A/N: Yo. It's restarting.
I'm doing things at my own pace, so don't expect one every week. It'll be whenver I want to write stuff.
Anyway, thanks for everyone who likes this story, it makes me happy that some like what I write.
Arokaday : Dantes horn curve backwards, not sheep-like, just straight backwards. His halo is a normal halo, but the back of the halo has a ouroboros symbol, that is an infinity symbol that swallows itself.
Space manipulation is his main gimmick. He is really resistant to mental attack but he can't attack mental structure, Ishar'Mla fucked herself/(itself- whatever) by trying to hop into his body to use the chalice, because with his resistance, he disconnected himself from Skadi (Ishar'Mla's host) and essentially slice their soul into pieces. Imagine yourself having one step outside the elevator doors and then it closing itself on you instantly- you'll be cut in half.
His aim is what's truly bullshit. Not caring about what he is aiming towards and simply 'doing it' is what allows him to do dumb shit. His telekinesis is just that, moving things with his thoughts. It can't move living beings, so it's pretty limited.
Also, don't put What if's 2 Dante into the same category as normal Dante, that version of him was boosted to 11, to the point that he probably was the strongest being at that point. Becoming a god of sea born allowed him to gain access to the hive mind, his ability strain his brain because of how many calculations he have to do for most of them, having someone do the calculation for you makes it so much more convenient. It was at a point where, with infinite energy given by 'Adaptation', the thought process of millions of living being from the 'Hive', he could do basically anything, which he decided to throw away by using all of his being to eradicate all of the thing that was giving him power, the sea borns.
As for future plans ? I will leave it up to your imagination. His stance on the infected will also be explained, no need to make a tangent here.
Without further ado, let's do this.
This City is absolutely enormous. Like seriously, I walked around for a couple of hours and couldn't get close to any walls.
I got some weird looks overall, but it seems like nobody bats much of an eye, since I still have my firearm. My huge cloak hides most of my features, including my horns, but it really can't hide my Halo.
Since my Halo is pitch black, it makes it seem as if I was some kind of serial killer in the body of a kid, but well, since I'm a kid, I didn't get stopped by other people for no reason.
I would make some kind of joke with the darkness of my Halo, but I think it would be inappropriate..?
Anyway, since I'm in the middle of Laterano, I'm kinda trying my gun out. After all, it's just me shooting a firearm, it's not like I can kill someone with a single bullet to the head.
Yeah, the safety of this city is complete garbage.
Is what I would say if not for the many people who could stop my bullets before I even fire the damn thing.
This gun is full of very intricate runes. Which is kinda surprising, what kind of people were my parents so that they owned that kind of thing ?
They must've been pretty high ranked, or some kind of really powerful soldiers.
I remembered my mom was mainly 'build different' so to speak.
Well, it must've been something like that.
Since I have limited ammo, I'm not going to just fire the damn thing. I only got so many bullets, but admiring the craftsmanship is something I can of course, do.
In the end, the gun seems to have some kind of importance, so I'll keep it.
It was my mom's guardian gun.
Well, all that for some kind of Karma.
With how much of an asshole I was in my previous life, I must have gotten some kind of supernatural being pissed.
Or is it just my luck in gacha games that had to be from somewhere ?
Who the hell knows ?
Anyway, with all of the problems I have, I should just search for some kind of things that I could use to go somewhere.
I'm kinda running aimless right now. If only this could be some kind of normal Isekai story where I just randomly gain some kind of broken ass ability, a clear, precise plot to follow with some kind of neon sign that it's that way, and get some kind of harem along the way ? Doesn't that cater to the average male power fantasy ?
Please don't be some kind of Re:Zero. I want to have at least some kind of fun.
Well, that or it's just a poorly written story.
Getting my priority straight is a better use of my time right now anyway…
Searching for a way to get what I want.
But what the hell do I even want in this life ?
My last one was a shitshow from start to finish, I never found love, never found happiness, only the next monday awaited me.
I guess that means I just want a normal life ?
As a fallen Sankta. Great. Seriously, when you live a life of boredom, all you ever want is to be special, but it seems that being special is one hell of an annoyance.
Fuck me, I guess. Well it was to be expected, it can't be too easy, yeah ?
Let's really hope that this is the kind of isekai where there is an op protagonist. Really missing those kinds of dumb brain rot.
At least there I wouldn't have any need to use my brain, since I would simply have to move forward in one direction and hope for the best.
Considering I have room temperature IQ, it would really help.
Urgh. Why did I ever want to be reincarnated somewhere ?
My name even is Dante, Dante of all fucking names !
Like, I know this world was made to have references to geopolitical situation, and other kind of mythological and geographical references, that allow someone with those kind of knowledge to predict where things are going, like with Columbia being the US and the president of Columbia being a robot controlling a pigeon drone (yes that is a thing), is a reference to the CIA's most notorious conspiracy theory, that being that pigeons are drone of the US government, specifically of the CIA, and that they are watching our every move.
That's just one example but the most important one being Babel.
I mean, it's in the name (and logo). The Babel logo is a fucking Tower for fuck sakes, it is so obvious for anyone who knows what the Tower of Babel mean, and what happened to it, that you just knew how it would end.
All of this to say, I can predict big events because it makes sense.
They were meant to mean something, they had the intent to remind us of those kinds of stories.
God damn, I went on a tangent.
Thank god I got that out of my system.
And thank god this kind of thing will have no impact on my life in any way, shape or form.
Nope, none at all.
Anyway-
If I can get back on track, I should find a way to get what I want, since that was the whole purpose of this little introspection.
What I want is to live a normal life. As normal as I can get in this world at least.
To do that, I need to get left the fuck alone.
Which means, either of two things.
Either I possess enough power, literal or metaphorical, that I can't be touched by anyone.
Or I simply leave and never make a ripple on this world.
Considering I'm a Sankta, and with how freaking long people live in this world, I have a good two centuries in me to do whatever.
That means, if I were to take the second one, I would need to get two centuries worth of entertainment, else that kind of retirement isn't going to be useful for me.
Which is going to be impossible, I mean, two centuries worth of things to do ? Impossible to get at once.
In the end, I probably am going for option 1.
But that option exists because I'm an Isekai protagonist, and I hope that I do develop some kind of broken ability or something.
And while I like gambling, I also don't like those odds.
Which means I'm going to have to do something I absolutely hate.
Training.
Yeah, exercising, the absolute horror. I'm going to have to work for my power.
Well, that is if I don't randomly gain some kind of power. Like right now.
…
Please ?
Pretty please with a cherry on top ?
…
Well, worth a try.
Anyway, it's going to be hella annoying, but it's well known how absolutely broken you can become as a Caster, and well, I need the kind of power that can just bullshit my way into anything.
That means I'm going to need to develop some kind of way to use arts in some kind of way that wasn't thought of before, which might be possible thanks to my original life ?
I'll have to look into it and attempt to copy ability from popular media.
Like limitless, with its untouchability, or things even more dumb like Kumagawa's 'All Fiction', which is the peak of complete and utter bullshit. (Can rewrite reality when it's convenient, can erase concepts entirely for shits and giggles, that's the kind of overpowered I would really like right now.)
Well, I knew that wandering aimlessly like that would, eventually, lead to such a situation, that is the members of the Church seeking me out.
Since I'm still a fallen and all that.
Tough luck for them, I don't give a crap.
Also the 'me' from back then also didn't give a shit, good on you, also me.
Don't take shit from the local priest, he might have been after something other than good things from me.
… I may have a bias from my previous life.
They shouldn't have more of 'those' types of people there.
I hope.
… I really hope.
Anyway- why they are here ! Yes, yes, important stuff !
To put it simply, they want me to come with them.
…
God damn it, I want it not to be real but this is just way too easy to make those jokes.
You could say they are too easy to make.
Something is fishy.
And it's not the smell of their priest robes after Sunday 'church time'.
(Damn, I'm on a roll today)
"Why don't you come with us ? You know living in such conditions isn't healthy for a boy as young as you !"
Urgh, stop with the 'come with me if you want to live', spiel. I already know you have a superior that wants me to do something for them.
It probably has more to do with my parents, but oh well.
"... Don't want to".
"You should seriously consider my offer, you know how much we are offering you to come with us ? Most orphans don't get such a choice ! …Especially one like you..."
… Seems like their true intentions are easily let out in front of a kid.
They really think I'm some kind of stray they can just pick up because they offer me some kind of food ?
I'm not a cat damn it !
"... I'm leaving."
And with that, I'm out.
Of their line of sight that is.
I want to see what the two bozos actually want from me. Something the old me -god that is weird to say- didn't do since he had no idea.
"-Why not take him directly under the jurisdiction of the church ?"
"Not possible, his holiness isn't the only Cardinal vying for him."
"... It's something I still don't understand, why do so many higher up want a fallen kid ? And why wasn't he just executed on sight for being such when he was a child ? He must've done something horrible to have already fallen."
"I don't know, and I don't care. The Cardinal wants him and the Pope made sure to inform all the Cardinals not to touch him under any circumstances, it's the whole reason why we were in such a mess, from what his holiness has told me, he might be using a loophole in the orders, but that is simply sophistry, if the Pope were to be informed, they might go all the way to excommunicate him."
"All this secrecy for a fallen kid… What did he Do ?"
"Honestly, I don't want to know, at least I'll keep my head on my shoulders."
"... Not a bad idea."
…
What the actual fuck.
Not just a gag order, but one of no communication ?
What the hell did I do as a Kid ?
I was a fallen for as long as I could remember, and the photo of when I was just born proves that I was born that way.
That means me being a fallen from birth is a hard fact.
But then why ..?
Why do they all covet me so much ?
…
This makes it even more difficult. How the hell am I supposed to leave this place ?
I must be under scrutiny 24/7.
That's a pain in the ass.
…
Well then, now that such loose lips allowed me to gather at least some kind of information, I should probably scram.
Don't want to get caught just yet.
And to sneak out of the alleyway-
"Oof-"
Damn, just my luck to hit someone on the way out.
"Sorry-"
"No, I'm sorry-"
Wait ..?
This guy, isn't he ..?
"Are you okay, child ?"
Damn it, just on the tip of my tongue…
"What the hell are you waiting for ?"
He was the boss of that Laterano event, former Pontifica Cohors Captain, put Exusiai's sister into that wheelchair…
Something something, The Martyr ?
"Andoian, move your sorry ass. We need to get to the mission objective."
"Ahaha, of course, of course, Cassius. I'm simply helping my fellow, isn't that the primary purpose for us members of the Pontifica Cohors ?"
" 'Our fellow', is it ? That fallen kid ?"
"... Some of us are simply more sinful than others, Cassius. Do not let your own bias cloud your vision."
Oh, what a comeback from the person who would be titled 'Saint' in the future.
Well, I say that, but the pressure exuded from the other dude- Cassius- is one hell of a desire to smack some sense into him.
Or kill him, whichever comes first.
"You are one thousand years too early to try and educate me, brat."
"Ahaha, but of course. I wouldn't dream of it. You may think of what I say as a simple delusion of your subordinate."
"... Stop joking, or else I'm going to get physical."
"... Very well."
… I have an idea.
One that can only be genius, or crazy.
There is absolutely no inbetween.
"Excuse me."
"... What do you want, brat, I have no time for your kind."
"I want to join the Pontifica Cohors."
"..."
Speechless huh ?
Well, it's time to show them how much I can give them, and what it would mean to make me their enemy.
