"Don't be disheartened, Igor. Diehauser is a man of his word In fact, he can help you. So tell me. Are you interested in senjutsu? I know someone who can help."
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|DxD|- Chapter 98- A Clash Of Generations
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In a room, sweat dripped on planks of wood. A finger held up a mountainous body of muscle. Feet pointed to the ceiling, held midair like an unmoving tree. All was balanced on one finger, and not a frustrated grunt escaped him.
Black hair was wet with sweat. It hung loosely like cropped vines. Eyes remained closes and a face remained calm. It was only when a sharp buzzer went off did the youth finally drop to his feet.
*Thump* *Thump*
He grabbed a towel from a bench and wiped his sweat. When he put it down, violet eyes were exposed. A white vest and blue trackpants, it was a simple and practical attire for training. This training space was small and sparse. Only a few mats and heavy tools populated it. But it was within these walls that he climbed his mountain and surpassed all his fellows.
Sairaorg Bael, sixty-four years of age, and this generation's strongest devil. Decades of training in the harshest conditions he could find had pushed him to this level and would push him further. His power was earned, and would continue to be earned. Fast or slow, he would grow, but he wouldn't reject more efficient paths.
Sairaorg glanced at the wall. It would soon near late morning in Japan. A week ago, the Belial patriarch had approached him with the strangest offer. He had to spar with a human. In exchange, the Belials would support him in becoming the next clan heir.
The offer itself was suspicious, but Diehauser was not well-liked among many traditionalist noble circles. And since he too was not liked, Sairaorg was willing to give the benefit of the doubt and venture to the meeting location.
*Sniff* *Sniff*
"Maybe after I shower first."
He made his way to his bathroom and quickly cleansed himself. It gave him time to think and plan about his next moves. Once the next millennium began, he considered finally amassing a peerage of those like him: rejects who were cast aside because of matters beyond their control.
He showered quickly and got out dressed in simple black attire. He fastened his jacket as a magic circle spawned beneath his feet. His view shifted to the endless ocean and blue skies. Three men were before him, but his eyes locked on the blonde youth. He felt…strange.
"Sairaorg. A pleasure to see you again."
"Lord Belial. I've come to honour our agreement."
He replied committedly. This man could elevate his position and spare him years of effort.
"I'm happy you did, Sairaorg. Come. Let me introduce you to your partner."
Diehauser flew aside and gestured at Igor.
"His name is Igor and recently became High-Class. He's quite strong so don't underestimate him."
Diehauser then introduced Sairaorg to Igor.
"This here, Igor, is this generation's strongest devil. He's been in High-Class longer than you so give it your all."
He clapped his hands and gave them space.
"That's all, you two. You're not enemies. You're sparring partners. So without further ado, please begin."
Sairaorg glanced at Diehauser, then at the strange man next to him. He couldn't feel that person's power, but he was undoubtedly strong if he could stand as an equal next to Diehauser.
"Hmph."
He didn't think about it further and got into a stance. His opponent was also High-Class. Human or not, he wouldn't underestimate his foe.
"I am Sairaorg Bael. May I get your names?"
Igor bore no disdain and got into a stance too.
"My name is Igor von Dimori. Let's fight well, Sairaorg Bael."
"Heh~. Took the words right out of my mouth. Let's fight well, Dimori."
A dozen metres above the waves with the endless skies as silent watchers, beneath the morning sun, two men closed the distance between each other with a resounding clash.
*Pa!*
A sharp crack echoed. The waters parted and met violently. A shower flew up like mist, cooling the men locked in position.
Igor had his fist caught in Sairaorg's palm. Similarly his left hand held Sairaorg's fist away from his cheek. It was a quiet struggle, yet both gained an appreciation for their power.
"Hhup!"
Igor tucked in his body and dropkicked Sairaorg in the stomach. It was blocked, but he used that momentum to space several metres between them. His hands glowed with orange balls that he flung. They flew in a pincer motion and Sairaorg daringly dashed between them.
He charged forward between the attacks and escaped their encirclement…narrowly. Because behind him, the two balls met and exploded in a devastating fashion. Power flowed in Sairaorg's body and he burst away with speed, outflying the blast's velocity.
Igor rushed forward with a spinning orb in his palm. It was small, but the power within was the opposite.
Sairaorg chose the most ruthless method. He clenched his fist and the bones creaked with demonic energy. He brazenly met Igor head-on and roared out.
"Raaaa!"
*BOOOOOM!*
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|DxD|
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Sairaorg had trained from an early age. When his peers engaged in debauchery, he trained. Night and day, snow and rain, neither made a difference. Once rest was complete, he trained regardless of weather.
This perseverance not only gave him strength, but unfathomable stamina and endurance. He did not tire and did not relent. He could fight at full might without rest far longer than deemed possible. His peers barely lasted an hour with him, a telling of how much further he was than them. In the same generation, Sairaorg held little expectation of finding a peer. Perhaps that remained true in the Underworld. But on Earth, he finally had someone who could keep up with him.
"Hahaha! Again!"
He ripped his shirt from his body and let it fall to the violent waters below. Bruises and burns covered his body, but his fighting spirit burned harder than ever.
Igor silently hovered above. He was down to a torn t-shirt and pants. His coat had been consumed by the watery depths some time during the past three hours. Sairaorg was a difficult opponent, and that only made him have respect for the man.
"Hehe…"
Igor stretched his hands and fired a volley of energy blasts. Many were as large as footballs. Some were the size of apples. Hidden beneath those were blasts the size of seeds.
Sairaorg swatted and dodged his way around them. Each swat placed his demonic energy against vitality. This strange energy had a suppressing effect on his power, but it only made him more resolute.
Explosions rang like a grand symphony. The ocean could not tolerate it and erupted in rageful waves. Sairaorg was beyond a blink. He couldn't even be seen. Only the points of impact where he swatted them showed shockwaves.
He circled around Igor, and then burst forward with speed so fast he vanished. He was a flicker that appeared right above Igor.
*Su!*
Igor also split the air and vanished. Right above Sairaorg, an orb the size of a wall rapidly spun and condensed into existence. Its piercing thrum was like the whirring of gears.
"Haaaa!"
He threw it down, and Sairaorg turned around just in time to catch it.
"Nnnghaa!"
Sairaorg grunted in surprise. The power behind this one was far above what he expected. He was pushed down into the waters where he quickly sank beneath the sphere's force. A hundred metres, two-hundred, three-hundred, five-hundred, he sank without end. The orange glow had faded beneath the all-encompassing blue. The waters still bubbled and steamed from the heat and the air was scorching hot.
Moments later, an explosion rang. A pillar of water towered hundreds of metres into the air. Waves formed and spread everywhere like blooming flowers scattering their seeds afar.
At the epicentre, everything was white. The flash was so powerful it was blinding. When it faded, it left a glimpse into the abyss. A large circular drainage had formed in the ocean's depths. It was dark at the bottomless canyon. It only lasted momentarily, yet the sight lingered in Igor's mind.
The waters clashed together like soil filling its own scar. The next seconds passed in eerie calm. Igor found he couldn't sense Sairaorg's energy, and that was concerning for only two things could've happened. He either died, or…
"?!"
Igor's chest tingled. And then…something horrifying happened. Igor didn't see it—didn't even perceive. All he felt was a world of blinding pain. Something had caved his chest and blasted him into the distance like a bullet.
*Fuuuuuuuuu!*
He was so fast white columns of water formed a wall at his sides. His altitude lowered, and another pain bloomed on his back. His shoulder hit the water's surface like it was concrete. It slowed his momentum, but his body rolled forward and slammed the waters like a ragdoll. Arms, knees, spine; each strike on the water was a damaging impact, but each knock brought back his consciousness.
"?!"
Igor righted himself and used his feet to skid on the ocean's surface. Plumes of white vapour rose all around him as his momentum slowed. The walls grew lower and lower until his figure could finally be seen.
Igor slowed to a halt and finally fell on his knees atop the surface. He coughed out blood and bone fragments that had lodged in his airways. His chest cracked as vitality gathered to heal it. A fist-sized hole had torn through his shirt and caved his chest. Truly, whatever Sairaorg used, it was astonishing as it was powerful.
The seconds trickled and Igor weakly got to his feet. One punch, just one, brought him to ruin. He wiped his mouth of blood and looked at the man who'd appeared before him. White aura glowed around him like mist. Sairaorg was worse for wear, but he stood proudly.
"That was a nice shot, Igor. You packed a lot of power into that little blast. I'd be worse than you if I didn't pull out my touki."
Igor smiled for he couldn't speak yet. He raised a finger to signal a moment and Sairaorg laughingly responded.
"Hehehe~. Sorry about that. I got too excited and forgot to hold back. You'll be fine, right?"
Igor nodded. His chest slowly inflated with crack after crack. Sairaorg didn't attack and waited as the seconds turned to minutes. Igor had given him a lot of surprises. What he thought would be a waste of time actually turned out to be a fruitful venture. Now, he was too reluctant to stop.
"How about this, Igor. I'll stop my touki and we go back to fighting. Is that fine with you?"
Igor motioned for Sairaorg to pause. His throat bobbed up and down, and soon, he spat out a glob of blood.
"Five minutes…"
Igor's voice was raspy, but Sairaorg heard everything.
"Wonderful, Igor! I'll give you five minutes then. I'll wait right here."
Igor chuckled. Sairaorg was brighter than Issei being promised a treat. This five-minute contract, whether he wanted to or not, would end with a second round of clashes. But this time, Igor would repay the favour of that one punch.
AN: I wonder when we'll see Valerie. Because last I checked, this was a DxD fanfic. I haven't seen one lick of breasts thus far and its concerning.
Chapter 98
END