Before Cleria could even begin to decipher why she didn’t feel any connection with him that would signify their connection, Masaomi shot up from the ground like a spring, his power overflowing. It was like an uncontrollable surge that even pushed Cleria back.


    There was a mix of gold and blue aura surrounding him like a cloak of flame. It was a phenomenon that Cleria had never seen before.


    But before she could process that phenomenon, another thing happened.


    Tswii!


    Igor appeared.


    .


    |DxD|


    .


    Igor appeared with an aura much…much more powerful than Masaomi’s. The pressure he released alone would’ve been enough to send shivers into anyone. But now, his aura was mixed with a very cold killing intent.


    The gulf between them was so wide that Masaomi’s presence seemed nonexistent in comparison. If Masaomi’s dazzling display of releasing his power was awe-inspiring before, now he seemed to appear like a candle in the wind. The unconscious exorcist continued to release his power, yet Igor aid no further attention to him. As far as he was concerned, his job had been done.


    The blonde turned towards Cleria with a dark expression on his face.


    “Sister Cleria. Do you know where Aunty Shuri and Akeno are?”


    The blonde went straight to the point without bothering to offer any greetings. As for what was happening with Masaomi, he held no interest. The moment he was tagged as a friendly, Igor no longer paid any heed to him. His only goal was to find Akeno and Shuri.


    Cleria was silent, visible confusion and shock on her face. Looking at the bright red aura covering Igor, she never once expected in her life that the blonde would grow so much in strength. She could still vividly remember the fight he had with Baraquiel. He was certainly not this strong. She was quite rightfully stunned for a while, but she eventually managed to bring her head in gear.


    Shaking her head, she replied to Igor’s question.


    “No. I only just got back from the Underworld so I have no clue where they might be.”


    While she wanted to ask what was wrong, she had enough discernment to know that right now was not a good time. Just the powerful killing intent the blonde was emanating was enough to tell her that something was wrong.


    So she held her tongue while her mind raced to put the pieces of what had happened during her departure.


    [My peerage and I were called over to the Underworld for our monthly report over two weeks early. This is already odd since there is rarely a case where my entire peerage and I had to go. My familiars can manage the town barrier in our absence, but they aren’t proficient enough in wards to detect the subtle breaches in the barrier. So someone from the Underworld colluded with outsiders to infiltrate Kuoh. But to attack the church? No. If that was the case, then Dimori-san wouldn’t have come back.]


    Cleria’s thoughts were running at hundreds of miles a second. Theories and several prognoses were sprouting in her mind like weeds. In a single blink, several different theories had arose and been swept to the side. Her mind was working overtime to make sense of the current situation.


    Cleria had long since had the ability to observe and theorise many things since she was a child. It was a talent that was fostered by her natural cat-like curiosity. It was also because of her deduction abilities that she was chosen to become the overseer of Kuoh.


    So it was no surprise that in less than the time it took to draw two breaths, she eventually came to a conclusion which, if true, terrified her.


    [Kuoh was infiltrated in my absence. Masa-chan and his squad were attacked, most likely as collateral damage. Dimori-san suddenly appears in a rush and is asking for the locations of Shuri-san and Akeno-chan. Then…the Himejima? But this doesn’t make sense! But that’s also the most likely conclusion. If it is, then…?!]


    Cleria looked up at Igor, sudden concern visible on her face.


    “Dimori-san! Are you here for-”


    GRUUU…Suuuuuu!


    Unfortunately for Cleria, the blonde had no time to dawdle. The moment Cleria revealed her lack of knowledge on the whereabouts of Shuri and Akeno, he decided to take things into his own hands.


    He was so focused that he hadn’t even heard her words before he powered up and ascended into the skies. He flew up for only a few hundred metres before he stopped. While Igor did want to go the forest and search there, he had a better idea.


    Now that he was in Kuoh directly, he would be able to sense the location of Akeno and Shuri, even with the barrier in place. He couldn’t use this method when he was in the Vatican due to how far he was. But now that he was here, it was a sure-fire way of finding Shuri and Akeno even if they were inside a barrier. His method may be a little violent, but it would work.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Breathing in, Igor gathered his ki before spreading it out…violently.


    FUUUUUUUUSH!


    If he wasn’t blatant before, he certainly was now. His ki was so violent that an audible ‘BOOM’ sound was released. Igor spread his ki far and wide, his energy shattering every single barrier it came across. He didn’t care that due to his stunt, numerous windows of several homes were shattered. As long as his ki was powerful enough to shatter any and all barriers, it was fine. And shatter them it did. It wasn’t long before his senses stumbled across a signature he hadn’t felt in a long time.


    Despite having separated for a few years, Igor would never forget her signature.


    [Akeno!]


    Placing his fingers to his forehead, he wasted no time and vanished.


    Tswii


    .


    |DxD|


    .


    Akeno was hiding behind a tree in complete panic. Her wing was mangled and visibly burnt while her forearm was bleeding. Yet the little lass didn’t make a sound, not even a choked sob. She was terribly unlucky. When she flew away, she just so happened to fly towards the direction of the hunters who were chasing after her.


    Inexperienced and caught by complete surprise, one of the hunters from the Himejima clan managed to attack her with a fireball. If she hadn’t blocked with her wing, her body would’ve been burnt in its place. She was able to glide a bit further with her slowly burning wing until a sharp object pierced her arm, which caused her to lose all control and crash into the forest canopy. She had curled her body up and fell onto the forest floor. But despite the pain, her sense of self-preservation overwhelmed her desire to scream.


    Her dress was in tatters and her left wing had lost the majority of its feathers. Her body was covered in bruises and her lip was busted. As much as she wanted to cry in pain, her current situation didn’t allow it. Akeno pressed her back to the tree, her feet not moving in the slightest for the fear of upsetting the forest litter and creating a sound. She didn’t even dare breathe too loudly for the fear of exposing her location. Her mind had been locked in survival mode, copious amounts of adrenalin flooding through her body. Were it not for it, the knife wound on her forearm might hurt a lot more.


    Currently, she could only hide in panic as she heard the sounds of leaves being crushed beneath feet. A myriad of different emotions were going through her head. Fear, shock, and sadness were the most prevalent.


    But the only thing she wanted now was…


    “Papa…”


    She desperately wished Baraquiel was here to stop these people from hurting her and her mother. She didn’t know why they were after her, but she wanted it all to stop. Even now, she could hear their footsteps growing closer.


    “?!”


    She only realised her mistake too late. Her subconsciously calling for her father was more than enough for hunters with enhanced hearing to find her location.


    And find her they-


    FUUUUUSH!


    A terrible shockwave passed by that made everyone stumble. Even the hunter that was next to Akeno was unable to remain standing properly. His dagger that was aimed for Akeno’s throat shifted and hit the trunk of the tree.


    “Tch! You won’t be lucky twi-”


    *Crunch!*


    Silence…


    “““…”””


    There was absolute silence. One of the hunters fell to the ground and with his fall, Igor was revealed with the man’s still-beating heart in his hand.


    Badump…Badump…


    Kazuhiko watched with a calm expression on his face. He felt no remorse for the death of his clan member. He felt nothing from Igor but because the blonde looked no older than fifteen, Kazuhiko didn’t put him in his eyes.


    He calmly looked at the blonde.


    “Who are-”


    “Die.”


    Su!


    *Crunch!*


    The next person to die was Takami who was discreetly setting up another ward. The blonde felt the sudden shift in the ambient energy and immediately took him out. Igor offered no preferential treatment. If the subordinate had their heart ripped out, so will the boss.


    Kazuhiko watched with widened eyes as his brother’s lifeless corpse collapsed towards the ground. Takami died with his eyes wide open and two streams of blood trailing down his mouth. With how horrified his expression was, it was guaranteed he would become a lingering spirit.


    Unfortunately, Igor did not care for him. Looking at Kazuhiko right in the eye, Igor gripped Takami’s heart tightly before crushing it in his fist.


    *Splatter*


    The blood covered his face and stained his coat, dying it from blue to red. Streaks of blood spread across one half of his face, yet not once did he blink.


    All this time, he maintained deep eye contact with Kazuhiko.


    “You will all die here.”


    “...”


    Kazuhiko’s expression gradually turned maniacal, his anger bubbling through his skin.


    “Kill him! KILL HIM!!!”


    Kazuhiko drew his sword and was ready to fight the blonde to the death. He had no idea just how outmatched he was.


    Su Su Su Su Su


    *Crunch!* *Crunch!* *Crunch!* *Crunch!*


    Igor treated everyone with equality. Everyone had their heart ripped out of their chests. He was extremely fast, barely leaving a blur. He did not care for pleas nor for last words. Even when he got to Kazuhiko, he didn’t allow the man one last speech before punching right through his chest and grabbing his heart. With the same emotionless expression he showed in the beginning, he ripped out his heart and crushed it.


    Kazuhiko had no strength to speak. Unfortunately, he had enough oxygen in his brain to witness. Igor offered the man no respect. Even when he killed Kazuhiko, he did it like he was taking out trash, not even bothering to dignify the man by looking him in the eye. Discarding Kazuhiko like trash, Igor vanished again in order to reap the lives of the rest of the hunters, not even deigning to give the man a second glance.


    Akeno barely had any time to process everything before the sounds of hearts being ripped out rang all around her along with the screams of several men. Yet that barely lasted a few seconds before the forest suddenly quietened down.


    Akeno had covered her ears and crouched down on the floor. Her eyes were closed in fear, the crunching sound of a chest being punched through and the squelching sound of a heart being ripped out terrifying her. She didn’t know what these sounds were, but she was terrified of whoever caused them, terrified that they would kill her too.


    Yet, Akeno had already lost strength in her legs and was paralysed by fear. The entire ordeal was far more than what her nine-year-old brain could process. The fear she felt and the potential death she would face all served to overload her brain and send her body into shock.


    She could already feel that someone was in front of her, yet she dared not open her eyes. But that was until she felt a hand gently pat her head. Furthermore, despite having covered her ears, she heard the nickname she thought she would never hear again from a voice she would recognise anywhere.


    “Little chick. I never thought we would meet like this.”


    .


    AN


    .


    If you’re interested in reading ahead, here’s the link:  <u>[email protected]/HolyGambler</u></a>


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