chsdbacks Chapter 444 The final stretch begins now.
Chapter 444 The final stretch begins now.
Dante stepped onto the blackened ground of the Ninth Circle of Hell, immediately feeling the oppressive negative energy as soon as he entered the environment. The air was thick with demonic miasma so dense it almost felt solid. The heat was suffocating, emanating from rivers of lava that slithered like burning streams through the cracks in the earth. Above, the sky was a black abyss, red lightning sporadically flashing across it, briefly illuminating the chaos around him.
"I'm so far from the heart of Hell..." Dante murmured. Even with his sharp vision, capable of seeing miles ahead, he couldn't spot the World Tree in any direction.
ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!
Then he heard a distant roar and saw thousands of demons of all sizes and types, all staring at him as if he were prey.
Demons with bizarre and grotesque shapes scattered all around him.
Some crawled like giant insects, their shells gleaming in the light of the lava, while others walked upright, with horns stretching like twisted branches.
There were also flying creatures with membranous wings that emitted sharp screams, echoing through the infinite void.
Dante watched the scene calmly, though his body was on alert. Every step he took seemed to drain his energy, the miasma trying to invade his mind and corrode his soul.
"So, this is where it all ends," he murmured, his voice cutting through the oppressive silence. "The throne of Hell is still far away... It's going to take me a while to find that damn tree."
He began to walk, his presence attracting the demons, who began moving toward him, their eyes glowing with hunger and malice.
A wave of demons approached, their monstrous forms twisting in frenzy. Dante stopped, quickly assessing the situation. "Useless," he muttered, spinning his spear with mastery.
The first demons charged, their claws ready to tear him apart. Dante reacted with precision, swinging his spear in a devastating arc. The first group was cut in half, their bodies falling into the lava and evaporating instantly. But more kept coming, like an endless tide.
But the demons didn't retreat. They seemed endless, an inexorable tide of creatures bent on his destruction. Dante, with his sharp gaze, quickly realized he wouldn't get a break until he cleared the path ahead. The air around him grew thicker with the smoke of the miasma, making his breath harder to draw.
One of the demons lunged at him, its claws open, ready to tear him apart. Dante didn't have time to dodge, so he used his spear to block it, redirecting its trajectory and making the creature pass over him. He propelled himself forward with a leap, driving the spear into the monster's chest. The demon shuddered and tried to pull away, but the force of the impact destroyed its heart of rotten flesh, causing it to fall to the ground with a horrible scream.
"You... are just a bag of bones walking," Dante mocked, a fierce smile on his lips. He pulled the spear forward, preparing for the next attack.
Two more winged demons advanced simultaneously, their mouths open, releasing bursts of black miasma and acid. Faster than them, Dante dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, moving away from the impact of the energies. He then sprang up in a fluid, precise motion, cutting one of their wings with a diagonal strike. The demon fell, but before it could recover, Dante leaped forward and pierced its skull with a direct thrust of the spear. Explore more stories at empire
"Is that enough?" Dante laughed, his eyes gleaming with impatience. "I'm not that easy, you bastards."
Just as he said that, another group of demons appeared, and this time, they were in greater numbers. Dante knew it would be a relentless fight, but he was ready to continue.
He spun the spear with precision, cutting through the air and striking the flesh of the enemies that came toward him. Each blow seemed to resonate like thunder, and the impact of the blades on the demons' flesh echoed throughout the battlefield. He was constantly moving, a deadly dance of attacks and dodges. Each strike of his spear was stronger and faster, the energy he channeled manifesting in bursts of force that tore through the monsters with lethal precision.
The battle seemed endless, but Dante didn't falter. He was determined to clear the path. Each movement he made was calculated and cold, his eyes analyzing and predicting the enemies' movements. He knew that if he left any openings, the demons would take advantage.
Finally, the last of the demons fell, its body shattering before being consumed by the lava. Dante stood still for a moment, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, but his expression showed no sign of fatigue. He wiped the spear's blade on his cloak and repositioned it over his shoulders.
"That was... boring," he said, his eyes turning to the remains of the demons. "Looks like I'll have to find something more interesting."
Dante then looked ahead, his steps echoing in the silence that followed the battle. The terrain before him was clearer, and he could sense the presence of something greater, something waiting for him. He knew that further ahead, he would find something far more difficult to face than these winged demons.
"I'm getting closer," he muttered to himself, with a satisfied smile. "Now the real fun will begin."