Chapter 395 Absorbing Envy
The demon that now occupied Eveline's body was an indescribable monstrosity. Its green skin, massive claws, and twisted horns radiated an aura of pure envy, a negative energy that seemed to consume the environment. The obsidian chamber, already marked with deep cracks, trembled under the pressure of Envy's power. Dante barely managed to keep standing as the air around him distorted, swallowed by the overwhelming force of the creature.
"I am the reflection of all your weaknesses," the demon's guttural voice echoed, reverberating through the prison walls. "You cannot defeat me. I am everything you have tried to hide. Everything you fear the most. And now... everything you desire the most will be my strength!"
Dante summoned Rebellion and gripped the hilt of the blade, feeling the demonic energy pulse in his hands. The warmth of the metal was comforting, but the fight was beyond anything he had ever faced. Every word from the demon seemed to corrode his very soul, fueling his anger, despair, and exhaustion. Yet, he could not falter.
"You will pay for this," Dante muttered, more to himself than to the demon, as he advanced toward the creature with the blade raised. But before he could strike, Envy moved with impossible speed. Its claws sliced through the air with a deafening roar, and Dante had to leap back, dodging a fatal blow.
"Morgana, now!" Dante shouted, keeping his eyes fixed on the creature.
She was focused, her hand raised as she invoked magical runes. Purple energy currents rose around her, and a magical circle formed on the ground, enveloping the demon in a prison of shimmering light. But, like all previous attempts to restrain Envy, the spell began to fail. The creature struggled fiercely, shattering the chains with ease. With every movement, more magic was drained from the environment, and the room seemed to shrink as the energy disappeared.
*Fascinating!* Alice thought before snapping back to reality and realizing... "He's getting stronger!" Alice shouted, already conjuring another series of spells. "The prison won't hold much longer."
"I know," Dante grumbled, sweat trickling down his face as he kept his guard. "Keep him occupied, I have a risky idea."
Alice looked at him, her eyes filled with concern. "Dante, you can't do this. Your demonic energy... you know what could happen. It could destroy us all!"
But Dante wasn't listening. He was already calculating the risks, feeling his own energy stir within him. He knew it was a dangerous choice, but what else was there to do? Envy wasn't just an enemy; he was the manifestation of everything Dante had tried to hide, everything he feared and desired.
The red light of his blade began to glow more intensely as he started gathering his own energy, the energy that came from the depths of his soul. The demonic energy he had carried like a curse since he became the Demon King. He focused, feeling the darkness grow within him, but this time, he would not retreat. He would control it.
"Now... come," Dante said softly, feeling the pressure of the growing power. "It's time to see how you handle this."
Without another word, he raised the blade and, with a devastating motion, cut into his own flesh. The blood that poured from his wound was dark, filled with the essence of envy, anger, and resentment that had always consumed him. The demonic energy he had kept bottled inside of him was released in a chaotic and violent surge.
The demon stopped for a moment, as if sensing the change in the air. Its eyes glowed with renewed power, and it turned, fixing its gaze on Dante with an expression of insatiable desire.
"What are you doing?" Envy growled, its voice filled with disbelief. "This is madness! You can't..."
But Dante wasn't listening. He felt the power begin to take over his body, the darkness running through his veins like a sweet poison. He focused on absorbing the very essence of Envy, knowing that this energy might be the key to defeating the creature before him.
Alice and Morgana exchanged a worried glance, but there was nothing they could do as Dante began to transform. His aura turned black, a dark, dangerous glow radiating from his body. The demon hesitated, unsure of what to do in the face of this new power, but then, like a hungry animal, it charged, its sharp claws cutting through the air.
"You are a fool," the demon said with disdain. "You surrender to your weaknesses, but you don't understand... I am the essence of everything you fear. I am everything you want and cannot have."
Dante didn't hesitate. He advanced, now infused with the energy of Envy that he had started absorbing from the demon, blending it with the other energies of the sins. The blade he held seemed to pulse with growing fury, cutting through the air in a gleaming arc of black and red light. But instead of attacking directly, he felt the demon's power being drawn to him, like a magnet, pulling the very weaknesses of the enemy into himself.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"I am the personification of your weaknesses too. I am the master of your power anyway," Dante whispered, his voice merging with the demon's own. "I'm just taking back what's mine by right."
The demon roared in anger, its claws extending toward Dante, but as it got closer, Dante's demonic energy expanded, consuming everything around them. The essence of Envy, the sin that the demon represented, merged with the demonic essence Dante had unleashed. The power he carried began to distort the reality around them, pulling the demon into himself, absorbing it as if it were a part of his own essence.
"No! No!" Envy screamed, its monstrous form twisting and distorting, but Dante's energy was now uncontrollable. The red light of his blade began to merge with the darkness as he absorbed the sin of Envy, crushing the soul of the creature that had possessed Eveline.
The battle seemed to last an eternity, but finally, the demon was silenced. The chamber trembled with the last scream of Envy, and then... everything went quiet. The pressure in the air disappeared, and the energy that had once consumed everything now calmed.
Dante fell to his knees, exhausted, his breath heavy as he struggled to maintain control. The shadows of Envy still lingered inside him, but he knew he had won. Eveline, the woman who had been possessed, was no more. She had become a distant memory, a victim of the sin he now carried within him.
"I... I did this." Dante's voice was weak but filled with new understanding. He had absorbed the fifth sin, and with it, a part of himself. "Shit... I'm tired," he muttered.
Morgana cautiously approached, her eyes full of concern but also impressed. "You... did it, Dante. DAMN IT! STOP MAKING THIS SO DRAMATIC! I WAS WORRIED, YOU WINDHEAD BASTARD!"
Dante looked at her, feeling the weight of what he had just done. "Tell that to your mom, who just stood there watching instead of helping. That crazy bitch was analyzing the demon instead of helping to kill it already."
Alice, still standing, looked at him with an embarrassed expression... "I-I didn't help because my specialty is Anti-Magic! Not Anti-Demonic Energy!" She tried to defend herself.
"Oh, fuck off, Alice. You're the Queen of Witches, you didn't help because you wanted to study the demon. Fuck off!" Dante snapped, pointing at the Queen.
Morgana let out a low, ironic laugh, a wicked smile on her face. She was enjoying the exchange of barbs, but also aware that the toll of the battle was affecting them all. It was an unusual situation for them, as if the accumulated tension needed to be released.
Alice, realizing that Dante's tone was completely out of control, turned to him with a more serious expression. "Alright, you're right. I didn't do what I should have." She walked closer to Dante, now calmer, and ran a hand through her hair, breathing deeply. "But what matters is that you did it, right? The sin of Envy is no longer here."
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Dante looked at her for a moment, still a little irritated, but his gaze softened. It was true. What mattered was that the evil had been defeated, and they were one step closer to completing their mission. But there was still a weight in the air, as if the sin itself had been etched into their souls, now that Dante carried it.
"I know," Dante said, finally lowering his voice, though it was still possible to see the anger in his eyes. "But that doesn't change the fact that you both stood there watching me nearly turn into a demonic barbecue while you were more concerned with your own interests."
"Well, let's go now. You need a shower, you stink," Alice said, looking at Dante, and for a brief moment, he saw a wicked smile on her face...
'Is that just in my head?' He questioned himself.