Modern World Warlock

It was an early morning at the Jade Palace when Zac woke up wearing a cast on one leg and bandages around the rest of his body.

Victoria and Clara—his girlfriend and his mother— took it upon themselves to care for Zac's well-being while his body recuperated, and the redhead shamelessly felt satisfied with the treatment, even though he was badly hurt.

Zac was in the worst condition out of all the members of the Jade Dragons after the battle with Netherius, but he couldn't understand why he could keep fighting back when his entire body was broken.

Dante had to explain that, as a berserker, Zac's body could resist thousands of times more pain than a normal person.

Of course, his body could also endure blows that were thousands of times stronger than an average punch. However, that ability could sometimes fire back, as berserkers would never know when they needed to retreat.

The redhead understood the concept that it was hard to tell how injured he truly was when he could barely feel any pain while fighting. Still, he mentioned the fact that he used a healthstone, so he thought he was healthy enough to keep fighting.

Dante continued explaining and said that the healthstone had indeed healed his injuries. However, Zac must have had dozens of broken bones and organs, which the healthstone prioritized when healing.

In other words, Zac could have died without knowing if he hadn't used the healthstone at the necropolis.

His injuries were too severe, and Dante believed it would be better for him to heal naturally than to make him spend stamina to use more healthstones.

That morning, Zac asked Victoria about Dante's whereabouts, and the brunette said that the warlock had left the mansion the previous night and hadn't returned.

The redhead wasn't worried about Dante as he knew very well that he could take care of himself, though he was still curious to know what he was doing.

____________________

The night before, Dante went to Camille's office to talk to her, and while the handler was the busiest she had ever looked, she still made time to listen to Dante.

Varamor, the Dragon King, was standing next to the warlock as he was officially introduced to Camille, and when the handler showed her gratefulness for helping them in the battle, Varamor dropped his head to the side, seemingly confused.

"Hmm, what's wrong? Did I say something bad?" Camille pondered aloud when she saw the Dragon King's confused expression.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Varamor shook his head and explained that he 'sensed' something for a second, and without giving any more details, he politely bowed and stated that he wanted to stay living at the mansion.

Initially, Dante had only summoned Varamor to help with the battle, but when they all needed to urgently retreat, the Dragon King also supported them.

By the time they got to the Jade Palace, Varamor realized that there were other demons living among the team, and considering that Lilith was much more powerful and dangerous than he was, he thought he could also be allowed to stay.

However, Dante told him that it wasn't up to him, so the Dragon King would have to ask Camille if he was allowed to stay, and of course, the handler saw no problem with it.

She was always looking to have talented people in the Jade Dragons, and someone with the title of Dragon King of Hell didn't sound too bad as their new addition.

After settling the matter with Varamor, Dante notified Camille that he would be leaving for a few days, which the handler thought was a bit strange coming from him.

"I thought you would be sleeping in your hammock for weeks after that," Camille said with a playful tone and a chuckle.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I will definitely relax in my hammock once I return," he replied with a slight smile.

"And where are you going?" Camille asked with a more serious tone.

"Hell… Cerberus should be waiting for me," Dante answered, making Camille smile when she heard that Cerberus was safe.

During the battle at the necropolis, Cerberus supported the team for some time before Dante secretly asked him to go to hell and look for Saris' soul.

Since Cerberus was the guardian of the Abyssal Gates that led to the Sea of the Dead, he had a knack for locating souls that traveled along the river. Moreover, Cerberus was familiar with Saris, so it was a bit easier for him to search.

*Sigh* "Alright, be safe…" Camille said before sitting back down behind her desk, where the paperwork seemed to multiply by the minute.

That night, Dante went to the backyard of the mansion accompanied by Varamor, and after telling the Dragon King to protect everyone at the Jade Castle, a large, red pentagram appeared on the ground.

The symbol produced an eerie glow, and when Dante clenched his fist, a circular, swirling portal materialized on top of it.

With a stoic expression that showed no excitement for his destination, Dante stepped into the portal before it shrank and disappeared.

When Dante arrived in Hell, he found himself standing on a suspended stone bridge, surrounded by cliffs that dropped down to unknown depths.

On the other side of the bridge, a massive double door made of obsidian rock stood tall, and as Dante nonchalantly walked up to the doors, they automatically opened for him.

The Abyssal Gates wouldn't have opened for any other human, but Dante was the clear exception, and as he walked past the gate, he entered into an expansive room made of the same obsidian material as the doors.

Standing on the other side of the room, Cerberus turned and cheerfully ran up to Dante. Still, he wasn't using his fake puppy appearance, so the sight of a giant three-headed dog running towards him wasn't precisely "cute."

After Dante smiled and patted the three heads, he asked Cerberus if he had completed the task, prompting the three heads to nod affirmatively.

"Good. Let's commence…" Dante confidently said, walking past Cerberus and making his way to the entrance leading to the Sea of the Dead.