"Stop!" A sharp voice, like a loudspeaker, pierced Dante's and the girls' ears, making them quickly halt the cavalry as several soldiers began forming a protective barrier. "Identify yourselves!" he shouted harshly, eyeing them all. They seemed genuinely prepared to attack Dante and the girls...
But well... Dante just looked at them, almost laughing. They seemed so... small. Of course, those in front were the cannon fodder; right behind them were much stronger Vampires, ready for any unforeseen events... Despite that, the pressure the ones in front exerted was just...
"How pathetic..." Nagasawa murmured, leaning her head on his chest. The height difference emphasized how defenseless she seemed next to this man she loved so much. She felt protected.
"They're like fries... how strange... I thought the guards would be more... dangerous?" Dante commented, and Nagasawa simply nodded. This was Valentina's effect... They had gotten so used to the insane pressure that Valentina exerted that anyone who wasn't at least equal to her was just...
nothing. Despite that, he would love to see if some confusion arose; his instincts told him it would be a very pleasing situation... But of course, he restrained himself.
"They're just regular guards," Arieta said as she dismounted her horse. "It might seem strange to you, but there are two parts to the city: the weak zone, which is this one, and the strong zone, basically the Commoners and the Nobility. The closer you get to the King's castle, the safer it will be," she explained as she began to approach, with Asta and Ranni following...
She really seemed like the leader of this group, more than before.
"Ah... so that's how he divides power... I'd say it's..." "Stupid," Nagasawa commented. She really thought it was a terrible way to manage power. Let's say an attack happens... The commoners, who are the workforce, will be wiped out, leaving only the nobles.
Then, when something like reconstruction happens, the arrogant noble Vampires will have to get their hands dirty, and well... we know how arrogance works.
"Well, there's no point in judging without knowing what's going through his head," Dante said, referring to the Vampire King himself. But... why worry about that? He simply focused on his dear Nagasawa in front of him. "Uncle," Arieta commented as Asta dismounted and approached the guards who had not yet realized they were from noble clans...
"How strange..." Ranni murmured, and she wasn't the only one who noticed... "There's a convoy of extremely strong auras coming..." Dante said, his danger sensor tingling more than usual, and he became alert as he felt even more Vampires beginning to gather...
"Dear... I think it's better if you..." She murmured, and Dante immediately understood what she wanted... "I understand... I didn't want to use this so soon..." Dante murmured as he helped her dismount the Vampire Horse...
Dante looked toward the main gate where Asta was speaking with the soldiers. The sound of thousands of Vampires' footsteps began echoing in Dante's ears, his heightened senses kicking in as he felt that if something happened...
"Dear," Nagasawa said, nodding as she moved away from him. Dante looked towards the sounds and just sighed... "Normally, I'd stay calm, but..." Dante said as his body slightly contorted within that outfit, which quickly began to reshape.
Forged in the depths of infernal flames, each plate was made of a metal as dark as night, almost absorbing the light around it. The surface of the armor that was forming was adorned with intricate carvings resembling spirals and ancient runes, pulsing with a malevolent energy.
The pauldrons were large and heavy, ending in spikes that seemed capable of piercing the very air. The cloak that draped over his shoulders was made of a black fabric, seemingly woven from shadows, that billowed like smoke in the wind but never tore or wore out. The gauntlets were articulated, each finger ending in sharp claws.
Finally... a floating black crown of strange thorns pointed toward the sky, contrasting with Dante's completely red hair...
"Damn..." Nagasawa murmured... She knew about this, but she had never seen it in person before. "Why is my husband so gorgeous..." she murmured more to herself than to anyone else, and to complete the scene... a demonic sword floated behind him... "Rebellion," Dante said as it sheathed itself into a scabbard that appeared out of nowhere, resting on his back.
The sound of footsteps continued as the massive gate opened, revealing almost an entire army of Vampires...
"The royal guard..." Ranni murmured.
Dante looked intently as about twenty thousand soldiers stared back at him, their auras not exactly friendly... "I don't want to have to wipe out the entire army," Dante thought, realizing that a battle seemed imminent. "How strange... this level of security..." Arieta murmured, sensing something was off.
"The last time this happened was when Princess Elizabeth had fled..." Asta, who had remained silent due to the humiliation brought by his nieces, finally spoke up.
With the gates open and the vast army before him, Dante couldn't help but sigh. Did he feel like fighting right now? Of course, he would love to... But the level here was still too low... "You scared him," a voice sounded, parting the soldiers as it moved through them.
The sight that Dante encountered initially startled him. Why? Because he hadn't sensed this woman amidst all those Vampires, at least not until he felt the girl she was holding hands with...
"Welcome to Yharnam, Demon King," the woman said, bowing as she showed some respect, followed by all the Vampires before him who bowed in reverence...
Dante looked at the situation, not entirely understanding what was going on, especially with... Well, knowing Dante, he wasn't one to easily accept these strange acts followed by absolute peace... "Very intriguing to summon an elite army just for a greeting, miss?" Dante questioned, not knowing exactly whom he was speaking to, but...
"Rose," said the woman with rose-colored hair, dressed in a black combat dress that accentuated her sexy figure and the lethal intensity of her gaze. "I see you didn't do your homework," Rose remarked, noticing that everyone there was surprised that he didn't know who she was... Dante merely observed how she wanted to play this... She was strong, much stronger than everyone there, so strong that...
In a fleeting moment, he saw Valentina in this woman, but not the Valentina he knew, rather a Valentina who hadn't fought a war... They were... too similar... Not just in appearance, but even in aura...
"I'm flattered by the compliment," Dante said, completely countering her entire statement, his sharp gaze only enhancing his smile as he added, "I didn't think a true King needed to do his homework, especially when it was your King who summoned me." Dante said, his eyes glowing red, creating a dark and ominous atmosphere around them... A game of sharp words, naturally.
"Fufufufu, I didn't imagine the Demon King, so young, would be so... astute," she said, covering her mouth while smiling. "Enough, Countess Rose," Arieta promptly interrupted that useless display, not wanting to deal with people like Rose... "I understand... one of the vampire counts..." Dante murmured, smiling.
"I have a certain interest in this," he thought, but before he could say anything else, he felt something poking at his leg...
Dante calmly directed his gaze downward and saw a little girl, the same one who had been holding Rose's hand. The girl was dressed in a gothic black dress that contrasted with her dark hair and red eyes, which were focused on a red lollipop that looked more like blood than anything else.
"Hm?" Dante observed the little girl, noticing something peculiar about her. She seemed strange, maybe even enigmatic, but Dante's eyes caught more than just her appearance. "Kakaka, how interesting..." Dante thought, intrigued. He crouched down to be at her level. "Hi," he said, smiling.
"Hi," she replied, staring directly at him.
"What's your name?" he asked, but before the girl could answer, Rose stepped forward, her expression tense. "Don't talk to him, my d—"
"She talks to whoever she wants," Dante interrupted Rose immediately, unleashing his aura over the area. All the vampires around went on high alert, the pressure from Dante's aura crushing the atmosphere. "You don't want this, Dante Scarlet," Rose said, remaining still while the others backed away, feeling the world press down on them.
But Dante didn't care about Rose; his priority was to push the others away, protecting Nagasawa, knowing she couldn't handle the situation alone.
The tension had escalated quickly, all because of a few words and actions that weren't supposed to happen. Whatever might happen next, Dante was ready to act mercilessly.
"Leave them, they're just minions," the little girl suddenly said, her voice calm and angelic. Her words made Dante stop immediately to listen. He didn't want to make any quick assumptions about what this girl was or represented.
"Kakaka, all right," Dante responded, patting the girl's head, who closed her eyes, enjoying the gesture. "We'll play later, okay?" he said, extending his hand for the girl to hold. Despite his height, he leaned down so she could reach.
"H-how did you..." Rose began to question, surprised by the way the girl was acting. She had never seen her behave like this.
"Quiet now, okay? I have matters to attend to. Take me to the big guy already," Dante said, his voice devoid of any charm, a not-so-friendly smile directed at Rose.