targeted. When that happens, he expressed they should not hesitate in eliminating their opponent…just like today.
Sigh…
Sometimes, she missed her blissful life in the Vatican. She lived in a golden cage, but it was a golden cage of blissful ignorance. Only a year has passed since she left, yet it felt like she'd experienced ten years of life.
Right now, all she wanted to do was hug her big brother, maybe bonk him on the head for leaving them like that.
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|DxD|
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Su! …Su!
"..."
Igor stood up when he saw Akeno and Asia land just a few ways from him. Their pajamas were in tatters, but thankfully not to the level of indecency.
"You two did well. You dealt with a threat and swif--"
Su!
There was no hesitation. Leaving behind only a blur, Akeno swiftly launched herself into his embrace. Her arms latched tightly around his neck and her legs interlocked around his back.
She clung onto him like a koala, but there was nothing cute nor amusing about this sight.
Trickle…trickle…
Igor felt her silent tears on his shirt. Akeno was sobbing and he let her be. Everyone would process their first kills differently.
Sigh…
There went his plan of being casual about it. Sometimes he forgot his sisters weren't born in the Heavenly Realm. They fought so well and trained with such fervour he subconsciously treated them like the youth from there.
"Don't cry for him, little chick. His isn't worth your tears.
*Sniff* …*Sniff* …*Sniff*
Admirable. She was trying to keep herself strong. In a situation where adults decades her senior would've broke down or lost their minds, she still had the will to not collapse.
"I remember my first kill."
He gently brushed back her hair.
"I was fourteen and hunting for scrap metal to sell for food."
He chuckled at the memory, especially when he noticed Asia's disbelieving gaze.
"Some random guys came and wanted to steal the copper I found. I didn't want to kill them so I tried talking them down, but they wouldn't let me off. All of them pulled out their knives. It was clear they were willing to kill me for three-thousand Yen. You could only afford a CD with that money."
For a moment, his eyes darkened before they regained their light.
"They called me a poor-looking foreigner bastard, someone who wouldn't be missed even if they were to die."
Ironically, they were right. It was 1992, long before he met the old man. No one would miss him if he disappeared.
"When they attacked, I fought back and killed one of them. I still remember the shock I felt when my fist punctured through his chest. I froze on the spot and almost got killed by the others. In the end, I killed them all."
That "killed them all." was said with so much casualness it was frightening. Were a normal human to hear this, they would no doubt label him a monster.
"What I want to tell you is this, little chick. Be it the mortal world or supernatural world, death is everywhere, especially in our world. We can't live like normal humans. Our births and circumstances make it impossible. I'm an Aryan, you're a hybrid, and Asia wields a valuable Sacred Gear. Sooner or later, people would come and kill us. If we want to survive, then we have to be prepared to kill too."
He placed his finger underneath her chin, propping her head up so they could meet eye to eye. Her eyes were moist and red from crying. Her lips quivered, but she remained strong. The only thing she couldn't do was look him in the e--
"Look at me, little chick."
He softly kissed her on the forehead and gently rubbed her head.
"You did well to defend yourself and Asia. Do not regret that."
"..."
*Hug~*
Akeno hid her head in his chest and nodded against it
"M-mn…"
"And you too, Sia. You supported Akeno at a crucial moment. Your attack destroyed their attempts."
He walked over to her and ruffled her hair.
"Good work, little sister."
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AN
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Living in the Heavenly Realm has severely distorted this guy's logic. I'm still appalled at how he let two elementary schoolgirls face a dangerous threat with no support. He didn't break them in slowly, but directly threw them off the deep end.
At the very least, he could've interfered when he saw Akeno was about to kill that devil. Could've saved lots of unnecessary trauma. She's still ten for goodness sake! Some of us were still eating sand at that age.
It doesn't mean I don't understand his logic. I just can't casually accept it. Taking a life is traumatic and there's a high chance all of this could've gone wrong…if it hadn't already.