Chapter 213: Complicated situations that must be resolved
Chapter 213: Complicated situations that must be resolved
Dante finished his meeting with Elizabeth and was followed by Nagasawa, who explained the situation with Eldrax... Well, except for the final part of the conversation.
"I should have been more attentive. I thought everything was fine," he blamed himself. Nagasawa, who was holding his hand, squeezed it, and Dante looked at her. "Why didn't you tell us about Eldrax?" she questioned. Unlike her usual blunt tone, she sounded... concerned.
They stopped in the middle of the corridor for Dante to explain.
"I didn't want to relive that scene. Even I, who don't care about much and am quite careless, was disgusted by it. That... that scene was too disgusting." He said, remembering every second inside that room. It was a torturous memory, even for him, who had seen seas of corpses inside Valentina's mental world.
Dante isn't someone easily affected by brutal scenes, but there are two things he is against. The first is animal or, more accurately, beastly cruelty. Dante abhors anything related to the torture of creatures, regardless of the context; just thinking about it makes his stomach turn. The other thing he detests is a husband beating his wife.
His former enemy, now the infernal slave of his loyal demonic servant, Ethan Smith, triggered both of his strongest triggers. This alone proved how disgusted Dante felt.
"I-I understand," Nagasawa said, lowering her head. But Dante's hand caressed her hair, and she looked at him. He was... "Thank you for worrying. I was afraid you'd be upset with so many women around me. I'm proud of you, Viper," Dante said and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.
"Hmph," she huffed. "I know, I know," he said, then sealed his lips with hers in a calm and controlled kiss.
"Happy now?" he asked. She just replied, "Only when we go on a date, like the time you spent with Valentina. I'm still waiting for my turn," she said with a pout and walked ahead. She knew exactly what she was asking for, and Dante just watched her shapely backside. "That's a low blow!" he said. She turned around, "You're the one wasting time," she said with a smile and continued.
"Damn it..." Dante muttered and headed towards the Outer Garden behind the palace, where the two dragons were likely located. Dante walked in silence, watching Nagasawa walk ahead, a bit distant... "Hey... by my side," he ordered, but she just kept walking ahead... "She's provoking me..." he thought and decided to ignore it. If he couldn't win, he wouldn't fight.
Minutes passed, and Dante finally reached the designated place and saw a rather peculiar scene.
Eldrax was sleeping under Voralith's wings, which completely enveloped the defenseless little girl, as if... "You've taken on the role of mother?" he asked the dragoness who was protecting the sleeping black dragon. "Speak softly," she said calmly as she stood up. Her enormous body occupied a large space, leaving Dante a bit shocked; he didn't remember Voralith having grown so much.
"You're huge," he said, not in a derogatory tone but a majestic one. He really adored Voralith's appearance, her white scales gleaming in the sunlight, reflecting rainbows. "So beautiful..." Dante said, watching Voralith embrace the small obsidian dragon. "Stop looking at me like that." He felt the warm breath of Voralith's words pass over his body with a comforting warmth. He just...
didn't know what to say, it was simply... wonderful.
"Is she okay?" Dante asked with sorrow and a bit of guilt, hoping for comforting words, but... "What do you think? You irresponsible idiot," Voralith said, truly furious, her golden eyes like hot embers ready to fire a scorching ray and pierce Dante, making him feel even more guilty. "I understand. I'm sorry for forcing you into this. You can leave now.
I'll take care of her," he said, feeling that he was bothering Voralith, and despite wanting her, he wouldn't hold her back.
"What are you doing?" she questioned. Dante just looked at her and started to monologue, "I heard you seemed to want to leav—" she abruptly cut him off. "Did you hear that from my mouth even once?" she questioned Dante, and he shook his head. "No," he replied firmly.
"Then don't bother me with this cheap sentimentality." She responded without any scruples, "You can be an idiot sometimes, but I know you better than almost all these women here. Stop acting like that, it makes you look ugly." She said to Dante, and he blinked twice.
He smiled slightly and commented, "You think I'm handsome, huh?" he asked playfully. "Tsk, annoying," she muttered and began to rise and return to her humanoid form.
"Why did you go back to normal?" he asked, but soon he heard the obsidian dragon moving and growling as she slowly rose, her eyes slightly teary, and she asked, "Dante?" she said, looking directly at him. "I see you've caused a lot of trouble, haven't you?" Dante said, smiling, "I'd love to solve this problem. Want to talk with me for a bit?" He focused too much on Eldrax and realized...
Voralith had already disappeared from the scene without saying anything, like... just the wind, she vanished. Dante felt something inside him again... "That damned feeling from before.
What is happening?" Dante questioned internally and only heard his own voice respond, "Memories." Alter-Dante said, someone who had been missing for some time, but Dante had no time for that as he saw the small, fragile girl kneeling on the ground, rubbing her eyes.
"Buaa," she began to cry, and Dante ran to her. "Hey! Hey, calm down! I'm here!" he said desperately. He didn't know what to do; he had never been in a situation like this. "BUAAA!" she continued to cry, and he could do nothing...
He hugged her tightly, "It's okay," he said, feeling the woman's body, hugging her tightly, "I'm sorry for leaving you here, but I couldn't take you with me," Dante said as she continued to cry without any words, just pure, desperate crying. He felt the girl's entire body tremble in his arms, and it was a truly horrible sensation.
"They told me you were afraid of losing me," Dante said, and Eldrax looked up at him. "I-I don't want to go back to that place…" she murmured, her voice still clearly showing despair, weak and hoarse from crying. Dante felt her pain and couldn't help but feel sad for her.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said, tightening his embrace, pulling her closer to his body, and caressing her head. "Even if I disappear, I'll come back. Even if I die, I'll rise again, seek out and destroy everything that made me disappear. I am yours, I am theirs, and no one can change that, even if I have to come from the deepest hell to kill them all," Dante said seriously.
"Besides, why should I worry about death? I am the lord of hell and a vampire; I am immortal." Dante smiled, and Eldrax looked into his eyes. A dragon's perception was far greater than any other being's, and she was searching for any hint of deceit in his words, but she found none. Of course, he would never lie to any of his wives, nor to Eldrax. After all, he only lies to protect them.
"Do you promise?" she asked, still afraid that Dante might disappear. "Of course I promise, my cute little dragon. I will never leave you," Dante said with a calm smile.
"Okay," she said, hiding her face in his chest, continuing to feel that warmth that was truly comforting, something… familiar.
"Do you want to go out for a bit? Let's go to the city. I'll show you some different things," Dante said with a smile, holding the hand of the small, defenseless dragoness, who gave a small smile and agreed.
While Dante was fixing Eldrax's problems… the other dragon started to lose control…
"DAMN IT!" Voralith screamed, destroying everything around her. She had gone to a forest hundreds of kilometers away from that place so no one would disturb her. In fact, she was almost out of the Empire.
"Damn man! You not only have the same mannerisms as him but also say the same things that cursed man used to say!" Voralith screamed, burning all the trees around her.
"I heard you seemed to want to leave? Damn you! You said the same things he said to me!" she roared, but… her body was just… giving in, and she fell to her knees.
"Why do you have to be like that man… it's as if you were… the same person…" Voralith said, punching the ground with no strength left. The woman was truly heartbroken.
"A million years… why did I remember you…" she murmured, and her fierce eyes opened, completely golden and blazing with chaotic flames.
Voralith's entire body illuminated as she resumed her dragon form. "To hell with the limits of this damned dimension. I won't suffer alone without understanding what's happening. I will find out about these coincidences myself!"
**[Legacy – Azi Dahaka]**
The skies and space twisted for a second, the world went completely black, and Voralith…
Disappeared from Umbral.