Chapter 6 : Mission 2 Part 2: Proving Ground

It was a beautifully lid crimson afternoon when she set her feet into the ground of the high-end military installation stood before her. On her right, her void colored eyewear reflecting a scene of an intense dogfight on a colosseum-built like arena.

Continuing her way outskirt of the arena, then pausing for a moment to catch a glimpse of a familiar figure sitting across in a distant whom she recognized as Patty Lowell. She was exactly like the kid she knew years ago. Only that she had finally developed her womanly figure and grew taller all these years.

Time did surely fly.

The lady fixed a smile onto Patty. Unfortunately, the sweetest smile that could shook the glamour world like a tsunami was ignored. Patty was more into the dogfight show and the lady couldn't help herself neither, for this kind of fight was rarely to occur like once in a hundred years, so it seemed.

The lady slid a keycard into a hollow rectangular slot adjacent to a metallic door. The static keeper welcomed the lady with a delightful beep. Ignoring the puzzling looks directed onto her inside, the lady casually walking to the center of the room next to the raven haired woman who was agape in front of the screen.

"Chifuyu Orimura-sensei, I presume?" The lady friendly greeted.

That ticked the raven haired woman's attention. Chifuyu faced the guest, whose hair was wavily short that reached halfway of her neck. A small straight scar running across her freckled nose yet did not affect the lady's charm that was combined with a ray ban eyewear for her fashion preference producing an aura of a cool beauty. Chifuyu could make out the muscles hiding under the lady's spectacular slim figure which was partially revealed by her blouse somehow telling Chifuyu that its owner could pack some serious punches. Running onto her beautiful legs, then concluding her analyze, Chifuyu concluded that the lady was more likely a model or somewhat like that.

"Like what you see, Orimura-sensei?" The lady teased. "I can make a spin if you want to."

"Save it for later. You are?"

The Lady scanned the room. Taking a short interest toward a list of information provided by a computer monitor behind Chifuyu, the lady directing her attention toward the arena and cocking her head at where the two males I.S pilots were clashing against each other. "How long have they fought?"

"3 minutes." Chifuyu replied. "That still hasn't explained who you are."

"Kutsuwagi-san wants me to be here, my name's not the concern now." The lady's tone became dead serious. She pointed her thumb at the Silver Haired pilot goes by the name of Dante at the arena. "His stance, how long has he been like that?"

"5 seconds." Chifuyu shortly replied, she sensed that this mysterious lady somehow connected to Dante. "You know Dante Sparda?"

"Just Dante, love. Without the Sparda. He hates when people call that name, so am I. And hell yeah, I know him. Let's say we were acquaintance in the same line of work back then." The lady paused asserting the giant blade Dante carried. "And speaking of the devil, how long has he not been drawing that big piece?"

Chifuyu shrugged with a smug painted on her face. "Ever since the battle begun. Either way, I don't know why you are asking that question but all I can tell you, that Dante is going to kick the bucket soon."

"Oh, if I were you love, I wouldn't wish upon that star."

"What do you mean?" Chifuyu narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

The lady shook her head and her rosy lips moving in particular motion that shocked Chifuyu. She then walked out the room, leaving Chifuyu along with her staffs in daze.

"Oh, by the way," The lady took off her eyewear, revealing her peepers whose color were scarlet red on one side while the other was ocean blue. "The name's Mary. But you can call me Lady 'stead. BLATERs (Bye And See You Later) Orimura-sensei."


"He's been holding back." Patty Lowell stated.

Honne Nohotoke, a carefree girl sat next to Patty Lowell always bear a sleepy face.

"Naani? What do you mean Pat-chan?"

Patty gestured the claymore Dante carried. "What's the logic if he carries a blade but never going to use it"

The question struck Honne to think hard. It didn't take long until her brain refused to work and she fell kaput. Patty sighed. All she could do was, praying for Dante's victory.

Her guardian.


Trickster, Royal Guard, and Gun Slinger. From all of the elusive, defensive, offensive, fighting stances he created to deport any unearthly beings back into the pit of God's wrath each gave him a specific edge in combat, yet limiting himself into the solely purpose of the style itself.

Thus, Sword Master was born as an answer to this problem. Unlike any other stances where Dante fully concentrated his strength into single body part, Sword Master distributed his power equally all over his body. As a result, a style consisted of Trickster, Royal Guard, and Gunslinger.

Ichika went for a downward slash. Dante stood still in his ground and arched his upper body sideway.

Ichika missed.

Everyone gasped.

Ichika gasped.

Dante hurled an uppercut right onto Ichika's chin.

The White Knight took the hit cleanly and sent high onto the sky like a cannon acrobat player. Ichika maneuvered in a vertical arch fighting the impact force Dante applied on Byakushiki and recovered in mid-air. Dante did not give chance to the kid to take a break. He whipped out Ebony's twin.

RATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

Evory unleashed a volley of bullets at the Kid. However, Dante's deathly accuracy and firing speed were hardly match with Ichika's movement speed from the distance. The Japanese representative easily maneuvered all of the projectiles carefully in a graceful vertical loop while closing the gap between Dante quickly. The distance between the two combatants grew shorter every split of second with repetitive gunshots shouting in protest against the intruder clad in white armor.

Evory finally slid itself backward, exhausted from shouting at its' owner's enemy in machine gun speed despite its built for a pistol.

"What? Oh come on!" Dante groaned.

"Take this!" Ichika shouted.

Ichika went for a series of cuts. Left, Right, Down. Dante easily read all of the kid's incoming sword movements as if they were coming from afar and danced along with Ichika. Not wanting to take any chances with the empty gun, Dante dispersed the Evory into thin air during the motion.

"Come on kid! Even an old man can pull a stunt like that!"

"Shut up! HAAAAAA!"

Bingo! Dante got Ichika right where he wanted. The kid swung too wide creating a large opening for Dante to dove into his guard. A big mistake. Dante drove his mechanical hand onto Ichika's head and with a brute force, whacking the young combatant hard onto the ground.

So hard that Dante left a huge crater as if there was a meteor fell onto the arena from the outer sky.

Dante took a moment to take a short break from the fight. He examined the lifeless armored body in front of him. Thin smokes dancing out from the white ironman. No signs of movement. Dante moved closer, he stuck out a finger on the kid's nose bridge, other was softly pressed onto his chest.

Kid's done for.

End of story.

Forgive me Kid.

"Not yet…Its…Not over…Yet!"

To his surprise, the kid whom he presumably dead, resuscitated right where he was fallen. Either the kid's a fool, or he could take that blow. Anyway, Dante gave a credit for his guts, despite his weak ass pussy face Ichika was born with.

"Woo!" Dante clapped his hands. "Hafta give ya a credit for yer' guts, kid!"

Dante dared to peek onto Ichika's shield bar through his visor. How surprised he was when he learnt all of the damage he dealt only cutting Ichika's shield bar until exactly 74% threshold, contradicting the reality of the devastative strikes he put onto his opponent which normally put him into an eternal rests. Dante guessed that the armor must have absorbed all the blows he landed and rolled his eyes in protest.

Oh, how convenient.

Byakushiki began altering its form, resulting in sleeker design on its user.

Dante's eyes were drawn into Ichika's Yukihira Nigata. The single edge-curved energy blade slowly dancing ferociously with a mixture of bluish-white energy along its body as the I.S shifting into its 2nd form. Just simply looking at the current Eastern designed blade itself enough to put Dante to take a stance as if the blade was talking to himself.

That the next blow will surely going to find its place.

Dante began to feel the air around Ichika slowly but surely getting heavier in attempt to psyche him down. And being in bloody fights ever since young age, Dante was blessed with a bleeding sharp sense to determine his enemies based on the aura they emitted.

Kid's finally getting serious.

Byakushiki's transformation almost completed and urging Dante to strike the iron before it's hot…and he meant it. He wouldn't want to risk facing the unknown strength from the kid…yet somehow he tread it with extreme caution.

Talking about the bet between Chifuyu and himself.

Dante waved the blaring triangular exclamation mark next to his shield bar.

"Dante-san…Answer me this…What is the purpose of carrying a sword…"

Dante rolled his eyes. Familiar with the sense of déjà vu coming from the kid's stupidity.

"If you are not using it?" Dante shrugged. "Yeah yeah, yer not the first one who came out with that line, kiddo. But if you insist…"

Dante had his hand on the grip. KAAASSSSHHHIIINGGG! The dark mammoth sized claymore reflecting the sunlight amongst its body like a black diamond. The crowds held their breath when Dante practicing a few swings. Each swing was so powerful just like the sword's appearance suggested. But the fact that Dante could perform each swing in crazy speed despite his blade's outlook enough to take every soul's breath away right on where he was standing.

Dante took a stance.

The arena fell onto a total silence.

Ichika dove into a deep harmony. He was full with determination to strike down Dante in one swing with Reiyaku Byakuya.

White Night Downfall.

Ichika's certain kill move in which converting his remaining shield bar into a devastative energy into his blade that could cut clean his opponent's shield bar in a single strike.

Dante began to slowly circling his enemy combatant. Ichika was going into defence and ready to anticipate his enemy's swordmanship. Ichika smiled. He silently thanking Dante for answering the Japanese's code of honor in exchanging sword strikes between them.

Until Dante sheathing his blade back onto his back.

"Pfft! Just kidding!" Dante shrugged in mockery. "Not in million years. Too bad for you kid!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Ichika charged into the silver haired warrior in a blind rage. In a split of second, Dante began to dance in trance on Ichika's unforgiving sword strikes. Dante did not blink, yet for another split of second he lost Ichika from his eyes.

The kid gained speed.

Though losing his opponent from his eyes, Dante's long trained reflex automatically pushed him sideway. Without looking, Dante dashed backward once, twice, thrice, and so forth in different arcs to draw series of small gaps between his attacker who managed to close each instantly in inhuman speed with his blade drawing out at him.

The kid's beginning to catch up.

"Great! Now we are talking Kid!" Dante cackled.

"URUSAI!" Ichika shouted.

"You won't hit a fly if you keep up like that Kid."

Dante slowly slid his hand on his waist where he'd draw Coyote A. Time to put Ichika out for good together with his flaming rage. All he had to do, is to put more oil into the flame.

"URUSAI! URUSAAAAIIII!"

"What's wrong? Can't play a samurai's role broke your heart? Oh Boo-hoo."

"YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING!"

"Oh really? Welcome to Orimura Ichika 1 on 1 extra class!" Dante smirked. "Enlighten me teach!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE A HONOR TO CARRY A SWORD WITH THAT ATTITUDE!"

Dante's eyes widened. He skipped a heartbeat. By the time he realized what's going on, he was off balance and an inch from the ground below as a result of a messy footwork. To make matter worst, his skin picked up Ichika's lethal strike coming from above.

It's over.

Not.

Without looking, Dante unleashed a big ferocious scarlet firework directed right at the ground. The bitchful kickback caused from the discharged blast by a simultaneous shots enough to generate a massive force tossing himself in a barrel roll sideway onto the air just an inch away from touching the tip of the Yukihira Nigata.

Swinging his body as well as his unoccupied arm in an opposite arc breaking his spin and anchoring himself downward, Dante made a smooth landing with a moderate distance standing in between himself and his attacker. Dante wrenching his wrist downward. 2 empty shells as well as long dancing thin smokes excreted from the double barrel shotgun on Dante's clutch.

Dante straigtening himself, quickly outstretching his other palm toward his incoming attacker.

"CHOTO MANDE KUDASAI!"

As if spouting a superior order, Ichika broke into a halt in mid-air blowing dust onto Dante.

"What are you…"

"Shhhh!" Dante stuck a finger on his mouth.

"Wh…"

"Shhht! Just…Shhht, Kid! Shhhtt!"

The arena fell into another uncomfortable silence.

"Did you hear that, Kid?" Dante broke the silence softly.

"What…"

"Shhhht!"

"Are…"

"No! Say no more!" Dante rose a finger. "Just listen!"

Silence.

"Ka! Ka! Ichika! Ka! Ka! Ichika!"

Ichika could only float dumb founded in the air while Dante kept spouting words he did not comply of. In that short however felt like a long time, the arena beating hard with supportive cries.

"Ka! Ka! Ichika! Ka! Ka! Ichika!"
"Ichika! Ka! Ka! Ichika! Ichika!"
"Ichika! Ichika! Ichika! Ichika!"

"Crowds are going wild just for YOU, Ichika!" Dante laughed.

Realizing himself that he had just become another object of mockery enough to drive Ichika to drive his sword at Dante once again from higher air.

Ichika's left hand slightly shaken.

Dante did not move from his ground, as if he was giving Ichika his victory that he deserved. Nor that he was showing any signs of possible movements. Yet for some reason, Ichika could not shake the vibration on his left hand off. Did the crowds' cheer psyched him out? What was Dante scheming at behind his playful act?

The impact was powerful enough to engulf both fighters in a cloud of dust. It took an exact 3 seconds for the vision interferer cloud to clear itself. What lied beneath was so unbelievable that never occurred to anyone inside the arena.

That Dante caught Yukhira Nigata barehanded and stopping its movement in instant resulting into an intense deadlock between two fighters. The daredevil stunt of Japan's infamous sword catching technique performed by a gaijin instantly shut the crowd's orchestrated cheer.

The arena once again fell into another uncomfortably quiet.

No sounds but the two fighter's dared to reveal its existence.

"Hey Kid, riddle me this:-"

Ichika applied more pressure into his blade. It's no use. Dante's grip was stronger than his strength. Ichika looking at Dante. The soulless silvery eyes turned into a bloody glare when they met with the diamond black peepers.

"-what's the purpose of having a sword…"

The ferocious dancing lethal energy on the blade's body dispersed as the two violent opposing forces between Dante's hands and Yukihira Nigata were locked into the blade itself. Yukihira Nigata finally reverted into its original form of a single edged mechanical blade with an arc across its body.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Ichika could not tell himself whether he was hearing things, or those sounds were really came from his own blade itself.

"…if you can't protect your own ass with it?!"

SNAP!

It happened so sudden, like an untimely death. It was also so unbelievable that everyone lost their breath.

As for Ichika Orimura,

It was so terrifying that he could not do anything but watching his entrusted sword split into half.

Without his weapon, Dante's opponent was stood powerless before him.

Time to end this.

Dante was prepared to strike Ichika when a loud trumpeting siren marched its way across the arena.

"MATCH ENDED. WINNER: ICHIKA ORIMURA!"

Dante spat a curse under the crowd's sudden energetic burst of celebratory cheer upon Ichika's victory just about when he was about to have some fun. He spat another curse as he turned his back and walked away from the arena when the crowds began calling him in various name while jeering at him at the same time.

Kid's surely got a devil's luck.

"Dante-san, mande dekinasai!"

Dante dispersed his I.S. Ignoring the call, he walked to where he came from. The voice belonged to the victor was stopped when the owner was surrounded by the crowds who congratulating him. Traversing through the corridor, Dante arrived at the changing room entrance. Chifuyu was leaning next to the changing room's entrance as if waiting for him.

Perfect.

Dante sighed. It did not take a long time until she opened her hole and dissing him.

"Enjoying the show, teach?"

"That's quite a stunt you pulled back there."

"Why thank you." Dante began changing. "Are you gonna leave or enjoy the strip?"

"I'll leave once I am done here."

"Whatever. Do what you want."

"Question for you."

"What is it?"

"Regarding what my brother said…"

"Why I didn't draw my blade?"

"Exactly. Not to mention you disdain the gentlemen' honor. Just what's getting into your mind?"

Dante sighed. Flicking his finger, his arm was extended by a lengthy broad iron with a bleeding tip pointing at Chifuyu's throat. Chifuyu did not wince despite in a danger.

"Does this look like a toy to you?" Dante sharply asked. "This piece is to take away lives. Unlike the idiot kids under your wings who draw theirs for show, I am not and I have reasons. First, no unnecessary bloodshed. Second, is when I feel an intuitive. And I don't give a shit to the crappy honor you mentioned. Oh, sure maybe you were raised under the code of honor but not me. Telling you what, teach. There's no honor, fair, or just in a combat. You live or die. That's all matters. Or in your case, you retain your honor if you live. You dead, your honor is stripped away from you. That's why."

"But you don't have to go as far to break his sword!" She rose her voice. "With your ability, you…"

The demonic skull had its angry hollow eyes on Chifuyu for questioning its owner. Sweats began flowing from Chifuyu's forehead and her stoic composition began to shake. Dante pulled Rebellion away.

"Did you feel it, teach?" Dante tapped the claymore's edge. "It's yearning for blood. The only I can do to suppress his bloodlust is to break your brother's sword, or else. Now you know why I can't draw this at your students, including your precious one."

Dante put the blade away from Chifuyu's line of sight before she was totally psyched out by the unholy blade's presence.

" 'sides, breaks your heart if you lost him, right? I mean, looking at you two, I can tell that you brother sister only got each other's back in this world. That's why too." Dante stated.

"Dante…"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Huh? What didja say?"

"Nothing, idiot."

"Aw come on teach! Hey! At least I can do with a little bit arigatou here."

"Go change jackass! You still need to do 10 laps tomorrow."

Chifuyu left the room before Dante could groan in protest. Little to Dante's knowledge, that under the curtly smile she put after leaving the room, her face slightly turned into rosy red.


"YOU DON'T HAVE A HONOR TO CARRY A SWORD WITH THAT ATTITUDE!"

The words kept going inside his mind.

"Honor, eh?" Dante took Rebellion by its hilt. The angry words spouted by Ichika suddenly jogged back his memory.

Funny that is, from all faces he could make, there was no one but him who came into his mind.

"Vergil."

And everything went black.


That's it folks. I'll be updating soon. So yeah, flame me, shoot me, praise me, do whatever you guys like cuz I always leave the comment box open. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter and yeah, sorry folks! Dante can't always kick ass, can he? Adios! Til next time!