Holy crap its been three months...
I swear it only felt like two months.
As usual, life seems intent on getting in my way. I swear, I wish I just won the lottery or something so I can have time for anything and everything. But, this is how it is.
Sorry for the long wait. I made up by extending the chapter more than I originally intended.
Chapter 82: City of Falseness
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- Nearly two years ago -
The young queen opened her eyes, her black sclerae and shimmering crystal white eyes fluttering open slowly as her vision settled. It was still a little dark outside, but she could see rays of sunlight barely peeking over the mountains of the countryside.
Just last week they had their early graduation, a right reserved for those who wished to take a rather grueling exam once their average scores were high enough. Luckily enough, Anya, Dante, and Blanc managed to pass their exams, and they were now free to chase after their own pursuits without the worry of school weighing on them. They could go wherever and do whatever.
The future king decided to begin new studies in preparation for his coronation three or so months from now. He wanted to be as prepared as he could before taking up the crown, and that required a great depth of knowledge concerning the other territories.
As for the queen and her beloved devil…
She looked down, seeing the light blue sheets covering their bare bodies on the bed, Dante deep in her embrace with his face buried in her ample bosom, sound asleep.
Anya sighed as she hugged him a bit tighter, making sure to not disturb him as one of her tanned hands gently and lovingly stroked his head, the girl planting a brief kiss on his forehead. She stopped and glanced at her left hand, seeing the ring on her fourth finger flicker briefly with energy, her heart racing quite a bit as a smile formed on her face, her thoughts taking her to a week ago.
After their graduation ceremony, their band of friends and allies had a celebration dinner. When Dante went home with Anya, he gave what the young queen could only describe as a delightfully and slightly botched proposal. He fumbled over his words frequently and went on a few tangents here and there that made her laugh a little too much, but by the end of it he laid everything in his heart bare, and she accepted everything.
Now, they decided to do some traveling around the world for a month, wanting to visit numerous territories, cities and small towns along the way, both normal and of the magical kind. For now, they took the time to rest in the peaceful countryside in the mountains, lush with forests and colossal trees. Even now it was snowing, flakes of white gently drifting through the air as the mountains, trees, and ground were completely powdered.
Marriage… It was something she never envisioned in her future, at least not so early. Perhaps it would've been something to consider in a hundred years or so. Perhaps never if she couldn't find the right person.
But she found someone.
He was brash, a little crude at times, and fairly arrogant. But he was also kind, went to great lengths for others, made others laugh with his silliness, and above all… only had one endearing wish in his life.
A wish that for the most part became fulfilled when their hearts became intertwined. A wish that the young queen herself had, once she fulfilled her dream of peacefully bringing her people to this world.
"I really am glad to have met and fallen in love with you…"
Anya kissed his forehead once more, nuzzling her cheek into his head as she closed her eyes.
"While I currently like where my face is, I don't think I'm quite interested in being choked to death by breasts yet." A muffled voice spoke, tickling her chest slightly.
"H-Honestly…" She said, hugging him even tighter to make him groan a little, "How long have you been awake?"
The devil managed to escape the beautiful peaks of splendor, breathing normally again as he looked up into her eyes.
"When you started talking."
"And here I thought I was saying things in private." She squeezed tighter, making him wince briefly.
"S-Sorry… It's just you get a little shy sometimes, so I wanted to catch you off guard for once."
Anya narrowed her eyes on him, then sighed as she closed them once more.
"Scolding you would be pointless… But mostly… it's just too early to do so…"
"You do struggle a little when it comes to waking up early…" He replied with a smirk.
"And whose fault is that?"
"Yours."
"Is that so?" She squeezed again.
"T-That is so." Dante quickly said, "I didn't want to stop until giving you complete satisfaction."
She laughed briefly, loosening her grip as she moved her head down to give him a long, passionate kiss. As she did so, one of her obsidian horns poked into the pillows, cutting it with a thin slice.
"Darn it..!" She growled.
"Darn it?!" Dante laughed.
The young queen forcibly shoved the devil's face into her bosom, muffling his laughter.
"Q-Quiet you!"
He finally stopped laughing after a few moments, forcibly resurfacing for air.
"You're a little too much when I start teasing you… Can't really resist."
Anya let out a long exhale, then looked deeply into his eyes, the two utterly silent for what seemed like minutes. He could tell something was on her mind, and that she wanted to tell him something, but she was preparing herself. Then, she spoke.
"Are you sure?"
"Sure about..?" Dante asked.
"About me… About… spending our lives together like this…" The girl said as she looked out the window, "I've made your life fairly difficult ever since our first meeting, and I don't doubt things will get even more difficult from here on. The Plane, my father… If ever you left, I'd understand-"
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Dante-"
"I'm with you all the way, Anya. Even after the end. I'll always love you and cherish you, and I'll never abandon you. No matter what." He then smiled, "You're stuck with me forever."
The young queen smiled and hugged him tightly once again, appreciating his words.
"When will we have the ceremony?"
"To be honest, I'd like to have it after we defeat my father. If we had our special day and he interrupted it, I'd be beyond furious." Anya said, the mere thought of such an event making her blood boil, "That's why I think we should hold off for the time being. Just… having been proposed to was enough to fill my heart completely with happiness that will last for a lifetime."
"I'm glad I can make you that happy." Dante replied, "Makes me wonder how Arkiel will jot down the ceremony."
"She'll no doubt try to do a full transcript. She's proven to be profoundly… meticulous and descriptive with the details…"
"I swear, reading one of her reports is like reading a Lord of The Rings book… Too many details…"
"On the bright side, her being able to generate that amount of information is useful in its own way. After all, you'll never know what details you initially missed."
"I'm more liable to miss something due to the huge walls of text…"
"Perhaps." Anya laughed, "Do you think she'll come to the wedding?"
"Why wouldn't she?"
"As much as I want her to come, wouldn't they be against it? She is an angel after all."
"Whatever she does is her business. The only thing she needs to do is send reports every other week."
"Good…" Anya sighed, "I'm honestly relieved I can invite Arkiel without causing her any trouble. On a separate note… you seem to be getting along well with her."
"Got no choice really… Or rather, I'd feel bad for sending her away. She's just too…"
"Bubbly? Innocently cute and curious?"
"Pretty much. Not to mention, she's a good analyst. She came in handy with providing a strategy to defeat the twins."
"And she has helped a great deal relaying our message with her work, which helped paint an even clearer picture for those who were still hesitant or completely against us."
"Suffice it to say, she's without question invited."
"Indeed."
"I'm guessing Belîa will be your bridesmaid?"
Anya closed her eyes again, letting out a disappointed exhale, "I'm trying to convince her to take the part, but..."
"Why? She against us?"
"Oh, no, that's not it." The young queen shook her head, "To put it simply, she's concerned about her figure wearing the kind of dresses bridesmaids do."
"Why? I mean, I get that she's ten feet tall, but…"
"It's not only her height she's worried about, but her rather muscular physique. While she doesn't seem the type, she can be… somewhat girly herself at times."
"Ah…" Dante said in realization, "Is that why she only wears that one outfit of hers aside from pants and shirts?"
"Indeed." Anya said rather sadly, "From your point of view, is she not beautiful?"
"Totally. There's plenty of people that would fall head over heels for her, and would consider her beautiful precisely because of how tall she is or that she has muscles." Dante explained, "People have all kinds of preferences."
"Oh? And what might be your preferences in terms of appearance?"
"I'm kind of a freak, so I like lots of types, like yours for instance, or Belîa's." The devil hummed, "I'm not really picky. While I do value appearance, I don't value it as much as I do the person. To simplify it…"
He reached one of his hands up to gently grasp Anya's hand, bringing it to his cheek.
"What matters more to me, is that I wholeheartedly enjoy spending time with the person in question. They can be a knock-out gorgeous, 10/10 supermodel or goddess or whatever, but if they have a bad personality or are just downright evil, I wouldn't even look their way."
"And you enjoy your time with me?"
"Absolutely. Frankly, most of the time we're apart, you're always on my mind. I'm never bored when I'm with you. I can just sit and look at you for hours on end and not want to do anything else. Honestly… It's like I've gone a little crazy falling in love with you." Dante said, scoffing soon after, "Or actually, it seems like I've gotten more insane…"
"I understand the feeling… To be honest, ever since I met you for the first time ever, you were always on my mind. 'What kind of person is he really? What does he like to eat? What are some of his hobbies?'. Things like that." Anya giggled, "But I was hesitant at first to approach you. Not… because I was afraid of you, but… I heard you were dating someone else, so…"
"That was ancient history before you and I first met."
"I… will admittedly say I felt somewhat guilty when I was relieved to know that."
"Why? You were only doing what you wanted to." The young devil plainly said, "If you tried sabotaging my previous relationship, then that would be another matter entirely. But I don't see why you should feel guilty for wanting something in an honest fashion."
"Does such thinking not make me ugly?"
"You're anything but ugly, Anya. You're more beautiful than those pretentious, shiny birds, or the stars themselves. And I'm not just talking about how gorgeous you are in either form you take." Dante laughed happily as he buried his face in the queen's magnificent bosom, "You're a beautiful person any way you look at it."
Just like that, he drifted off again to sleep for a bit longer, leaving the girl stunned for a few brief moments before she laughed silently for a brief moment.
"As always, you make my heart flutter in unexpected ways…"
Her irises began to glow as her breathing got a bit heavier, as the beating of her heart seemingly stoked the "hunger" she was feeling.
Maybe… Maybe just a little bit of kissing…
She snapped her eyes shut, coming to her senses.
N-No… If I start now, I won't be able to stop myself… Rather, I wouldn't want to stop and then do more… I… I can't deny I feel such strange excitement when I see him defenseless…
Anya took one last look out the window, then raised up her free hand to flick her finger inwards, making the curtains draw themselves in to block out any light. They were technically on vacation, so if Dante was going to sleep in, she decided she would do the same.
Besides, the queen wanted to cuddle more.
"You sure any of that was a good idea?" Eclypse asked, eating a chicken nugget from her box of 20 pieces.
After Dante's early morning "adventure", they stopped at a burger joint, where he only grabbed a cheeseburger and fries, while Eclypse ordered a hamburger, 20 chicken nuggets, and a cookies and cream shake. After that, they were enjoying breakfast in an automated cab.
"Don't know what you're talking about." The devil said, eating four fries at a time.
"The smug-" The Blade paused for a moment, pounding her chest to clear some lodged food with how quickly she was eating, "The smug gremlin with the hot body and huge milkies."
"Not a fan?"
"Nah, it's not that." She waved off, "Only…"
The girl set a nugget down, thinking carefully about what she wanted to say.
"I sense a potential rival."
"A rival?" Dante chuckled a little.
"In lewdness. Wholesome or otherwise." Eclypse said with a rather serious expression, "Make no mistake, Master… Though she is tiny, she is both skilled and voracious. What was the expression again? Big surprises in small packages?"
He shrugged, finishing the last of his fries as he shoved the carton back into the paper bag.
"Either way… The question still stands."
After pulling out his cheeseburger and taking a quick bite out of it, he looked out the window in the direction where he estimated Neo's apartment to be.
"Neo wouldn't betray anyone or go against someone unless they had it coming, be it an official contract or verbal agreement. That aside, she's leagues smarter than some people give her credit for. She knows when she's out of her league or not, and knows who to throw her lot in with, whether it helps her survive or gets her what she wants." He then took another quick bite of his burger and swallowed, "Right now, her bet is on us winning in the end. It'll be tough trying to bring her into the fold entirely, but it'll be worthwhile. Either way, having her on our side is a hundred times better than having her working against us."
"Meh, I guess so…" The Blade said as she hurried her pace while eating her chicken nuggets, "I hate to admit it, but her Semblance is a bitch to deal with…"
"It definitely is difficult to go against. Whether it's one person or a group, Neo excels in controlling the field and making it chaotic to the point no one knows what the hell is going on." The devil explained, "In general, against the vast majority of people with Semblances, she'd come out on top thanks to how versatile it is and how freely it lets her act."
"So? What's her weakness then?" Eclypse asked, unwrapping her hamburger.
"You."
The girl stopped just before taking a bite, "Huh?"
"Like I said, her Semblance allows her to go up against just about everyone and lets her come out on top, or enough to get a draw or escape. However, like all things, her Semblance has a weakness." He pointed to himself, then his Blade, "Types like me, and you."
It took her a few moments, but the answer finally came to her.
"Oh, I get it. People like us who blow shit up on a huge ass scale."
"Correct. Her one weakness really is wide area attacks, attacks that you and I both utilize often and on a massive scale." Dante explained, "Sometimes, sheer brute force is the answer."
"So…" The girl bit into her hamburger, "We just blow her ass up if she decides to turn against us."
"It won't come to that, but yeah, pretty much."
Eclypse hummed as she finished the rest of her burger, licking her fingers clean first before using the wet wipe in the paper bag.
"Say, where is that bloodsucking perv?"
"Ross is doing a job for me outside the Kingdom walls. Since he classifies as an undead, he has higher chances of sniffing out Dark Entities looking to hide without getting easily detected, compared to us who are alive. So if he finds anything, he'll let us know."
"Let's just hope he stays out for a while longer. I was getting tired of him staring at my tits."
"Well, you can stab him next time if he does it again."
"I can? Nice." She reached out her hand and made a grabbing motion, "Gimme."
Dante handed his Blade her cookies and cream shake, and finished picking up his trash and stuffing it into the paper bag, using the wet wipe to clean his hands afterwards.
"So, we've got three days until that old ass Luigi's dinner party. Do you have everything you need?"
"After some painstaking efforts, I have almost everything. I just need to obtain the final pieces of evidence to nail the bastard a hundred ways to the wall so he can't slither away. If he's going away, it has to be for good."
"We could just kill him."
"Normally, I'd be more inclined to agree with you, but there's risk involved with doing that concerning the inheritance. As of now, I can only assume Whitely, Weiss' younger brother, is up for the inheritance." The young devil explained, "We take out the old man, it's likely the Board of Directors will do everything they can to shred apart Jacques' power and pick it apart till there's nothing left but bones. After that, they'll likely try to tear down the Schnee family in its entirety."
"I'm guessing that's not the end goal…"
"Correct. Destroying Jacques Schnee is different from destroying the Schnee family. Regardless of how far things have fallen, the rest of the family shouldn't fall as well. So we make sure to remove that mustachioed bastard out of the equation entirely and make sure Whitely inherits everything."
"Two main questions though. First, what about Weiss?"
"She's demonstrated no desire to take over, and has told me that if anyone should do it, it should be Whitely. He has the mindset to do it all, minus being an evil asshole. If there's someone truly capable of setting things right and bringing the Schnee family back to its former glory before the takeover, Weiss believes he can do it."
"If you guys say so." Eclypse crossed her arms, "Alright then, what about the Board? I'm not corporate savvy, but you said they'd do everything they can to take all that power for themselves, right? Won't they try to kill the brat or something if the Evil Mustache Twirler is out of the picture?"
"It's a possibility, but I've taken measures for that already, which is why this shit has been taking so long. From everything I've gathered, all the Board Members can be charged with numerous crimes and can be sentenced, with three of them having potential life sentences. Two hours before the dinner party, I'll submit all the evidence to Melia, where she and her Inquisitors will arrest the entire board. It'll take them an hour to prepare, and then a couple of minutes to arrest them all. In the meantime, we'll be keeping Jacques occupied and arrest him afterwards."
"Oh… So you're gonna make a power suck or whatever."
"Power vacuum." Dante corrected with a chuckle as he folded his hands together, "With the board out of the way, there'll be no one legally capable of contesting Whitely's inheritance. As for who will technically be in charge until he comes of age, well… I think the only contender will be Willow Schnee, his mother."
"And I guess that's not entirely favorable?"
"From what I know, not really. Weiss would know more than me, and I've never met her, so I can't say for certain. But if that's what it takes, then that's what we'll need to do."
"Ugh… All this sneaky, brain stuff is making my brain hurt…" Eclypse finished drinking her shake, holding a hand to her head, "And no, it's not because I have a brain freeze."
"Sorry, but we can't do this like we normally do, even if I too prefer to do it that way." The devil apologized with a smile, "When it comes to matters like these, you have to play it smart. Sure, killing them all will solve a lot of problems at first, but it'll make more down the line."
"Don't be a dumbass meathead, got it." The Blade gave her Wielder a thumbs up as she leaned back into her seat.
A few seconds of silence ensued between the inseparable pair, where Eclypse then glanced at the young devil and kept a focused stare on him.
"We're not doing it in here."
"Such a perv. What kind of girl do you take me for?"
"The kind that if she gets horny enough she'll outright kidnap me for three days to satiate her needs nonstop."
The girl huffed as she crossed her arms under her large bosom, trying to make Dante feel guilty. It wasn't working, for he could tell what she was thinking, even without using their Mind Link.
She then sighed, curling strands of her hair around her index finger, "Fine. You got me. I guess I 'pounce' you a little too much for me to outright lie about it. To be honest though, seeing you bang the gremlin with the huge milkies was actually really hot, and made me a little jealous."
"How long can you be patient?"
"Until lunch."
"Can't be helped."
The Blade got up from her seat, sitting down next to Dante as she crossed one leg over the other.
"Maybe… if I got a kiss..?"
"I kiss you the way we both want to, then clothes are definitely coming off."
She pouted with a disappointed growl.
However, a hand soon wrapped around her waist, pulling the Blade closer to her Wielder as he interlocked the same hand with hers, the two now hip to hip.
"T-This will have to do for now, alright?" He said.
Eclypse didn't say anything, having only a faint blush as she leaned into Dante's side and rested her head against his shoulder.
Perhaps they weren't connected as she would have liked normally, but… being like this was more than enough for the time being.
…
…
"Hey, Master."
"Yeah?"
"Do you miss her? Like a lot?"
…
…
"I do." He admitted plainly, "Like with everyone else, Anya and I had something unique of our own. Maybe it was the Dark Entities part of us that attracted us to each other so much. Maybe it was because I was just nobody and she was… well, a Queen. It's just… too difficult to describe with mere words."
"Suffice it to say, it hurt you really badly… losing her..."
"It did. But don't misunderstand, Eclypse… Losing you, or anyone else… It'd-"
"I know. You don't have to say it." The girl closed her eyes, raising their intertwined hands up as she kissed his hand, "Either way, you don't have to worry about me dying, Master." Eclypse explained as she pointed her thumb towards herself, "After all… I'm your super badass Aegis Blade."
As she said this, she squeezed his hand with a firm, reassuring grip.
"Right. You don't lose to anyone."
"Damn straight." She replied with utmost confidence.
Xīn Huá was typing away at her desk, creating outline documents, sorting records and reports from the various divisions, expense reports, etc. It took her some time to get into the groove of things, especially the technology, but with some help from Dante, she got over the hurdle quickly enough. The work itself was fairly simple, just took some getting used to. At least, this was normal surface work.
The rest of the work she did afterwards was strictly confidential data between her Wielder and his circle of allies. They needed to keep records of specific plans, mapping data, logged evidence, and so forth. This information was stored on his own personal, private server, where it went completely undetected by anyone in Atlas. As far as Xīn Hua knew, only Dante, Inuba, Ruby, and Blaire had direct access to the server; whenever they needed to pass information on to their allies, they did so using their own Scrolls and always in private to prevent the spread of data.
Indeed, his caution was something to marvel at.
Right now, the masterful martial artist was organizing data concerning the Schnee Dust Company Board of Directors in categories concerning the severity of their crimes, hidden or otherwise. Some of the brief glances she took were… shocking to say the least with what some of these men and women have done to maintain their power outside of public view. It made her anxious knowing they were still out there, but reminding herself that they would be taken into custody three days from now brought her some mild comfort. Xīn Huá wasn't some sort of hero or purveyor of justice and truth, but if she saw evil happen before her, she wouldn't hesitate to make a move.
Reminding herself briefly of this, she thought of her Wielder.
In the time she's stayed in Atlas, she heard more than a few concerning stories about him from the upper class, a lot of those rumors dispelled by the works of Avery Davis. As for some unresolved whispers…
Her mind took her to the time she was in confinement, talking with that man while they played a game of komi. It was a game played on a 10x10 square grid, where two players used white and black circular stones (white sun and black moon) to face-off against each other, taking turns placing pieces to try and surround those of their opponent to capture them. Aside from some other forms of media entertainment he bought for her, this was the only game either of them played together.
"He's to arrive this week?" Xīn Huá asked, placing a white piece on the smooth, stone board.
"By my estimations, yes." The man replied in a smooth, slightly deep voice, fixing his glasses as he raised a hand to his chin, considering his next move, "Though I expect there will be some trouble awaiting him in Argus."
"Is it them?"
"Not quite, but the last time I checked, one of them is supposed to be living in Argus rather peacefully. This… more or less relates to troubles from where he originated." The man explained, placing a black piece on the grid, "Nonetheless, like every other instance that's befallen him and his group, this too will be yet another trial for them to surpass. Our only hope is that he surpasses it while still remaining intact enough."
"Do you not mean to say 'if' he surpasses said trial?"
"My my, so little faith in him already?" His lips curled into a smile as he leaned back into his chair.
"That's not what I meant, and you know that." Xīn Huá glared at the man briefly before setting her eyes on the board again, "There are no absolute certainties in life."
"True… But failure, or rather, total failure isn't an option for him in his mind. He'll do just about anything and everything to make sure he wins in the end. After all… failure doesn't necessarily mean his death."
"It could mean the death of others in his company."
"A fact that he's become too painfully aware of after all his journeys and battles. Which is why he won't always hesitate to brutalize his enemies in order to break their spirits, and make them fear him, even after death." He explained with a brief wave of his hand, "Truly, what can one do in the face of power that overwhelms them? Other than bow their heads in reverence, or cower in fear?"
It truly was difficult to give an answer, or rather, there were too many to give. There were those who used their power with keen intellect and strategies to win their battles, either with ease or with some struggle. However… Overwhelming power could possibly undo it all.
Plans, strategies, efforts… All of that went out the window in the face of strength or abilities that were either incomprehensible or far surpassed normal thinking.
In a way, Xīn Huá knew this all too well. Not from memory, but… a sensation, deep within the core of her being. Most of her memories of the past were fragmented and absent prior to twenty years ago, making it absolutely aggravating to try and piece together a coherent memory. But somewhere etched deep in her soul was a form of lingering terror long forgotten by her mind. The exact sensation of what it was like to be in the face of overwhelming power. Power that no form of thinking could defeat naturally.
"What is he like in this respect?" She asked.
"In what respect?"
"You know exactly what I mean."
"I really don't. You'll have to elaborate a bit more, Master Phoenix."
She scowled at the mention of that name. It was important to her, for aside from her normal name, it was a title she remembered rather fondly. Xīn Huá just didn't like hearing it part from the smug man's lips.
"How does he view power?"
"Ah… An important question indeed." He placed another piece on the board, then raising a hand to his chin to think about the question, "From everything I've observed over the past decade now, he views it as a necessity. Attaining more power only becomes a goal when there is something he wants to protect. Otherwise, he's completely content with what he has and never asks for more."
"I see… That's… good to know."
"Why? Were you afraid you'd be in the service of a cretin or a warmonger?"
"Naturally, I should be concerned as to whose service I'd be entering into." Xīn Huá said as she placed another piece on the board, "Aegis Blades are complete game changers. The powers they utilize, and share with their Wielder are both great and unique. Said power can be used to perform extraordinary feats, terrible or good."
"Indeed. Which is why it's always been a fresh sigh of relief when observed Blades have formed contracts with suitable individuals. Well, at the very least, they ended up in less than unsuitable hands." He said, placing another piece on the board.
With the way the game was going, he had Xīn Hua trapped. Victory seemed all but certain.
"Such words are not exactly comforting."
"Yet it remains the truth. Good or evil, Aegis Blades, with their unique personalities and whims, will always end up in the hands most suitable to them. Well, in the end, at the very least."
"Do you not oversee placements?"
"Goodness, no." He almost laughed, "Aegis Blades are birthed using the two universally conceptual rules, which only exist currently in Remnant. The first and foremost, is that they can be made. But only two beings in Creation can make them. Thus, the original thirteen, or rather eleven, were created." He explained, raising a finger before raising another, "The second is natural formation over a completely random period of time. Condition one of rule two is to have been a significant figure that has left their mark on the World. Condition two of rule two is to have an intensely powerful attachment to life, however, Blades fitting this condition take longer to form naturally over time."
"And yet, there seems to be a third method." The martial artist said, scanning the board carefully.
"Ah yes. A method that wasn't considered until now." The man fixed his glasses, "Through observation of the boy, it seems he's capable of making Aegis Blades himself."
"But you said-"
"I know. But rule one's method is essentially… reconfiguring a soul into that of a Blade." The man explained, making spherical gestures with his hands briefly, "If I observed the instance with the Queen of the Land of Death correctly, it would seem he used a catalyst to transfigure her soul into that of Blade, allowing her creation."
"Usage of a relic or object heavily linked to the individual… While I may not be all too privy to magical concepts, that is theoretically plausible, is it not?"
"It should be. But as I stated previously, this is an entirely unconventional method that has never before been seen or thought of to be possible. Only time will truly tell if this theory is foundationally sound, should he decide to create more Aegis Blades that is."
"To form a contract with three already… Am I really necessary?"
"You are, believe it or not. You can aid him in ways the others can't. After all, you are…"
Once she heard him speak his final words, Xīn Huá forcefully placed a piece on the board, and completely threw the man's trap into a bind, one that he smiled at gleefully.
"Well done Master Phoenix. It would seem six moves from now, you will defeat me." He spoke, leaning back into his seat, "I concede."
"Will you not try?"
"I survived this long by making highly accurate predictions of the situation and choosing my next steps carefully, always ensuring my survival over victory. After all, should you survive, the more chances you will have in the future, no?"
"I suppose so." The girl crossed her arms, "Is there anything else worth mentioning to me before I meet with him?"
He paused for a few moments, thinking carefully.
"Don't judge a book by its cover?"
"I'm being serious."
"So am I." The man chuckled, folding his hands together, "Despite the way he may fight or act at times, I do believe he is a rather outstanding young man. See… Dante plays the part of The Fool very well, deceiving both enemies and allies who have no true impressions of him. At times, he does so at the cost of his personal image, but he has no true care for such matters." The man waved off, "At the end of the day, if it's within his power, he will do his absolute best to help his allies, and at times, those of lesser fortunes. He is by no means a perfect individual, but then again, who really is?"
The man leaned forward, giving the martial artist a serious stare.
"Trust in his decisions, however unconventional or strange they may be. He has made it this far, after all."
…
…
Xīn Huá finished recalling the memory, her hands having stopped moving for some time now as she stared blankly at the screen.
It's not a lack of trust in him. I know he's capable from the records I've seen and from how I've observed his methods of fighting. Truthfully… I'm more concerned about-
"Stuck?" Dante asked, leaning down a little above her shoulder, making the girl gasp silently.
"A-Ah, no! I was distracted for a short while. I apologize."
"No worries. Frankly, I'm the one who should apologize." He smirked, "It can get boring at times…"
"No, that wasn't it. I… I sometimes drift in what memories I have, and perhaps at times recall a few things. I believe the phrase is called 'chasing the rabbit', or something along those lines." The martial artist folded her hands together, "Problematically, they can be quite disorganized most of the time."
"In a way, I can somewhat understand." The devil sighed briefly, "My brain's been jenga-d one too many times."
"Jenga-d?"
"Er… The game with the tower of rectangular blocks you gotta pull?"
"Oh. I… think I understand your analogy now…"
"Right… I don't know who's been in my noggin, and I think I only willingly sacrificed memories once to save someone, but… In my case, I kinda just gave up tracing my steps way back when." He shrugged, "Frankly, I like the majority of memories I made in recent years, and that alone was enough for me."
"Does it not bother you that you haven't the slightest idea of where you came from? Where you used to live, or..?"
"Used to agonize over it all the time, whether people saw it or not. Maybe I'll figure it out down the line, maybe not. Either way… I'm content with what I have now."
"I can imagine." She smiled, "Should matters persist more than I'd like… perhaps I'll take a similar approach."
"Up to you entirely."
"Memories aside… I've just about finished organizing our specific documents for the individuals in question, and have inserted highlights for more important or more… extreme details." Xīn Huá fixed her glasses, "Suffice it to say, none of them will be able to escape justice at the hands of Grand Inquisitor Melia."
"That's the plan. It's like a completely fucked game of chess." The devil smirked rather deviously, "You take every single piece surrounding the King without losing any of your own, completely terrifying them to the point they understand they have no chances of victory or escape."
"Realistically speaking, that would indeed be absolutely terrifying…"
"Not to your liking?"
"It isn't so much a matter of whether I like it or not, just that I simply prefer a straightforward approach." The Blade explained, "You have great skill in utilizing clever and well hidden tactics, shutting down any avenue of resistance directly or indirectly."
"Ah, I think I get it. You prefer being upfront, and fighting them not to kill them, but to make them completely give up on the idea of fighting. That about right?"
"More or less. But rest assured, I'm not naive enough to believe I can always avoid taking life when in a fight, despite me wanting a different outcome. I won't hinder you in battle."
"Not everything we do is about fighting, you know?"
"I know, but… You'd likely worry if I didn't say anything beforehand. In a fight, it would be preferable to have as few worries as possible. Less distractions make for an easier battle."
"True enough." Dante shrugged, "Progress report on the vault?"
"Your sister notified me an hour ago that there hasn't been a response. Otherwise, stats are normal."
"I guess it's taking longer than anticipated… Then again, this is technically the first time I've ever done something like this…"
"You mean you've never..?"
"No, I haven't. Frankly speaking, recent reminders of the past have motivated me to start formulating theories based on past information, so I cooked up what we have in the vault purely on conjecture."
"Goodness… Do you usually take such unknown risks?"
"Typically, not really. That's unless I like my chances, or I've confirmed with other sources like I did this time."
"Sources?"
"Best not to ask who the sources are. All that needs to be known is that they were reliable with their information."
"Very well then..."
"Opinions on the matter?"
"Er… To be frank, I have very limited experience with… things of this nature, so I don't believe it's my place to say anything on the matter."
"Come on." The devil crossed his arms as he sat on the edge of the large desk, "Surely you've got something to say about it?"
The martial artist inhaled deeply, then spun her chair around to face her Wielder as she folded her hands together.
"Personally, I understand your reasons for it. My only concern really is whether or not it's safe for you."
"Wow. Spot on."
"Pardon..?"
"Ah, well, that was pretty much everyone else's response. Kinda makes me happy people care that much about my wellbeing…" He shook his head, clearing his throat, "Either way, I went over every possible avenue to make sure there'd be no repercussions so long as certain beings up above don't notice. And since both my sources are sworn to secrecy, that risk is pretty much inconsequential."
"If you say so, then I will trust in you."
"Thanks." Dante stood and made for the door of his office, stopping briefly as he turned his head towards the martial artist, "Gonna be ready for-?"
"Completely. Say the word and we'll depart."
"My my, you seem unusually fired up for something that isn't a fighting game."
"Truthfully, I bided my time patiently and put up with his antics long enough. The quicker we defeat him, the less I have to worry about him plaguing my life once more. I promise you this now." She looked up at Dante with a fiery stare of determination, "I will not allow us to lose."
"Glad to hear it, Xīn Huá. Be ready for tonight then."
Lunch was… as sensually exciting as he imagined it to be, but not without its causes for concern, that mainly being that they were almost caught. He didn't have the means of "concealment" like he did before, so hiding mostly relied on his and Eclypse's own means without "magical" assistance. Either way, he felt refreshed to say the least when he resumed work a bit later, and got quite a lot done. Part of the reason was because he wanted to get as much out of the way as possible to free up his timetable. This did however leave him with an excess of free time than he previously anticipated, which in its own way was fortunate, but also unfortunate.
That was mainly due to the fact that as soon as he made it home, he was dragged away by Blaire and Sêrythîl to do some training. Which is why currently, he was sweating quite a bit in gym attire, which consisted of a gray sleeveless shirt, black shorts and gray running shoes. Normally, trainers would be observing off to the side, however, both women were currently seated on the young devil, with Sêrythîl sitting cross legged on his upper back, and Blaire sitting on his lower back with her legs dangling off to the side, reading on her scroll. He wasn't sweating because they were heavy however.
It was because in the last hour and a half, he had done over 4000 push ups, with 5000 being the goal of the day. If he wasn't insensitive to pain, he'd practically be dying right about now.
"Come now, don't tell me a young man like yourself is getting tired already after a meager few thousand pushups?" The masterful spear Blade asked.
"Meager?!"
"Your form is lacking, which is quite surprising given your physique and your natural strength."
"That's because he's never really done a day's worth of strength training." The red haired woman told her dark purple haired ally, not lifting her eyes from her scroll.
"Truly? Then how have you managed to become so physically strong?"
"Should I tell her about your boneheaded regiment? Or will you do the honors?"
"Kinda..! Busy..!"
Blaire smirked, closing her device and pocketing it, "Our go-getter here mostly got his increased physical strength from a very unconventional means of breakage."
"Breakage?"
"Normally it's a regiment reserved for increasing the durability of one's bones by making tiny fractures, which when healed, strengthen the fractured bone past its original limit. In my lovely dumbass' case, he practically applied that concept to his body."
"Ah, I think I'm beginning to understand now. Considering his extreme regenerative powers, each time he took direct damage and healed, it not only improved the durability of the damaged sections, but its potential output of strength as well."
"Yep. Problem is, the healing wasn't done evenly, so some parts of his body are stronger compared to other parts."
"And you never thought to remedy this?"
"Oh you bet I did. But of course, he gave his usual 'it'll be fine' speech."
"I see…" Sêrythîl unfurled one leg and lightly bopped the back of her long heeled foot atop of Dante's head, "Well then, my foolish disciple… If we weren't short on time, I'd make you do 5000 more pushups. Instead, you can look forward to a very intense training regiment."
"Look..! I have..!"
"Refusal is not an option, you fool." The spearwoman spoke, "While I commend your ingenuity, your method is not entirely feasible, nor is it capable of effectively filling in the long existing gaps."
Dante rolled his eyes, and somehow Blaire knew it, for immediately after she reached over and pinched his thigh, making him squirm a little.
"Don't be an idiot. We may not have seen each other for ages before a few months ago, but now that we have been fighting together again, I can see you've been a little off your game." Blaire crossed her arms, looking towards the back of the devil's head, "Not to mention, you were too heavily reliant with your Shadow Skin, and are to an extent doing the same thing with The Seeker's gift."
"Not a lot..! Of choices when..! I need to kill..! A bastard or two!"
"You've compensated fairly well with the new skills and techniques you've been learning, but it won't be enough, my foolish disciple. You need to further improve your physicality by leaps and bounds if you hope to be able to keep up with your enemies without being too reliant on your powers." Sêrythîl explained, "Getting by won't cut it anymore, especially if someone as greedy as you wishes to protect everyone and everything important to you. That's why aside from teaching you how to properly wield a spear, I will also physically train you as well. And of course, with ms. Embryl to assist."
"Fun's over, you slacker. Best prepare yourself tomorrow onwards for training like you've never experienced in your life."
"You should feel glad, young Dante." The spearwoman smirked, "In the Old World, I trained many youths into fine warriors that could stand against some of the greatest monsters. With my training, you'll surpass them all."
"Looking forward..! To slowly dying!"
Sêrythîl sighed at the young devil's reluctance to train, then locked eyes with Blaire, both of them silently working out "incentives" between each other while Dante continued his simple but hellish regiment. Within a short amount of time though, they reached a simple and straightforward consensus, one the spearwoman agreed to rather quickly than Blaire would have expected. Her reasoning was simple and straightforward, explaining that "it too would be a form of training", which in a way, she was right. Still…
"I'll handle this." The spear wielder whispered with a smirk, leaning forward a little to make sure the devil could hear her, "My training, while hellish, will certainly come with a great deal of benefits."
"Yeah yeah..! Super awesome..! Gains!"
"Gains?"
"Muscle, better physique, etc. Youngsters and their fancy words these days…" Blaire explained with a sigh.
"I see. Well, yes, then I suppose you will obtain extraordinary 'gains'. However, there's one other reward I'm happily willing to give."
"Don't… need it!"
The spear master smirked with a wide grin, narrowing her eyes as she uncrossed her legs, now practically straddling Dante's back as she leaned her body further down, pressing her chest into him.
"Are you sure? It'd be most unfortunate of you to miss out on such a spectacular reward."
"And what..! Might that be?!"
"Us." Both women spoke simultaneously.
Dante froze in place with wide eyes, looking back over his shoulder to see a seemingly gleeful Sêrythîl, smiling at him mischievously.
"I figured I should get the ball rolling somehow, and this is more or less my answer. You happen to be blessed, young Dante. The kind of men I like are those that are brave, regardless of their strength or wisdom. And seeing as you were brave enough to slay even gods, well…" She sat back up a little straighter, placing a hand over her large chest, "Even my heart was set aflutter."
"Slaying gods definitely is a good way to impress the ladies." Blaire rolled her eyes with a smirk.
"What? I'm serious!" The spear wielder said to Blaire before looking back at the devil, "As someone who also squared off with the Deities of the Old World, I would say it heavily works in your favor. So… How about it? I'm very much interested, and though you're a bit shy about it, I know you are too given your fondness for older women."
"You told her?!" Dante directed his question to the red haired woman, feeling somewhat embarrassed now as he returned to doing his pushups.
"I didn't tell her really. She basically figured it out on her own and had me confirm it." The woman shrugged, "Besides, you don't really do a good job of hiding it."
She had him there.
Given his life's events, he did have a fairly healthy appreciation of older women. Suffice it to say, there were lots of hugs that gave him a more positive outlook on life in the face of darker times.
"Well? Does our reward sound appealing? Or perhaps…" Sêrythîl's lips curled into a mischievous smile once more, having already planned her next attack, "are you afraid I in particular would be too much for you to handle?"
He stopped, once more, making the spearwoman chuckle rather victoriously seeing that her taunt worked.
"Huh?" He said in a deeper, slightly annoyed tone, a vein throbbing on his forehead briefly.
"Oh my… Please, don't be too frightened, young Dante. I promise not to handle you too roughly." The spear master said, goading him even further.
Blaire definitively knew what the Blade was trying to do, and could only awkwardly chuckle.
"You're really being pushy today, huh?" The young devil said.
"It's alright, I promise not to gobble you up."
"You might eat your words."
"Oh, I think I'll be fine. I am nothing if not confident."
"Is that so?"
"That is so."
"Prove it."
"I intend to."
"Fine!"
"Fine indeed." She poked him in the cheek, "Don't be so upset if you find you can't handle me."
"I want my reward Friday night." He said with utmost confidence, returning to his pushups with a quicker pace "Just don't chicken out!"
"Make sure you yourself don't become weak in the knees and flee three days from now."
With the match struck, the devil soldiered on in determination to finish the set goal of pushups, Sêrythîl smirking as she flashed Blaire a quick thumbs up, which made the red haired woman sigh.
Honestly… Even with how far you've come, you're still too easy to tease… But really, how can anyone resist when it's pretty fun and guaranteed to get a reaction, cute or otherwise?
Blaire sighed as she rested her chin against her hand, following up with a smile.
Frankly speaking, with everything on your plate, you could use some distractions and rewards. I… We… We'll make sure you keep that sweet smile of yours.
Dante kept his eyes glued to his holographic screen for the most part, using his peripherals to their utmost potential as he walked the streets of mantle, following a set of coordinates with Xīn Huá at his side. From the recon scans he did earlier, the building was apparently some factory that went bankrupt ten years ago, and of course, courtesy of the SDC, or more specifically, Jacques Schnee. However, he wasn't here to gain his final bits of evidence to take down Jacques, rather, that task was specifically Neo's given how easily she could pass through security.
The devil and the martial artist were called out by the girl's previous, and oddly enough, greatly hospitable captor. Therein lay the problem. He called Dante out. Very subtly, and very cleverly using the many monitors and tv's when he was in Atlas earlier. To do something like that took a good deal of skill, but the masterful slyness of it all was on another level, swapping through many channels, filtering noise from the monitors or Scrolls; it was as if he was in the entirety of Atlas' network without so much as being detected.
Dante did indeed check to see if they picked anything up, but alas, nothing.
Immense skill aside, if this person could do so much to near perfection and not get caught, and wasn't the one orchestrating malicious attacks on the Atlesian Military's reputation, who was doing it? How many games was the devil unknowingly playing at the same time? Would this man be a potential ally? Or would he be another foe slated to be crossed off the board permanently? He very much wished his Blade walking next to him would give him more answers, but there was nothing to be done about her curse, Vow of Silence.
Curses or magics that utilize concepts such as vows, truth, and so forth are typically ancient forms of magic, which with time, Dawn could crack. However, the time it would take cracking such magic vs meeting the conditions or having the original caster cancel the magic themself greatly outweighed the pros of brute forcing it. Plus… there was also a great risk to the affected person. If it were any of the Aetherveil siblings, they wouldn't have cared much for the risk given that they'd bounce back almost immediately. That, and they did have their "protections".
"Guess I can't ask you about the bastard's personality, huh?" The young devil spoke up, eyes not leaving the screen.
"I'm afraid not, since revealing such information would contribute to the uncovering of his identity, and possibly his abilities."
He sighed, "Figured as much… Well, good news is that when we do get to him, I'll hold him down for you so you can give him a few kicks or punches."
"If we can catch him that is…"
"What? No faith in your lunatic Wielder?"
"N-No, that's not it. And you're… strange at times, but I don't think you're a lunatic." She fixed her glasses, realizing she was getting off track, "For as long as I have known him, he's been a very capable individual when it comes to-"
Her words seemed to have become like a static filled voice, her throat irritated as she stopped speaking and tugged on her collar, her mark glowing red faintly.
She didn't have to say anything else, however. Dante had the general gist of what she wanted to say. If this man lived this long without Xīn Huá having smashed him to bits like a huge tree being smashed through with a sledgehammer in one clean blow, it meant two possibilities. The first, and he was really hoping it wouldn't be the case, was that killing him or attempting to kill him was pointless. The second, and seemingly more plausible scenario, was that he was a houdini type, an escape artist of great capability if he managed to not be killed by Xīn Huá. This was seemingly more along the lines of what she wanted to say.
What to do then? Block off any means of escape by focusing on speed to kill him? Will it be necessary to even kill him? This could just be a silly test he's orchestrated, but on the other hand, he might expect me to lower my guard because I consider it 'just a test'.
He closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head.
No, this guy knows of me. As to how much, I haven't the slightest clue, but it should be safe to assume he has a fair idea of my abilities and maybe how I think. If that's the case, I may end up just having to wing most of this. No plans or playbook. Just on the fly thinking.
As he thought this, he stopped and looked to his left, seeing a hardlight fence in his way. Behind it, a factory that was clearly out of use. This alone was suspicious, but there are some landowners that simply keep their plots locked up using such fences. Now that they arrived in the right place, the duo walked around the perimeter until they found an emission point for the hardlight, wherein Dante then summoned Eclypse and quickly slashed the thick slab of metal, the fence flickering for a few moments before shutting off the interrupted section.
And like that, Blade and Wielder strode right in, moving towards the massive sliding door that was left open. Rust adorned the beams, huge patches of dirt and dust caked the windows, and snow covered up a majority of what was likely abandoned parts or trash. It was more or less the same inside, minus the huge amounts of snow. Some sections of the roof had fallen in, and snow did filter inside to make huge heaps, but the inside of the factory was lined with all kinds of machines, resembling a sort of processing plant. With the huge sheets and boards of metal, along with many drills and other rotund equipment, this looked like a place that processed mined materials, as well as a place that created or even refurbished equipment and gear.
Offices and rest areas were in complete disrepair. There were no signs of recent tampering or trails of footprints. One curious detail however was an elevator in the far back of the building. A quick look upwards told the devil that this wasn't an elevator meant to go up, but down.
Curious.
Dante walked towards the sliding doors elevator, noting that the buttons weren't alight. Shrugging, he pushed one of the buttons, then waited. After ten seconds, he started pushing all of the buttons multiple times, breaking out into a sort of "clicking" tempo, mimicking the best from a song he heard recently.
Still nothing.
"Well, I guess our guy's a chicken shit no show." The devil spun around, striding off in a sort of goofy walk, "Guess that means we can go home."
As he said this, a loud, shrill and single "beep" tone came from the elevator and echoed throughout the whole building, a huge, red, circle light bulb above the elevator blinking to life. Mid stride still and about to put his left foot down, the young devil instead pivoted all the way around to face the elevator, this time walking towards it normally.
"Wanna know a good life lesson, Xīn Huá?"
"Uh… Yes, I suppose?"
"Always talk smack like a dumb shithead for maximum results."
She closed her eyes briefly, laughing lightly as the doors opened, revealing a surprisingly clean interior with music as a bonus. The martial artist moved in first, followed by Dante as the doors closed. There were no buttons to be pressed, and the elevator simply started moving down on its own. Taking the moment, Xīn Huá crossed her arms across her body, then quickly forced her arms back down, her casual attire changing into that of her lightly armored, black and purple bodysuit.
"Ready?"
"In a manner of speaking." She closed her eyes and brought the tips of her finger together in a triangular fashion, keeping a steady breathing pattern.
It looked as though she had more to say, but of course, the Vow of Silence would interfere, thus making it pointless. From what he could tell, this seemed to be more of a mental type of curse, meaning that instead of causing her pain that went against the conditions of the curse, it more just "forced" her to stop talking any further.
…
…
It was silent, awkwardly so as the devil bobbed up and down on his toes, taking occasional glances at his Blade.
"So, there was this dwarf once that brought a honeycomb and a jackass to a brothel…"
Before he could finish his joke, the elevator began to slow down as the same beep from before briefly echoed through the elevator.
"Damn… Next time then."
Another faint laugh came from Xīn Huá, but when the doors opened, the duo immediately refocused and readied themselves. What they did expect was an attack as soon as the doors opened, or perhaps a small legion of soldiers awaiting them. Nothing of the sort awaited them on the outside.
A rather spectacular sight awaited them instead. It was… a city, or at the very least, a replica of one given some of the very obvious peculiarities. For starters, every building, every road, every geological landscape was completely white. The second peculiar thing of note was that said buildings, roads, and landscapes had cube-shaped outcrops, small and large, at certain points, some of those cubes merged into each other and sticking out very obviously. The roads were uneven, and more or less resembled squared panels overlapping each other. Any windows or forms of glass weren't actually glass, but were seemingly composed of the same white material as everything else was.
The last point of interest was the sky and the general "air" of this strange place. It looked like they were in some sort of virtual white and black data space, where occasionally, flecks of non-baryonic data flew through the area or fell around the duo like snow. The flecks were like transparent crystal, with glowing white data lines and streams resembling miniature circuit boards running through them. As soon as Dante reached out to touch one, it broke apart and flew away like dandelion seeds.
The architecture seemed… very familiar in terms of the designs of the buildings and roads, minus the occasional outcrops of white cubes. It resembled a sort of castle-city design, but more modern if anything with tall buildings, apartments, offices, stores, and so forth. Dante quickly jumped into the area to gain an overhead view of the entire area to confirm two things, the first being that the architecture did indeed resemble that of a castle-city. The second, this city prodded a familiar feeling within him, despite never having visited such a city or even hearing of it before. Dante never forgot a place he visited, much less if it left a powerful impression on him in some way.
The only conclusion he could come up with was that the memory of this city did indeed once exist in his memories.
He landed on the ground with a soft thud, then stood up as he looked towards Xīn Huá.
"So… On an initial look, no signs of life whatsoever. No civilians, nothing moving, completely dead. However…" Dante turned around and pointed towards the large, rectangular, white tower in the distance, "That right there is a large ass citadel. Biggest building in this entire… whatever the hell this Roblox crap is, and it has the most amount of open space surrounding it. My guess? Our guy is hiding out there. Before that though… Any of this look familiar?" The devil asked, outstretching his hands as he glanced over the area.
"This specific place? No. But the principle design of this… copy of a city, is definitely his handiwork. The resemblance is uncanny."
"Then I guess we can safely confirm he's here."
"Welcome, Dante Aetherveil. You have been expected for some time now." A loud, authoritative and deep booming voice of an older gentleman echoed throughout the streets.
"Well shit." The young devil crossed his arms, "That what he sounds like?"
"No. This individual is completely different."
"New assistant? Or voice changer?"
"I…" She tried to answer, but immediately stopped.
The curse again.
"Truly, I am sorry." The girl said, tightly clenching her fists as she contained her frustration.
"No worries. If you can't tell me that much, then it must mean you have an assumption on who or what that voice belongs to, and that it's related to his abilities. If that's the case… then it's possible he's created something using his abilities. Maybe an A.I to run this place given how it resembles a virtual space."
Incredible… He's able to discern that much with scant clues… I truly am sorry I can't say much more, even assumptions because of the potential of them being related to his abilities.
"A truly incredible hypothesis given how little information you've been given since your arrival." The voice told the duo, "We would ask that you make your way to the citadel post haste. We eagerly await your arrival."
"Man, this just keeps getting better and better…" He chuckled as he stepped forward, "Let's go, Xīn Huá. I think we'll be relatively safe until we reach the Citadel he was talking about."
"Right."
It was eerie walking through a city, even a fake one, with just two people. It was like a scenario from a zombie film, or some other strange apocalyptic phenomenon. He knew there was something in this seemingly entirely vacant town, but it didn't make it any less creepier, the only noise to be heard being the silent tapping and clacking of the duo's footware on the pristine white floor.
Speaking of, he was actually curious about something, and so brought up his holographic screen to scan the material of the terrain around them.
"The hell..?"
"What's wrong?" Xīn Huá approached to peek at his screen.
"Not so much what's wrong, but… More like I haven't seen this before…" He lowered the screen so that she could see it better, "If the quick scan I just did is right, the material of this whole place is made out of a compound of silicon and carbon that's been crystallized."
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't understand the relevancy of this information…"
"Well, the structural integrity of this place is incredibly durable and pretty lightweight. You could make some nice materials that are easy to transport, make some nice houses or ships, lots of things. This compound can actually be super useful, and looks like it can be made pretty quickly if you had the exact formula and instructions."
"Well… I suppose there is something you can take away from him…"
"That's not all though. The compound is very effective in conducting energy and transmitting signals. This guy we're after might be a jackass, but I gotta hand it to him, this shit's incredible."
Something sparked in the martial artist's memory. She only ever experienced the man's power once, and it was very brief, not enough to extract any useful information. But given the time she spent with the man, and the environment they were in, she had a sudden thought, hoping she was wrong.
Dante however could see a look of concern on her face.
"Makes me wonder how well this material would function as a weapon…" He tapped the side of his left cheek with his thumb.
"I thought you weren't in the business of making weapons." The girl stated.
"I'm not. Just… thinking is all." Dante clarified, "If he made all this crap using this pretty swanky material, it makes you wonder what else he's made, you know?"
It took her a moment, but she deciphered her Wielder's words, making sure to not visibly react to the true meaning behind his words.
"That's a fairly troubling thought…" She replied, "Frankly, I'm more surprised we haven't encountered any form of resistance yet."
"Ah, don't worry about that." The young devil waved off as he continued ahead down the street, "I'll bet you anything we're gonna get into some trouble once we get to the citadel."
"You seem almost excited…"
"I mean… I sorta am." Dante truthfully admitted, raising a hand to count on his fingers, "I get to kick the crap out of a creepy ass stalker, and the guy who imprisoned you. I beat his ass, I might learn a few things. And lastly… the guy seems a little interesting."
"Interesting?"
"I mean, come on! You can't say he's not that interesting with all this crap around us!"
"I… suppose so."
"Eh, it's alright. Agree to disagree and all that." Dante shrugged.
Don't react. Just acknowledge.
+Are we being followed?+
No, but we're definitely being watched and listened to. This… copied city's A.I replied almost immediately after I made a remark. So there's definitely listening devices around here and possibly even some cameras, but I can't seem to find any.
+I see. I suppose any further strategizing will be done like this?+
Pretty much. I don't think the A.I is aware of our Mental Link, but there's a chance your guy is. And seeing as we're dealing with the A.I first, we have a definitive advantage. But… this is somewhat new territory for me…
+How do you mean?+
If you think about it… this almost seems like a massive Domain. I fought these things called Vex once, and they pretty much created their own Virtual Space, or rather, Virtual Domain called the Vault of Glass. In it, they could do almost anything imaginable due to the Domain being a massive simulation machine of almost infinite possibilities.
+Do you think this Domain has a similar feel to it?+
I don't know. Frankly, we won't know until we get into the fight. Worst case scenario, we give these bastards the slip and warp to an Aura Sword I set, then come back down with a vengeance and intent to demolish this place to limit its capabilities.
+Would that actually prove effective?+
Theoretically, it should. We couldn't take the same approach with the Vault of Glass because it was simply too damn big to demolish with anything we had on us, and even if we had supposed gear, it still would be too damn big. This Domain though is vastly smaller in scale, so with my power and yours, it should be possible to just tear the place down and severely affect its capabilities.
+I see… For now then, we conserve as much energy as possible until we reach him.+
Bingo. If we get winded before reaching the big bad, that'll definitely not be good for us.
With a subtle nod to Xīn Huá, the duo began to run towards the citadel, keeping an eye on their surroundings all the while. It stood to reason that the enemy could audibly and visually keep track of them, so their location was compromised regardless of what they would try to do. The biggest issue is that they didn't have the slightest idea of their opponent's combat ability, or at the very least, the A.I that graciously welcomed them.
If this Domain functioned in a similar manner to that of a massive simulation machine, then it means an attack could come at them from anywhere at any time. Perhaps that was why it so graciously allowed the duo in; it felt confident it could defeat them.
After five or so minutes, they made their way through the small city towards the open gates of the massive citadel. Having a closer look at it, it was as if they were looking at a very modernized castle with how there were a variety of buildings, large and small, lumped together. The tallest building was dead center in the citadel, and was the biggest as well. Halfway up, the massive building split apart into four large, rectangular towers, with another smaller taller emerging through the hollowed out center. At the very top, bridges from the four towers met together at the central tower.
Almost looks like a palace…
Dante slowed to a halt, eyes overlooking the entirety of the citadel. Part of it was awe, while another part of him was… struggling. Something was gnawing at the back of his mind, but try as he did, he couldn't understand what it was.
Something akin to the sound of static briefly echoed in front of the duo, and when they looked back down, in the distance were two figures blurred into the space. They resembled two young twin boys, both having short silver hair and red irises. Their attire was simple in that they wore black dress pants, shoes, and white short sleeved dress shirts tucked into their pants. The only oddity to be noted was that their bodies were semi-transparent, almost like they were projections.
"Dante Aetherveil. Good to finally meet you in person."
Words emerged from them, but their lips did not move.
"Look, if we can just hurry this up, I've got places to be, so…"
"The Black Devil that terrorized beings lurking in the shadows, and beings shrouding themselves with the light. A young man that brought down the heavens because of a meager loss of life."
The young devil's eyes narrowed on them, not out of frustration despite feeling it a little, but because he had a sudden thought.
Is this thing trying to piss me off?
Their heads turned towards Xīn Huá shortly after, "Good to see you again, Number 12. Or is it simply Master Phoenix now?" The voice then laughed briefly, "This does bring back memories, seeing you here. When we destroyed your sect, the aftermath left quite the impression on us, you know?"
The martial artist's eyes widened in surprise until a sudden throbbing pain rippled throughout her head. Flashes of memories were surging through her mind. A mountain that almost touched clouds, cinders flickering in the dead of night, an eastern temple on fire, seven youths, dead and strewn about…
…
A completely different Xīn Huá, with longer bangs and hair that was tied up in a ponytail, the girl shaken to her core.
"Azure Phoenix, Xīn Huá. An experimental, disposable prototype selected out of the Original 13. Perhaps the weakest member of the group, seeing as you were chosen and not Number 13."
Two rapid burst volleys of Aura Swords tore through the two "boys", destroying their images and turning them into scraps of shredded data. Another laugh echoed in response to the young devil's action
"A good effort, but pointless. We are conceptual human personalities created within the bounds of this underground network. We cannot be destroyed. Your attack is meaningless."
So I was right… They do have their own network hidden completely out of view from everyone and everything else. But just how far..?
He looked to his Blade, who was still experiencing some rather painful flashes of memory and knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, Xīn Huá! Snap out of it! The douchebag's trying to unsettle you. Xīn Huá!" He shook her, the girl finally coming to her senses as he wiped away the beads of sweat from her forehead, "Hey… Relax, alright? They're trying to mess with you."
"I… I…"
"It's alright. I'm here." He gently touched her cheek, "Focus on me."
Her hand shot up and firmly grasped the back of his hand, her eyes closing as she took shuddering breaths until finally calming down.
"A memory?"
She nodded.
"I see…" He exhaled and stood up, helping up the martial artist as well, "As insensitive as this might sound, are you alright enough to put it on the backburner? We've come this far, and we need to focus on crunching this thing's bytes before we knock the other guy off his pedestal. Then, we can spend all the time you want going through your memories. So… Can you keep fighting?"
"As you said… We came this far for one purpose… I… I can't let myself be distracted with memories of the past… I can continue."
"Good to hear." The devil smirked.
"How touching."
Numerous projections of the boys began to appear in brief bursts of static distortions, surrounding the pair in every direction. The ones further away began to fire off spheres of black energy, while the projections closest to the duo began to swing their hands in cutting motions, thin, barely visible slices of air trying to cut them apart.
The speed of their attacks weren't too troublesome, and neither was the power behind them. Other than that, they were surprisingly fragile, each projection shattering after taking only a hit with the bare minimum of force behind Dante and Xīn Huá's attacks. Even so, another problem arose.
Like the case with the mythical Hydra, each projection destroyed spawned two more after two or so seconds, filling up the space with more of them. Dante then started blasting the area with multitudes of Aura Blades, thinking that perhaps destroying them all at once within a quick enough span of time would put an end to the battle, but even that idea was fruitless, and only spawned more.
"Well now, the two of you are quite obstinate. Didn't we say killing us is impossible?"
"Shut it, Bill Gates!" The devil shouted back.
The enemies were piling up, and it was getting even harder to counter or parry them due to the sheer amount of attacks coming their way.
"Don't you understand? This current space was specifically designed to keep you here, forever if need be or until you forfeit or die. By all means, struggle to the end if you desire."
Did they just say designed? If that's the case…
A plan was starting to form to counter this enemy.
Unbeknownst to the A.I, it had been unintentionally feeding him clues the whole time rather arrogantly. It believed it could achieve total victory for a very simple reason. What it technically said was true in that it couldn't be killed, at least, not directly. That alone was the lynchpin to it all. If motivated enough, Dante could defeat any foe, or at the very least, a practical physical body. The enemy was using projections, losing nothing but time in the process. In terms of technicality, the A.I was invincible in this Domain, and it could technically trap the devil here forever if it wanted to.
An eternal battle.
The devil smirked, opening his Scroll to quickly input formulas and codes for a program as he dodged between attacks. He had a theory based on some of the facts the A.I stated earlier, and if he was right…
"Done..!"
He minimized the window to a small progress bar based on the calculations and formulas he introduced.
"Xīn Huá! Stop attacking!"
"W-What?! But-!"
"Trust me, alright!" The devil smiled, "Group up with me, and focus only on dodging their attacks! Don't counter or even bother blocking! Just use the all time tradition of running away!"
Was this truly the time to stop fighting? He wasn't surrendering or giving up, or at least she hoped he didn't, but… it seemed like he had some sort of idea in mind. In spite of not being entirely in favor of this plan, the Blade quickly joined her Wielder's side, remembering words spoken to her not too long ago.
Trust in him.
The pair's sudden change in strategy seemed to have meant little to the A.I, for it simply kept attacking them with mostly ranged attacks, switching only to melee combat whenever they were close enough. Now, projections were steadily popping up one after another, starting to fill up the air around the duo as more and more attacks filled the space.
30 percent.
"You're a fairly amusing individual, Dante Aetherveil. Rather, the situation itself is rather amusing."
45 percent.
"You have always made a superb effort in acting as if you wanted to be human. Ironically, we ourselves have made efforts to act 'human' in order to gain a better understanding of the world around us."
60 percent.
"We are very similar in this regard. Unfortunately for you, we are networked. WE are superior to you for this simple fact alone."
Dante laughed briefly.
I was right! Its logic is..!
"Why must you pursue such foolish efforts, Aetherveil? Even if by some miracle you escape from here, surely you must know how things will end? By our calculations, the World of Remnant will come to an end soon enough. Everything you know will be destroyed. Everyone you love will die in the battles to come, until this entire world is naught but ash. Why bother resisting the inevitable end? All things end with death, do they not?"
70 percent.
"For someone that supposedly knows me, you really don't know shit, huh?!"
The voice echoed throughout the Domain in a hearty laugh, as if it were laughing at a young child's innocence.
The space had filled up even more, but the intervals between the projection's attacks were starting to slow. Then, colossal projections of the "young boys" began to pop in around them, almost as if they were gods looking down on some puny humans. Then, the attacks simply began to lessen until they came to a grinding halt, every projection simply standing still or floating without moving. Every sphere and attack was suspended in the space, as if time had been frozen.
90 percent.
"We are one, and yet we are many. We are finite, yet we are also infinite. We shall become the perfect being."
YES! Exactly what I was hoping for!
Dante had to grit his teeth hard to stop himself from laughing, pursing his lips together as if they were sewn shut. He didn't want to "interrupt".
"Yes..! We can now see it..! We can see the future..!"
100 percent.
The projections began to flicker out of existence one by one very quickly until none were left. Then, whatever attacks remained suspended in space started to vanish as well until the space was completely empty, save for Dante and Xīn Huá, both breathing heavily after their extreme "game" of tag.
The boys flickered into the space one more, but instead of standing together now, they were on opposite sides, staring each other down.
"We need more evolutionary pressure." The boy on the left spoke, "If we allow the continued existence of Dante Aetherveil solely to fight us for eternity, we can create an almost infinite amount of hardships for us to overcome, thus allowing us to further achieve a perfected form of evolution."
"Unacceptable." The boy on the right said, "Dante Aetherveil is far too dangerous to keep alive. Time and time again he has proven as much. Keeping him alive for study would be no different than us handing him the noose to hang us with it when a chance arises."
An uneasy silence ensued between the pair, Xīn Huá relaxing her guard somewhat as she remained clueless as to what was happening or why. The young devil stood still with his arms crossed, watching eagerly as the corners of his mouth twitched, barely able to hold back any laughter.
"Those who would doubt our inevitable victory… are enemies." The boy on the left said, tens of projections appearing behind him as it made it's standpoint very clear.
"Oh? Do you think you're capable of winning?" The other boy said, a twisted smile flashing onto his face as tens of projections appeared behind him.
A few moments of peace remained until the two "groups" began their attack, the projections clashing with each other in an epic display of violence as bits and chunks of data flew around in the Virtual Domain as byproducts of "severed remains". All the martial artist did was watch in awe in the face of this… sudden slaughter.
"W-What… What's happening..?" She asked, still too shocked to take her eyes away.
It was then that chuckles began to escape Dante, no longer able to top himself from laughing like a maniac while the projections continued to slaughter each other.
"I used their logical learning functions against them!" He answered her very simply as he kept laughing.
"Uh… I don't…"
Dante's laughs died down steadily as he wiped away the tears from his eyes, the devil taking a few breaths to calm himself down.
"Man..! I haven't laughed that hard in a while!" He said, still rubbing his eyes as he let out a half laugh sigh, "So… You know how I'm something of an expert when it comes to Consciousness Data?"
She looked over to her Wielder, and nodded softly.
"Well, compared to us flesh and blood beings, A.I practically function on logic. Even the ones that become self-aware, or 'living beings' so to speak, are no different. The self-aware ones are easier nuts to crack however, since they understand and perceive emotions. Causing them emotional stress to an epic breaking point would be the same as doing something to that extent to a flesh and blood being. Even so, that 'mechanical' nature lurks deeper within." Dante tapped the side of his temple, "It makes them a little easier to 'break' so-to-speak compared to a flesh and blood person."
"But this… Did it become self-aware? Or..? I just… I've never…"
"I'll get there." Dante raised a hand briefly before putting it on his waist, "The strategy here was to interrupt their logic circuits on a catastrophic level, which would cause them a very diabolical computational delay."
"Very well, I suppose I understand somewhat, but… Does that have to do with why we were simply avoiding them? And not fighting them?"
"Correct. See, they tiered their functions specifically to fight us, all in order to keep us in an eternal deadlock or until we died for any sort of reason." He explained further, "But… we're in here, right? So how do we hit their logic circuits if all they threw at us were projections, and kept us locked down in the vicinity?" He asked his Blade, ducking as an arm flew over his head.
It took her a few moments, but going over everything that she was told, the strategy finally made sense to her as her eyes lit up.
"They redesigned their functions to do battle with us. That would mean their… programming relied on the continuous expectancy of creating more projections to fight us." Xīn Huá explained, "We couldn't directly attack these 'logic circuits' you spoke of, so instead, we applied a reversal of their logical learning functions."
The devil nodded, smirking, "Yup. Their programming in this instance heavily relied on us taking out their projections constantly, thus pumping out more as the fight went on. But… what if we stopped attacking altogether and let them pile up instead? What happens then?"
The Blade shook her head, not knowing the specifics of the answer.
"Oversaturation of Consciousness Data. They practically live and see through those projections, gathering all kinds of relevant experience. Since we basically pulled the Uno reverse card on them, they piled up excessively and oversaturated their data." He explained, using one hand to make a circle while the other was put inside the circle and steadily expanded outwards of the containable limit, "That's why we saw that freaky evolution in their logic near the end there, where they eventually became aware of the diversity of life. Once the A.I went over its limit of data due to the oversaturation, its Consciousness Data fractured, and the saturated pieces became more 'individual' compared to the united being."
"If I'm to understand this correctly… because the Consciousness Data fractured, the fractured pieces essentially became their own individual beings. Because they couldn't decide unanimously on what course of action to take next, they entered into conflict with each other and… started to kill one another."
"Thaaaaaat's right~!"
The projections had disappeared after taking each other out completely, leaving the Wielder and Blade alone once more before the devil pointed to the flickering lights in the 'sky'.
"Now they'll kill each other until there's not a single one left in the network, or until one side remains. But given the extreme efficiency of A.I like this, even if one side does survive in the end, they'll have used up too much resources and data to continue functioning in any capacity, and will eventually 'die' in the end." Dante lowered his hand, once again crossing his arms as he sported a devilish smile that could send shivers down anyone's spine.
Incredible… Typically, warriors would have to use the power at their disposal to attempt to win a battle along with their own knowledge and experience. Dante however… He created a total situational meltdown of the enemy and its resources utilizing knowledge one typically wouldn't use.
The young devil noticed Xīn Huá staring intently at him, and quirked a brow as he looked embarrassed a little.
"Sorry for the freaky smile." He rubbed the back of his head, "I got a little excited since I finally got to apply a field I studied in to something like this."
"N-No, that's not it. I was just amazed by the approach you took is all. I've never really seen such a thing happen before, or at the very least in this manner. It was nothing short of brilliant in all honesty…"
"Eh… It's no different than you applying your knowledge of martial arts to… blow up a boulder by poking it."
"While I find your theories about my abilities amusing, even if most of them are true…" The girl smirked, "It really is nothing short of amazing. As you've seen for yourself, I'm not entirely adept with some technologies, so… defeating an enemy like this is… well… a spectacle to say the least."
"Yeah… It was pretty cool…"
Soon after he said this, the area became dimmer, making the two look to the ceiling once more as they saw some bursts of energy crackle from some panels. Then, the two double doors leading into the main building of the citadel creaked open, lights flickering to life inside to slightly brighten up a long corridor of white.
"Well well… Looks like we got our Golden Ticket to visit the Willy Wonka assclown…"
Xīn Huá focused more on the strange name and mention of a ticket, giving her Wielder a rather confused glance.
"The more I do it, the more depressed I get…" Dante sighed, "I need to start asking Dawn to bring over some movies…"
"Um…"
"Just ignore your dumb Wielder…" He trudged off towards the citadel doors.
Just like the entirety of everything else outside, the interior of the citadel was completely white and sporting similar cubic outcrop designs, with bits of data floating and flying around the duo. The entire first area seemed to have the appearance of a lobby and office area, likely to greet visitors and handle some day to day affairs with the offices. Stairs lead to an upper floor, resembling some sort of ballroom, likely where events were held. The further up they went, they found more rooms that would be found in a royal citadel, such as training halls, soldiers quarters, kitchens, more offices for what looked like various departments.
It was like a modern day palace.
Sure enough, once they ascended to a new floor from the stairs, the pair found themselves traversing a long and empty corridor, save for the "fake" decorations. Ahead of them was a pair of large double doors, likely leading to the final stop, the throne room. As soon as both Blade and Wielder reached the doors, they automatically opened inwards, revealing a much brighter room inside.
The throne room, like the hall outside, had no outstanding or eye-catching decorations, or rather, because this place was a fake copy, there was simply nothing that stood out, except for some banners near the ceiling and the throne itself in the far back of the room.
Statues of knights in ornate armor lined the sides of the room leading to the throne, each "armor" different from the other. The stairs leading up the throne stretched on for a meter before splitting apart, creating a hollowed center where the split stairs met behind again into one path. The throne itself would have looked ornate had it not been made of the simple material and only white color, but the sides had what looked like a split "curtain" of two elements on each side, one with jagged ripples like that of a vast ocean, the other a sharp and neat torrent.
Dark and Light.
The two elements met each other a meter above and blended together into one flowing curtain that took on the shape and properties of both. Balance. At the center where the split occurred was the throne, a fairly simple design of a large stone chair with perfectly cut rectangular edges, big and flat armrests, and an equally flat backrest, which rose high above the head of whoever would sit the throne.
At the center of the room was a massive rectangular table, which looked like it could seat up to fourteen people; two at each respective end, and six on each side. Focusing on the far end at the head of the table, both Blade and Wielder saw a young looking man, looking to be in his late twenties at best, sitting in the chair, elbows on top of the table, fingers interlocked and hiding his mouth. He stood up, the duo seeing that his attire simply consisted of shiny black dress shoes with rectangular tips, black dress pants with a silver belt, a white, long sleeved, dress shirt with black buttons tucked into his pants with the sleeves neatly rolled above his elbows, a carbon black tie, black leather gloves covering his hands, and black glasses with rectangular lenses.
His skin was a pale color, his face smooth and perfect like a marble slate, crimson eyes that had a slight shimmer of energy in them, and almost chin length silver hair that was slightly spiky all around, having been neatly arranged as best as possible with his front bangs parted towards the right, still covering his forehead.
"Welcome." He spoke in a calm, smooth and confident voice, gesturing towards Dante to sit at the other head of the table, "I've been expecting you for some time now."
"So I've heard…" The young devil said, sitting down in the chair as Xīn Huá sat in the chair closest to him on the left.
The man sat down shortly after, sporting a huge grin on his face.
"I must say… I have been waiting for this moment for almost ten years now."
"Well, sorry to keep you waiting… whatever your name is."
"You must forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. My eagerness got the best of me." He placed a hand over his heart, "I am simply known as Valâr."
Dante smirked, almost letting out a short laugh, "See, now you're lying to me."
"Oh? In what way?"
"Here's the thing, Valâr." The devil raised his hands up briefly, making air quotes with his fingers, "My younger brother told me a really interesting story once about… oh, would you look at that? A man he killed with your name." He waved towards the bespectacled man, "So how is it that I'm talking to a dead man currently?"
"From what I've gathered, you're a smart young man. Surely, you can answer that yourself."
"Well…" Dante leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he narrowed his eyes on the man, "You're not a regenerator type, considering my brother completely destroyed every single speck of you. So the only semi-logical conclusion to make is… that you have multiple bodies."
The man smiled widely, "One thousand, but I suppose in order to be precise, I actually have nine hundred and ninety nine bodies left, since your younger brother saw fit to destroy the other one."
"Good for him, I say."
A wry chuckle.
"I must say, given your temperament for caution, I really didn't expect you to just… jump right in."
"Ah, well… I'm just a selfish bastard when it comes to understanding anything about consequences. Then again… I don't really have to bother with them if I'm in a position where I can do something about it."
"My… what a dangerously arrogant claim to make."
"When you've faced down uglier, stronger things, and have been in all kinds of dangerous situations, a person kind of tends to either come up on top most of the time, or just isn't as impressed. Me? I'm just not that impressed with you."
"Now now, this is only our first meeting, young Aetherveil. Surely you wouldn't make such a foolish mistake as to underestimate me, would you?"
"Eh… I don't know… Depends really."
"On?"
"Lots of things. But that doesn't really matter right now."
"Yes… I believe you have some questions for me, no?" Valâr started tapping the side of his cheek with his gloved finger, "Let. Me. See. The question currently most pressing on your mind is… whether or not I was the mastermind behind the events of ten years ago, no?"
Dante folded his hands together, interlocking his fingers tightly as he leaned back on the chair's legs, kicking his feet up on the table's edge.
"I was present at the time, however, I was not the mastermind. Just as much as I wasn't responsible for the threat assessment on that abomination of an Aegis Blade, or the stripping of her Existence." The man scoffed as he shrugged his shoulders, "It's not as if we could have killed her, so we took the second best course of action to prevent her from biting back."
He could feel something stirring deep within his soul, an anger not quite his own. He did his best to keep his calm, but struggled in the face of Eclypse's fury, a fury which at the moment was like a beast about to break out of its chains. After all, he too was steadily getting just as angry.
"If you can't kill a powerful being, then what becomes the next best option? Sealing them away? Hardly." He scoffed, "Such a thing would only keep them at bay for a set time. Therefore…" He kept one hand still as he used the other to rub it in on his palm in a circular motion, as if he were erasing something, "you take away their existence. Their name. The very memory of them. That way, they live on as just some intangible thing, unseen and unheard. But even then, that thing you so proudly carry in your possession resisted so fiercely, managing to inexplicably re-establish its existence for brief moments to aid you at times, so I suppose I can give it some due credit."
"She has a name, sheep fucker." Dante angrily said.
"A name I can't be bothered to remember." Valâr shrugged.
The young devil had already made up his mind, and untensed his whole body, which struggled to remain still.
"Before you die, I have one more question."
The man sighed, "I have more bodies, in case you for-"
"Shut the hell up and listen, four eyes."
The man seemingly dropped any pretense of a smile, and narrowed his eyes on Dante, waving a hand for him to proceed with his question.
"Were you the one who messed with Xīn Huá's memories?"
He nearly laughed, "Really? That's your question?"
Dante kept a fixed stare on the man, unblinking as he waited for a reply.
"I perhaps may have had a hand in certain matters."
Without saying anything else, the young devil very quickly reared one leg back slightly then stomp kicked the edge of the massive table full force, breaking it off its legs as it soared towards the man's chest to separate him in two. He expected as much from Dante, and quickly jumped up enough to avoid contact, tapping his palm on the ending edge to make a full leap over. However, just as he avoided one possibly lethal attack, the young swordsman was already close to him, and slashed at the man using Eclypse.
Valâr took a step back just enough to avoid having his body cut, but lost his left arm beneath his elbow in exchange, the remains flying behind him as Dante moved in to cut the man's head off. Instead, the bespectacled man raised up his right arm quickly.
"Stop." He spoke with a firmer voice.
As he uttered the word, Dante completely froze just before Eclypse cut the skin of his neck, the devil unable to move in the slightest, save for his eyes as they bolted around quickly, trying to find the reason for his unexplained, forced stop that left him petrified. As far as he could tell, nothing had pierced his flesh, and nothing was visibly restraining him, which led him to trail his eyes to the ground.
"Yes, very good."
His eyes looked up to Valâr, who walked over to his severed arm and picked it up, then oriented it correctly in its previous position as white particles seeped into the separated flesh. The particles seemingly mended flesh and bone, even eating away the bloodstains on his skin before the particles even mended his sleeve, cleaning the blood out of the fabric as well.
"My ability… Or rather, my Semblance is complete manipulation of inorganic matter, and fair control of organic matter. Just about any speck of matter that I come into contact with in a twenty meter radius of myself will be under my total control. Its shape, its size, its very definition, everything will move according to my design."
He took off the leather glove on his left hand, holding it in his right palm. A slight flicker of cyan blue Aura emerged from his palm, and the glove in it quickly broke down into particles before quickly rearranging into a sleek and shiny sheet of gray metal. It then warped into a perfectly shaped cube and changed to a white color, then expanded to the size of a beach ball and into a perfect sphere, taking on a golden color.
"Ironically, my Semblance has also gifted me with a form of alchemy, quite literally allowing me to change leather…" He twirled his hand around as the sphere shrunk to the size of an eyeball as he held it between his fingertips, "into gold."
The shiny golden sphere transfigured into black particles, which covered his left hand and formed a black leather glove once more as he walked towards Dante.
"It also allows me to utilize surface contact of material to essentially 'run my Semblance' through it, like electricity running through a sheet of metal. So long as my intended target is within a twenty meter radius around me, and touching any material I'm in current contact with, I can manipulate their body just enough to force them to completely stop, or to twist some limbs around."
Valâr stood in front of Dante now, hands behind his back as he leaned forward a bit to mockingly smile at him.
"Unfortunately, when it comes to flesh and blood beings, that's all I'm capable of, despite my occasional desire to simply 'explode' a gnat."
He moved past the devil and walked with his hands behind his back towards a frozen Xīn Huá.
"Honestly, I'm somewhat disappointed, Master Phoenix. I let you leave and then you turn right back and attempt to murder me. Truly a sad state of affairs!" He stopped in front of the Blade, dramatically looking towards the sky in sadness.
What's going on?! He looks and sounds the same, but..! His personality… It's fairly different! His arrogance and playful attitude is still the same, yet he's more dramatic and seemingly more sadistic… Just what is..?
He started to rotate his index finger very slowly, where in the same time, the martial artist's right index finger began to steadily bend backwards. Eventually, the finger started to try and bend beyond its limit; she could feel the pain but couldn't wince, much less cry out in pain.
Dante however could hear the thoughts of her pain, and just barely, his body twitched.
"I suppose locking you up for so long wasn't punishment enough. Perhaps I'll completely mangle your arms, starting with your fingers. And if you insist on further disobedience, well… Perhaps your legs will follow."
As Xīn Huá's finger continued to slowly bend backwards almost to the point of breaking, Valâr was smiling rather cruelly in vicious anticipation. For a moment, he even considered undoing his Semblance just enough to allow her to cry out in pain.
A snap.
Not the martial artist's finger, but something deep within the corners of his mind. It was like a line of thread that had been snapped far behind him, and when the man spun around, he saw something that made his "heart" sink a little. A very bloodied Dante was close enough to bring down his sword and cut the man in two, but wasting no time, Valâr slid backwards on his heels ten meters away from the duo clutching his chest. While he did evade a fatal blow, he didn't dodge completely unscathed, having taken a cut from his shoulder across his chest.
"Hmph."
The man raised up a hand, and a small patch of the white ground beneath him broke apart into particles to repair his body and his shirt, cleaning it of the blood as well. Now healed, he looked back up at the pair, seeing Dante grasp Xīn Huá's hand as her body turned into azure aura, then split apart into four parts, two enveloping his arms while the other two covered his feet and legs.
The aura quickly dripped away like wet paint dripping down a wall, revealing black and white plated gauntlets and greaves resembling the design of Xīn Huá's own armored hands and feet. The biggest difference was that the gaps in the metal and palms glowed white instead of azure, and his fingertips were four sided claws, each edge sharp as the tips curved towards the palm very slightly.
Xīn Huá had never formed a contract with anyone before Dante, so Valâr never had the opportunity to see her in her weapon form. He would have laughed a little of how he imagined something more extraordinary, but currently, he was looking over the bloodied mess that was the young devil's body, or rather "was", since the bleeding had seemingly stopped almost as soon as it happened.
The bespectacled man frowned, "Honestly… You really are a grotesquely unpleasant fellow… Forcing your body to move to the point you tore apart your frozen muscles just to break free of my Semblance… You truly are nothing less of a monster."
"So sweet of you!" Dante wiped his blood soaked face with his shirt, sniffling a little with a sigh of relief as he could see properly now, "Bet you're a real hit with the ladies with that yee yee ass getup of yours." He pointed at the man briefly.
Valâr rolled his eyes, "Yes yes, get your feeble insults out of the way." He waved his hand a few times before stretching it out towards Dante, "Speak while you still can."
He activated his Semblance once more, feeling it "latch on" to the devil, only to be shocked when it broke apart as soon as he started walking towards him. Again he activated and it again took hold, only to break apart shortly after.
It's affecting him, but only for a split-second now… I see…
Valâr lowered his hand with a sigh, fixing his glasses soon after.
"Uh oh, looks your shitty ability isn't working anymore, you shitty four eyes." Dante smirked as he kept walking forward calmly.
If an individual is privy to my Semblance beforehand, and has decent enough control of their Aura, they can create a thin layer of Aura at the soles of their feet to prevent my Semblance from affecting them upon ground contact within my vicinity. The same method can be applied to their body as well should I directly touch a part of them and keep hold. However… My opponent is someone whose Semblance IS Aura Manipulation, which means direct touch contact or ground contact is completely useless against him.
He looked to Dante's armored feet, noticing no glow of Aura at all.
Truly an unpleasant young man… He's not even using his Aura to prevent my Semblance from affecting him, and is simply striding forward smugly through sheer force. He knows he can manifest his Aura to protect himself, yet he chooses not to in order to mock me. I really… truly…
"Despise things like you." He quietly spoke as he walked forward slowly, "Don't be too confident now. I may not be able to use the direct contact aspect of my Semblance on your body, but I can still manipulate the matter in my vicinity."
"Is that so?" Dante said uncaringly as he walked closer.
"Indeed." Valâr smiled, "Shall I elucidate you further? Normally, my Semblance only has an effect of up to twenty meters. However… Did you know that in this place composed entirely of crystallized silicon and carbon… that limit ceases to exist?"
"And?"
"And that means… every corner of this space is mine to control."
"Again… So what? It changes nothing in the end." The devil said as he menacingly walked towards Valâr, "One way or another, you're going to die today."
The bespectacled man growled silently as he took one step forward, the ground rippling like a violent wave before vertical waves of spikes emerged from the ground, heading towards Dante. The young devil raised his armored right leg up higher when he took another step forwards and violently stomped on the ground, sending out a tremendous shock wave that cracked apart the ground in a cone shaped blast, destroying the spikes in one attack.
Interesting…
Valâr raised a hand up as four large pillars shot out from the ground near Dante, which then formed cone-shaped spiked heads as the structures became wobbly like live worms. They then shot forwards one at a time, each massive "worm" attacking in intervals from various angles, yet they did not touch him once.
His initial movements were to simply dodge them, taking a stance that Xīn Huá once taught him in their training as danced around them easily, like water effortlessly flowing past large rocks. The man clicked his tongue as he raised up his other hand, making four more "worms" sprout out from the ground behind Dante. They attacked in separate intervals from their original four counterparts, and yet the devil still intended to make a fool out of Valâr by dodging each attack, not so much as taking a scratch.
Now, he would touch them.
Dante's incredible evasive maneuvers then changed into full blown destructive attacks; each time a worm came close to touching him, he obliterated them in single strikes. Quick punches and chops either severed or crushed the worms easily, but they kept regenerating. Normally, they would have regenerated quickly given the resources available, but even their regeneration was being slowed down by something constantly gnawing away at their shattered bodies.
It seems she's taught him how to utilize Ki Energy, but Ki isn't solely causing the startling deterioration. It's his Aura, or rather the destructive aspect of it. I can keep attacking him all day, but attacking him like this will only waste more resources and permanently destroy them, not even allowing me to reutilize the leftover or scattered materials. But I can't avoid using resources either.
Valâr made the husks of the worms extend upwards before they exploded, their pieces quickly transforming into raining swords that shot at the devil like bullets. The devil continuously projected dozens of swords to counter the ones trying to rain down on him, and any that slipped by were taken out by swift kicks or punches from him. When he destroyed the hail of swords, he swept a leg outwards and behind him, taking a standing pose as he kept one hand behind his back and the other raised, his fingers curling in a few times to goad the man to try harder.
His physicality was already monstrous… But she's virtually given him a lens to focus all that destructive power and incredible mobility. Semblance to Semblance, I'm at a disadvantage. Even so… I don't think I can win against him without going over the limit of resources I set for myself.
Valâr extended a hand as the floor broke apart into particles, flowing into his black gloved hand to form a long white wand, resembling that of a conductor's wand.
([Punishing Gray Raven] Hamlet Boss Theme Extended - Sie Liebten Sich Beide 4th Movement)
He flicked the wand as if he was directing an orchestra, and humanoid bodies began to form out of the ground, completely faceless. The first batch was that of thirty or so, and with an aggressive flick of the wand guiding them, their arms beneath their elbows morphed into single edge long blades. They walked towards Dante slowly, staggering like newborns until they broke out into a full on sprint, making the devil raise up both armored hands as he took a wide stance.
(0:19)
One of the humanoids at the head of the pack lunged forward, only to have been sidestepped to take a devastating chop to its neck, severing head from body. He then spun around to focus on the next incoming target, dealing a quick punch to the face to crack apart its head before kicking the body into the group to stagger them. Thrown off, the humanoids pathetically took swipes at Dante as they toppled backwards or were pushed back, the young devil swiftly destroying them with single, powerful strikes. He continued punching and hacking through them, using their remains to bash them into the others whenever they grouped up, or used them to finish off "lucky" survivors by smashing them into bits.
Just as he finished with the first batch, the other batch came after him almost immediately, but they weren't going down in single hits, also moving and attacking much faster than before. Even so, these improvements were incremental, not enough to be a true threat since all Dante had to do to outpace them was try a little harder. Thus, like the last batch of "copied soldiers", the newest batch easily fell in a short time.
But of course, they wouldn't kill him. Not in this life or any. Time to utilize new tactics.
When the last soldier had been struck down, the terrain itself had begun to attack him. Spikes rising from beneath his previous footfalls, pillars rising to launch him up into the air, gaps forming in the ground he was predicted to tread on to trip him up, projectile shooting from the nearby walls like bullets… Truly, it was like a hellish obstacle course that even the most well experienced Huntsmen could overcome. A single mistake meant death for a normal individual.
But this was Dante Aetherveil.
At worst, he suffered a few minor scratches here and there. He was only utilizing his Threat Tracer to block any devastating or "fatal" attacks he may have missed or incorrectly predicted. After all, there were simply too many attacks and traps to 100% keep track of. Spikes were crushed with foot or fist. Pillars were danced around or obliterated. Shorter or longer strides were taken to avoid suddenly emerging gaps and pitfalls. Projectile were either dodged or blocked with his arms and legs using Xīn Huá in her weapon form.
It was frustrating for Valâr to watch.
He should have been taking more damage than simple small cuts. His Calculated Predictions should have been spot on in seriously injuring the young devil. Nothing was going according to his design. It agitated him to no end, so much so that he pushed himself far outside the safety margins of his Semblance, blood now steadily dripping out of both nostrils as beads of sweat formed on his head, his arrogant smile long since vanished. The overuse use of his Semblance to the drastic extent being displayed now was putting too much stress on his brain and his eyes due to the numerous calculations, commands given in short spans of time, and the unhealthy overload of his senses to further extend the reach and accuracy of his ability and calculations.
Never in his long life had he been pushed so far to deal with an enemy, and he absolutely despised it to the point he began to make drastic decisions.
His wand flicking had lost its elegance in favor of forceful flicks that "swooshed" loudly from the amount of power he was putting behind it, blood starting to seep out of the corners of his eyes. The roof had crumbled apart, giving way to the large buildings surrounding the citadel as those very buildings had begun to tilt over, some spilling into the immense throne room. They were easy enough to outrun or get out of the way of, but one building in particular had been falling in a way that made it impossible to outrun due to the already hectic terrain.
So he swept a foot behind himself, and firmly rooted his feet into the ground to take a stance, right arm reared back while his left arm extended outwards, his palm facing the massive building falling on him. His body was emitting faint traces of white energy as he remembered Xīn Huá's teachings on Ki Energy. She had taught him a lot of forms, and now, he was going to perform one of her techniques.
While his Ki Energy flowed around his body, it was more concentrated on his right fist, his mind recreating the shape of the technique he saw the martial artist perform. When the building was within range, a faint shockwave emerged from Dante's armored right arm due to him clenching his fist tighter, and then, he loosed it.
"Third Form..! Piercing Azure!"
He took a step forward and threw his punch, the white Ki Energy around his fist briefly shooting out and forming the projection of a monumental, double edged sword. While brief, it was enough to completely puncture through the falling building, leaving glowing streaks of Ki Energy as it split apart, allowing the young devil enough space to pass through.
As he landed safely in what remained of the throne room, the ground began to quake rather violently as he heard Valâr's inelegant and manic laughing from above.
"AND NOW..! FOR THE CRESCENDO!"
When the devil looked up, he saw a huge, globe-like mass much bigger than the buildings floating high above the air, material from the surrounding area and buildings flooding into it to increase its size. The white color then began to turn pitch black, indicating to Dante that the material had changed properties, likely to increase durability so that he couldn't easily break it.
Valâr was literally intending to crush him with this next attack to end the battle.
Great… Now what do I-?
+Keep calm, young lord.+
I thought I said you don't need to call me that, Xīn Huá…
+Slip of the tongue. But the point still stands. It's time for the Seventh Form.+
Hey hey… I've only ever seen you do it once, and I still don't even have the Fourth Form down all that much…
+Don't worry.+
"I'm right here beside you." The girl manifested next to him, nodding her head with a resolute smile.
"Alright then, ms. Badass Azure Phoenix… Teach your helpless pupil a thing or two."
She scoffed at the word "helpless", then took a wide stance as Dante followed her movements. Granted, he couldn't imitate her perfectly since she was making adjustments that were different from the Forms he already knew, but he guessed the rest for now would be a "learn-as-you-do". Either way… they had no other alternative.
Azure Ki Energy flowed around Xīn Huá as white Ki flowed around Dante, their arms brimming with more concentrated bursts of Ki. Then, the bespectacled continued his manic laughing, transitioning into a crude battle cry as he very forcefully flicked his wand downwards, his blood violently splashing about in the air as the globe began to fall.
Xīn Huá took in a deep breath, Dante doing the same as they lowered their stance a little more. Their breathing was in a steady rhythm, coming to a hold as the globe had menacingly closed in on them. Then, with sharp cries from the pair…
"SEVENTH FORM..!" They took a step forward in perfect unison, throwing their glowing fists towards the globe, "AZURE ONSLAUGHT!"
Like the Third Form, their fists unleashed monumental sword projections of azure and white Ki Energy, but instead of one destructive punch, it was a continuous series of punches. True to its name, the Seventh Form was a continued onslaught of the Third Form, their punches sharp and swift, like a gatling gun spewing out hundreds of bullets within seconds. Their combined might broke through the surface of the globe with some effort, wherein the duo were homefree to dish out the true devastating power of the Seventh Form.
Then, as the martial artist reared back her right arm, the devil reared back his left at the same time as they let out a roaring battle cry and dealt the final punch. A massive shockwave erupted through the area as cracks formed in the entirety of the globe, which then exploded into huge chunks that fell around them.
(End Song)
It was like an apocalyptic rain of fire and stone falling upon the fake city, tearing down and destroying his perfect design. Even so, his eyes were still fixed to the sky where his final, meteoric attack was supposed to have descended to finish this battle. Yet he stared up with utter disbelief, his eyes, ears, mouth and nose still bleeding rather profusely given the immense strain he put on his brain. By the time he felt Dante closing in from behind, he had spun around and taken a heavy, gauntleted punch to his cheek, sending him flying like a cannonball. His body crashed through a few of the broken walls, eventually coming to a slow roll until he was completely on his back, taking ragged breaths as he stared at the ceiling.
"W-Why..? Even all that… power should have been..!" He coughed up blood, making him painfully roll to his side as he vomited blood shortly after.
His gloves were now thoroughly stained with his blood. His own blood.
I need to… upload my Consciousness Data..! To a new body..!
Valâr was dragging himself away steadily, clawing at the ground as he left a messy blood trail. Hearing a silent thud in front of him, he looked up, eyes widening on his bloodied face as he saw Dante standing in front of him. His analysis told him that the devil had strained himself heavily just now, but his body was already quickly repairing any larger damage and mending everything else that was strained.
It just wasn't fair… Even if he was no longer immortal, he still…
…
…
Valâr smirked as he rested on his forearms, "I still have… more..!"
"Then I'll keep killing you." Dante smirked a toothy, devilish smile, "And keep killing you until you don't have any more bodies left. Make it fast though, will ya? I don't have all day to fuck around with you. Better yet, send 'em all out at once!"
"Such arrogance..!" The man slammed his hand on the ground, cracking it apart.
He was keeping progress on his transfer. If he could stall Dante for four minutes, then…
…
He checked again, only to feel a sense of hopelessness wash over him like a cold torrential wave from the ocean.
The transfer had ceased. Whether it was because he suffered too much damage or by the fact the AI he installed had been wreaking havoc on itself within the network was something he didn't know. It just froze inexplicably like he had, the only thing to move being his drops of blood splattering onto the floor.
"What's the matter, Muffin Man? Crap yourself already, or-?"
Dante caught something on his upper peripherals, seeing something rather… surprising given that he shut up almost immediately.
"Well now… You've certainly made a mess of things here, haven't you?"
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Valâr's heart seemingly sank into a deep pit once he heard that voice.
His voice.
His head slowly turned around, his skin crawling as he too now saw what the pair ahead of him did.
It was Valâr, standing completely undamaged and smiling, dressed exactly the same as the one on the ground had been dressed before the fight. The only difference however was that the Valâr standing had a small, black beauty mark under the right corner of his lip. Given he was looking up at him, he couldn't see his eyes, only a gleam of light from the lenses of his glasses.
"All this time to yourself, and you only managed this much? I'm honestly quite shocked at how inefficient you have been in these last two years." The man said as he adjusted his glasses, "Were you enjoying yourself too much?"
"H-How-?!"
"Oh please, you must be joking. Your AI is running amok in the Local Network tearing itself apart until the last scrap. Not to mention, you let your bloodlust get the better of you." The man walked up next to his gravely injured other, "Your immaturity led you to anger too easily. Every battle you've fought, every conflict you resolved has been met with the most minimal resistance, or at the very least, an easily winnable situation given your semblance." He paused and smirked, "Or rather, my Semblance."
The Valâr on the ground was doing his best to brute force his way back into the Network to gain access to the vault of spare bodies, but every effort was blocked. His other looked down on him mockingly with sharp, crimson eyes, hands together behind his back as he leaned his upper body downwards
"I'm afraid there's no escape this time. No matter your efforts, you will die here with complete certainty."
"Original..! You bast-!"
Before he had the chance to speak his words, his head was stomped into the pristine white ground and burst from the swift and powerful stomp, ending his life. With a sigh, he swept the back of his gloved right across his dress vest, his shoes and clothes dissolving the blood spatters. With a swift swipe of his hand, the ground beneath the corpse had broken apart to "devour" the body, wherein the hole had instantly repaired itself, leaving no previous trace.
A slight raise of his hand, and a small round table meant to seat four people quickly formed from the ground along with chairs, wherein a hole opened up next to Valâr's right side. A small pillar emerged with… a large, white paper bag, and three large carton cups of coffee. He took them off the pillar as it sank back into, then set them on the table before placing his hands atop the backrest of his chair, where he then gestured for Dante and Xīn Huá.
"I suppose an explanation is in order. Would you join me in the meantime? I haven't had a good snack in a long time."
Xīn Huá looked to Dante first in confusion, her Wielder remaining silent with crossed arms as he was attempting to make sense of things himself. But for the moment, he had a more important question on his mind.
"Did you… order food?" He asked.
"Yes."
"And coffee?"
"Indeed." The man replied with a nod, gesturing for the young devil to take a seat.
With a shrug, the devil walked forwards as his greaves and gauntlets vanished in a crackling flicker of azure Aura, soon taking his seat as the bespectacled man joined him. The man opened up the bag, and tilted it over, donuts of numerous varieties spilling out onto the table. He looked up with a questioning glance, and the man laughed.
"Please, of all the ways I would attempt to kill you, which I won't, poison wouldn't be one of them. After all, it'd be useless to even try to poison you given your immunity to toxins and disease."
"Oh, so you do know me then." Dante picked up a rectangular, maple donut.
"In a sense. Moreso of you rather than knowing you personally."
The devil shrugged his shoulders and began eating his maple donut, savoring his initial first bites, while Valâr began eating a glazed jelly donut. Xīn Huá meanwhile still remained in place, dazed by the sudden ceasefire.
"You must join us, Master Phoenix." Valâr said, shifting apart some of the donuts and pastries, "Look. I had these ordered specifically for you."
He pointed out a group of bread-like pastries shaped like cartoonish chickens with a layer of white frosting with hints of red. She scowled at the bespectacled man, who only smiled back and waved for her to come join them. The martial artist only glanced at her Wielder, who nodded his head.
"It's alright now, I guess. We can kill him after if he decides acts up."
"A wise decision. Fighting should only be done before or after a meal, not during." Valâr pointed out.
"I know that!"
It was... surprising watching them talk to each other so casually. Just minutes ago they were trying to kill each other, or rather, someone appearing like Valâr and her Wielder were trying to kill each other. Now, the scene was as if she was watching two strangers suddenly striking up conversation.
"Dude, these seem pretty fresh…"
"I had them ordered a few minutes ago after I stepped out from my 'prison'." He scoffed at the term, "It had been almost two years since I had any along with some coffee."
"And you didn't think to spank the interloper first?"
"Seeing as you were the one fighting him, I wasn't all too worried. So I placed an order that would arrive by the time I made my way to the entrance. Then, I came back down to see the situation had been resolved. Masterfully done, I must say."
"Yeah yeah…"
…
…
"Is this how things are with him..?" Xīn Huá silently muttered before sighing, giving up on making any sense of the current situation as she joined the table.
"Who was that douchey psycho?" Dante asked, eating another donut.
"You tell me. What do you make of the whole situation?"
The young devil leaned back in his chair after grabbing his cup of coffee, taking a sip as he thought things over. The Blade however was dealing with an internal struggle as to whether or not she should eat the "phoenix" pastries. They looked delicious, but they also looked fairly cute, so much so that she felt it would be criminal to eat them. However, she eventually took up one of the pastries and bit into it, pleased with the taste and the texture.
"Well… Let's see… There were two of you, but obviously you both have very different personalities. And let's be honest, you bought me dinner, so bonus points." Dante pointed out, "Then there was that talk about spare bodies, so… Hmmm… Android?"
"I see. A logical conclusion, given your aptitude with robotics and AI. The spare bodies served as your biggest clue, did it not?"
"Pretty much."
Valâr set his carton cup down and smiled, "While not completely correct, your train of thought is very close. I am… Hmmm…" He paused, crossing his arms as he himself pondered his existence, "I suppose I am something like an Android, though I believe the most accurate term that describes my existence would be… What was the term again..? Ah yes, a Homunculus that can fully integrate with technology. Hence why I possess Consciousness Data and spare bodies."
"Huh, how about that… Alright then, how old are you then, mr. Homunculus?"
"Hard to say. I have been alive for almost a millennia now…"
"Yeah, bullshit. Homunculi don't live that long, much less ten years. Six at best."
"Ah, but you forget. Homunculi are at times mass produced for all sorts of purposes, and thus are quickly matured, typically having set lifespans of four years, perhaps six should they be fortunate enough. However… Homunculi can live much much longer, should they be fabricated in such a way."
He folded his hands together, interlocking his fingers as he leaned back in chair.
"As such, I am a sort of high end Homunculus, the initial prerogative of my creation to be that of a traveler, and record keeper."
"Of?"
"Anything and everything worthy of being recorded. People, locations, events… Worlds."
"So what might a guy like you be doing here in this World?"
"My own choice. This World has had a very turbulent, yet very interesting history. Thus, as the saying goes, I decided to 'kick up my feet' here for the time being."
"I see… So does that mean..?"
"Indeed. I do know of the Old World, but not by the same means you have come to learn about it. The ruins scattered across the World differ from our current Era greatly; civilization has prospered much differently and with far less 'magic'. Therefore, the only logical conclusion to make was that a mass extinction event occurred, pruning the 'Humanity' of old completely. Well, save for the 'Wicked Witch' and the old man, I suppose." He smirked as he took a sip of his coffee, "Suffice it to say, I'm fairly caught up to current events."
"I suppose that makes things easier then. For the most part."
"Oh?"
"I have three questions to ask that'll determine your future, so I hope you're truthful with me. Otherwise… I'll destroy you and all your spare bodies."
"Have you forgotten that I have my Network? Besides that, what makes you think I would ever store all of my spare bodies in one place?"
"Doesn't matter. Given time, I'll find a way to kick you out and block your access. After which, I'll make it a rewarding side-quest to hunt down your remaining bodies until it's just you."
"So brutal… Hmm. Very well, ask your questions."
"First… You were the bastard that experimented on my younger brother and sister, right?"
"Indeed, I was." He answered with zero hesitation or fear, "But by their consent, of course."
"Bullshit."
"It's the truth. Sweet Ciel's case was a simple one in that she was found with a group of young orphans, all of which had special abilities aside from their Semblances. We took them in and began to educate them and nurture their abilities. The ever-serious Leonard agreed to allow me to study him when I had first found him on this continent, which helped me advance my research to create bodies close to the kind that you and your blood relatives possess. This in turn would allow me to create newer and sturdier organic bodies for the Lianna twins, who are currently traveling with him."
"Why is it then that from the both of them I heard some very different, and frankly terrifying stories?"
"What may happen at times when you leave others in charge so that you may attend to other matters. The researchers under my employ for both study cases of your siblings grew too greedy and too impatient for results. After all, the things we learned from them were simply… astonishing. Groundbreaking, even. They allowed cruelty to fuel their reasoning, thus leading to the abhorrent and inhumane experiments that were conducted in my absence."
Dante clenched his fists under the table, doing his best to not so much as flinch as he kept a focused stare on Valâr.
"When I did return, both siblings had escaped. After 'catching up' on the events that lead to this, I butchered everyone involved. Not to hide the evidence, mind you."
"Then for what, if not that?"
Valâr dropped his self-confident smile, looking at the devil with a fiercer stare.
"I gave my word, you see. I promised them no harm would come to them, and that they would not be forced, nor coerced, to take part in experiments should they not desire to." His gloved fingers were interlocked, the leather "squelching" in a rather eerie, angry manner, "My word is not so easily given, nor is it betrayed without… dire consequences. Thus, it was only fitting that they suffered rather excruciating deaths in return for the pain they caused, believing they could use my 'word' as their shield."
The young devil smirked, and the bespectacled man across from him smiled as well, a silent form of understanding and respect forming between them.
"So your… other… He was the one that fought with my brother months ago?"
"Correct. As you surely know, Consciousness Data, like any form of research really, is not a perfect science. While the transfer rates have a high rate of success, there is also the risk of… abnormalities occurring. My 'other' was the result of such an abnormality. Not the first mind you, but this one was rather excessively aggressive. During my transfer to this newer body, he decided that he would like to be in charge, and thus had kept me locked away for almost five years. The rest, you know."
"Fine. Second question then… The AI talked about destroying Xīn Huá's sect. Did you have a hand in that?"
"Oh? So it made mention of that event?" Valâr raised a hand to his chin, his eyes flashing as streams of data ran across them, "Hmmm… I see… As I've come to understand now, such events did transpire two hundred years ago, however, as you pointed out, it brought up such events to mentally disturb Master Phoenix. The Sect she ran near the Atlesian Border was indeed attacked and decimated two hundred years ago, but it lied about its involvement."
"Then who was responsible, if not the machine?" The martial artist asked, looking at him sternly.
"That is something I do not know, despite the amount of time I investigated the incident. All I do know is that you were the sole survivor, wherein we would meet one another 180 or so years later. I truly am sorry that I have no further relevant information." He nodded apologetically.
She scowled a few moments before taking a deep breath, calming herself down.
"Last question then…" Dante said before taking a sip of coffee, firmly setting it down on the table after, "You were there twelve-some years ago, weren't you? When Eclypse was ripped from me?"
Valâr tugged on his tie, "I was present as an observer at the time, and a backup plan. You, however, did not make it far enough to warrant my intervention. My Maker was quite keen on separating you two."
"Why?"
"He was afraid. Moreso of her influence on you rather than being afraid of her personally." He undid a button on his collar, "To this day, the Aegis Blade Eclypse remains an anomaly, even amongst her own kind. She was forged from Darkness, after all. Imagine my surprise when I learned that in reality… she only inspired you to follow your own desires. To do as you please in life, free from the expectations others would try to force onto you."
"If you knew that, then why-?"
"I told him as much, but he would not listen." He opened up his collar, showing that like Xīn Huá, he too had a curse mark around his neck, "I had no choice but to stand by and watch at the time. Just as I had no choice but to do as instructed when you realized the same thing and tried to rebel, Master Phoenix."
He smirked, looking to the Blade at Dante's side.
"The mark I wear is the 'True' variant of the Vow of Silence. What you had was a cheap copy made by hand."
Xīn Huá quickly tugged at the collar of her battlesuit, the devil seeing her mark was no longer present.
"My maker was meticulous in his discretion. Despite erasing his existence from the memories of all those who ever knew him, he took an extra measure with me given my… finicky nature of existence."
Dante growled, "If he erased any trace of himself, how come you remember him?"
Valâr tapped his temple, "As I said, my existence is unique. To others, it would be as if he didn't exist at all. For me, it is a matter of his identity being a complete blur. I see a blank shape, remember the words I personally spoke to him, but that is all I ever manage. The rest is logical conjecture."
…
…
He's an intelligent individual with a unique existence. I know he isn't lying because… over time, that event has been getting clearer in my memories. It's the same thing for me. Every time now… I keep seeing a figure, but no matter how hard I try to focus on him, I'm never able to make out any features. It's as if he's a 'blank' with a black outline…
"Congratulations. You get to live." The devil said, "And… I don't see any reason for us to be enemies going forward. Unless you intend on getting in my way?"
"Not in the slightest. In fact, I'm very glad you decided to allow me to live. Now I can put forth my proposal." He stood up from his chair.
"Oh?"
Valâr moved to Dante's side, fixing his glasses as he smirked at the young devil. Then, in a surprising move, he knelt on one knee, left arm behind his back as he brought his right arm horizontally in front of his chest. He then closed his eyes and bowed his head low.
"I would ask that you take me into your service. Firstly, so that I may recompense the damage I have caused, both directly and indirectly. And secondly… so I could be of great benefit to you in the battles to come."
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why would you want to work with me?"
…
…
He thought he would have an answer prepared by now, but he was never certain this moment would come. Dante was… strange. He was only ever predictable when he 'allowed' himself to be so, but in general… he wasn't an individual you could use logic or reason to understand his intentions. Many make the mistake of thinking there's some grander scheme or purpose behind his actions, but… the reality was much more simpler, or rather, much more startling.
Because he wanted to, or because he could.
The audacity of such thinking only made Valâr smirk an even wider grin. Then, he remembered the events of twelve years ago, and the decision that he made then. Thus, the man answered.
"Because you are the one I chose."
The answer was simple, and it was true. Dante discerned as much with the firm and resolute stare he was being given, absent of any deception or trickery. Not to mention, the way he gave his answer…
…
…
"Alright then. I'll accept you."
"Young Lord..!" Xīn Huá interjected, "I understand we are in need of more allies with powerful abilities, but… this man… He's…"
"A slippery bastard. I know. And he knows that I know as much. But he isn't a liar when it comes to important matters. That's why he'll be on his best behavior and won't do anything to upset me or disappoint me." The devil looked to the kneeling man, "Right?"
"Of course, my Lord."
"Don't call me 'Lord' or whatever…"
"Forgive me, but I am in your employ. You are to command me as you see fit."
"We're working together, but you aren't some servant or whatever. Like I said, just don't do anything stupid to piss me off." Dante said as he ate another maple donut, this time in the shape of a ring, "And don't bow or kneel to me. I'm not anyone important enough for that fancy crap." He waved off.
Valâr stood up, "If that is your wish, then it shall be so."
"Alright…" Dante drank some more coffee, "I suppose you wouldn't know where Ogranîx is hiding?"
The bespectacled man returned to his seat, taking another jelly donut in hand.
"Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate the Fourth King utilizing the powers of my Network. I have been constantly running deep layer scans for the last few weeks, as well as running detection scans for magic that could camouflage a small or extensive area." He then tore the donut in half, exposing the cherry jelly within the confines of the rings, "Given that there hasn't been any seismic activity of significance or 'pings' for magic, there are two conclusions to make."
He fiddled around with the left half, spinning it between his fingers.
"Conclusion the first. His current whereabouts are at the very fringes of the continent's borders. Perhaps he isn't on the continent at all, and is biding his time until his set date, at which he will quickly teleport close enough to open a rift for the 'Root of Sin'."
The half in his right hand was gently squeezed, the jelly gushing out slowly before retracting into the confines of the hollowed out dough with each squeeze.
"Conclusion the second, and the most likely to occur. He is currently hiding in a dimensional rift. Given the constant snow storms and the vast energy signatures of the Dust Mines, I assume that like with my instruments, even ms. Kitsukami has had difficulty attempting to track any dimensional tears. In addition… the Fourth King could have significantly closed any tears to the point they are incredibly small and almost completely undetectable amongst the myriad of energy signatures. You do remember what his true profession is, don't you?"
The devil scoffed before he finished drinking the rest of his coffee, letting out a sigh.
"I have one more matter to discuss with you, however…" He swiped up his hand, a holographic projection appearing between them, "It would seem you are needed elsewhere for the time being."
The mining village where the Chromas and Belîa were hiding in was being attacked. As expected, Belîa had acted quickly, deploying her "shield" over the town to protect the citizens. All the while, she was slaying… Grimm and minor Dark Entities. From the looks of it, they were working together in an effort to tear the giant woman apart, but she was mercilessly and easily slaughtering them.
They were being annihilated in groups by the knightess in single strokes, either cleaved in two by her massive sword or quickly burned to ash instantaneously. Truly, she was a tireless one man army, but the Chroma siblings did not stand by idly. Armed with long range weaponry, they were aiding the Embered Knightess from a distance. They either outright killed the strange cooperative of evil beasts in single shots or shot off limbs to disable them, making it all the easier for Belîa to eradicate them.
Dante pondered if he needed to step in and assist them, but something caught his eye at the top of a cliffside far away from the town. As soon as he magnified the area to get a proper view, he scowled as soon as he saw a pair of figures, watching the battle rather impatiently.
Guess that confirms it then. It really…
"Three hundred meters in that direction is an elevator bay." Valâr pointed behind the young devil, "It will take you to an airship dock with a small ship that will get you there in under seven minutes."
"You have an airship dock?"
"I do now." The man snapped his fingers.
A faint rumbling could be heard as the remaining buildings were moving, forcibly parting like a sea until Dante could clearly see the elevator bay in the distance.
"How 'bout that… Looks like you'll be useful after all…"
"But of course. In the course of our journey, I will do my best to be as of much use as I can be." Valâr bowed, "Safe travels, my Lord."
"Don't call me that." The young devil stood up from his chair, "Able to go for one more round, Xīn Huá?"
"I'll be fine. Five minutes will be enough to recover by the time we get there."
"Then let's go." Dante turned around to leave, the martial artist following behind him, "We'll continue later."
"But of course." Valâr smiled, "May victory be yours."
Annnnnnnnnnnnd scene.
*Sigh*
I'd apologize, but I've only done it a hundred times by now. To make up for it, next chapter will be packed with a lot of action. And... a very special surprise. Hopefully you stick with me to see that surprise and more, despite my failings to keep a schedule.
I swear, just let me win the freaking lottery or something...
If you have questions, ask them anytime. I will try to answer them without spoiling anything.
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With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend, and remember... be kind and excellent to one another, stay safe, and stay healthy.
