Chapter 57

"The three of you weren't enough. Bring thirty more."

Silence…

If the battlefield wasn't silent before, now it truly was. Even the observers hovering high in the sky quietened down at the blonde's arrogant remark. While some wore expressions of disdain and mocking, only three people had one of interest.

They were, Sun Wukong, Indra, and Shiva.

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|DxD|

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Indra didn't even bother to suppress the smirk on his face after hearing Igor's words. So impressed was he that he truly wanted to see how the blonde would fair were there to be thirty-two heavily armoured warriors after him. Although, he was quite sure the blonde could win, especially after Igor had released the power of a high-god class entity in his office. 

But furthermore, he heard from Sun Wukong that Igor apparently could become as strong as a peak-god class entity if given a minute to properly power-up. Although peak-god class entities were not worth mentioning to him, it was a different thing entirely if the one in question was a kid who's barely started growing hair.

Indra stared menacingly at Shiva, yet the god of destruction appeared to be ignoring him in favour of observing the blonde.

*Vein Twitch*

[Ignoring me again, I see. Hmph!]

On the other side, Shiva watched with a slight smile as the blonde challenged his army. Even though he should feel offended, he felt intrigue. But, Nandi, his chief attendant thought differently. The pale blue man instantly appeared next to him, his face the epitome of humbleness and respect.

Nandi was dressed in a black robe that had a blue sash tied around his waist. He also wore a black cuirass that had orange and yellow decorations. But his most interesting features were his scepter and the large halo ring around his neck. His distinctive pale blue skin was further enhanced by his long silver hair tied up in a bun, making him appear rather effeminate.

Yet for all his noble appearance, very few people know that he was both older and far stronger than Shiva. Furthermore, Nandi was an angel, an existence that serves to train and attend to a universe's god of destruction. Even though Nandi was more powerful, he remained a faithful attendant to Shiva, addressing him as lord and catering to his every need should his wife not be around. For millions of years, pale man had accompanied him through thick and thin, aiding him in matters that would normally be deemed too low for Shiva to personally oversee.

Just like now, the man had gone down to oversee the situation in Shiva's place and came back to report, his hands respectfully clasped together.

"My lord. This young fellow is lowering the morale of our combatants. Any orders, my lord?"

Although his attendant spoke as if he was concerned, Shiva knew he was more amused than anything.

"Give the boy the thirty warriors he desires to fight, I truly wish to see, just what is the extent of his powers."

Nandi nodded.

"As you wish, my lord."

And just like that, he vanished from sight. It did not take long before several powerful auras filled the battlefield. What followed next was the blonde's cackle and his power level doubling, bringing him into the realm of mid-god class.

It intrigued Shiva since he knew of Indra having a son that possessed the Boosted Gear, so his initial thoughts were that he was being remotely boosted by the sacred gear's [Transfer] ability. But that thought had barely lasted a single second before he had thrown it out. Even after a few minutes had passed, Shiva remained interested by Igor's ability to suddenly boost his strength with the only drawback being stamina consumption. Shiva knew of a few techniques that could do the same, but they usually required sacrifices or lifespan in exchange. But the god did not feel any connection of blessings coming down on the blonde or his lifespan decreasing.

In fact…

"His lifespan is increasing? Truly intriguing. Even the most powerful Aryans barely lived past their third century, yet his range is nearing the fourth. Such a divine technique, I wonder how he chanced upon it."

Yet for all the Kaioken's special properties, it was not relevant to him. It was a simple passing interest laced with a tinge of curiosity. If all Igor had going for him was this technique, Shiva would've most likely forgotten his existence by the end of the battle. What truly made Shiva pay special attention to Igor, even to allow the honour of his army to be sullied by sending thirty warriors against one person, is because Igor's physique impressed him. He could already tell even now that should his own warriors use the Kaioken at the blonde's current level (x4), they would not make it past the thirty-second mark. The technique was so ferocious that without a sufficiently strong body and enough stamina, a user could potentially kill themselves if they failed to meet the requirements of the technique.

But Igor could continuously maintain it without issue, his face showing absolutely no sign of exhaustion.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

Shiva watched on as the blonde attacked first, his body exploding in a burst of speed, agility, and power. The blonde was so elusive and his strikes so powerful that Shiva gave a nod of approval.

[A strong body. A healthy spirit. A fortified mind. A steel heart. Truly a rarity-]

"THIS IS FUN! FIGHT ME MORE!!!"

Su…BOOOM!

"..."

Igor proceeded to rush into the middle of the thirty warriors, fully taking advantage of the cramped space to diminish the use of their long swords. Shiva showed no intentions of sending aid to his troops that were clearly being pushed back by the slippery blonde. It was rather funny watching men who lived for centuries being pushed back. 

They were completely unable to touch Igor, proof that his combat instincts were completely out of this world. He moved like water through them, abusing his [Instant Vanish]* to the point that the soldiers were losing their heads over how he could instantly switch locations. The blonde could be aiming a kick to one warrior only to suddenly kick another warrior five metres away in the head. In a way, Igor's way of fighting was said to be suited for fighting against multiple enemies. For his foe, their combat capabilities were restrained due to how close their other companions were. Furthermore, due to there being over twenty of them, hesitation was commonplace since they could inadvertently harm their own comrades should they fully commit to an attack and the blonde dodges.

Su! Su! Su! Su! Su!

That annoying sound entered their ears again, followed by the sounds of armour being crushed and blood being coughed out. Igor was not lenient with them. All his attacks were aimed to kill. Already having felled over five of them, the blonde was far from satisfied and fatigue was something he would never feel for the next few hours, and that is only due to using the [Instant Vanish] technique.

Previously, Igor could barely use the [Instant Vanish] twice without being tired. Back when he was still high class, he needed to utilise the [Aura-Burning State] technique to break the limit cap on the [Instant Vanish] technique. But, the [Aura-Burning State] came with its own disadvantages, the main one namely being that it guzzled down the caster's ki to the point that they would barely even be able to form the simplest of ki blasts.

But with the Kaioken, the blonde got the best of both the [Aura-Burning State] and the [Aura-Flowing State]. His already incredible physique was greatly enhanced and the issue of the limited use of his [Instant Vanish] was resolved.

With a superior physique honed from decades of gravity training and a technique that allows him to move dozens of metres in moments, the blonde was an absolute thrasher that punched his way through the elite armoured warriors with his fists.

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AN

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1. He moved like water through them, abusing his [Instant Vanish]* to the point that the soldiers were losing their heads over how he could instantly switch locations

Explanation: Just a simple refresher. The Instant Vanish is different from the Instant Transmission. The former works on the principal of moving very quickly to a location at the cost of stamina while the latter is genuine teleportation.

As always, if you want to read ahead here's the link: p@tre0n.com/HolyGambler

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