“B-Baraquiel?”


    She was nervous now. The man seemed to be lost in thought until he turned towards her with a grave expression on his face.


    “Alicia. I sincerely apologise for leaving like this. But a serious matter that requires my attention has arose.”


    He then turned his head to the side.


    “I…I’ll come back.”


    Without waiting for her response, he vanished right in front of her.


    Su!


    .


    |DxD|


    .


    Baraquiel did not hope for much when he appeared. His only hope was that this malevolent energy he felt all the way from Cuba had nothing to do with his family. The fact that he felt such a burst of energy coming from Kuoh was what made him leave Alicia in the first place.


    But when he appeared outside his home, his heart tightened when he found the door left open.


    “No…”


    He could see the signs of the lock being tampered, the trampled grass indicating a group of people had been there. Far off in the distance, he could vaguely feel Igor’s energy coming from Kuoh, and it was terrifying. The fact that he could ‘feel’ the blonde’s anger served to make him tremble at the reasons why. Turning back to look at the open door, he desperately hoped his fears wouldn’t come true.


    But it was also then that he noticed something, something that made his anxiousness shoot through the roof.


    “The barrier…”


    He could not sense the barrier around the house or the one around the forest.


    “I should’ve received a notification.”


    Baraquiel frantically began rolling up his sleeves. If he indeed received a signal, then there would be a slight burn on either of his forearms. It was a more archaic method of linking a barrier to one’s senses, but it was the most reliable. But he felt that reliability was false when he suddenly froze in his tracks.


    Right there on both his forearms, two blue lines had formed on his skin and appeared to have been tattooed there. His heart leaped to his throat when he realised the barriers had done their jobs.


    But unfortunately…


    “SHURI! AKENO!”


    …he was in such a lust-induced haze that he did not feel the magic sear onto his flesh. Or rather, he confused that tingly feeling he felt all over his body for Alicia’s ministrations. The fallen wanted to slap himself on the face for such a misdemeanor, a brief momentary haze that could potentially cost him the lives of his wife and daughter.


    Running into the house, he began scouring every single room. He was frantic with clear panic on his face. Everytime he kicked down a door, he held hope that somehow, he would find his wife and child huddled together. But there was also a deeper fear that he would find their mutilated corpses.


    When he finally burst into Akeno’s room, a small sigh of relief escaped his mouth when he found clear signs of them having escaped. Dashing forward, he peered out the window, and the destruction he saw made his eyes narrow into pinholes.


    A large part of the forest had been completely destroyed. Like a gaping wound, the once lush woodland had turned into scattered parts of uprooted lumber, torn branches, and rubble. Even more, Baraquiel could feel the remnant malevolent energy coming from the vicinity. It was like a hazy mist that made him subconsciously tense, his instincts warning him to be wary.


    He gripped the windowsill, his instincts screaming at him not to get closer.


    “Damnit…”


    Jumping through the window, he spread his wings and flew towards the place. A trace of cold sweat covered his brows as the atmosphere grew dense. The remnant traces of killing intent, malevolent energy, and absolute power made Baraquiel feel like he was flying through water. He was not sure what happened for there to be so much killing intent in the air, but as he got closer, he felt all those thoughts vanish without a trace when he saw what he never hoped to witness.


    His eyes widened in his disbelief as he increased his speed.


    “No no no no no. It can’t be…”


    Su!


    Like a bullet, he rushed forward and landed in the clearing with wavering steps…because right in front of his eyes, was the corpse of his wife.


    “Shuri?”


    His heart lurched as he took a few steps forward.


    “Shuri!”


    He rushed towards her and collapsed on his knees, his arms reaching out to cradle her corpse.


    “Shuri!!!!”


    He hugged her corpse and began giving faint taps on the cheek.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    “Shuri wake up! Wake up!!!”


    He began shaking her vigorously, his anguished screams filling the clearing.


    “SHURI WAKE UP! PLEASE!!!!!”


    But it was to no avail. Her cheeks had long since paled and wounds that would be gushing blood had slowed to very small drips, the signs of clotting already beginning to show. Her once boisterous heart had quietened and there was no trace of her soul in her body.


    His lips quivered as the undeniable reality set in.


    *Drip* *Drip*


    He hugged her tightly as tears streamed down his cheeks.


    “Shuri…my wife...”


    He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that the person he had been with for over a decade had left him like this, killed nonetheless. Her limbs were broken like a dog’s, her once noble appearance reduced to dying in rags. It was an undignified death, an undeserved ending and worst of all, it was his fault.


    Baraquiel looked into the distance with budding rage in his eyes.


    “Himejima…”


    It was not hard for him to guess with all these clues. There was only group that would want Shuri dead. And judging from the massive power he felt from Kyoto, Baraquiel guessed Igor knew too. He could feel a faint trace of the blonde’s presence in Kyoto. The power he felt made him evaluate the blonde as just slightly above high-god class, not even close enough to pass the legion of gods the Shinto Pantheon has.


    He truly wanted to let Igor destroy the clan, maybe even join him. A sick, twisted part of him wanted to let the blonde destroy the Himejima. Very few knew of the relations between them and if need be, he could deny it in the future. It was sick of him to have such grief-induced thoughts and he knew it. As a cadre of Grigori, Baraquiel knew he couldn’t afford to exact vengeance without endangering his family and he shared too much of a good relationship with the boy to let him die.


    So with a defeated voice, he muttered.


    “H-he can’t. Not yet…”


    It pained him, but neither he nor the blonde could afford to go up against the Shinto Pantheon. The fact that he could not avenge the murderers of his wife hurt him deeply to the core. But sadly, this was the reality for him.


    So gently laying Shuri’s corpse on the ground, he spoke to himself.


    “I must stop him.”


    He felt like a waste. Even in his grief-stricken state, he could feel the power the boy wielded far surpassed his own and could even contend with Azazel’s. But as powerful as Igor was, Baraquiel knew he would not be able to contend with the myriad of deities in the realm of god class, especially not with their pseudo-immortality.


    So with a resigned gaze, the fallen stood up.


    *Crackle* *Crackle* *Crackle*


    Streaks of black lightning formed around him as his power gradually rose up. In his period of training, Baraquiel did not get much of a strength increase. Although he was only able to move from low to mid-god class, his focus from the beginning wasn’t on gaining power, but on obtaining speed. With his specialty lying in lightning and being a more close-quarters fighter, improving his existing abilities was more optimal than seeking methods to his increase his strength.


    And as a result, he was able to evolve his golden lightning into black lightning. Not only was his attack power increased monumentally, but his speed far eclipsed his previous capabilities by a tremendous margin.


    Su!


    Bounding off from the ground, Baraquiel vanished in a streak of lightning. Although his strength was only in the mid-god class, the cadre was confident his speed alone was unrivalled in the realm of god-class.


    Right now, his goal was to retrieve the blonde and escape with him as soon as possible before the Shinto Pantheon responded.


    [Please stay alive, brat.]


    He had already lost Shuri and he was unsure about Akeno. He did not want to potentially lose the boy who reminded him so much of his first student. With that determination in mind, he streaked across the skies and had almost reached Kyoto when he saw a pale figure, a figure that Baraquiel dared not have any thoughts on blitzing around. With his very iconic robe, pale blue skin, and his scepter, the fallen immediately stopped in his tracks after recognising Nandi, the attendant of Shiva.


    The angel had no presence. With that ever-small smile on his face, he appeared like another kind person in the wide supernatural world. But Baraquiel knew that even Nandi witnessed slaughter, he would still maintain this same smile.


    And right now, that light smile was directed at him.


    .


    “Ah, if it isn’t the Lightning General himself. How long has it been, Baraquiel?”


    Baraquiel didn’t dare be disrespectful in front of him. It did not matter how sad or panicked he was. One wrong word and his life would be forfeit.


    So, controlling his rampant emotions, he replied respectfully.


    “I believe it has been four-thousand years, Lord Nandi.”


    The angel chuckled lightly.


    “Please. Remove the ‘lord’.”


    “...”


    Baraquiel dared not address Nandi with his name directly. Even if it has been four-thousand years, he still felt a great instinctual threat when he faced Nandi. There were no known tales of his power, only speculation. But even rumours have their basis in truth and one fact was known, the one who served Shiva would never be weak in any regard.


    And he certainly wouldn’t stop him without reason.


    “Please tell me what you need from me?”


    “Ah, yes. You may have guessed it Baraquiel, but I am indeed here to stop you from reaching the son of Dimori.”


    “...”


    It was slight, but Nandi sensed the faint hostility emanate from Baraquiel, which caused him to laugh.


    “Hohohoho~. Fret not, Baraquiel. My lord harbours no ill-intent against the boy. And, even if I did let you pass…”


    Nandi made a gesture with his hand and the faint power Baraquiel felt from Igor suddenly multiplied exponentially. It made the power he felt before seem like a complete joke.


    The power Igor had was…


    “S-supreme class???”


    It came as a complete shock to him that the blonde would suddenly come to wield such power. The wave of oppression he felt made him hold a faint trace of hope that maybe, just maybe, the Himejima would not get away with it. But as he drowned in Igor’s power, he suddenly remembered that there existed people like Susanoo, a war god who would have no problem cutting down the blonde.


    His fists clenched as apprehension fueled his determination to take the blonde away even more. But like mist in the wind, Nandi gestured with his hand and the power faded away back to what it was before.


    He then waved his finger like he was denying a child.


    “Ah ah ah, Baraquiel. I can sense your thoughts and unfortunately, I still cannot condone your passage.”


    Baraquiel was about to protest when Nandi offered a subtle glare which immediately caused the cadre to fall silent.


    “...”


    Giving off a light smile, Nandi continued.


    “Even if I did let you pass, do you perhaps think you could stop him, Baraquiel? He is in quite the foul mood and I dare presume outside interference would not receive a warm welcome, even from you.”


    He couldn’t respond. The power he felt from the blonde far eclipsed his understanding. Forget him, even Azazel and the whole of Grigori would fail to stop him. His power was just that monumental, so monumental that Baraquiel feared how powerful the blonde would become if given a few years, years that could be used to get stronger and exact proper vengeance without fear of retaliation.


    Sensing that Baraquiel would continue to remain silent, Nandi decided to speak.


    “Rest assured, Baraquiel. Nothing will happen to the boy. Perhaps you should best make use of this time by visiting your daughter. Akeno, was it? Her temporary residence should currently be in the homestead of the Belial’s daughter.”


    “...”


    Baraquiel knew to take a hint when he saw one. He was being dismissed in quite the kindest of ways. Even if he had the power, he would not fight when he received news of his daughter, especially when he just received confirmation that the blonde would be alright.


    So nodding his head lightly, he spoke.


    “Thank you.”


    Su!


    .


    AN


    .


    If you’re interested in reading ahead, here’s the link:  <u>patreon.com/HolyGambler</u></a>