Well, it's time to see, if I can describe a fight and relate a long chapter in English with sufficient quality.
I hope you like this chapter, and that my English is acceptable enough to understand the fight. Best regards!
Mission 03: Save the girl and collect your reward.
When "Toni" was at the end of his 15 years of life...
...he was about to pass his last year of Middle school by a miracle.
However, it wasn't all bad news.
During his school life at this level of education, he had made friends with a boy in his class, Hyoudou-Issei, whom he had initially approached because he had a peculiar aura that he didn't recognize, so he found him interesting. So he decided to keep an eye on him for a while. He would later realize that Issei had no idea of the power that resided in him...
...but perhaps that power gave him an excess of sexual desire, for he was too perverted...
...So much so that Dante didn't believe anyone could be so young and perverted. Or was he just very sick?
Whatever the case, he had to admit that sometimes the brown-haired guy, he got a laugh out from his behavior, and watching him get beaten up by the girls he tried to spy on was pretty funny. Sometimes they went to arcades or to their homes to play video games, and at other times he gave him advice on how to treat a woman, but...it seemed his advice was no good with Hyodou.
The brown-haired guy reminded him a little of himself. But only a "little", for he was not a pervert, but he did love the female sex. Many people in his past life would classify him at times as a little womanizer and at other times as a "shameless", for his ease in going out with casual girls and/or going to an exotic dance venue...
...Commitment did not seem to be his thing. And that often caused him problems with more than one woman.
And speaking about having problems with women, the following is one of the situations he went through not too long ago.
- Hey Wake up, young Antoni wake up!
-*Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*
In a certain middle school, in a final year classroom, a generic math teacher with glasses, tried to wake up with his angry shouts an unconscious semi-white haired young man, who was sitting on the desk of his seat. This was no surprise, as "Toni" fell asleep in almost every class, however, this was his favorite subject to fall into a coma.
-'Hey Toni, wake up, the four-eyed one noticed!'-Issei, who was a bench behind the Kusanagi, whispered those words to him as he poked him with a finger on his back with the intention of waking him up.
-*Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*
However, it was useless because in the mind of the sleeping ex-son of sparda, the figure of a crimson mane and the face of a beautiful teenage girl was present.
3 months ago...
In the afternoon in the depths of a forest near the city kuoh.
And just outside a ruined Shinto temple.
A reddish-haired girl dressed in a Highschool uniform and with curves too accentuated for her age, was fighting against what seemed to be a Christian/Protestant priest.
And I say "seemed to be" because his appearance was far from that of a normal human being.
Fang-like teeth stood out when he opened his mouth, red eyes with bloodshot sclerae, white hair with blood stains everywhere on it and also on his black priestly robe. Lastly, there were long, sharp nails on his hands, which held a diabolical-looking sword that emanated a purple-dark aura that was completely enveloping his body.
As you may have noticed, more than a priest, he looked like a beast.
Around the area, there were a lot of destroyed trees, and craters plus cracks in the ground.
It seemed that there had been a battle for a long time between this girl and the priest.
*BOOOOOM!*
With a simple swing of his sword, in the next movement, the priest threw from the blade of his weapon a great wave of violet power similar to a crescent moon that had the intention of slicing the redhead in half, however the girl seemed that she was not completely defenseless, because from one moment to another, by placing her hands in front she created a kind of magic circle that completely covered her body, and defended her from the attack.
Subsequently, the priest threw again and again, waves of power from the sword, however all were blocked by the redhead using the same technique or else she used a kind of blocks of black power that she threw from her hands, which upon impact with the priest's technique, canceled them. She also used that move, to avoid being approached and/or if she got too close, she would fly as fast as she could to another position.
Obviously we all know who she is:...
...She was on a mission to exterminate a priest who had gone mad and had begun to kill indiscriminately in his territory and in other nearby cities, both stray devils and noble demons plus members of they peerage. When she got information from her bat-like familiar that the priest was in this area, she didn't think twice, so she came to take care of the matter personally. Her peerage came with her, but they separated at some point to cover more ground and thus find the priest more quickly.
She thought the matter would be a piece of cake, but apparently from what can be observed, the matter ended up getting out of hand. The priest was stronger than the reports she had received dictated, and also possessed superhuman powers. He could heal his wounds in minutes, possessed extraordinary reflexes, super-human strength, stamina and speed, and in addition to being able to heal himself, the wounds he received seemed to cause him no pain whatsoever.
His reasoning seemed to be mostly lost, but despite being a bloodthirsty savage, he behaved like an intelligent beast. He knew when to retreat, and when to attack. And then there was that sword; a sword that emitted a dark and evil aura. It was definitely a demonic sword of some sort that was granting the priest his powers, and was most likely the cause of his behavior as well.
If it weren't for the fact that she had used every trick she knew, she would be dead by now.
And speaking of her peerage, for some reason she could not contact them through her magic intercom. She would later discover that the abandoned Shinto temple in this area still had an active old barrier against evil spirits that was interfering with low-level magic like that.
She was trying to resist...
...she had to find a way to call for help...
...and survive...
...The fact that she is no dead yet, is because she's a high class demon who has refused to give up and because...
...has barely escaped.
So she had to find a way to achieve victory.
- "By Lucifer, I should have come more prepared to face this lunatic!"-In the midst of the battle, these were one of the thoughts of the young girl, who found herself expressing nervousness on her face as she was sweating profusely. Her clothes were already torn in several areas; apparently, she had barely managed to avoid being wounded.-"Damn it! His strength and speed keep growing! And his wounds won't stop healing! Where did he get that sword?! It's like he's a Berserker warrior from Norse myth!"
*BOOOOM!
After assessing the situation, the redhead was distracted for a moment just as the priest's attack and one of her own collided again, generating a smokescreen between the two.
Almost instinctively, the priest took advantage of this moment to pass through the smoke screen at full speed, emerging from the other side in an instant, only for the next blink of an eye to swing his sword in the direction of the girl's head just a few tenths of centimeters away.
-'Damn it!'-She managed to cover herself with another magic circle, but the force of that swing filled with a wave of demonic power caused a strong impact that threw her body backwards at great speed.
-'Kyaaaaaaa!'-The magic circle a second after she closed her eyes and let out that scream broke into a thousand pieces, so that after hitting against the tree she was heading to, she would be wounded by the wave of remaining power.
Something that would not kill her instantly since she is a demon after all, with inherent resistance to that attribute, but she would receive several burns, or she could lose a limb at least...
...But when it looked like she was going to crash severely into the tree trunk...*1
*Swooosh!*-...The sound of rushing wind was heard and instead of feeling a blunt blow on her back or demonic power burning her body, she felt hands charging her and counteracting the momentum she was carrying backwards at the same time.
A few breaths later, when the redhead finally opened her eyes, she watched as a young man held her in his arms, carrying her in a bridal fashion. A second later, the stranger gently placed her on the ground and propped her up against a random tree to the side.
-"?"-From one moment to the next, in less than 5 seconds, the redhead couldn't understand how they were more than 30 meters away from the area where she was attacked. After blinking confusedly at the thought, she paid attention to the singular individual in front of her.
She noticed that he was about 20 cm taller than her and that he was wearing dark glasses plus a kind of light-colored cowboy hat in his head and a red scarf wrapped around his neck. He was also wearing a red jacket over a black shirt, jet black jeans and boots of the same color. On either side of his waist were pistol holsters hanging from his waist, where there were already two such weapons. And lastly, from his back the hilt of a katana was sticking out.
-'Hey girl, this is not a place for you to come camping with your friends~'-With satire in his voice the stranger enunciated, while observing from head to toe the redhead, who was still quite confused, surprised and doubtful, since she did not know the intentions of this strange guy, who seemed to have a rather strong magical aura.
As much as a high class magician.
-'Who are you...?'-Before the girl finished her sentence, at that moment the priest charged towards them like a wild beast, looking devilishly dangerous.
However, when the priest arrived right behind the boy's back while raising his sword to swing it against him, the "cowboy", without even turning to look at him, gave him a tremendous side kick right in the face that caused a small shock wave...
*DUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!-...which sent him flying and crashing violently into a distant tree, which was split in half when the priest crashed into its trunk. Strangely, despite such a surprise attack, the sword in the priest's hands was still attached to it, it had not been released.
One would think that "the cowboy" had killed him with it, but...
...involuntary contractions began to occur in the priest's sprawled body, and the neck that had been broken and rotated was slowly snapping back into place.
-Hey, Wait your turn for the dance, low-grade Arkham~!'-After mockingly expressing himself, the boy chuckled as he watched the priest lying on the ground recovering from the inhuman blow. A breath later, he focused his gaze again on the red-haired girl, who was dumbfounded by the stranger's recent action-'Rest a moment "Lady-Ranma," you look a mess~ I'll finish the party you started~'-he smiled. His comment that carried a bit of sarcasm made Rias' cheeks blush for shame a bit, until she heard "Ranma" and everything else, so her cheeks puffed out with annoyance the next moment-'When I take that sword away from him, you can do whatever you want with him. So if you want to eat him for what he's done, I won't get involved'-At the stranger's new sarcastic comment, the redhead became annoyed again, even more than she already was
But before she could claim anything, the boy turned his gaze to the priest and started walking towards him, whereupon the Gremory could clearly observe how on his back he carried a normal looking Katana, held by a black sheath pinned in his back.
-'Hey wait, who the hell are you?!'-She demanded to alleviate her confusion, but...
-'A mystery~'-...The stranger only replied sarcastically when he gave him a sidelong glance through his glasses.
-'That's not an answer!'-A small vein appeared on the redhead's temple after hearing his answer. But despite that, she tried to talk some sense into him as she struggled to her feet, using the log behind her for support-'He's going to tear you to pieces! I can see you're strong but if we want a chance to defeat him, we must unite until my reinforcements can arrive!'
The "Ninja-Cowboy" turned a deaf ear to her screams, so he began to run towards the enemy, completely ignoring the girl.
On the other hand, before the boy reached him, the priest rejoined, and shook his sword when he noticed that the stranger was approaching him very quickly. Waves of demonic power in the form of half-moons, crossed the battlefield with the intention of severing and/or burning the cowboy in the process, tearing up the ground in their path and/or destroying the trees in their way, but when they seemed to engulf the "Ninja-Cowboy"...
*Flash!*-..The stranger just dodged those waves of power with an absurd speed that the human eye couldn't follow as he unsheathed the sword from his back.
*Slash!**Slash!**Slash!**Slash!**-In the next move, the stranger almost instantly reached the side of the priest, who tried to follow his speed. He unleashed several swings with his demonic sword with the intention of slashing him, however he failed to hit any of them. The boy was simply on another level when it came to speed. Strangely, the "Ninja-cowboy" did not use his sword to defend against the priest swings...
...Most likely because an ordinary katana, would not withstand the edge of a demonic sword.
*Slaaaaash!*
-Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Whatever the case, the fight between the swordsmen did not last long, because the stranger took advantage of an opening in the priest's stance to cut one of his hands. Specifically the one holding the demonic sword, which caused the priest to let out a scream like an agonizing beast while a sea of blood flowed from the mutilated limb. At the same time, the Katana of the "Ninja-cowboy" cracked to the point of almost breaking after having severed that arm. It seemed that the flesh or bones had somehow been hardened to a level close to steel.
Then, the priest tried to pierce the boy's skull with his claws (of the hand he had left), however, the boy easily dodged it again and then sent him flying backwards with a powerful kick to his chest that made him spin miserably in the air.
*Crash!-After the boy's kick, the priest ended up crashing into one of the walls of the abandoned temple that was about ten meters from where he received the blow, causing a small crater in the stone wall with the priest's body in its center. With this, it seemed that he was knocked out for a moment as he seemed quite unconscious.
-'Oh old man. You're an amateur using demonic weapons, aren't you?'-Despite his jovial tone, the boy shook his head with a hint of regret as he looked down at the priest's arm that was now holding in one of his hands.
The reason why the sword had not flown out of the priest hands when he struck the first blow was evident at that moment, for it seemed that the steel of the sword's hilt had fused with the flesh of the priest's hand as grotesque looking veins danced around the entire skin of the priest amputaded hand and forearm, as if they were corrupted.
-'If you are only a human being, with a weak body, soul and will, you will never master these things, and worse, they can take possession of your body and soul. Didn't they teach you that in the basic defense against dark arts classes at the Vatican?'-As he approached the priest, the boy said those words with a mixture of sarcasm and seriousness as he plucked and "peeled" the hilt of the sword from the flesh of that lifeless hand. Then he placed his damaged Katana in the sheath on his back and continued walking until he was in front of the white-haired priest still embedded in the wall-'Sorry Freed-Sel...Sel...Sel...Sel...Ah crap, I forgot your last name, it was complicated~ Anyway, "Freed-whatever-be-your-last name", the critical point to keep your soul from being completely corrupted is past, you're more of a demon than a human now. *Sigh* Although I guess you deserved it, According to employer's reports, you were already a crazy psychopath long before you stole this thing. So...'
The boy who was already in front of the priest just a few steps away, watched him with a bit of pity for a while as he uttered those words. Then, he took a singular looking western sword sheath hanging from the priest's belt, and ripped it off to later place the demonic sword he was holding into this sheath. That done, the purple aura of the sword disappeared. Its powers had apparently been sealed; that is what he noticed, because the boy no longer felt how the sword "called" him to use it...
... to intoxicate himself in its power...
...to dominate him...
...to possess him...
...to take possession of everything he had, and everything he was...
-"Ha, calm down little one, you're not dealing with a noob! In another life, I was also born in the darkness!" -That was the first thought Dante threw at the sword when he held it for the first time: Inside his head and soul, a mental passage completely filled with darkness appeared, in it there was only the image of a middle-aged white-haired man dressed in a red trench coat and casual clothes. A huge sword on his back, and a sea of darkness around him. Later the will of that sword would manifest itself in the form of the face of a repulsive golden dragon that tried to spawn him with its enormous jaws, however the mental passage soon disappeared after that man turned into a terrifying humanoid demon that made the image of the dragon recede. Obviously it was not about any remaining demonic power: his strong will, his mental strength, and his magical power manifested that way in his mental passage: the unique attributes he possessed, prevented him from going mad just by holding the sword, although unlike his past life, he felt a slow "corrosion" in his soul and his will, which having shown a moment of weakness could have expanded. When he was a half-blood, that obviously never happened with any kind of diabolical weapon.
Returning to the present, after having sheathed the diabolical sword, the boy turned his back on the white-haired priest (still embedded in the crater of the wall) that was once Freed-Selzen.*2
And then he walked back to the red-haired girl, who had stood aside, for she was stunned and jaw almost on the floor having witnessed the strength of the stranger, who was apparently only a human being. She had remained standing beside that tree where she had been leaning all this time.
-"His speed and strength surpass Kiba and Koneko, and his swordsmanship is also top-notch! From what I could see, he also seems to know martial arts! He has magic power but he didn't use any spells! Is he a magician who received some kind of unheard-of training? Most magicians only use spells, their bodies are flimsy. I've only heard of such a thing from the great knights of the black or blue bronze cross or the elite warriors of the protector families of Japan. Who is this guy!?"
The teenager didn't know what to feel at that moment...
...Fear?...
...Relief?...
...Gratitude?...
...She still didn't know the intentions of that individual, who had easy beaten up the priest who had put her in checkmate a few minutes ago. Therefore she instinctively placed her body in a combat stance and began to raise her demonic aura.
-'Wow, wow, wow, calm down, princess!'-The boy with the hat placed his arms upwards while with a finger he pointing at the sheath with the sword held in his right hand. Incidentally, neither his hat, glasses or scarf had flown off despite the speed at which he moved...Probably because of a simple spell he learned in the slums of the supernatural world he had entered a few months ago. Once he pointed to the sheath with the sword, he continued speaking-'I didn't come here to fight with girls who go to schools that charge a thousand minimum wages per month, look, I just came for this. It's a sword that was stolen, and someone didn't like that, so that someone is going to pay me to take it back. So from sane human to sane demon~, let's calm down a bit, shall we?'-With a wry smile in between, the hunter enunciated nonchalantly and continued walking calmly towards her.
Hearing him the redhead seemed to calm down a bit as she noticed the sincerity of his words and the lack of hostility in his actions towards her. But of course, she was still on her guard.
- "He doesn't seem to have the aura of a Sacred-Gear user. Someone stole that demonic sword and hired him to retrieve it? Who is that someone? Does he belong to the church? Or is he from some demon who wants to hide that possession? "-The red-haired girl placed a thoughtful expression as she rested her index finger and thumb on her chin as she watched the boy walk-"He knows I'm a demon, has he seen me fight? No, surely by his level, he must be able to sense my aura."-Her gaze was a bit distant-"What if he just wants me to let my guard down, so he can easily murder me later?. Or maybe he's planning to kidnap me?!"
-'Hey, are you done figuring out if I'm a threat or...~ Do you just find me mysteriously attractive?'-In the blink of an eye, without her noticing, the hunter was already sitting next to her, on the ground leaning his back against the tree where he had placed the girl a moment ago. A flirtatious smile formed on his face as he said that last thing.
-'kyaaaaaaaaaa!'-Since she never knew at what moment he moved, the girl, very surprised, screamed like a frightened child.
Then she took a step back while wondering at what moment he got there, but she slipped on one of the boy's feet, and ended up falling on the chest of the aforementioned, who let out a laugh when he noticed the face full of sorrow characteristic of a teenager.
-'Hmmmmmmm. You were definitely so pensive because you find me mysteriously attractive, weren't you? You're such a rascal. You use the legendary slipping technique to get close to me, and make me fall in love with that huge pair of melo...'-The redhead didn't even wait for him to finish that sentence full of a light, carefree and obscene tone, because without thinking twice she gave him a hard slap that ended up knocking him down to the ground beside her-'Hey, I just saved you, and this is how you repay me?!'-Still lying on the ground, the "cowboy" complained as he stroked his left cheek, reddened and swollen by the slap.
A vein appeared on the redhead's temple and then she screamed at the top of her lungs.-'You Swine! How dare you try to call them melo...melo...melo...!? that what were you going to say!'
-'Fuck, I'll say it for the umpteenth time. I'm not a swine, I'm a decent pig, but hey'-The ex half-blood raised his thorax and smiled amusedly at her as he still felt those feminine attributes on top of him-'Princess, you're still on me, remember? You're invading my personal space, you know?! You initiated the attack with your charms, don't blame me~ I just said the first thing that would come to any man's mind! I'm still pure and chaste, but you're here, trying to dominate me with your "devilishness", oh god keep me away from demonic desires!~'
Hearing those sentences full of excessive sarcasm and drama, she could not help blushing, so she immediately tried to stand up, but again she stumbled, and fell with her butt on the ground beside her. She decided not to try to stand up for a moment, continued sitting, ignored that she had fallen again and looked away from the boy's gaze.
-My name is not "Princess", my name is Rias-Gremory. And now that you know my background, would you please be so kind as to introduce yourself?
-'Ah, Oooook. Okay?'-Hearing her, he rejoined her and remained seated next to her. He was confused by the strange act of formality coming from this demon.-'You can call me Dante, it's a pleasure. I guess. Ah, what's with the introduction?'-Dante stretched out his hand to greet her and a tired breath later, the Gremory returned the greeting.
-'You really don't know who the Gremory are?'-Confused, Rias raised an eyebrow. She had intentionally said her last name to inquire if this stranger knew about the nobility of the hell-"How does a high-ranking mage coming to this region not know about my family?"
-'Nope...no idea. Not a clue. I'm guessing you're some kind of important devil or something?'-Dante said that nonchalantly as he shrugged his shoulders and put on a face full of a confused expression.
He knew there were "good" demons from what he had heard from another demon hunter he met when he dabbled a few months ago in the supernatural world. Demons who apparently liked to coexist with humans without causing any harm, and who even went to school as random students who wish to learn. Something that struck him as the strangest thing in the world, but which explained to him why there were so many fiendish auras without bloodlust or hostility in Kuoh City, and even in his school. Something that definitely could only have happened in an alternate earth and not in his original world, and the only reason why he believed it was because he had already seen an alternate earth where something similar happened but on a smaller scale.
However, he only met this demon hunter a few times and for a short time, so the information he had was not too much. Basically he only knew that, and that this city was ruled by some demonic families, who should not be angered, but nothing specific. The another devil hunter essentially just gave him that little bit of information, and said "Kill only the crazy demons or the renegades or the families will come after you, and you won't survive, trust me. As long as you hunt the demons that lost their heads or the fallen angels, they will even let you continue with your work without inconvenience or they might even pay you. Besides, those devil kids are not worth hunting, ironically they are more human than many other human beings"
Ah, that's right...He also found out that there were fallen angels. "What the heck?, what the heck is wrong with this world?, are they another kind of demon, or another kind of magical creature?"; Many questions about that came to his mind, but apparently that demon hunter didn't know how to explain why they existed either. He knew that they were enemies of the demons and that they should be hunted if they were too smart and dangerous, but nothing more. So Dante still lacked a lot of information to know this world to the fullest.
Back to the conversation...
-'Uuuh?!'-Dante's ignorance left the red-haired girl dumbfounded for a second, so she then said the following in disbelief-'What high-class wizard in this world doesn't know who the Gremory family is? I am the next heir of the family, and I rule over this territory, you know?'
-'Eh?'-He scratched his head and replied disinterestedly -'I'm not a high-class magician. If you're saying that because of my magic power, I hardly use it. Replying to the rest, I guess I must be the only one around here who doesn't know who the Gremory's are. From your words I'm guessing it's a family of nobles or something like that...Eh? A girl rules Kuoh City?'
-I'm not a girl, I turned 16, 7 months ago. And you seem to be younger than me!
-That doesn't help to classify you out of that term, you know?~
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Rias decided to ignore that comment, to focus on what really mattered to her.
-'Whatever! *Sigh* Are you really not a high class mage?, are you not enrolled in some order of magical chivalry or some faction of the Vatican or the families that protect Japan?, has no one taught you about the nobility of the devils? Don't lie! how come you have that level of fighting, if you don't belong to any of those orders?!-'The redhead narrowed her eyes, because for an instant she suspected that Dante was a member of some enemy faction. There were many orders of magical chivalry in the human world allied to the families of the 72 pillars, such as the witenagemot, but also many others allied or members of enemy factions.
If she had not taken more diplomatic and/or aggressive action, it was because in truth, the boy seemed quite clueless and sincere despite all his flippant manner.
- "If my intuition isn't wrong, I think she thinks I might be part of her enemies. Which actually, she might be right...If she started eating humans. But... Just look at her! Her aura feels as noble as Trish's or Lucia's, and...Her behavior seems like that of a typical spoiled teenager! And she's even a student at Kuoh Academy! What the fuck happened in this world to demons?!"-For a moment, Dante looked at Rias as he arched both eyebrows with much confusion when he thought of the above, and after making his guesses, he replied-'Okay, relax that throbbing vein "village president"~, I am an independent "magician", if it's easier for you to classify me that way. I don't belong to any magical association, and I'm not interested in belonging to one ever in case you were wondering. I'm a free spirit who has "trained" his body and mind to hunt crazy beasts and get some extra money out of it. And in case you're thinking this too, if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already princess. I don't get to chat too much with the prey, cappici?~'-Having said that, he scratched his cheek and smiled wryly-'So, cut down on your paranoia. And at least thank me for having saved you from the power of this sword, "village president"-
Upon hearing it, many were the expressions the Gremory made, mostly annoyed and/or offended expressions at the boy's obviously insulting/sarcastic remarks. After taking a deep breath to calm her spirit slightly infuriated by such things, she turned her gaze to the sword the boy held, and then smiled slightly. It was true, he had saved her, and she should at least thank him for that, even if he was a stranger of dubious provenance. Nevertheless, his words seemed sincere, and from his demeanor, he didn't seem to want to harm her in any way, so she decided to lower her cautious attitude a bit.
-'Okay, you're right about that last one. You saved me from that priest turned into a stray demi-devil by the power of that sword. I must say that it was my duty to eliminate him to defend the territory of the city, but... No, it doesn't matter'-She scratched her chin thoughtfully and then spoke again with a noble and sincere tone-'Thank you for saving me anyway I am indebted to you, If there is a way I can repay you, don't hesitate to ask'
Before even asking the red-haired girl for any kind of reward, our hero questioned about what had confused him the most about those words.
-You're welcome, don't worry, saving girls from danger comes as part of the profession. Reward?, uh...Hmmm, what should I ask?... Wait... What did you say? What is a stray demon?
Hearing his question, the Gremory gave a comical "face-palm" and a bead of sweat appeared on the back of her neck for an instant as she answered in disbelief as follows:
-Do you come from another world?...
"You have no idea."
-...They are reincarnated demons who left their masters and decide to do whatever they want with no control over their power. They usually end up becoming corrupted, and acquire physical and mental characteristics of the predecessor devils. Leaders like me who rule territories in the human world have the duty to exterminate them for the sake of peace in our regions and our families.
-'Aaaaahhh!, so those are the crazy demons I've been hunting! Ah, wait a minute, what's a reincarnated demon? And what's a predecessor demon? Hell, how many kinds of demons are there?!'-Dante scratched his head thoughtfully again, as there was a lot of information he didn't understand.
And listening to him, Rias gasped in disbelief as she said in a whisper...
-You've got to be kidding...
-No, I'm serious, I just got into this whole "wild beast" hunting thing, you know? Don't judge me and look at me like I'm from another world...
-*Sigh*-That said, the girl let out a tired sigh. If she believed him...And actually, if she was believing him enough, Rias finally understood why this boy had such a degree of ignorance. For a moment she thought he was trained in the mountains by some martial monk whose purpose was to hunt evil beings, and whose wisdom classes were bad or something. So with a faint smile provoked by that ignorance that was funny to her, she explained a little more in detail.
-A reincarnated demon is a human, demi-human, or magical beast that in most cases agrees to become a demon in order to become part of a demonic nobility, and gain benefits from it. And a predecessor devil, is something born in the lowest confines of hell. They do not belong to any family. They are born from the "darkness" of hell, so to speak...It would be quite complex to explain to you, so let's just leave it at that.
-'Oh, well...I think I understood, more or less. Hmmmmmm'-Hearing her, he placed his index finger on his chin, pondering a bit about what he had discovered as he scratched with his other hand his cheek thoughtfully.-"Perhaps by predecessors, she mean the types of demons I always battled in my world. She said it was his duty to eliminate them, now if I've seen it all, demons hunting demons, that was very uncommon in my land, only Trish, the protectorate and my father did it. The other world doesn't count, that place was a mess. And now that I think about it, this girl...she seems more human than devil; I think the concept of demon has changed a lot in this world."
-'You know? You're quite a case. You look like you're a hermit who trained his whole life in a cave. And you just came out of the cave hehehe~'-With a light smile, the Gremory expressed how much fun it was to meet someone like that. It had also been a long time since she had fun like this with a boy with her "age"-'Ah!'-She slapped one of her hands with the fist of the other one as if she had just remembered something-'I forgot. So, you're some kind of mercenary? If you were hired to kill me, would you come after me?'
She narrowed her eyes when she asked that question, because that idea did not seem to please her at all, and it would mean that she would have to fight with him at some point, and keep the city under surveillance even more than she already had, besides training hard to overcome him if he came after her, but her paranoid ideas soon disappeared when she heard how he answered with his typical way of speaking.
-'Hey, that word...*cof*, *cof*'-Dante coughed forcibly and then shook his fingers before continuing-'...It sounds ugly coming from a pretty girl ~*Wink*. Better call me "freelance" or "adventurer". Relax, I have rules, and specific criteria for hunting demons or other beasts. Like never involving innocents'-he smiled-'or only hunting those creatures that are a danger to others. If you never become a danger to others, then even if I were paid to hunt you, I wouldn't take the job'
The Gremory nodded cautiously, still not entirely confident, she would be expectant when she left here, but for the moment hearing that seemed enough for her not to be defensive anymore.
-Is that why you wear a disguise? Why don't you just learn magic to change your appearance?
-Obvious. I don't want anibody to know what my true identity is princess.~. Hmmmm, that sounds like a good idea, but I don't know spells that complex.
-Complex? That's basic! Hahaha! It also looks like you bought your accessories at the "everything for 100 yen" store~
-Hey, everyone learns in their own way and in their own time, and those stores have their own thing and save the life of a thrifty!. You spoiled girl!
-'Hahaha!...Okay, okay, okay, I shouldn't have made fun of that, in fact the scarf if I liked it'-she smiled-'And I will also believe your words for the time being. But if you dare to hurt me or my family at any time, you will pay dearly, do you understand?'
-'For the moment I have no intention of doing anything like that, relax now. Eat a snicker. Look, here's one~'-He offered her the said food which he took out of one of his pockets, which she obviously refused, but not in a bad way, but because she started to laugh.
What kind of person brings a snicker to a battle? She couldn't help but laugh at that. She laughter soon infected Dante, and they both laughed together for a few seconds.
-'Hmmmm. You know, what if you'd better get away from hunting beasts, and join something that would make you more money, if you're part of my...'-Later, the red-haired girl was about to propose him to be part of her peerage but at that moment they crossed glances and for a moment there was an uncomfortable silence.
Dante looked into her eyes for a while and she could see the blue eyes behind the glasses, they stayed like that until the boy smiled.
-It fits.
-'What does?'-Confused, she asked.
-'Your eyes with the scarf~'-That said, he again winked at the girl, who blushed slightly at the comment, for it's not as if she hadn't received such compliments before. It's just that this time, it seemed to be a more sincere comment than usual, not just looking for something else. Several breaths later the "cowboy" took his scarf, and then placed it around the neck of the redhead who had stood still because she didn't know how to react to it.
-'Why you give me...?'-The Gremory was interrupted because the boy got up abruptly at that moment and then his gaze went back to where he had sent the priest flying.
-'Ah that guy's a fool, he's already up'-As the hunter said in a nonchalant tone, he un-holstered his pistols and gave it an old west twist
A blink later, out of the broken wall of the temple came the corrupted priest, who for some reason had steam coming out of his entire body and portions of his muscles seemed to be swelling disgustingly as if he was turning into a deformed beast out of the imagination of a survival-Horror programmer. Probably because he had lost the source of his corruption, the demonic power still present in his body was giving him more power to try to recover the source from which it came.
-'Rooooooooar!'-Like a crazed beast, a second later he roared, and charged towards the boys when his body had already reached a height of 3 meters.
-What do you say we finish it together?
The blue-eyed girl looked with surprise at such a scene, however when she heard the boy next to her with a smile on his face, she shook off her fear, stood up and stood next to Dante while she started to charge her power of destruction in both hands with all the strength she had left.
-Take this!
-Wait!
-'What's wrong? Why do you want me to stop?'-When Dante shouted, the Gremory stopped the swinging of her hands and then asked.
-When you get to the end of the game, you need a good line before killing the final boss to make it all worthwhile.
-Hahaha, you really are weird, but I understand. A good story must have a good ending. what do you want me to say?
-'Just repeat my last word'-The moment the redhead heard that, she smiled amusedly and nodded-'Game over kimosabi. JACKPOT!'
-JACKPOT!
*BOOOOOOM!*-When they both exclaimed with jubilation, from Rias' hands came out a block of black energy with red shades, while from Dante's pistols, emerged two shots similar to two small blue lasers, which intermingled with Rias' power, increasing their size and strength just before reaching the head of the corrupted priest, which ended up exploding like a red flower the instant it was hit by those two powers. Due to the monster's run and momentum before being killed, its body crawled miserably on the ground until it reached a meter away from the two teenagers.
Incidentally, after Dante having thrown that shot from their pistols, those weapons ended up exploding in the hands of our hero who immediately thought "Damn garbage, they can't even withstand the most basic spell!": He had used the knowledge of his past life, to keep the accessories of his "disguise" in place, and in the case of the pistols, to channel his magical power through them, but the material they were made of, obviously could not withstand such power.
-"*Sigh*"-After Rias sighed with relief, she focused her sight again on our hero and approached him-'Not a bad line, thanks for letting me finish him with you'-She smiled
-'You're welcome, I thought you would want to give him a lesson, even if it was just a little bit'-he smiled
-But why did you use human weaponry for that hit? Human metal is almost completely useless for channeling magic.
-'*Sigh*... Because I haven't found something better :/'-That said, he threw away the remains of the pistols and shook his hands to remove the dust and metal that were on them. Meanwhile, Rias asked another curious question.
-'Why did you give me your scarf?'-The redhead asked as she caressed the red scarf.
-I don't know. I thought it looks nice on you, and women like gifts, don't they? *wink*
With a half-open look, and a wry smile in between, Rías spoke in an incredulous and somewhat disappointed tone.
-Are you seriously trying to flirt with me in the middle of a fight?
-'I'm not flirting, but if you think that, it means that's what you want'-Mischievously the semi-white haired boy enunciated and the redhead puffed out her cheeks, a little annoyed. what was wrong with this guy? She thought. Later, Dante spoke again.-'Na, actually I gave it to you because it's your payment for the information you provided me'
-'How?'-With a confused expression in between, she continued-'Are you paying me with this for such basic data?'
-Yup. And that way, you'll also remember, you owe me one. Don't lose it and take good care of it, it's my favorite. If I ever need your help, I'll look for you, and that scarf will help me find you if you're wearing it~.
-'Ah, I get it. You had a hidden deal on this...'-She smiled amusedly after hearing it, and then nodded in defeat.-'All right, I accept the gift. And I will not forget the help you gave me today, if you need something in the future, look for me and I will try to do what I can, as long as it is not something that has a conflict of interest with me. Ah, that's right, who will you give that sword to?'-With extreme curiosity she asked, although she already knew the answer the boy would give her. He is a "adventurer" after all.
-'Hahahaha, don't get smart~ Of course I won't tell you that. I never reveal the name of my clients, rules of my "company~'-With disappointment, she accepted it. She couldn't force him to tell her after all, let alone after he saved her. On her honor, she couldn't do it. Then, the "ninja-cowboy" looked the Gremory in the eyes again.-'I must say that I also leave the scarf to you because I want to tease you again, you are a funny Princess'-With a smile in between, he finished that sentence, which brought out another slight blush in the girl.
-'You're a Kid...'-She then turned her face, to avoid showing her slight blush, and then said while inflating her cheeks in a slightly annoying way the following-'And for the umpteenth time... I am Rias Gremory, not princess!'-She then crossed his arms and focused again on the boy with the hat.-'By the way, how will you find me if you need my help?'
Raising an eyebrow, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, he replied-'That's easy, you're wearing clothes from the most famous academy in town. And your academy crest really stands out there'- She covered her breasts when Dante pointed his index finger at the academy's crest, at the level of one of her breasts. Embarrassment immediately overcame her, as well as the urge to slap him-'And anyway, even if you change schools, I don't think it will be difficult to find Rias'- He smiled-'It's a name I've never heard before. Rias. Doesn't sound bad ~...Take care, Rías!'
-'!'-The red-haired girl was a bit surprised to hear that last one because until now no one who wasn't her queen or members of her family, like her parents or brother, had dared to call her by her first name because of her status. And that was something she had always wanted. When her senses came to, the redhead wanted to say something to Dante, but he was no longer there in front of her.
Dante had disappeared using his great speed, so she failed to notice when he was gone.
Several breaths passed as the teenager looked around, trying to find him, however, she couldn't find him.
-'Thanks'- The high-class demon whispered in a sincere and humble voice as she took the scarf around her neck with both hands, and after that, she shook her head as if trying to shake off some thought that had crossed her mind.
Close to where she was, only about two dozen meters away, Dante was holding his hat with one hand, while he over the treetops. He managed to hear that whisper from Rías as he hid his presence.
He did not realize it at the time, but a sincere smile appeared on our hero's face as he listened to her.
A few minutes later, the curtain of night fell, the moon began to rise and almost as if that was a sign of departure, the ex half-blood returned at full speed to the city while some questions arose in his head that was full of confused ideas.
- "A rather unique she-devil, why did I give her my scarf?"- He watched as little by little the buildings of the city grew, as he was approaching kuoh as confused thoughts invaded his head.-"Maybe I have a fixation for redheads, after all with Lucia I was about to date...No, no, no!"- The ex half-blood shook his head several times-"Don't even think about it! You're like 45! ... Or 15? ... How old am I officially? How do you count the age of someone who has reincarnated?"- Confusion was still imprinted in his gaze, however the thumb and forefinger of one of his hands went to his chin after that thought. Then he sighed in defeat and shook his head-"Hmmmm, Meh, never mind, she's just a kid. So forget about it, and go get your paycheck"
Later that night, Dante, still wearing his disguise, arrived at a certain place in an alley that looked quite unsafe.
Already waiting for him there was a middle-aged man dressed in a simple suit and trench coat. He was smoking a cigar while waiting for the young man. Upon seeing Dante, he immediately smiled after running a hand over his black hair that had a blond fringe in front. A small goatee stuck out on his chin.
The two of them had a little conversation that night that would change Dante's new life forever...
...although he didn't know that yet.
-Hey kid, I see it didn't take you long to find Freed.
-Ah, that guy got crazier and crazier and ended up making too much of a fuss, finding him was so easy. What no one in your cult - or whatever you run - taught him how to use an devil-arm?
-Meh, *sigh*, the guy got obsessed with power, and ended up stealing a sword we had just repaired. Don't blame me or mine, he brought it on himself~.
-Speaking of which, here's my commission. Do you have my money?
-Of course I do, I'm not like those employers you met kid. I'm a professional, don't underestimate me. What kind of currency do you want it in? I recommend the Yuan, it's going strong lately.
-Ah, calm dowm, wall street´s wolf~...Hmmm, I'm more euro or pound sterling, although US dollars aren't bad either. I think I'll order a little bit of everything, unless...
-Unless what?
-I need a good sword, you know. All the ones I've gotten are crap, and this looks like a decent sword. If you pay me with this, the payment is covered.
-Hahahahahaha! No boy, you need a lot more jobs in higher ranks so you could pay for that sword~
-Oh come on man! -How about the payment plus a loan? I'd pay you back later. Or rent?...I really need something decent. Is it that impossible for me to keep this sword?
-Hmmmmm. Look, if it's magic weapons you want, I can get you many for a good price, but a diabolical sword at that level for a mortal...Don't get me wrong, you have potential but you're too young, I don't think you can handle it without years of training. You would have to have a soul resistan...
-You don't think I can handle it huh? You barely know me, old man. Try me, and you'll swallow those words.
-Oh yeah?
*Sheathe slowly unsheathe*
-I swear I do...
-Hey don't be hasty, don't take it out of its holster! Let's talk!, let's talk!, I don't want to kill you!
*Clang*
- Young Antoni!
Back to the present...
...The generic professor was already in front of the semi-white haired boy's desk. He was grabbing him by one shoulder while moving him to wake him up as he shouted like crazy.
-'Huh?'-And with so much noise, our hero woke up slowly as he scratched his eyes, then looked at the teacher next to him with a tired look.-'What's wrong? What can I do for you, professor?~'
-hahahaahaha!
-hahahaha!
-hahaha!
Hearing this, some students in the class began to laugh at the arrogance and mockery implicit in Toni's sentence, which one could swear blew smoke out of the professor's head.
-'BUT WHAT A CHEEK!'-The teacher's chest puffed out violently for several seconds until he regained his composure. Nevertheless, he spoke sternly the next moment-'Come forward and solve that aritmetic problem right now!'
-'Uh, well, whatever...'-In a light and carefree tone, the little man spoke while putting his hands behind his head as he walked to the blackboard-"Why do I have to keep coming to class?, I'm 43 years old! This is horrible!"-Arriving in front of the blackboard, our hero grabbed a piece of chalk and began to solve an arithmetic equation that he barely understood-"If it wasn't for my mom, who's sure to have a heart attack if I quit school, I would have quit this shit a long time ago."
When our hero got tired of trying to solve the math problem, he ended up putting the following message on the blackboard "the answer is in your heart" which left the teacher even more furious, and the rest of the students even more cackling. And so, the number one scholar delinquent of the academy "Jounan" went to extraordinary exam immediately without having the opportunity to take the end of course exam.
Mission completed!
Primary mission objective: Save a teenage she-devil. Achieved/ Secondary mission objective: Obtain a decent sword at any cost. Achieved/Mission Rating: Time: B Orbs: 0 Style: C Damage: A Mission Rank: B/ Years since your arrival in the new world: almost 16 years. Total: B/ Next Mission: Mission 04: Save your friend from the black angels.
Author's messages
We all know that true dante would never go to school (although this Dante would stop going later :V) and he would hardly (or never) fall in love or have a teenage demon girlfriend (I have my doubts with Patty o.O) but he's a old man with serius traumas. His fear to close relationships born by his fears about lose them a cause of devils, and because Eva/Nel, you know...
...And of course, he much less have a harem, but this is fiction, and I'm developing a character that is having a second chance in life, so hang in there.
As I said, even though there will be romance as well elaborated as possible, the story will focus more on action. In any case, I will try to keep the essence of the character, but I will have to change some things about his fears to relationships for the sake of the story I have in mind.
Anyway, the next chapter will be the beginning of the HDXD anime story, which will not be exactly the same as the story you remember in multiples moments.
I hope you liked this chapter, and that my English was acceptable enough to understand the fight.
Best regards, and stay safe!
Chapter Clarifications
*1 This chapter, as you saw, is focused to give a little background between Rias and dante before their arrival to the kuoh academy. Then there will be more backstory. I don't want them to just meet at school and fall in love just for going to the same place, and because Rías being saved by him, and that's it, like in the original story with issei :V
*2 Freed-Selzen is dead :C, but don't worry, I know you don't care XD. In his place he will be replaced by a better crazy priest.
Reviews:
Guest, GlassyHades, Great Dark Knight, DemiValentine66:
thank you for leaving your messages and clarifications about the novels, although I'm not sure if the review area is the right place to have such a conversation. In any case, I'm not sure if the novels other than "Deadly fortune" and the most recent one are canon. As I recall, Itsuno commented (Or Matt said? I don't exactly remember that interview) in an interview that novels 1, 2, would be a kind of semi-canon lore o.O?, and from what I understood from that strange comment, it meant something like "You take what you can adapt from them to the video game franchise and forget the horrible plot holes they have or ignore them :V" so novel 1 would be canon, and gilver would be just a guy wrapped in bandages who fucked up "Tony's" life. And the novel 2 would be canon, because no interfere with the time line of the videogames
Anyway we're talking about capcom, and I don't doubt that in a while they'll change things back their own way
Best Regards!
Ddraig The Invincible
hey, thanks for leaving a comment :), I hope you liked the chapter, and that you could understand it well enough with my level of English, have a nice weekend. best regards!
joelwalker786:
thank you for your comment. I have read the dmc novels, and I know a thing or two about obscure lore, like lovercraft "mythology", although I'm not an expert either, hehe. I hope you liked this chapter, and that you could understand it well enough with my level of English. Have a nice weekend!
Library:
Character stats:
The following, if you want to skip it/don't read it, but if you want to know how I will handle the power levels of the story, and know DANTE's current abilities, take a look at it. Note that they are based on the stats of fate stay night/strange fake, etc., but they are not exactly the same as those of the nasuverse.
This stats are meant to reflect how strong a character is in the story, and how far he/she is from reaching the level of the gods and/or demon kings in this history, so the stats are not comparable with those of the nasuverse, speaking about levels of destruction
Each increase in the strength of a stat, is not in terms of "doubling" or "tripling", rather they reflect an exponential increase compared to their previous level.
Types of Statistics:
Durability: How resistant a character is to attacks, and how much damage they take from them.
Stamina: Also called vitality, it represents how much a character resists fatigue and the use of their attributes/powers/skills/authorities.
Strength: represents the strength of a character, and how much he is capable of destroying and doing damage with his physical strength alone.
Luck: This is the attribute that indicates how much luck a character has in life, in battles, etc. For example, a character with a high level of luck will be able to win in games of chance without problems or can win or escape from battles with pure luck, as in the case of "King" in One-Punch-Man.
Magic: Represents a character's magical power, and the ability to cause damage and destruction solely with their raw [Prana/Magic], regardless of the type of magic they possess (demonic power/mantra/Ki/draconic power, etc.), as well as the reserves of Prana they possess for the use of their abilities/authorities.
Agility: Represents the speed and reaction speed of a character.
Magic Resistance: A character's ability to weaken or even negate powers related to [Prana/Magic].
Divinity: I'll explain it another time.
Malignancy: I'll explain it another time.
Temporary OR permanent augmentation: [+]
This symbol [+], represents the temporary increase of power or the difference between the same ranks that a statistic/skill/authority can have if it is under the effect of some weapon, skill/feeling, etc., and with it, stats in lower ranks, have the momentary potential to reach stats in higher ranks.
For example, if a character has a physical strength in rank D and faces a Rank C in physical strength, it will be impossible to beat him physically speaking: but if he/she uses a good Devil-Arm/skill that greatly increases his strength, Rank D, could become rank "D +++", thus momentarily surpassing Rank C.
Levels/Ranks/Categories:
E= This is a statistic given for an existence with a non-relevant attribute/skill. It can range from an attribute such as "physical strength" on the level of a mere human, to a strength capable of destroying a building/small mountain. Too inferior to endanger a deity.
D= Statistic given to an attribute/skill that would at least get the weaker deity to move its body and perform actions to stop that character.
C= Basic stat to represent a danger to a Deity. Demon Kings such as serafall and the like have most of their attributes/skills in this category. They have the potential to injure slightly/put minor/lower class deities in little troubles or a divine beasts of lower level
Comparing a magic power at level "E" with level "C". A magic attack at level E could barely destroy at most a small mountain or hill, while a magic attack at level "C" is capable of destroying an island the size of Japan in the human world with its strongest blow.
B: Attribute/authority capable of killing/putting a lower class deity in absolute danger/with the potential to kill a middle class deity and to slightly-moderately hurt an upper class deity, or put them in trouble.
A: Attribute given to incredibly strong characters. Low, middle and high class deities are in danger of death or will absolutely die to a character with any of these attributes or powers at this level if they do not have attributes/powers of a similar level.
EX: Attribute that is off the power scale. Gods categorized as "Divine Kings" have one or more of their attributes/powers in this category, although it is also possible for weaker gods to have some power/stats in this category.
"EX" Is a term that represents an absurdly strong power. It is given to an attribute/authority/ability that cannot be measured with common sense, and that in terms of power is capable of destroying entire worlds/dimensions/universes.
Such an attribute or ability/authority at this level, can only be confronted by another that possesses this level or by someone who possesses an absurd magical/physical, etc. resistance.
For example, the authority of "Ophis" over [Infinity], grants him Infinite Stamina, strength, Magic, Durability, agility, etc, (except, I Think, luck...because Great Red ruined her home :V)...If "Ophis" wished, he could destroy everything.
If we were to put it in numbers, it would be something like this:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx[+]xxxxxxxx-[ ++]xxxxxxx-[+++]
EX: ?
A: 160 xxxxxxxx 320 xxxxxxxx 480 xxxxxxxx 640
B: 80 xxxxxxxx 160 xxxxxxxx 240 xxxxxxxx 320
C: 40 xxxxxxxxx 80 xxxxxxxxx 120 xxxxxxxxxx 160
D: 20 xxxxxxxxxx 40 xxxxxxxxxx 60 xxxxxxxxxx 80
E: 5 xxxxxxxxxxxx 10 xxxxxxxxxxxx 15 xxxxxxxxxxxx 20
Having understood the above, here are DANTE's current stats and Skills:
Durability: D
Stamina: D
Strength: D
Agility: D
Can move for faster than the speed of sound, but is far short of the speed of light.
Magic: D+
Magic Resistance: D
Divinity: E
Luck: Usually D-C
He's always had very bad luck, let's face it :'V
Personal Skills:
Mind's Eye: The ability to see through divine speed (see things that move very fast), and to have super-fast reactions.-Rank ?
Experience from a previous life: All the wisdom and experience from Dante's previous life is available for his new life -Rank ?
Mental resistance: Dante retains a substantial portion of the mental toughness from his previous life, being able to withstand damage at this level to a certain extent.-Rank-D+
Absurd Pain Resistance: Dante retains his pain resistance from his previous life, born from the experience of having experienced an incredible amount of brutal injuries.-Rank B
Unbreakable Will: Dante's will weakens to nothing, not even at death's door or impossibility. He will keep getting up, and going forward in the face of adversity, even if it will bring his own death.-Rank ?
Resilient human soul: The soul from a previous life, who bowed to no one. Possesses certain advantages against possessions, or other soul-directed damage compared to normal humans, but also could not face soul-directed damage from enemies on the level of gods. -Rank D+
Equipment:
Simples Katanas from the black market-Rank E.
.45 caliber pistols from the black market- Rank E.
Diabolical sword of unknown name, rank and abilities.