He landed just a few measly metres above the tunnels. Unlike the detection magic, the magic barrier protecting this entire place was enough to deter God-Class combatants. For such a remote location, whoever developed it was exceedingly cautious.
Regretfully, he never had the intention to end their lives so easily from the beginning.
"Humph."
BOOOOOOM!
.
|DxD|
.
Deep in the tunnels, flood lights barely dangled on the ceiling, held on only by the strength of the wiring. Electric wires snapped violently and the stench of burning "fish" and plastic could be smelled in the air from all the short circuits happening at the same time.
One moment, everything was normal. The next, a disaster far worse than an earthquake assaulted the underground facility. Thick steel beams placed like arches to support the roof now lay bent and fallen. Entire tunnels had caved in and were filled with rubble and sand.
It was normal instinct to panic, and that very panic gripped the entire stronghold. Officers in riot armour were shouting orders and uniformed workers hastily carried them out. Hundreds of children— both naked and in rags, were fastened together in neck-chains and ushered into multiple delivery trucks with brute force, all while important personnel in scientist robes and suits were swiftly escorted by soldiers in tactical gear into armoured vehicles.
In this complete pandemonium, everyone had the thoughts of abandoning this facility and escaping through the only tunnel remaining…except the children.
Most of their eyes were hollow with cold emptiness. Some had grievous wounds. Others had burns while others showed signs of recent scars from boiling water. Extreme cases like missing limbs were all too common and it was clear—the people in this facility were responsible for their injuries.
Torture would break the spirits of many and though danger existed, their instinct to live had long since been ripped, burnt, boiled, or torn out of their prepubescent bodies.
"Hurry up and move the cargo! This place can't hold on any longer!"
A tall veteran in blue tactical armour barked out orders whilst holding a rifle. His white hair was particularly striking along with the scar on his eye. He was the key organiser who oversaw the evacuation of the researchers, investors, and the 'cargo'. Despite this facility's imminent collapse, he still maintained enough rationale to deliver instructions.
"Where's the stupid bastard I sent to check on the blocks!?!?"
"S-Sir! It was me! I-I-I come with a report!"
A young lad in a blue worker's jumpsuit came before the man and lowered his head in respect.
"Speak!"
"Y-Yes, sir! We've secured the researchers and the Sacred Gear Extractor! The cargo from locations 'A' and 'B' have been secured and we a-are ready to depart."
The man didn't reply immediately to the boy's words. His eyes narrowed at the workers responsible for securing the cargo here at location 'C'. His subtle glare prompted them to throw the children into the trucks faster and close the doors quickly.
*Bam!* *Bam!*
"A-All done, sir!"
"Yes! All done, s-sir!"
They offered shaky salutes, but the veteran no longer minded them. He cast a quick check of his surroundings and when he was satisfied, he raised his hand and yelled.
"All personell! MOVE OUT!"
The roars of trucks and cars started and under managed cohesion, they neatly drove through the tunnel, carefully merging with the vehicles from the other tunnels. The man got into his own Jeep and followed behind the convoy.
A cargo ship would be waiting for them at the end and his thoughts were currently on how to report to his superiors. The collapse of this facility was unexpected, but he knew they'd bark at him nonetheless.
This much movement was bound to attract attention despite their remote location, but he held some hope their people in the Australian government would buy them some time.
[This whole situation seems too unnatural.]
He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one up. None of his subordinates in the jeep dared to say anything, even if the smell bothered them to no end.
The tunnels were filled with the sounds of different vehicles. Flickering lights lit up the road and for a moment, it seemed this would be a peaceful drive. They were far enough from the epicentre that this part of the tunnels wasn't under risk of collapse, but the man's thoughts on a peaceful and swift evacuation dimmed when traffic steadily came to a standstill.
"Useless idiots..."
He placed the cigarette between his fingers and gripped the walkie-talkie with his other hand. He lowered his head to the miniature radio before it touched his lips. His voice was low, but it was just as threatening.
"You better tell me what the fuck is going on before I decide—"
"{S-sir! We…we've encountered a problem.}"
"..."
A deep breath was taken and veins bulged in the process. The man's grip on the radio tightened before he barked into it.
"Speak directly soldier! WHAT! IS! THE PROBLEM!?"
"{Y-yes, sir! It's a young man and girl, sir! They're blocking our way and…o-one of them is…is Igo—}"
"THEN CAPTURE THEM YOU IDIOT! THEY MUST HAVE SACRED GEARS!"
There was absolutely no chance two children could just chance upon this facility. The only possibility was if they were sacred gear wielders. Even if they were responsible for the collapse, as long as their sacred gears were disabled, they'd be no different from normal humans.
He almost drooled at the prospect of what sacred gears they might have. Perhaps it might be the Boosted Gear or Divine Dividing. Perhaps one had the Dimension Lost gear. Whichever it may be, only those with Longinus-grade gears would have the guts and capability to come here.
[Let them play hero. I'll extract their gears firs—]
"{*Puchi!*}"
"..."
His thoughts were cut off when he heard the distinct sound of flesh being pierced through the radio. The change of events was so sudden he didn't even know how to react. He was three kilometres away from the front and needed to know the situation.
Amidst the nervous gazes of his subordinates, he grabbed the radio and yelled into it.
"Talk to me! What happened!?"
Silence…
"Squad one! Talk to me! What happened!?"
Silence…
"Squad two! Assist squad one immediately! Squad three will provide backup!"
Silence…
"Squad two! Squad three! Status report immediately!"
.
.
.
Silence…
There was no response…no noise. Strangely enough, no other squad called in to report. What was more unnerving…was the silence.
"?!?!"
Only now did the commander notice. In this entire area, only the sound of the stationary vehicles existed. As for his subordinates…
"?!"
…even the ones on his Jeep were silent. When he turned to look, they were frozen like dolls, their eyes widened as if they were seeing something he couldn't see. He leaned over to check the driver, but the person in question seemed to be frozen like ice. His grip on the steering wheel was tight…too tight.
"What is—"
"When I first came here, it was with the intent of killing the leader of the Black Power and destroying this trafficking hub."
"?!?!"
The commander hastily jumped out of the car, turned around, and pulled out his pistol to confront the two blondes standing behind the car. His instant thought was he was facing a user with the Dimension Lost or some similar gear, perhaps a stealth type, but he was confident he could react faster than they could activate their power.
"Put your hands where I can see them!"
"I knew there was supernatural involvement, but I never expected to find traces of multiple races here."
Deep crimson eyes narrowed at the commander. Every moment he stared into that red abyss, he found a well of fear steadily surge within him. Decades of experience allowed him to press it down, but each passing second proved the surge was growing stronger.
"For such unity amongst races that normally hate each other, there must be a far larger goal that trumps their enmity for each other—or an entity strong enough to keep them in line."
"I said put your hands where I can see them!"
Hesitation—one thing a soldier must never have. He should've shot these children within the first three seconds they didn't comply. But now, almost ten seconds passed and his grip on the gun was almost shaking from nervousness and fear like a new recruit.
"Damnit!"
He shoved the fear down and pulled the trigger, but it was too late. Time slowed down for Igor. He gently removed Jeanne's fingers from his coat and walked forward. He grabbed the commander's motionless hand and let the gun hover in midair.
Igor kept the man's palms pressed together, then grabbed the gun and pointed the barrel right at the middle of the man's hand.
Slowly, time resumed and the bullet frozen inside the barrel swiftly accelerated straight into the fleshy wall halting its path.
*BANG!*
"ARGH—"
Time slowed once more. A bullet had torn a hole through the man's palms to the other side. Igor disregarded his pain and continued doing what needed to be done. His form flickered before in his hands, he held a bundle of coarse rope used for towing vehicles.
It was thick, just slightly thicker than the bullet holes, but Igor had no qualms shoving it through the man's palms. The rough fibres dragged and tore the flesh apart like tiny hooks. Chunks of bones and meat stuck to the rope while blood dyed it from brown to red.
Igor bound the man with the rope and cut off the excess with an aura blade before time finally resumed once more.
"—AAAAAAAAAARGH!"
The pain was more than enough for even a trained military commander to fall to his knees. His hands were firmly bound and every movement brought him excruciating pain. The feeling of the rope grinding against the bullet holes in his palms turned his world white for a moment.
It was commendable that where many would collapse into a wailing mess, he grit his teeth and through the pain, spoke.
"Who are you!? What do you want!?"
Igor ignored the man in favour of carefully sensing the tunnel's integrity. Most of the facility had collapsed and the momentum was bringing destruction through the tunnels. It'd take a while before their section caved in, but that was too short for rescue forces to bring everyone out.
"Two minutes isn't long enough."
He extended his aura to cover not only all the humans present, but act as invisible support columns to temporarily stop the collapse. His strength meant his aura of influence was terrifyingly wide. As long as he willed it, he could crush this entire region like paper through his aura just as he could keep these tunnels from collapsing.
"Now. Let's get back to you."
"..."
The commander grit his teeth through the pain. His pain receptors were triggered constantly, but adrenaline allowed him to keep some measure of composure.
"You…"
He wanted to glare at Igor, but the moment he truly recognised the blonde, he understood why the soldiers hesitated out of fear. Igor von Dimori, one of the two last remaining Aryans in existence, and the strongest human alive. He was acknowledged as a person above the Heavenly Dragons in strength.
Anyone remotely tied to the supernatural world had memorized this person's portrait. This was the very person who had no qualms killing anyone. Devils from pillar clans weren't safe and he dared to eliminate the Himejima under the noses of the Shinto Gods.
Why such a behemoth was here, the commander didn't know. Intelligence suggested Igor was supposed to be training with the God of Destruction until 2005. This was two years too early, but from the girl standing at Igor's side, he had vague guesses.
[Damni—]
"I thought what I'd encounter was a simple trafficking ring. Imagine my surprise when I sense humans with sacred gears. And that sacred gear in you..."
At that moment, Igor's eyes narrowed in visible disgust.
"...it was stolen, wasn't it."
It was a statement, not an assumption. The sacred gear in this man did not match his soul. That contraption he sensed in one of the trucks reeked of blood. It was easy to figure this device would extract the gears in those children.
"It's not just you."
Igor looked at all the people caught in an illusion made through his killing intent. From the soldiers, to the drivers, to the people in suits—all of them had stolen sacred gears without exception. Dozens had stolen sacred gears from children.
Igor could still feel Jeanne's dormant gear. If they had attempted to rip it out but failed, then it made sense why she seemed so…hollow.
"Jeanne. You're young, but you've experienced too much. Take this gun and kill whoever you wish to kill. All of them are scum."
For this little girl, her life would never be normal again. Trauma had taken root deep within her. Igor wasn't confident he'd eradicate it nor would he try, but he at least wanted to present her with some form of control over her life—and what better way than to kill the very people responsible?
"..."
On the contrary, Jeanne didn't take the pistol. She even seemed to be unaware of its existence. Her inaction placed Igor in a rather awkward position. Fear or hesitation would be much better than the blank face she was pulling.
"Jeanne?"
He tried sliding it into her free hand, but she never grabbed it. If he couldn't feel her nerves firing, he'd believe her right arm was crippled. The concern on his face was evident. Did he perhaps underestimate the extent of her trauma? How deep-rooted was it? Is that why she wouldn't take the gun?
On the other hand, the commander observed their interaction and began thinking of a plan. Sweat covered his brows and his body screamed at him not to move lest he interrupt his injuries and bleed again. But he knew if he remained here, he'd die as a practice target for this girl. He didn't want that for himself, not after all he'd sacrificed to get this far—
*Subtle Glare*
"?!?!"
Weakness encircled him like a swarm. A single side-eye from Igor collapsed the veteran's attempt at using his sacred gear to activate the balance breaker and collapse this entire place. That singular eye was like a strong wave that snuffed out his candle of resistance.
"Since you don't want to, let's wait until you grow up a bit and recover. I'll leave some of them alive for you to play with. As for the rest…"
Igor extended his hand…before eventually lowering it when another alternative made its way to his head.
"...I'll let old man handle this."
This tunnel wouldn't collapse and the people wouldn't wake up as long as his aura existed. It'd be easier if Triny was awake, but he reckoned he'd let her sleep for now. He really wasn't in the mood for questions. Besides, ki could be just as versatile as chakra if one was smart enough.
.
|DxD|
.
Vatican, Italy
.
"Your Holiness, esteemed Cardinals, and honoured members of the Reformation Council. Satelite imagery from Grid-47 in the Australian interior confirms large-scale structural collapse spanning approximately nine-point-four kilometres across the desert terrain." (9.4km)
Important figures of the church were gathered in a simple meeting room with minimal decorations. A large screen was in front showing different satellite images of the sight. An armoured Inquisitor was calmly reporting the extent of the disaster and the discoveries made.
"We have detected the presence of a large convoy of vehicles through enhanced thermal imaging and depth-finder technology. Expanded scanning has revealed the existence of an underground base with a network of tunnels spanning an estimated combined total of one-two-seven kilometres ." (127km)
A lot of old faces were present in this meeting along with a few young ones. The Reformation Council consisted of Vasco's old comrades and varying youths who aided him in seizing control from the corrupt pope four years ago.
"The longest tunnel we've detected spans a total of twenty-two kilometres and it leads to the sea. We've been notified of a large container ship heading towards the area under the pretext of transporting goods across the Pacific to Pakistan. We've dispatched several teams from our bases in Australia to both intercept the vessel and investigate the target site."
Vasco narrowed his gaze as he viewed the images. Three years ago, they became aware of a trafficking ring known to kidnap sacred gear wielders. For three years, they've made investigations and finally narrowed the base of operations to the continent of Australia. It wasn't confirmed yet, but this could be their location.
"Our embedded members in the government are coordinating with law enforcement and the military to seal off the area and investigate the suspected presence of a sacred gear trafficking ring. Our teams encountered unplanned delays, but the cause has been confirmed to be sources suspected of colluding with the criminals. Inquisitors in our Australian branch have been dispatched to apprehend the suspects."
The inquisitor stepped back from the screen and performed a subtle bow of respect.
"Report complete, honoured Council."
The inquisitor, a veteran warrior by his tone and subtle pressure, kept things short and concise. He remained standing quietly whilst the council looked at each other with scrunched eyebrows. Time was of the essence and if this was indeed the traffickers base of operations, it needed to be shut down.
"Have someone prepare the teleportation circle. I will personally head to Australia and lead the charge."
Vasco spoke with conviction, causing a few council members to raise their eyebrows. Logically, a Pope should never personally take action. However, none of them tried to dissuade him, especially his old friends.
He stood up, his presence imposing and his gaze sharp. Hands that have seen decades of combat gripped the edge of the table and caused it to creak.
"Emilio. I entrust command to you while I'm gone. Marco. Work with the intelligence division to monitor the Pacific and arrest any suspects. Kill if they resist. Observe for any local changes."
His gaze then landed at the inquisitor. His eyes leaked killing intent when he remembered the warehouse of dead children found with horrible mutilations and signs of torture. Every time he thought of that moment, his eyes burned with rage.
"Giovanni. You and Dulio will follow me to eradicate these vermin."
"At your service, Your Holiness."
Su!
Giovanni disappeared in a flash. For his Pope who charged forward with his soldiers, he'd complete his task to the utmost efficiency.
No sooner did he disappear however did a new presence make it's way in.
Tswii!
.
|DxD|
.
Igor von Dimori— few could claim not to know him. When such a monstrous deviant appeared in front of them, most forces would go pale with fright for they were enemies. His strength was well-known and the person behind him was a monster in his own rite. It was fortunate the church did not fall under the category of 'enemy'.
Few people knew Igor was friends with Vasco Strada. The members of this council were indeed included and as such, though they were genuinely surprised at his sudden appearance, quickly calmed down. A few eyebrows here and there were raised, but no weapons were drawn.
"Old man."
"..."
Vasco said nothing. His towering form dwarfed Igor by a head and both people met eye to eye. So many years had passed and though Igor's appearance was unexpected, it wasn't unwelcome. He remained quiet while assessing the blonde. His strength had visibly increase over the years, pleasing the old man quite a bit.
"Igor."
Vasco shook Igor's hand with a strong grip. Such an action would cripple even the hands of a devil, but this was normal between them.
"It's been a long time, lad."
"It's been a long time indeed, gramps."
"Mn."
That was the end of pleasantries. As much as Vasco would love to catch up, he knew this wasn't a casual visit otherwise Asia would be here. His eyes glossed over the girl and he had an idea this was somewhat related to her.
"What happened?"
"This."
Igor stretched out his hand. A shimmer of energy and spatial fluctuations could be felt before that familiar sound rang out once more.
Tswii!
It was unclear how he'd done it, but a miserable looking man suddenly appeared on his knees. His dishevelled white hair was particularly striking along with the blade he held with his teeth. Drops of blood from his hands dirtied the carpet below along with his sweat trailing down his jawline. The council members stood up, each of them craning their necks to see the bloodied form of the man.
They were just about to ask who this was when Igor spoke.
"I found an organization that traffics sacred gear wielders. This man heads their Australian Base and I've captured everyone there. I figured this would interest you, old man."
Igor grabbed the now former commander by the back of his head. He'd long since prowled this person's memories, even breaking a few magic restrictions implanted in his head.
"This whole ring is tied to the supernatural. I couldn't find the names of key figures, but I know the coordinates of other bases on this planet."
He slapped his hand against the wall and removed it to reveal three coordinates burnt into the wall with ki.
"I'd like to catch up, but I have something to sort out. I'll see you soon, old man."
Tswii!
Igor vanished as fast as he came. He left the man behind for Vasco to analyse. What he needed to do was get to the bottom of Jeanne's matter. In this girl, he sensed something else he found odd, and perhaps Parvati could find what his perception couldn't.
.
AN
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Here's chapter 9 as promised. If there are any grammar errors, missing punctuation, etc, please mention it in the comments (review section for fanfiction.net). Thanks for reading my work and until the next chapter.