chsdbacks Chapter 431 Start marching
Chapter 431 Start marching
with a battle cry, dante leapt down from the rocky formation, his sword now a beacon of pure energy. he dove straight into the entity, which responded with a wall of shadows trying to hold him back. the blade met resistance, but dante did not relent. with a monumental effort, he cut through the shadows, cleaving the entity's form in half.
a deafening scream echoed through the abyss, and the creature began to fragment, its seemingly eternal shape breaking apart into pieces. dante landed heavily on the ground, panting but victorious. he raised his sword once more, ready to finish what remained of the entity.
"you can't... destroy me completely," the creature's voice echoed, now weaker but still present. "i am part of this place. and this place is eternal."
dante lowered his sword slightly, observing the scattered shadows around him. "maybe you're right," he said, his tone almost casual. "but i don't need to destroy you. i just need to pass through you."
with that, dante turned his back on the agonizing entity and began walking toward an opening that revealed itself in the distant horizon, a portal surrounded by pale light. the abyss of limbo trembled around him, as if the place itself mourned its defeat.
"you don't belong here, dante," the voice whispered one last time, fading into the echo. "and that is what makes you dangerous."
without looking back, dante pressed forward, his steps echoing in the emptiness as he left the deepest abyss of limbo behind, heading for the second layer of hell.
dante crossed through the portal with firm steps, and immediately felt the atmosphere shift. the air grew heavy, saturated with the sound of moans and screams echoing from every direction. furious winds howled around him, so intense that they seemed capable of tearing a normal man from the ground and hurling him into the void. it was an unrelenting whirlwind, as if hell itself were at war with itself.
he had arrived at the second layer of hell, the domain of the lustful.
dante advanced against the wind, shielding his face with his arm. his cloak, made of durable fabric, seemed on the verge of being ripped from his body. the ground was a mix of slippery rock and dust, which rose with each gust. ahead, he saw the condemned souls being dragged by the gale, their translucent forms spinning uncontrollably, thrown against one another like leaves in a storm.
"lust," he murmured to himself, recalling the stories told about this place. this circle didn't punish with fire or physical torture; the punishment here was being eternally carried by the winds of passion that, in life, the lustful had failed to control. a cruel but effective irony.
he walked a few steps, observing the surroundings until he realized...
"ah, hell no... you're here again?" dante growled, irritated, as he looked at the figure before him. "hey, you bastard, i killed you in the first layer!" he shouted, staring at minos.
minos was there, imposing as always, his monumental figure cutting through the chaos of the fierce winds. he slowly turned to dante, a sardonic smile drawing across his grotesque face. his hands once again held the golden chain, which seemed alive, coiling around his arms.
"you never learn, do you?" dante taunted, his voice firm even as he blocked another powerful blow. "i already defeated you once. and i'll do it again. this time, i'll make sure you stay down."
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minos tried to counterattack, but dante was faster. he spun the sword in a precise motion, driving it into minos's chest. the guardian screamed, his form trembling as cracks began to spread across his body.
dante stepped back, watching as minos fell to his knees. "i warned you," he said, wiping the blood from the blade. "you should've stayed in limbo."
with one last roar, minos collapsed, his form dissolving into the wind that had once served him. the golden chains fell to the ground, inert.
the silence that followed was almost deafening, broken only by the distant moans of the condemned souls. dante looked around, taking a deep breath. he felt the weight of the circle upon him, but he also felt victory.
"lust, huh?" he muttered to himself, starting to walk toward the next descent. "if that was the warm-up, i can't wait to see what comes next."
...
while dante was in hell...
one of the undead generals, a tall, hooded figure with a voice that sounded like breaking glass, approached her. "the armies are ready, my lady. they only await your command."
mary rose tilted her head slightly, a cold smile forming on her lips. "excellent. but before we march on albion, we need to ensure our rear is protected. do not underestimate the witches that remain in dante's kingdom. they may not have their master present, but they are still a significant threat."
she twirled the ring on her left hand, an ancient artifact pulsing with dark energy. "awaken the heralds. i want them to cause enough distractions in dante's kingdom so the witches stay occupied and don't interfere with what's to come."
the general bowed his head, and with a motion of his skeletal hand, a group of hooded figures emerged from the ranks. each carried a staff adorned with skulls and runes, their presence exuding a deadly cold that seemed to freeze the very ground beneath them.
"they already know what to do," mary rose continued, turning her attention to the horizon. "meanwhile, we will march directly to albion. it is there that dante left his greatest weakness: the heart of his kingdom, undefended in his absence."