Already, it was confirmed that whoever this monster was, he was clearly faster than the young hunter, but the fact was proven further as he leapt towards Dante with a roundhouse kick that he perfectly blocked with his forearm by mere chance. The power behind it pushed him back a few inches, but it was the pain that stunned him long enough for the demon to quickly follow through with a short lunging punch to his face. Dante twisted around once, before he saw the man coming at him once more, only now he was more focused to dodge the attack, and land a few shots to his opponent's stomach, followed by a flip kick to his jaw. Halfway into his landing, Dante watched as the demon' s fist charged into his face, not aware that he had driven the strength of the punch by jumping with it.
The demon already landed on his bare feet, as he watched his prey fall on his back, only to get up much faster than expected. Despite the pain he had felt from such a forceful shot, it was if Dante's face remained unscathed.
"Nice hit," he complimented, not minding the ache, "but I've fought imps that pack more effort."
The insult seemed to go over his head, but the assassin still saw an opening that his bloodlust would not be denied. He dashed again, and fired both fists into Dante's chest, forcing him further away, and closer to the forests. His body dug into the dirt in the last few seconds of travel, slowing him down and allowing him to regain his composure, but only in enough time to see what had to be the demon in the sky, and twelve spheres of purple light surrounding him, and growing larger by the second. He realized what they were now, as he dodged each blast of fire that rained towards his direction, though with each one he had avoided, the next became more accurate, as if the demon anticipated his every move.
The final three fireballs forced its target to stand his ground, as they had come too fast for him to clearly parry. It was final that felt to be the most powerful, as Dante's arms were crossed over his face, clenching his teeth and tensing his body to release what devil energy he could to prevent direct contact, before breaking the demonic projectile in half. Blinded by the light of the multiple flames, Dante failed to see the demon come downward and kick him in the chest, forcing him back onto the ground.
The demon landed to earth once again, admiring the effort the young half-ling portrayed, as his red eyes watched him surrounded by fire from the missed shots, lighting up the darkening sky. The aura he could sense from the half-ling was now weak, but only in comparison to what he knew lied within him. It was power that he desired and thirsted for, both in a combatant, as well as general combat itself. He had fought so many unlike this being, who could proved to be as formidable as another he had yet to see again, dressed much like himself, only with a white gi, and human. He'd fight that Japanese male once again, given that Dante didn't find the inner power to outright kill this being, which if had his usual array of armaments and trickery, he'd have more than just the means to.
"I'm taking a wild guess," began the half-ling, "you wanna' get to me 'cause my dear ol' dad's not around to get revenge on, don't 'cha? Well I'm gonna' tell you what I've told everyone I've put down and back to Hell because of that…get in line!"
The demon grunted with his heaving chest, but his face remained emotionless as he replied, "The passage of your father's sins to you is not of my concern, nor are the relics of his time."
He took one step closer to him, enough to make Dante slide his foot back, and enter a defensive stance. Though he sensed bravado in his target, the demon knew now that a part of him was, perhaps, scared.
"The power bestowed upon you, however…show me its limits."
"Is that all you want," Dante hissed. He closed his eyes and fists, as a white aura became visible to the assassin. His breathing became calm and controlled, and upon opening his eyes, a deeper crimson than his assailants' own, Dante had seen the transformation of his outer appearance take place. Only his hands, legs, and torso had taken the oblique form of his devil side. The demon approved at his renewed level of vigor and resilience, animating his face with a mere smirk to his right cheek.
"Very well, then," he spoke, stretching his legs into a bridging stance, his foot slamming to the ground to shake the earth. "No one has ever fought me and not either lived or feared my name."
Author's Note: Thanks for reading :) This was either going to be a really long chapter, or keep the best of it all for later by cutting this chapter in half. Trust me, things get sick after this, so get ready :) By the way, has anyone guessed who Dante's been fighting this whole time? The clues are there, but there's two more that I can think of to give, and one of them is just saying his name, lol.