Igor didn't need to look back to know it was Baraquiel. He was just too tired to reply. His blood had mixed with sand to create a grotesque dark maroon pool that reached down to his heels. And with his safety assured, he finally let himself faint.
Igor closed his eyes and Baraquiel only sighed.
"Shuri will kill me for this…"
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|DxD|- Chapter 55- Shuri's Reprimand
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Kuoh Town, Japan
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"I love you~. You love me~. We're a happy family~. I love you~. You love me~…"
"...?"
Igor slowly came awake. His head was killing him and whoever was singing wasn't making it any better. His eyes opened and leveled with the ceiling. He recognised this to be the spare room downstairs. From how bright the room was, he figured it was somewhere around afternoon.
Heavy blankets lay on him and there was a faint smell of incense. Each time he breathed in, it reacted with his vitality. He was still far from mobilising it, but at least he wouldn't collapse again.
"Whoever's singing, please stop before I die. I can't take it anymore."
He spoke tiredly, unable to endure the nursery rhyme. Of course he knew it was Akeno. If it was Shuri, he'd obediently keep quiet.
"Mouuuu~! Says you who slept for…"
Akeno whispered beneath her breath as she counted.
"...one…two…THREE! You slept for three days!"
"Three days?"
Igor groaned and turned to his right side. A burning pain came from his wound, but he could endure. Akeno sat on the carpet with her toys before her. At the moment, she was cutely pouting at him. Igor would normally smile, but even breathing seemed difficult.
"Then why do I feel like crap?"
In that moment, Shuri entered through the open door with her ever-so-kind smile.
"Because when pointy things meet fleshy things, bad things happen, Igor. And those bad things last a long while~."
"..."
Igor fell silent. He knew that smile. It did not come with benevolent intentions.
"Hi…aunty…"
He kindly greeted, but Shuri did not reply. The air stank of gunpowder, and of course Akeno worsened it. The cute little lass turned and pulled on her mother's dress with grievance.
"Mama. Apu said he wanted to die because he hated my singing."
"?!"
Igor's eyes widened so much they almost burst. Nothing injected more vigour than a false accusation.
"I know, dear. But don't worry. Big brother was just playing with you. Isn't that right, big brother?"
"..."
Igor wanted to know something. How is it that her eyes were closed, yet it felt like she was glaring at him? Under her glare, he helplessly smiled and squeezed out his words.
"Yes, Akeno. I was just playing around. I think you sing very well."
"Indeed, little one. Now why don't you leave me and big brother alone for a bit? He has to take his medicine now."
"Okay, mama~."
Akeno quickly packed up her toys and left, leaving Igor to brave the beast alone. He wanted to call her back, but Shuri closed the door before he could.
"Now, Igor…"
Shuri pulled a chair by the dressing table and sat down. Igor swore the room got darker.
"When you left home that morning, you were well fed, healthy, clean, and had proper clothes. That very same day, you came back completely different."
Shuri opened her eyes. Her golden irises glowed like menacing flames.
"So please tell me. How do you come back with a torn stomach, a ruptured gall bladder, a sliced spleen, and a punctured liver? Hmm? How do you come back with a sliced major vessel and enough bleeding to feed a city of vampires?"
She leaned in and her voice lowered to just above a whisper.
"Or better yet. Explain to me how you got grade three corrosive poison so deep inside you it turned your organs into shrivelled bricks? Tell me. Because I really want to hear this story."
Shuri's words were sharp barbs that pierced into Igor. He didn't think it was that bad. He could only sigh, and Shuri immediately cut in.
"Yes. Take a deep breath. Take as many breaths as you need. Because I promise. We have all day and all night. And don't think you're getting a scrap of food before then. Do you understand me, Igor? Now talk."
"..."
Shuri was serious. Shuri was actually serious. Igor almost couldn't believe his eyes. That stern tone was not faked. She was…she was genuinely disappointed in him. And that hurt more than the blade.
"Well, Igor? I'm waiting."
Igor looked down. He no longer had the nerve to keep eye contact.
"Well…"
"I'm listening."
"There was this person…"
"Mhm."
"..."
"Why did you stop, Igor?"
"Aunty…the old man must've told you, right? He was there."
His voice was low and filled with regret. If only he was more careful.
"..."
Shuri sat up straighter and her voice turned unnervingly calm.
"Listen here, young man. Because I believe you're not understanding something. Just ONE of those wounds is fatal. Do you understand me?
"But I had fallen tears to help—"
"Igor!"
Igor felt it. Shuri's energy had spiked like a sudden wave before calming. Her eyes were closed and when they opened, they had a no-nonsense look.
"Do not fight, Igor. Do NOT fight me. I am TELLING you, not consulting you. Do you understand me? Yes or no."
"..."
"Igor?"
"Yes, aunty. I understand. I'll listen."
"Good."
Shuri tidied herself. Her momentary lapse had ruffled her dress.
"Here is what will happen. You will walk me through your actions from the fight's beginning to the end. Do not embellish. Do not obscure. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, aunty."
"Alright. Now, walk me through from the moment you began fighting."
Igor did not resist. He honestly spoke of what happened, uncaring for the pain plaguing him.
"I attacked him with my glaive—"
"I will stop you right there. Did you know anything of that man's fighting style? His skillset? Capabilities?"
"No…"
Igor's voice was low. He truly knew nothing of Liu Xin.
"So you knew nothing. Next. What is your current repertoire, Igor?"
"?"
Igor looked up in confusion. How was he supposed to respond to that?
"Since you're quiet, let me answer for you. You possess flight and speed. You have energy reserves that put you in the top percentile of Mid-Class. In fact, just in reserves alone, you are the closest to high-class. And you know what's more astonishing, Igor? Your regeneration rate."
She said the last sentence in a whisper. Igor's reserves of energy trumped any beast she'd ever seen in her life. Her husband alone praised him to the high heavens on his reserves. And that wasn't the most absurd part.
"Igor. If I release flames strong enough to burn this house down, it will take me fifteen minutes to passively regenerate that same energy. If you do the same, you passively regain that same energy in less than twenty seconds. If you combine all of that…—let me start from the beginning."
Shuri took a deep breath to cool down and adjust herself.
"When you meet an opponent you have no intelligence of, you do what is known as probing or harassment attacks. When that Liu Xin fought you, he kept his distance with a kusarigama, correct?"
"Yes, aunty. He used that chain and sickle to keep away from me."
"He was probing you. Different people have different methods. There's weaponry like throwing knives. There's summons, spells, puppetry, and many others. What is the intent? To probe the opponent to gain understanding of them. What you should've done, Igor, is take to the skies and keep launching energy blasts. That is all you should've done. You have superior perception skills. That's more than enough to feel out your opponent. In fact, it would've been enough for you to END the fight. Do you understand me, Igor? Yes or no."
"Yes, aunty."
Igor replied firmly. This was important advice he once did not pay extreme attention to. Now, he took it seriously.
"That's good. Now carry on."
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AN: Woah. Shuri ain't playing around. She giving blondie the business. Bet he won't act so stupid again in the future. Kiting for the win.
Chapter 55
END