Dante was using a Morgana artifact to conceal his existence. At that moment, he hovered over the entire city of Kryoris with his four demonic wings spread open, which were getting larger and larger. Dante found this strange, but decided to worry about it later. There were a few hours left until the possible end of the line.
He focused as he waited for news from Valentina, who had gone to see the Dwarf King.
"It seems like the time is coming," Dante said, landing at the entrance of Kryoris. It was early morning, and with the directory weakened, no one had the level to detect his presence besides Musashi and Sasaki, but he knew they wouldn't interfere. It was a serene night; the stars were aligned, and the city lights resonated throughout the capital.
Laughter and celebrations could still be heard echoing throughout the capital. Children ran through the streets, having fun, while adults enjoyed their leisure time. However, Dante was immersed, or rather submerged, in destructive thoughts.
He opted for total annihilation. This path was the worst, but he didn't care. When he returned from the dungeon, he decided to move forward like his mother, realizing that being that way was the easiest and most logical. Being quiet and calm, or leaving others alone and maintaining a noble posture, didn't help. Beings can only speak through force, so Dante would use that.
He walked through the halls of the Academy calmly. Even if they saw him, they wouldn't believe it was him. After all, much had changed: his hair was longer, his face more robust, his size was larger, almost 6'1" in height. His aura as a whole had changed a lot.
Dante's aura was now oppressive. The near-death experiences he had lived in that dungeon, the number of beings he had decimated, shattered, and absorbed into his blood, was enormous. Dante was a mass of negative energy, his aura was sinister, and sometimes it affected the environment if he didn't control it.
This was Dante's true current level. He had power, although he wasn't an expert in anything. He still had a long way to go to reach Valentina. Even with the occasional boosts, he didn't feel worthy of Valentina, and this fueled his fury.
Dante heard murmurs, loose conversations, and laughter from all the rooms he passed. His hearing was impeccable compared to before, his instincts had improved, his perception had improved. As he walked, he finally found someone: a girl sitting on a window, watching the stars.
Her blue hair flowed in the wind while Dante just observed her, staying in the darkness to avoid being located by his divine sense.
Dante spent several minutes watching Sara, who looked at the stars until she finally showed something. She raised her hand and looked at the sky as if trying to grasp something.
"I hope you rest well in the stars. My god punished me to love someone who is gone forever. That must be my sin, my eternal punishment," Sara murmured in harmony, as if talking to someone.
"The virtue of humility fell in love with a being of evil origins and was condemned to love a dead man forever. Pff," she laughed as she spoke. "Seems like a big punishment for someone as small as me."
Dante was moved and began to approach, but when he was about to touch Sara, she suddenly moved away and heard footsteps coming from the hallway.
"I found you," Elizabeth said as she looked at Sara. "You have to sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day," she said, and Sara nodded.
"Even without Durandal, I am still the strongest," Sara said, following Elizabeth, who had a smile on her face.
Dante stood there, observing the whole situation calmly. His thoughts quickly disappeared, and he sighed in relief.
"I'm glad you sorted things out. I'm glad you're not alone," he said and threw himself backwards out of the window, opening his wings and flying. He returned to the top of the tower and continued to glide until he heard a strange sound, and the sky slightly cracked into a rift.
"It's good to see that you're alive," Dante heard and showed no interest in seeing the man's face; it was obvious he knew who it was.
"How has she been?" Dante asked the white-haired man who appeared beside him.
"She has loved you too much," Sasaki replied calmly. "Have you kept an eye on her?"
"Of course. I knew you would come back. I wanted to do you a favor," Sasaki said with a laugh.
"I hope you'll charge me for it later. I don't like owing anything to anyone," Dante said, and another voice emerged.
"I hope you don't destroy the world in a war."
"We know that will be impossible. It's submission or death," Dante commented with a smile. "You've changed," Musashi said, lightly smiling, noticing Dante's progress.
"Not enough to become a spear master," Dante commented.
"In your own time, boy. And I'm not talking about technique," Musashi said, laughing.
"I know. I'm informing you because I know you're curious," Dante retorted and turned to face the two teachers.
"I didn't come just for Sara," Dante said, and both nodded. They already figured Dante had appeared in Kryoris to talk to them.
"Go on, what does Valentina want-" Musashi began, but was interrupted by Dante's hand.
"I came as Dante, not as a messenger. I know you two aren't afraid of my mother and pretend just to keep up appearances. I'm not here as Scarlet, just as Dante," he said, causing both to slightly lower their guard.
"Tell me, is something wrong?" Sasaki asked, and Dante nodded. "Protect the students tomorrow, and don't directly intervene. The safety of uninvolved students is a priority," Dante said seriously, and both shifted positions.
"So you already have your target," Musashi said, and Dante nodded. "Alright, kid, but you'll owe us a favor."
"I owe you two then, thank you, masters." Dante bowed in gratitude, a typical Japanese greeting that both felt the weight of what Dante was doing, especially as a Scarlet.
Dante felt something poking him and a mental message arrived; he faintly heard a voice.
"Gentlemen, I need to go. Thank you for the conversation; I hope we can be friends and not teacher and student in the future," Dante said smiling and made another greeting, disappearing into black flames.
"He changed," Sasaki said, and Musashi nodded. "Changed a lot."
Dante appeared in the middle of the room and saw Valentina sitting on the table with her legs crossed, something on her back covered by a cloth.
"Are you ready?" Dante asked, and Valentina smiled, tossing the "gift" to Dante, who skillfully caught it, but he didn't open it, just stored it in the ring.
"Aren't you going to check?" Valentina asked, "It's not weapons, but men who win wars," Dante commented, and a smile appeared on the Redhead's lips. She was loving this new way of Dante; it's a pity.
As night enveloped Kryoris in a cloak of darkness, a sinister presence stealthily approached. Like a creeping shadow, two unknown figures emerged before the imposing main gate of the city, their silent footsteps echoing in the stillness of the night.
"The plan must proceed. With the director out of the scene thanks to Valentina, we can finally obtain what we came for," one of them pronounced, their tone laden with malice as a twisted smile adorned their lips.
The companion nodded in agreement, her countenance obscured by darkness. "The master has entrusted us with a task of great magnitude. After deciphering part of the ancient script in the Ancient Records of Akasha, he is obsessed with this black orb," she murmured, lightly caressing a staff whose aura pulsed with dark energy.
"We will bind Valentina to the curse tomorrow. The dart will serve as a bridge between her mind and body, allowing us to manipulate her into becoming the instrument of this city's destruction," the woman proclaimed with a disturbing smile that revealed the hidden anxiety and excitement behind her cold, empty eyes.
"You seem eager for this," he observed, a slight shiver running down his spine as he contemplated the intensity of the woman's emotion towards the sinister plan.
"How could I not be? With just one stroke, we can eradicate countless rulers and plunge this land into total darkness. I am boiling with anticipation," she replied, her voice laden with a macabre euphoria that echoed through the night air.
A heavy sigh escaped the man's lips, a mixture of resignation and displeasure manifesting on his countenance. "Tsk, why the hell did they put me to work with this lunatic," he grumbled, his own doubts and fears fueling the unease that gripped him.
"We'll see who'll have the last laugh," he whispered to himself, as he contemplated the sinister unfolding of their dark plans, aware that the fate of Kryoris hung in the balance between light and shadow, between hope and desolation.