Mictlan—a place of misery and suffering for all—is being traversed by our protagonists who, thanks to a mysterious old man, managed to completely arouse the interest of the king of the dead, as well as everyone else's, by possessing such immense power and destroying one of the trials of this place. We now turn our attention to them.
Our friends are astonishingly surprised by the old man's power, and we witness a confrontation take place.
DANTE HERALDI: Hey, old man! How is it possible for you to have so much power?!
GIORGIUS: Man, I'm so tired. "Cuas." (A aura surrounds him) Alright, I feel better now. Let's keep going.
ELENA: (looking at DANTE) It seems he ignored you.
DANTE HERALDI: (pissed off) You decrepit old man…
MALEKIN: Just leave it be, DANTE. This old guy is a bit crazy, but he's extremely strong; he'll be a huge help to us.
QUETZALCOATL: Yes, Sir DANTE. This old man is somewhat senile, but he is a good person; you already saw his great power.
REX: DANTE, just let it go this time. (wagging his tail).
DANTE HERALDI: (sighing) Fine, there's no choice. Maybe he'll remember something as we move forward.
Our friends traverse the path covered in ashes and dirt, as the meteorite had obliterated the entire location, leaving behind a wasteland of pure soil. Because of this, they advance smoothly until reaching the exit to another cavern-like entrance, and they step inside. Upon exiting, they notice they are in an immense realm where only darkness can be seen. ELENA casts a spell that illuminates the surroundings of our friends, revealing nothing but total darkness—you can't see a thing. Suddenly, our friends begin to float into the air, rising to a very high altitude, only to be abruptly released, plummeting violently toward the ground. However, MALEKIN assists them with his barriers, shielding them from the fall.
DANTE HERALDI: What the hell is wrong with this place? It feels like one moment there's zero gravity, and the next we're crashing down hard.
QUETZALCOATL: The realm where one floats… this is another trial. Thanks to you all, I made it to this point. Let's proceed with caution.
GIORGIUS: Um, oh! That's right, I just remembered another spell that can help us here.
GIORGIUS utters the words "Faat" and "Thas," and a soft glow that vanishes unexpectedly manifests around the bodies of our friends, leaving them surprised. As they advance once more, they feel gravity disappearing again, but this time they remain firmly on the ground without moving. However, they notice countless human bodies floating into the air, only to be dropped into the abyss afterward, slamming violently against the floor…
MALEKIN: What did you just do, sir? (turning to Giorgius)
GIORGIUS: Oh, that? I simply manipulated gravity so it wouldn't affect us. It seems I am gradually remembering my spells, hehe.
REX: Wow, you are so powerful, sir! And did you remember who you are yet?
GIORGIUS: No, but something faint comes to my mind; I'll tell you guys later.
Our friends walk for several hours, watching the process of gravity repeat itself constantly. After a while, QUETZALCÓATL stops and tells the boys to rest. Quetzalcoatl raises his hands, and from the ground rise walls of rock, building a house, and he tells them to rest in it. Once inside, our friends relax.
QUETZALCOATL: Well, I feel this is the halfway point, so we'll rest here. Except for the final test, I'll build a house halfway for travelers like yourselves.
DANTE HERALDI: If I'm not mistaken, you are the god of civilization, right? That explains why you know how to do all of this.
QUETZALCOATL: Truthfully, this is only half of my power. I would have to transform to become stronger. I would love to build you a larger place, but for now, I am holding back until we reach the end of this journey.
DANTE HERALDI: I see. Perhaps you transform into the famous giant Feathered Serpent to tap into more power; to be honest, that's something I'd love to see.
QUETZALCOATL: Um… not quite. You see, I have a different transformation to access my full power.
DANTE HERALDI: Man, I thought you were just that powerful serpent. From what I've read about you and seen in movies, I expected you to be different, until I met you, hehe.
QUETZALCOATL: Different?
DANTE HERALDI: Yeah, honestly, I thought you'd be a woman.
QUETZALCOATL: Ah… that, hahaha. (nervous)
GIORGIUS: Ahhhhh, now that I remember, you…
Out of nowhere, a deafening roar echoes through the area, startling our friends, as it sounded like a furious beast. Upon hearing the noise, our friends rush out from their shelter, but they see nothing.
ELENA: Hold on, let me use my light magic.
Elena uses her power, generating a light and casting it upward into the sky like a room bulb. The magic gradually illuminates the realm, and as the sphere of light reaches a specific point, an immense claw comes into view. The light reveals an imposing red dragon, approximately the size of a ten-story building. As the light ascends further, atop the beast's head stands an imposing figure clad in breathtaking armor, wearing a helmet that completely covers their face, with long hair cascading from beneath the helm. Once fully visible, the individual introduces themselves.
MYSTERIOUS PERSON: Greetings, mortals. I have been entrusted with a mission: to slay you. I present myself before you: my name is TARAMIS, lord of storms and lightning. Truthfully, I do not know how I arrived here, but I was promised a return to my realm if I kill you. That oath was sworn from one god to another, so let us begin.
All our friends are astonished by his tremendous presence. The knight takes flight with his beast, which obeys his every command. Thanks to Elena's light, there's a bit of visibility, but the enemy is difficult to distinguish because it's flying and out of our friends' sight. Out of nowhere, an immense fire erupts from the dragon's mouth, heading straight for our friends, and Malekin uses his barriers to neutralize it.
MALEKIN: Dammit! With that dragon in the sky, I have to deploy my barriers continuously. DANTE, take care of dismounting that damned god!
DANTE HERALDI: Dammit, I can't see very well beyond ELENA's light! It's going to be extremely hard to knock him off that dragon!
Our friends find themselves in dire straits as the dragon circles them while spewing fire, forcing MALEKIN to keep his barrier active to shield everyone, driving them toward desperation… While ELENA maintains her light magic, which steadily drains her energy, DANTE begins launching "Shadow Slashes" in an attempt to unseat the dragon rider…
DANTE HERALDI: GIORGIUS! DO YOU THINK YOU COULD HELP US OUT WITH THIS, PLEASE?!
GIORGIUS: Um, who are you?
DANTE HERALDI: YOU DAMNED OLD MAN, WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR JOKES!
QUETZALCOATL: (sighing) To think I would have to use my full power in a place like this… That miserable skinny bastard did this by bringing another god into this realm. I will have to get serious.
DANTE finds QUETZALCOATL's words strange and stops hurling his attacks to watch how the god before him begins to transform. DANTE rubs his eyes to make sure he isn't hallucinating, as standing right in front of him is now a voluptuous woman—yes, QUETZALCOATL had transformed into a woman!
DANTE HERALDI: (mouth agape) Excuse me, but you are QUETZALCOATL for real, right?!
GIORGIUS: You finally revealed your true form, young lady. I knew QUETZALCOATL—I wasn't that far off, hehe!
MALEKIN: What… She's a woman?!
REX: (wagging his tail) She's so beautiful!
DANTE cannot snap out of his astonishment and steps closer to QUETZALCOATL.
DANTE HERALDI: You are seriously a woman... but that can't be!
QUETZALCOATL: Hey, kid, my eyes are up here. (Dante blushes). Truthfully, I don't have a defined gender, but this female form grants greater stability to my powers, and now…
Following her transformation, QUETZALCOATL steps outside MALEKIN's barrier and transforms into a gigantic serpent adorned with feathers and wings, as well as a feather crown. She confronts the dragon, slamming it to the ground, causing the knight to leap off the dragon's head and land near our friends.
TARAMIS: Dammit! My dear GOCH, destroy that hideous beast and return quickly!
As the god utters these words, DANTE dashes forward at high speed, executing a slash with his katana. However, TARAMIS blocks it with a sword forged of lightning, repelling him backward. DANTE engages the god in combat, but notices that with every clash of their blades, a sensation of numbness sets in. DANTE uses "Examine" and observes that his opponent is Level 3000, possessing numerous thunder-based skills, one of which paralyzes him with every hit. Fortunately, it doesn't heavily affect DANTE, as his level is almost comparable to the god's. MALEKIN steps up to assist, but the dragon unleashes a torrent of fire toward our friends, forcing MALEKIN to raise his barrier and hold his position so DANTE can fight unimpeded.
MALEKIN: Lord GIORGIUS, could you assist me with your magic to restore my energy, and Elena's as well, please? And REX, I don't know what you're waiting for, but help DANTE! MOVE IT!
REX, snapping out of the paralysis induced by the dragon's presence, rushes over to aid DANTE, and the two join forces in the fray. DANTE activates his "Shadow Mantle" and "Wolf Speed" abilities, but to everyone's surprise, the god TARAMIS keeps pace with him. A high-speed battle ensues, with REX supporting DANTE from a distance by hurling fireballs. Meanwhile, MALEKIN endures the relentless infernal firestorms spewed by the dragon, while QUETZALCOATL fully coils her body around the creature, biting it repeatedly. However, the dragon continues to breathe fire in all directions, turning the clash between these giant monsters increasingly savage.
Over by MALEKIN, GIORGIUS approaches to lend a hand.
GIORGIUS: (panicking) Lord, I don't know what to do! I forgot... what was the word?!
MALEKIN: (sweating profusely) Don't worry, take your time to remember! I'll hold the line!
GIORGIUS: Dammit, who am I?! I truly can't remember, but I feel I have a grand purpose to fulfill!
While all of this unfolds, ELENA is on her knees. Even though the dragon's flames don't hit her directly, the intense heat drains her rapidly, as she isn't very resilient. Meanwhile, TARAMIS gradually gains the upper hand against DANTE, who is growing exhausted from the fierce clash. Suddenly, REX collapses from fatigue after being struck by TARAMIS's lightning bolt mid-fight.
GIORGIUS: (bowing his head and kneeling) Dammit, remember who you are, you filthy old man…!
As DANTE dodges TARAMIS's relentless assaults, he shouts toward the old man.
DANTE HERALDI: HEY, OLD MAN! (GIORGIUS raises his head) I KNOW YOU DON'T LIKE ME, BUT I TRUST YOU! YOU ARE EXTREMELY POWERFUL, AND I KNOW YOUR TRUE NAME!
Everyone is shocked upon hearing this. The old man bolts up, his eyes glowing intensely, and demands of DANTE:
GIORGIUS: Then why are you only telling me now?! If you know who I am, tell me! I don't want to be a burden to anyone!
Everyone listens attentively to DANTE while he continues to fight off TARAMIS, who presses his attack even harder.
DANTE HERALDI: At first, when I saw your name... I didn't trust you! (sweating) But it turns out you aren't a bad person! The legends I heard about you didn't inspire confidence, which is why I hid it from you... when I realized you were senile! But now I see that's no longer necessary!
MALEKIN: DANTE, HURRY UP! I CAN'T HOLD OFF THESE DRAGON FLAME WAVES ANY LONGER!
DANTE HERALDI: ALRIGHT! HELP US ALL, LORD GIORGIUS FAUSTUS, THE GREATEST ALCHEMIST AND MAGE OF ALL TIME!
Everyone stands flabbergasted, as even MALEKIN recognized that legendary name. ELENA, drenched in sweat, smiles, also recognizing it. The old man stands in awe as memories of his past flood back all at once. The name of the ancient sorcerer has finally been revealed: FAUSTUS the Great walks among them in this world. What will happen next? We will find out very soon.
Hey everyone, it's your friend aggret1 here! I'm finally back! 🚀🔥
I know I've been gone for practically a whole month, but the wait is over. I had to take some time away from screens to work on a very important personal project, but I'm back at 100% and fully recharged.
And since I know I left you all hanging, and to reward all your patience... we're coming back with a bang and we have back-to-back chapters! 📖💥
Thank you so much for being there. Get ready, because what's coming up in the story is simply amazing.
Let's get started and enjoy the read! 🙌✨