The uncontrolled energy circulation resulted in energy discharges that caused explosions in the air. Windstorms occurred around them, their arrival caused by their immense energy. As the skies darkened at the impending formation of thunderclouds, two massive golden domes of energy blazed.
Fortunately, before anything untoward happened, the both of them reached a silent consensus to stop.
"Hehe~."
Releasing their grip from each other, Igor chuckled lightly.
"You're strong."
.
|DxD|
.
Igor was not stingy with his praise. What he said was the absolute truth. Ever since he returned from the Heavenly Realm over a month ago, his strength had increased considerably. From his ten years in the time chamber to merging with Triny, all of those events had made his strength soar.
Even now in his current state, the nature energy coursing through him multiplied his power ten times over. For Atid to withstand his current power like this meant his old friend didn't slack off during this month.
"Did you think I'd remain behind, brother? I can never rest when you have that artifact of yours."
"Heh. Says the one who wields the Boosted Gear with them. Is Old Ddraig still giving you pointers?"
In that moment, the gauntlet hidden beneath Atid's sleeves released a bright green glow.
"My partner endeavours to surpass you, Dimori. It is only rightfully so that I provide him my full help."
"..."
For a brief while, Igor looked at Atid with a look of envy.
"If only my partner was like you, Old Ddraig. Unlike you, my partner's an old hag."
{HEY!}
"She yells all the time."
{I DON'T!}
"And she wants to eat me for some reason."
{Come here and say that to my face, meanie!}
Expertly ignoring his tenant, Igor could only woefully lament at the severe discrepancy between Ddraig and Triny.
"..."
On the other hand, Atid grew a concerned look when he heard his words.
"Igor. Did you…did you steal a sacred gear?"
'Stealing' was putting it mildly. Very few sacred gears had sentient beings sealed in them…and all of them would have hosts in each generation. As far as Atid knew, Aryans were unable to naturally gain sacred gears.
As in, none of them had ever been born with a sacred gear.
"..."
For a moment, Igor looked at Atid in confusion.
"Wh…what?"
The statement was such a complete curve ball that his brows were completely furrowed in confusion.
"Steal a sacred…why are you aski-why would I even do that?"
"Pardon my partner, Dimori. His initial conclusion was that since you claim to have a partner, you must've stolen a sacred gear with a being sealed inside them like myself."
"..."
*Blinks Once*
*Blinks Twice*
"What?"
He just stared at Atid.
"No no no no no. What?"
It was then that the shock settled in before it turned to disbelief.
"Come on, Atid. I'm many things but I'm not scum, you know? Sheesh. You should've asked."
He crossed his arms as his words faded into grumbles.
"To think he'd think I'd steal a sacred gear? Tch. Makes me wanna beat him up now…"
"..."
Vein Twitch!
If it were not for the fact that they were brothers who had gone through wars together, he would've slapped him to death on the spot. Who did he think he was grumbling about beating up? He was tempted to activate his Juggernaut Drive and splatter his head against the ocean floor.
Calming down his turbulent thoug-
"...then he'll call me grandpa."
"..."
Vein Bulge!
"YOU-"
"Calm down partner."
Ddraig had no choice but to calm the situation otherwise those two would get into a fight again. It's fine if they fight in deserted regions. But if they fought here, then there's a chance they might cause a tsunami. They can handle it but those coastal towns might not.
No. It was best he brought about a change of topic.
"Dimori. Will you be able to tell us who your partner is?"
"Hmmmm…"
Slowly, Igor's eyes grew dazed for a moment before they regained their clarity.
"Yeah. I can do you one better."
He stretched out his hand.
"I can show you who she is."
"..."
Atid looked at Igor's hand. Ignoring the strangeness of the markings, he was tempted to fling him towards the ocean for his earlier insult. But he calmed down and grabbed his hand with a huff.
"Alright. I'm interested in seeing who has enough tolerance to stomach being your partner."
"Hehehe. You're going to be pretty surprised, brother."
.
|DxD|
.
For Igor, it was a very simple matter to bring someone into his consciousness. With his attainments in Spirit Control, allowing another party into his mindscape was easy.
As Atid appeared in Igor's mindscape, his attention was brought to Igor and a very young girl standing shyly at his side. Her hand was enveloped in his, her other hand holding onto his trousers. For a moment, Atid was convinced that if he took a step forward, this little lass would hide behind Igor's legs.
"..."
Idly, he looked around for some other entity. He half-expected to see some giant creature like Ddraig. But when he turned back towards the duo, his gaze focused on the girl who immediately shivered and hid behind Igor.
"..."
Did Igor like them young? Because he could feel absolutely nothing from this girl. And contrary to belief, Igor held very little mercy for unrelated people. So if this girl was a ghost of sorts that had a tragic death, that was nowhere near enough reason for him to merge with her.
The only thing he could conclude was if his friend had weird tastes.
"..."
Vein Twitch!
For some reason, Igor felt the desire to beat up Atid rise. He didn't like the way he was looking at him. If it wasn't because Triny would not let him place even a metre between them, he'd definitely go and punch that weird look off his face.
Unfortunately, he could only squeeze out a smile and introduce the little lass.
"Brother Atid. Meet my partner. Her name is Triny, but most people know her as Trihexa."
"..."
Atid.exe stopped responding.
.
|DxD|
.
Ddraig was an old dragon. A very old dragon amongst his kind. He possessed knowledge that most of the supernatural world did not possess. As such, when he saw that little girl, he froze completely.
To a certain extent, dragons possessed a connection to nature. It was why their magic was so strong in the first place. Because of this, he could clearly sense the immense power the girl had. She was simply an unending well of energy.
But nothing compared to when he heard Igor introduce her.
[Trihexa?]
If it wasn't for his old age and strong mental stability, he would've long since fainted from shock. Remaining steady as an old dog, he gazed at the meek little girl, her disposition not matching the stories he knew of.
"Dimori. I am not doubting you, but it is hard to believe-"
"That she's supposed to be a monster and stuff? I know. But stories never tell the whole thing. To you, Old Ddraig, this is Trihexa, the Beast of Apocalypse, the Bringer of the End Times, and all those other fancy titles. To me, she's just Triny. Her favourite hobby is sleeping. She's shy in front of strangers, but becomes something else when you get to know her."
"..."
As if proving the point, Triny's grip on Igor's hand tightened. She was scared of Atid who was staring aimlessly at her.
Soon enough, Atid seemed to regain consciousness. Giving Triny one last scrutinizing look, he eventually sighed in disappointment.
"Brother Igor. When you said she was Trihexa, I half-expected to see a giant beast with tentacles. Not a five-year-old girl."
"She's older than that."
Atid waved him off.
"Whatever. Five, five-thousand, five-million, I don't care. To me, she looks more like your sister than some world-destroying monster."
"..."
For a period of time, there was silence before Igor burst out laughing.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Laughing until tears came out he crouched down and ruffled Triny's hair.
"You're right, brother! She's too cute to be some monster."
"..."
Unknowingly, Triny smiled. Although she still remained behind Igor, she felt warm when Atid said she wasn't a monster.
[Maybe…maybe he's good.]
.
|DxD|
.
It had been a while now since Igor and Atid began flying to Japan. After coming out of Igor's mindscape, Atid had informed him that war preparations were ongoing and that this Sunday, there would be another clash between his father and Shiva.
Not finding the news detrimental in any way, Igor invited Atid over to Kuoh for a quick stay before they departed later today.
As it was, Atid flew silently alongside Igor. However, while his expression was serene, his mind was in thought.
[Ddraig. Did you feel her power?]
Somehow, he couldn't sense Triny's power, but he knew it was this exact same power that almost obscured Igor's. To his senses, she was a hazy mist that he couldn't get a reading from.
[Partner. Her power is comparable to those of true gods.]
Slightly, Atid's brows rose.
[Supreme class?]
It was surprising and he almost doubted it. But he knew Ddraig ever since he was a small child who could barely run without stumbling. His partner wouldn't joke about matters like this.
[Yes, partner. I verified it personally. She may not show it, but she certainly does possess the strength. However, I suspect she does not have access to her full-power at the moment.]
[Any guesses why?]
[I have a guess. I suspect that her true body is still sealed away and what we saw just now is her conscious.]
[...]
Atid silently pondered his words. If that was indeed just the consciousness of Trihexa, then it would make sense why he didn't feel much from her. According to his father, Trihexa is supposed to be an entity on par with the likes of Great Red and Ophis.
No matter how much a powerful entity tries to hide their aura, they cannot hide their immense pressure.
[I wonder if Igor will try and find her body.]
It was a silent thought he had. He was deeply curious to see a full-powered Trihexa in person.
[Now I'm curious on who's the strongest between Trihexa, Great Red, and Ophis.]
If all three of them fought in a battle royale, it would be the battle for the ages.
.
AN
.
Thank you for taking the time to read. I hope you enjoyed, and until the next chapter. Things are starting to look up and you could see the plot ahead along with my patrons should you wish.