"My name is Dante... Hey, do you want a second round?" I said with a big smile.
{You have unlocked:
- Demonic Mastery of Weapons: Obtain incredible mastery over all types of weapons!
- Acute Demonic Energy Manipulation: Gain far superior control of demonic energy!
- Accelerated Demonic Recovery: Obtain enormous regeneration and healing. If demonic energy is used, recovery can be accelerated!
- DT: Inactive (You have not reached the minimum requirement to use this ability.)}
I glanced at the notifications and smiled to myself. It seemed I had obtained some pretty useful abilities. However, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't use the Devil Trigger yet. They had already stabbed me with my own sword. I wondered if there was a specific condition to unlock it.
"Well, too bad," I muttered to myself. "I wanted to give it a try, although it's probably going to be insanely overpowered."
I shifted my attention to Rebellion, my trusted sword, and noticed a few drops of my blood on it. I channeled my demonic energy, and the blood quickly disappeared. "Good as new," I commented.
I pointed Rebellion at Nazareth and quipped, "Good!! Time for the second round, hair of dust!"
Nazareth smiled at me and shook his head. "Well, actually, I don't think I can fight like one..."
Suddenly, the woman, Caeris, lunged at me. I dodged her punch and retaliated with a kick to her stomach, infusing my leg with demonic energy. I wanted to test out my improved abilities. She flew backward and crashed into the wall, creating cracks that extended all the way to the roof.
"Good, good. Not bad, huh?" I commented, glancing at my leg. It seemed that my control over demonic energy had indeed improved.
"You... BASTARD!!" Caeris screamed, her eyes glowing with rage. She rocketed toward me once more, but this time, I had a different idea.
I dodged her attack, grabbed her by the head, and infused my fist with demonic energy. "Well, bye-bye, darling!" I exclaimed as I punched her squarely in the face. She went flying and crashed into the ground, creating a massive crater. She lay motionless, and I wondered if I had already killed her.
I sighed. "How... easy that was, huh."
I turned my attention back to Nazareth and quipped, "Hey, I thought your maid was going to be stronger!"
He replied nonchalantly, "Calm down... Let her recover... I didn't make her my servant for nothing..."
Suddenly, a fist grazed my cheek, causing me to stumble backward. Caeris was on her feet again, her eyes glowing crimson. Good... Not bad...
I gripped Rebellion tightly and stabbed her in the stomach. She doubled over, vomiting blood. "Hey, you're a little disappointing, no offense. Well, yeah, take a little offense," I taunted.
Suddenly, a dark energy began to emanate from Caeris's body, slowly lifting her into the air. I sighed. "Well, good flight!!"
I withdrew Rebellion from her stomach and punched her in the face with my demonic energy-infused fist. She went flying once more, crashing through the wall.
I turned to Nazareth and smirked. "Hey! Looks like I already beat your maid. Are you coming, or what!?"
He smiled at me and said, "Do you really want to fight me...?"
"Obviously," I replied. "I have to kick some demonic ass, you know...?!"
Nazareth chuckled. "Well, well... Since you really want to do it..."
Suddenly, a sense of danger washed over me, and I barely dodged a punch aimed at my face. This guy was fast!
I quickly brandished Rebellion and stabbed at his body, but Nazareth grabbed the tip of my sword with his hand. He lifted me off the ground and threw me toward the wall. I twisted in the air and landed on my feet, feeling the impact shake my body.
"Damn, he's fast and strong," I muttered to myself. "I was hoping for a fun fight, but it seems I can't joke around anymore."
I sighed and pointed Rebellion at Nazareth, channeling my demonic energy. The sword began to glow, and demonic energy coursed through my body. "I hope you enjoy my super-duper swordsmanship skills..." I murmured.
In a blur of motion, I disappeared and reappeared next to Nazareth. I swiftly cut his arm, but my sword became stuck in what seemed like his bone, even as it sliced through his flesh.
"You are strong... Dante, very interesting... Don't you want to be mine...?" Nazareth said, smiling at me.
"Sorry, dude." I replied. "I'm not into that sort of thing. I prefer Girls, and I like to do whatever I want!" I infused Rebellion with demonic energy, and Nazareth's arm was cleanly severed. Black blood oozed from the wound, and he smiled sadly.
"Ah... My blood... What memories it brings..." Nazareth whispered.
Suddenly, I was sent flying backward, but I managed to brace myself with Rebellion, digging my feet into the ground. I glared at Nazareth and asked, "What are you? A masochist?"
I glanced over at Nazareth's severed arm, which was floating in the air and slowly rejoining his body. "Is he serious?" I muttered to myself.
"Well, I think it's time to dance, baby!" I exclaimed. Suddenly, Caeris emerged from the wall, shaking her head. She noticed Nazareth's arm beginning to rejoin his body and cried out, "Master!"
She turned her furious gaze on me and shouted, "You son of a bitch--" I delivered a swift kick to her face, sending her crashing to the ground. Large cracks appeared in the floor beneath her. I pressed my foot against her head and sneered, "Hey, NPC, can you shut up? The real players are talking..."
Caeris struggled and tried to hit me, but I brandished Rebellion and sliced off her arm. It fell limply to the ground, and I saw her gritting her teeth in pain. "Well, sorry, sweetheart! But your life is useful to me!" I pierced her forehead with Rebellion, and more orbs appeared.
{You have killed a living being!
You have obtained: 50,000 orbs!}
"Ohh! This is great!" I exclaimed.
{ORBS: 82,230
-WEAPONS
-SKILLS}
I sighed and entered the "skills" and "styles" menu. I decided to purchase the "Swordmaster" style.
{Are you sure you want to buy: Swordmaster style?
Y/N}
"Yes," I murmured.
{Swordmaster style:
A style in which the host can master different swords and maximize the power of each one.
With this style, it is possible to maximize skill with various swords and perform more exquisite combos with great skill!}
"That's it?" I thought to myself. "I expected it to give me some kind of ability. Oh well, it's something..."
I ran towards Nazareth, who was staring at Caeris's corpse. I appeared in front of him and felt a great affinity with my sword. I quickly crouched down and stabbed at his chest. Rebellion sliced through him easily.
"My Caeris... my servant..." Nazareth murmured, his eyes closing briefly before opening again, now crimson with black tints. He disappeared in a blur of motion, and I felt his presence behind me. I channeled demonic energy into my feet and jumped into the air, spinning to face Nazareth. He stared at me intently, then vanished and reappeared in front of me in the blink of an eye. I brought up my sword to block his attack and flew backward, crashing into the wall. "Why doesn't this damn building collapse?" I muttered to myself.
I fell to the ground and sighed. "Well, sir, could you explain to me why this building doesn't collapse?"
Nazareth remained silent, simply staring at me. "Great..." I exhaled and appeared in front of him, slashing at him with quick thrusts. My movements were like afterimages, but Nazareth dodged almost all of them. I managed to land a small cut on his cheek. "Come on! The buff was useless or what!?" I exclaimed in frustration.
I barely dodged a kick that destroyed the ground where I had been standing. A large crater appeared, and I knew I had to think of a new strategy. Think, Dante... Think!
"Trickster..." I muttered to myself, activating my Style.
Suddenly, dozens of demonic circles with unfamiliar symbols appeared in the air. Nazareth stared at them, confused. "what the...?"
"Time to make the most of this!" I exclaimed, a wide smile on my face. I leaped like a rocket into one of the demonic magic circles, using them to jump at incredible speed. I became a red blur, jumping between the circles so fast that it seemed like I was in dozens of places at once.
"Come on, idiot! Are you going to stay there or are you going to fight!?" I yelled, my voice echoing as I jumped between the circles. Nazareth glared at me and said, "You really are irritating, you know!?"
He growled, and I noticed his skin beginning to turn gray, his crimson eyes fixed on me. "Then let's have some fun, Dante!!" Nazareth roared as he lunged at me. I dodged a punch that destroyed everything around me, but I continued jumping between the magical circles, my body enveloped in crimson energy. I was like a red comet streaking through the night sky.
"First form: Crimson Dragon!" I screamed as I flew towards Nazareth, Rebellion glowing with crimson energy. I appeared behind him, and the ground beneath my feet cracked from the force of my movement. I swung Rebellion, aiming for his back, but he dodged by jumping into the air. He grinned at me and said, "Slow~"
I ducked just in time to avoid a massive gray arm that left a huge crater in the wall. I quickly lunged at Nazareth, my sword flashing with demonic energy. He began to dodge my attacks, but I increased my speed, shouting, "Come on, friend! Let me cut you just once, okay!?!"
I clenched my teeth and lunged at him, infusing Rebellion with demonic energy. The tip of my sword collided with his chest, sending him flying towards the wall. I jumped after him and delivered an axe kick to his head, but Nazareth grabbed my leg and threw me towards the ceiling. I landed on a crimson magic circle, using it to propel myself back towards Nazareth. A massive sonic boom accompanied my movement, and I appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye, slicing through his chest.
Black blood covered the ground, and Nazareth jumped away, his cheeks flushed and a big smile on his face. "Not bad... This is... so... EXCITING!!" he exclaimed.
"A demon... A masochistic demon... Lucky me," I muttered, my smile turning awkward. Nazareth disappeared in a blur of motion, and I barely dodged a fist that came swinging at my face. I crouched down and quickly slashed at his chest, a large X-shaped cut appearing and blood oozing out.
Nazareth ignored his wound and appeared right in front of me, his face mere inches from mine. He smiled widely, his crimson eyes gleaming. I clicked my tongue and covered my head with my arms to block his attack. I went flying and crashed into the wall, quickly jumping away from him. Nazareth's large gray arm punched through the wall, destroying it and revealing a hallway full of dust behind it.
"Well... It seems like you're not going to let me kill you so easily, huh...?" I said, my smile turning wry. Nazareth appeared in front of me, and I saw his foot swinging towards my face. I dodged it and punched his chest with my fist infused with demonic energy. "AHHHHHHH!!!" I roared when he was thrown back against the wall, the impact creating a large explosion of crimson energy. He smiled through the pain and gasped, "HAHAHA!! Dante!! Make me feel that again!!"
"Oh damn... This guy..." I muttered to myself.
Nazareth appeared in front of me in the blink of an eye, his arm glowing with dark energy tinged with red. I quickly dodged his attack and jumped into a crimson magic circle, using it to gain more speed. I wanted to get a huge speed boost and finish this. "Daaaante!!~~" Nazareth's scream sent a chill down my spine, but I jumped into another magic circle, determined to end this fight. Nazareth grinned at me, and I dodged another attack, pressing forward with Rebellion.
"Fuck you... BASTARD!!" I screamed as I slashed at him with all my might. Rebellion cut through his body horizontally, and I watched as he fell into two pieces.
But suddenly, the lower half of his body kicked me, sending me flying towards the wall. I crashed into it and jumped back, annoyed to see the lower half—Nazareth's legs—moving independently of the upper half. I began to dodge the ultra-fast kicks, frustration building inside me. "Don't fuck with me!!" I yelled as I saw the top half of Nazareth rise and look at me with a blushing smile.
"I hate these damn demons!!" I muttered to myself.
I quickly moved away, and the bottom and top halves of Nazareth joined together again. He stretched his limbs and smiled. "Haa...~ This feels better... Well, as you said before, round three...?"
"This son of a..." I muttered under my breath.
Nazareth appeared in front of me again, sharp claws extending from his nails. I quickly defended myself, striking his claws with Rebellion. Our blows were so fast that dozens of afterimages appeared and disappeared in seconds.
"Hey, come on!! Can't you just give up?!?" I said, my smile nervous and strained. Damn, the demons in this world are really annoying. The ones from DMC don't seem so bad in comparison!
I began to channel more demonic energy into my counterattack, but dozens of tentacles made of black energy with red streaks shot out from Nazareth's back. "SHOW TIME, DANTE!!~~" Nazareth exclaimed, his smile widening.
I dodged the attacks from the tentacles, my eyes scanning the ground for any advantage. The floor was covered in irregular cuts, and I quickly began to back away. I needed to defeat Nazareth or at least get him out of here!
I activated my demonic vision by channeling demonic energy into my eyes, searching for something useful. I focused on the crimson circle on the ground where Nazareth had appeared. I noticed dark energy with red tints similar to Nazareth's, and I saw that the energy was connected to him like hundreds of threads.
"Maybe... Well, I hope this works. If it doesn't, I'll be VERY FUCKED," I muttered to myself.
I began to counterattack, slashing at the tentacles with Rebellion. Concentrate... More energy... MORE!! I pushed myself, determined to end this fight.
Dozens of demonic magic circles appeared in the air, and Nazareth noticed them as well. "The same as before...? Are you out of ideas...?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
I smiled and said, my finger tapping my head, "No... I have ideas, but I execute them in a similar way. You fucking masochistic demon..."
Nazareth's smile widened further. "Hey, I think your language is a little... off?"
I smiled wryly and said, "Yeah... Sorry about that... I'm a little excited..."
I quickly jumped towards one of the circles and began jumping between them again, pushing myself to go even faster. I needed to reach my limit!!
More... More!!
I jumped like lightning between the circles, creating dozens, hundreds of crimson afterimages. My speed was immense, and I didn't mind spending all my energy. I was determined to finish Nazareth off!
Faster...
Faster!!!
I quickly jumped towards Nazareth and grabbed him by the face. He looked at me, surprised by my speed. "Go to hell... literally..." I jumped towards another magic circle, using it to propel myself and Nazareth towards the demonic circle on the ground. I threw Nazareth into the circle and impaled him with Rebellion, pinning him to the ground.
"DANTEEE!!!" Nazareth screamed as he struggled to remove the sword from his chest. I pushed down harder and glared at him. "It seems like you failed, don't you think!?!"
He looked up at me, his smile turning angry. "HAHA!! I'LL BE BACK!! THAT'S OBVIOUS!!"
I poured almost all my energy into Rebellion, keeping it pinned to the ground. I roared, and the demonic energy began to destroy the demonic circle. "AAAAHHHHH!!! DANTE!!!" Nazareth screamed as the circle beneath him vibrated violently. I saw space beginning to deform, and the black threads of energy connected to him started to fray and disappear.
Suddenly, I was thrown backward, but I managed to hold onto Rebellion. I crashed into the wall and watched as Nazareth, trapped inside the demonic circle, began to vibrate uncontrollably. A dome-like barrier formed around him, and a fog began to hide what was happening inside.
But a hand reached out and touched the dome, and I heard a desperate shout. "DANTEEEEEE!!!"
Suddenly, a blinding light filled the room, and I covered my eyes. When the light faded, I opened my eyes and saw that Nazareth was gone.
I sat on the floor, sighing with relief. "It's finally over..."
{You have unlocked a skill compatible with the Trickster style: Crimson Meteor!
Crimson Meteor: Summon dozens or hundreds of magic circles to jump between them for a set amount of time to gain a huge speed boost.}
"Damn... Finally finished," I muttered to myself. "I'm starving..." I looked around the room, taking in the extent of the damage. The walls were covered in cracks and cuts, the ceiling had huge gashes, and the floor was riddled with jagged cuts.
I sighed and slung Rebellion over my shoulder. "Nazareth vs. Dante, final round... Dante wins! Fatality..."
"I hope Elisa gives me more money for this," I said, massaging my shoulder. "I think I just saved Lunaria from something bad..." I mumbled to myself. I felt exhausted, having spent more than 90% of my energy during the fight. Interestingly, the building hadn't collapsed, despite the extensive damage.
"The building probably resisted because of the magic circles on the walls, right...?" I mused. "How would the fight have gone without those magic circles...? Probably a lot more destruction..."
I noticed that the magic circles on the walls were slowly disappearing, and the building began to shake. "I think it's going to collapse..." I said to myself.
I ran towards a window and jumped through it, landing in an alley. I glanced back and saw the building beginning to collapse. "Well... That's not my problem anymore!" I exclaimed.
"Saved the city from a demon, now I just have to deal with Elisa... How am I going to explain this to her...?" I muttered to myself.
Suddenly, my bracelet started vibrating nonstop. "Speaking of the devil," I said with a small smile. I touched my bracelet and accepted the video call.
"Hello..." I said, my smile a little awkward. Elisa looked at me and said, "What happened? Your bracelet signal suddenly disappeared, that's pretty strange..."
I sighed and replied, "Ah... Can we talk about that later...?"
---
{Third-person POV}
In the middle of a large, humid cave, a huge circle appeared on the ground, and a figure materialized. He fell to the ground, his gray hair now even more grayish, and his eyes closed. Nazareth slowly opened his eyes, revealing crimson irises.
Nazareth stood up and murmured, a small smile playing on his lips, "Ah... What a waste of time... Although it was kind of fun... Dante..."