Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. Been busy with work as well as Destiny 2 for a while with a lot of new stuff they put out. But, I wrote in my down time and such and got it done.
And yeah, I've been working with a real job filming stuff, so it's been taking a lot of time.
The final fight with Asher concludes this chapter. See how it all plays out.
Chapter 57: Fate of Two Souls
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"What's this really about?" Dante asked, dropping his stance as he watched Asher do the same.
"I already told you-"
"You've told me shit." The teen spoke, pointing at the man "I want the real reason, not some placeholder you're fronting just for looks." The teen said with a bite in his tone, narrowing his eyes on the young man, "Ain't it about time you drop the charade?"
Asher let out a sigh, smiling as he lowered his weapon, "You know, there's a myth about you that says you are 'all seeing'. That you know what someone is thinking about even before they make their move."
"That's a load of crap. I'm just good at guessing is all."
"Guessing…" the young man scoffed, "You make these guesses, and yet still are blind to a truth or two."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means he speaks far too much." Dawn spoke as she appeared at Dante's side in a flash of light, "Sorry brother, but I'm joining you for this fight."
"You've been using Aura nonstop for a while now. Sure you're up for this?" the elder sibling asked.
"I've had time to meditate and recover some Aura. Not to full mind you, but it'll be enough." Dawn spoke, brandishing her Caster's staff.
The siblings looked between each other, Dawn giving her brother a guilty look.
"Brother… I think I should apologize to you."
"Huh?"
"After the fight with Scylix the first time, when we pulled out, I could still feel his Aura Signature as we left. However, when we went back, I couldn't feel it anymore. I presume perhaps he had died, but… In the back of my mind, I had lingering thoughts that he might have been alive, perhaps lying in wait for the right moment." She spoke, eyes trailing the ground, "I should've told you I had a suspicion he was alive… And now…"
Dante sighed, "You're right… You damn well should've!"
He brought his leg up and delivered a swift round kick to his sister's rear, making her yelp and jump up as she held a hand to her now sore rear.
"W-What was that for?!"
"For being an idiot. Quite dwelling on stupid stuff that doesn't matter anymore. It's pathetic."
"Says the one who dwells on things the most…"
"Come again?" Dante said, looking over his shoulder at his sister.
"Ugh… Nothing."
"Good. If you're gonna help, don't get in my way. Got it?"
She nodded, focusing her eyes back onto Ashser. It'd be a lie to say she wasn't concerned, even with Dante's current strength and all the allies she gathered. He had a Faux-Gem, and a lot more room to grow even stronger if the fight persisted. Also…
What did he mean by truths?
Asher twirled his twinblade around, charging it up with ultraviolet Aura before he took wide swings, unleashing large waves of burning energy all throughout the area. Dawn and Dante blurred out of sight, with the sister heading down into the streets, and Dante moving in behind Asher to swing at him, they exchanged a few blows briefly before the once immortal leaned back to avoid a swing for his neck, blade barely grazing his chin. The young man decided to follow through, and swung his elongated weapon once more to discharge waves of ultraviolet Aura, explosively filling the skies with darkened, purple Aura.
Dawn hid away in an alleyway, just enough so that she could keep her eyes on Asher while remaining hidden.
Something's not right. I know the Gem is enhancing his powers as we go, but… I recognize something… Something deeper within his Aura. It's almost as if...
Dante appeared behind his sister in a blur, giving off a faint static-like noise as he appeared.
"Damn it this is annoying…" he sighed before looking down at his sister, "So what's the plan?"
"Plan? What plan, Dante?"
"I don't know, a plan or idea or something to take this guy down quicker!"
"As if I could come up with something that quickly!" Dawn angrily replied in a hushed tone.
"Tch… Great… And here I thought you already came up with something..."
"There's no easy way to handle this fight, brother. Now listen closely. I've been trying to understand the pattern of his Aura Signature, and right now, it's a huge mess. It's as if it's tangled with something else other than the power of the Faux Gem."
Dante stood all the while, looking to his shoulder to see a loose strand of cloth on him that he promptly pulled off and blew away.
"Dante… I think he-"
"Alright, I'm heading back out." the eldest sibling spoke, quickly blurring out of sight as Dawn spun around.
"Dante, wait! He's-!"
Her words fell on deaf ears as the once immortal stood once again in the sky, staring down his opponent from a few yards away.
"So… Did you have enough time to come up with something during your brief strategy meeting?" Asher asked, smiling widely at the teen.
"I asked if my idiot sister had anything up her sleeve, but it turns out she didn't. Got my hopes up for nothing…"
"And since she had nothing for us, we decided we may as well just come out and face you." Eclypse spoke up in her sword form.
Dante didn't have the patience to carry out this fight any longer.
So he was going to destroy him.
The teen raised up Eclypse to his side as a violent torrent of platinum Aura flooded from the blade, screeching like a demon almost.
"Eclyptic Edge I see… So you plan to destroy me using your fancy new trick? I would do the same, given how close it came to killing me the last time."
"Stop Dante!" Dawn cried out from below.
Without hesitation, the once immortal brought Eclypse across his body as he swung her up and then downwards, unleashing an arcing wave of his Aura that quickly made its way through the air. Asher remained where he was, calmly holding up his twinblade as he let the Aura Wave come closer, then cut it in two.
The teen's eyes went wide with surprise, seeing his foe raise up his weapon as it charged up with ultraviolet energy.
"Devouring Light!"
A deafening whine filled the air as ultraviolet energy shot outwards into a cone shaped blast, consuming Dante as he raised up his left arm defensively to block.
Asher's eyes shot behind him, his body moving to dodge homing bolts of light from Dawn's staff while he cut apart a few of them with his glaive. With enough distance between them, the young woman stopped her barrage of bolts, keeping her staff trained on the man.
"As I was trying to tell you, I'm under the impression he's somehow incorporated some of your Aura into his. Taking that into consideration, I presumed he might be able to use an ability or two of yours. Are you paying attention, Dante?"
The teen blurred into sight behind his sister, "I got it already, so quite lecturing me."
"Lecturing?! Are you kidding me?! If you actually listened to people and actually used that big brain of yours instead of using it on stupid things, maybe somebody wouldn't need to lecture you!"
"Like sitting and talking is gonna do a damn thing!" Dante argued, "What are we gonna do, sit here and chat while hoping he drops dead from boredom?!"
"Always the comedian… At the very least you know to be careful now." Dawn stated, looking to her brother's slightly burnt left arm to see the sleeve had been torn away at his shoulder, "Do you get it now? I don't know how, but he has a piece of your Aura now and can use it against you."
"I told you I got it already." Dante spoke, rubbing the small burn on his left cheek.
"Stay on the frontline. I'll attack him when he tries to slip away."
"Got it." Dante said, standing next to his sister now as they both glanced towards Asher.
Akihito stepped through the ruble, finding everyone else had gathered together in one spot near the entrance of the nearly destroyed Haven Academy.
"Took your damn time Akihito." Seiji said as he approached, "The small fry whip you that bad?"
"He proved to be something of a small challenge, so it took somewhat longer than usual." The kitsune responded, looking to his group of allies "It would seem we're all here."
"And with no one taking too hard of a beating or anything." the older Dante spoke, "I'd say we did a damn fine job for the day."
"Fine, yes… But with still one task left to perform." Vergil stated, "Unfortunately, we've no way to enter."
"You know, our Dante once mentioned that sword of yours can cut space to make portals to travel through." Daisuke pointed out, "Can't you just slice one open and step inside?"
"It can't be done. That space was made to specifically keep out anyone who isn't inside. Even with all the power I possess, and the power the Yamato commands, forcing a way in is impossible."
"Which means we're stuck waiting here until it's all over. Perfect." Jeanne Alter sighed with a roll of her eyes, resting her chin in her hand, "And here I thought we'd get more action than this."
"Come now… We've fought enough for today, don't you think?" Ryougi Shiki asked.
"The Avenger makes something of a point. We came here to fight strong opponents, and so we have." The King of Heroes spoke up, "You also make something of a point, Saber. I won't waste any more time on trifling enemies than necessary."
"Aside from that… Our time here is up." Okita Alter said, raising up her hand to show it was slowly glittering with golden light.
"Then you are leaving?" Akihito asked.
"Not really by choice. We forced our way into this Reality with magecraft, and used the powerful amounts of energy here to sustain ourselves." Ryougi Shiki explained.
"And we're still contracted to our Master, so staying away this far isn't gonna cut it much longer." The Avenger stated, standing as her body began to glow.
"You should be grateful I've graced you with my presence at all." Gilgamesh spoke, standing with his fellow Servants.
"Should I relay anything to Dante?" the kitsune asked them, watching as their bodies glittered with golden light.
"Yeah, tell him not to get himself killed." Jeanne Alter waved off, being the first to disappear, before Gilgamesh and Okita did.
"Tell him that there is also a place for him in Chaldea any time, and that he should visit sometime. Our Master would like to see him again when he has the chance. She has missed him quite a bit."
Akihito nodded to the elegant emissary of Death before she too vanished with her allies, leaving the yōkai, the Sons of Sparda, and a nervous Ruby altogether.
"Where'd Metal Man go?" Daisuke asked, realizing Darwin wasn't present.
"Said something about scouting the area, making sure there weren't any hidden surprises left for us." Seiji explained, before the very tall oni, looked over to Ruby, "Who's the little human?"
She squeaked when all their eyes fell on her, "U-Uh… I'm Ruby…" she awkwardly waved at them, "Nice to see you again… Uh.. Fox, man, person."
"My name is Akihito Kitsukami." The kitsune sternly replied, "And you seem to be in good health since last we met."
"Yeah, doing better for the most part." She spoke before curiously looking to the sons of Sparda, lighting up a moment after, "Woah! Is that yours?!"
She instantly darted toward the younger Son of Sparda, quickly eyeing up Devil Sword Dante from point to handle, taking in its epic design. The old devil hunter was slightly shocked at the action, even taking a small step back with how quickly Ruby zoomed over to him, but immediately smiled a haughty grin, displaying his legendary weapon.
"Yup! Sorta made it myself." He shrugged as he proudly proclaimed his achievement.
"What's it do?!"
"Besides turning me into a badass demon, it can make swords that'll help me out. You know, fly into people or stuff flying at me, move with my sword swings so its like five hits in one swing, that kind of thing."
"Woah!" Ruby immediately looked to the eldest Son of Sparda, who glared at the young girl unamused before he brought forth Yamato, resting his hands atop it, "Wow! You don't see many of these nowadays! It's design is so elegant while giving off the feeling of being powerful! What can it do?!"
"The Yamato is a weapon capable of cutting through almost anything."
"Is that all?" Ruby asked, impressed, but still wanting to hear more.
"Foolish girl. The words mean exactly what they mean. I can cut even space, and travel just about where I please."
"That's so much cooler!"
The young girl exclaimed, moving around to get a better look at the katana.
Vergil looked off to the side at his younger brother, letting out a brief hum of amusement, as well as a smile, all while Dante looked back a little bit frustrated.
"Whatever man…" He waved off, "So we just gotta wait now? There's absolutely no way in?"
"As I said, the space was meant to keep the rest of us out entirely." Vergil noted, "All we can do is have faith that the boy will emerge victorious."
Ruby's eyes drifted to the large, stadium sized box hovering over the courtyard, holding a hand to her chest as she smiled.
"It'll be okay. I know he'll win."
Asher dove down, swinging his twinblade and unleashing another wave of ultraviolet energy as Dante unleashed another Aura Wave. The two forces of Aura crashed into each other like ocean waves, then burst outwards explosively.
The once immortal dashd through the smoke, leaning back to avoid a vertical chop, spin, and then slice upwards, leaving a faint cut running from the base of Ahser's neck to his cheek.
The two warriors then charged at each other and clashed up close, locking blades.
"Not so bad Dante, but that was risky charging through blind."
"Not exactly the plan, but I almost had you!"
The teen was the first to push away, putting some distance between them as he shrugged his shoulders to loosen them up a bit.
"You're so keen to protect a weak and dying World. Why? I haven't the slightest." Asher shrugged, "Some noble sense of duty for all I care. But let me ask you a question… Should you really be protecting that fox and her family?"
Dante's eyes narrowed on the young man, glaring daggers at him.
"The hell are you talking about?"
"You heard me. I asked if you should really be-"
"Don't fuck with me. I'm just about sick of hearing bullshit for today."
"You're at a disadvantage, so now you're trying to toy with him mentally?" Dawn asked, appearing a distance away behind the young man.
"Disadvantage you say? How amusing…" Asher said, looking away from her, "Aetherveil. Hmmm… Still not used to the name… In any case, can you tell me exactly how you came to be a Lord of the Kitsukami house?"
"What're you getting at? What's that got to do with anything?"
"Haven't you ever thought it strange, even if but for just a moment? Did you ever think to question how strange it was for the Kitsukami clan to be so closely involved and supportive of someone who's essentially a stranger to their family?"
Dante's fist clenched tightly, lowering the unusually silent Eclypse.
"Think about it. They helped you out of nowhere and for practically minute reasons when you were a child. They let you take their prized daughter as a companion on your journeys when you were an assassin, even allowed a relationship between you two. They even let her leave her home yet again to join you with your fight against evil on Primordial. Didn't you ever find any of it strange in the slightest?"
Dawn looked in her brother's direction concern clear across her face as she bit her lip.
All of those statements are true… They have been overly involved in Dante's life since he met Inuba, and offered him incredible amounts of aid. Generosity like that simply doesn't come about. As much as I hate to admit it here and now, he has a point. It's too suspicious to simply ignore.
"Face facts Dante." Asher said, raising up a hand, "They've been using you since the beginning, keeping constant tabs on you and keeping you under their thumb. They used you to protect their daughter, and also used you to stop the threat she would one day pose. Remember? It cost you your life. Twice, if I recall. And do you know who it was that made this plan? None other than Kareina Kitsukami!"
Inuba's mother..?!
Dawn was disturbed to think that a woman as kind as her would actually enact such a scheme, Right now though, she couldn't tell what Dante was thinking, much less if he was angry o despairing.
"Dante!"
"Even worse, they all know, Dante. Every single one of the yōkai in the Eihei Nine know this and of her plan, and they all went along with it accordingly for all these years. They probably thought to kill you once or twice if you didn't happen to comply, but immediately discarded any ideas once they realized it was impossible to kill you."
"Dante, don't listen to-!"
"JUST SHUT UP!"
Platinum Aura slowly leaked from Dante in wisps before it became a full blown blast that flooded the area. He raised up Eclypse, pointing her at Asher as he kept his eyes on the man he was about to kill.
"Transcend all… Eclypse!"
As he spoke his command, the Aura surrounding him exploded outwards, consuming everything in its path in a blinding flash.
"Been in there a while…" Seiji commented, sitting on a rock with his sword slung on his shoulder.
"Maybe we could try breaking it again?" Daisuke suggested, "I mean, if all of us attack the damn thing at once, it's sure to break, right?"
"Possibly, but we've no idea if the pocket dimension will collapse in on them and effectively wipe out everyone inside altogether." Vergil rationalized, "Waiting patiently is still is our best option."
"Ruby!"
The little reaper's eyes darted around, finding Inuba on fast approach towards them, breathing heavily.
"Inuba!" Ruby quickly bolted over with her Semblance to spare the kitsune from more running, "You should be resting, what are you doing here?!"
"I felt a powerful surge of energy and immediately made my way over." The kitsune quickly spoke, taking breaths in between before she locked eyes with Akihito, "B-Brother?! Everyone else and…" she looked to the older Sons of Sparda, gasping in surprise, "Even the both of you are here?"
"You make it sound bad…" the older Dante said.
Inuba's eyes trailed up to the box in the sky, "What is that..?"
"An enclosed space." Akihito answered, "Unfortunately, attempts to break in have been futile."
"Is… Is he inside?"
"Yup. He and his sister are fighting the big baddy." Daisuke commented.
Her eyes narrowed with concern. The kind of injuries he was sporting… Fighting too long would only set back his recovery.
Why must he always push himself too far like this..?
All eyes snapped to the black box in the sky, hearing a deep rumbling emerge from within as the containment cell began cracking to pieces from all angles. Finally, the cracks grew large enough and burst apart, sending chunks of dissolving black fragments everywhere as smoke and Aura filtered through the area.
Dawn shielded her eyes, lowering them to finally catch a glimpse of her brother and stare in awe.
More of him changed yet again. His platinum haori had tightened more to his slim and toned figure, the sleeves having also tightened onto his arms. Instead of vambraces were now plated black gauntlets matching Eclypse's design, where the sleeves of his coat disappeared into. The tails of his haori had also split into three tails instead of the previous two, revealing a layer of black inside of the tails.
"Truth hurts that much?" Asher asked as the smoke settled at last.
"Shut it you annoying bastard. Didn't I already tell you I had enough of hearing bullshit for the day?" Dante spoke before looking to his sister, "And you! 'Don't listen to him Dante!'" he mockingly said in a higher pitched voice, "Seriously, just shut up and mind your own damn business for once! Sheesh!"
The once immortal looked back at the young man across the way, glaring at him yet again.
"Truth be told, there was never a time where I didn't suspect it all. I was always suspicious of kindness and generosity when I was younger. That's why I didn't like Inuba all that much when we first met. Even if she was entirely genuine with me the whole way. I was always wary of her until she broke that shell I was in. Even after everything the two of us have been through, I never really stopped asking the question of "Why", and was always afraid it might have been for something that would have never sat well with me."
Dante raised up his gauntleted right arm, staring at it as he quickly sifted through the memories in his head.
"I eventually became less and less suspicious of all the help and acceptance they showed me, and then embarrassingly asked myself 'Why was I ever really suspicious of them?'." Dante's eyes trailed back up to Asher, "People say I'm smart as hell, but frankly, I think Kareina is a lot smarter than me when it comes to people and deceiving others. It is what she used to do back in the day. So… I think if she actually wanted to deceive me with bad intentions, she probably could have left me in the dark without me knowing a thing, and that would've been the end of that."
Dante dropped his hand, lifting his eyes up to look at Asher once again.
"Kareina knew that I wasn't some run of the mill idiot. I'll bet anything she knew I'd figured things out one way or another eventually, and let me decide for myself what I wanted to do in the end."
"Decide?!" Asher scoffed, "There is no decision! You've been had! She and her clan have been playing you like a fiddle this whole time and left you with no choice but to answer their every whim!"
"You're wrong, Asher."
Asher blinked a few times, wanting to reply instantly but holding on, interested in what Dante had to say.
"My whole life, I've had nothing but two choices with the power I had. I could have chosen to either destroy the universe around me, or protect it and it's people from others who'd want to destroy them. Inuba may have influenced me when we first met, but I still made my own choice in choosing the path of protecting others. And I didn't choose it blindly either."
Dante's eyes trailed up to Remnant's shattered moon, his thoughts shifting back to decision he made.
"I needed power. I wanted the power to protect what I wanted to, exactly how I wished to. And when I look back on the incredible journey I've had so far… what I've lost, what I've gained... I got exactly what I needed to carry out my will, even if I made so many detrimental sacrifices to myself to get there."
Asher narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he growled at Dante.
"The most important thing however… Is that I've had people there for me. No… I have people here for me. They're what got me so far. They're the reason I'm standing here today. And they're the reason… that I can finally be myself again. My true self." Dante spoke, clenching his fist tightly with resolve, "That's why I'll always do my best to protect them with my life. And that's why… I'll cut you and anyone else down to protect what matters most to me."
Asher relaxed himself, eyes looking down at the twinblade that once belonged to his mistress, the one who had given him life once more. He'd come those far, and wasn't about to give it all up now. Not until he got his wish.
"I guess that's as good an answer as I'll get. Now… witness my answer."
He raised up his weapon, hand hovering over his elbow joint as the blade was pointed at Dante.
"Unmake to empower… Deavilla!"
Ultraviolet Aura surged from Asher's body with explosive force, unleashing a brief and blinding flash of light. Smoke filled the night sky with small shines of purple light, clearing away quickly with the evening breeze.
Dante's eyes focused on the figure becoming viable in the dust, his eyes narrowing with visible frustration.
"So that was his play…" Eclypse voiced out loud, "He was saving it for the big finale."
"I'd almost forgotten myself…" the white haired teen replied.
"Of course you would." Asher called out from the smoke in a hollow, echoing voice, "I downplayed the importance greatly, thinking you might forget. And because of that, I was able to save up my strength until now. Your sister was right before, but never quite figured out how it happened."
The smoke filtered out to get a visible enough view, showing that Asher's body had changed. Dark purple scales made up the entirety of his coat, the rest of his body covered in a thick black hide that almost looked like leathery thin armor. A small crown of large black thorns layered the top of his black flesh, and when his eyes opened, they glowed with ultraviolet energy entirely. The tails of his scaly, dark purple coat had elongated and were shaped like large draconic wings. An armored black tail like that of a dragon slowly whipped about as Dante spotted segments of twisted black armor around various parts of Asher's body and his joints.
Those bits of armor looked like the teen's Shadow Skin…
"I never quite explained to you what my Semblance really was. Do you remember when you unleashed that unearthly amount of Aura in Lady Scylix's realm to defeat me? While it did nearly kill me… I still managed to absorb most of it and add it to my Aura, however shoddy the adaption was."
"That explains it then…" Eclypse called out.
"Correct. I forcibly absorbed your Aura, and used it to empower me with some of your abilities, namely the ability you so proudly display. Your Shadow Skin. I too can now take on the form of a True Dark Entity."
"At the cost of your own body… It's why it's been breaking down slowly until now. His Aura was still too much for your Semblance given its innate ability to passively corrode and destroy any enemy it hits." Eclypse explained, "But now that he's going full force…"
No matter what happens after this fight, he's still going to die… The once immortal pondered, So that's what this was all about. He was never here for revenge. What he wanted was...
Dante wasn't going to hold back, regardless of what he knew now. He raised up Eclypse, and with a forceful swing cleared out all of the smoke in the air around them, making the sky peerless once more.
"This ends here for you, Asher. So make your damn move already."
Asher's twisted maw of teeth formed into a wretched smile, "You always talk big Aetherveil, no matter the opposition you face. I suppose that's one of the very few things I admire about you."
Silence ensued between them for a few brief moments before the two warriors charged at one another, leading with their blades as they came to a violent clash. When the weapons collided, they unleashed a massive shockwave of force that shook the air around them, and sent a brief, huge gust of wind through the trees in the area, making even their huge branches move forcefully to the point they looked like they would snap.
As they forced each other back, they yet again swung at each other, sending out another forceful shockwave throughout the area.
Their very souls would shake the foundations of Mistral under the pale light of Remnant's fragmented moon.
Blades clashed and echoed throughout the night sky, forceful shockwaves every so often blowing through the area as a result of the powerful struggle taking place above.
Beneath it all stood Dante's allies, keeping their eyes on him as he zoomed through the air with Asher, both striking at each other with vicious tenacity.
"Ruby!"
The little reaper and Inuba spun to see Weiss, Yang, and Blake on hot approach, stopping a moment to catch their breath. Quickly after, they were startled by the next shockwave that came about, prompting them to shield their eyes briefly before looking up at the sky full of platinum and ultraviolet Aura.
"Is that Dante?!" Blake asked.
"And is he flying?!" Yang immediately added.
"Yes, and yes!" Ruby proudly proclaimed with her hands on her hips, eyes blinking for a few moments before she realized something more important, "But that's all for later! What about you guys? Shouldn't you be resting?"
"Well, we got the relic and all the other bad guys ran away." Yang said, raising up the gold and blue lantern briefly to present it, "Jaune's taking care of Nora and Ren. Qrow and Oscar are resting up too while everyone else is wrapping up."
"The whole earth was shaking violently, so after tending to ourselves, we came to see what the fuss was about out here." Weiss added, her eyes trailing up, "And it seems as though we're catching the final act just in time."
Ruby, her sister, and Blake looked up to the sky together, seeing sparks trailing streaks of platinum and ultraviolet. Another violent rush of wind swept through them forcing them to raise up an arm to protect their eyes as the other members of team RWBY glanced down again, seeing new faces.
"Who are they..?" The cat faunus asked.
"They're uh… some of Dante's old friends! See that guy in the red coat? Apparently he's a Dante too!" Ruby explained.
"Too..?" Weiss questioned.
"She means they both have the same name, but are completely different people. Am I right?" Blake asked, looking to Ruby.
The young girl nodded hurriedly, "Yup!"
"Aren't those three upfront kind of… odd..?" the cat faunus asked, looking to the three yokai.
"Well, yeah. One's got foxtails like Inuba, the other's got wings like a bird, and the other guy has horns." Yang spoke.
"She doesn't mean their appearance, Yang. She means the way they're looking at Dante. Right?" Blake called over to Inuba, who looked their way and took steps towards them, "They're watching him like hawks. Any reason why?"
"I suppose… It's because of recent information that's come to light, even to me."
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.
"I shouldn't be too surprised all things considered… But it would seem… my mother has been working one of her schemes for years now." Inuba explained, her fox ears folding against her head, "With the resurgence of Ms. Aetherveil, there's been a crack of sorts in many people's memories, including myself, my mother, and father."
"So you're saying memories you think you never had just suddenly popped up out of nowhere?"
"Yes. From what we've realized, my family have been close family friends of the Aetherveils for innumerable centuries, working in service with them. Dante and I… have known each other much longer than either of us really knew. Before Ms. Aetherveil… vanished, we were asked to watch over Dante, but in truth… I think my mother took advantage of the situation to use him to protect me instead."
"Why do you need protection? Doesn't Dante always brag that you're stronger than he is?" Yang pointed out.
"That was true, until recently…"
Ruby and Inuba glanced at each other, knowing exactly what the kitsune was talking about.
"For us yōkai, some of us are descendants of deities, and by default are generally stronger than most of our kind. By rare chance, one generation in some yōkai clans have the chance to ascend and become a Deity. As such, the potential power to become a Deity lies within us."
"So you could potentially become a god of sorts some day…" Blake noted.
"Not any longer, for reasons that I'll explain in a moment. You see, where my family is concerned, we are comprised of two bloodlines. One that is of a Deity, the other a Divine Beast."
"And I assume you weren't told of this until recently?" Weiss asked.
"Yes. Concerning myself, I had the potential to either become a Deity or a Divine Beast, which could have wrought untold destruction. And… it almost did. The injuries Dante sustained recently were a result of me practically becoming a Divine Beast. Through his intervention, I was able to become myself again."
"Dang... Divine Beasts sure must be something if you managed to… well… you know, take Dante down." Yang noted lightly as possible.
"So when you got reverted, did you lose all that potential power?" Blake asked, "Along with that… Is that the reason why your mother tricked Dante into protecting you? Because she knew he could deal with it at some point?"
"I wouldn't know. She didn't tell me, but… I can only assume that was her reasoning."
"And that degenerate up in the sky with him was thinking he could use that against Dante?" Weiss asked, placing her hands on her hips, "How idiotic…"
"Same, but I kind of get why they're watching him." Blake noted, "Sure, he might not get tricked so easily, but they can't just believe some part of him isn't angry about it. So they're staying behind, just in case. Right?"
"I assume that would be the case." Inuba stated bluntly, "Truthfully, a part of me is terrified he might be upset once this is over."
"But… It's not your fault, right?" Ruby said, "So it'll be okay then. I don't think he'll be that angry, but he'll definitely make that scowling face he usually does."
Inuba blinked a few times before she laughed with Ruby.
"I suppose he would make that sort of face!"
Another shockwave rang out through the area, forcing everyone's attention back up to the sky.
Their eyes fell on Dante and Asher, the two warriors ascending higher into the sky as their blades were crossed. When they ascended high enough, the two forced each other away to put some distance between each other, but Dante was already ready to make his next move.
His body became a blur of platinum streaks, zipping around Asher with blinding speed as he left at least a dozen afterimages in his wake to surround him. Round and round the afterimages continued to appear and disappear around the Dark Entity in flashing streaks of platinum as they closed in, allowing the real Dante to slip in between his afterimages, attacking Asher from all angles. The Dark Entity managed to block the first few attacks, but a wide swing across his body left him open to attack, and Dante apparated behind him to leave a cut across his back.
Dante leaned back and disappeared, avoiding a swing to his head. Asher raised up his twinblade to take a swing at one of the afterimages, but in reality knew what he was swinging at was an afterimage. Knowing the teen would strike from behind once more, as soon as he set up his feint, he immediately swung behind him, the two clashing once more as Dante gritted his teeth.
The Devil swung his free arm to hit Dante with the back of his hand, but the teen quickly vanished and appeared off to Asher's blindspot, ready for another attack. He ducked under another slice for his face, spinning and using his momentum to deliver a crushing, outwards swing that sent Asher flying, so much so his wings struggled to stop himself from flying further back.
His eyes darted up to Dante, watching the once immortal grasp his sword with both hands, raising it up and swinging it in a circular motion as it flowed with a violent torrent of platinum Aura. With a loud yell, Dante slashed Eclypse at Asher, unleashing the gathered Aura into a tsunami-like rush of Aura that homed in on Asher.
Regaining his footing by conjuring Aura to his feet, and using his wings, the Dark Entity slowed himself down in the air, immediately twirling his twinblade to charge it up with his own Aura. He then gave it another twirl, and sent out two jagged beams of ultraviolet energy that flew directly into Dante's Aura, the two energies mixing together briefly before setting off an explosive chain reaction.
Dante emerged from the smoke, sliding backwards on his feet a bit as Asher flew out of the smoke the other end, his devilish hide and armor cracked and chipped as black blood slowly dropped out. He growled, eyes narrowing on Dante before he rushed back in with a flap of his wings.
There was no trickery or deception to be had, only a brutal brawl of quick and deadly slices that the two blocked as quickly as their eyes could follow. Of the exchange, Dante managed to get away with a cut on his cheek while Asher was sent back with a deep cut across his chest.
"Done already? I'm not even warmed up yet!" Dante called out.
"Damn you!" Asher's twinblade flowed with violent blasts of Aura, and with another spinning slash, he loosed a blast that was as big as Dante's first Aura Wave.
The teen stayed where he was, grinning widely as he tossed Eclypse into his left hand and twirled her around raised up his free right hand to block the blast coming at him. As soon as the blast began to die down, an echoing gunshot that sounded like a laser dual cannon rang out through the night sky. Two linear, parallel streams of platinum Aura burst through the ultraviolet energy and tore two holes in Asher's chest, forcing him backwards a good distance as he clutched his chest.
His eyes trailed up to Dante, seeing him aim Eclypse at the Dark Entity in her gun form. The once immortal tossed his weapon back into his right hand, twirling the gun back into it's Longsword form as he raised up and pointed it at the being that was once a man.
Asher only stared on, gritting his teeth to bite back the pain flooding his body from the gunshot. As he watched, he saw Dante's shape outlined in platinum Aura, then blurred out sight, instantly appearing before his enemy and leaving another terrible cut across his chest.
The Dark Entity let out a gasp of pain as he began to fall back down to the ground, the once immortal giving chase. The two struck at each continuously as they got closer to the ground pushing each other away as they oriented their feet to the ground. The two warriors' feet crashed into the ground, cracking it apart forcefully.
Asher moved through the dust and rubble, swinging his blade and clashing with Dante once more. Given Dante's own muscles were starting to give out, he was overpowered after a long clash, forcing his arm backwards with his weapon. Seeing that Asher had the advantage, with his weapon raised up, he decided to go for the kill with a downwards swing.
Even if Dante's muscles couldn't help him overpower Asher at the moment, he still had advantage in speed given the state he was in.
He still had the momentum from Asher's pushback attack, so he quickly spun on the ball of his left foot, grabbed his blade with both hands, and dashed forward with blinding speed, leading with his weapon.
Asher gasped as he watched Eclypse tear through his twinblade like butter, and then both sword and master passing by him in one swift cut.
Dante stood in a stance a distance away, sword pointed ahead of him as he stood completely still.
The Dark Entity let out a shuddering breath as his body fell forward, his top half down to his stomach separated from his waist as he crashed into the dirt. The twinblade that was restored was now broken once again as it clattered to the ground, chipped and jagged from the intense battle.
Asher's form began to break down, his scales and demonic hide breaking apart like ash to reveal his more human shape underneath, fingers clawing at the dirt as he tried to get back up.
"Enough, damn it. Just give it a rest. You're not getting back up anymore."
The Dark Entity's eyes weakly looked back at Dante, who stood over him. He could feel his blood beginning to pool under him, which indefinitely signified the end for him, especially since he couldn't feel his legs anymore.
"I suppose… That would be… the case…" he said, relaxing his hand.
Dante sighed and knelt down next to the defeated Asher, plunging Eclypse into the ground to help support himself
"So… Be honest with me… This whole thing… You just wanted a shot at me with evened out odds, right?"
"Educated guess… my ass… You… can definitely read minds…"
"No no." The teen waved off, "I've crossed blades with way too many people. And… I've heard so many different goals and motivations by now that it's not that hard to figure out why I'm fighting someone. It's gotten so bad that I can just read my opponents' motivations now."
"Then… you're just… meticulously observant…"
"Pretty much…"
Dante's eyes trailed down to Asher's separated lower half, seeing his body quickly turning black and break apart.
"I… don't think…"
"Don't even go there, you idiot. You know how many people have told me that over the years?" Dante smirked, "Somehow… I don't think that kind of thing happens. When you go… I think you'll get to see her too."
"You... think so..?"
"Pretty damn sure she'll be there to welcome you with open arms. So don't worry about that kind of stuff. You wanna go there with her? Then go. It's your call in the end."
Asher managed a weak chuckle as his eyes trailed to the ground.
"You… aren't so bad…"
"You're not so bad yourself. Rest in peace Asher. It's been fun."
"You fool… Saying this… was all fun… You're…"
Dante was waiting for him to finish his sentence, but once Asher was silent for a few moments, he was sure that he had passed on. The last bits of his body had turned black and vanished in the air, along with the weapon he once wielded.
The once immortal made to stand up, reaching for Eclypse before he stumbled forward. His arms and legs locked up, not letting him move to even stop himself from falling forwards.
Thankfully, Eclypse had taken on her human shape and caught him, stopping him from falling.
"Are you alright?"
"Not really…" Dante answered, his head spinning a little, "I can't feel my arms or legs, my lungs feel like they might collapse, and I'm going numb."
Eclypse sighed as she helped sling Dante's arm over her shoulder, "You fool. You pushed yourself too far despite not being fully recovered. Did you forget you aren't like you used to be?"
"S-Sort of…" he replied as they began walking.
"Fool." She said, pinching his cheek and making him wince, "You may be insensitive to pain, but your body is screaming right now."
"Guess I forgot about that too…"
"How convenient to have such a forgetful memory…"
"Guess I'm sorry about that too…"
"You're awfully sorry too often."
"W-What do you want me to say then?"
"I am a fool, and Ecylpse is too amazing of a weapon and a lover. Especially in bed."
Dante sighed, "I can't say that out loud you know."
"You could tell me at least."
"Maybe later."
"Maybe I'll stop carrying you then."
The teen groaned, bowing his head in defeat as the duo stopped suddenly.
"Eclypse is the most amazing sword in the World, and… an amazing lover…"
"And?" The girl insisted further, moving her face closer to his.
"A-And… she's amazing in bed…"
"Never was there a more perfect answer!"
Eclypse quickly swept Dante off his feet, carrying him in her arms proudly as she walked with a wide smile on her face.
"S-Seriously, why are you so infatuated with doing something like this almost all the time?!" The teen questioned with an embarrassed expression.
"For obvious reasons!"
"Like what?!"
"It gets me really excited!" The girl earnestly answered, a small string of drool dripping down the corner of her mouth.
"Are you for real..?" Dante asked, "Wait… I shouldn't be surprised…"
"Of course you shouldn't. You should already know I think almost nothing but erotic thoughts and fantasies concerning you."
"A-And you're so openly proud about it..."
"Why shouldn't I be proud of it? Afterall… I do love you."
He froze up, at a complete loss of words as the girl giggled to herself.
"Did I make your heart skip a beat?" Eclypse asked, "Maybe enough that you'd take me here?"
"W-We are not doing that in a public space again!"
"You say so now, but I'll change your mind."
The once immortal groaned at his sword's logic… but he liked how earnest she was, at least. Even if she was extremely lewd in so many regards, she was completely genuine with him concerning her own feelings. Behind all that swagger and erotic flair she puts up, nothing could change the fact it was all love.
"What's wrong? Are you that infatuated with me that your eyes are glued to me?" The sword asked coyly.
"D-Don't get ahead of yourself…" Dante replied.
"Oh? Are you a tsundere now? Personally I used to think you were either a hinedere or kuudere. Perhaps even a yandere given how dangerous you can be at times."
"If anything, you're more likely the yandere in this relationship given how much more dangerous you are than me."
Eclypse hummed in amusement, shrugging, "Perhaps."
"Dante!"
The duo snapped to the sound of Inuba and Ruby's voiced approaching them quickly, the two girls quickly freezing up as they stared at Eclypse holding Dante in her arms.
The sword only gave the two the smuggest of smiles, only prompting them to rush towards them even quicker.
"I-I'll look him over! Please allow me!" Inuba quickly said, grabbing one of Dante's arms.
"I-I'll help too!" Ruby stated just as quickly, grabbing hold of Dante's leg.
"Ouch! Guys!" The teen spoke up.
"That won't do. This area isn't suitable for treatment, and besides that, transferring him over might only serve to worsen his injuries. Therefore he'll be in my hands for the time being." Eclypse said, trying to pull Dante away from the girls.
"G-Guys! Seriously..!" Dante tried to word out.
They continued their argument between each other, unaware of the woman approaching them from behind a grabbing Dante out of Eclypse's arms. Surprised, they turned to see Athyra Aetherveil standing behind them, her son draped over her shoulder like freshly caught game.
"Alright you three, fun's over. I'll be taking my idiot son for the time being."
"B-But ms. Athyra..!"
"You guys can screw later." she waved off, leaving all but Eclypse flustered, "Besides, family business we got to talk about. Later!"
Athyra had carried Dante a good distance, looking to her as son as she stopped.
"You good to walk kiddo?"
"Should be… I'm starting to feel my legs again." Dante replied.
With that confirmation, the woman immediately dropped her son on his rear, making him yelp a bit.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Well I'm not gonna carry your dumb ass the whole way back. Use your own damn legs." Athyra commented.
"Gee, it's like you conveniently forgot your eldest was in a life or death battle a few minutes ago." The teen said as he stood up, dusting himself off.
When he finished, he looked to his gauntleted hand, watching his armor and his combat attire vanish. He was left as he was, wearing his black running shoes with white soles, grey jeans, and long sleeved black shirt.
"So how do you feel?" His mother asked.
"Like… Like this was how I was supposed to be all along. This… This is my power. My real power."
"And you'd be right to think that. However… That power is still incomplete."
"What do you mean?"
"You've gotten back Eclypse, your true weapon. And while she commands some Power of Light, it's not her main focus. The same goes for you."
"I don't understand. I've been mostly using Light power with a mix of Dark the whole time I've been on Remnant."
"Sure you have. But it's been lacking in serious power. You haven't been fully utilizing it like you could be if it were complete."
"So I'm still lacking a little…"
"Well, your Soul's just been rebooted, kiddo." Athyra pointed out, "I think it'll settle back in after a while. Just give it some time." She said, patting him on the back.
She dropped her smile, looking at Dante as he looked back at her a bit disturbed.
"W-What?"
Athyra guffawed, putting a hand on her mouth as she tried to contain her laughter. Being unable to, like a broken dam, her laughter came out as her eyes watered.
"W-What's your deal?! Did you go crazy or something?!"
"No no!" She said, holding her stomach, "I just remembered something from earlier..!" She managed to speak out before laughing again.
"What..?" Dante asked in confusion.
Athyra then raised up her right hand in the air, clenching all fingers but her middle finger as she kept it straight up.
"Fuck you!" She said, imitating Dante from his earlier fight with Cinder before she went back to laughing,
The once immortal's face went a little red, suddenly feeling embarrassed as he looked away, crossing his arms.
"Heh... You're definitely my kid." The woman said, patting Dante's head.
…
He didn't know if he should have been happy about that comment…
"So… What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?" The teen asked.
"About the Kitsukamis."
...
What was he going to do? Confront Kareina, surely. But afterwards..?
"Don't really know. Figured I'd talk rather than slice first."
"Oh? Now that's a first." Dante's mother noted with a grin.
"Shut up. I always use my head for these kinds of situations first."
"Sure sure." Athyra spoke up, slapping a hand over Dante's shoulder as she walked with him, "Anyway, let's just get this over with, kiddo. And call it a day already."
…
He wasn't sure what he wanted to say to them when he would see them soon. He could feel Kareina and Tenma deeper in the city away from the academy, along with Akihito, Daisuke, Seiji, and…
Even Asahi was present. Was she there as an extra guard just in case? Were they afraid that he'd attack them out of a fit of fury? Such simplicity wasn't in them. Yōkai aren't petty like humans are. They're far prouder beings and much more direct.
…
Dante's head tilted up as he stopped in his tracks, feeling a more than familiar presence had gathered with the yōkai.
Inuba…
"You seem troubled."
The teen looked to his left, seeing Eclypse walking alongside him.
"Hey, I thought I told you to go back with the others." Athyra spoke up.
"You may be his mother, but I don't have to listen to you or anyone else for that matter. Only him." Eclypse stated firmly, interlocking her arm with his, "Wherever he goes, so do I."
As she spoke, her combat attire vanished as well, leaving her in her black sleeveless dress, black boots, and black fabric jacket with fur on the ends of the sleeves and collar.
"Tch… You're loyal at least, I'll give you that. But I still think you're troublesome to an extent." Dante's mother pointed out.
"It doesn't matter what you think. I am his, and he is mine."
"Listen here you-"
"I think there's been enough fighting for today, right?" Dante quickly interrupted.
Both women stopped and looked at the teen, only to look back and shoot each other serious glares.
The immortal only sighed as he continued walking further ahead of them, thinking further about what it was he was going to do. It didn't take him long, for he already knew what his answer was going to be long before his fight with Asher ended.
Looks like the fight's finally over, but the possible trouble is only beginning to brew. So then, what will be Dante's next move? Guess you'll have to see for yourself next time.
We're gonna be moving straight into the volume 6 arc after the next chapter, so be prepared. Other than that, I've got nothing much else to say, so with that…
If you've got more questions or just wanna chat, send something my way and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, I highly recommend you all go check out the freaking amazing story Rogue Huntsman written by Xera Stark. The story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you seriously read it. You won't want to miss out on this story. Plus, I'm working on it with him as a co-author, and my characters are in it too. So if you want to see a sort of alternate story and such with my characters in it, go on over and give Rogue Huntsman a read.
And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, and tells Rogue Huntsman's story from his characters' perspective, like how Knights of White and Black (my alternate story) tells the tale from my character's perspectives.
Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.
Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it. With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!
Bye-bye now!