NOVEL WEB Chapter 440: Death is gone.
The Scythe of Death gleamed with a dark, ominous glow, as if Dante's words were a direct affront to its very existence. A chilling silence enveloped the area, broken only by the hum of energy pulsating around the two. Death tilted his head slightly, as though scrutinizing every word and gesture from Dante.
"You are arrogant, Dante," Death said, his voice cold and lethal, like the blade he wielded. "But you are also a fool. The title of Hell's Administrator may be immense, but believing it grants you dominion over me... that is the gravest mistake you have ever made."
Dante took a step forward, his spear glowing with a menacing intensity. "Mistake or not, it doesn't change the fact that you, and everything that exists here, are already under my domain. I didn't come to ask. I came to claim."
Dante's energy began to intensify, spiraling into a vortex of dark miasma that enveloped his body. The oppressive aura made the very air tremble, as though Hell itself acknowledged the power of its proclaimed emperor. Yet, Death showed no hesitation. He raised his scythe, pointing it directly at Dante.
"If my soul already belongs to you, come and take it," Death challenged. "But know that you will not face just a knight. You will face the concept itself. Death is inescapable, even for an emperor."
Dante chuckled, a sound that echoed through the darkened walls of the Sixth Circle. "Perfect. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Let's dance, Knight."
Without another word, Death lunged forward, moving like a blur of shadows. His scythe sliced through the air in a deadly arc, the blade emitting a dim glow that seemed to drain all light around it. Dante raised his spear to block, the clash of the two weapons generating a shockwave that cracked the ground beneath them.
"Fast, but predictable," Dante taunted, sidestepping and countering with a precise thrust. The tip of his spear tore through Death's cloak but found no flesh or blood—only emptiness.
"Do you think you can wound a concept?" Death murmured, reappearing behind Dante and swinging the scythe in his direction. Dante barely had time to turn and raise his spear to block, the force of the blow hurling him backward.
He rolled across the ground but quickly rose to his feet, a smirk still plastered on his face. "You're resilient, I'll give you that. But everything that exists has a weakness. Even concepts."
Dante focused his energy, his spear beginning to transform, elongating and emanating an even darker aura. The weapon pulsed as though alive, drawing energy from the surrounding Hellscape.
"Ah, finally. My dear spear is revealing its true power. Let's see if you can withstand this."
Dante charged forward with blinding speed, unleashing a flurry of rapid, precise strikes. Death dodged and parried with his scythe, the two combatants moving in a deadly ballet of blows and counters. Each clash of their weapons sent out shockwaves that obliterated the surroundings.
Gradually, however, Dante began to gain the upper hand. He was relentless, pressing Death with an unending onslaught of attacks. With each strike, his spear seemed to absorb more of Hell's essence, growing even more powerful.
Finally, Dante found an opening. With a swift motion, he spun his spear in a low arc, striking Death in the abdomen. The weapon's energy erupted, sending the Knight flying backward and drawing a pained cry from his lips.
Death staggered, leaning on his scythe to stay upright. "You... are truly powerful. But even so, you cannot escape destiny. You cannot escape me."
Dante advanced again, his voice filled with resolve. "Destiny is a joke, and I've already written my own. Now, Death, kneel before the true ruler of Hell."
With one final strike, Dante drove his spear into Death's chest. The energy released was so immense that the ground around them disintegrated, leaving only darkness. Death's scream echoed but was soon silenced, his form dissolving into particles of black light.
Dante exhaled deeply, watching as Death's essence was absorbed into his spear. A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"One down. Now there are three left."
...
[Albion]
The sky was blood-red, lightning slashed across the horizon, and the forces of chaos clashed against the kingdom's defenses. At the center of it all, a woman hovered above the wreckage, exuding an aura of pure power.
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Valentina, dressed in a flaming crimson gown, floated in the air. Her long red hair shimmered like a beacon amidst the chaos. Her arms remained crossed as spears of fire materialized around her, launching with devastating precision. Each spear was an extension of her will, striking down the soldiers of Mary Rose's immortal army with ruthless efficiency.
"Is that all you've got?" Valentina shouted, her voice echoing across the battlefield. Despite the chaos, she maintained an almost relaxed posture, as if toying with her enemies.
From a distant hill, Mary Rose, an ethereal sorceress, observed the scene. Her army—warriors resurrected from battlefields of a thousand years past—was being obliterated with ease.
She clenched her fists, fury igniting in her gaze as an icy-blue aura began to manifest around her.
"That insolent woman…" Mary Rose muttered, her voice cold. "Does she think her fire can consume the cold of the void?"
Valentina, even from miles away, could hear Mary's words as if they were whispers carried by the wind. A faint smile tugged at her lips. With a flick of her fingers, hundreds of fiery spears emerged again, aligning in intricate patterns across the sky.
"If you have something more interesting to show, I suggest you do it now," Valentina taunted. "Because so far, this has been disappointing."
Mary Rose raised her hands, summoning a storm of ice that swept across the field. Towers of frost erupted from the ground, absorbing and blocking some of Valentina's fire spears. Meanwhile, the soldiers who had fallen began to rise again, reanimated by Mary's dark magic.
Valentina, however, was unimpressed. With a sharp motion, she uncrossed her arms and extended a hand to the heavens. "You want to compete with the forces of nature? Let's see how your ice fares against this."
A fiery explosion surged skyward, blooming like an incandescent flower. The blood-red skies deepened further as a rain of flaming meteors began to descend upon Mary Rose's army. The impact was catastrophic, transforming the battlefield into a sea of fire and ash.
Now surrounded by chaos, Mary Rose had no choice but to intervene personally. She teleported to the battlefield's center, emerging from a mist of icy blue. Her eyes glowed with resolve as she conjured a massive crystalline scythe of ice in her hands.
"You are powerful, Valentina," Mary admitted, her voice firm yet tinged with reluctant respect. "But never underestimate a queen who has faced the eternal void."
Valentina descended gracefully to the ground, an arrogant smile playing on her lips. "Ah, finally. I thought I'd have to destroy your entire army to get your attention."
The two women stood face to face, Valentina's fire and Mary's ice clashing in the air around them. The tension was palpable, and the battlefield seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.
"Let's see which element reigns supreme," Mary declared, advancing with her crystalline scythe, the air around her turning so cold it seemed to freeze time itself. Each step she took left a trail of ice, the ground bowing to her presence.
Valentina raised her hand, a wave of intense heat erupting around her. With a snap of her fingers, a long sword of pure fire materialized in her grip. The flames danced violently, as if eager for the impending battle. "With pleasure," she replied, her voice brimming with confidence.
Mary struck first, her scythe carving a devastating arc that unleashed a blast of icy energy. The attack sliced through the air, freezing everything in its path into solid ice. Valentina dodged with agility, spinning her sword to create a barrier of flames that vaporized the ice before it could reach her. The opposing forces collided, generating an explosion of steam and energy that swept across the battlefield.
Without hesitation, Valentina counterattacked, launching herself forward in a fierce assault. Her sword cut through the air like lightning, forcing Mary to dodge and parry with her scythe. The clash of their weapons unleashed waves of energy that tore apart the ground around them, leaving a battlefield of fire and ice in chaos.
"Impressive," Valentina remarked, sidestepping a cunning strike from Mary's scythe. "But you're still too slow."
Mary didn't respond. Instead, she retreated and raised both hands, summoning pillars of ice that shot up from the ground toward Valentina. The fiery warrior spun her sword, unleashing a wave of flames that reduced the pillars to steam within seconds. But as she did, Mary appeared behind her with supernatural speed, her scythe descending in a vertical slash.
Valentina turned at the last moment, raising her sword to block. The impact of their weapons generated an explosion of energy so intense that both were thrown back. Valentina landed gracefully, sliding across the ember-covered ground, while Mary landed with a crash, sending waves of ice rippling across the field.
"You've got potential, Mary," Valentina commented, her eyes gleaming with a mix of respect and taunting. She twirled her sword in her hands, the heat around her intensifying. "But potential isn't enough to defeat someone like me."
Mary narrowed her eyes, her expression hardening. "Don't underestimate a desperate queen," she replied, her voice as cold as the ice surrounding her. "My resolve won't break so easily."
With a battle cry, Mary extended her hand, summoning a storm of ice that engulfed the battlefield. Razor-sharp winds and shards of ice swirled like blades, obscuring vision and attacking Valentina from all directions. Valentina raised her sword, a fiery aura growing around her. With a powerful motion, she unleashed an explosion of fire that dissipated the storm in an instant.
"If that's all you've got, this will end faster than I expected," Valentina mocked, charging forward with a series of quick, precise strikes. Her sword danced through the air as if it were an extension of her body, each swing radiating intense heat. Mary blocked and dodged, but she began to lose ground.
Suddenly, Mary changed her strategy. She drove her scythe into the ground, releasing a surge of ice that quickly formed into a crystalline armor enveloping her body. "Let's see if your fire can pierce this," she said, her voice echoing like the crackling of forming ice.