Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether

by Aetherveil

Following after the events of the Volume 3 Arc, Dante, and his partner Inuba travel across Remnant to make their way to Haven, searching for clues that will lead them to the real mastermind behind the attack on Vale 6 months prior. They will meet allies, both old and new, and face challenging new enemies on their journey. Secrets will be revealed. Continuation of Hero of Remnant.

66. Chapter 66: Devil's Witch Hunt

You all might be feeling a little mad or agitated that I've been gone now with no prior explanation. And you'd be right to.

Alas, when last we spoke, I think I mentioned something about leaving the US near the end of July.

Yeah, that didn't work out. At first at least.

In essence, the travel ban on American citizens to other countries in Europe, and other places worldwide went into effect the day I was gonna leave, so I turned back at the airport. After talking to some lawyers and what essentially was the Border Police of the country in Europe I wanted to enter, I finally got the permission I needed to enter the country, despite me being essentially a citizen (by right of birth) of said country because both my parents were born there.

In any case, what seemed like a hellish century of pain and suffering, I left towards the end of August and safely arrived. I took most of September to travel around, make new friends and spend time with my seemingly innumerable family members. A huge thumbs up improvement compared to my sad existence of loneliness I had been experiencing for the past year. But I wrote in between when I had the time and when I didn't come home drunk at midnight.

So after taking some time for myself again (Trust me, I needed it with the shit I've endured for the last year), I finally managed to finish things up for this chapter and plan further ahead. As a bonus, this chapter will be longer than most to fill the huge, gaping emptiness in your hearts I might have left in my absence.

Or not.

Please love me.

*Ahem*

As of writing and editing this while watching Dawn of the Dead (It's October, so my grand feast of horror films begins today and ends the start of next month), I'm officially back and ready to spread my chee- I mean work my little heart out for all you wonderful people. It's been too long, and I'm back with fresh new ideas after being refreshed myself. Like hitting the F5 key to refresh your page, only you're gathering info rather than losing it.

In any case, I'm back and will be doing my best to get these out to you as soon as humanly possible.

P.S.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition and Vergil as an official playable character being announced did indeed get me excited in all the ways you're thinking of. I'm kidding for the most part, but as you can imagine, my year has been made and my happiness is immeasurable. DOOM Eternal's DLC also has me hot and bothered (who wouldn't be, it's DOOM), but just as importantly...

Demon's Souls remake. Just reminding myself constantly of that nugget of information consistently puts a hole in my shorts. Especially since it comes out next month. It's been the dream of just about everyone who's played Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

If you didn't know it already, I simp hard for the Maiden in Black. Or as Gawr Gura says, "Shrimp".

(Seriously though, the Maiden in Black is heckin cute af.)

*Ahem*

In any case, let's begin. Love ya all.

---

Chapter 66: Devil's Witch Hunt

«»

---

- Nearly 2 years ago -

"I don't believe this shit…" Dante angrily growled as he burst through the library door.

"What was it this time? Another fight with impeccable timing? Talking back to a teacher? Or perhaps, something different for once?" His friend asked from behind his holographic display.

"Neither, you dick."

"Oh? So you managed to stay out of trouble for once. Then what is it that has you so worked up before lunch?"

"Take a guess." Dante said, crossing his arms as he stood behind his friend.

The other teen clapped his display to close, turning around to face his troublemaker of a friend. With a quick exhale, he briefly scratched the back of his head, fingers running through his slightly curly white hair. He then folded his hands together, focusing a devious stare on Dante with his shining emerald green eyes.

"Well then... With what has been going on this past week concerning you, I would deduce that yet again you have been impeded by our student council president."

"Right again, detective Angelford." Dante pointed out, "I swear Blanc, if you were the guy running things, I know you'd do it for some good fun than just outright spite me."

"Please my friend, if I wanted to 'mess with you', I'd be more creative than that. And, I wouldn't hide behind the safety of my position."

"No, you'd face scalding retribution head on, right Mr. Prince of The World?"

"Wouldn't you, Mr. Demon Lord?" Blanc returned.

"Cute." Dante scoffed, "Seriously though… What am I gonna do about this shit?"

"My friend, go speak to the Student Council President. She's already revoked most of your hard earned privileges, and it won't be much longer until she revokes them all. I understand in a battle of attrition that surely you'd outlast her. But… for the sake of convenience, go and meet with her. Find out why she has been pestering you."

The young devil growled to himself.

"It's just… What could she possibly want with someone like me, you know? Unless I'm in some sort of trouble."

"Maybe she wants to recruit you?" Blanc offered an answer.

Dante burst out laughing, his friend giving him a serious look that made the young devil's laughter die down.

"What, you're serious?"

Blanc shrugged.

"Dude, come on. There's no way in Hell that'd be the case. I mean, what would she even recruit me for? To be her foot licker?"

Blanc shrugged yet again.

"Your silence is truly inspiring."

"I just don't have the answer you're seeking is all."

"Well give me something useful then!" Dante asked.

"Like what?"

"I don't know… Did you ever meet her or anything?"

"Not entirely, no. I only met her in passing really and that was it."

"Your impression?"

"Sound of mind, elegant, respectable… A rather powerful woman if I do say so."

"All that from a meeting in passing?"

"That's just my impression of her. You're welcome to go and meet her yourself."

Dante shook his head, letting out a deep sigh as he covered with his hands and dragged them down slowly.

"So what? I just walk in there?"

"Well, yes."

"Ugh… Fine, damn it! Fine!" Dante angrily said as he made his way around the table.

"Good luck!" Blanc replied, opening up his holographic screen once more as Dante left the library.

He quickly roamed the halls, other students seeing his rather angry expression and moving out of his way.

What could the student council president want with me? It can't be to recruit me. That's just too absurd.

He reached the large double doors of the student council room and quickly moved through them, the doors hitting the wall with a loud thud. The bespectacled receptionist jumped up in utter shock, and all almost screamed when she saw Dante towering over her.

"A-Ah… Uh…"

"Your president. She in?"

"S-She… She's in… a… ah… m-meeting…"

The teen immediately moved to the larger set of double doors and pushed right through them. Like the receptionist said, there was a meeting going on, some of the other council members looking at Dante in shock.

"H-Hey! You can't just-!"

"Out."

"What?!"

"Out!" Dante's voice boomed, making the other students jump out of their seats as they shuffled past him fearfully.

Only two others remained with their president, glaring at Dante as he crossed his arms.

"For the record, I could have continued this little war of attrition we've been having. But, a good friend of mine convinced me to just end this shit now. So then…" the young devil used his foot to drag a chair towards him as he took a seat in it, "What could you possibly want with me that you went out of your way to essentially ruin my life?"

The president was seated in a large chair, her back facing Dante as she looked out the window.

"Oh?" Her sweet, calm and cool voice called out, "Were my methods that effective?"

"Don't get so full of yourself princess. I'm here because you're being a pain in my ass, and any more is gonna motivate me to be a little more… rebellious. Something I'm sure you wouldn't want to deal with."

"Perhaps. But I took my chances, and here you are."

"Here I am. So what do you want? Why go through the tremendous effort to piss me off just to get me here?"

"Well… For the record Mr. Dante, since more civil attempts to establish communication with you have proven to be… ineffective… going off your reputation, I figured the only way to draw you out was to upset you enough. And sure enough that worked."

Less than a minute in and I'm already hating her…

"You asked me my reason for calling you here? It's a simple one really."

The President spun her chair around, folding her hands together as she looked at Dante with a pleased smile on her face.

She had long blonde hair that reached down to her waist that gave off an illustrious shine, and was neatly arranged while also slightly messy. No matter the smile on her face, her piercing, turquoise blue eyes betrayed that sweet smile of hers as she kept a narrow, victorious gaze on the young devil. As if to annoyingly display her beauty further, the girl's smooth, pale skin almost glistened beneath the sunlight peeking through the windows. It was like a faint beacon of light shining down on the victor, only making Dante all the more agitated.

Despite his irritation, he couldn't deny that she was… beautiful. Captivatingly so.

But anyone could be beautiful and hide a twisted personality beneath all that beauty.

"Mr. Dante…" the girl spoke, leaning forward and stretching out her hand to the teen, "I want you… to be mine."

…

…

…

"Huh?"

---

- Present Day -

"It always amazes me how humanity and Faunus kind rebuilt quickly after the Old World ended." Sêrythîl spoke as she wandered the nighttime streets, "Though I suppose we left enough behind to make things simpler."

"Right, ruins and all that…" Dante replied, "You said you owned a plot of land or something?"

"Heh… I didn't simply own the land, boy. I ruled over the entire territory."

"Can't imagine you had a lot of subjects."

"Indeed, I did not. The land was populated with spirits of the dead, and all manner of dangerous creatures other than the Grimm. The territory was hostile, if anything."

"So why lay claim to that land then if it was hostile?"

"Think about it, boy. Why else would one such as myself take charge of such dangerous land?"

"It'd take a lot of guts to live off that kind of land and actually survive… So it was a sort of proving ground then."

"Correct." Sêrythîl smiled, "Many would ask me to teach them the way of the spear, as well as the magics of the Old World in the form of Runes."

"Runic magic too? Well aren't you full of surprises."

"As are you, youngster."

"Dante."

"I reserve the right to call you as you are. A young boy." The woman coyly smiled, "I do mean what I said though. You seem to have a talent for magic as well."

Magic… It had been so long since he had used such a tool. When his old powers disappeared, so too did his affinity for magic. Even chanting spells was totally ineffective.

It didn't matter to him as much considering he never entirely relied on magic either way. The young devil did however see its benefits and uses in some situations, which is why he made it a point to learn some forms of magic to better aid him in his previous ventures.

But now that he thought about it, it might've been a simple matter of incompatibility. Some Worlds couldn't utilize magic from another World, mainly for the reason that some magics were simply too powerful or too foreign to the World.

Dante never used Dust himself, but it too was a form of magic, as well as a viable energy propellant among a variety of other things. The versatility was astounding with the many varieties of Dust out there.

From the vision of the past granted by Jinn, humans of old were able to use magic without Dust by the grace of the Dark God. Considering Sêrythîl was alive during those times, it would make sense that she would know the old ways of Magic here on Remnant.

The young devil considered that maybe the magic of the Old World ceased when the Gods left, but it could more than likely have been that there simply was no one alive who knew the old ways of magic. Until now, at least.

The old magic of this world… Given that it could be used without needing Dust was already tempting… And if she could teach it…

"The magic of the Old World… Can you still use it?"

"Of course."

Hearing her reply, Noland and Dante stopped in their tracks and turned to face Sêrythîl, who held her palm upwards as she spoke a word.

"Vîr."

Flames coated the fabric covering her palm, shifting and dancing about until she flicked her wrist, the flames dying in an instant.

"Perhaps I caught your interest?"

"Maybe." Dante tilted his head slightly as he made his way down the street once more.

"One who knows of the Old World does not embark on a simple journey. In fact… I would wager that you and your allies walk a rather perilous path."

The young devil stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at the street ahead of him.

"You are indeed strong, boy. But as mighty as your power may be, you cannot hope to accomplish victory on the path you walk simply by expanding the current power you have. You will need to find new sources of power. And new means of defeating your opponents." Sêrythîl walked up to the teen, "You would not believe the terrors that used to plague this World in my time. I have walked this New World for centuries now, and I have seen countless nightmares walk the earth equivalent to those that I and many others fought against in the past."

…

Are things now really just as bad as they were in the Old World? The situation was terrible, dire even. But…

What could have possibly been worse than Salem, other than the Gods?

"What are you suggesting, exactly?" Dante asked.

"You have… many qualities and traits that are to my preferences when I examine an individual who I think is worthy of my teachings. But as they say, simply going by looks alone is not enough." Sêrythîl shrugged, "I admit, it was impressive that you were able to keep up with me. But I wish to test you further. So for the duration of this bounty, I will observe you closely and decide at the end if you are worthy of my teachings."

The offer was truly tempting. The knowledge she possessed of the Old World was invaluable, and… it would truly be a shame to simply let that slip away when it could prove useful against Salem.

"Fine then. I'll play your game then. Make sure your eyes can actually follow me, Mistress of the Land of Death." Dante spoke as he continued ahead.

Sêrythîl laughed heartily at the young devil's response as she followed behind him, "Witty and brave. Perhaps I will teach you simply because you amuse me."

Noland remained where he was under the lamplight, keeping to himself the entire time.

Well well, looks like the Pretty Boy bagged another one. And this one can kick his ass too. Think what she's offering is solid?

Taz's voice echoed through Noland's head as he looked down at the black, snow covered pavement.

She stood toe to toe with him without much effort. If she truly wished to defeat Dante, perhaps she could have done so.

You know, for someone who has a lot riding on that Casanova, you don't seem to have a lot of faith in him.

It isn't simply a matter of faith, Tâz. If what we've been told is true, it is in the most dire of situations that Dante shines the brightest out of all. He understands how much faith people put in him, and to fail their hopes and expectations would be the equivalent of failing himself.

Noland eyed his cane, bringing it up under the lamplight as a glint of light ran across the polished black steel.

That's why for Dante… there is no other option but to win.

You think he'll make it before-?

He will. Besides… we ourselves will be more than ready before we leave this town.

I still think that's a bad idea, mr. Poet. All that effort last time… Pulling off something like that won't happen again.

I know. But there's a reason I saved this until now. It's the Ace up our sleeve, and one we have to play very carefully. Given how quickly things have been moving along, before we leave this town would be the most opportune time. That's why we'll wait until then to reclaim what's mine.

If you say so…

…

What was rightfully his… It wouldn't be long now. Patience was his greatest ally. Just a while longer until he could gain the advantage once more.

The lightbulb of the street light above Noland burst, shards of glass falling on his shoulder as he stood in the dark.

Not much longer…

He smiled, brushing the glass off his garb soon after as he quickened his pace to Dante and Sêrythîl.

---

"Remind me why you chose this place."

"Well, one reason really." Dante answered Sêrythîl as he crossed his arms, "The Witch in question must be a young female. Twenty, maybe thirty."

"Why is that important?"

"Usually their dens depend on their age groups and how they are personality wise. I get the impression she's one to play with her prey and the like. So she likey played the old bastard you killed."

"And why do you think she's in this place?"

Sêrythîl looked over to the club across the street, the dulled, booming sound of music pounding outwards from the building. There were quite a few people waiting in line outside too.

"If I were a young witch who likes toying with others, I'd hide away in a place of depravity, such as a dance club." Dante waved his hand to the establishment, "Drugs, sex, gambling… All these things and more can happen in a place like that."

"Well well, it seems you aren't foolish after all. She 'feeds' off of the depravity to further empower herself. If that's the case, then walking in there would put us at a slight disadvantage."

"Will it now?" Dante asked.

Sêrythîl chuckled, "I did say slight." she said as she pinched her index and thumb close together, "I'm assuming we're simply walking in?"

"Doesn't hurt to ask." The teen shrugged.

The teen walked up to the entrance with Sêrythîl, the bouncer at the door immediately looking their way.

"Heya man, we're looking to get in."

"Wait in line like everyone else."

"Come on dude, I'm on the list."

"Are you now? Name?" The bald bouncer asked as he raised up his clipboard.

"Dirty Dan."

"Very funny kid. Back of the line or give me a real name."

"Fine fine. Dante."

"Dante, huh?" The man flipped through the pages quickly, "Looks like you aren't on the list. She can go in though."

"What? Why?"

"You really gotta ask? Other than the fact she's smoking hot, women get in free."

Sêrythîl hummed in amusement, giving Dante a rather smug look.

"Can you check my name again?"

The bouncer sighed as he casually flipped through the list.

"Like I said-"

A heavy blow sounded through as the bouncer crashed into the wall behind him, tossing up his clipboard as he groaned and was knocked out cold.

The devil kept his eyes on the man, stretching out his hand as the clipboard fell into his palm. Dante then summoned a small knife of Aura, scratching his name into the paper before he showed it to the knocked out bouncer.

"Huh, look at that… Guess my name was on the list after all."

The teen pushed the doors open, letting Sêrythîl in first as he followed her into the hallway.

"A gentleman with a touch of mischief in him."

"Just a touch?"

"Fine then. You're incredibly mischievous. Happy?"

Dante gave a half shrug as he looked back and saw Noland enter behind them, quickening his pace to catch up.

"Where do we begin searching for this witch?"

"Never been in a club before?"

"I haven't had occasion. The closest I ever came across was what the people of this age call 'casinos'."

"Really?" Dante questioned, "And why would you of all people visit a casino?"

"Guess."

"Hmmm… Funding?"

"Indeed. I admit, it's a rather… inappropriate means of acquiring funds. But bounties on Grimm, or sometimes humans or Faunus, aren't always enough. I don't doubt you understand."

"I do. Couldn't always get paid, either because villages didn't have much, if anything, or because they didn't want to pay. Sometimes I just got paid with food or Dust. Never complained though. Had all I ever needed really."

"I assume you made the majority of your funds the same way?"

"Yeah, but not so often. Only when I went out with others really."

"Oho? A rather sinful nature behind you."

Dante chuckled, "I'm definitely no saint. But I'm not too much a sinner either. Frankly, I don't really give a damn about that kind of stuff. I just care about doing the right thing, regardless of it being good or evil. Nothing else."

"You can't always do the right thing, boy. It's impossible."

"No, but I can try to do the right thing as much as possible." Dante clenched his fist tightly, "I've got the power to change things, for better or for worse. Might as well use the power I've got to make things better whenever and however I can. Even if I have to get my hands dirty from time to time."

"Heh… So you aren't some idealistic fool then. You understand reality as it is and don't look away from the truth, in spite of the horrible things that hide in this world."

"Are these questions leading anywhere?" Dante asked, stopping behind Sêrythîl.

"They are. Have patience, boy."

I kinda hate that she's calling me boy…

*You are younger than she is, good Dante. In terms of technicality, she is correct.*

I'm 17, Navâra. In terms of technicality, I'm almost an adult.

*Yes yes good Dante, and I while I may have slumbered for almost 2,000 years, I am still technically 20 years of age! Oranges and grapes!*

~You mean potato, potatoe, ditzy Empress?~

*Precisely, dear Eclypse!*

Dante could hear Eclypse sighing in his head, making the teen smile a little.

"So then… Is there a way for you to differentiate the witch from the crowd?" Sêrythîl asked.

"Considering I technically haven't met a witch in this World yet, no, not really. My Aura Sensing now is sharper than it used to be, but it isn't like my partner's. She'd be able to pick 'em out easier."

"Oh? Why is she not here with you?"

"She's… taking care of things back home. Aside from that, I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing her to a place like this."

"Oho… So it's fine with me then?"

"She's nicer than you and not as pushy."

"I see… One of the more pure maiden types?" The woman asked.

"Don't let that fool you. While she's as sweet as sugar, she can kick anyone's ass. Even mine."

"Sounds interesting… Perhaps I'll ask her for a duel. You should introduce us."

"Maybe." Dante shrugged, "What about you, mr. Flowing Poet? Can you make a discernment?"

Noland smiled faintly, "Hardly, I'm afraid. Unfortunately there's a mixture of normal life signs and clusters of Aura Signatures deep inside, which leads me to believe there could be a few Huntsmen and Huntresses inside. That, or people with latent Aura abilities."

"Clusters, huh… That means we can't just simply go by the largest Aura Signature, if she's brazen enough to drop her guard." Dante spoke, holding his hand to his chin, "I guess we're gonna have to do it the old fashioned way and use our blinkers."

"Yes, a very fool proof plan indeed."

"You got any better ideas?"

Noland shrugged a little.

"We lure her out with bait then. You two are fine boys. She might take an interest in one of you, or both of you if she's vain enough to want two men at once." Sêrythîl suggested.

Dante looked over to Noland, quirking his eyebrows.

"And here I thought you were the Sommelier of Terrible Ideas." Noland stated.

"Any better plan?" Dante asked.

The raven haired teen sighed, "I suppose not. Considering our witch toys with men, this may be our best course of action. However, I am not nearly as charming an individual as you are. Therefore…"

The white haired teen sighed, snapping his fingers to make his armor and platinum haori disappear. His standard attire under his combat attire was different, his grey jeans were now grey dress pants, his running shoes now shining grey dress shoes. Dante now also wore a black leather belt, the buckle rectangular and plated with smooth obsidian.

Lastly, he wore a black dress shirt tucked into his pants, and ran his fingers over the buttons to undo a few of them and expose a little bit of his toned chest.

"Ah… A fine specimen indeed..." Sêrythîl complimented as she scanned Dante head to toe.

~Gee, I sure hope she continues drooling over you.~

Are you any better though?

~Heh… Fair enough, I suppose.~

"I wouldn't be surprised if you knew how to 'perform'. What was the term again? Stripper? Gigolo?"

Dante narrowed his eyes at Noland as he fixed his collar, "I ain't no Magic Mike. Now are we just gonna stand here or go in?" The teen asked as he slicked back his hair, using his Aura to spike it a little.

"By all means."

I swear I'm gonna kill him.

(Kneel - by MoxiFloxi ㅇㅅㅇ)

The young devil pushed open the large double doors, he and his group instantly hit by the flashing strobe lights and cheerful noises throughout the establishment. The whole building was dark inside, neon lights flashing about frantically with the upbeat music. The floors were white marble, but the various dance floors and rest areas must have been layered with incredibly tough plastic given how various neon colors flashed in different intervals.

The bars were filled up, patrons drinking their hearts out, laughing and making conversation. The room was slightly humid from the hundreds of people dancing inside, but the building was still fairly cold through and through. A few people were playing cards in one corner, others playing pool in another while smoking cigarettes, and some fool hardy youngsters testing their "might" against some punching machines.

Though, Dante was pretty sure one of them just hurt their wrist.

Been forever since I came to a place like this… Kinda miss it…

As soon as he thought that, the teen could see a few people making out in a corner.

Correction, few dozen.

Maybe not too much…

As the teen sifted through the crowds, he could feel quite a few stares on him from many of the women. One incredibly drunk girl practically fell into his arms, almost spilling her drink before she was slowly and gently spun, as if dancing, into the arms of the friend accompanying her.

A waitress in a rather skimpy bunny girl outfit passed by, tilting her tray towards him a little as he grabbed a glass and nodded towards her in thanks. She winked back at him before slipping about through the crowd.

Taking a taste from the fancy glass, he could taste the strong flavor of vodka mixed with a hint of orange, and…

Energy drink?

Dante took another drink as he walked about the flashing floors, smacking his lips briefly with a satisfied hum and a tilt of his head.

It's actually pretty good.

While he was enjoying himself a little, listening to the music, drinking quite a bit, flirting back, his eyes were looking about the club from corner to corner, trying to find an area where there'd be private rooms. Although he saw none, he did however see two glass stairs leading to the upper level, and went up them with Noland following behind him.

"Where'd she go?!" Dante shouted over the music.

Noland looked behind him, shrugging before he leaned forward a little, squinting his eyes. Following his nod, the young devil spotted Sêrythîl at the bar in the center of the club. It looked like the bartender was flirting with her, offering her drinks. She of course smiled back and thanked him, and when the bartender wasn't looking, she immediately found Dante and winked at him, raising up her free, and rather huge margarita glass.

"Unbelievable…"

"She's blending in at least!" Noland told him.

Shaking his head, the young devil continued up the stairs with his ally, the duo getting a clearer view of the DJ booth from on high. The upper level had the same fancy floor lights as down below, only they moved about more calmly in a sweeping fashion. There were a lot more couches and seats up here, so this was likely where people came to simply relax.

Looking around some more, the teen noticed a glass window across the way that was tinted. When he turned around, Dante saw more double doors all the way on the opposite side of the floor.

Must be the private rooms…

Instead of simply waiting around, the young devil walked over to the bar, the woman dressed in a skimpy bunny girl outfit immediately taking note of him and stepping forward, her rather huge chest bouncing a bit.

"Hi there hun! This your first time here?"

"Pretty much. I'm an out-of-towner that's been looking for some fun. Heard about this place and decided to come out."

"Well thank ya for stopping by! Had anything to drink yet?" The girl asked.

"I did, but I'm still feeling a little thirsty, if you catch my drift."

The bartender giggled, immediately getting to work preparing a drink. Within a matter of seconds, a fresh drink was on the marble table.

"Hopefully this'll quench your thirst, hun."

Taking a large sip, Dante did indeed feel refreshed, like a cool breeze washed all over him and cooled him down.

"Nice…" The teen said as he set the glass down on the table, "You guys got anything to spice things up a little?"

"Ah… You're looking for something a little extra then?"

"If ya got it."

The girl gave him a rather sultry smile, turning around to reach into the cupboards. She did make sure to sway her rear back and forth a little, making Dante look away a little.

Without warning though, the bartender gently touched the underside of the devil's chin, turning his head back to her as she planted her lips onto his, moaning quite passionately. He felt that she slipped something in with her tongue, a pill of some sorts. Rather than give up the act, he swallowed the pill and went along with her sensual kissing until she pulled away seconds later, a small, thin string of drool forming between them until it broke.

It wasn't like anything bad was going to happen to him swallowing the pill. At best, drugs of any sort would only affect him briefly for about ten seconds. From what he was feeling, this drug was fast acting, targeting the pleasure center in his brain and tapping into his adrenal glands to give him a quick rush.

An aphrodisiac mixed with an adrenal booster… Not bad. This would get anyone else raring to go.

The effects faded moments after, Dante blinking his eyes rapidly a few times to fake feeling a rush.

The girl giggled as she leaned over the table, giving the teen a rather amazing view of her spectacular breasts.

"Like the pick me up, cutie?" She asked, licking her lips.

"I feel like a man possessed…" The young devil said, a little shocked.

The bartender giggled again, "That 'cause of the product?"

"Definitely. But who's to say that sweet kiss of yours didn't perk me up a little too?"

"Only a little?"

"Ok. A lot."

"Glad you liked both." She smiled at him, folding her fingers together, "It's a new product our club made recently. First one's on the house for newcomers. Though… cute guys like you get a little 'extra service'..."

"Oh? Kiss a few cute guys then?"

"Jealous?"

"Maybe." Dante said as he leaned over the counter a little, getting closer to the girl's face as she got a little red.

"Lucky for you hun, I haven't seen a cute guy here in a long while." She said, licking her lips a little.

(End Song)

Before any of them could speak further, the song changed along with the lights, the DJ's voice sounding over the speakers along with cheers from the crowd down below.

"Seriously though… Guys like you don't come in here often. Fancy-like, you know."

"You got me. I came down from Atlas. A bit stuffy up there lately, if you catch my drift."

"And here I thought most fancy guys from Atlas were stuck up dirtbags that didn't like stepping away from their rich folk parties… But you ain't bad at all, hun."

"Thank you kindly, miss." Dante winked, making the girl hum as she stood up straight to fix up another drink, "So… The boss come out often?"

"Looking to do a little business?" The bartender asked.

"Maybe. After the sweet service I've been getting, I'm definitely gonna offer a very generous investment. Might be convinced to do a little business too, if I can have a chat with the boss."

"Why thank you, hun." She said as she kissed Dante's check, leaving a pink lipstick print of her lips, "I'll see if she's in."

Pinching Dante's cheek, she turned around from the bar table and picked up the phone, her voice muted out by the music now that she was no longer close.

~Enjoying yourself, Master?~

Sorry sorry… I gotta put on an act is all.

~Oh? Is that all? You seemed to be enjoying her kiss.~

*Indeed, good Dante! We have known each other much longer and you would allow some unknown harlot the pleasure of your lips and not me?!*

~Yeah. Unknown harlot got better treatment just now.~

Like I said, acting. Besides… she's not nearly as good as you are.

~I-Is that so… Hmph. I'll make sure to remind you thoroughly how much better I am when we get home tonight.~

*Me as well! You could do that much at least!*

F-Fine…

Dante sighed a little, rubbing his forehead as he glanced at the bartender, still on the phone.

The boss huh… It'd make sense if the head honcho was the witch. Out of sight completely so she can do business behind the scenes while drawing on the energy of people's depravity at the same time. And here I thought she just frequented…

"Good news, hun! The boss said she'll see you! Walk on through those doors over there and go all the way down the hall!" The bartender pointed towards the double doors across the way.

"Thank you kindly, miss." Dante nodded as he got up from his stool.

Before he left, he felt a tug on his sleeve, making him turn around as the girl planted another sweet kiss on his lips, slipping a piece of paper into his hand, moving back a few moments after.

"I get off at midnight sweetie. If the boss doesn't eat you up first, wanna meet up later and have some fun? I'm sure I can satisfy someone as fancy as you."

"Don't doubt it for a second." Dante smiled back, pocketing the slip of paper, "Thanks for setting me up…"

"Katie."

"Katie… I'll see you later then."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

He gave the bartender a wink and she giggled nervously as he walked away towards the double doors.

~I hope you realize that I'm going to fuck you senseless tonight so you'll forget about that bitch.~

Will you now?

~Is that a challenge?~

Dante could hear Eclypse giggling to herself rather eerily, and gulped a little, realizing he had provoked Eclypse to "perform" more fiercely if she would keep to her word.

Knowing her, she would.

That, however, was a bridge he had to cross later. He had to deal with this witch first.

The young devil passed through the double doors and closed them behind him, looking around carefully. No one was out and about, and with the multiple sensual moans he heard loudly sounding from many of the private rooms, no one would be privy to his presence really.

Tapping his foot twice, Dante's shadow extended in the dimly lit room, and from it emerged Noland, fixing the collar of his coat as he grasped the handle of his cane.

"Popular indeed."

The teen just gave his ally a scoff as he walked on ahead, the raven haired young man following closely behind.

---

"So the witch is conducting business deals?" Noland asked as he and Dante traveled through the moaning halls.

"Yeah. Aside from a high tier club, she's been doing drug deals behind the scenes. However…" The devil stopped at a vending machine, punching in the number for a bottle of green tea, "They aren't just normal drugs. The chemical composition targets the pleasure center in the brain and the adrenal glands, but there's another element to it too."

"Magic?"

"Yeah. Strong stuff that I'm assuming is to help eliminate one's sense of reasoning so they can get… well… freaky with other people without any mental reservations."

"Is it affecting you?"

"Not really. I've got a disgusting amount of magic and elemental resistance so it isn't too troublesome. That, and my self control is helping a lot."

"Self control, eh?"

"What?"

"Nothing." Noland smirked as Dante tossed him a can, "The thought just… makes me smile is all, considering your popularity with women."

"I'm not that popular."

"You are in a relationship with five women, and don't consider yourself popular?"

The young devil clicked his tongue at Noland's remark, sipping from his can rather quickly.

"Oh? Five women you say?"

Both teens jumped at the sound of Sêrythîl's voice, spinning around to find her standing behind them, arms crossed and a rather wide smile on her face.

"It seems you're quite a capable man."

"How'd you get in?" Dante asked.

"I snuck in, of course." She pointed towards the ceiling of the room behind them.

"Weren't you 'indulging' downstairs?"

"Oh, that? I finished my drink as soon as I had it."

"That was a huge glass."

"Heh… Indeed it was."

Dante nodded and gave an impressed hum.

"How about it, boys? What's our plan of action?" The woman asked.

The young devil crossed his arms, "We go in. If they ask about you two I can just say you're my personal guards that I always bring with me, just in case."

"She seems the part moreso than I." Noland pointed out with a nod towards Sêrythîl.

"Brother, you look like a badass black mage or something. If they ask for a demonstration, just summon Big Bad Wolf, or something."

"And if we're met with resistance?" Sêrythîl asked.

"Well, we're going to take her in, or worst case scenario, kill her. We'll be meeting resistance one way or another. All we have to do is keep our act together until we get close enough. After that…"

Noland let out a sigh, tapping his cane twice on the ground as his entire body shimmered with dark purple Aura for a brief moment.

"You have your magic resistance, and despite my own resistance I fear it may not be on par with yours to the same effect."

"Anti-charm spell. Not bad." Dante nodded, "What about you?"

The fingertips of Sêrythîl's right hand glowed with black and crimson Aura, her index finger forming the lingering trace of a symbol. It shimmered and expanded outwards, flickering like a brief sputter of flame.

"I guess we're prepared."

Can you two keep a lookout?

*But of course, my Wielder!*

~We'll do it 180 degrees, front and back. You keep focus on the front Little Empress, I'll keep my senses focused on the rear.~

Almost perfect defense.

Dante discovered sometime ago through practice that while not summoned, either Eclypse or Navâra could control his Aura for more… accurate purposes. While still maintaining extreme regeneration with his Aura, however costly it was, the young devil still needed to maintain good defense. He never had to use Aura Shielding before, so it was slightly difficult at first to maintain one.

But through accidental discovery, he had Eclypse intermingle her Aura with his, and discovered that while not summoned, she could perfectly control their Auras. Through further testing, using her Aura Sensing, it was discovered she could sense incoming attacks, and with pinpoint precision and efficiency, block said attack to completely nullify it. The results varied depending on the type of attack and whether it was continuous without pause or not.

Regardless, he now had his automatic defense mechanism, his Threat Tracer.

With it, he could focus more on fighting while he trusted in either Navâra or Eclypse to maintain the defense. However, that was if he had Aura. Like with his extreme regeneration, the grander the attack, the more Aura it cost. While he had a seemingly endless supply, he couldn't just waste it haphazardly.

Most of his tougher fights would require more intelligence rather than brute force. Which is why he had to be more calculating than ever.

Salem, Aizûr and his kind… Things were only going to get more difficult. And without proper preparation, neither he nor those he loved or cared about would survive.

"Do you have some sort of back up plan?" Noland Asked as they roamed the halls.

"Back up plan?" Dante asked.

"If you can't get close to her, what then?"

Sêrythîl could probably kill the Witch with her spear. With the force and speed she could throw her scarlet spear, it'd be possible.

"I guess I'll shoot her with Eclypse."

In her gun form while firing off normal rounds, Eclypse's bullets were faster and more accurate than that a sniper round, hitting with the force of a tank round. With Aura charged into the gun, it was like her revolver form was a miniature, highly explosive railgun.

Charged up Aura would be overkill, so he had to settle for the normal rounds. They would be enough given his own speed to draw his weapon, his accuracy, and his reflexes.

Even with such advantages in mind, Dante knew better than to solely rely on that to win. He had to expect anything.

As the trio approached the end of the hallway, a large double door of shimmering onyx and gold metal was in their path, a guard waiting at the entrance.

"We were expecting you. However…"

The large bald man glanced over Dante's shoulder towards Noland and Sêrythîl, his brow raising a bit.

"They're my personal guards. Spooky magic and whatnot let's them hide in my shadow, just in case."

"Is that right?"

"Hey, I could be your employer's most important client from today onward. Who's to say if some jealous snob tries to whack me just because I can outbid him or provide better services." Dante shrugged.

"Fine. But I'll still give you the warning anyway. No funny business, or you'll regret it. And believe me when I say it isn't us you gotta be worried about."

"Noted."

With a small grunt, the guard pushed the doorway open, and immediately the young devil took in a rather intoxicating scent. As he stepped through with his two allies, the room was dimmed with soft purple light, a sweet scented smoke sifting through the room, where in the side booths on both sides, the moaning of women and some rather sloppy noises could be heard.

Further ahead was a large wooden desk, a woman sitting in a leather chair as she bit her lip and giggled softly to herself, all while she sifted through her Scroll.

The blue haired woman's emerald eyes looked up from her device, huffing with some frustration as her hand reached underneath her desk. A girl emerged from underneath the leg space, tongue lulled out as she soon pouted.

"Don't worry love, I'll find you later."

As the girl walked away, the blue haired woman smirked as she gave a loving slap on the scantily clad girl's rear, both giggling at one another as the "boss" waved goodbye.

"Sorry for interrupting." Dante said.

"No worries. You know the saying, 'business first, pleasure later'. Or something along those lines." The woman smiled, soon waving her hand to the chair in front of her.

The devil took his seat son after, crossing one leg over the other as he kept his hands folded together.

"Before we begin…" The woman spread her hands towards the booths, "Any of my girls catch your eye in particular?"

"If I had to be honest, all of them are actually pretty eye catching."

"I know, right?"

Before the conversation continued, Sêrythîl walked around Dante's chair, her fingertips drifting across the leather before she did something rather surprising, moving in front of the young devil, she soon sat right in his lap, draping her legs over the opposite end of the arm rest as she wrapped her arms around his neck, giving a rather pouty look. She even moved his right hand over her thigh.

It was extremely difficult to admit, but aside from her spectacular figure, she did indeed have some luscious thighs. Or as some of the "cool kids" of his generation say, she had splendidly "thicc" thighs.

"Oh my, it seems I made your bodyguard rather jealous. Although I have to say, she is a rather exceptional beauty herself."

"Unfortunately, I'm practically a sucker for both powerful women and women who can fight. Being beautiful as well is just a bonus really."

"Hmmm… A rather rare taste you have, Mr..?"

"Anartes."

"Anartes… So tell me, how did you come by us today?"

"Well, I was looking for a place to just relax and unwind. Traveling these days is honestly a pain in the ass, and it's hard to come by locales of high quality, like yours, Ms..?"

"Antêa. And thank you for your fine compliment."

"Other than that, your bartender right outside is pretty good. She could do with a raise I think."

"Katie does have that special, natural touch most girls lack. She's really… What's the word… Sincere, with her advances." Antêa smiled, "So then, I assume you've had some of our product then?"

"I did. And I have to say, you really outdid yourself. I've been just about everywhere, and not even some of the places in Atlas can match up."

"Oh? You're from Atlas? I thought they closed off the borders."

"Nothing that a few Lien or Dust can't fix."

"Right?" Antêa agreed, "So then, from what I heard, you liked our product so much that you want to go into business with us, is that right?"

"That's right."

"I'm assuming since you're from Atlas, capital isn't much of an issue for you, if at all."

"You'd be right. I've got enough Lien and Dust to either smooth things out or make things run along a little faster."

"You're looking to invest, then?"

"Maybe even more than that, if we get far enough. Though, starting off with an investment would be the healthiest way to start this 'working' relationship, rather than diving in head first."

"I couldn't agree more, Mr. Anartes. Best to test the waters first."

Dante smirked a little, getting serious a moment after.

"I gotta ask… Been hearing from some of the people in town that their shit's getting stolen all over. That you by any chance?"

"Unfortunately, we've had to start out small and with discretion to avoid any prying eyes. So in order to draw attention away from us, I slipped in the rumor of the Witch in the Woods." Antêa shrugged, "Though, depending on your investment, I won't have to resort to thieving from the common folk, and I can start making better connections and import better ingredients for my products."

"I see… So then… If I were to offer an investment of 10 million Lien, would that help things along?"

"Ten million, you say?!" The woman exclaimed with surprise as she rose from her seat.

"That's right."

Antêa scoffed in disbelief, slowly sitting back down.

"You and I have only just met, and yet you want to invest that much?"

"Like I said, I was very impressed with not only your establishment, and your girls, but your product as well. It was pretty damn good."

"Ah, that's right! You did have a taste of my special product!" The woman said, "So tell me… If you had my product, why is it that you aren't fucking your secretary sensesless right now?"

Dante kept a narrowed stare on the woman, who leaned forward and folded her hands together.

"I've got a high tolerance. It's why I've lasted as long as I have."

Antêa let out an amused hum.

"I personally make my product, and I've tested it extensively with numerous subjects. I'm sure you saw some Huntsmen and Huntresses on your way in, so you should know I covered my bases well enough."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning… That not even some of the veteran tier Huntsmen or Huntresses can resist its effects. It quite literally sends people into a sexual frenzy. And from the tests I've conducted… there hasn't been a single civilian, human or Faunus, that could resist its effects either."

Shit… The one time my unnatural resistances blow my cover…

*What shall we do, good Dante?*

Just like we practiced. You start with defense first Navâra until I draw you out. When I swap out with you, Eclypse will take over.

*Are we certain she is our intended target?*

~Completely certain, Little Empress. If you didn't notice, she has Mystic Eyes that have been trying to peer into Master's head. If his resistance to her drug hadn't tipped her off already, not being able to get inside his head probably has.~

"So then… Young Huntsmen… I'd say that right about now, the jig is up. Frankly, under normal circumstances I'd kill you. But… you are pretty cute. And since I do go both ways, you and your sexy secretary would make for some nice toys. I'd imagine that you in particular are carrying a pretty nice package." Antêa said, licking her lips, "What do you say? Want to live instead and be my toy?"

Sêrythîl chuckled, looking towards Dante.

"Did you hear that, boy? She intends to make slaves of us."

The idea made even Dante smirk.

"Sorry, Ms. Antêa…" The teen said as his hair turned from black to white again, his also bright-sky blue once more, "But that's not going to be an option."

The Witch flinched at the sight of the small transformation, her left eye twitching somewhat.

"I see… So you're the Great Dante that everyone has been going on about lately. I wasn't expecting someone of your caliber to show up here so soon."

"What can I say? I'm annoying like that. Like one of those surprise inspections that drop by unannounced."

"I take it that you'll refuse my offer? Think carefully now. If you'll be my pet, I'll be sure to pleasure you every day."

"As appealing as that sounds… I think I'll pass."

Without warning, Eclypse immediately appeared in Dante's left hand in revolver form and the teen fired without a second thought.

To his surprise though, the Witch had blurred out of sight along with her booths of women, the room changing shape and raising itself high with great speed.

As the room began to settle, Sêrythîl shifted herself off Dante's lap and brought forth her scarlet spear, the teen twirling Eclypse into her sword form as Noland stepped up next to him.

"Shit… This isn't good…"

The room had seemingly expanded into an extremely massive building, stretching for miles on end with glowing technicolor walkways, bricks, paths and other rooms.

"It seems we underestimated our Witch." Sêrythîl explained, "She's made this entire room her Territory, and forcibly changed and expanded the space within."

"In other words, we're trapped inside with her unless she reverts the space back to its original shape, or we kill her."

Dante looked up, seeing a flashing neon "ENTER" sign right above them that lead into an expansive room.

"Well… There's no other way except forward."

With a shrug from Sêrythîl, who walked ahead of them, Dante and Noland followed after the spear Wielder, waiting to see what challenge awaited them.

---

Exiting the neon red hallway, the trio soon found themselves in a large room, modeled just like hallway. Everything looked to be of squares resembling the dance floor panels, their lights static and shifting colors quickly with the tempo of the music.

High above the platforming and the walls were stands in which crowds looked down and cheered loudly, almost overtaking the sound of the music.

"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for another fantastic night here at Club Ember!" Antêa's voice sounded through a speaker system that sounded throughout the whole room, "The music, the drinks, the accommodations! I know you like all that, but I know what you're really here for!"

In the air, streaks of neon light weaved together to flare out into a large sign.

"It's FIGHT NIGHT!"

The crowd roared with thunderous cheer once more, some of the top portions of the walls shimmering into monitors, showing a close up shot of Dante, Noland and Sêrythîl.

"Every now and then, we're lucky to get a strong Huntsmen or graceful Huntress, but today, we've got a special treat for everyone."

"Here we go…" Dante sighed.

"He's an emerging legend out of Vale who's been carving out a name for himself throughout Anima, and tonight, we're lucky enough to host him! Many of the common folk out there say he's a one of a kind hero, while some in Atlas seem to think he's some kind of otherworldly Demon!" The Witch spoke, "Whether you love him or hate him, no one can deny he's got some serious bang for his buck that we don't really see much of these days! Please welcome… Dante Aetherveil, The Demon of Remnant!"

The cheering quieted a little, not out of fear, but utter disbelief that someone like the young devil was here. When they realized it was really him, the cheering grew loud once again, echoing throughout the whole transformed complex now.

"You said this was Fight Night, right? Why don't you come down and let's me and you have a talk?" The teen asked.

"Sorry Little Dan, but do you really think I'm gonna put out like that?"

"You didn't seem to have a problem doing that earlier."

The Witch hovered down to them from on high, sitting on a glittering disco ball. Her outfit changed into that of purple jeans, boots, a black crop top, a small black jacket and of course, a black pointed witch's hat.

"You can get snarky with me all you want, but I'm not gonna play your game. You're here to play mine. Understood?"

"And? What do I get if I win?"

Antêa laughed briefly, "Do you really think you're gonna make it out of here?"

"I don't know…" Dante said as he placed his hands on his hips, "I may not be the best dancer, but I do know how to dance a mean tango."

The witch rolled her eyes, floating higher up towards the seated crowds.

"I don't know about you folks, but a legendary hero deserves a rather legendary line up of challenges, right?"

The crowds roared loudly once more with, cheering in agreeance as the woman looked down on Dante with a rather grim smile.

"But we aren't going to be unfair so soon, right? So how about a little warm up to set the mood!"

With a snap of her finger, dozens of blocks ahead of the trio retracted as tiles came up from below. Numerous Ursa and Griffons leapt out, screeching at the trio as they readied themselves.

"ROUND 1!" A deep, electronic voice called out as neon lights formed the spoken words in the air, "FIGHT!"

Immediately the Griffons flew straight at them. While Dante and Sêrythîl prepped themselves, Noland's inky black Beowolf immediately shot out numerous spikes from its head. Each extended spear of its body accurately pierced the first flock, skewering either their heart's or heads touch quickly kill them with maximum efficiency.

As Râzla, Noland's polymorphic Beowolf kept skewering the avian Grimm, Dante and Sêrythîl kept the frontline intact, shifting positions constantly as they slashed and hacked at the bear-like Grimm trying to charge them.

The young devil was quick with his cuts whilst striking deep, making masterful dodges all the while and occasionally switching Eclypse to her gun form. Ursa had thicker skin and armor, especially their Alpha variants, which completely composed the small swarm of bear Grimm. While Dante could easily cut deep enough into them, it still was rather a strenuous effort.

This is why he decided to use more of Eclypse in her gun form, seeing as the penetrative power of her bullets were absolutely fantastic and shredded through the Ursa's armor like paper.

All the while, he caught glimpses of Sêrythîl fighting, rather impressed with her graceful yet brutal style of fighting. Her spear strikes were fluid and accurate, cutting apart and piercing through with startling speed. Each time it was practically a single strike, seemingly so with how fluid and seemingly endless some of her combinations were.

Her strength was absolutely monstrous, seeing as the spear wielder pierced an Ursa, then effortlessly lifted it up and slammed it in the ground, quickly spinning around once and slamming her spear's bladed edge. And yet again, with seemingly one fluid motion in all, she decapitated the Grimm and immediately went back to work killing the rest.

Seeing her display her masterful skills with spear alone motivated Dante to try harder in eliminating the Grimm he faced with single strikes, either with gun or sword.

What would have been the end of most Huntsmen or Huntresses, or at the very least a forced retreat, was instead a decimated miniature horde of Grimm, none of which were simple to deal with, particularly with their numbers and their types. In almost 30 seconds, all that remained was black mist and vanishing limbs.

"YIKES! They sure hacked 'em all to bits!" Antêa called out over the speaker system, the crowd cheering for Dante and his allies, "But remember, that was just the warm up round."

The room unraveled, expanding yet again into a massive open space of flashing, multicolor, cubes and floor panels. There was a difference however, and that was the pitch black abyss waiting for them below should any of the three stumble and fall. Worse yet, the path ahead was rather narrow to traverse.

Sêrythîl was the first to cross, with Dante and Noland following close behind as she zoomed across the bridge like a leopardess.

Shit she's fast…

~She's definitely unnatural.~ Eclypse noted in her Wielder's thoughts.

As Dante and Sêrythîl crossed, they waited as Noland staggered over the threshold, almost out of breath as he panted.

"Oh my, out of shape are we?" The woman smirked.

"You forget… that my athleticism… is nowhere near… on par with either of you…" Noland replied.

"Yeah, he's definitely out of shape." Dante replied, both he and the spear wielder smirking together.

The mage sighed, turning his attention forward to the arena that formed itself in front of the trio. It was much like the room from before, only a bit larger now.

Another small swarm?

"Griffons and Ursi aren't pushovers! One type has excellent speed and can literally swallow people whole, while the other is known for their variants intense strength and durability. But I guess even they're nothing to a living legend."

She's really pissing me off with that…

*It's like she's trying to flaunt you all to the crowd while speaking with venom in her voice. The nerve she has…*

~She's only acting like that because she thinks she's untouchable. With a space this large, she can't maintain everything forever, even if she's feeding off the depravity of others.~

So we play her game and force her to use up all of her Aura. Magic of this scale has to be draining her very quickly.

"If that's the case, then let's mix things up a little!"

The floor panels further ahead retracted once more, and this time, three Beringels emerged, pounding their chests harshly while roaring.

"Good grief… Throwing heavy hitters at us right away…" The teen commented.

"Not too troublesome really." Sêrythîl replied.

"Both of you are ridiculous individuals…" Noland remarked, tugging at his collar.

As the trio readied themselves, flashing neon lights appeared in the air above them, forming letters along with the same deep, electronic voice.

"ROUND 2! FIGHT!"

As if on command, the front two ape Grimm lunged for the devil and the spear wielder, both retreating to put some distance between their opponents. Noland was the only one left at the front, quickly snapping his grimoire open as Râzla formed under his master's feet.

The inky black pool that was once the Beowolf shifted Noland out of harm's way, and while the Beringel quickly spun around, its attention was drawn in another direction, Tâz soaring up above while laughing. Each flap of the small Nevermore's wings produced jagged bolts of purple electricity, charring the apes flesh, but only really making it angrier. It tore a cube from a wall, and threw it at the bird in frustration, Tâz continuing his hearty laughter as he easily swirled circles around his enemy.

Spikes of ice came it's way as Tâz dodged them, the beast looking back at Noland and quickly charging him. Quickly slapping his palm on the ground, the raven haired teen's grimoire brimmed with purple Aura, a thick sheet of purple ice quickly spanning the ground in front. Due to the Beringel's rage, it couldn't quite control its speed anymore as it clumsily slid around until falling. As it fell however, it bounced back up, ready to strike the human down where he stood.

Noland's Beowolf yet again aided in his evasive actions, sliding his master underneath the huge body of the ape. Like that, thick spears of inky black shadow shot from the pitch black pool, skewering the beast many times over. Even wounded, its rage wouldn't subside, and it attempted to turn around to find Noland, despite Râzla's spikes still in him.

As it turned, the blade-like shaft of a black cane quickly shot into its open mouth, it's roars still as it's body turned pale, scattering into white dust moments after.

Looking over, Noland saw Sêrythîl slash out the knee of her ape, quickly sliding underneath it to its back. Using her absurd agility, as she slid out behind the Grimm, she immediately spun around, leapt up, and stabbed her spear through the back of its head.

Dante… Well, Dante did what the raven haired teen expected. He was practically dancing with his ape, all until he dodged a punch and delivered a swift and destructive kick to its arm. While it's arm was thick, the kick from the devil snapped it, making the creature fall forward.

Considering Dante had more respect for Eclypse than to put her in the beast's mouth, he instead turned her sideways and pressed the barrel against the Grimm's eyes. Pulling the trigger, an explosive shot practically exploded the Beringel's head, leaving barely a frame of a head left as it too slumped down lifeless.

"Damn! Not a scratch on any of you! Even the scrawny kid didn't take a hit!" Antêa's voice called over the speaker system.

The young devil smirked at Noland, who only rolled his eyes as he snapped his grimoire shut and stood still, his allies standing next to him.

"So even three Beringel weren't enough to wear you out. I guess you are made of sterner stuff."

"Why don't you come on down and test me yourself?" Dante asked.

"And spoil the fun for everyone? I'm not that heartless you know."

The teen clicked his tongue, moving onward towards the open path with Sêrythîl and Noland. Their progression to the next area was trickier this time around with electrified walls and floors, and high intensity torches that threatened to burn them.

Crossing the obstacles wasn't much of an issue for Dante or Sêrythîl; their absurd physicality allowed them to weave through almost effortlessly. The mage however relied on his Grimm, Râzla forming into an inky pool of shadow under his feet to zoom and weave him through, while Tâz used ice to short out the electric torrents and freeze the flames of the torches.

The next two rounds went much like the same. Round three was simply a huge mass of Ravagers, bat-like Grimm. At best, for the trio, they were simply a nuisance. Yes, the bat Grimm had rather painful sonic screeches, particularly when en masse, but the more their numbers dwindled quickly, the less effective their attacks were.

Noland was a huge contributor to clearing this specific round, his flame magic making quick work of the initial wave, while Tâz quickly soared through the skies, leaving a trail of explosive flames that decimated their numbers.

Another bridge of obstacles came and went along with the round, this time with a huge variety of heavy hitters in the round and a much larger arena. A Deathstalker, a much larger Nevermore, a Geist that possessed numerous blocks and panels to form a large golem body, a King Taijitu, a Queen Lancer, and a Nuckelavee.

Dante handled the Nevermore and King Taijitu, using his spectral arms to latch onto the large bird Grimm and pluck its wings off with those same arms. The snake-like Grimm was a bit tougher to deal with, considering he hadn't had much experience killing one except for the one he did in ages ago in the Emerald Forest. A quick trip inside one of the mouths, and Dante cut its guts apart from the inside, emerging from the other mouth covered in black blood.

Noland worked on the Geist and the Nuckelavee, sending Râzla out to deal with the imp/horse abomination while he and Tâz took on the Geist. The Geist, despite its size, was almost simple. The only objects it could possess were the hard plastic floors and panels, which made freezing its limbs all the easier. With the limbs easily frozen, they became very brittle and easy to shatter with a few strikes of his cane.

Before it could detach from the main body, Tâz flew by with his wings encircled with wind, and with a quick spiral, sent out slicing waves of air from numerous directions that cut apart the Geist's mask.

Râzla as a Beowolf did well to hold off the Nuckelavee, his polymorphic body giving him a huge advantage to counter the dangerously extending and flexible arms of his fellow Grimm. A quick bombing run from Tâz served as a potent distraction, the Beowolf morphing it's arm into a huge, jagged scythe blade and slicing out the front two legs of the horde body. Not completely toppled, the Nuckelavee lashed out wildly with its dangerous arms, and yet Râzla kept up with its wild pace, using the spikes from his body to counter each arm almost perfectly.

Trusting in his Grimm's ability to keep him safe, Noland had snuck around the huge beast, leaping up on the horse back of the Nuckelavee and stabbing it through the chest with his cane. Thus, even the deadly horse/imp abomination fell to the mage's might.

Sêrythîl seemed to enjoy herself thoroughly taking on both a Deathstalker and a Queen Lancer at the same time. She around them with startling speed, weaving through the deathly, piercing strikes of both Grimm, all while striking back each time she dodged. Any and all movements she made, the spear wielder always landed a guaranteed strike in between each attack that came at her, something that seemingly angered the Grimm.

The Deathstalker in particular seemed the most agitated, relying more on thrashing its huge tail around to try and smack the woman away. This however worked against the Queen Lancer, as it was inevitably swatted away. Sêrythîl smirked, now having an opening to deal with the rather rabid scorpion Grimm. She did the unthinkable, and thrusted her spear forward to meet the point of the tail, which had simply exploded into a fleshy mess.

Then, Sêrythîl struck with blinding speed, loosing 26 stabs in but two seconds flat, effectively destroying the Deathstalker's head.

The Queen Lancer was a simple effort for the woman. Despite it's quickness with a body that large, the spear wielder unleashed another flurry of strikes, quickly breaking apart its thick wheel. With that, Sêrythîl leapt up and planted her feet on the Grimm, kicking off it while striking the underside of its head with her armored feet.

Whilst in the air, Sêrythîl brought her spear across her body, where eight glowing points of crimson Aura surrounded her and quickly transformed into perfect copies of her spear. With a swift swipe of her real spear, the other eight spear copies shot out like bolts of lightning, striking with devastating power that tore apart the Queen Lancer, leaving only a messy shell with numerous large holes.

Well… I'm glad she's on our side…

*Indeed… Her power and speed is quite intimidating… Perhaps you could indeed benefit from her teachings, should she decide to do so.*

~The Little Empress has something of a point. That woman seems plenty powerful for a spear wielder. Perhaps the best we've ever seen. While you are learned in other forms of combat, the only ones you've really mastered are those involving swords, knives and your bare hands. Learning how to actually use a spear won't hurt.~

True. There are some battles where a spear would be better than a sword, or a gun for that matter.

The Mistress of the Land of Death… It's a title she quite easily put forth as a means to identify herself, but…

Who was she really? What was her history? She claimed she was from the Old World, but how did she survive humanity's extinction? It wasn't as if nukes wiped out the planet of human life. The magic of a god did that.

Did she have her own means of survival? Or a special place to hide from the fallout?

…

Did Ozpin know her?

"You've been staring intently at me for a time. Have I charmed you with my beauty?" Sêrythîl asked with a smug smirk.

"In your dreams…"

The spear wielder chuckled, twirling her weapon until it disappeared in a brief flash of crimson light.

The cheers of the crowd above were quite encouraging, but it still didn't change the fact the trio was playing in this game unwillingly, despite winning.

"Geez..! I put you up against some of the nastiest Grimm out there and you still come out on top! Although, I imagine you worked up quite a sweat this time."

She was right. Although Noland and Sêrythîl weren't injured, that fight just now against Giant class Grimm was still a bit tough. The only reason Dante dispatched his duo so quickly was because he's fought their kind before, the same likely for Sêrythîl. Noland's Grimm were extremely useful in combating their own kin, which likely helped the mage.

Experience aside, Dante did have to admit that a good deal of his knowledge came from professor Port and his rather impressive collection of texts. While the man was prone to prattling on, his experiences, the various collections of texts and stories he gathered were fruitful with their knowledge.

For instance, most people didn't know that each of a King Taijitu's respective heads had different types of visibility and heat sensing. The black head functioned better a night, while the white head better during the day. With the advantage of the indoor darkness, and the flashing lights, the snake-like Grimm was weak on all fronts in terms of visibility. Sensing wise, the black head had the upper hand, which is why Dante entered the mouth of the white head.

Most people also knew that their eyes were their weakest points, but with how fast a King Taijitu moved, it was nigh impossible to hit with gunfire unless you were something of an amazing sniper. In addition, their hides were quite resistant to blades, explosives, acidics, and combustibles. Thus… if you really wanted to lay the hurt on them, one would do as Dante did, and either get willingly eaten or force their way inside their mouth.

In fact, it was Port who made that discovery when he himself was swallowed by one a year before he became a professor at Beacon.

It was unfortunate most students brushed off Port as a boisterous, ridiculous man. Even if he did go off on tangents most of the time, his knowledge on various Grimm and their weaknesses was truly superb.

Dante looked back at Noland, seeing the mage a bit pale now.

"You good?"

The raven haired teen raised up a hand, "Like I said before… I'm not used to drawn out conflicts… like you are… My stamina is significantly lower than yours… My only advantage... is my abundance of Aura… And this grimoire..."

He said this as he patted his holster, where he kept his book.

"Take a break next round then."

"I assure you-"

"You said it yourself, right? Your stamina isn't on our par with ours. Just take it easy next round."

Noland… scowled a little at that. More often than not, the mage would be indifferent, or just simply smile. Now? He seemed rather irritated at the notion Dante was telling him to take a break. Like he abhorred the idea of looking weak right in front of them all.

"Look…" Dante said, grabbing the Mage's shoulder, "I get it. Believe me, I do. I've had moments where being weaker has weighed heavily on my mind and how it cost things precious to me."

Noland growled a little, making to brush away the devil's hand, but Dante kept his grasp firm and his eyes fierce.

"Don't beat yourself up over what you couldn't do then. Instead, figure out how you can get stronger so that no one can take anything away from you ever again. If you're hoping to ever confront your old man again, you need to pull your head out of your ass. Whatever it takes… survive."

The mage looked off to the side, sighing as he brushed away Dante's hand.

"I am not useless."

"No one said you were, boy." Sêrythîl spoke, "Like your friend says, you must accept your current limitations and continue to grow stronger as best you can. But in order to do so, you must survive." The spear wielder walked up to him, "You mustn't be ashamed of yourself. You are, after all, a human that walks alongside what are quintessentially monsters with inhuman abilities. As such, there are times when you must rest. Whatever occurs next, we shall handle it. Unless, of course, we are met with someone brave enough to issue a one on one duel."

"As if it'd be that easy…" Dante commented.

The woman shrugged, and began walking towards the doorway on the other side of the room, leaving Dante and Noland by themselves.

"Sometimes you gotta let other people help carry the load, Noland. No matter who you are, or what you are, there isn't a single person or being that can do everything alone. Not even God for that matter."

"God, huh…" The young mage said, looking up towards the ceiling as he rested both hands on his cane, "It would seem my Aura Reserves are in fact fairly low… Very well then. In the future, should I ever have need of rest, I'll leave the rest to you."

"That's the spirit." The young devil said as he patted his ally on the back and walked on.

…

…

It wasn't relying on others that Noland was weary of. It was showing weakness.

Weakness is what put him in the position he was in. It was what started him down this road of pain and torment.

The weakness he showed for his father… was exactly what made him the way he was now. Weak, and scrabbling in the dirt, just to survive day to day.

Even if he had allies to rely on now… he wasn't eager for a repeat anytime in the future.

It made it all the more important to reclaim what was his. But as of this moment, he didn't have a decent enough excuse to disappear for what would likely be a few hours. Two at best, four at most.

Regardless, it'd take a good stroke of luck to get away for a good while and reclaim what was his.

"I know I said to take a break if you need it, but don't just stand there." Dante called out, "Come on already!"

…

Does he really suspect nothing? Or is he simply pretending?

---

The trio entered into a room smaller than the arena they were in. More blocks, walls and obstacles were set in place, almost as if…

"Well ladies and gentleman, it looks as though our legendary hero is too much of a badass to get taken down by some of the heaviest hitters among the Grimm! But don't you worry, we've got some special arrangements for the final two rounds!"

She's switching it up… What's she gonna throw at us now?

"Thankfully, I've arranged a special volunteer from among you to help me out! And since it's only one, you guys have to put up just one combatant too!" Antêa called out from on high.

"Either she's run out of Grimm to throw at us, or she's getting desperate." Noland noted, "Considering she's selected someone from the crowd, I'd have to say desperation. She perhaps underestimated us and our respective abilities, thus forcing her to rely on someone with a brain to them. At least, so we believe."

"Any chance you sensed out someone stronger than the rest?" Dante asked.

"As I said before, there are too many masses of people grouped up together to differentiate with fine precision. If it were Ms. Kitsukami in my place, then perhaps she could have done a much better job than myself."

"So in short, we assume that whoever she selected is a strong individual that can at least stand toe to toe with you." Sêrythîl added.

"I seriously think you overestimate me…"

"Perhaps. But I won't know until I see more for myself. Go on then." The spear-wielder said as she slapped the teen on the back and pushed him forward, "Impress me."

The young devil shook his head, taking a few steps forward as a bright red wall of energy went up between him and his allies, effectively boxing Dante in.

"Of course, the legendary hero steps up to the plate to take on the next challenge! And his opponent is..!"

…

…

The crowds were silent, expectantly looking about to find Antêa's pick for the round, yet they were nowhere to be found at all.

"I SAID… And his opponent is..!" The witch spoke more fiercely.

…

Still nothing.

Guess they chickened out.

"GET YOUR DRUNK ASS DOWN HERE NOW WAR!"

As she yelled this, someone fell down screaming from up above, crashing hard into the plastic floor panels, a harsh cracking sound echoing throughout the arena.

~Did this idiot just kill himself?~

Just as Eclypse's voice rang throughout Dante's head, the person who fell down jolted upwards like a man possessed, shaking his helmeted head.

It was as he stood that Dante could now see the man fully. There was nothing all too bewildering about him, but his attire was… a strange mix up. For starters, his general standards were pretty basic.

Black knee high boots made of hard leather that molded to the figure of his feet and legs, white pants that were just a little bit baggy and tucked into his boots, and a black long sleeve shirt where the sleeves were extended into black gloves, the fabric of the fingertips cut away to expose pale fingers.

He also wore a tattered black cloak that draped over his shoulders, covering only the top half of his body as the rest flowed outward into a sort of black tattered cape that reached his ankles. A bit of his chest exposed under the cloak, revealing a thin plating of dark silver armor covering him. The metal plating looked like two triangular sections coming together to form the tip, the top portion protruding outwards and upwards a little. There also seemed to be some obsidian black crystal shard he wore as a necklace around his neck. In addition, he wore a pair of dark silver metal bracers, also on the light side, that covered the entirety of his forearms.

Lastly was the helmet the man wore. It too was of dark silver metal, and covered his entire head. The top was smoothed out and had three whiter lines running across the top of the metal, stopping just above the faceplating. Towards the back of the head on the top section was a small angular protrusion where a long, thin, black fabric tassel flowed outwards, reaching all the way down to his waist.

The metal on the back of the helmet flowed outwards a little, bending upwards slightly to cover the nape of the man's neck entirely. The helmet's faceplate was a layer of three thick, vertical, metal strips that left four rectangular gaps, two on each side, that reached from the forehead down to the chin. The inside of the helmet was pitch black, so he couldn't see a face at all.

The center of the faceplate had a thicker strip of metal than the other two, and was more triangular in shape. The forehead also had a thicker, horizontal sheet of metal shaped like a kite, the tips reaching to the temples. Lastly, the metal covering the chin, like the metal covering the back of his neck, protruded outwards a little at an angle.

"Give me a break already will ya… I literally got called on by you at the last second…" the man spoke.

He sounded like he was in his late twenties… Maybe 29 years old?

"Whatever you lazy bum! I paid you a shit ton of Lien, so I better get my money's worth considering it's you of all people!" The witch complained.

"Yeah yeah…" the man waved off.

He reached out with his left hand, and with frightening speed, a spear rushed out from above, flying into his palm as he clutched the shaft tightly.

Another spear user… Strange… It almost…

It slightly looked like Sêrythîl's spear regarding the tapered tip and the viney pattern that wrapped around the entire shaft down from where the tip started to the pommel. The biggest difference however was the shaft was onyx black, the spear head and pommel were of dark silver metal like his armor and helmet, and the near the bottom of the spearhead were two, diamond shaped protrusions.

Looking back, Dante could see Sêrythîl focusing a narrowed glare on the mystery man, as if she was pissed he had something that he shouldn't.

"So then… You're the all powerful Dante that everyone's been going on about lately?"

"I'm not all powerful. People tend to blow things out of proportion." The teen replied.

"Clearly. You're just a freaking kid."

A loud gunshot echoed throughout the arena, and the man moved quickly, swiping his spear to deflect a platinum bullet. The other one, however, pinged the side of his helmet, sparking it somewhat.

"Shit, that was sooo rude of me. I'm tooootally sorry about that." Dante spoke with a challenging smirk.

Even though he was smiling, he quickly dropped it, and gave the man a hard glare.

What kind of freak is this guy? Even a Huntsmen or Huntress on Qrow's level would have flown backwards just blocking it. Not only did he deflect it, but he dodged the other bullet, just barely. Even so… Eclypse's bullet only left a small scratch. That material he's using for his armor and helmet must be something special. Dark silver… Wait, is he using..?

"Well shit… I guess I underestimated you a little. Heh… I'm liking you a little better now. 9 points."

"Huh?"

"Alright you dickhead, enough chatting. I paid you upfront in full, so are you gonna show me my money's worth or not?" Antêa said as she floated above.

"Look, I honestly didn't believe you five minutes ago when you said Dante Aetherveil of all people walked in here. I seriously thought you were joking when you said his name. But now…" the man looked back at the teen, a light chuckle escaping him, "Now ya got me worked up since I got a feeling he's the real deal."

"So what? You want a raise or something? An advance?"

"Nah, I'm fine with what ya gave me. Just saying this isn't something I can rush. If you want your money's worth, I gotta take my time with this."

She must be really confident in this guy…

"Just get it done, Kallus."

Kallus?

"Yeah yeah. Just get off my back already." The man spoke as he cracked his neck back and forth twice as the witch disappeared once more, "So, you're Dante, huh?"

"You already asked me that."

"Yeah, and I'm still having a hard time believing it. I'll admit, you've been impressive so far. But any schmuck can walk around claiming he's someone."

"Not to be rude, but I think you need to get your eyes and brain checked. I was on TV a couple of times before the CCT in Vale fell, so I'm sure some people know what I look like. Especially the ones in shadier parts of business across Remnant."

"Huh… So you think I work for shady people, huh? Well, you'd be half right and half wrong." The man shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm my own boss, kid. Nobody tells me what to do, and I don't do anything unless I wanna do it."

"Seems like she has you whipped for money." Dante smirked.

"Eh. Everyone's gotta make a living somehow. Even if they don't find present employers agreeable. But if I'm really not up to it, I'll just leave anytime, and not even she'd be able to stop me."

"Awfully nonchalant…"

"I can afford to be."

Seriously… Who is this guy? He's way too calm. It's like he thinks he's untouchable…

"So kid, why don't we start this show before the crowd gets bored?"

"Don't you want to sober up first?"

The man burped through his helmet, "Perfectly fine."

The young devil shook his head briefly, opening up Eclypse's chamber to load two bullets in before closing it and twirling her, shifting his weapon into her longsword form.

"Your funeral."

"Don't you mean yours?" The man laughed back, readying himself.

…

Dante had to admit that he was a little put off by this man. Particularly because he was one of the few that actually returned some snark back at him. Even so…

He did find it pretty amusing, if not interesting.

-(Combichrist - What The Fuck is Wrong With You - DmC Devil May Cry OST)-

"Don't think I'll take it easy on you just because you're a kid."

"Wasn't expecting you to, Crap Bucket."

"Aw man… Here I am trying to be nice and you're slinging around some mean words. You'll seriously hurt my feelings like that, you know?" The man replied, "But I guess kids your ages can't really help it, huh?" The helmeted man spoke.

It was almost eerie how calm he was. He wasn't really acting indifferent, he was just... playing around.

Let's just test the waters first, see how he moves and all.

Both started off by slowly circling one another, but the man was already shifting his weapon about, moving it to different angles as if he was in the middle of deciding where and how he was going to strike. In response, Dante shifted himself and Eclypse about as well, preparing himself to defend or counter against any unexpected advances towards him. Considering he already deflected and dodged a bullet, his speed, strength and reflexes had to be above the majority of Huntsmen and Huntresses.

(0:43)

"You move and react pretty well… Yet you're not keeping your guard up. 6 points."

"Kiss my ass."

The man chuckled, twirling his spear around slowly.

"Alrighty then… If you won't come to me… I'll come right over instead."

Just like that, the helmeted man instantly shot forward as was within range to strike Dante.

Just as he expected, the teen had quickly moved within that moment as well, spearhead and blade locking together as sparks flew around them. Even though he couldn't see it, he could feel the man looking deep into his eyes. A light chuckle escaped the man as he pushed away from the teen, twirling his spear once more before charging back in.

(1:02)

He made repeated stabbing motions to start off, Dante parrying the first few attacks until he slashed at the shaft and kept his sword in place, running it along. His advance was brief, for the helmeted man quickly spun and struck at him with the shaft in rapid, fluid motions, twirling and sweeping with his spear.

The devil always hated fighting spear users because of their rather irritating ability to defend and attack simultaneously; that was if they were any good.

But this man he fought was beyond good. His strikes, while quick, were packed with intense force with each attack, forcing Dante backwards little by little with each swing or stab.

Damn he's strong! He's not gonna make this easy! Guess I gotta step up my game!

On the next strike, the teen completely stopped the man's spear in place, seeing his opponents helmeted head jolt up in surprise. Keeping their blades locked, the devil shifted them about, using his demonic strength to quickly overpower his target and force him back.

"Well well… I guess you might actually be the real guy after all if you can push me around like that." The man said, slinging his spear over his shoulder, "Your skills are pretty sharp, and that strength of yours is pretty sick. 8 and 9 points."

"Can you shut up about your damn points already?!"

(2:11)

Dante twirled Eclypse into her gun form and fired once, the man's body becoming like a blur to dodge. However, mid dodge, the young devil fired off another shot. The trajectory was in line with the path the man was taking, meaning as soon as he stopped, he'd get hit.

Of course, that would be the ideal outcome to end this fight quickly. However, given that Dante's opponent was also some kind of inhuman son of a bitch, he managed to avoid what would have been a fatal blow by aligning his spear's shaft in front of him, allowing his weapon to take the brunt of the attack.

As strong as he was, even he couldn't completely deflect both bullets from the double barreled gun, and found himself recoiling backwards from the sheer force. Instead of tumbling backwards like most, the man used his momentum to swing his arm behind him, and as a result, spun himself around once back into a stance. He expected another gunshot, but instead found himself under attack from above.

A downwards slice forced the man to dodge backwards, the weight of Dante's strike completely crushing the floor panel as shards shot up in front of him. His vision obscured, the man named Kallus now had to play a quick guessing game.

Right or left?

Neither.

"Tch, you serious..?!"

Dante cut in from behind with blinding speed, going in with fast strikes that were equally heavy. With one particularly heavy blow, Dante sent his opponent flying. The man flipped twice in the air, landing on his feet as he slid back somewhat.

(2:51)

Kallus sighed as he plunged his spear into the ground, leaning back against an outcrop of flashing light cubes.

"Damn… I seriously underestimated you kid…"

I'm pushing him back steadily… I admit, he's damn tough, even for me. But frankly… I feel like he isn't going full throttle. Like he's still holding back. That kinda pisses me off…

"10 points for actually meeting my expectations."

I've got the advantage of effective range over him since I'm using a sword. His spearhead is the only seriously dangerous part of his weapon. So then…

(3:14)

Dante rushed in again, using a tactic from earlier. As he expected, Kallus took up his spear quickly and made to stab at the teen, which would prove to be his undoing as Dante blocked the attack and kept his blade locked to the shaft.

At least, that was what he expected until the man moved his spear into just the right position to completely stop Dante's advance.

"Your answer was right. You do have a better effective range with your sword. But… your issue is that you're treating me like I'm just a spear man."

Before he knew it, the young devil felt an extremely powerful punch bury itself in his stomach and sent him flying with a powerful shock-burst of green Aura.

Even if he was insensitive to pain, Dante could still feel his stomach had gone numb as he coughed up blood, sliding back on his heels all the while.

With no time to rest, the young devil was under assault by his opponent immediately, only this time instead of attacking with just his spear, Kallus mixed in some punches, kicks and pushes in between strikes. His masterful twirls and pauses in between strikes allowed him to slip in those strikes, keeping Dante on the defensive quite often.

What made the fight all the more tougher now was that his gauntlets were blocking the devil's sword strikes in conjunction with his spear. The added defense was rather annoying to deal, but the teen was more wary of his opponent's punches than before. He knew the force behind that punch was without a doubt an ability, but the main question was its conditions for use.

On and on it went with the two warriors striking at each other, either to miss, have their attacks block or deflected, or simply leave a small cut. In truth, Dante himself could have been doing better. He could have used his Semblance many times to press the advantage, but he didn't do so for one simple reason.

He was having fun.

Very rarely did Dante get to experience fighting an opponent like this. He enjoyed sparring with Inuba, Ruby, and many of his other friends and even his family.

But this… A battle between two complete strangers, neither truly knowing the depths of each other's power until they displayed it… There was nothing else like it. Just like how the young devil was holding back his power, he too knew that his opponent was doing the same.

None of it was out of arrogance however. It was simply for the sake of preserving their strength just for that right moment to unleash it.

For Dante, that time was now.

Putting a great deal of force behind his swing, the teen batted away Kallus to give himself enough time to twirl Eclypse twice, swapping to Navâra. His skin tingled with a brief shock of power as his body suddenly felt lighter, and with a low crouch, he shot forth like a bolt of light, leaving a small streaking trail of platinum Aura as his blade locked in place once more.

The devil smiled, for just after a few moments he began slashing at his foe with speed that far surpassed Kallus at this moment. Each time Dante moved and swung his sword, he left an afterimage in his wake, making it all the harder for his opponent to keep track of him. What made matters worse was that while the teen's speed went up by a ridiculous margin, his strength didn't decrease at all.

Being assaulted from multiple angles at once wasn't a first for Kallus, not by a long shot. But that was up against multiple people. This… This was one person. One person was pushing him around this much.

The idea made him shiver with excitement.

He was at a disadvantage now that the devil was moving faster than him without taking a hit to his strength. But he wasn't going to give up there.

So he put in more effort as well.

Kallus struck with his spear, letting it go and grabbing it between each strike. Each block or rebound doubled as an attack or defensive maneuver, leaving the helmeted warrior with more freedom to use his hands and feet in between strikes. Even with how hard Dante was hitting him, the hired combatant was striking with enough force of his own to cancel out most of the attacks. Along with the durability of his dark silver armor on his forearms, he was all the more confident in taking the teen's blows.

Even then, he wouldn't be prepared for what happened next.

In between strikes, Dante gave up on his offensive push, making Navâra disappear from his hands as he grabbed hold of Kallus' spear. The two struggled and pushed for control, but came to a stalemate in the end.

Or so he thought.

Without warning, the helmeted warrior suddenly had the sides of his head boxed with extreme force, enough that his vision blurred and all he could hear was a piercing ringing noise.

Even so, he fought on for control of his weapon again until he saw the flash of a platinum fist of Aura. That same fist struck him in the center of his face, sending him flying on his back, skidding across the dance floor until he hit a cluster of light cubes behind him.

-(End Song)-

Dante's spectral arms of Aura had vanished into thin air as they left behind a brief trace of particles, the teen breathing out with a relaxed sigh.

Kallus growled in frustration as he swam through the ruble to get up. He wasn't angry about how the devil just clocked him good, just more pissed about the fact that he was covered in shit that was messing up his already tattered cloak.

That, and he felt like he was going to vomit any second now as he stumbled onto his feet, spear in hand as he too exhaled in relief.

"Gotta hand it to ya…" Kallus spoke as he cracked his neck side to side, "It's been a while since anyone's put me on my ass…"

As he said this the warrior dusted himself off a few times, looking at Dante before slinging his spear over his shoulder.

"Dante Aetherveil, huh… I guess the rumors were true. You do fight like some kind of inhuman son of a bitch."

"Back at ya." The devil retorted, earning a chuckle from the helmeted warrior.

"Nothing personal, kid. Just business, you know? Besides… I think we both got a good work out at the end of it."

Even the teen couldn't help but smile at the comment, seeing as he was right. It had been a while since he fought someone tough other than his friends.

"Kallus Warren." The man introduced with a slight bow, "Be seeing ya."

With that, the warrior made his way past Dante to leave, only to have the Antêa's voice angrily scream on the speaker system.

"Get your ass back in there and fight War!"

Kallus Warren… War… Huh, strange nickname…

"Nah, I'm good. I did my due diligence, and in case you didn't just see it for yourself, I lost. No refunds though."

"I paid you! So do your damn job!"

Her scream echoed throughout the arena, the wall up above shimmering as it revealed a sort of VIP booth.

Kallus sighed, "Look, the fact you of all people hired me means you're too scared to step into the ring with this kid. You know he'd turn your ass into sashimi the minute you did. Now, you paid me a rather handsome fee, and I certainly got what I wanted out of this whole ordeal aside from money, but it doesn't change the fact I lost in the end. Today at least."

Dante shot the man a challenging look.

"Frankly, you should be embarrassed to even ask someone else to take care of your mess when we both know you've got the power to mess around with him a little. Which means… aside from knowing you'd lose to him, you're scared of him for an entirely different reason."

Both Dante and Kallus, looking at the booth, could see the witch flinching at those words, her right eye twitching slightly.

"Aside from your reputation, I haven't the slightest idea as to why else she'd be shitting her pants." The helmeted man said, looking over at Dante.

Why indeed…

…

…

Could she be..?

"In any case, I'm outta here. Later bitches." Kallus waved as he headed off.

"Damn it, I didn't say you could-!"

As her Aura branched out from her booth, the spear wielder immediately spun around, twirling his spear rapidly a few times as he entered a stance quickly and threw. The man's throw sounded like a canon shot as the obsidian spear soared through the air with the speed of a lighting bolt, the witch's Aura seemingly retreating from the weapon as it crashed into the glass of the booth, shattering it entirely.

Antêa stood in awe, breaking into a cold sweat as she saw her scraped cheek and the path of destruction Kallus' spear carved. Soon enough, the deadly spear quickly floated past her, flying right back into the man's hand. He raised up his left hand, giving the witch a middle finger as he walked away, passing by Sêrythîl and Noland.

As he left, Sêrythîl kept her sharp gaze on him. It wasn't a look of interest, but one of harshness instead, like she was a bit angry.

Even if he paid the other two no mind, Kallus could feel her gaze on him, more specifically the spear he held in his hand.

Interesting…

With that final thought, the helmeted man vanished into the darkness of the previous room. Since the barrier was now down, Sêrythîl and Noland could traverse the arena, standing side by side with Dante as he finally made his move to confront the retreating witch.

---

The space around them was collapsing on itself, returning to its original shape as the trio found themselves back into the huge office of the witch, now empty save for the four of them.

"Do you think you've really won anything today?" She asked.

"I didn't get my prize yet, so…"

"Shove your prize!" The woman hissed at Dante.

It was that moment alone, when her guard was down and when she wasn't concentrating, that the teen saw it.

Her irises were blood red, her black pupils became slitted like a seprent's, and the whites of her eyes were as pitch black as the night.

"You… You're a Dark Entity."

"Congratulations, you figured me out. But that still isn't gonna help you in the end." Antêa replied, sitting at her desk.

"You've heard of me then."

"I'm brand new. So I've only heard just about what everyone else has been saying."

Brand new… I see. She became one of them recently. A fledgling Knight Class.

"There's more of us out there you know? Lurking in the dark, unseen by the rest of these… ignorant, soon-to-be dead humans. And those Faunus abominations."

"You're not the head honcho." Dante said, walking towards the witch's desk, "Who's your boss then?"

"I thought you knew everything about our kind."

"Cut the shit." The devil raised his voice as he slammed his hand on the wooden desk, cracking it a little as the witch flinched fearfully in spite of her bravado, "You're an Infiltrator Knight. You focus more on witchcraft and magic rather than pure combat with weaponry. Your role is to blend in with humans and hopefully make them more docile with practices focused on industry. Like food. Or…" The teen reached into his pocket, and titled his hand out on the desk, letting a small bundle of pills clatter in front of Antêa, "Drugs."

The young devil placed his other hand on the desk, leaning forward towards the evil witch as she did her best to lean away.

"How big is your invasion force? Who's your boss, and where are they hiding out?"

"Why should I tell you anything? You get what you're after, you kill me. My leader finds out I failed here, I'm dead."

"If you convince me that you'll abandon your evil ways, I might actually let you walk out here."

"Bullhsit."

"I'm not lying." Dante spoke as he narrowed his eyes, "Not everything has to be solved with the edge of a sword. I'm merciful when possible, but I'm never stupid about it. You're a Fledging, likely offered promising power without thinking about it twice. So I'm offering you an out, while you still have the chance to take it."

"You… Offer me an out?"

The teen nodded his head, and the witch smiled.

"Choke on your mercy."

Within an instant, she drew a long barreled pistol and fired off a single round. She expected for a brief moment to have shot Dante in the head, but was horrified when she took a closer look, and the saw the blackened shard of her special bullet sticking out of his palm.

Without another chance to move, the witch's throat had been pierced by a blade. Dante looked up, seeing Eclypse standing behind Antêa holding onto the blade that had just killed the woman. It wasn't just any blade however.

It was herself.

Or rather, Eclypse was holding a copy of herself in sword form.

"Since when have you been able to do that?"

"Since now." The girl replied, drawing her blade from the throat of the witch, "I just materialized in human form then told myself I needed a weapon to kill this bitch. Lo and behold, I'm holding a copy of my sword form."

Another interesting ability… Also extremely useful. If Eclypse could stand with him on the field and help in battle it'd be tremendously helpful. But at the same time…

What risks did that entail for his Blade?

Dante looked at the corpse of the Dark Entity which, her body now a pitch black as it crumbled into black ash at her desk. Sighing, the teen lifted up his right hand and used his left to pinch the huge shard and yank it out, holding it up in front of him.

The gun the witch used was a single round, top break handgun. Scare ammo in the magazine, but the single round itself would be incredibly powerful. Thanks to the devil's black bones however, the round had been stopped in its tracks once it reached bone.

The round itself was shaped like a pointed bullet, meant for more penetrating rather than shredding like hollow points and the like. It wasn't made of metal, but…

…

The texture and glass-like feel… This is a Dust round. Not just any type of Dust round either, but one that bypasses Aura.

*I see… I am relieved then that I was not the one who erred, good Dante.*

Definitely wasn't your fault Navâra. I saw the Aura go up as soon as she pulled the trigger. You did amazing.

*B-But of course, my Wielder! Your praise engulfs my heart with fiery passion!*

Dante chuckled, still twisting and turning the Dust round at various angles to examine it further.

This is troubling… I've heard the rumors, but… I genuinely didn't think Anti-Aura Dust Rounds existed… In any case, a question for Weiss to answer once I get back.

The teen pocketed the round, turning around to see Noland walking up to him.

"Were you really going to let her leave?"

"Of course." The devil immediately replied, "I gave her the choice and the option to leave if she wanted to and if she'd be willing to change her ways. In the end, she made her choice, and it ended with her death."

"The illusion of a choice isn't as appealing as you think."

"It wasn't an illusion or deception of any kind. I was completely upfront and genuinely going to let her walk out of this alive if she was willing to give us information and renounce her ways. That didn't happen, and this is the result."

"I see…"

"I don't just talk out of my ass, Noland. When I say stuff like that, I always mean it. If I say I'm going to defeat you, I will defeat you one way or another. If I say I'm going to save you…" Dante paused briefly, clenching his fist, "Then I'll give it my all to save you."

"Wasn't it that kind of thinking that put you into so many compromising positions with bleak outcomes?"

"Back then, I didn't have much of a choice. But things are different now. I know what it is I want from this life of mine, and what I have to do."

Unclenching his fist, the young devil looked up to Sêrythîl, also walking up with a rather amused look on her face.

"So then… Did I meet your expectations or whatever it is you were looking for?"

"Like I noted before, your skill in combat is rather amazing, and your ability to adapt to the situation in order to effectively defeat your opponent is impresssvie. But it wasn't your skill in battle that I was looking to on our little venture. Any fool with a weapon can have some form of skill or ability in battle." The spear-woman raised up a hand, poking Dante's forehead and chest, "It is with these we truly discipline and temper ourselves as warriors."

That has been more or less his way of thinking. Any idiot can brandish a sword, an axe, or even a gun. But the unfortunate truth is that not many take the time to consider what it truly means to wield those tools. Not many consider the action of taking a life, and the weight it graciously bestows on the taker.

Too many fools run around thinking themselves warriors, and their lack of experience, discipline and integrity, shows itself in its entirety.

"You were willing to offer an enemy a means to survive, to escape with their life despite owing them nothing. You understand mercy, yet do not foolishly hand it out to others needlessly. You, like very few do, have the makings of a true warrior. So… yes, you did meet my expectations. I will offer you my aid, and train you so that you may wield a spear with more mastery than you do now."

"Look, I don't think you realize this, but we don't have time for training or anything like that. We have to make plans to steal a ship, and in case you also forgot, we may have an invasion force lying in wait."

"I did hear. These Dark Entities… What are they?"

"Where I came from, that's what they're called. Just about everywhere else they're known as Demons, or Demon-Kind."

"Demons… Hmmm…"

Sêrythîl looked like she was pondering something, raising a hand to her chin as she kept her eyes narrowed and focused towards the ground.

"These Dark Entities… How dangerous are they?" She asked.

"Well, aside from being supernatural beings of various powers, very dangerous. Though that mostly depends on their Class and how many there are."

"Classes?"

"Lesser, Soldier, Knight, Lord, and King Class. From least powerful to most powerful."

"Are there many Kings?"

"No. Right now there's only left in all Creation, and he happens to be my uncle. One of them used to lurk in my soul before he gave himself up to help me. Another used to be a King, but after I killed him, his rank went down along with his level of power. We're on good terms now."

Sêrythîl hummed in amusement, crossing her arms as she continued listening to Dante's explanation.

"The last one…" The teen paused momentarily, a brief rush of previous memories flooding his mind as he growled silently, "Long story short, I slew the bastard." Dante explained as he searched Antêa's desk.

"And who do you suspect the culprit to be?" Noland asked.

"My guess? Some Lord class that either got stuck here or has been here since forever. Likely the first one."

"And how many Lords are there?" Sêrythîl asked.

"A great many. I killed a few dozen after two failed invasion attempts, but the majority are reigned in by the current King. There's Nine Circles of the Dark World, and each circle has their own bundle of Lords, where most of them stay in their territories and don't leave. Honestly, it's up in the air concerning the identity of the Lord that's here."

"Are there other Classes?"

Dante froze upon hearing that, eyes trailing back to the desk.

"There used to be. No need to dwell on it any further." The devil spoke as he rummaged more furiously through the desk, "All we need to know is who's here now and what their plans are. That's it."

Noland smirked a little. Not because he had a devious thought, but because he was certain about something now. That, and he was certain about the mystery of the Dark Entity Class Dante neglected to mention.

"Shit… Nothing..!" Dante growled as he kicked the desk, "Then we do this the old fashioned way. Come on. We need to go back."

"Boy."

Dante stopped, turning around to face the spear wielder.

"It seems clear that you intend to deal with this… invasion force, whenever they may be stationed. That being said, may I suggest we split priorities?"

Split priorities…

I see…

"I'll help everyone with planning how to get out of here and into Atlas." The teen explained as he looked to Noland, "Afterwards, you and I are gonna go deal with the invasion force."

"Don't you mean we?" Sêrythîl asked.

"Look, I know you said you're gonna help, but this-"

"Isn't beyond me or my capabilities. That aside… I suppose I can train you as we go. Afterall, the more live experience the better."

Three birds with one stone in a manner of speaking. Dante would help plan the transportation heist, then focus his efforts on the invasion force. Given that Antêa was here in Argus, it's likely they wouldn't be stationed all too far away from the town. And while he traveled, Sêrythîl could take the time to train him.

He was amazed somewhat. It'd be the first time in a very long time he'd receive training while battling.

"Then I guess we'll do that. Right now, we regroup and figure things out from there." Dante said, being the first to leave as Sêrythîl followed after him.

Noland lagged behind, moving a little more slowly as he smiled to himself.

It seems I found my opportunity.

---

Boy oh boy that was a long ass chapter. We saw more of the fancy shmancy spear wielder, and currently have been informed of a potential demonic invasion force lurking somewhere near Argus.

And it ain't even Christmas yet.

In any case, I've said all that I need to say uptop, so I leave you all with more questions to ask if you feel like it. Remember, no spoilers.

So with that...

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. 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.

Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer them without spoiling anything.

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!

With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!

And remember... be kind to one another, stay safe, and stay healthy. Peace to you all.