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"My intentions have never been hidden, Baraquiel. From the very moment I first met Igor, I wanted nothing more than to study him. His vitality is a conundrum I have full intent on solving. I cannot do that if he is hunted now, can I?"
"Then our goals align. I hope we can work together, Diehauser."
"Naturally. The Ariyans were unfairly targeted. I do not intend to let the last one be killed."
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|DxD|- Chapter 74- The Peak
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Time Chamber, 2 Years Later, 4 Years Since Entry
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Low-Class, Mid-Class, High-Class, Ultimate-Class, and God-Class: all were considerable chasms that required evolving in both body and mind to surpass.
When he became low-class, he was ten years of age. At the brink of death, his mother reached out and with her strength, he clawed back to life, finally taking that crucial step towards being part of the supernatural.
Three years later, as he understood his burden and the cruelty of the world, both hammered a strong conviction that manifested itself as a strong desire to avenge his fallen clan. And so he became mid-class. Seven years later, he stood at the very edge of a new chasm.
Deep into the recesses of the time chamber, Igor bore the ever-changing weather. Chilling cold became searing heat at the flip of a coin. The wind was so loud and forceful it slapped against his ears. Through it all, Igor remained standing, unyielding as a rock.
His eyes were closed and his head was lowered. His fists quietly clenched at his sides, emboldened by a very faint sheen of golden energy surrounding him.
Igor could not say how long he'd stood in this very spot. Days ago, he'd reached the absolute peak of mid-class. At twenty, his body rippled with strength and power that could defeat his sixteen-year-old self.
His spirit was like an egg ready to hatch. A spark, a single crack was needed to rupture the shell and release the baptism of energy that would evolve him to a higher level. But…what could it be?
His pool of body and soul energy was full. But to mix the two in his mind, he needed a strong tether, something to pull the conflicting energies into one union. For this, he was all on his own. None of his ancestors at his age had vitality. They all trained in spirit nurturing after decades and centuries as powerful magicians.
It was frustrating for Igor because in the many hours he'd been here, he was no different from a blind man moving aimlessly through a maze.
"What, am I missing?"
Igor muttered through gritted teeth. He had complete insight into his own body. From the depths of his soul to the tips of his fingers, everything was at a hundred percent. He'd been extremely careful with balancing his life and training. He'd taught himself to accept his life and adapt and for the last two years, he'd done exactly that. So why, despite fulfilling every requirement, did high-class still seem farther away than before.
Vitality responded to his turbulent emotions. It whined to life from its faint smoky haze to a brightening blanket of fire. Golden eyes opened fearlessly against the wind. Its aggressive brushing garnered no blinks from the simmering blonde.
Igor looked ahead with intense focus. His eyes did not see the grey, but a grand canyon with a chasm so wide and so deep it was impossible to jump across. To reach the other side, to touch high-class, he had to trigger an explosion that would send him across.
The heat of battle, a moment of grief, a spark of insight—something heavy was needed to trigger that jump. Another option was to take it slowly and scale down the canyon. It was the natural path, the guaranteed path.
Another ten, twenty, maybe thirty years, he'd make it to the other side. He'd live for five-hundred years. Becoming high-class would happen in his sixties at the latest.
"..."
The thought wriggled its way into his head. Patience was a virtue and he could accept being patient. If he hunted two more people on Liu Xin's level, it'd only be three years in the real world, and that's only at the most. Maybe he'd only need one more hunt. The family would understand. High-Class was never easy. Even Shuri was only mid-class despite being in her thirtie—
"DAMNIT!!!"
*BOOOM!*
A hellfire of vitality exploded around Igor in a towering blaze. Hundreds of metres became a scorching zone of golden light. He was the eye of the storm and his eyes simmered in fury.
"I'm not doing that. I'm not waiting that long!"
If he had to let his body naturally evolve to high-class, then what about ultimate-class? God-Class? How long would he have to wait to reach those levels of power?
"No. I have to try."
The whistling blaze slowly calmed, but the pressure remained. Eyes of gold held a strong persistence. He did not have the luxury of waiting for a natural evolution.
"I have to find a way."
His fists did not relax and his eyes did not falter. His ancestors did not have a path for him, so he'd forge one himself. His life was already one of defying fate. He'd done it before, and he'd do it again.
"No matter what."
He promised himself, because that was all he could do to find solace. He had to reach high-class. Too many people, too many lives counted on him to do so.
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AN: I don't know if this is universal, unique to Ariyans, or just unique to Igor, but I never really quite expected something as simple as High-Class would have such intense requirements. I always saw High-Class in the show as 'meh'. Now it's here being made out to be some big deal. Personally, it's not really sitting well considering Issei went from normie to High-Class in weeks if I remember right. So either High-Class is a big deal or the Boosted Gear was just that broken.
Chapter 74
END