Chapter 20: The Schism
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"Good grief… Glad that's over with… That thing was a pain." said Ciel sitting down on a flat piece of debris nearby.
"Agreed. Although, it wasn't going to be so simple from the start given that it was an Omega class Grimm." said Leo as he took a seat next to his sister, examining his handcannons as he did so,
"Yeah…" replied the young girl with a sigh, resting her chin her palm.
Leo immediately took notice of whatever frustration was currently on her mind.
"What is it?"
"Did you feel…I don't know...stressed during the fight?"
Leo almost laughed at the question.
"Ciel, we were fighting a creature almost as large as the island. Stress was bound to be a passenger during the fight."
"Yeah, I get that, but… It just...felt weird…"
"Weird? Well, we may not exactly be human, but even we feel what they do. Except for physical pain that is. Emotional...well… That is a different story entirely."
"Still not what I meant Leo… Just...it felt...like the stress wasn't mine, you know?"
Leo's eyes blinked once as he stopped working on his guns, looking off to the side before he looked back to his sister.
"As if you were feeling someone else's stress rather than your own?"
"Yeah, that. Did you feel it too?"
"I did actually. Throughout the fight, I was fairly calm. My only concern was for everyone else and making sure that they were safe throughout the entire ordeal. And yet...I felt something deep within the back of my mind."
"You think big brother brother is in trouble?"
"Maybe… I don't know…"
"I never felt him so stressed out. Ever. Until…"
"The church with Friede... I remember all too well."
"Even after all that he never talked to us about it. And I get it, usually no one wants to talk about something like that. But…"
"You're thinking there's a possibility something similar is occurring inside, don't you?" Asked Leonard.
"I don't want to think about it, but the possibility is just-"
"Brother will be fine Ciel. He is with Xera Stark and the others inside."
"Don't you worry?"
"Of course I do. But I know that he'll be fine. Growing up, we watched our older brother endure through many trials within his life. But he never surrendered and always made it out on top. And as I watched him, he instilled the same hope and sensation within me as he does with others. To never surrender to the enemy, and to always watch over your allies closely, keeping them safe. Wherever he goes, he brings hope. To us and the masses. But for now, all we can do is wait and ensure all goes smoothly on our end. The drake will fall soon enough as is, it's only a matter of-"
"What the…is that a hood ornament?!" Yang called out, screaming over the roaring engines of the bullheads around her.
"What the heck is blondie getting excited over?" Asked Ciel.
"I don't know…"
"I don't think they make them that big, Yang." Blake replied, holding her bow down on her head to keep it from blowing around.
"Then how do you explain that?" the brawler asked, pointing to the silhouette of what looked like a humanoid figure standing on the approaching SS-17's nose.
"What the hell… Oh you cannot be serious right now!" shouted Ciel as she sprung up to her feet.
"It's him..." Leo informed the others as he approached, standing ahead of them as he took aim, "The man from the forest that attacked us while we were looking for our brother. It would seem that he's made his return."
Leo quickly fired a rapid volley of bullets, beams of his aura encasing every shot as they flew towards the aircraft with deadly precision. Each one collided with a field of aura surrounding the enemy aircraft, glancing his shots away or destroying them on impact.
"This isn't good." Ciel drew up her scythe and stood by, rushing over to Inuba's side and skidding in front of Dante's partner, "We're going to need you too."
The girl was sitting with the younger kitsune, Kitsuki, to keep her mind off the storm.
"What is he capable of?" Inuba asked, keeping a blanket wrapped around Kitsuki's shoulders as the lightning from the Drake above continued in its aerial battle with the Valkyrie.
"Strong Aura Manipulation and a diploma for being a flashy jackass with an outdated fashion style." Ciel replied, jamming her scythe into the ground as she stared up into the air, "That, and he called me short."
"How insulting…" Inuba stated looking towards the sky now.
"I know, right?! I'm totally going to kick his ass first chance I get!" Ciel quickly returned in a seething voice.
"As entertaining as that would be..." Ozpin walked up to the three sitting on the sidelines, golden lightning streaking brightly at his back as the Storm Drake in the background roared in agony, a small figure of pink smacking it in the eye with a silver glint of light, "I think it would be best to keep him from landing."
"True, but Leo's got our strongest range fighter here. He's like a walking AA gun." Ciel said, glancing at her brother as he lowered his hand cannons.
"Damn… Nothing is breaking through that shield of his…" said Leo.
"Is that so… Alright, I have a way to negate it, but I have to be close enough to touch it." Ciel continued, staring down at her hand for a moment before turning back to Ozpin.
"Then we'll get you in close. Miss Kitsukami, I'm sure you can use your flight ability again to get Miss Ciel up there. We'll keep it under fire for now."
Ozpin turned away and quickly addressed the rest of the collected students around him.
"Anybody with ranged artillery and ammunition to use it." his hard gaze soon turned to the black aircraft in the sky, ignoring the wildly spinning airborne Grimm above, "Fire everything at that bullhead."
"What if other Grimm show up?" Sun asked.
"That is why our weapons have melee functions, Mister Wukong." Ozpin replied.
"Right…"
Before they could move further, they saw an explosive burst of lighting and Aura deep within the darkness of the clouds. And then, silence.
Everyone below waited, their tense grips tightending even more as they waited. And then...he appeared.
The man who followed them here, Niro Ezdeil, dropped from the sky like a stone, his boots striking into the island, crushing the ice beneath his into a crater at the center of the plateau of students and bullheads. His arrival seemed to only be followed by silence from the storm, its energy completely stripped away and blanketed only now by the hum of one bullhead that touched down near him.
But even that began to power down.
Instead, the slow crunch of boots slowly brought Niro out of his cloud of ice shards and into the open. Lime green eyes turned up to the rift above the island's center as he stared into its nearly closed sliver of stars.
"So… He's in there..."
"Oh my gosh… I want a scythe like hers so bad now!" Squealed Ruby in pure joy at what she heard.
"My sister's weapon is impressive. And intimidating in most if not all cases."
"How was it made?"
"I have no idea. Neither does she really."
"Aw…"
"But I wouldn't be able to say even if I knew. Some secrets-"
"Are not meant for human hands. That's probably one of the most important things you taught me with your time here. But that still doesn't mean it's not cool!"
Dante only chucked at her child like amusement for such secrets as they continued walking down their designated path, eventually seeing the others ahead.
"It would seem as though all of you made it back safely."
Skyla turned her attention to see Dante and Ruby stepping out of their own door, a distant beacon of light towering into the dark sky far behind them.
"Yup. How'd it go?"
"Fairly well. Minor nuisances in the way now and then."
"I had to try really hard…but we fought a totally cool boss!" Ruby responded earnestly, walking up to the rest of the group from the immortal's side.
"That too."
"Sounds like fun. Did the boss throw giant meatballs at you?" Sky asked, interest sparking in her eyes again.
"No, but he did try sending spheres of energy our way. Laser beams as well. Large waves of destructive energy," he said, numbering them each on his fingers, "And a greatsword twice my size."
"Wow…he sounds like your kinda cliché niche..." Sky replied, her interest dead now.
"Far from cliché was he. Either way, he was a nuisance that was dealt with swiftly. But…now that we are here…" Dante said, turning to the large doorway between the buildings.
"Come on ice queen, time to go." Destiny spoke quietly from behind the duo, the girl letting Weiss lean slightly into her as they walked.
"I'd rather be carried…" Weiss admitted, but she still walked forward either way as she slipped her Myrtenaster into its sheath at her waist.
"Walking will keep your energy up, which is something we'll need. Your support's invaluable." Destiny replied.
"So you say, but that still doesn't solve my fatigue..."
"Not much will right now." Destiny quickly returned, Weiss shrugging a shoulder at that.
The braziers around the fountain behind them were kindled, burning white from the energy of the three lit beacons in the distant challenges. Each flame circled up and around the central spire of the courtyards foundation, climbing to its multi-pronged tip before converging and condensing into a singular beam of light.
That energy swirled and fired into the void above, illuminating the black courtyard in an ominous ethereal glow before the large doors ahead of them began to crack open.
From the emerging central light of the doorway hummed a soft vibration, and as the doors split the deflective field of energy surrounding them began to dissipate, before vanishing completely.
"Sweet! Looks like we're in!" Skyla exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air as the doors opened.
"It's time to end this. Let's go." said Dante as he drew his sword and led the team forward, keeping the tip of his blade low as they ascended the stairs beyond the opening.
The group followed in eerie silence, surrounded by a stifling emptiness as they slowly made their way to the realm's end. Above them towered two entry pillars, and as they reached the top, the throne room before them lay wall-less in open space.
Pillars framed the rectangular area, glowing crystals sat in six consecutive positions at either side of the central pathway ahead of them to light the way, and at its end was an elevated platform with a throne of black stone.
Lines and veins of ice seeped from the shadowy embrace of the throne itself, each shadowy web pulsing quietly under the hand of the black figure sitting back in the throne at the platform's end.
"Welcome to the peak of Eryndûs, challengers..." Zeridûl spoke in a spanning thume, voice carrying itself across the expanse of stone before him to the six at the top of the stairs.
"Let me be the first to say you lack originality in the sense of architecture. Feeling homesick all of a sudden?" Dante called out in question, taking his steps forward with the others in tow.
"I'll admit, the realm of my old friend served as a nice inspiration, but I took most of my work from the great Athenians of a world I once knew. It had this...godly touch to it, something I quite enjoyed," Zeridûl replied, standing slowly from his throne as he held his hands together behind his back.
"Godly? Hmph… You think too highly of yourself because you have something that isn't yours."
Zeridûl wasn't the first Dark Entity to think himself high and mighty than the rest of his brethren. He wasn't going to be the last.
"You mean a Gem of the Ancients?" Zeridûl asked, extending his arm and drawing up a far landmass from behind him, pulling it into view, "It has its ways with the gods, but it cannot grant godhood to those who touch it. Of course, crystals like this raise controversy across the Worlds. I'm sure you're aware of that."
Zeridûl drew the crystal from its holder and levitated it to his throne, letting it pass him by before he ushered it forward and toward Dante himself.
"You can have it if you'd like. I'm sure you'd recognize a gem similar to the one that took your partner's life."
Dante could feel everyone's eyes on him from behind after hearing such a revelation. He didn't think it odd in the slightest. If anything, he was wondering what they were thinking at the moment now that they heard what they did.
Probably not good things.
Black wisps of Aura emerged from Dante's body as he kept his hardened gaze on Zeridûl. He didn't express it with any facial expressions or movements, but his Aura spoke for his silent anger.
"Indeed I do. And I will take great pleasure in tearing it away from your hands as I crush your skull with my foot."
"Harsh words for a child, however misplaced..." Zeridûl gave a dismissive wave of the hand and let the crystal touch base in front of Dante's feet, a soft hum emanating from its surreal surface as it grew motionless, "I no longer need its power, so do what you will with it."
"So you say… But I cannot simply allow you to continue with this…mediocre auditorium you've set in place. Someone like you drawing power from a Gem immediately warrants death. So, I suggest you prepare yourself for the end. Your time has come."
This was going to be the end. He would end it. And the crisis would be averted
"This realm serves as a home to my legion. Through the Gem's presence, the dimension has become self-sustaining and mobile, allowing me the ability to disconnect it from this reality and move it elsewhere. But I appreciate your drive to fix a wrong so distantly committed by someone against you."
Zeridûl stepped down from his throne and extended his hand, materializing a black claymore into his grasp before holding it out at his side.
"It is admirable, if not narrow-minded. Everybody's lost something dear to them, even if your vendetta has led you to believe you're alone in that."
"It isn't as simple as you make it to be. That day…I lost far more than just 'one' person. And because of that…I decided I will never allow such a thing to happen again. Even if I need to take the most extraordinary measures and cross lines no one would ever dare to, I will do whatever it takes to prevent it from happening again."
Dante stepped forward now to counter the challenge, keeping his sword at his side as he narrowed his gaze. His arm was steady and call the entire time, sure of his victory with everyone else backing him.
"Simplicity is creation's greatest virtue, it bolsters with its rules of ignorance and puts together the most secure boundaries, yet it's equally the hardest to understand in its own right." Zeridûl brought his sword up and turned his gaze down, eyes leveling on the immortal teen, "I don't expect you or me to understand one another's efforts or testaments, but even you can't control the tides of existence itself."
"I need not control them. I need only to move them out of my way or entirely crush them. No matter how 'great' you make yourself and your work seem, it's only one big fabrication. A lie at best."
"You wish to strike down an ocean's waves, a fruitless endeavor, but you are correct. No matter what we 'see' or what we 'hear', no matter how carefully it's played or how much you enforce its façade or pretend it to be tender and exquisite…a lie will remain a lie."
Zeridûl leveled his sword on the gem resting in front of Dante, turning his blade ever so slightly as he regarded it.
"The Gem has shown me much with its temporary connection with you and its sister Gem. You are one who wasn't born with greatness, and neither granted it by the fates. And yet…you chase after something even I cannot see. Tell me…what is it that you seek? Or maybe…you cannot even say for yourself?"
"What I want or desire…has no importance here and now. But what is needed is that you become a distant and faint memory."
"Then so be it."
Zeridûl twisted his blade and dragged it down to his side, pulling it back around in a rapid slash as he cast out a vortex of wind and ice toward the group before him. But the field of shards and frost only crashed against a rising gale of burning orange flame, each fragment dissipating away as the soft sounds of footsteps moving slowly forward overtook the resounding silence of the throne room plateau.
Eyes snapped to Xera as he quietly made his way forward, keeping his gaze down and low as he put himself between Dante and Zeridûl.
"I appreciate the effort, but it wasn't necessary." Dante said, keeping his sword at his side as he transitioned his gaze to the phoenix in front of him.
Xera closed his eyes and lowered his blade, something Dante took note of. He thought it to be some part of his strategy, but…
Dull blue irises soon opened as Xera turned around and faced his group, drawing his sword up as a soft light soon kindled around his pupils, flames burning brighter around him as he raised his gaze.
"I'm sorry, Dante…" Xera spoke quietly, "But I can't allow you past this point."
What..? What did you just say..?
Immediately the immortal's leveled on Xera's eyes, and in some way, expressed some form of confusion. At least, that was until he glanced back to Zeridûl.
"And why is that exactly?"
"Because Zeridûl was as much a victim as my brother was, and his death will be irrevocably misplaced." Xera responded.
"Victim? Misplaced?"
Now I see… The reason my Proxy warned me earlier… Zeridûl met with Xera in secret...
"Now I understand." His gaze fell back on Xera, "Are you that naive that you would simply take his word? I expected much more from you, Xera."
"His word seems to be the only one that makes sense around here." Xera replied.
"His word? His word is empty. He and his kind will say whatever they can and will and make empty promise and propositions in order to save themselves. Especially if the filthy cowards know death is coming for them."
Dark Entities did it all the time. Especially when facing the young immortal. Even the worst of the worst, who have done much more terrible things that he would rather not speak, had the audacity to beg for his mercy, bribe him, or offer incentive to Dante allow them to live.
He never accepted any offer from them.
"I am doing what is right and necessary." Dante continued, "so that when the time comes, he cannot turn around and slit our throats when we aren't looking."
"You keep assuming he'll do exactly that, but I can't see it the same way you do anymore… Not with what I found out." Xera said.
You're joking right..? You can't be serious...
"I'm more than certain he showed you and told you what you would have liked to see and hear. But are you that foolish enough as to believe him? A being of lies, deception, and temptation?"
"If this was a few days ago… I would've believed you, hands down, without a second thought. But with how you've treated us, people I thought were your friends, and how you've acted in this realm, I'm starting to lose the trust I thought I had in you." Xera retaliated, his fire burning a little brighter as he lowered his conflicted gaze to the side, "Zeridûl has yet to, even once, tempt or deceive. You saw it yourself in Zerath's mind but you're too blind to accept it. He's done nothing but honor his word from the start."
You idiot… I only pushed you and the others way to spare you potential danger. You have no experiences in this sort of situation. You've never faced a conflict like this before.
"I have meant no harm or disrespect towards any of you. This place…it brought out a part of the worst of me. Deeper and darker thoughts I've long suppressed. My only intention from the start…was to guarantee your safety and survival through this ordeal. All of you. I am not the best kind of person. Nor the most intelligent at certain times. But make no mistake…your lives were always my highest priority. And I won't allow him of all people to rob you blind of them."
"Then back down." Xera said immediately, hardening his gaze and returning it to Dante, "If you intend to save each of us, then back down, because I'm not walking away from this. I will fight you if I have to and you'll have to beat me down before you can get to Zeridûl."
You..? Fight me..? Why? Why would you do this? I am not blind. I see more than you do. More than you ever will.
Dante looked to Xera with wide eyes, as if he recalled something distant, then lowered his gaze to the floor.
"You fool… Are you going to be the same as them? Are you turning on me as well?"
"Because of how blind you are, that's how you interpret this…" Xera shook his head slowly, "I'm going against your decision. I know you and what you do, but this one decision is a mistake and I won't let you follow it through."
You know nothing. You understand nothing. Don't be so arrogant as to presume you know me… You know only what I decided to show you.
"Take the crystal and let's leave. If he comes back, and he was lying, then we can fight him. There's no reason to end this here without giving him a chance." Xera stated firmly.
"It will be too late by then. Letting this place grow and allowing him to live will be a mistake. And it will be this World's downfall. All because you'd rather let yourself be twisted by his words."
"Zerath is alive and recovering, it'll be easy to get the truth from him and it'll be even easier to know what he earnestly believes. We can get our answers from him, and if his word aligns with Zeridûl's, then we would've saved something that could potentially be beneficial to the Worlds, unlike the plague you make it out to be."
Xera's eyes snapped to the side as someone else spoke up.
"He's so focused on his own revenge, he won't allow himself to believe anything that'll lead him away from what he wants." the light voice emanated from Dante's right, drawing the immortal's own gaze as Skyla made her way forward.
The short girl let her passing gaze fall over Dante as she went to Xera, turning around to face down the same person her leader was going against.
"This has nothing to do with revenge." Dante continued with a frown, "Do I remember the pain of loss I felt that day? Of course I do. Do I remember the feeling of uselessness as I watched my partner die that day? Of course, I would never forget."
His reply caused Xera to grit his teeth, further expanding the divide between whatever hopeless ideals they both held as this standstill continued.
"And even if her being alive and well now makes up for it, I will never forget. Has such an incident influenced my actions? Only slightly. This isn't about revenge or a personal vendetta. This is about what I know. All the death, all the destruction at the hands of his kind… You all know nothing of what they are truly capable of, nor understand the repercussions. Allowing all this to go on…would be another mistake. One I can't allow."
"You're right, I have no idea what the Dark Entities have done nor what they will do," Xera responded, sweeping his hand to the side and taking a step forward, "But what I do know is the pain I felt when my family was killed before my eyes and when I found out I was the last of my entire dwindling race. I know and remember the pain I lived with for years, trying to come to terms with all of that and figuring out a way to move on. I can't expect you to know what I felt when I found out my brother was alive, the very last person I saw die at the hands of an organization that mirrors your ideology here and now about a race in its entirety and not its individuals."
Don't you dare compare me to people like those...
Xera clenched his fist as the stones around him slowly began to simmer and crack, irises burning brightly into a red hue as their colors bled scarlet to match a rising anger.
"Do you know what it's like…to be given a chance to save the loved one you never could before, only to watch it all be taken away again by someone you thought you trusted? If it wasn't for Zeridûl, Zerath would've been dead five years ago in a facility I repressed from my mind because of how much it's ruined everything I hold dear and how much it hurt me."
"I may not understand it all, but I understand it well enough to know the idea. But I am not evil. Making a comparison between ideology and beliefs of Faunus and those of Dark Entities are completely incomparable," Dante retaliated, "Faunus kind are nowhere near as terrible and as vile as humanity here on Remnant has made them out to be. And in many instances, I've seen their kindness, appreciation for others, and respect."
You arrogant fool…
"It agitates me," the immortal continued, "that humanity can be so intelligent, yet so foolish and afraid of others that have a few differences in comparison. Because of that, I can never agree with others who make such cruel and misguided opinions about Faunus kind. Nor will I stand for it."
Dante stepped forward and raised his arm and sword, trying to make his point.
"But Dark Entities are a completely different story altogether. Time and time again, with their actions and words, they have proven my opinion of them being evil more than true. Which is why I stand here today."
"Then give me this one chance to act on this one, minuscule belief that this Dark Entity is exactly what he says he is and that killing him is senseless!" Xera retaliated, a brief, shining moment that drew Skyla's gaze to him.
Dante never heard the Phoenix shout before. But it made him all the more uncomfortable with the situation.
"You're putting forward your hate for the entire Dark Entity race and assuming he's exactly like that! What if you're wrong?! What if there are Entities out there that go against that ideology and you just haven't met them yet? Your position has only taken you to places where they've been the ones taking actions, taking lives, but there can still be ones you don't see standing by and remaining idle. You can't just kill them all and assume they're all the same."
"Again, you've proven what little you understand," Dante replied as he shook his head, "I know for a fact there are those that are good that exist. I've seen them for myself. I have friends and those close to me who are Dark Entities. In fact, his King and I are close friends. And in many instances, he has given me aid I graciously accepted. But Zeridûl has given me no reason at all to believe anything he says. Which is why this cannot continue."
"Then turn around and let this one chance have any actual hope of being proven." Xera's voice fell quiet as he made his plea one more time, "Zeridûl may very well be one of those kinds, but you're not giving him a chance to prove it."
"He had his chances after the tournament and up until these past few days." Dante's face grew darker as he tilted his head down, resolved to do what had to be done, "Now, he has none."
"That's because you're refusing to see past everything he's done!" Xera's eyes flashed with embered flames as he kept trying to change Dante's mind, "He did everything for a reason!"
"I haven't refused anything in the slightest." Dante replied back, "I've 'seen' past all his misdeeds and actions. But tell me, did you ever once consider it was a carefully crafted facade made to create exactly this type of situation? You likely haven't considered this option given that you easily accepted his words."
"You think I haven't?! When have I not thought something through? It's not easy standing up here against you…but there isn't anywhere I'd rather be than in your way right now." Xera's said, speaking in a voice still backed by emotions he rarely let show.
Stop this…
"Get out of the way...or there will be consequences..." Dante returned harshly, stepping forward as he cast his gaze up from the ground and to Xera's eyes.
"You already know that I won't let this go." Xera replied evenly, raising his black blade into a secure guard, breathing out for a moment as he closed his eyes, "Skyla… you don't have to stand here with me. You know that."
"I concur." Dante's eyes met Skyla's now as he gestured for her to go, "I suggest you move back."
She doesn't need to be a casualty of this.
"And miss all the fun? Xera means more to me than you ever will, I'm sorry but there's nothing that'll change that." Sky returned, bringing her own blades up as she took her position at Xera's left, "I'm taking his word over yours."
"Unfortunately…" Dante closed his eyes in a hard blink before he reached forward, opening his sky blue gaze with a flash of aura, "I'm not giving you the chance nor the choice to stay there."
Dante raised up his hand, palm facing skyward, as he raised Skyla off the ground and forcefully moved her back several meters. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Dante crushed his hand into a fist to form a crystalline barrier of hexagonal shapes around her, imprisoning her where she stood.
"I will only fight you." the immortal finished, facing Xera before raising his own sword up.
"Then fight me, just try to believe me or give my words a little meaning…you can at least give me that for once." Xera replied.
You're confused... You don't know what you're talking about... A naive child like you hasn't the slightest idea… If you wish to fight me, then I will fight you. And...I will show you no mercy...
Destiny grit her teeth as Weiss leaned into her side, the wolf lowering the heiress softly to the ground and onto her knees as the girls stared at the two friends drawing blades against each other.
"What are you two doing?!" Ruby stepped forward, standing beside her tired partner and swiping her hand in an outward gesture, "This isn't the time to be fighting or arguing!"
"Don't move. Stay right where you are. I'd rather you not be an unfortunate casualty." Dante's voice responded coldly, forcing the the the reaper's fists to clench as she bit her lip.
Why was this happening?
Xera's eyes narrowed behind the edge of his blade at Dante's reply to the reaper, tilting his blade ever so slightly as he glanced to Ruby's eyes, "This isn't your fight, Ruby. I don't want you taking a side for this one. That goes for all of you."
"This is between the two of us, and only us." Dante agreed.
Ruby wanted to say something else, but she bit back her words and remained silent. Realizing whatever she said wouldn't get through to them now.
A muffled banging broke into the air behind them as Xera lowered his gaze, eyes softening when he heard his partner.
"And what about me?!" Skyla screamed, fists pressed harshly against Dante's barrier as she glared at the match with heat in her eyes, "You can't just tell us all to stay out of it!"
Dante flicked his gaze to hers, "I can, I will, and I did."
Skyla lowered her head and punched the barrier again, letting out a low growling scream before her Aura flared. The passing wave of rage and anger crashed against the clear shell before dissipating, the girl's shoulders rising and falling before she did it again.
"Try as much as you like, but you won't be escaping. Not without assistance."
"Just…watch me…" the girl growled, ripping her sword from its embedded place in the ground and slamming it into her prison's shell.
Dante only sighed.
"How predictable…"
Xera stayed quiet the entire time. He realized this wasn't in his power to stop, and he knew he'd only last so long against Dante before he was inevitably beaten. He didn't want Skyla getting herself hurt in a decision he made. But a part of him died inside at how badly she wanted to stand by his side and how little she cared for herself.
"I would tell you to make the first move, but I understand your cautious and analytical self considerably by now. I'll tell you this out of respect, however. I am like no enemy you have faced before." Dante returned a level gaze to Xera's on as he spoke, "You must compose yourself and never let your guard down for even a moment."
Advice Xera had long since mulled over on the way up to this place, his eyes returning to Dante's as he let out a silent breath.
"It's funny really…"
The slightest tilt to Dante's blade caught Xera's eyes.
"What is?"
"I was actually wondering if you'd take me seriously enough to draw your sword," Xera replied, smirking with a small huff of air as he continued, "Makes me wonder if you actually see me as someone capable enough to fight you head-on and actually keep up."
"You might say that. I consider you…a considerable threat if I am not cautious."
Xera shrugged one of his shoulders and readied his stance again, "Not that I wanted to be, anyway. But I guess it's something."
Dante lunged forward with a crack of shattered stone and accelerated speed, covering the distance between them quickly in an apparent glide. Their blades meet shortly after, but Dante had already moved to break their clash, quickly swinging his left leg to Xera's head.
Xera dodged under the immortal's kick, knowing blocking it wasn't an option, then took a quick outward swipe to attack only to cut the air beneath his opponent's leaping form. Dante rotated and descended on Xera, sword raised to his side to take a swing at the phoenix, but the attack was too telegraphed.
Xera swung upwards and unleashed an arcing wave of fire at Dante, only for a line to split the attack as its wielder remained calm and unmoving, slashing through the flaming crescent with his sword to meet his opponent again. But instead of attacking Xera, he vanished in a blur of black, immediately reappearing behind Xera to stab him.
Within Dante's expectations, Xera tore his blade around as he twisted his body, blocking his stab attack, but this in turn left him open to a slashing assault from the immortal as he forced the phoenix back.
With a one-handed swing, Dante slammed his blade into Xera's and put a minuscule amount of distance between him and his opponent as the phoenix was sent skidding on his shoes, but it was all a part of his next attack.
Something he hoped would stop the phoenix, but Xera was someone who had already gone past his expectations more than once.
It still didn't hurt to try.
Dante made for another stab, but with its speed, it wasn't something Xera could dodge. He had to block. But blocking would prove to be a setback, something Dante was trying to capitalize on.
White metal scraped harshly across Xera's black sword as the phoenix ground Dante's stab upward, trying to force it away from his chest but only managing to redirect it a few inches. The stab pierced into his shoulder shallowly, enough to keep him lodged in place.
The blade would've driven straight through if Xera hadn't locked his blade with Dante's guard.
Without a moment's hesitation, the immortal moved his left hand and placed it over the crossguard of his sword, index finger pointed directly toward Xera.
The phoenix realized what the immortal was up to as he watched four streams of black aura quickly build up at the tip of Dante's finger, forming a small black sphere that immediately discharged in a violent beam of Aura, consuming Xera in its blast.
Did that work?
Xera's body disappeared inside the encapsulating veil of energy Dante unleashed, ripping a pressurized wave out from the point of impact that crashed mutely against her shield.
"Oh… Now this is a surprise…"
The airborne dust from the blast cleared, revealing smoking black wings that had enveloped Xera to protect him from the blast with little damage to him or his wings.
"You withstood my Piercer using only your wings." Dante stated, watching as soft streams of smoke trickled from Xera's dark feathers, "You've grown considerably stronger throughout this whole ordeal. I wonder… Is it because we defeated Zeridûl within the depths of your brother's mind? Or maybe…you're putting forth such incredible effort because of another reason entirely?"
Who knows... He may even think I have intention to hurt the others…
"Everybody learns from the things they do." Xera returned, sliding his blade forward between his wings to lock with the base of Dante's sword again and dislodge the blade from his shoulder, "And everybody has their reasons… You already know mine."
Your reasons are ridiculous.
Dante didn't return a reply with words, but his sword, making a sweeping slash that clashed harshly with Xera's own, blade glancing past Xera as he parried the attack. Thinking he had the appropriate timing, the phoenix move for another horizontal slash across Dante's chest, but Dante moved backward and quickly sheathed his katana.
"Farewell."
As soon as he spoke his words, Dante's sword hand moved in blurred motions, rapidly slashing at Xera with near-invisible speed that forced the phoenix to continuously dodge backward against the onslaught of attacks.
He'll slip up. He's fast, but not durable. Once he runs out of energy and falters, I'll end this with one strike.
The slashes seemed unending, and at any moment, if he slipped up or tripped, he wouldn't be able to defend against the damage that'd follow.
But within the minuscule amount of time before his next slash, Xera unexpectedly snapped forward and caught Dante's wrist that held his sword, stopping his onslaught entirely.
Xera didn't hesitate with his next move, remembering Dante's words from earlier.
With a burst of fiery momentum, the phoenix brought down his sword and slashed it across Dante's body, seeing the immortal's eyes go wide as Xera let go of his hand and let Dante skid back on his heels from the following combustion of the swing.
When his shoes stopped sliding, Dante's eyes moved from the ground back up to Xera as he let out a silent exhale, his coat coming undone from the deep slash. Cloth draped away as Xera readjusted his grip, the opening exposing the lightly skeletal-armored body beneath.
Blood trickled from the small wound the phoenix managed to land.
"Tough skin..." Xera said, readying his defense again and expecting retaliation, "though, looks like I'm reading your movements a bit better."
"Really now?" Dante questioned as he stood up straight, glaring at the phoenix.
"All the times I've seen you fight, I could barely read your movements at all, and that left me always guessing and predicting. Until now, that is. It was like watching an emotionless demon fighting on the battlefield. So, how come I'm able to read you this time? Is it because you're taking it easy on me? Or…do you actually feel a twinge of your humanity acting up for the first time?"
Dante's eyes widened momentarily, almost as if he were insulted in some way that Xera would make such a ridiculous assessment. This was clearly demonstrated when the immortal swung his sword outwards behind him, shattering the floor behind him as the stone floors rose up from the sheer force.
"Are you suggesting… that my movements are more human-like?" Dante asked, watching as Xera readied himself in a stance, "I understand now… You must be feeling very proud of yourself for being able to keep up at this level."
Within that moment, the air around them quaked violently from the immense pressure of Dante's aura, forcing all but Xera to take steps back even further, all while Zeridûl watched from his throne, smiling.
"How naive…" whispered the immortal.
No matter how closely Xera watched him, he was blind to Dante's next move, only seeing a glimpse of him reappear above him within a split second, sword ready to slam down on the phoenix.
The ground was moved apart from the force of the immortals strike, creating a large smokescreen of dust again. Xera used his wings to push himself out of the rising cloud, but Dante had already appeared behind him instantly.
Xera reached behind him with an outward slash as he pivoted around forcefully in the air, hoping to catch the immortal's blow. But Dante blurred from sight and appeared a small distance slightly above and behind Xera, sword brought across his side.
The phoenix had left himself wide open, a perfect chance to strike him.
Xera's eyes widened as he continued his turn, trying to get clear of the immortal's blade only for the ground to explode directly beneath him, black ice surging up and clashing with the incoming sword instead.
Dante's cold, focused gaze moved to Zeridûl, who sat upon his throne with his fingers lightly touching his chilled armrest.
"Just what do you think you're doing, miscreant?" Dante asked in a growl, breaking his sword from the entity's ice.
"Come now…" Zeridul smirked, pulling his ice back into the ground with the tap of his finger, "I couldn't just let you clip the poor boy's wings now could I?"
The stall in the fighting helped Xera quietly right himself in the air and land his feet back on the ground, rolling his shoulders instinctively at the thought of the damage that hit would've caused if it landed.
His wings are his greatest asset. I thought about severing them entirely just now...but that would be too cruel on my part. Even if I did sever them, I would have had Inuba reattach them and restore them to full functionality. She is that effective with her healing. But instead, I settled for disabling them so he can't use them. But he's a clever one this Phoenix… He knows how to mind his wings well enough.
"Look closely at who you face, Xera Stark… Look… and understand that who you see and who you are fighting… is the real Dante." Zeridûl claimed, bringing Xera's cautious eyes into a hard focus.
For a moment, Dante's gaze shifted off to the side towards the floor, as if…
Think of me what you will, even as a villain if this makes it's easier for you. But I am not wrong.
His gaze hardened once more as his eyes quickly focused on Xera again.
"Then you're the Dante I need to convince to stop this." Xera replied uneasily, taking a momentary breath to calm himself. He wouldn't be taking too many more from this point forward.
"I oppose you as strongly as I do…because you are now exactly the same as HE was," Dante suddenly interjected, keeping his blade at his side as he stood still.
You're no different. That same haughty belief that you think you're right… I won't allow it...
"Thinking he was right, when in reality, he was only dooming all the others with his actions and decisions. I too almost stripped him of his wings that day…had I not shown him more mercy than he deserved."
Dante's knuckles grew tight as he all but snarled his words, eyebrows furrowing.
"In the end, he was wrong, knowing very well that he was. And yet, like a child who hides his eyes from the truth, he decided to still believe he was right. Your actions… Your words… Your decision to stand against me… They all perfectly resemble him. More importantly…you would also doom this world based on information that was very likely fabricated. I won't allow another fool possibly destroy a world based on misguided belief."
Xera took a breath and finally spoke back, "If you think I'm the kind of person to jump at the first thing I hear that's playing for exactly what I want to be true, you're wrong."
You can say that all you like, but that's exactly what you've done.
The phoenix shook his head. He was only repeating words he'd already spoken, but he was still trying to force even the slightest bit of information through Dante's head to dispel his aggression.
"I'm careful, I think before I leap, and there isn't anyone else I know that thinks more level-headed than I do under pressure," Xera continued, "None of this is fabricated. I can feel it in my entire being that it's not. But you're convinced something like this can never end well because it hasn't in the past… You're wrong about that. The past is there for you to learn from, it's not meant to be repeated."
"I agree. Which is why I learned from the last time and won't allow a repeat. I will stop this foolishness that so easily wormed into your head…even if I have to grind your bones into dust. You will understand…one way or another."
Xera could only shake his head, it really has come to this, "I can say the same to you."
Make your next move… I'm waiting…
Xera's irises flashed a bright sky blue color, exactly like the young immortal before him if his Shadow Eyes weren't present. Black sclera and glowing white irises were all that stared back at the phoenix, watching and waiting.
Xera moved his blade back as he held it with both hands, orange flames violently erupting forth in numerous torrential streams as his black bangs whipped up from the sudden force.
Is he an idiot..?
"Flames again? Don't you understand? That won't work on me."
Xera brushed off his comment and dashed forward, his fire trailing behind him in a roaring streak of searing light as he dragged his blade close to the ground.
Dante planned to simply stand still and prove the attack was going to be feeble and a waste, until he noticed something odd. The flames suddenly grew larger and more chaotic, but that wasn't what surprised him the most.
The flames had turned pitch black.
Dante quickly centered himself and raised his sword to block the attack as roaring black aura and flame sent him skidding back on his heels, Xera pushing him back full force and not stopping.
The immortal wasn't going to let this keep up and build momentum.
Dante grasped his sword with both hands as he spun around and deflected Xera up towards the sky, the phoenix softly flipping high above in a haze of flame, eyes turning back down as he lay in the suspended wake of his burning blade, his weapon still billowing fire and roaring violently like the wrath of a dragon.
Dante had time between Xera's next strike, so he quickly glanced at the Aura-flame coated sword to better understand what was happening and why it was black. But when he noticed Xera's eyes resembled his own, he immediately understood what his opponent pulled.
Now I see… You've been around me a considerable amount of time so far and have part of my memories to aid you. I'm almost impressed.
The air behind the phoenix collapsed in a sudden beat of his wings, quickly propelling him forward as his fire's rising heat sucked in the flowing air from the citadel's lower levels.
Xera cleared the distance in a heartbeat and took a powerful slash at Dante, letting the black mass of aura and flame surge forward and do the work it should've done if Dante didn't avoid it. But the attack was still too slow.
Dante blurred out of sight again and reappeared directly behind Xera, sword across his body and ready to swing.
"Not good enough I'm afraid."
Xera wasted no time and quickly spun around and swung full force, his blade clashing with Dante's as the black aura and flame burst forth in separate streams, threatening to consume the phoenix's opponent.
But it was never going to be enough.
The flames and Aura died down considerably after the attack, only lightly coating Xera's blade now as the metal of his sword sat warmly in his grasp. The phoenix struggled to push Dante away in their collision, but the immortal kept him in place.
"I suppose you think you're awfully clever to use my own technique against me. Especially the older version. Honestly…did you really think Howling Dark would work against me to the effects you desired it to be?"
"Well," Xera grunted, his feathers feeling the familiar air currents again around them as their blades locked, "it was worth a try."
"Your strategy was sound in thinking to use the technique, especially by keeping it contained to your sword rather than discharging it. That way it would add an incredible amount of force to your swings. Not only did I have to factor in your own strength, but the added strength of the technique. I'm assuming you patched together this half-baked plan using the memories I gave you a while ago in the event you needed to use my Semblance, yes?"
"No, not enough time for something like that." Xera replied evenly, tipping his sword away to try and dislodge it from Dante's biting blade, "Unlike you, planning isn't something I like to do to most extents. That was just something I thought would work, but it didn't."
"Hmph…"
A copy is only a copy. It almost never surpasses the original. Especially if the one wielding it has way more experience.
Dante broke their clash and sent Xera back a considerable distance, the immortal standing back.
"Is that all? You can do better than that."
As he spoke, Dante found black Aura and flame heading directly for him, prompting him to raise his sword up to block as he watched the torrent split in two past him, completely unharmed as the rest of the attack continued unrelentingly.
Xera slipped around the rising torrent, using it as cover as he circled around and readied himself to strike, but was more than surprised when the torrent of flame and aura opened up slightly, revealing a finger pointed directly at him.
The phoenix moved his sword in front of him when he saw that finger, expecting another blast of energy to hit him, like with what Dante used early on in his fight. But that wasn't the case.
The attack came from Xera's blind spot in the form of black Aura Swords as they silently flew through the air, ready to pierce his flesh. Even then, he still had his prime means of defense.
Xera's black wings folded around him as it took the brunt of the Aura Swords, each sword shattering against them like glass being thrown against a wall, but still having enough force to send him flying back down into the dirt.
"You countered that better than I expected." Dante stated, slowly approaching the teen, "But yet again, another plan has failed. You're running out of options Xera. Or rather…"
Xera made to move, but something hard suddenly locked him in place as blackened chains faded into view, restraining his arms, legs, and wings.
"You've already run out of any usable strategies."
Xera managed to look up, seeing Dante stopped directly in front of him, his gaze ever cold and calmly focused upon the phoenix, waiting to see if he would concoct another strategy to oppose him.
"Your luck's run out…" said the immortal as he slowly raised his weapon above his head, "This is the end for you."
You brought this upon yourself…
Xera leaned away from the blade, eyes snapping to its movement as it fell and swung down, but only a soft sliver of air struck the phoenix's skin as the sword suddenly halted.
What..?
With the force Dante swung at, he expected it to be Zeridûl again. But something thin and restrained suddenly caught Xera's peripherals when he saw a purple ribbon wrapped tightly around the sword over his head.
Dante immediately traced the offense back to its owner.
Of course…
"Well now… This is certainly a surprise. I didn't expect the barrier to break without the use of outside help. But even that wasn't necessary. It would seem that you too are moving beyond my set expectations…Skyla Xerious."
Xera watched as his partner's breathing drew in and out of her lungs heavily, bringing her shoulders into a deep rise and fall as she glared at the immortal standing above him.
Behind the girl lay a completely shattered area of stone, where her prison once stood. Shambles of Dante's barrier glinted in the realm's crystal light as they littered the inside of a large crater.
The slim girl suddenly took a breath and let it all out.
"He knew he wasn't a match for you from the beginning but he fought you anyway!" Skyla yelled, the ground ripping away as she yanked on her ribbon to either pull him to her or throw herself at him, "And yet, you can't care enough to believe him, even for a moment!"
I do care… But he's wrong.
"What you see as a lack of caring is harshness on my part. None here have seen the disasters of believing those like the miscreant behind me,p." Dante replied, ire directed to the man at his throne as he remained still, "Especially the calamity that almost occurred had I allowed it to continue further. The Worlds… Different Realities like this one… All would have been affected or would have likely perished had I not stopped fools like this one from going through with their plan. That's why...I'll stop him. Even you if you get in my way."
"But this isn't your World!" Skyla dug her heels into the stone beneath her, pulling as hard as she could on her ribbon just to stay Dante's arm now, "This is our World! What happens to us shouldn't be any consolation to you! It's not your place to govern our home or take it into your own hands!"
Govern? This isn't about control you little fool.
"Shouldn't...? Hmph… That shows how little you know. And those who do not know cannot even begin to hope to understand. As was my former duty, I will save this world. Even from yourselves if I have to."
"If it was your duty, then you have to accept that you're not always right, that you don't always make the right call," Skyla's tugging on her ribbon was only causing her small frame to drag itself through the ground beneath her, shoes still digging deep into the plateau's stone, "You aren't even trying to consider that you may be wrong! I don't care how little I know or how little we all know! But a stubborn prick like you doesn't deserve the favor of any World if he discards any hope that the damned may actually be innocent!"
I have considered it. The chances of what you say are extremely low. The chances of him and you being cleverly manipulated are much higher.
"Favor? I don't need something as convoluted and meaningless as favor. As I said before, it doesn't matter to me in the slightest how you perceive me. Hero, villain, savior, destroyer. All that matters to me is completing my task whatever way possible."
"So that's it? When a World's in danger it's your task to put a stop to it, even if doing so takes the lives of the innocent?"
"Innocent you say? Tell me…was this after he showed whatever it is he did about Xera's brother? Did he even bother mentioning all that has transpired before all this? No, of course not. He is not innocent. That's why…his life will be mine. After I deal with the both of you."
Dante's black chains unraveled themselves from Xera as the young immortal grabbed hold of Xera's sweatshirt and tossed him directly toward Skyla's path, forcing her to unravel her ribbons from her weapon in order to catch her partner.
"A unified front… Distractions that will catch me off guard, sneak attacks, decoys… You'll need all of those and more in order to combat me effectively," Dante said, watching as Xera flipped around as Skyla caught his back beneath his arms, "But even with the two of you, your chances of succeeding are slim at best. So go ahead, try your best against me. But it will be all for naught in the end."
Zeridûl suddenly stood for a moment, "Is that so?"
The entity's voice echoed down from his throne again as he stepped forward, eyeing Dante challengingly before looking up into the void above.
"Then I suppose someone needs to boost their chances a bit. It's about time someone favored them, after all. But what do you care? That's just a convoluted and useless thing to you." A dark smirk split Zeridûl's lips as a bright light surged in the sky.
But the flash of a neon light from above suddenly tore the phoenix's gaze skyward as a streak of smoldering white light descended from the void above, gravitationally dropped from the sky itself as Zeridûl lifted an arm, then let his hand fall.
With little to no time to react, Xera pushed Sky to the ground and covered her with his wings, the light above them getting stronger before a small burning star impacted the ground, directly on top of the phoenix and his partner.
Zeridûl smiled as his throne room violently shook from the impact, an explosion of combustive white fire ripping out from the star's epicenter and blanketing the battlefield with a newly roaring blaze of scorching heat.
Kimura, Destiny's Cerberus, was the only reason why she and the two other girls with her weren't swept up in the ringed blast.
But the surge of energy wasn't enough to deter Dante in the slightest, just blowing past his smoking body as the sea of white crackled and glowed.
"I see… So then…is that it? That's your big strategy?" the immortal asked.
He's feeding him the best source of flame that could be. The lasting, burning flame of a star. Clever move since the fire will feed Stark's power, effectively recharging him and making him more powerful.
Dante soon watched blinding white light flow, singlqing that Xera's Affinity had activated and was taking in the fire littering the battlefield around him. Every morsel of energy from that fallen star filtered into his Aura before the phoenix's eyes emitted a stable white glow, pupils embering with white flame inside the illuminated colors of his irises.
Then that blinding white light faded away.
"You ready?" Xera asked quietly, removing his wings completely before pushing himself up onto one knee and giving a hand to Skyla.
The girl could only smile when she saw the rekindled light in Xera's eyes, "Always."
"Hmph… Don't get so cocky. You may have received power, yes, but the way you define power is vastly different from my definition of power. So…I'll show you real power…" Dante swept his blade to the side as he turned to face the pair as they helped each other stand, "and crush the both of you."
Dante dashed forward at blinding speed, moving for Xera first with a stab to his throat. But Skyla wasn't about to let him have his way.
She moved to strike at him but found her blade blocked by his bare left hand while Xera blocked the sword in his right, seeing him lift his left leg for a kick to her sides to send her away.
But the girl countered with a kick of her own, their feet meeting upon contact, only the force of her kick was stronger and forced him back, opening him to attack from Xera.
Even so he remained calm and met the phoenix head-on, keeping his focus split between the two. Xera struck at Dante full force with his flames enwreathing his weapon to allow him to even out the force of his strikes to be on par with the immortal.
But it wasn't the phoenix Dante was most concerned about. No, it was Skyla instead. He knew almost nothing of her Semblance or her abilities, only that she was very skilled, especially when focused like she was now.
Dante found his arm entangled in one of Skyla's ribbons, part of her dual sword weapon which resembled a certain cat-faunus' style almost. Instead of moving in for an attack like he expected from her, it was Xera instead who moved in with a powerful strike that nearly forced away Dante's weapon, even so, it was enough for Skyla to move in.
And she did exactly that when she pulled herself to the immortal and delivered a heeled kick that missed by my mere seconds. But that wasn't all she had to offer. She swung one of her swords at Dante, who raised his sword to the side to block, but was surprised when he was so easily forced away by just one swing of her silver blade.
She didn't stop there.
She began assaulting him with a flurry of explosively powerful kicks until she opened up his guard, just enough for Xera to flash by and leave a nasty cut across Dante's chest yet again, only now the cut was deeper than last.
I've underestimated the strength they gained. It's rather incredible in comparison to what I originally thought. But it's fine. They can attack me all they wish, but it won't be long before I'm used to their attack patterns. That…and Skyla Xerious' Semblance. It's a tricky one to match force wise…but…
Dante moved back from a downwards slash Xera delivered and moved back further when Skyla leapt over him to deliver a menacing cross slash to the immortal's eyes, an attack he barely managed to avoid.
When Dante managed to firmly plant his feet to the ground he quickly stabbed for Skyla, soon finding his sword had been completely stopped by a furiously blazing hand.
Impossible..! With his bare hand..?!
Without time to retaliate, Xera quickly planted a fist full of fire directly into Dante's chest, ignoring the armored hide protecting him. And when he grabbed hold of Xera's arm, he found that his stomach and chest were pierced by twin blades from Skyla, who had quickly slipped in.
"That's enough!"
Dante elbowed Xera in the jaw to force him away a bit, giving him room to grab Skyla's face and push her away from him.
Xera Stark was moving in for his next strike, but he found an Aura Sword piercing through his right shoulder, almost forcing him to let go of his sword.
Now that he had time, the immortal had the chance to deal with Skyla while Xera was recovering. He made to grab for her head once more, but she raised up her sword so that his powerful grip would find the blade instead of her wrist. It was still more than enough.
Dante immediately spun her around a few times and tossed her away like a doll, and blurred out of sight to reappear behind her, ready to stab her. But she didn't give in so easily. Instead of being skewered, she shifted her body midflight and grabbed hold of Dante's wrist, pulling him up with her.
With the little momentum she had left, Skyla shifted their positions and smashed Dante head-first into the floor with enough force to make a small crater.
Despite her successful counter-attack, she wasn't foolish enough to assume they had so easily won. This was far from over. She made to pull away with her ribbons, but was still too late in removing the last sword from Dante. With the grasp on her weapon, Dante slung Skyla up into the air and used his immense strength to sling her back down into the harsh platform with ground-breaking results.
Now, there was one more to deal with for the time being.
Dante lifted himself off the ground and quickly readied himself for the fast approaching Xera Stark, who tried to run him through with his sword, but he wasn't quick enough.
Instead, the immortal moved aside before delivering a powerful knee into the phoenix's gut and followed up with a crushing elbow drop to his back near his waist, effectively knocking the wind out of Xera before tossing him aside as well.
But it seemed as though he was a distraction, just like he instructed the duo to use against him.
When he turned around, it was far too late to dodge. So instead, he let Skyla Xerious plunge her swords into his body. Clearly, that wasn't all to her surprise attack. She pushed on the blades, expecting something to happen. But nothing did.
"It seems as though you've forgotten something fairly basic."
Skyla looked up toward Dante, who slightly towered over her as he grabbed hold of one of her arms to keep her in place.
"A battle between Huntsmen and Huntresses is far more sophisticated than dealing with Grimm. And in those types of battles, they involve strength, skill, intellect…but most importantly…Aura. I don't entirely know about your Semblance, but I know enough by now. And so…I can easily overcome your silly power by simply accessing my aura reserves, effectively nullifying any direct effects on my body. Anyone can do it really it. The only problem is…the person intending to overcome the others direct effect must be stronger than the other."
Dante raised up his sword, ready to strike down Skyla as he held her in place.
"I'll admit. The both of you surprised me with your sudden burst of power. It wasn't something I should have made light of so easily. Even so…it's as I told you from the start. Whatever strategy or effort either of you put forward...it's entirely useless against a power that overwhelms the both of you entirely."
Skyla struggled to pull away, but it was all for naught. She had been caught.
"Goodbye."
Dante moved to bring his sword down upon her, but as soon as he did, he remained completely frozen.
What...? Why...?
When he looked to his arms and general body, he noticed something crucial had changed
It was gone. All of it. The form he was slowly assuming had completely vanished from his body. Not even a single trace of it remained.
His armor… The significant boost in strength and speed… All of it was suddenly non-existent.
Shock took over, unable to believe what had just happened. What did happen?
Dante searched his mind for answers as quickly as possible. He didn't run out of aura, that would be nearly impossible unless he forcibly dispensed all of it like last time. His power wasn't being negated. So why did-?
It then hit him suddenly. This was Zeridûl's World. He made it. Dark Essence and all.
So then…since they were in his World, and it was necessarily his essence…wouldn't it make sense for him to take back all that Dante unconsciously drew upon?
He had spent too much time thinking. And he was going to suffer for it now since he saw Skyla's fist heading directly for his jaw.
Damn it all…
The immortal felt the full force of the young girl's explosive punch make contact with his head and sent him flying backward a considerable distance. Any other normal person would have had their head completely vanish. Anyone else with bones like his would have had their brain turned to complete mush from the sheer impact alone.
She was deadly. Far too deadly than he gave her credit for.
Did he feel the pain from her punch just now? No. But did it still feel uncomfortable? Most certainly.
"What? Didn't see that coming? I thought I was being too simple for you." Skyla landed softly to her feet, eyes suddenly looking for her partner in the moment she had.
"I'll admit… I've been completely caught off guard..." Dante said, rising from the ground as he grabbed his sword, "It didn't entirely cross my mind at first. Very likely because I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it for myself. It was my error for not taking this possibility into account. But…"
Xera slid into Skyla's side as they carefully watched the immortal rise back up, eyeing his partially blackened right arm.
"I won't give this up simply because the two of you hold more power than I do at the moment. I'm determined to see this through to the end."
"So are we. and if you still can't get yourself to change your mind...then we can't give up yet either." Xera said.
All I have to say is sorry for the wait and no omake this week. So double sorry. Life is being unpredictable with the amount of nonsense i have to work through. The only other thing I have to say now is that we're pretty much done in 2 more chapters at least, and after that, we return to our normal, previously schedule program.
So with that...
I highly recommend you all go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.
Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.
Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.
Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it. With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!
Bye-bye now!