Chapter 77 – Past Sins
Dante's group traveled further and further into the Spirit Tortoise. The walls of the tunnel started to become less like stone and more like a sort of flesh. They picked up more soldiers on their way, as well as encountering familiars. Still, there was no sign of his party.
From the bits he could remember, Dante thought there'd be some puzzle doors involving muscle strands or something of that nature. Instead, it was an endless stream of branching tunnels. It was more than enough to explain why they hadn't found anyone else from his party.
That wasn't to say they didn't find anyone from a different party.
"You are…Lesty, correct?" Dante asked the woman they came across.
"Y-Yes, Sir Shield Hero." The woman gave a nod.
Dante hadn't interacted much with Motoyasu's party, aside from Malty. No particular reason, it just didn't happen.
Lesty had a cut on her exposed arm, likely from a bat, given its size. She was the main mage in their group, though most of them had some talent in magic. It was beneficial here, since most of the soldiers they found were knights.
"Join my party for now." He told her before continuing on.
"R-Right." She said as she followed.
"Have you seen anyone else?" Dante asked over his shoulder.
Lesty shook her head. "No one from the heroes' parties. There were knights, but…"
"I see." He didn't need her to elaborate.
"Eh!?" Lesty let out a voice. "My wound…"
"I healed it." Dante said plainly. "I needed you in my direct party to do so."
Dante had been keeping tabs on everyone in his party, which included the soldiers as they were found. There was a limit to how many people could be in his personal party, so he had to swap people around here and there when familiars snuck up and attacked. He kept his original party as members, healing them as needed.
Eventually, the winding tunnels led them to a circular chamber the size of Melromarc's throne room. There were two other passageways, one on either side of the group. In the center of the room was a familiar sight: a large blue hourglass that lit the room in a blue light.
"We are close now." Dante announced. He approached the hourglass to get a better look. "Hm. Maybe 5%."
Given all the destruction it caused, Dante thought it'd be fuller. Then again, he didn't know how much power was taken from Itsuki or if any was used the first time they fought it.
"Shield God—" Elvira called out.
Barely on the edge of his Life Sense, Dante picked up a signature. The moment Elvira called out, he raised his shield. Something fast and heavy slammed into it, knocking him back a few feet. The damage to him was small. His Goliath Spider Shield was out, having good defense and magic resistance for the bat familiar's fire attacks. But, he felt there was more to the attack. That wasn't even mentioning the crack he heard from his shield.
A metal ball fell to the ground before him, denting the surface. It was pulled back by the long, pitch-black chain it was attached to, returning to the man who launched it.
"I bet you're wondering how the hell this thing counts as a projectile, huh?" A man with sandy blond hair remarked, spinning the ball in the air by the chain.
"You…" Dante glared at him, recognizing his face from the wanted poster he had Ann make. Shildina and Elvira readied their weapons, the orca woman having changed into her therianthrope form, with Lesty right behind them.
"Me!" Takt replied with manic joy, pointing to himself with his free hand. He didn't wear any armor, but he had on a light jacket, almost a hoodie.
"I suppose I should thank you for saving me the trouble of looking for you." Dante took a few steps forward. "Is Itsuki back there? And the pope?"
"Heh." Takt stopped spinning his weapon and pointed to the passageway opposite of them. "Down there is the heart of the Spirit Tortoise. Destroying it should stop this giant monster for a short while, at least until it regenerates."
"Oh?" Dante glanced over his shoulder briefly. "And why would you tell me this?"
Takt smirked. "So your friends can deal with it while you play with me, of course!" He started spinning the ball again. "Unless you want me to play with them instead."
"Drifa Wind Cutter!" Lesty finished chanting her spell and launched a blade of wind.
Takt swiftly whipped the chain around and intercepted the spell, dispersing it. He ducked back down the tunnel he came from, his footsteps echoing.
"Dante, we need to stop him!" Shildina yelled.
"We will. The others can see to the heart." Dante told them.
"Shouldn't we all go after him, Shield God?" Elvira asked.
"That is our job. The soldiers that followed us came to seal the heart. Shadow!" Dante called out. The only shadow they found stood before him. "You are to find more people and bring them here."
"Yes, Shield Hero." The shadow gave a short bow.
"Everyone else, see to the heart. If you are unable to destroy or seal it, wait for reinforcements." Dante instructed.
"Yes, Sir!" They called out.
"I'll go with them." Lesty said. "That was one of my better spells and he stopped it like it was nothing."
"Agreed." Dante gave her a nod.
With the plan set, Dante gave a casting of Liberation Aura X to everyone. Even if it somehow wasn't enough for the soldiers to deal with the heart, it should keep them alive.
For one final power up, Dante showed his wrist to Elvira, who took it without hesitation. She drank heavily, savoring the blood. When she stopped, she had a dangerous smile on her face. "Your enemies will fall, Shield God!"
Dante, Shildina, and Elvira followed after Takt with Dante in the lead. Whatever tricks or traps the man had planned, Dante would be the first to deal with them.
They went down a tunnel and set of stairs before they came to another open area. There they found the runaway Takt, as well as another person who had disappeared.
"Balmus." Dante eyed the old man.
"Shield Demon." He greeted in kind. "You took your time reaching us."
"Your little trick was the cause of that." Dante readied his shield as Elvira and Shildina stood at his sides.
"Oh no, that wasn't mine." The pope gestured to Takt.
"How'd you like it, Dante MacRory?" He asked with a cruel smile. "See something you like?"
"No." Dante simply responded.
Takt shrugged. "Oh well."
That was enough banter for Dante. "Shooting Star Shield X!" He surrounded his group with his protective barrier and began chanting. "The Hero of the Shield commands you! Vassal Weapon—"
"Liberation Down!"
The spell stopped Dante mid-cast, seeing his stats drop back down to where they were before using Aura.
"I had to hold that in until you got here, you know!" Takt lightly jeered.
"How…"
In answer to Dante's question, Takt pointed behind himself. There was a circular mound that glowed blue, much like the hourglass before. At his indication, two objects rose from the ground and hung in the air. One of which was clearly the Holy Bow.
"That little punk was so easy to kill!" Takt laughed. "I mean, his party was wiped out quickly and we had to use familiars to keep him close so I could kill him and take his weapon. If I didn't need to get next to him, I'd have just shot him in the head!"
Seeing Itsuki's bow didn't really surprise Dante. According to the church in Faubrey, the Vassal Axe had an owner and it simply rested on Dante's back. So of course someone stealing it would mean its 'owner' was still alive. That's how it was in the books, too.
Dante's eyes moved from the Bow to the other object as Balmus pulled it from the light. He realized it was the replica when it changed from a spear to a bow.
"With all the offerings this beast has provided, we can finally cleanse the world of sinners and demons!" The pope said, a dark look in his eyes. Looking at it, the bow replica didn't seem right. Its form was twisted, but pure white.
"Is that a curse form?" Dante asked.
Balmus shook his head, his eyes widening as they resettled on Dante. "This is the purest form, worthy only to those who have seen God's light!"
Pride.
Dante couldn't remember what Itsuki's bow looked like at the time in the novels, but the sin for the form the pope used was certainly pride. He didn't know how that could be, but he didn't have the luxury of figuring that out at the moment. That did beg the question.
"Before, when we attacked, you defended the spirit tortoise with a shield skill. Is that what your god allows?" It was a simple taunt, and hopefully it would get the pope to make a mistake.
Instead, the holy man laughed. "To use the Devil's power against him is the highest form of worship to God!"
Dante could tell it was pointless to speak with him. Likely nothing he said would rattle the old man if that was his position.
"So be it." Dante looked to his party. "Shildina, Elvira, be careful. Their weapons are cursed and I will not be able to heal you properly."
"Yes, True God!" Elvira called out, an obvious taunt to the pope.
"Got it!" Shildina gave him a nod.
Healing them would be a problem. Both magic and his HP Endowment would be reduced for them with the curse damage those weapons would inflict. The same was true for his Stat Allocation to replenish his own HP. Dante wasn't too concerned about himself. After all, he saw that curse damage could be regenerated with his own curse.
"Don't forget our deal." Takt turned to Balmus. "You can kill all the humans and demi-humans you want, but MacRory and his lovers are mine." He then smiled at Shildina. "I'll take the sister, too. You can have the fanatic."
Dante grunted. "You must be foolish if you think I would separate us."
"Of course not!" Takt laughed. "You'd never fail to protect your family, right?"
Before Dante could retort, the ground violently shook. It must have been from the heart stopping temporarily, stalling the Spirit Tortoise.
The pope took the opportunity to level his bow at Dante. "Eagle Piercing Shot!"
The arrow shot out and struck Dante's barrier, shattering it.
"Dash!" Takt used a skill Itsuki mentioned. He sped forward, much like Dante's Titanic Charge skill.
Dante had his shield ready to receive the attack. The heavy ball slammed into his shield, knocking him back a few feet. Elvira snapped her whip, the end wrapping around the chain. Shildina rushed in with her katana, angling the blade at Takt's neck.
"Air Strike Throw!" Takt gave the chain a tug, sending the ball flying at Shildina.
"Air Strike Shield VIII!" Dante's skill intercepted the ball, allowing Shildina to continue on.
Unfortunately, Takt was strong. He was able to pull back on the chain, dragging Elvira forward and allowing him to block Shildina's strike with the chain.
"I'm going to enjoy taking everything away from you, Dante MacRory!" Takt happily called out, jumping back to gain some distance.
"I assure you, whoever reincarnated you does not have your best interests in mind." Dante rushed forward, making sure he was between the women and Balmus with the bow.
"Reincarnated? Is that what you think?" Takt jeered. "I couldn't care less about that. I'm here to kill you for revenge. You killed my brother!"
"Shield Prison VI!" Dante surrounded Takt with his skill, only for the fake hero to quickly break out of it. "I have killed many people here, but I do not recall any that look like you."
Arrows shot from the pope forced Dante to cease his run. He blocked the shots intended for his party.
"I suppose you wouldn't recognize me." Takt spun the chained ball around. "Aren't you going to ask who I am?"
"Your name will not matter when you are dead." Despite the grin on Takt's face, Dante could feel the anger emanating from him.
"Is that what you thought when you murdered my brother!?" The ball whipped up into the air before crashing down into Dante's raised shield. "You kill someone and then forget all about them? Just a hired killer!?"
Dante grabbed the chain and pulled hard. Takt came along with it, narrowly ducking under a swing from Shildina. He wasn't quick enough to avoid Elvira's whip, which cracked against his chest and launched him back near Balmus.
"Brionac!" The pope shifted his weapon into its spear form—the same brilliant white color as the bow—and let loose a powerful beam of energy.
"Tower Shield VIII!" Dante enlarged his shield and took the hit, Elvira and Shildina ducking behind the provided cover.
He could feel the burn through his shield, light from the attack coming through as holes started to appear. When the attack ended, Dante shrunk his shield back down.
"Shooting Star Spear! Burst Lance!" Balmus unleased two skills in succession.
"Shooting Star Shield X!" Dante's skill appeared, soaking up the conjured stars from the first skill and breaking on the explosion from the second.
"Drifa Aqua Slash!" Shildina finished casting her spell and sent a blade of heavy water at the pair.
Takt, seemingly having been casting a spell of his own, grinned. What he did next was highly unexpected.
"Drifa Magic Enchant!"
Takt's weapon changed from a ball and chain into a thick sword. It looked more like a jagged cleaver, but the magic was undeniably that of the Sword Hero.
With the cleaver shimmering and shaking with magic it just absorbed from Shildina's spell, Takt leapt into the air. Without time for another skill, Dante raised up his shield to meet the attack. Takt's blade cut into Dante's shield, piercing it and slashing Dante's chest plate and the flesh beneath it. The impact threw Dante back dozens of feet. He bounced on the ground, the Axe falling to the side as the harness was cut open.
"Dante!" Shildina cried out, taking another swipe at Takt.
"Weak!" Takt called back, countering Shildina's attack and launching her away as well.
"You—" Elvira didn't get the chance to react. The momentum from Takt's last attack continued in a circle, meeting the vampire at the end of the arc. Blood shot out from the wound as she stumbled back. She fell to the floor, blood spewing out from her wound.
Her head rolled to the side, a blank, horrified look on her dismembered head. Her face twisted into a silent scream as her name was removed from Dante's party list.
"Elvira!" Dante yelled, clambering to his feet.
"Since you took the vampire," Balmus calmly spoke, switching his weapon into a sword, "Shooting Star Sword!"
"Air Strike Shield VIII!" Dante's skill intercepted the pope's, shielding Shildina as she attempted to stand. The shield broke as the attacked ended. After Takt's attack, Dante's defense had lowered even more since the first attempt on the Spirit Tortoise.
"Thunder Sword!"
"Second Shield VIII!"
"Hundred Swords!"
"Dritte Shield VIII!"
The skills collided and canceled each other out. Dante tried to reach Shildina, who was still struggling from the curse damage Takt inflicted on her, while the same man barred his path.
"Damn you! Titanic Charge V!" Dante yelled as his shield pushed against the cleaver. The magic had dispersed, but Takt remained firm against him.
"You'll have to do better than that!" Takt called out, giving Balmus a look.
The pope seemed to understand, switching out his weapon. "Shooting Star Bow!"
Dante pushed Takt off of him, but he knew there was no way he'd make it to Shildina in time. With his best options spent, there was only one skill he could use.
"Dancing Shield III!" The cut up shield teleported from Dante's arm and appeared on Shildina. With her increased defense, she was able to weather the attack and give Dante plenty of time to transfer HP to her, since the pope's skill didn't seem to imbue any curses.
That, however, left Dante open to attack.
"Air Strike Bash!" Takt swung the cleaver into Dante's side, easily piercing the armor.
Dante was able to grip Takt's arm at the last second, but the blade still dug into his flesh. He could feel the curse damage flow into him. That paled to the other curse within Dante.
"RAAGH!" Dante's screech echoed in the room as he spun Takt around and threw him at the pope. Takt thrust his cleaver into the ground to stop his flight.
The sandy-haired man smirked as he looked up. "That's a good look for you."
The armor on Dante began to melt into a pool of metal and dragon scales. The greaves, the plates, everything fell to the ground. Even the boots he wore disintegrated. All that remained on him was the magic clothes he had spun over a month ago.
Dante recalled his shield from Shildina and charged, switching its form to the Dark Tyrannosaurus Shield. "You will suffer for this!"
"That's my line!" Takt called back. Their weapons clashed, though Dante quickly gained the upper hand. With a shout, Takt was thrown aside, giving Dante an opening on Balmus.
"Devil!" The pope angrily shouted. "Eagle Piercing Shot!"
The skill was no different from the last time it was used against Dante. As such, he was able to pick it out of the air and crush it, nullifying the attack. With the pope's weapon still in its bow form, Dante slammed his shield into him, sending him flying back.
"Better watch you allies!" Takt's voice brought his awareness back over. He was slashing at Shildina, who was struggling to deflect the onslaught with her katana.
"Titanic Charge V!" Dante launched himself through the air at Takt, slamming into him and pushing him from Shildina. "Stay away from my little sister!"
Takt laughed, switching his weapon and spinning the metal ball again. "So now this one is your sister? The woman who helped kill your daughter?" He swung the ball at Dante, who quickly deflected it. "This is the guy who killed my family and ruined my life? Pathetic."
Dante kept himself between Shildina and Takt. With his regeneration from his Pride curse, he could keep partially healing her HP, but not her stamina. Taking damage had a cost he couldn't repair, aside from the curse aspect. He wouldn't be able to keep defending her while attacking, especially not with Balmus still there.
"Drifa Lightning Bolt!"
Takt quickly switched his weapon back into a cleaver and deflected the spell, a trickling of electricity flowing over him as he stepped back.
Dante looked over his shoulder. There he found Sadeena with her harpoon pointed at Takt. Keel, Atla, and Fohl stood by her side, all ready for battle.
"Little Dante is many things, but pathetic isn't one of them." She said without her usual mirth.
As he swung his cleaver to the side, Takt let out a chuckle. "That's what you think." He gazed back toward the glowing mound, where the pope recollected himself. "Look, old man, more demi-humans."
Balmus smiled widely at the sight. "Indeed. So many beasts to put down."
"And all of them important to Dante." Takt looked back, both Sadeena's group and Dante and Shildina in his sight. "Who all do we have now? Two lovers, a little sister, someone he fucks occasionally, and…I'm not really sure which you are." He said, pointing his cleaver at Fohl.
Her response was simply to crack her knuckles.
"Whatever. Balmus, I changed my mind. Kill whoever you want. Dante's all I need." Takt refocused on the man in front of him.
"This will be a cleansing worthy of my time." The pope said, changing his weapon into a spear.
"Shildina, go to your sister." Dante waved behind him.
"But you said—" Shildina began to protest.
"The situation has changed. Go!" He ordered more forcefully.
Shildina hesitated but did what she was told. Takt's eyes followed her for a moment before they returned to Dante, his smile never leaving his face.
"It's you and me again, Dante MacRory." Takt leveled his cleaver at him. "Just how it should be. My long-delayed revenge will taste so sweet!"
With his battered shield raised, Dante moved around the cursed-sword wielder. "What do you care if I happened to kill your family here? Were you not brought here to destroy this world?"
Takt gave an angry snort. "You still don't get it?"
He raised his free hand and dragged it across his face, distorting it. If he was the one who gave everyone hallucinations, then this was clearly an illusion he was creating. The features of his face began to change, going a bit softer. The most eye catching one was his hair, which changed from sandy blond to light brown. When he was finished, he held his hand to the side.
"Does this help?" He asked, his voice having changed as well.
Dante's eyes widened at what he saw before narrowing them again.
Takt's smile twisted into a smirk. "So you do recognize me. Do you remember what you stole from me? What you did to my family? What you—"
"I remember you, boy." Dante said. Of course he remembered. His was the last face Dante saw before his death. "Your uncle ran the town's drug trade. His son was a thug that shook down businesses for protection money. And there you were in my home, and here you are now. Your brother had it coming."
Enraged, 'Takt' lunged at Dante, cleaver clashing against shield. "My brother never touched your family!"
"I do not care." Dante slid the cleaver down and delivered a hard punch to the boy's face. "Your uncle placed the hit. Your brother was friends with the men responsible."
"That doesn't mean anything!" Takt roared, slashing away.
There were many questions Dante should've been asking himself. Chief among them was how his killer was not only in this world, but inhabiting the body of someone else. The fake gods worked through reincarnating people, or summoning with stolen weapons as the case could have been with Dante. Nevertheless, he didn't care to ask them.
"You're just a monster who kills everything!" Takt yelled as he continued his assault.
"I may have a lot of blood on my hands, but your brother was no innocent." Dante retorted.
The way his shield was now, Dante wouldn't be able to tank attacks forever. Each strike chipped away at the shield, his stats, and—increasingly—his HP. But the swings were wild. Unfocused. They were fueled more by rage than skill or precision. Dante merely needed to wait for the right opening.
And then he saw one.
"Cleave Bash V!" Dante's shield smashed Takt's face, stunning him. "Shield Prison VI!"
Jumping back, Dante let Takt be surrounded by the skill. The shields rumbled and began to burst apart. With the time afforded to him, he began to chant once more.
"The Hero of the Shield commands you! Holy and Vassal Weapons! Reject this unworthy hero!"
Takt destroyed the shields around him and leapt in the air, cleaver ready to strike.
"I strip you of your status!" Dante finished his chant.
"Eagle Blade!"
The cleaver came down hard, cutting up Dante's shield even more and tearing into his chest. Dumbfounded, Dante wasn't ready for the follow up as Takt slammed into him with his shoulder.
Now on the ground, Dante looked up at the smirking boy.
"Did you think that would work?" He mocked. "I was brought here solely to kill you. My god gave me protection against the heroes' ability to take away these weapons."
He turned to look at the fight going on with the pope. Dante's eyes shifted as well. Despite the time they spent fighting, there was no notable damage done to the old man. Keel just landed a hit with one of his blades, but the cut seemed to heal itself in an instant. Thankfully, the damage to his party was minimal, so little HP had to be transferred.
"I suppose I've had my fill." Takt turned back to Dante, who was slowly getting to his feet. "Once I'm done with you, I'll kill the others. Then the rest of this rotten world will die."
He gripped the cleaver in both hands. Meanwhile, Dante barely had a shield left to defend with. From every slash and cut made on it, there was barely a third of the surface area left, with a corresponding amount of stats granted by it.
"Thunder Sword!" Takt's weapon crackled with electricity.
"Air Strike Shield VIII!"
When he charged, Takt's blade easily pierced the erected barrier. Dante's shield was raised to block the still glowing weapon, taking another large cut out of it as his defense dropped further. The shield's resistance to electrical attacks was far too reduced by this point.
"Chain Bind!" At Takt's call, chains shot up from the ground and wrapped around Dante's legs and torso. "Crimson Sword!"
With nowhere to run, Dante had no choice but to defend against Takt's next attack. The boy's weapon turned red and weaved through the air at blinding speed.
"Shooting Star Shield X! Second Shield VIII! Dritte Shield VIII! Tower Shield VIII!" No matter what skills Dante used, they were instantly destroyed, leaving him to take on the attack. The quick slashes that struck his shield carved it up more, and the ones that hit his body did increasing damage.
"Cloud Slash!" A great gust of wind from Takt's swung weapon threw Dante far back, the chains cut up like his body. He stumbled to stay standing, ending up taking a knee. "This is the end!"
It is not!
Dante wouldn't allow it to end here. Once he was dead, this boy would turn his attention to the others, to his family. He wouldn't allow that. He couldn't allow that. This boy, who murdered him once before, would not do the same thing now.
But Dante was tired. Even with his regeneration from his Pride curse, he still felt the pain. While the damage was being healed, the curses that weapon inflicted remained and continued to add up. His vision started to cloud over, much like how he felt during Shieldfreeden's Wave.
He couldn't let himself fall back into that, if that was indeed where he was headed. His party was busy with the pope and couldn't intervene if he made careless mistakes.
"Drifa Magic Enchant!" Takt's cleaver absorbed a spell Sadeena just attempted to cast at him. With a mock salute to her, he charged the struggling Shield Hero.
"Dante!" Sadeena called out, though she was forced to deflect a blow from the pope.
The man running at Dante seemed to move in slow motion.
He knew he had no way to defend against such an attack. His shield was incredibly weakened and his skills were on cooldown. The most he could use was Titanic Charge, which would only give him a few seconds more.
But then, he heard something. Felt something. It was like…his other half was calling to him, a piece he didn't know he was missing.
Weakly, he lifted his hand. There was a pull. He pulled back. Back and forth it went, power slowly filling him as time seemed to speed back up to normal.
As Takt neared, Dante dashed forward. Caught off guard and not ready to strike, Takt could only watch as Dante brought forward the weapon he now held in his hands. The jagged blade rammed into Takt's stomach, biting into his flesh.
"GAH!" The boy cried out, being flung across the room.
He rolled on the ground, attempting to right himself. Sliding to a stop, he looked up, holding the open wound on his stomach. Slowly, he pushed himself up. His hand lowered, revealing his would to have already closed partway.
Takt whipped his hand to the side, speckles of blood coming off. His face turned to anger for a moment before a dark laugh escaped his lips. "There's the face I remember!"
"Hah…" Dante let out a breath. He could feel the heat traveling up his arm, but he felt no pain. Surely the fire in his eyes matched those of the Vassal Axe in his grip.
Weapon synchronizing…
Synchronization complete!
In his status, dozens upon dozens of Axe forms appeared and were summarily dismissed. Skills were adapted, the abilities imparted to his mind. His most notable stats seemed to flip, with attack now being his highest while defense was among the lowest. His total HP increased a bit, his current HP nearly reaching that.
Not only that, but his body felt different as well. He could feel it as his arms shook, as he took a step forward. The muscles were bulkier than they were, though not massive in size. It felt so long ago, but he remembered what it was like.
This was his body before he was summoned here.
"This is the man I wanted to kill!" Takt threw his head back as he laughed. "Not some kid version of you, but the real deal!"
"Mister Dante!" Atla called out to him.
"What is this?" Balmus looked over, their fight having been delayed.
With his wound completely healed, Takt started walking forward. "You know, I was wondering if I should have killed your family here first, give you a taste of what you stole from me. But now? Heh. I realize I don't need that. I just need to kill you. You can just imagine what'll happen to them once you're no longer around to protect them.
"Hah…!" Dante grit his teeth at the arrogant boy's words. He could barely form any words of his own, but he was conscious enough of the situation.
"Well now, this is interesting." The pope gave one of his manic smiles at the sight of the Shield Hero's newest power. "Since your followers can't harm me, I believe I should focus my attention on you, Shield Demon."
"So long as you know who gets to kill him, I don't mind." Takt gave the man a sideways glance. "Or you won't be around to see your glorious new world."
"Of course, of course." Balmus gave a dismissive nod.
The change in the fight's dynamic could be beneficial, but Dante didn't think he'd be able to capitalize on it. Even if those two focused on him and his party supported him, he wouldn't be able to communicate properly with them. Really, it was all he could do to keep the rage from both the now-broken Shield and the Axe in check.
There was something else, too. He felt the Pride curse starting to weaken. His regeneration was slowing down, but that could allow some healing spells to work on him. Not that his current party members really had any. Outside of Hero spells, Way of the Dragon Vein was practically useless for spellcasting within the Spirit Tortoise, as Sadeena informed him when they arrived. She herself knew some water healing spells, but they were about as strong as his Healing Warmth and required her to get much closer. He simply couldn't have that.
The solution was simple. He'd just have to overwhelm his opponents with sheer brute strength. Already, there were a few nasty looking skills he was looking to try out.
Before any of them could start anew, the wall closest to the pope burst open in an explosion of rocky flesh.
"What the—" The pope let out a guttural noise.
As soon as he turned to face the newest development, a black trident pierced his chest. It ran straight through him, black flames dancing on the serrated tips. The wound it created left no blood as the burning weapon cauterized them on the spot. He was lifted into the air, struggling to dislodge himself as he saw his attacker.
"Brionac X!"
A crackling, black beam shot up, disintegrating the holy leader of the Three Heroes Church. The skill bored into the room's ceiling, causing another quake of the ground. Whether it was from the force of the power or the Spirit Tortoise acting in pain, Dante didn't know.
When the energy dissipated, all that was left was the wielder of the dark weapon. His normally tied back blond hair hung loose as his bloodshot eyes scanned the room. His gaze settled on Dante a moment before turning to Takt, and then back again.
"Motoyasu…" Dante said his name not in anger or surprise, but pity. He knew the levels of hate and despair needed to unlock a curse series. The Spear Hero must have suffered some great loss, and three of his party members were thus far unaccounted for.
Takt merely smirked. "This works out fine. More soul energy for me!"
His words got the spear wielder's attention, getting him to take a dangerous step forward.
The pope was dead, but this added a level of complexity to the battle. Dante would need to be careful.
"Dante…" Sadeena started to say, only for Dante to raise his hand.
"Back!" He warned. Motoyasu had looked to her for a moment before changing his view to Dante. "I'll handle!"
This time was far different from before. The previous Axe Hero—whoever it was that got possessed—didn't use any skills or seem to know the power up methods. Motoyasu had both. Takt didn't look like he could use the power up methods, but he was supported by the souls the Spirit Tortoise absorbed.
But Dante had a cursed weapon of his own. One that took on the improvements of his most powered up shield. Motoyasu's spear quite possibly had the same thing happen to it when he first gained the cursed weapon.
One of these men had to die for certain. But still, Dante would do what he must.
Author's Notes:
Cloud Slash is something (supposedly) from the web novel. Basically Motoyasu's Windmill skill, but for the Sword. Same with Eagle Blade being like Itsuki's Eagle Piercing Shot.
Next chapter will be the climax of this fight.