The drive to school was long, but the days until Igor's return shrank. The 14th of February was a date Shuri and Akeno firmly kept in their hearts. Her daughter wanted to see her big brother. And she only wanted to see her little boy. Her only hope, was the time he spent did not change him too much.
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|DxD|- Chapter 84- Absolute Power
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Time Chamber, 9 Months Later, 15 Years After Entry
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The Dimensional Gap was home to the most powerful of beings, the great dragon gods who were concepts given form. They resided in this space between realities, a realm where there was nothing but a devouring force that sought to reduce all things to nothingness.
The Dimensional Gap—it was as dangerous as it was…
"Beautiful…"
Igor uttered beneath his breath. Never would he have imagined, that the time chamber was never in a secluded world, but in the Dimensional Gap. It was a grey carpet, a flat world domed by the ever-expansive realm of nothingness.
It was beyond his wildest thoughts. He'd flown to the deepest depths of the time chamber, determined to see where the end truly lay before he departed. It was upon seeing the end did he only realise why the chamber's weather became chaotic the deeper he went. It was the influence of the Gap.
"To think the Dimensional Gap was like this…"
Igor looked around, protected by a blazing amber aura. The Gap was truly as he'd learned. It was not a dark space like the universe, but a mix of colours blending together like liquid. It was a picturesque painting no artist could conjure, for everything was formless with no pattern.
Igor saw a chunk of rock as large as an island float by. It was but a jump away, yet he could not tread beyond the chamber's boundaries. He stood at the very edge of the grey, where a casual glance revealed an infinite drop into pink and red.
Igor sighed and slowly floated off the ground. There was a subtle throbbing in his soul, a reminder for him to not go too far. The time chamber was linked to him, and abandoning it would be no different from cutting himself in half.
"Let me feel this nothingness."
The Gap was as merciful as the desert heat on a cube of ice. Its ruthlessness to the body was well documented. Only a film of energy could endure this erosion.
Igor stretched out his hand. Years of training had strengthened the skin so much not even the chaotic lightning of the chamber's depths could bring him harm.
But lightning could be explained. Nothingness could not. Igor was confident in his strength, but not arrogant that he'd shed all his vital energy. He slowly pulled back the aura haloing his arm. It retreated until it was no more, hidden just beneath his skin.
There was no gathering of energy or anything else visible. Igor only remained in the air, and what began as a pin prick rapidly spread across his arm. He saw no energy. Only his skin attacked by an invisible acidic intrusion.
"It's…melting?"
He couldn't find the words to explain it. If his skin was water, then the energy was tiny little mouths drinking it sip by sip. There was quite some pain, especially around his fingers.
A blaze of vitality enveloped his arm once more. It began healing and new skin slowly formed over exposed flesh. Igor watched with subtle fascination. Even the strongest flames could not burn without leaving a trace. A reaction would always occur. Yet even with his senses focused on his arm, the skin had been taken clearly. There was no ash, no smoke—nothing to explain what happened to it: as if it ceased to exist.
"Concepts are really strange."
Igor chuckled to himself. He was still very, very far from reaching the realm of gods. Reaching Ultimate-Class before he turned two-hundred would already be a very fortunate thing.
"Alright, Igor. Experiencing it is enough. Don't seek to understand what's beyond you."
What he did know, was that his training had truly paid off with interest. Gravity training was a godsend. It pushed his body so far he needed to take healing baths again, something he hadn't needed in over twenty years.
Pushing his body to the brink again and again brought an intense pleasure that ignited a strong will to fight. He, unfortunately, could not yet withstand the gravity in the most extreme depths with his body: needing to use his vitality to stand where he stood, but that only brought a feeling of anticipation.
"Should I…"
It would soon be time to leave. The hourglass would empty soon. A sudden thought had entered Igor's head, and only expanded with each second he entertained it. The Gap was endless, its mysteries no different. Even if it was only fleeting, he wanted to "see" the energy. And the best way to do so was to tap into the highest union of the soul and body.
The thought took root and Igor acted on it. His eyes closed and amber danced around his body. The minutes trickled, and that amber was slowly subsumed by silver wisps of mercury-like aura. The aura was a symphony of soft wind chimes, pleasing to the ear.
Igor perceived the Gap at his highest state of perception, and what he sensed had him tremble so much he opened his eyes on instinct. His energy drained, but it paled to the sight he saw.
Two colossal titans, ghostly dragons who could not be measured in scale, were fighting an endless battle. He was naught but a germ to them, for they were infinite illusory figures entangled in a never-ending war.
There were no words to describe it. It was simply colours against colours, black against red, concept against concept. Their power held no equal, for their aura was infinite. The Ouroboros Dragon and the Dragon of Dreams, even without their physical presence, their mere energies engaged in a never-ending battle for influence. It was but a shred of their power, and it made Igor sweat.
"I'm nothing…"
He muttered as he exited the silver state. The silver drained from his eyes, yet the shock still remained. The strength he was so proud of, was absolutely nothing before the titanic energy he sensed. The Dimensional Gap was nothingness. Perhaps once upon a time, it was nothing more than an empty black space. Because what he saw moments before, these clashing colours all over, were the energies of the two beings occupying the void.
To "fill" infinity—Igor could not fathom it. The Great Dragon Gods truly deserved their title, because before them, he was far less than a blip. His little vitality was nothing to this.
"Hehehe…"
He chuckled in disbelief. He knew the path to power was long. But this? This?? If he were an ant and gods were towering elephants, then the great dragons were vast mountains. Because he could see himself reaching Baraquiel's level, but not fill the endless void with his energy. That was…that was too much to ask for. It was beyond him, beyond anything he could ever hope for.
"Sigh…"
Igor turned back. Beneath his awe was a blow to his stride. A part of him regretted doing such a foolish action. Ignorance was always bliss. Why did he foolishly go and seek knowledge?
"Don't be too down, Igor. Just reach the level of gods. That's all you have to do. Anything else will come in stride."
The words were meant to calm himself, but they didn't fully sink in. The shock was still too strong. Perhaps he'd calm in a few days, but his worldview would never recover. What top ten? Great Red and Ophis were in a realm of their own.
Chapter 84
END