Disclaimer: I do not own Campione or any of its characters. I only own my OC's

Chapter 23

Dante had barely any time to get out of the way as Luo Hao suddenly dashed towards him in a single motion. Sand exploded every which way as a result of the force she had used to leap forward, showing the incredible amount of power that was available in just her legs. As such jumped the blonde brown god slayer out of the way as nothing more than a sudden reaction, not because of any thought out strategy. His sudden escape only saved him from the initial attack, as the Chinese Campione with ease transitioned into a new attack as she changed from the straight punch she had thrown to a roundhouse kick.

Dante, having been ready for some form of follow up attack, swung his hammer in response. Lightning cracked around the square shaped lump of iron for a second, as the strength behind the blow was decided by its master.

As the two attacks connected, snapped Luo Hao's leg back suddenly and violently, the power that Dante could generate in his swings with Mjolnir eclipsing whatever power the older god slayer can achieve with her body alone, even with the support of martial arts. An advantage that the Italian male took notice of and decided to instantly make use of, as he went in for his second swing, the lightning sparking once more in response to the change in power that Dante was after.

The black haired woman didn't back away however, standing her ground as her diamond arms moved to intercept his attack. Metal met gemstone, both feeling a sudden resonance pass through them as the hammer bounced relatively harmlessly off the martial artist's arms, which were still pushed away by the force behind the blow, but not nearly as much as her leg had been just moments prior. Sparks of lightning made itself known on both of them, both of them directing a quick glance to their arms to see that small arcs of lightning danced along their arms surfaces. This was a normal occurrence for Dante, as his Weapons of Thunder would often extend past their physical forms up along his arms, but to Luo Hao was this a new development.

They soon disappeared, the small sparks vanishing as if they had never been there to begin with, just moments after having appeared. Which was why the Chinese Campione didn't pay it much mind, quickly springing into action once more as she went on the offensive with little hesitation.

Her right fist struck out towards him as she got close, with Dante swinging his hammer in response. This time however, she pulled her fist back suddenly, her whole upper body twisting in response to the sudden motion, making his swing go wide. Her left leg shot up in an arc towards his head, far faster than needed for it to hit with considerable force, the rotation from her upper body having carried all the way down to her lower body as she unleashed her attack.

The kick hit true, the power behind it sending the far younger Campione flying to the side, in the same direction her kick had been traveling. His vision swam for a moment as he flew through the air, shaking slightly everytime he skipped along the ground, before stopping as all momentum bled out. He was still conscious, but it felt as if he would slip at any moment without warning, as black spots flickered in and out of existence from his perspective.

The blonde boy forced himself to his feet, a feeling of nausea washing over him as he stood up once more. He took deep breaths, trying to use his breathing as a way to focus. Diverting some of his focus to the sand underneath his feet, activated he one of his runes' many properties. An electric tingle coursed from the soles of his feet up through his entire body, all the pain slowly disappearing as a result.

The Italian Campione was well aware that what he was doing could be seen as unfair by other individuals, but in a confrontation between two Kings, was there no real rules, both were allowed to use anything as they saw fit. And thus pulled Dante out his Thompson Contender without hesitation, the chamber already loaded with a bullet. He quickly took aim, his action seemingly having caused the older god slayer to pause, her eyes narrowing in clear disdain at the sight of the firearm in his hand.

"All Father. Prisoned. King. War, Storms and Lightning." He felt how his small part of his magic took on the signatures of Indra, Seth and Odin as they flowed into the special round inside his trusted weapon, whereupon they promptly cancelled out one another, leaving nothing behind. Or rather, less than nothing. The bullet had suddenly become the container of a magically attracted void, it's only reason for existing having become to fruitlessly fill itself with magical energy. "The one you seek is Luo Hao, the Ruler of the Martial Realm and second oldest Campione!"

A roar of thunder sounded as he pulled the trigger, the bullet flying straight towards the still unmoving Luo Hao as it was fired. The small projectile was fast, way faster than any other bullet fired from any form of handgun, making it something that would no doubt give any other Campione trouble to keep up with through their body's capabilities alone. Luo Hao was an exception however.

She, unlike most of her peers, continued training her body and all its abilities, not relying entirely on the Authorities she had acquired from killing Heretic gods. The only reason that she didn't move was because she didn't feel any fear towards the attack of her opponent, fully intending to match it head on with her martial arts.

Or, at least that was the idea.

The Chinese Campione's eyes suddenly widened in a mix of shock and terror, as all her instincts screamed at her to get out of the way and destroy that weapon as soon as possible. A course of actions that she was quick to follow up on.

She ducked low under the bullet's path, letting it fly over her harmlessly. She then shot forward from her ducking position, her legs acting like fully tensed springs as she flew through the air at high speed, twisting several times to gather momentum and power. It all happened so fast that Dante didn't have any time to fully comprehend what had happened.

In one moment had he fired his favored gun at the black haired Campione, and in the next was she slightly above him, her extended leg having kicked the Thompson Contender so hard that it cracked into hundreds of unsalvageable pieces. In that barely tenth of a second had the Italian god slayer lost his trusted firearm and greatest creation.

…

"Is something the matter Mariya? You froze up there for a second." Godou asked, having taken notice of how the young Shrine Maiden had suddenly stopped moving without any apparent reason as to why. She had asked if she could be of any help in preparing the food for later, a request that usually would have been turned down inside the Kusanagi household, but after the sudden news from Dante was that the least of their concencerns at the moment.

The Shrine Maiden was staring straight into nothingness, her eyes vacant yet filled with so much knowledge that it seemed like a contradiction. Whatever was going on with her right then and there wasn't something that could be considered entirely normal, they could both tell that, and yet they felt like they couldn't interfere.

Life soon returned fully to the older girl's eyes, her eyes darting around momentarily as it did. Her gaze then shot straight down in what could only be described as embarrassment, as she suddenly sought to avoid all manner of eye contact with the two siblings. Her hands were quickly back to working with what she had been doing before "spacing out". Not noticing that Godou had turned to look towards her.

He had also gotten a good idea as to how good of a cook the Japanese girl actually was. Her skills in a kitchen spoke of many hours of practice, sharing some similarities in her approach to cooking with Shizuka.

The combined force of the three of them had made some considerable progress with all the cooking that they had to make, the addition of the Shrine Maiden having sped up the process by quite a bit. Not that they were being silent while doing so, as Shizuka was more than happy to talk with the older girl in such a relaxed setting, both having big smiles on their faces while they performed the task before them. It was a sight that brought a smile to the older Kusanagi sibling, as he worked from the other side of the kitchen.

It carried a feeling of normality that he had been afraid would disappear once Shizuka not only learned about magic, but was placed right in the middle of it in the most extreme way possible. But to his relief and shock had things barely changed between them. At least, that was what tried to tell himself.

After things had settled down felt it as if things were different between them somehow. It was a small change, barely noticeable at all in the beginning. But the more time that passed, the more he started to notice that his sister's approach to him had changed somewhat. Not that he was able to tell how it had changed, as the only reason he took notice of it to begin with was through nothing more than a gut feeling, pure instinct.

That same gut feeling was telling him that whatever it was that Mariya Yuri had done when spacing out was some form of magic or similar phenomena. He kinda wanted to know what it was that she had experienced or did during that moment, just out of curiosity.

…

Dante clutched his now injured hand in pain, dropping both the last of the shattered pieces that once was his gun, and the hammer that he had held in his other hand up until now. He clenched his teeth, the agonising sensation that throbed through his hand making him think for a moment that it might be broken. A thought he couldn't entertain too much before he was forced to focus on the task at hand once more, quickly backing away from the engaged Luo Cuilian. He jumped back, avoiding the sudden kick aimed for his temple, before ordering the spot where she would land to open up, hoping that it would send her tumbling.

"As if looking up at snowy Mount Taibai"

His plan was thwarted almost immediately, as his opponent noticed his desperate plan to end their confrontation quickly, making use of her Authority to control wind in order to move herself away from the hole, and instead moving towards Dante as she drifted down. Her descent graceful, like a leaf drifting on the wind from its former perch atop a tree. That wind suddenly grew violent, as Luo Hao lashed out with her arms before she touched the ground. Her hands weren't tightened into fists, her fingers instead being straight and reminiscent of a spear. And they were aiming straight for his jugular.

In panic tilted the brown blonde teen his body backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack to his throat. This however caused him to lose his balance, as the sudden motion backwards made him unable to rectify his positioning. Leaving him open to the Chinese Campione's follow up attack as she put down her feet on solid ground, closing the distance in a single step which was part of the motion for her attack. At the same time as she put her foot down, connected her twisting gemstone fist with his stomach, carrying much more force than if she had made a regular punch. The power of her attack sent Dante flying towards the edge, his body bouncing like a ragdoll across the sand as it didn't provide much friction.

Hadn't he commanded the sand to intercept him, would it have been him who was sent falling towards the ocean rather than Luo Hao. Or maybe he would rather had chosen the descent towards the ocean as the pain from the older god slayer finally set in.

Luo Hao moved forward, and he backed away.

A multitude of possible actions and plans flipped through his mind, each being given thorough thought before quickly being discarded in order to focus on the next. But no matter what he attempted to come up with, was there a great deal of panic that it would ultimately fail, even when a plan he had in mind should by all logic be the one closest to success-

He barely managed to dodge a open palm strike to his face, before jumping away from her leg as she followed up with a kick towards his legs.

-Not that it mattered anymore. He had failed to keep the Chinese Campione from getting under his skin. All his confidence having shattered together with his gun. And she had done it all through superior skill, not one of the powers she had been rewarded for slaying Heretic gods. She had simply used the physical attributes that was shared between all Campione, and taken it to a point that no other Campione could properly match, and made it a deadly weapon. She has spent more than 200 years towards perfecting her craft. Dedicated more time than anybody else to making sure that she became the greatest martial artist that has ever lived, to truly live up to her title as the Ruler of the Martial Realm-

Dante's escape was once more short lived, as the Chinese martial artist easily followed after him as she transitioned into her next action. Her footwork was minimal, but it was as if even that small amount of steps carried enough motion for her to almost effortlessly shrink the distance between them.

-And what had he done in the meantime? He had made use of his grandfather's resources to create a single firearm capable of wounding Campione and gods alike, sure, but that was it. The remainder of his time was spent traveling the world, his actual training with his Authorities being rather minimal, having barely scratched the surface of what should be possible with them. And yet it felt as if he had reached the limit of his capabilities-

Luo Hao's blow carried true this time, Dante having no options to dodge the attack and could do nothing but accept that the attack hit him. And as such connected her fist with his face full force, the sudden pain causing him to see stars all of the sudden. His head snapped back, the feeling of sudden whiplash made his neck grow stiff.

And yet, he gritted his teeth, stretching his hand towards the far older and more experienced god slayer. He would defy all odds, or else he couldn't call himself a Campione. One that had defied fate itself.

"Sword of Unity, appear before me!"

Lightning coursed through his body towards the palm of his outstretched hand, before shooting out and taking solid form in a fraction of a moment. As a result, Ukonvasara managed to draw blood just as it was summoned, as the tip had been summoned into the Chinese woman's shoulder, and thus managed to stab her without fail as their existences overlapped one another for a moment.

The sudden and unexpected sensation of pain caused his adversary to suddenly disengage and put some distance between them. This gave the blonde boy a little bit of time to gather his thoughts, and allowed him to prepare in order to turn this opportunity into an advantage.

"Fire that is a part of Creation, I am your Ruler and Champion"

With a mental command to his runes as he began chanting the incantation for his next Authority started the arena to change into something that only one of them was vaguely familiar with. A change Luo Hao clearly took notice of, as her stance suddenly became more cautious than it had been previously

"guarding your entrance until the times of the End, where we will engulf the World."

Swords seemed to grow up from the silver sand of runes, while in reality was it the sand itself that was creating all the blades around them. Dante moved Ukonvasara to his back, a sheet of silver runes keeping it in place on his back, before grabbing a newly formed sword just by his side.

"Fill my weapon with your flames and become the sword that can cut down all! I am the Lord of Fire, for I am the Lord of Muspelheim!"

His forearms suddenly began to change as the Authority took its hold on reality, as Dante's words of power not only coursed through him, but echoed through existence itself. In a matter of moments after the incantation was complete had they turned into obsidian, before suddenly cracking and having magma course through the openings along his arms.

The sword in his hand was also affected by this transformation, as it suddenly started to shine with white hot light, as if it had just been pulled out of the forge. It was here and now that he would begin his counterattack in full.

He swung the sword in his hand through the air in the direction of Luo Hao, the blade fully shattering as it completed its downward arc harmlessly, before an eruption of red and orange flames flew out like a column towards the Chinese Campione. Her response to the unexpected flames was to bring up her arms to defend as much of her body as possible. A action that Dante without hesitation ceased the opportunity of, dashing through the flames towards where he had last seen his opponent, a new sword already in hand.

The flames acted as cover for Dante's advance, as he hoped to take Luo Hao off guard in order to increase his temporary advantage into something that would give him more hope of his chances-

"Delighted to find Mount Wugong's sky."

The fires suddenly parted and extinguished as sudden gusts of wind spread out like an explosion right in front of the blonde brown boy, which was immediately followed up with a punch from Luo Cuilian.

-Except it had struck nothing, as for some reason had Dante suddenly dodged the attack. Not on purpose, more on reflex than anything, except not even that was fully true. He looked at the Chinese Campione in shock, his right eye thumping in rhythm with his heartbeat. His bewilderment clear in his now mismatching eyes, as the One Eyed Wanderer made itself known with its signature blue coloration and shine.

It had been as if he had seen the movements Luo Hao was about to take before they actually happened. Not as if looking into the future, the scenario he had seen being completely different even if it had been not much more than a brief glimpse. A glimpse into the vast multiverse to warn him of the approaching danger, no matter how little it could show him. But that momentary vision had been enough for him to act in time to avoid the attack that he shouldn't have known was coming.

Despite his bewilderment, was he fully aware of what had saved him, as the eye of Odin pulsed noticeably within his right socket. It had acted on its own, not having received any commands to activate from him, and he was happy that it had.

The Chinese Campione however paid no mind to his bewildered expression or the fact her attack had missed him by a sizable margin, opting instead to push forward her assault. She still felt as if she was still the one with the most control over the flow of combat between them, something she wouldn't relinquish anytime soon if she had a say in it.

She shrunk the distance between them almost instantly, her movements lacking all semblance of unnecessary motions as she proceeded to attack Dante full force. However, unlike last time, when he had done no more than back away from her to avoid her attacks, was he now standing his ground with little hesitation. And even stranger, was the fact that her attacks had trouble reaching him all of a sudden.

All her blows were being intercepted by the younger Campione, his obsidian black arms moving to meet her diamond whitish arms and harmlessly deflecting them away from himself. Except it wasn't just his arms that was blocking her, as she would have overwhelmed him relatively effortlessly in that case. No, the blows that he couldn't keep up with fully were turned harmless by the sudden runes that placed themselves in her path, absorbing all power behind her strikes.

But what truly got her attention was the look on her opponent's face as they exchanged blows. It wasn't fully focused, his gaze looking towards her, but not directly at her. And yet it felt as if he was looking into the very depths her soul, unraveling everything made up the one known as Luo Hao.

She didn't know what to make or feel about his indifferent expression and semi-vacant gaze, as all manner of emotions was welling up inside her like a sudden storm. But none of these emotions seemed negative, as a smile that had not made itself known within the last century made itself present on the older woman's face. A smile which made the most prominent emotion at the moment known: excitement.

Dante meanwhile was having trouble actually keeping up with all the information that was forcibly pushed into his head, being just enough to actually react to the Chinese Campione's attacks and blocking them. He felt the power behind her every blow, the only reason he hadn't been sent back or taken any damage being the change to his arms and the runic sand keeping him in place. He couldn't let himself lose focus, doing everything he could to understand and act on the visions that barreled past him. His heart growing heavier all the while.

Each vision was like a brief glimpse into everything that was Luo Hao. He saw everything from when she had just started martial arts, to the present of several timelines, to even the far off future that had yet to come. Each version of the black haired woman was different, having everything from subtle to big differences between them. The only constant being her determined, yet beautiful visage and black hair, as she strived towards perfecting every martial art available.

He felt like he was bearing witness to something that he shouldn't, and yet he couldn't stop, knowing fully well that doing so would be nothing less than allowing himself to be beaten. He was fully aware that amongst all Campione currently alive, was Luo Hao the most skilled in hand to hand combat, if not the most skilled Campione in general when it came to everything besides their Authorities at their disposal-

Additional runes besides those meant to protect him from the Ruler of the Martial Realm's blows appeared in flashes of light blue, floating in midair for a moment before impaling his body. From several directions they struck him, disappearing into his body. His movements suddenly changed, becoming sharper and performed with conviction, the movements of a martial artist that had centuries of experience under their belt.

-So he would simply have to force his body to close the gap, even if it meant using her own martial arts against her to do so.

…

Hideyoshi looked around in confusion, the space around him being something that could only be described as… empty. No matter in which direction he looked, it was as if nothing existed, just being an endless void that stretched out for eternity. He couldn't tell whether he was standing, lying down, upside down or possibly falling, he just existed in this space of nothingness. For a moment it made him question whether he was actually experiencing this or if it was nothing more than what happened when one fell unconscious. He tried talking, but all that met him once more silence, making him question whether he had actually tried to speak or it simply was that he couldn't say or hear anything within this space.

He tried to move, but whether he actually traversed through the empty space was impossible to tell, as there was no change in the surrounding area as he thought he moved forwards. There was no true grasp on how much time actually passed in this seemingly endless void, the only certainty being that some semblance of time must actually move forward. Not that it helped Hideyoshi's situation much, being unable to tell the amount of time that might have passed between every instance that he consciously wondered whether one minute or one second had passed.

He sat down, or at least he thought he did, he couldn't really tell if he had changed position whatsoever, the space around him not really allowing him to get any grasp about his position in this weird world. For all he knew could he be dangling upside down or be spinning uncontrollably in circles without being any wiser about the situation…

Was this what Athena had been talking about?

She had told him that he would simply cease to exist, but what did that actually entail? Was it like simply going unconscious or going into REM sleep? Did you simply become unaware of your surroundings and had no concept of time? It sounded too simple for something that entailed the utter erasure of one's entire being, the only difference being that this was more permanent. The only major difference from what Hideyoshi had envisioned was the fact that he was fully aware of the oblivion that surrounded him, at least he thinks he is. It was becoming progressively harder to get any sort of grasp about the world around him, as even the action of closing his eyes didn't change anything.

'I guess all I can do is wait…'

If he had still possessed all his senses, he believed that he would have experienced the feeling of a cold lump settling into his stomach at that thought. It was as if he had already accepted his fate in this situation, while also already writing it off as being the worst scenario possible.

'I'm sorry for everything, Sis, Godou… Shizuka… I wasn't strong enough'

The imaginary cold in his gut would certainly have started spreading through his body if it had been even remotely real. But to him it certainly was, his mind being far more dominant than his body in this realm of nothing. It's icy grip enveloped him from every possible angle, like a frigid wind was encircling him. It's sensation was hard for his mind to fully comprehend, constantly going between thinking that it existed and that it didn't. This however only made it worse, as with each wave that the temperature lowered, it hit with full force, chilling him to his core.

The cold was negligible however, as there was another sensation that took precedence. Something that actually felt real in this oblivion, not a phantom sensation like everything else. Pain.

Pain coursed relentlessly throughout every fiber of his being, being the only anchor that told him that all of this was actually real, and not some bad dream he was hoping to wake up from. The pain wasn't physical however, instead being caused by a far greater emotional reaction than what was making him feel cold. And the source?

'Shizuka…'

The prospect of never seeing Shizuka again, without even getting the chance to say anything to her before he disappeared.

"..."

"..."

"..."

'...I refuse to let it end like this…...'

…

Dante backed away from the axe kick he predicted Luo Hao to perform, his movements nothing like they used to be, as the runes that now covered his muscles made him copy one of Luo Hao's defensive techniques almost perfectly. And with little to no time after, he went on the offensive himself, the One Eyed Wanderer giving the Knowledge of the Runes Origin the instructions necessary to execute one of her own attacks as well.

This didn't face the Chinese Campione however, as she also defended against his attacks. It wasn't with the same amount of effortlessness that she had almost done it before, the attacks sometimes managing to grace her slightly as they went past her. The blonde Campione however became aware of her guard's weakness not too long after, the constant stream of visions provided by his shining eye allowing him to discern its location just moments after it had been put up.

His obsidian fist struck soft flesh, completely bypassing the diamond arm that attempted to fill in the hole in her defense as it moved too late to make any difference, instead bouncing harmlessly off the rough rock surface. Dante's fist struck her right in her solar plexus, a pained gasp that was barely audible sounded from the Chinese Campione being the only response that he got in return.

An equally pained gasp sounded out from his own mouth, as he suddenly found the older Campione's own fist buried into his solar plexus. She had made use of his weakened defence to counter just moments before his own attack had connected, seemingly having sought to cause the same type of damage to him as he had aimed to do to her. It was a situation where the first one to get their bearings back first would be guaranteed to have the upperhand in the next exchange.

Had this not been a confrontation between two god slayers.

Neither took much notice of the pain, pushing through without problem. Dante ducked low, his hand sweeping through the sand, as he commanded all grains that he touched to become edged. A cloud of dust was thrown up in an arc as he finished the motion, the silver sand quickly turning bright orange and burning hot, before combusting into flames as a fiery explosion of nothing but flesh rending fire. It consumed the Chinese Campione, before dispersing as several powerful gusts of wind was created around her. It had been no more than a couple instances, but those precious moments had been enough for Dante to finally enact his plan.

Visions of a Luo Hao that never picked up the unarmed styles of martial arts shifted through his vision. The black haired girl instead wielded a sword, her skill with the blade something that would have even given Salvatore Doni problems until a couple decades later from now. Ukonvasara crackled with lightning as the blade shone like the sun. The One Eyed Wanderer on its last ropes he could feel, as magical energy started shooting out without control and the visions became blurry and fewer.

It was currently stuck at the vision of Luo Hao with the sword, his stance shifting to one that matched hers, the runes inside his body assuring him that he got the stance right. The sword of Ukko was vertical to the ground, the tip of the blade pointed straight at the Luo Hao of his timeline, the sword held slightly over his right shoulder.

The Chinese Campione began speaking, but her Authority wouldn't be able to act in time.

The runes inside Dante moved his body as the last vision he would get began moving, her blade carving through the air with such grace that her movements couldn't be called anything but beautiful. Five separate slashes, all carried out in the span of a few instances, each having been meant to kill as they aimed for vitals. His body carried out the motion to near perfection, but it was flawed. The difference between him and her was miniscule, but it was still there.

That was the truth with all the moves he had copied from the Ruler of the Martial Realm. All the motions were near perfection, but there was always this small bit of imperfection between his borrowed martial arts and her perfected martial arts. And while the gap had closed more and more as time went on, was he sure that there would always be that small flaw in the movements he had stolen. These five slashes were no difference, but whatever it was that was missing in this last attack was so small that it practically didn't exist.

As the fifth slash was carried out, he heard the smallest of voices speak through the vision before it turned blank and the eye of Odin burned out, his eye slowly returning to its original purple color. It was almost as if in a trance that he spoke out the words of his vision as he also carried out the fifth and final slash.

"Severer of Virtues"

Five explosions of burning fire and crackling lightning flew towards Luo Hao at high speed just as she had managed to disperse the flames Dante had enveloped her in. In a panic appeared the hand suddenly before her, acting as a wall between her and the beams of nature's two most dangerous elements. The flames and electricity crashed full force into the open palm of the enormous hand, dispersing somewhat as they met the golden surface head on. It stood steadfast in the face of such firepower, not that it would last.

The cracks it had already suffered in its brief confrontation with Mjolnir, while slightly recovered and closed, began spreading and intensifying as it was subjugated to such an intense and overwhelming level of magical pressure. In most likelihood it wouldn't last much longer than 2 seconds before the fires of Surtr and lightning of Ukko completely overwhelmed the hand. Those 2 seconds were however much longer in this kind of confrontation.

Luo Hao swiftly ascended the golden hand, her hands and feet finding purchase in the cracked surface of the massive appendage as she expertly climbed up the now rough exterior. Before even the full first second had passed launched she off the fingers, now high above her blonde adversary. The winds roared around her, picking up speed and power as a reaction to Luo Hao's elated emotional state, her Authority's influence seeping out despite having not spoken any incantation.

"Husbandmen of slaughter, the Huns. Have sown the yellow desert with our bones. Long ago the Qin built the Great Wall." the sound of the rushing winds got louder as magic erupted from her body, her Authority's influence over the element skyrocketing in response to her words.

"Now it's the Han who light the signal beacon. All night long the flames flicker." The Ruler of the Martial Realm lifted her right hand up towards the sky, effectively channeling the majority of her Authority through her hand. Clouds started being visually affected, as they started moving in circular motions in a manner that made Dante fully understand the situation he was in. What it truly meant to face a member of the older generation.

"Year in year out, the war lingers!" she brought her hand down as an executioner's axe, her palm directly pointed towards Dante. The full force of a hurricane was suddenly unleashed towards the platform, the sand reacting long before the fierce winds actually reached it. The hurricane completely dwarfed their battlefield in size as it closed in, just the force of it approaching being enough for Dante to almost buckle.

Quickly reacting to the approaching danger, opened he the ground directly underneath him, falling through it and quickly closing it. He placed his hands against the smooth metal surface of the arena's exterior, as liquid metal almost immediately engulfed both his hands and forearms before it hardened, keeping him in place as he dangled underneath it.

He looked upwards to the reflective roof overhead, a single command being sent to each and every grain of rune created sand that was just on the other side.

'Become edged!'

Almost as soon as the command was given, as they began to be influenced by Blade of the Devil Giant, the pool started to shine and warm like the midday sun during summer as each and every little grain of sand became carriers of incredibly potent firepower. The question was if it would actually stand up to the Chinese Campione's attack of literal hurricane magnitude.

The entire pool of sand was wiped up into the air as the circling winds passed it by, several long trails of glowing sand following the motions. But before their first rotation could be completed, reacted they aggressively as they all went off almost simultaneously. Thousands of mighty explosions of fire sounded off in a thunderous roar that sounded out for miles in all directions. The soundwave that was created causing the waters far underneath them to suddenly rise in high waves in a circle. All the clouds as far as they could see were pushed away and dispersed, leaving the blue sky underneath completely clear for as long as the eye could see.

To Dante the most important fact that the winds Luo Hao had created was gone, the massive explosion having disturbed it enough for them to lose all manner of motion and become almost dead calm. His beat had paid off, but the amount of runes he had used up in the counter attack was pretty substantial, the entire pool having been completely emptied of sand at this point, with several cracks running along it as a result of having been in the very center of the explosion. Pieces along the edges had fallen off completely as a result.

The platform suddenly shook as something collided with it full force. Barely two seconds later, plunged an arm through the silver just in front of Dante's face. Before he had time to react, had the hand tightened around his throat, and he was promptly pulled upwards. He wasn't given enough time to part the runes, simply being pulled through them as they bent like tinfoil in the face of such brute strength. He was promptly thrown a good distance as he breached the surface, hitting one of the edges of the pool like arena, as the contents that it had kept in was now gone. Bits and pieces crumbled away as he hit the wall, but not enough for it to dislodge entirely.

He looked up at Luo Hao as she approached him. Her current appearance was something he had never laid his eyes on before, neither in person or through his ability to observe echoes of lost and potential timelines. Her dress was completely destroyed in places, the part of her dress that covered parts of her legs had been burnt away all the way up to above her knees. Her arms were also entirely exposed, her oversized green sleeves entirely gone at this point, looking more like a vest as it showed her shoulders now. Her hair was also fully unleashed, not really changing the length of her hair any, but now it was more untamed and wild.

And despite all of this, was she still smiling. Her eyes twinkling with excitement that somehow enhanced her current wild look.

"Dante~" the way she said his name sent shivers through the younger god slayer's entire body. There was something buried within the way she had said his name that resonated through him, with there being no indication as to what it could possibly be that caused such a reaction within him with that small sample size. He honestly had a hard time deciding whether he wanted to hear more of it or not.

"That was the name that that woman by your side had called you. A fitting name, as it means everlasting if memory serves right. It was as if your parents knew that you would be a part of the world for a long time." she walked closer, not menacingly, but in a manner that made sure that his attention didn't leave her for a moment. "I can't remember the last time that someone managed to grab my attention like you have today."

Dante tried to stand, but his back still hurt from the solid impact he had made with the wall. He tried to push himself up with his arms against it, but they crumpled away beneath his palms, not giving him purchase and sent him promptly sitting back down. And despite all of this, didn't his eyes leave Luo Hao once. He didn't panic as she got closer at such a leisure pace, simply walking towards him as if they hadn't been in a confrontation of divine Authorities little more than a minute ago.

She soon stood right before him, looking down at him with the same smile still present on her face. "I saw it in your eyes, the realisation of having gone past one's known limit. You breached the zenith of something, just before you swung your blade back then, something became different. Isn't that right

""Dante""

The voice rang out twice, as the Luo Hao before him and the Luo Hao of his last vision called out his name in perfect unison. One real and one imaginary, but both were equally impactful to the blonde boy. Their images almost overlapped for a moment, only to be hindered by him furiously rejecting the echo of the potential Luo Culian from filling his head.

He understood what it was that the Chinese Campione was referring to, as a scenario that he for the longest time had written off as impossible had taken place in the middle of their fight. Odin's eye activating itself was a minor shock in comparison to what he had been shown by the parallel world spanning sight granted by the Authority.

The world where Luo Hao never picked up unarmed martial arts that he was shown, was a world where his own presence was intertwined heavily to Luo Hao. A world where he never met Brenda. A world where Luo Hao eventually managed to catch him traversing through her realm without permission. A world where the Chinese Campione became the one he swore his heart and soul to instead of the red haired knight of his own world. And with this vision came he finally to understand why Odin had sealed him from seeing any potential timelines where he had any major influence or played a substantial part.

As the adrenaline finally settled down and he started thinking clearly, was it as if his very soul and heart was tearing themselves apart as his mind played through the vision involuntarily, as if he was forced information through the spell he had seen Godou been subjected to countless times to use the Warrior. It was as if the border between the Dante of his vision and this Dante was getting blurred, the conflicting feelings that welled up almost causing physical pain from his perspective. He became a momentary singularity for the two versions of himself, an overwhelming experience in his opinion.

It settled down almost as soon as it began, barely a couple seconds having passed by, but for him it had almost felt like an eternity and the damage was done. He looked back up at the Chinese Campione again, his gaze having ever so slightly diverted away from her visage in that span of time.

She stood even closer now, their feet almost touching each other as she was now directly before him, looming over him like a mountain. Massive in presence without fully acknowledging its own grandeur, yet completely aware of how imposing their existence is to all that are aware of the potential dangers that might be hidden in the vast expanse.

Yet, despite this didn't Dante feel any fear in this moment, or rather he was unable to feel fear towards her anymore. Because no matter how much he attempted to suppress and quench the feeling that he had unwillingly taken from the far distant echo of himself, continued it to grow in defiance.

No, what he feared was those very emotions that were being effectively forced upon him by himself. So well as the fact that he no longer could fight against Luo Hao as long as those feelings were present.

…

Hideyoshi opened their eyes, looking up towards the blue sky that spanned far overhead with equally blue eyes. They stood up from the ground, practically bouncing up with minimal effort. A bit curious, looked he around his surroundings, finding themselves still in the Kasai Rinkai Park. Except, his opponent from earlier was nowhere to be seen. His blue eyes were filled with both recognition and confusion as he scanned the nearby area. It was as if he was bearing witness to something new and familiar at the same time. A contradiction only possible because the body recognised it, while the mind did not.

"No matter" The voice that escaped Hideyoshi's lips weren't the same anymore. It was deeper, more powerful, sounding more like it belonged to a fully grown man rather than a 14 year old.

A golden glow surrounded his body, the same glow that he had begun emitting in random intervals when under stressful situations. This one was more refined, more in control than anything the boy had done before. Then, he was gone from the park, his body easily traversing vast distances in a short span of time as he sprinted faster than any living creature. People, vehicles, and buildings simply blurred past as he moved through them without hindrance, easily weaving through without anyone noticing his presence.

The body suddenly seized up, each limb growing stiff in an instant. The sudden lack of motion sending them into a nearby building, hidden from sight in an alley. Hideyoshi lied there motionless for a moment, until with a sudden gasp as if surfacing from beneath the ocean, he started moving again. Brown red eyes squinted in agony, as his body didn't take too kindly to the inhuman amount of exertion that it had been put through.

With heavy, labored breaths, leaned he up against the building he'd crashed into as he rose up, every centimeter up off the ground being an arduous task. "I am… still in… charge… go back… to sleep... for a moment"

As he stood, he felt like letting out tears of joy, having been released from whatever it was he had been subjected to. Every sound, every sight, every smell and every sensation was bringing him great joy at this very moment, no matter whether they were good or bad. Even the pain that his body was also a welcome reminder that he was still here, existing. He walked out from the alleyway, a bit shocked by how far he had gotten from his previous position.

'Why of course, my speed is one of the greatest amongst all heroes!' a deep, powerful voice suddenly responded to his thoughts inside his head as he looked around, shocking him for a moment with the sudden and unexpected commentary. A sense of dread just as quickly overcame him, as he understood what the voice belonged to. Something which reminded him of his currently inevitable situation.

"I thought I told you to go back to sleep"

'Calling it going to sleep wouldn't be completely correct, but I can understand why you would regard it as such. Honestly am I surprised you managed to regain control through sheer force of will, but that is why I have always prefered my human side more than my divine side.'

Hideyoshi got silent for a moment, knowing full well that the question he dreaded to hear the answer to could very well be answered by whatever deity it was he was talking to. "...How long do I actually have? Before you assert full control?"

'Sorry to tell you kid, I have no idea, but seeing as I am now almost fully conscious and can't go back to being inactive, wouldn't it surprise me if you don't have more than until the end of the day before I take over fully.'

…

"Take cover!" a guard shouted while firing down the hall towards the cell, while a second guard was quickly closing the door. The person in question walked calmly forward, their restraining jacket ripped in the places that would have restrained him. The blindfold was still strapped over his eyes, but he knew he wasn't in any danger, as each bullet was stopped by some unseen force. The force soon took shape, as a massive, purple scaled cobra appeared out of seemingly thin air, its long body coiling protectively around its summoner.

Fadil reached for the blindfold, pulling it up from his head rather than how he had torn it off while his mind had been clouded by the curse of the Book of Thoth. Now however, with his mind clear of any disturbances, he saw what he had to do.

"Manifestation of Meretseger" the massive cobra lowered its head, it's one red eye in the middle of its head still looking forward as it awaited the command it knew it was about to be given. "Could you kindly open the door"

Without hesitation whipped the tail towards the door like a massive whip. The reinforced steel didn't stand a chance against the force of the creature's tail, as it crumpled like tinfoil at the point of impact. The door flew out from the opening, making small work of all the security that had been placed on it to keep him and other criminals of the Red Sands locked up.

The guards tried to escape, but the cobra easily caught up with them, it's two stacked upon jaws opening wide as it swallowed them both whole.

"Put enough time and resources into even the most overlooked spells, and you will eventually be surprised by the results" the prisoner spoke, his fingers traveling along the scales of the creature he had summoned as he walked towards the exit. "Jasmine here is a perfect example. The Manifestation of Meretseger spell isn't usually that powerful, only really useful to summon small spies. But if one were to put enough time into it, would one be able to reach similar results."

He turned around, his hands stretched in both directions of the prison. The sound of locking mechanisms unlocking echoed throughout the halls as Fadil's divinely boosted magic made easy work of the security placed upon all the criminals that the Red Sands had guarded for who knows how long.

"Come brothers, the Princess has called for our presence. Let her show you the light just as she has me, oh you lost souls."

Back up on the surface underneath the sweltering heat of the desert sun, stood a single individual looking towards the building that housed the criminals deep underground. The person in question was feminine, dressed in a white sundress and sunhat over her pale green hair. Her green eyes focused on a portrait her mother had painted her many years ago.

"Don't worry papa, I will get you out of there, and then we can finally be a family"

The small portrait depicted a man with white hair and golden eyes, his complexion was that of olive mocha. He was fighting another man in the portrait, but his features were more obscured as he was almost in the background, the only noticeable thing being his long, matching white hair. The girl could only guess it was a long dead relative, her mother having never told her who it was her father was fighting, no matter how many times she asked her.

She put away the photo, before starting to move towards the building. "I better make sure they get out safely. And that they get their hands on the book.

Hope you liked it.

If you have any thoughts or opinions, please do tell me in the reviews. Or if you want to discuss something regarding the story, please contact me through PM.