Disclaimer: I don't own DMC or Witcher franchise.
Meech Macko and Wlyman: Thats a valid point. I will take this into consideration.
Chapter 14:
In the outskirts of Novigrad...
Dante having learned a few things about the murder behind Ciri's father and theft of infernal magic tomes from Oxenfurt left for Nilfgaard to meet with Ciri. Also proceed with the next stage of investigation to find the assassins. He was riding Geryon at blinding speed, being a demonic equine, other steeds ae nothing in comparison. He was riding towards the state using the route of Novigrad - Oxenfurt - Velen. He's got the entire map in his head with which he knew he had to cross Temeria.
"Gotta find Ciri soon. Not sure what else those creeps are planning. But an artifact to collect souls, I knew some do it for only one purpose. And that's-...what the hell!?" Dante was muttering while he suddenly sensed something, a feeling that something is not right. Then all of a sudden.
**BOOM...BAAM** **MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS**
There were a series of huge explosions. But Dante having sensed it before hand, used his superior reflex to jump high out of his horse with an upside down air dodge, a full body spin and landed on the ground as he slid a few meters backwards from the momentum. Geryon disappeared into the ground as soon as Dante got out. Unlike others, contrary to the situation, Dante was cool, calm and collected. This is his regular bread and butter after all. Dante regained his composure as he knocked the dust off his hands.
"C'mon out and show yourself! You suck at maintaining discretion!" Dante said loud placing his hands in his hips and looking to the sides to see if anyone shows up. Then moments later he was greeted at the sight of the mysterious hooded individuals. They were all together familiar to him.
"Well Well! Look who it is-...The monster hunter from far away. You are quite popular now in the continent, after fending of an attack at Vengerberg. People are already talking about your deeds" one man spoke as he was wearing a cloaked suit with a mask that covered everything but his eyes. Dante immediately pulled his Ivory and pointed at him with a smirk. After Dante got a clear view of him, He immediately recognized the man.
"JACKPOT!" he said, his traditional catchphrase. Dante knew who exactly he is looking at. The ones he set out to search.
"I gotta admit, I was gonna find you all sooner or later, but today? Its a surprise even to me" he jested. Dante has a sharp sense that helps him dissolve any doubts just by getting a peek into the situation. This would only make his job easy.
"Really? We're honored! Perhaps, I have already seen you months ago in an Inn at Rivia. We've been silently watching you from the shadows. We watched you enter Oxenfurt building" the man said as 4 more individuals stood besides him. Dante deducted there were three men and two women.
Also Dante was reminded of an incident when the man said about seeing him in an Inn. Back when Ciri and himself traveled the road before meeting Yennefer, they went to an Inn to eat, That's when Dante noticed a cloaked individual stared at him for sometime before leaving. Dante noticed that though he didn't mind that at that time. What a coincidence! he thought.
"The infamous assassins, Before we do this, Tell me why you killed the emperor of Nilfgaard and stole the infernal tome from Oxenfurt? Trust me if you don't open your mouth, I've got my ways" Dante threatened them calmly.
"Since you are gonna die anyway, you deserve the answer. Emperor Emhyr was just a scapegoat in our plans. Our real target is his daughter. So by now, you know how we achieved that" he finished.
"Not so brilliant. You also got my attention. By the way, looks like this belonged to you I suppose" Dante said as he pulled the locket out of his pocket. The individual's eyes were petrified for a moment after seeing the locket.
"One other reason we interrupted your ride. We saw you break into the library, so we were sure you will find this. Give it to me, if you value your life. Also tell us where is Cirilla?" the assassin now spoke threateningly.
"Uh uh...First you answer my question. What happened to the tome?" Dante once again asked.
"The age of darkness is about to come. Soon when the hell gate is opened with the elder blood, the ritual will bring the underworld to Aen Seidhe and we will be the absolute power incarnate. Such was the will of our mentor, Vilgefortz. The locket has souls that will be sacrificed to summon ancient power, though its a shame not enough has been captured" he said which was all that Dante needed.
"Huh, so they need Ciri's powers to open the hell gate and turn this world into demonsville and the sacrificing souls part, only a demonic ritual will need that, goetia" Dante amusingly thought as this was not the first time he stopped this. First Teminigru, then Fortuna town...now here. But one thing was clear to him, these people had good knowledge on the infernal realm and knows what they are dealing with.
"Fine, then you know how this will play out" Dante said to which they were silent and all of a sudden the leader assassin threw the harpoon weapon from his left wrist which Dante immediately deflected using Rebellion.
The other assassins surrounded him as they all charged at him. Dante did a front body flip in the air and kicked one of them as he flew back. Then there were two female assassins who spun their sword at terrific speed as one jumped high and slashed the sword to his head. Dante took a step back and blocked the attack with his blade and forced her back. The other one used her double sided blade and did a series of left and right slash and one to the abdomen. Dante blocked all of them and used Rebellion to push away the abdomen strike away with great force and used the moment of weakness to punch her in the face as she fell down. The still active female assassin then lunged at him. Dante evaded all of her strikes in a fluid fashion effortlessly and ended with a sword struggle that had them locked.
"Well, you are not a terrible fighter" Dante said as he smirked which irritated her as she did a right leg high kick which he blocked with his left arm. He then pushed her back so hard. Then he ran and did a horizontal body spin and kicked her down.
Then the remaining three assassins were charging at him with their scimitars. All the three attacked him with their swords at the same time but Dante was not even impressed. He easily blocked their attack left and right with his double edged broad sword. Then he decided to end this as he charged his sword with red energy and did a round house slash that sent them all flying to the ground.
"Meh...You guys are hardly a challenge. And even more hard to believe you terrorized everyone. Let me end this-..." Dante mocked them as he felt a presence of a powerful entity somewhere nearby. Dante immediately turned to look at his left and that's when
**BAAAAMM** A dark entity with spines from the back and burning ruby eyes teleported out of no where with a sonic boom and lunged at Dante straight away.
"What the hell!?-.." Dante immediately trickster dashed to the right. The creature once again teleported to his place with its claws extended. Dante realized this thing was faster than anything he has faced. Dante evaded by dodging in the air to its back.
"RRRAAAHHH!" it roared in anger as it missed. Dante ran towards it as it teleport dashed towards him. With superior reflex, he blocked the attack with his sword and it pushed him a couple meters behind with speed and power. Dante was gritting his teeth as he agreed the being was damn strong.
"What the hell are you?" Dante asked gritting his teeth. Meanwhile the assassins were horrified at the sight of the creature. They are not sure where it came from but they knew enough that it was interfering with their business, so they decided to fend it off.
"VILE CREATURE! BEGONE YOU-..." The assassin yelled at the demon as it turned slightly to its left and vanished all of a sudden.
**FLESH TEARING SOUND**
"RRRRhhhhh-..." The demon all of a sudden appeared behind him and pierced its claws that tore through his abdomen and created a huge hole as blood was dripping fast. The assassin died on spot.
"NOOOO-...You will pay for -..." the other yelled and charged at the demon and before he could finish, the entity finished the remaining four of them at warp speed clearly tearing their flesh and cutting their bones. It was faster than Dante anticipated as he couldn't react fast enough to save them.
Then the demon turned to look at Dante with burning red eyes.
"Je hnal he cnbb oep!(Time to kill you!"the being said in an ancient tongue which Dante easily recognized.
"Wanna kill me? Clearly you are someone's puppet, but I got no time to dance with you" Dante said irate.
The demon then teleported near him with its claws high in the air. Dante blocked it with Rebellion and pulled the blade with scratching sound and went for a helm breaker. The demon vanished and then appeared alternatively at greater speeds to his sides, front and back. From the left swing, he evaded by bending down and consecutively blocked the right one with his sword. Then he knew it would appear front, so he went for a stinger move. The demon narrowly escaped and appeared behind. He held the blade surface with his hands to block the next incoming attack, but the demon knocked him back. Dante flew back and fell to the ground as he did a back flip to get back on his feet and pulled the ivory gun and shot the demon so fast. But the demon teleported to the left, evading each shot in series. Dante by then charged his sword with energy and performed the overdrive by launching a powerful energy strike from his blade. The energy moved towards the demon so fast and once again it narrowly missed and the energy exploded behind.
Finally the demon then lunged at him and did a series or left and right swing which he countered with his sword and then finally they both locked in a power struggle. Dante recognized this demon was no pushover, so he decided to juice up a little as his eyes all of sudden burned crimson red and a red energy aura formed around him. With the extra boost in strength,
"AYYIII...YAAA!" he pushed it backward with a shock wave. For a moment it was stunned to its own surprise. Then Dante charged at it with a stinger and pierced the blade deep into it as it tore through it back.
"AAAAAHHH" the being roared though vanished into cloud. Dante kept his senses sharp.
Then from the air, it appeared and was about to gnaw his back. That's when Dante charged his blade with red energy as he did a 180 degree slash that raised a hyper sonic boom in the air as if the air was ripped in re-entry velocity. To make sure the demon never missed it, he risked a danger close attack to trick the demon into believing it got to him.
**BOOOOM** That attack was so powerful that sent the demon crashing to the ground at great speed. The sound exploded in the air to great distance as the other animals and beasts can be heard yelling in fear.
**RANTING SOUND** Dante took few moments to gather his breath.
"Damn this thing is ugly and strong" Dante said as he caught his breath. For the first time in many years, a demon challenged his abilities and pushed him over the edge. Only previous hell lords have done that to him like Abigail, Argosax and Mundus.
He then slowly approached the fallen demon that appeared to be unconscious. He then knelt down and took a closer look.
But Dante was surprised once again.
"RRRAAAAAHH!" The demon growled all of a sudden and grabbed his throat. It then calmly stood up with minimal effort
"RRRR-...RRRUHHH" Dante was grunting from the choke though he had something else in his mind.
"Don't-...k-...Kiss me!" he jested in sarcasm. The demon then took the locket that was hanging from his coat pocket.
"Nn-...NO!...Give it to me you-..." Dante thrashed to get away from its grip. But the Demon threw him to the side as he rolled and slide on the ground. Dante immediately got to his feet and ran towards him only for it to turn into black mist and vanish from the place.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath as he sheathed his Rebellion on his back as he looked at the far end of the forest. One thing struck his mind. He had to go velen to get to Temeria and Nilfgaard and he was close to the swamps. He then assumed that these things came from Velen itself, though he was not sure.
"Crap, the souls in the locket. This demon seems intelligent, knew what it wants. But is it for itself or for someone else? Either way, I need to talk to pointy ears before meeting Ciri. Shit just got to whole new level" Dante said as he decided to contact Avallac'h the same way he did before.
Meanwhile in Nilfgaard...
Geralt and Yennefer teleported themselves to Nilfgaard with their horses, a couple of miles away from any settlement and the palace.
"Well well, looks like you've improved with your teleport skills" Geralt said sarcastically.
"Actually I wasn't sure. You and Roach could have ended up in a volcano. Trust me we are lucky to be here" Yennefer jested equally.
"Hmm...whatever. You okay Roach? Hope you didn't puke" Geralt asked turning to his trusty mare.
**HORSE NICKERING**
"Glad to hear it. So ready?" he asked Yen.
"Always, lets go find our dear witcheress" she said as they got on the horse back.
"Hayiii YAA!"
Geralt and Yen rode to the palace to meet their ward.
While this was happening outside the city, things were pretty rough in the palace itself.
The elder council was holding a meeting in the palace's conference hall to plan their next move as to what had to be done post crisis.
"We need to send an envoy to Kaedwen to investigate and negotiate" one of the elder said.
"Negotiate? Only you would believe in such things at times like these. Besides, what's there to negotiate. They assassinated our king. Now its time to retaliate" another elder said.
"You forget one thing. Its not our decision to take. Beware that his Majesty's daughter has returned" the third elder spoke out.
"Cirilla? But she has not been here for 28 years. She's not proficient enough-...
"Proficient enough for what?" Ciri interrupted as the elders turned to look at her in the hall entrance as they quite trembled in fear. Finally the second elder who opposed the other two spoke out.
"My lady, apologies for this transgression. We believe we must speak with the local lord in Kaedwen, if not retaliate for happened" he said. Ciri can't believe they were so blinded and were thinking so rationally.
"What makes you think Kaedwen is involved? Because of their hatred towards us? That doesn't qualify" Ciri castigated them.
"Then what shall we do? Let this grave matter to be buried in grave?" another elder spoke out loud in anger.
"No we will not. Myself and one of my associates are investigating this and soon, we will have an answer. Until then, we stay silent!" Ciri said in a pressing tone that left no room for argument.
"Sorry, but we cannot listen to your-..."
"We must! As you know, her father wrote the will that the Nilfgaardian throne will go her along will all earthly possessions should she return" the elder spoke as everyone turned silent. The elder was right on point.
"Now she is here. Her order, her decision is our will" he finished saying to which she smiled at him.
"Looks like there are still some left with enough wisdom" she thought with pride.
"You are right. Apologies prin-..ahem-...Empress! I think its time we prepared for the coronation" the elder said.
"No, there is no time for that. I'v got some important matters to tend to. But from now on, I will officially inherit the throne and any orders, suggestions or any actions of whatever nature, should not go through without my say so" Ciri gave clear orders to them.
"As you wish my lady" the elders said in unison.
"Good, as of now, just pass the word to others in the palace. We will get to the other formalities later. now if you will excuse me" she said as she left the hall urgently.
"Impressive, the same fire in her heart"
"After all, she is her father's daughter"
"True enough!"
Ciri went outside the palace again to gather her thoughts.
"Please hurry up Dante. We don't have much time!" she muttered under her breath in slight tense. She wanted to go with him, but circumstances forced them to separate to deal with their own chores.
That's when she heard some murmuring sound, as if 4 people were arguing. She decided to take a look and found the source. Her eyes widened in joy and bliss.
"GERALT! YEN!-... Gods! Can't believe they are here!" she cried as the two looked straight at her with a smile.
"GUARDS! Let them in!" she ordered as they both bowed in respect and let the two inside.
Geralt and Yen walked towards her as Ciri ran fast towards her adopted father and jumped on him and hugged him tightly.
"My god! Can't believe you are here" Ciri said as she got down, then went to hug Yen.
"It feels great to see you again!" she said.
"Likewise Ciri. Though we wished to see you under different circumstances" Yen said which slightly puzzled Ciri.
"What are you talking about?' she asked.
"*SIGH*-...Yen told me about what happened to your father. We came to see you how you are holding up" Geralt explained which turned Ciri to feel little sorrow.
"Thanks..But Yen? You knew it already?" Ciri asked as she knew that not many are aware of this tragedy.
"I am one of the few to know that girl. I have my sources-...as you can say" she answered rather monotonically than letting the emotions run down.
"Hmm, yeah. Forgot you always have your inner circle for information" she said but decided to change the topic.
"But lets forget about that. Its been ages since we last met. Lets go inside. I will ask the palace keeper to bring food and beverages" She said to which they nodded.
An hour later...
Geralt, Yen and Ciri were in the food court. Geralt and Yen sitting together on one side and Ciri on the opposite.
"So, like the food?" Ciri asked.
"Always got a taste for Nilfgaardian cuisines. Last time I had something similar to this was on a betrothal feast of your mother, Pavetta" Geralt said as he jogged down the memory lane. In his 100 plus years of life, he had seen and experienced a lot of things. Ciri sighed at the mention of it as she remembered how her turned out. Her escape from Cintra, her run into Brokilon forest, fleeing worlds, training at Kaer Morhen, fighting the wild hunt, stopping the white frost. Even thinking of that makes her feel tiring.
"Those were the days, can't deny it. But never saw you living a life of luxury in Toussaint, your own house, vineyard, friends in the Ducal court" Ciri said jesting about his new lifestyle, entirely atypical for a witcher..
"Well, let's say I earned my respite after a saving the kingdom from a huge threat" Geralt said chuckling at the fact she spewed out..
"Geralt always had the thing for royalty. Sometimes they wish him luck, sometimes they want his head" Yen jested to which Ciri laughed.
"That would be true dear" came another voice from behind that stunned Geralt and Yen.
"Regis!? What the hell? Never thought I would see you here" Geralt got up in surprise to greet his old friend. They both hugged and patted on their backs.
"What are you doing here?" Geralt asked.
"I came here for Ciri, but a day early than you two. Hope you are aware of-..?"
"Yeah I do. Myself and Yen are here for the same thing"
"Speaking of which, what have you planned Ciri? What will become of Nilfgaard? You know that you are the heir to this throne" Yennefer said as she brought a valid point.
"Yes. I have seen people shifting the blame on Kaedwen. But we don't know anything for the facts. So I have stopped the elder council from making any rash decisions" Ciri said.
"Which means-..!?" Yennefer asked though oblivious to the truth.
"I've decided to take my father's place as the Empress" Ciri said to which Regis smiled as he was glad she listened to reason.
"Bravo Ciri! A logical and right decision. Nilfgaard will be safe in your hands" Geralt said to which she surprisingly gazed at her adopted father.
"You believe I can do it?" she asked quite surprised by their support and motivation.
"Of course, you are not like your father. You are more than him. Remember, you are a seasoned veteran as monster hunter too"
"In simple words, Nilfgaard will have the most powerful Empress it has ever seen" Yen said with pride.
"Coupled with the elder blood abilities, don't forget that" Regis said complementing on his own.
Ciri felt she can't have anymore encouragement that she had now from these father and mother figures. True, She is a seasoned witcheress, the elder blood still flows in her veins and above all she has immense knowledge of the continent and kingdoms inside, having traveled the world in 28 years. Nilfgaard couldn't ask for anyone more powerful than her.
"Thanks, this means a lot to me. Now we have to wait for Dante to complete his investigation" Ciri said with warm smile which made both Yen and Geralt widen their eyes and raise their eyebrows.
"Dante? Yen told me about him. A mystery human from another-...world? Is he here?" Geralt asked without catching a break. Regis and Ciri could his anxiety.
"Dante? What does he have to do with this?" Yennefer asked surprised, as she last saw him on a meeting with Avallach on Skellige isles. Ciri decided to explain it the two.
"I told Regis about this. Now its time to tell you both. *SIGH*...We traveled to many places taking occasional contracts. Even one in Ellander. After that, we were on our way to Novigrad and that's when we heard the news of my father's death from a sorceress we saved from Kaedwen soldiers. Then I came here to check on the situation while he promised to investigate and get answers. I am waiting for him to see what's this is all about" Ciri finished.
"Hmm...Truly a fascinating tale the world he came from if what Yen said are true" Geralt said.
"By the way, our dear Regis has already met him in his world as a kid" Ciri said which stupefied him.
"Regis!? How did you-..!?" Geralt asked stunned at the comment.
"*SIGH*..Thats a tale for another time Geralt. I will tell you all about it" he said. Thats when a guard came in rushing as if a monster invaded.
"My lady, we have two intruders inside our palace. They-..they-...they came out of nowhere! We have them surrounded" the guard said which raised the alarm for everyone.
"Who are they?" Yen asked.
"Not sure. But looks like they wield magic. One was white haired and possess a huge sword on his back and look menacing" he said which struck Ciri like a nail in her head.
"Sword on his back...That could be him! Bring them in. I wish to see them" Ciri ordered to which he nodded and rushed outside.
"Looks like Geralt's wish is about to be answered. Speak of the devil.." Ciri said smiling at them.
A few minutes later, the guards escorted the two individuals into the palace's throne room. Ciri, Geralt, Yen and Regis saw them all, especially the two individuals standing out. One in ornate robe with hood, another in a long red coat and black inner dress with a sword on back. Ciri immediately recognized the two.
"Avallac'h!? Dante!Its great to see you both!" Ciri said as she walked towards them.
"You may leave. These are my friends!" she said to which the guards bowed and left the palace.
"That was a nice warm welcome out there" Dante quipped with a smirk.
"Apologies! Heard you barged out of a portal inside" She said with a smile.
"We had to save time, I talked down Dante against horse ride" Avallac'h replied neutrally to which Dante nodded in disappointment.
"First, you both refresh yourself. Then we will talk. Let me quickly introduce you to my family" she said as the three walked towards Geralt, Yen and Regis. Geralt for the first time after all those times, finally got to meet the mysterious man from another world. He agreed on the first sight that he looked tall and well built. The same goes for Regis, after seeing him as a child, this is the first time, he is meeting him as a full grown adult.
"You know Yennefer already"
"Hello Yennefer, been days since we last met" he said as he waved his left arm.
"Likewise. Been involved in some personal work of my own. Finally decided to drop here to meet Ciri" she replied with a smile.
"And this is Geralt...Finally the one I wanted to show you"
"Greetings, Ciri and Yen told a great deal about you and your adventures and your-...place of origin" he said lifting his eyebrows, not knowing the best impression to put in his face.
"Pretty much. I've heard about you too. Your name is quite popular in the entire continent" Dante chuckled. Geralt also learned that he hunts demons like he hunts all sort of monsters. In a way, he felt Dante was quite similar to him except, there was something odd about this man that didn't sit well with him. But he decided to ask about it later.
"Comes with the job, I can say. Ciri told me you are helping with the investigation of Emhyr's assassination. But what is 'HE' doing here?" Geralt asked turning to Avallac'h. They both last saw each other at the tower when Ciri entered a portal to stop the white frost. Geralt always had the animosity towards the elven sage. But he knew too much of time had passed to hold on to that grudge. After all, all ended well.
"Glad you acknowledged me, witcher. I am helping too. Though there is a huge explanation to be told once we replenished ourselves" Avallac'h said to which he nodded.
"Finally, Dante, this is-..." Ciri said as Dante and Regis came face to face with each other
"My my, you've grown too well from the last time we met centuries ago" Regis said cutting Ciri halfway with a smile. Geralt, Yen and Dante were all confused as to what he said.
"What? I'm sorry, do we know each other?" Dante asked raising his eyebrows.
"Yes, after all your father saved me from a certain death when I was a child. Don't you recall that? My name is Regis" he said with a smile which befuddled the devil hunter. Ofcourse, memories of his childhood flooded down and the same incident came before his eyes.
"Wait-...I remember that name. The Vampire kid in the mountain forest. Ha ha! Looks like we got a lot of catching up to do" he said nodding his head.
"Indeed! we do!" Regis replied.
At the food court...
After an hour..
Dante and Avallac'h had a nice treat of variety of foods to eat. Dante though couldn't have his favorite pizza, still liked this a lot. After eating and regaining the energy, they were all still sitting in the table, but now empty and clean.
"So let me get this straight. Dante's father saved your life in his world?" Geralt asked wondering how Regis even went there in first place.
"Yes, I was quite fatuous in that age. Remember the day I told you about how the Conjunction of spheres brought havoc to our species and we were stuck here?" he asked to which he nodded.
"It was about that. As an aspiring youngster, I searched for a gateway that could led to my home world. But it led me to Dante's world and I was surrounded by demonic beings. If not for Dante's father, I would have been dead. But I'm still curious, your father knew our ancient language" Regis explained.
"Well, like I said, magic is new to us. We too have seen our fair share of things" Dante said simply without telling that is father is a demon who knew every language.
"Hmm, the conjunction brought havoc to many species though they all adapted here if we don't mind the bloody conflicts that came after" Avallac'h said in response.
"True, the mere sorcery was born out of it. And how the tables simply turned for us all. Though I am intrigued by your story. You've been to his world and here I am thinking nothing could surprise me anymore" Yennefer said looking at Regis.
"That was centuries ago and no reason to dwell on it" Regis replied.
"Regis told me that there was also a brother you had. You never spoke much about your family" Ciri said wondering what his story was even after traveling a long time together. Dante kept much about him a secret.
"Yeah, I had a brother. But-...he's dead. So are my mother and father. It was rather in an unsavory circumstances I don't wish speak about" he said best not to let it out. The death of his entire family still haunts him to this day.
While others regretted opening the wounds of his past, there were two individuals who felt empathetic for him, Ciri especially. They both had spent a good time traveling together and she always found him to be a man of humor, witty sarcasm and honestly, an incarnation of calmness and being collective in any situation. But she didn't know he had a rough past.
Regis on the other hand had met Dante, his brother and his father. He found even as child, he was so enthusiastic unlike his brother and was not wary of anything strange. To hear that the very man who saved him is no more was unsettling to him.
"I-..uhh-...I'm sorry Dante. Didn't mean to pry" Ciri apologized to him not knowing that he truth about him fully.
"I can't believe my rescuer is no more. *SIGH*. I too apologize for reopening any old wounds" Regis said true to his heart.
"Nah...it's alright guys. I got over it a long time ago. You don't have to feel sorry for that. No one could have done anything to prevent that" Dante replied calmly with a smile.
"Better change the subject of conversation" Yennefer said respecting Dante's feelings.
"Yes, let us talk about Dante's investigation. At last, if you are here, then I assume you have the answers" Geralt said.
"That's true. So did you learn anything?" Ciri asked anxiously. Dante took his time and glanced at them all.
"Well, the case simply got a lot more complicated" Dante said which didn't sit well with the others.
"Tell us everything you know. We are all ears" Yennefer said.
"I went to Oxenfurt to look for the clues. I then found that the library was torched by 5 mysterious assassins and stole a magic tome from there. I then found a strange locket on the floor, must have been one of theirs. I then went to Novigrad and found a merchant who deals with ancient artifacts and objects of the occult. He then said that this locket was made by the merchant's grandfather for a powerful sorcerer he called-...Vilgefortz" he said that stunned Geralt, Yen, Ciri and Regis. All the four felt discomfort at his name. They had history with him, a rather bloody history.
"Vilgefortz? Damn it! How is he involved in this? He's dead a long time ago. I killed him" Geralt said bitterly as he remembered how his hansa stormed the stygga castle to rescue Ciri.
"So I've heard. I learned that he had a cult following that executes his wishes. These assassins were part of them and they are the ones who murdered Ciri's father. Also it has nothing to do with Kaedwen. These assassins clearly were manipulating the hatred for Nilfgaard to plunge both parties into a war"
"I knew it!" Ciri said now relieved to hear that Kaedwen is not involved and they are just the victim of an unknown plot.
"But why murder Ciri's father at all?" Yennefer asked to which Dante and Avallach shared a glance of concern.
"*SIGH* This is where the case has turned out diabolical. We are fighting with extremely powerful evil here" Avallac'h said.
"Evil? I don't understand" Regis said.
"Was Vilgefortz involved in black magic?" Dante asked.
"Absolutely, He dabbled in Necromancy a lot. Even the art of summoning unearthly beings" Yennefer replied as she recalled how much the mage was obsessed. Almost every other mages quite feared him.
"Goetia, art of summoning demonic entities to do his bidding and gain inhuman powers" Dante finished saying it.
"What does that mean?" Ciri asked as she felt the plot thickening.
"These assassins have been murdering folks for years and collecting their souls in to the locket I mentioned before. To me, Vilgefortz was trying to summon a powerful demon from the underworld to gain more power" Dante replied as he fit hte pieces of the puzzle together.
"How can you say that for sure? Even the conclave of mages have forbidden the use of that dark arts" Yennefer said.
"Demons need human and other beings soul to empower themselves. Only that kind of ritual involves with collecting souls" Dante explained.
"I know that. Decades ago, even met a man who was involved in such a practice" Geralt said referring to the stories of the man named Olgierd Von Everec whom he helped reclaim his soul, from a being called the man of glass.
"If I am right, with the amount of souls they have been collecting so far?-... they intend to summon a 'hell lord' of the infernal realms, if I am led to believe" Dante finished explaining.
"Devils who rule a domain in the underworld. The devils whose stories dates back and converge with the tales of the dark knight Sparda" Avallac'h explained
"Sparda?" Ciri, Yen and Geralt voiced in unison.
"The legendary dark knight of the underworld. Even our vampire elders don't have much records on him. I have seen Skelligens worshiping him. Still, what does he got to do with this? Its ancient history and there are only dubious notes of his existence. But everyone in the continent who likes fascinating tales like these knew about him and his deeds to every civilization" Regis said as he too had read books about him at younger age.
"I have read about him too. Even we have a blurred portrait of him at Kaer Morhen. Vesemir used to say, he was the greatest swordsman and most powerful knight ever to exist. It is even believed that St. Lebioda's prophetic teachings are based on worship of Sparda. Every Knight in Toussaint took an oath before his statue to uphold the chivalric virtues, similar to the one in Skellige" Geralt added to Regis's point.
"Looks like my old man is quite popular here! And I thought the fortuna people were crazy" Dante thought amused by how everyone spoke about his father.
"Its not a story. Besides, this is not about Sparda, but a hell lord of the underworld" Avallac'h said bringing back the focus to the subject.
"If a hell lord is summoned to the land of living, there will be havoc wrecked in every corner. We don't want that now do we?" Dante said in all seriousness.
"How does this fits with Emhyr's murder?" Regis asked not getting the connection here.
"Two things, one to draw Ciri out from the hiding. Two, the war between Nilfgaard and Kaedwen means more bodies and more souls to collect" Dante explained.
"Wait, to draw me out? I don't understand. Why would someone go so far to draw my attention?" Ciri asked puzzled by the fact.
"The hell lords and all the other demon scums of the underworld always wanted to conquer the mortal realm for power. There is a barrier between these worlds. Hell gates as we call it open gateways between these realms that help the demons to crossover" Dante explained.
"There is a hell gate in Aen seidhe too, but even I don't possess the knowledge of its whereabouts. At any rate if it had been opened, We wouldn't be even having this conversation. So the demons that still invade here in minor forces should be due to the cracks in reality that I sensed for many years" Avallach added his input.
"*SIGH* You see, the hell gates can be opened and closed by a powerful weapon that Sparda once possessed. Its called the 'Yamato'. Its a blade that separates the mortal worlds from the underworld. A small fraction of its power was given to Aen Elle as a gift by Sparda that was used in genetic experiments that we call Hen Icher" Avallach said which stunned the others.
"The Elder blood? You mean to say the individuals who possess the power over space and time, starting from Lara Dorren, is because of this weapon Yamato?" Yennefer asked equally shocked at the revelation. Avallach nodded in response.
"So, where is this weapon now?" Geralt asked the question that was in everyone's mind. Dante decided not to answer. He gave the sword to Nero years ago as a gift. He knew that his world is safe and the demons can't crossover like they did here. Without the hell gate, a full scale invasion is impossible.
"I don't know. But if the demons are seeking to invade Aen seidhe, they will look for next possible solution to open the hell gate here" Avallach said and everyone turned to look at Ciri as they realized where this is going.
"Zireael" Avallach concluded that turned Ciri's face grim.
"So-...So the assassins want to draw me out for my Elder blood. Is this what its all about?" Ciri gritted her teeth in anger as she got out of the chair knocking it down, which tensed the others.
"Ciri, wait!" Yen tried to stop her but of no use.
She walked out to the garden nodding her head disappointingly. But they can understand her as this is not the first time she is dealing with people obsessed with her powers.
"Let us talk to her" Dante said.
"Agreed" Geralt said as he knew how to cheer Ciri up. He knew how much Ciri had to run to flee the wild hunt and when all became peaceful, she's once again being hunted by another party.
They all went out to see Ciri standing in the garden in all solemness.
"Ciri!" Geralt called out. She turned back though didn't say a word.
"Ciri, I know its hard. But we can get through this. Like we did before, remember?" Geralt said.
"At what cost? Imagine if this leads to another all out war? How much more should we lose? How much more blood must be traded" Ciri asked in anguish.
"Avallach already said that this world is rich with magic. Its logical that the underworld would do everything to conquer this land. If that's the case, we must stand together to fend off this threat" Dante said to which she was silent.
"Besides, its already late. On my way here, I was attacked by the assassins, but they were mere pushovers after all. But what happened next was-.. shit just went sideways. A demon so powerful unlike anything I've seen before attacked me and killed the assassins. I barely got out of that encounter unscathed. It also stole the locket I recovered"
"Demon? Where?" Regis asked curiously.
"Nearby Velen. Gotta say that was one mean bitch! It was faster that it gave my reflexes a hard time. Then there is this spikes on its back" Dante said as he described the demon. This actually made Geralt to shrink his eyebrows in suspicion.
"Was this demon tall, had a tail, black colored and had huge red eyes?" Geralt asked.
"Yes!? You've seen it?" he asked.
"Seen!? we barely got out alive from that encounter. Geralt was investigating a mass slaughter in velen as I sensed a powerful magical disturbance at the same location. Thats when we came across this being. Damn, a scratch from its claws took all my magic abilities and was on the verge of death"
"I have fought higher vampires before that moves with the wind and turn into a fog. But this!? This would make even them envious" Geralt said glancing at Regis.
"Velen? at least we know where to look for them. We need to go there, find the demon and whoever's been plotting this game for long" Ciri said determined.
"Whoa Whoa! Easy lady! You are not comin there. If this is a trap laid for you? Then your arrival will only make the job easier" Dante objected to her idea.
"You do know I can take care of myself!" Ciri castigated back.
"I never doubted that. You held against the shadow demons, even the Blitz in Vengerberg. But remember Ellander? that's were you were outclassed. This is something like that and we don't want you to be captured by those scums" Dante said.
"Dante's right Ciri. We can't risk your capture. The wild hunt was enough for one life" Yennefer said to her which irritated her again.
"I can't believe you are treating me like a child even after almost 3 decades!" Ciri said in anger.
"No we don't. But this is the time for wisdom, not valor" Avallach said.
"Avallach may be right, But I also agree with Ciri. She should come with us" Geralt said finally making Ciri to smile as somebody had taken her seriously.
"And how do you believe this is productive to everyone including her?" Regis asked.
"Simple Regis, Let's say Ciri stays here and we go to Velen. What are the odds that they won't sniff their way here and caught her here offgaurd? Best thing is the chances of Ciri being safe is higher with us, comparatively" Geralt explained to the others.
"Hmm...an excellent point though" Regis said rubbing his chin. Dante though didn't like the idea, had to agree with Geralt. There is a chance she could be caught off guard here and they will still lose none the less.
"Fine, don't like this one bit. But what the hell! Let Ciri come with me. Besides who wish to join this adventure?" Dante asked the others to which they responded.
"Myself and Yennefer are in naturally. I will take the necessary potions. From the previous encounter, I now know what is needed to stand a chance" Geralt said firmly.
"After all, I was investigating the magical disturbances for a long time. And-...It is also my duty to protect Zireael" Avallach said.
"Regis? You are not obliged to risk your life into this. You can walk away" Geralt said not wanting to drag him into another fight that may cost his life.
"When it comes to helping my friends, I never say no. Count me in Dante, period" Regis said determined to help them.
"Well, then its settled. We go to velen tonight. No reason to tarry" Dante said to which other nodded.
...
At the midnight
Velen swamps
**BOOM** The 6, Dante, Ciri, Geralt, Yennefer, Avallach and Regis came out of a portal and directly landed on the swamps as the portal closed behind them. For Dante, right after landing, he had to step on mud and dirty water to which he grunted and nodded his head disapprovingly.
"Sheesh!...Couldn't you have opened a portal somewhere nice? Now my boots and pants are eating dirt" Dante complained to which others smiled at the rant.
Ciri for an instance always found his quip about a situation so humorous. She even asked him how he always keeps his calm demeanor no matter what, but never got a straight answer. Though his complaint of constantly getting teleported was annoying yet there was no hint of malice.
"I could have. But you insisted that we shouldn't be late. So I avoided the extra mileage" he answered sarcastically. Dante sighed and smirked.
"Well well. And here I thought you were a stick in a mud. At any rate, finally got to see the swamps. But is it always that hard looking to the eye?" Dante asked looking at the strange deep black and red environment in the distant. It was so huge that anyone could spot it miles away.
"Actually no. This is something new. Something has happened here after we departed" Geralt said in all seriousness as he gazed at the distance. But then suddenly Regis started to feel uncomfortable.
"Ughhh...RRRhhh...Uhh-..." Regis held his forehead as he shook his head fast to get the odd feeling go away.
"Regis, What happened!? What's happening to him?" Ciri asked concerned for him as she held his arm.
"Regis?" Geralt called out. But all of a sudden, the feeling went away as he regained his composure.
"I think its this place...the atmosphere" Dante said after observing Regis.
"What do you mean?" Yennefer asked looking at him.
"He is right. We vampires have our senses dialed to 11. There is something evil here that it started to bottleneck my cognition. For a moment, I could have end up like a blood drunk vampire. Alas, now I am alright. Let us move" Regis explained as he finally cleared his senses.
"Then we must move quick. There is no telling what further dangers lie ahead" Avallach said in a hurry. Others nodded as they proceeded to walk front carefully. Geralt already had a dose of Petri's phiter and Wyvern decoction. He could already feel the burst of adrenaline in his blood as his muscles were hardened, feeling so energetic.
But Geralt for a moment stopped as Yen and Ciri noted his pause.
"What happened Geralt?" Yennefer asked turning back seeing her lover's face quite concerned.
"Nothing. Can we trust him? Dante?" Geralt asked. Both were confused by his sudden wariness on him.
"Why not? He hasn't done anything so far to warrant hostility. He has only helped us on every occasion. Though he so much wanted to get back to his world, he never hesitated to help others" Ciri said confidently.
"Why do you feel like that all of a sudden?" Yen asked trying to figure out the reason for his distrust.
"My medallion went crazy the first time I came near him. He is not quite a normal human" Geralt said.
"Dante said he has his own magic powers, including his sword. It could be that" Yen explained as Ciri too nodded in Yen was unsure if she was right in that regard.
"Yen-...last time this happened exactly, it was when I faced that powerful black demon here that almost killed us. The same alarm, the same warning signs. This doesn't feel right, Not even the most powerful of mages radiates that kind of energy" Geralt said in all seriousness.
"Funny you should say that. But Regis told me something that may now be connected to what you are saying" Ciri said as she recalled what Regis told her back at the palace. The tension in her mind started to crawl. She started to suspect the very nature of Dante's existence.
"What did he say?" Yen asked narrowing her eyes.
"Regis has met his father as a youngster. He suspects his father may not be a human at all" Ciri said which quite surprised Geralt and Yen.
"Why? How could he-...?"
"I don't know, but he strongly believes that his father was not some 'human'-...and that he felt-...odd, I suppose!" Ciri said which made Yen and Geralt feel confused yet be wary of him.
"We will talk about this later, now is not the time-..." Geralt said as he was called on by Dante who along with the sage and Regis were in front already.
"Hey! What's the hold up?" Dante yelled from his place,
"Nothing, my quill fell down, had to pick it up" Geralt said loud as he nodded his head to Ciri and Yen to move.
The six were venturing deep into the swamps crossing the murky waters, trees and muds.
"Awfully quite here. Expected a lot of monster attacks" Yennefer commented.
"Let's stay sharp. We won't know what's hiding in there" Avallach said as he summoned his magic staff. That's when the atmosphere started to change as it suddenly turned greyish mixed with the moonlight.
"Look's like trouble!" Ciri said as she unsheathed her new sword she had forged from a famed Nilfgaardian weapon smith. She also had the smith etch the runes that Dante gave her though neither the smith nor Ciri knew the real purpose of the runes.
"Be on your guard! Here they come!" Geralt said as he grabbed his Aerondight. Yennefer's hands started to glow with magic.
That's when they were surrounded by hell hounds, popping out of the ground from strange magic seal. The hounds had black metallic body engulfed in flames. Their appearance resembled that of wolf but huge and with more skeletal structure.
**RRRRHH RAAARRRR** the hounds growled in their deep demonic voice.
"What are these creatures?" Regis asked as he extended his claws and turned his hide, vampiric.
"Hell hounds! Be careful, their flames can incinerate anything" Dante warned as he grabbed his Rebellion.
**BOOM**
Then the hounds started firing explosive fireballs at them and some of them directly leapt over them.
"Watch out!" Yen yelled as she blocked the fire with her shield though she grunted as the explosion was quite Powerful. She then launched a lightning strike at the hound as it roared in pain. She then cast a spell that made the ground glow and crackle with electricity. Then it exploded as the two hounds were launched in air. Then she heard two heavy gun fire as the hounds were incinerated in the air. Yen watched as Dante helped finish of the two. The two then nodded at each other in acknowledgement. One more hound lunged at her with fireball in its mouth. Yennefer created a thick air film and sent it flying that bisected the hound into two halves horizontally.
Geralt simply slashed the hound that leapt on him, with a mid air swing. Ciri teleported to evade a fireball and landed near the being did a downward vertical strike with all her strength. That's when she observed her blade glowing in cyan color as the strike weakened the hound by negating a portion of the flames on its body as it roared in pain.
"Sweet! So the runes make my sword adapt to the enemies? Brilliant Dante!" Ciri said laughing as the hound used its right paw to attack her. Ciri dodged it and did another vertical strike to its neck that took its head off. The demon died as it disintegrated into sparks. One more lunged at her from behind. Ciri held her sword upside down as she pierced the hound on its face. The rune magic took care of the rest by putting out its flames and killing it.
Regis on is end was tackling three hounds. One of them fired a ball that exploded where he was standing. But he turned himself into a cloud as he dashed at blinding speed and slashed the hound with his claws as it roared in pain though he too grunted as the fire hurt him a bit. But still managed to deal a death blow. Another jumped at him with the fire ball charged at its mouth. Regis blitzed above the being and pierced its head multiple time as it was chopped off. The last one though managed to land a blow near him as he flew back and fell down. As the hound was about to pound on him, he turned into a fog again appeared to its side did a zig zag move between its two side abdomen as he kept slashing it with his claws. The hound disintegrated though the fire took a toll on him as he knelt down to regenerate. Hell fire is quite magical in nature and can hurt a 100 folds than normal fire.
Avallach was using his staff to block the fire and attack the hounds charged with magic though the hounds were giving him a tough time. But being a sage has its merits, as his strikes carried more magical energy that dealt devastating blows to the hounds.
Geralt once again was attacked by two more hounds. One launched a fire ball which he blocked by active quen shield though the force of explosion was pushing it to the limits. There was another fire ball directed at him which he deflected by using aard. The fireball went and hit back the demon sending it flying back. Geralt immediately wasted no time as he charged with his silver sword and performed a body spin with full range strong inclined strike that cut the hound and kill it. Then he twirled his sword connected with another downward vertical strike that killed another hound.
Finally Dante was having just fun in fighting them. 6 hounds targeted him alone as he sent one flying with a stinger move and a backward slash that sent the demon crashing a tree. Three other hounds in the mean time already fired 3 rounds. One exploded near him which he evaded through a cartwheel dodge and instantly ran towards them with his dual guns and did a rainstorm of bullets in horizontal direction with high speed body spin, bullets charged with demonic energy piercing and tearing through them. Others except Ciri and Yennefer, for the first time seeing Dante in a fight and they were quite flabbergasted, even Avallach.
"Hmm, Impressive! Looks like he's more than his father Sparda" Avallach thought.
"Damn! He's fighting like a monster himself!" Geralt thought stunned at Dante's agility.
"This is how I remember his father fought to save me" Regis thought glancing at the devil hunter, he even felt that his speed could rival, even possibly surpass a higher vampire like him.
Finally there were two more hounds growling at him. Dante immediately summoned the Rebellion that flew to hands. He then instantly charged his sword with red energy and did a quick overdrive in 'X' shape that sent two energy waves killing the last two instantly.
"Whew! That was all I guess" Dante said sheathing his sword back as he turned to look at them.
"You guys alright?" he asked.
"Bruises here and there, but intact none the less" Regis responded.
"Looks like the noise we made should have grabbed someone's attention" Geralt said as he sheathed the Aerondight back.
"Agreed. We need to move fast. I sense a strong magic around that red environment. I believe that's where we may find something" Avallach said as they proceeded forward.
"By the way, I am intrigued. I have only seen higher vampires in this world that moves and fights that fast and hard" Geralt said. Regis knew who the two beings he was referring to, himself and Dettlaff. Dante knew this question would pop up as Ciri and Yen are used to it, but not the other three. Geralt has his suspicions as even with magic and all the stuff, its impossible for a human moving and fighting like that.
"Lets say, I have trained since my childhood. You can say, I'm kinda-...'Swordmaster'...Gunslinger...whatever you wish to call" Dante gave a jest response to his question, though deep down he knew Geralt is having his doubts regarding him. It was already a great deal to escape the suspicions of Ciri and Yen in the past. He never feared his heritage would draw negative attention, but dangers to those around him. True to his intentions, he did attract lot of dangers here, though it became clear that every danger that befell this world so far was an accident.
Others chuckled at his answer.
"Odd words, but has a decent ring to it" Ciri commented.
They proceeded forward as the air around only grew hostile than ever. Dante's senses naturally picked up the scent.
"Hmm, strong demonic presence here. But this much? Either its that black thing-...or another hell lord itself" he thought to himself.
Dante was almost in the front and that's when he sensed another presence.
"Guys, wait!" Dante warned them to stop moving.
"Dante, What is it?" Yennefer asked as others too kept their guard up.
"There is something here" he said as he pulled out his guns and walked slowly forward.
"My medallion's rumbling too" Geralt said as he pulled out his Aerondight.
Dante was making careful steps as his eyes moved left and right and suddenly.
"RRRAAAAHHH!" a huge black cloud with ethereal face with red eyes flew at him. Dante immediately dashed to his right at blinding speed and did a bullet time jump to his right to shoot the entity.
"DANTE!" Avallach yelled as he readied his staff.
"Shit! Its that demon!" Yennefer yelled as she readied her magic.
But the entity evaded the bullets, warping in and out, left and right. Then it rammed Dante all of a sudden before he could react.
**BRRRRAAAAMMM** Dante was flying back but countered with a back flip and landed on his feet.
"YEN, lock us both in a shield. I'm bagging this b**ch!" Dante said as he strapped the ivory back and took out rebellion.
Yennefer immediate raised a huge magic dome that imprisoned them both.
"Dante! Be careful with it. It moves like gale!" Regis said as he extended his claws.
"And we have company, that demon must have summoned it!" Ciri said as she pulled her sword as the others were surrounded by huge black wraith that had deer like horns, that emerged from the ground.
"Its the Hymns!" Avallach said as he readied himself to engage them.
"Let us dispose these wraiths!" Yennefer said. The hymns began attacking the others as the 5 defended themselves.
Dante was inside the dome now alone with the entity. And for the first time it spoke in English.
"Dante! We will finish this here and now!" the entity spoke in demonic growl that echoed the woods.
"You can speak huh? Fine, but I have listened to this same rant many times I can't remember. Care to tell me why you killed the assassins and took that locket?" Dante asked
"They outlived their purpose! Lord Mephisto-...will be pleased-...to consume the souls and step foot on this world with enough power to raise the throne!" the being said which was a crystal clear answer that Dante was looking for all these times.
"Mephisto!? So HE's the one behind all this. Vilgefortz's cult, his minions-...they were all worshipping him. Huh, ha ha! Always nice to know my enemies names before I whoop their ass!" Dante quipped sarcastically as he rest the sword on his shoulder.
"You wouldn't even get through ME!" the demon roared as it lunged at him. Dante countered with a vertical strike as it bounced back. Then it turned it self into a smoke and tried to flank him in zigzag manner and got to his right as it swung its clawed arm. Dante with is quick reflex sidestepped the attack and struck with left and right swing which the demon blocked with its arms. Immediately it started to whirl around him at speed that created a mini storm and then bashed at him. Dante flew back and fell to the ground.
"RRRRhh!" Dante grunted at the force with which the demon knocked him back. He got up once again with a body thrust.
The demon once again charged at him. Dante swung his sword as it vanished into thin air and popped up to his left with its arm raised. Dante tried a mid-air slash but of no use as it vanished again. Then it started to alternatively appear from his left, right and front which he all evaded. Then it suddenly grew bigger and sent a barrage of spikes and energy wave in all directions.
"Shit!" Dante cursed as he tightened his fists and gathered the demonic energy. A black and deep red energy started to crawl from the ground and focused to his chest. In an instant the dreadnought armor wrapped over him that ws burning with black and red demonic energy. The armor shrugged off all the attacks.
Dante then charged towards the demon as it startedto send powerful spikes and energy blasts. Dante used the spikes to run over and climb ot it, evading the other attacks. Finally he jumped and slashed the face with a strong powerful strike horizontally and landed on the ground. The attack let out a powerful sonic boom and shockwave.
By that time, others were also noticing Dante's fight. They were all astounded by his strength and speed. Especially Geralt and Yennefer who have previously faced that demon were stunned.
"We almost died trying to fight it. But he's standing head to head, toe to toe against that thing. How is that even possible?" Geralt asked astounded by the figt between Dante and the black demon.
"Need to remind myself to ask the truth about him. Clearly all these days he has hidden something from us all" Gealt thought.
"It looks like he owes us a lot of answers too. See that magic armor he summoned? That armor made him look like-..." Yennefer said shocked at the sight of red and black armor especially its appearance.
"a demon itself?" Ciri completed Yen's doubt with the word as she too was greeted at the sight of this for the first time.
"What kind of monster hunter he is?...Despite his human look, is it possible he may not be a human at all? That demon is having a tough time to fight him" Ciri's gaze were fixed on the white haired devil hunter as thoughts ran down on her head as she evaded a hymn's attack just in time and slashed ts chest.
Avallach for his part knew was only concerned how they will react if they learned that he is a half demon, but he shunted those thought away.
The black demon and Dante had a staredown for a few seconds. Then both charged at one another and exchanged multiple strike which they both parried and countered. Dante let the dreadnought armor to go down as it took great deal to concentrate on holding it and fight a powerful demon like this one.
Dante then decided that Rebellion is not the best offense against it. Given its nature, He threw the sword to a tree that struck there impaled firmly.
He then raised his arms as wind started to flow towards his left arm. And fire started to extend and make its way towards his right. Then finally the wind and fire turned into two swords, with the wind one looking bluish and the fire one looking fiery red. The sword was curved and had jagged edge. He summoned Agni and Rudra.
"Finally! Excited for a fight after long time!"
"Yes Yes! A fight after a long time of slumber" the sword's hit end had demonic face which is the head of the two demons as they spoke with enthusiasm.
"Hey! No talking! You guys never listen" Dante said irate at their chit chat.
The black demon didnt waste time as it turned into a cloud and dashed at him. Dante used the dual swords to slash the cloud, use the wind controlled by rudra with 3 strikes to cut through the demon's form and then slashed the wind with agni to heat it up. The demon was knocked back growling at the pain.
"RRRAAAAA!"
"Burning eh? Sweet!" Dante smirked.
He then ran at high speed as he spun the agni and rudra like a bo staff at high speed as it let out waves of wind and fire. The demon lunged at him as it swung its right and left arm in swift succession. Dante blocked it with swords. It then went for a slashing uppercut which Dante evaded by leaning back and then connected with his sword strikes. The Demon though blocked it all, the wind from Rudra was physically hurting the demon and negating its cloud like abilites. The fire then adds extra damage as sparks flew around them for every strike.
The Demon then growled at him in anger as it tried to attack him. But Dante decided to stop playing and finish it once and for all. he instantly did a backward slash with rudra to its right arm and then let out a series of consecutive strikes with both the swords alternatively as each hit had a significant force behind it. A series of downward vertical strike, a horizontal strike and a full body spin with the blades in his arms in such a way, it resembled a saw. Then he held the two swords with its hilt tip attached as if using a bo staff. He then did a double handed under arm spin that sent shock waves of wind and fire that hit the demon like battering ram.
"Firestorm" Dante muttered as he spun the two blades like a fan over his head at lethal speed that started to get engulfed in wind and fire. Then it slowly formed a hurricane of hell fire around him and grew huge.
"What the hell is that?" Geralt asked as they all saw the bright flash of fire illuminating the entire forest.
"No! Dante!" Ciri called his name loud as she tried to rush to the spot but Regis held her arm nodding his head not to go further. Avallach, Yennefer and Geralt used their arms to cover the over brightness falling in their eyes, but shocked to see the transpiring event none the less.
"YEAH!" Dante yelled as he finished it with a 'X' shaped strike that blew out the hurricane outwards, burning everything in its path to dust. The demon which was weakened from the fight could only watch as the fire storm engulfed it burning it with unforgiving pain as it roared in agony.
"AAARRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH" The demon was thrown violently back to the ground.
The firestorm then blew and destroyed the magic shield Yen created with a blast.
Finally, the storm settled down as Dante watched everything was on fire around him, everything burned. Dante dismantled the swords as they vanished into thin air. Dante saw as the demon still managed to stand, struggling tomaintain its posture, but severely weakened.
"huh, you just don't let it go. Do ya?" he said as he summoned his rebellion that flew to his hand. He then charged it with red energy and stingered the blade at lightning speed to its chest.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOAAAHHHHHH" the demon growled in pain as it felt the final death blow dealt to it. He then forced it to lie down on the ground as it was weakly thrashing to get free.
**DANTE GRUNTING**
But he used his full strength to impale the sword harder. But that's when he saw something that would haunt him for his life. The demon's appearance was changing constantly between its original hide and a human hidden underneath. Even though the change was so swift, Dante's eyes caught every details of it.
All this time, this demon's form was nothing but a hidethat can be worn and removed at anytime. The real being was a human figure that was more like trapped in this accursed body.
Dante saw the human, white hair and a dress that he would never forget. A face that resembled his own like staring at a mirror. All he could do was say a name.
"V-...Vergil!?" Dante said with him grim facial expression as he stopped hurting the being. He pulled out the sword as he was gazing at the fallen demon with a hint of regret.
...
And that's it. Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will feature Dante vs Mephisto. And the diabolical plans that the underworld had for Aen seidhe, Ciri and all.
See you in Next chapter. Also it will be quite a while until you get it.
Also would like to ask you all to take care of your health in these trying times.
Ciao!
