Chapter 34 - chapter 34: over loading the seal... good bye sage.

'Hmmmmm this is strange, it seems like somebody is following me… how didn't I noticed this sooner?' I was surprised by this, as I had continued to spring, increasing my speed in hopes to get rid of my stalker… but it's not working, instead its feels like the person is also picking up he/her pace.

'SO YOU'RE FEELING IT TOO HUH… BE ALERT SAGE, THIS FOE'S POWER LEVEL IS VERY HIGH, JUST MAYBE ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY BE A THREAT TO US.' Death warned me, but still I just can't get rid of the person of my tail.

"The person's mana presence is well concealed… but why can't I pinpoint his location… it's like as if… the person's mana is scattered…. unless" I suddenly turned my attention towards my right side, as a torrent of flame was heading my way and the heat from it was so immerse, that it was able to scorch the very ground into molten magma. The attack was so sudden, that I wasn't even able to prepare to block the attack, and with that, I had to prevent myself somehow from getting hit by the attack.

'IT SEEMS THAT YOU NEED TO NEUTRALIZE THAT ATTACK, MAYBE A WATER SPELL PREHAPS.' Death had suggested.

'oh no… I don't have any water or ice base art, I can't master them since that I don't have enough mana too.'

"Or maybe I just need to overcome it with a greater attack… magic technique: scattering light!" I jumped off the ground while trying to face the incoming fire blast, as I launched a countering attack, able to stop and neutralize the attack. The magic technique I casted had encased the fire ball in an impenetrable dome of light, and was then extinguished in it. I landed square on my back.

'WELL THAT WAS CLOSE.' Death muttered.

" that was too close for comfort-." I couldn't finish my sentence, as the person came down at me with a large sword; aiming to strike it on my head but failed, as I had used both my hands to stop the strike by holding the sword in place. The person struggled to get the sword out of my grip but remained unsuccessful in doing so.

"Don't underestimate me." I glared at him, as I used my aurora to boost my physical strength, increasing my grip so tight, that I was able to shatter the sword into pieces; which had surprised the person. But as the person was about to move back away from me, I created a clone of myself at the back of my foe and then myself that was on the ground had teleported away from there.

"…What…." I heard the assassin muffled in a low tone.

"Gotcha, sage art: Buddha's palm!" the attack made a hit on the person's back and had smacked him on the ground, creating a very large crater on the ground, due to the impact of the attack.

"You're finished- what?" The person that I had pinned on the ground had started to glow red, as the skin started to expand and started to glow more violently.

"Damn it!" my clone cursed, as he was about to retreat from the blast; but was too close to the blast radius.

Booooooom!

The body blew up in a very large explosion, obliterating my clone and a large area of the forest along with it.

"That was close…" I sighed in relief, as I was able to escape the blast just in time, while my clone couldn't, but then before I knew it. I saw my foe walking towards my direction, but then started to sprint, as the person summoned a new replica of the former one he used before in the fight.

"So you're a weapon user too; I guess you're just full of surprises aren't you?" I glared at him, as I started to race towards the person with full speed. I stretched my right arm out, as I started to conjure up a huge sword, comparable to his. Both of our swords had clash together, creating a shockwave that had shattered the ground upon impact.

"I can say the same thing for you, demon." The assassin had responded with a cold voice. As we both struggle, with one trying to overcome the other in terms of strength.

"But you will not make it out of this alive, demon!" The assassin shouted in rage, as we both started to swing at each other at insane speed. The impacts created were able to shake the ground vigorously, with each strikes getting stronger than the last. But then suddenly, the assassin had created about 5 clones all at once; with each one about to cast a fire base magic technique.

"What the…!" I was surprised by this, as he then strike my sword with a heavy hit, which was not just able to force me to my knee, but was actually powerful enough to shatter my weapon into pieces.

"I was sent to ensure your demise demon, it's over! 'Secret technique!'"

'What… secret technique' I thought in confusion at the statement he just made.

"Forceful bondage!" he casted his spell, as my body became so heavy; that it was able to crush me to the ground, forming a crater underneath me. But then his clones all started to cast the same fire spell.

"flame art: inferno hell flame." They all shouted in union, releasing a very large torrent of flame at all my sides, resulting in a very huge explosion of fire that erupted in a very bright light that made the entire forest lit up.

"hmp… is this really how strong he is… disappointing." The assassin had unsummon all of his clones, thinking that I was all done for; as my body was nowhere to be found, thinking that it was incinerated in the blast.

"Might as well report this to the emperor-." I cut him off by holding his arm, but this just resulted in him trying to hit me away with a sharp jab to the face. But instead, I held his fist while staring at him with a dead man look on my face. He tried to remove his hand out of my grip, but couldn't remove it from my hard grip. He then faced me with a horrified look on his face, as my facial skin was burnt off; showing my bear and scorched flesh.

"Ohhhh so it was an emperor that sent you huh… then it seems that you won't be able to make… it" I trailed off, breaking his fist with my hand, as he screamed out in pain. But then glared at me with a hateful gaze, as he swung his sword at me head trying to cut through it, nonetheless it shattered upon impact; shocking the assassin in the process, as the assassin had summon about 5 clones in total. They all rush at me, trying to apprehend me, but then my index ring had started to glow blood red; with red veins heading up my arm; in which I was confused by this, as I didn't activate it.

'death… what is going on?' I asked death with a worried tone.

'Dante! You need to stop the ring. It is forcing more power from death to leak through! Death is trying to hold his own against the seal but I'm not sure if… I can hold… on!' proteus had warned me, as I felt the struggle in his voice, trying to hang on.

"Go to hell you demon-….!" He couldn't complete the sentence, as he wore a shocked expression on his face. Where by all of his clones had ignited in red flames and were instantly incinerated in the process. My index ring glowed more and more; almost blinding the assassin, as my scalded skin healed itself and my teeth had grew fangs in an instant.

'DANTE THE SEAL… IT'S WEAKENING ME AND PROTUES'S ENERGY… TRY AND KEEP YOURSELF UNDER CONTROL.' Death said I a weak but strict tone.

'I-I'm trying…. Too!' I couldn't keep up my sanity any longer.

"Hahhahahahah I don't need to go there…. Because I have already been there myself" I brought up my right arm towards his face, with the red ring facing him. As he stares at me with fear in his eyes, the ring grew even brighter than before.

'DANTE…. THERE IS NO TIME LEFT; PROTUES SOUL HAS ALREADY BEEN RESTRAINED BY THE SEAL… AND SOON WILL I.'

'aaaaaahhhhh! I can't hold on!' I shouted in pain, as I felt the seal grow even stronger.

'JUST…. REMEMBER… ONE…. THING… DANTE….' Death voice had started to trailed off, as he was already getting restricted by the seal.

"…. W-what are y-you…..?" the assassin trembled in fear, as he started to stammered

'YOU….. MUST…. LET…. GO…. OF… THE…'

'aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!'

"…. I'm the devils worst nightmare…. dEaTh" I said with a sadist tone, as everything then became bright and then the whole terrain started to burn in ashes. The temperature was so high, that the heat was able to turn the ground into molten magma and the assassin just started at me in horror as his body started to burn little by little.

"NoW diE" I said in a deep, dark tone; as everything just turned white and started… to fade away.

'…..PAST…. AND… ACCEPT… WHO… YOU… ARE.... SAGE...'