As they walked through the magical fair, Dante, Ophis, and Rose came across a peculiar stall.
The eye-catching sign read: "Witch Vampire Ice Cream – A Taste from Another World!" The stall was draped in dark fabrics, decorated with mystical symbols and glowing vials, each containing ingredients that seemed to shimmer with their own light.
The witch attending the stall had a cunning smile, her eyes glowing a deep red.
'What a ridiculous name... the creativity of these witches is lacking,' Dante thought, but for the little girl beside him...
Ophis, her eyes wide with curiosity, tugged on Dante and Rose's hands toward the stall. "Blood Ice Cream!! Let's try it!" she exclaimed, her feet barely touching the ground with the excitement she showed, making Dante quite surprised...
'What happened to the universe-destroying Dragon I knew?...' Dante murmured, seeing that she really had the mind of a child.
Rose, who had been sulking the entire time, managed a gentle smile... She liked ice cream. But Dante, for some reason, felt something strange, a sense of discomfort he couldn't quite explain...
His instincts warned him that something was wrong, something very wrong...
As Dante, Ophis, and Rose approached the ice cream stall, the witch with a flowing apron and an enigmatic expression welcomed them. Her green eyes shone with a peculiar intensity, and her smile revealed sharp, predator-like teeth.
"Welcome, darlings!" The witch exclaimed with a melodious voice but with an underlying tone of menace. "I'm Alexa, the witch who makes the best vampire ice cream at the fair. A true delight for the most discerning palates."
'Discerning palates? Vampires drink blood... and that's it,' Dante thought, almost laughing at the strange witch's pitch.
To him, it was nonsense, but for the little girl in front of him... Ophis was simply enchanted by the witch and the ice creams. "Vampire ice cream? That sounds amazing! Can I try some?" She asked excitedly, of course, she was a customer, why would Alexa refuse?
Alexa tilted her head with a satisfied smile, eyeing the enthusiastic little girl. "Of course, my dear. I have a variety of flavors, each with a special touch of magic!" She said, just as excited as Ophis.
"Come on, choose," she said, smiling at the little girl.
Rose watched Dante, noticing his strange expression that she hadn't seen before... The man was simply too unyielding to show how he felt, especially a King like him, but... "You seem uneasy. Is something wrong?" She asked, seeing the clear concern.
Dante kept his eyes fixed on the witch and the stall. "I feel something... it's not just the smell. There's a strange vibration coming from this ice cream." He murmured, focusing all his mana into his vision to identify what it was...
Alexa, noticing Dante's wary gaze, smiled even more broadly. "Oh, don't worry. Our ice cream is absolutely safe... for those who know how to appreciate it." She said, her smile anything but inviting, even somewhat malicious.
Rose, noticing Dante's discomfort, decided to give the witch's offer a chance. "Let's try it. Ophis, go ahead and choose whatever you want." She said, but Dante... 'This isn't right...'
But the two seemed to care little about what Dante thought... and that was quite bad, especially because of Ophis.
The girl was simply too radiant, she selected an ice cream with a shimmering topping and took a big scoop. Rose also grabbed a small cup for herself.
Dante hesitated for a moment, but in a spur-of-the-moment attempt at normalcy, decided to buy an ice cream for himself as well.
Alexa prepared the ice creams with a graceful motion, her hands enveloped in a magical aura as she mixed the ingredients. "Enjoy in moderation. Every bite is a unique experience," she said with a smile.
The trio moved back a bit, savoring their ice creams. Ophis was immediately enchanted, her face lit up with pure joy. Rose also seemed satisfied, but Dante began to feel something deeper as the ice cream touched his lips.
"There's something wrong," Dante murmured, his eyes widening as he noticed the mana emanating from the ice cream. The energy that should have been sweet and pleasant had a dark and disturbing tone. "Rose, stay alert."
The witch, watching them with a keen eye, seemed pleased with Dante's reaction. Her smile turned into a triumphant grin as she began to murmur words in an ancient tongue. The aura around her intensified, and the surroundings began to change, with shadows stretching and twisting.
Rose realized the imminent danger and pulled Ophis away from Dante. "Let's go, we need to get out of here!"
Dante, realizing that the witch was preparing for an attack, took a defensive stance. "I should have sensed this earlier. The mana is tainted."
Alexa laughed, a sinister sound that echoed around them. "Ah, now you understand. The fun is just beginning."
"Born," she said with a smile, and Dante quickly opened his eyes, covering his surroundings with a barrier.
Suddenly, a deafening sound filled the air, and Dante was engulfed by an explosion of destructive energy. The force of the impact seemed to come from inside out of his body, his senses overwhelmed by intense brightness and a devastating wave of heat. The ground around him trembled, and the ice cream he had savored became a mere detail against the unfolding catastrophe.
Inside the bubble of destruction encircling Dante, the scene was a nightmare of devastation and chaos. Dante's body was unrecognizable; his torso had been completely disintegrated by the internal explosion. Fragments of flesh and tissue scattered around, mixed with the faint glow of mana still emanating from the contaminated ice cream's remnants.
His arms were outstretched, muscles and tendons torn apart in a lamentable state, while his legs, still intact, were severely damaged, with exposed bones and torn skin.
Dante's head was visibly intact but with a lost expression, his eyes half-closed from the pain and shock of the devastating energy.
The contours of his expression were a mix of extreme pain and silent determination.
Rose and Ophis, watching the scene from outside, were in shock. Ophis, with tears streaming down her face, trembled uncontrollably, while Rose tried to stay calm, her gaze fixed on the scene of destruction.
"No… it can't be… Dante…" Rose murmured, her voice choked with despair… She had just seen the most powerful political figure be killed… A man with the title of King, a man she even liked for being on good terms with his daughter… A truly charming man… Simply dead like that?
Alexa, observing the scene with dark pleasure, approached slowly, her smile widening at the unfolding suffering. "It seems you underestimated the power of my magic. Even the strength of a Demon King like Dante isn't enough against what I've planned." She said with a smile.
"It seems we've finally won! Kukuku!" With these words, she gestured with a sweeping motion, and the square around them began to collapse. The ground shook, cracks spread across the surface, and violent and sudden explosions occurred everywhere. Buildings were reduced to rubble, and the previously colorful and vibrant market stalls were destroyed in a whirlwind of flames and debris.
The square, once full of life and color, was now becoming a battlefield in absolute chaos. Vampires and other magical creatures tried to escape the disaster, their expressions of terror and confusion reflecting the impact of the devastating attack.
Rose, still standing at the edge of the bubble, struggled to maintain focus. The chaos around her was almost as intense as the pain in her heart. Ophis, with tears in her eyes and her body trembling with fear, clung to Rose, seeking safety amidst the destruction.
"A-a-are you scared?" Rose asked, having never seen Ophis react this way, even with the Vampire King; she had never even trembled before, but now...
"T-t-the witch... s-she brought him," Ophis stammered desperately, her voice filled with panic. "I feel something coming…"
Before Rose could react, Alexa's laughter filled the air again, cruel and victorious. "Kukukuku! See you later, trash!" she exclaimed, waving her arms dramatically, trying to summon a portal to escape. Her eyes shone with a sickly enthusiasm.
"Hmm? It works!" Alexa roared with triumphant joy as the portal formed, a dark, swirling opening in the air. It seemed the witch was about to leave, leaving the destruction behind.
But then, a deep tremor shook the ground. The tremor was so intense that Rose and Ophis lost their balance. The ground around them began to agitate violently, cracks spreading rapidly, and a sense of disintegration swept through the realm.
"It can't be..." Rose murmured as she tried to hold her position and protect Ophis. "What's happening?"
The tremor intensified, the sky darkening, and the horizon distorting. The chaos of the square and the ongoing destruction were now overshadowed by an even more terrifying phenomenon. The surrounding structures crumbled and fused, and the very realm seemed to be collapsing under the enormous force unfolding.
Alexa, her face twisted in surprise and frustration, desperately tried to maintain control of the portal as the tremor intensified the chaos around her. Her expression of victory turned to unease, her malevolent laughter replaced by a look of panic. "What... What is happening to the realm?" she screamed, her voice filled with confusion and despair.
The answer came in the form of a deep, demonic voice that resonated throughout the Vampire realm. "You have a lot of courage..." The voice was grave and threatening, as if emanating from the very bowels of the earth.
In the small crater where Dante had been reduced to a state of devastation, something began to form. The thick, dense black mist started to materialize. It was a dark smoke that seemed to have a life of its own, connecting the fragments of Dante's body and slowly reshaping them into a new form.
The atmosphere around the crater grew heavy with a sinister energy, and the black mist began to envelop the remains of Dante, starting to reconstruct him. The transformation was both terrifying and fascinating, a demonstration of dark and powerful forces in action.
"I hate dealing with useless trash that thinks too highly of itself," the voice continued, with a latent tone of disdain. Each word seemed to vibrate with demonic force, echoing through the realm and intensifying the tremor.
As the black mist solidified, Dante's form began to take on a new shape, the reconstruction of his body advancing. The energy emanating from the mist seemed to absorb the surrounding destruction, as if reversing the impact of the explosion and gathering Dante's essence into a new form.
Alexa, watching the scene with a mix of surprise and fear, began to understand the true extent of the situation. "It can't be... What's happening to him?" she murmured, her voice trembling as she tried to comprehend the transformation unfolding before her eyes.
A being made of red eyes looked at her, while the entire sky followed the same aspect, with various eyes staring at her...
"A being so insignificant... dared to plot against me... threatening a six-year-old girl?" The demonic sound echoed...
Dante... was furious.