'Shit. I shouldn't have let my guard down' Naruto cursed as he steadied himself on purgatory. That desperate hit from the nightmare had nearly knocked him out. In fact, it was one of the strongest attacks he had received so far.
During the battle with the nightmare he has come to realize that the nightmare they were currently facing was different from the other ones they had fought so far. Every attack from it could even rival that of Vergil after taking his helmet off.
However, after that last attack the nightmare entered a weakened state and stopped moving, meaning that this was their chance to finish it off.
"Naruto!" A loud voice called out to him snapping him out of his thoughts. Naruto turned to Dante standing on the other side of the nightmare near the barrier looking at in concern.
However, his gaze wasn't focused on Dante but rather the person standing behind him.
"DANTE! LOOK OUT!" Naruto shouted but it was already too late. Trish hit Dante with her lightnings electrocuting him.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Dante fell to the ground smoking. He slowly got back on his knees but when he turned around to look at the person standing behind him, he felt nothing but betrayal.
"Trish...you?"
"Hahaha. You fool. You are so easy" Trish laughed when she saw the look on Dante's face.
"Trish how could you?!" Naruto glared hatefully at her. If it wasn't for the barrier he would have charged at her right about now. Knowing this, Trish scoffed at him
"Humans...How sweet. You should know better than to trust a stranger. Your presence has become a hindrance to my master's bloody scheme. Now die!"
As soon as she finished speaking she shot another bolt of lightning at Dante. This time Dante reacted on time and jumped out of the way putting some distance between him and her.
Unsurprisingly the nightmare chose this moment to resume it attacks, putting pressure on them. Now they have to fight he nightmare while also avoiding Trish sneak attacks.
'That bitch!' Naruto gritted his teeth as he avoided another bolt of lightning courtesy of Trish.
"Don't pay too much attention to her, she can't do much to us thanks to the barrier. Moreover once we defeat the nightmare the barrier will fall" Dante said when he saw Naruto glaring at Trish. He also cast a side glance at her before looking away.
True to what Dante said Trish could do much with her lightning bolts thanks to the barrier. And because the two of them were moving around none stop she couldn't hit any of them with her lightning bolts only cause small distractions which left a bad taste in her mouth.
Moreover before she had the chance to do anything the nightmare was finally defeated and the barrier crumbled.
'Curse you two. Why won't you two just die?!'
Rooooar!
The nightmare let out a ferocious roar as it body starts to fall apart. It started shooting out beams all over the cave causing the cave to quake.
"Woah" Naruto dived out of the way of a laser beam, missing him by a few inches. The beam zipped overhead moving around in an unorthodox fashion.
Trish who was lost in thought stumbled backwards when a beam suddenly passed over her head.
However the beams soon disappeared as the nightmare melted away. Trish was about to leave a sigh of relief when she heard a loud video call out to her.
"Trish!"
When Trish saw Dante running towards her she immediately prepared for a fight but that when she heard another sound coming from beside her.
She turned around to see the huge stalagmite beside her falling towards her causing her to panic.
"Nooooo"
It was already too late for her to dodge so she could but stand there and watched as the stalagmite move yo to crush her.
However just at this moment Dante arrived and tackled her out of the way, saving heer from a gruesome fate.
"DANTE?!" Naruto shouted, shocked by what he had just seen. He couldn't believe his eyes. When he had first saw Dante charging towards Trish he thought that he was moving to end her life and believed it was over for her, but the opposite actually happened.
It wasn't only Naruto. Even Trish was shocked by the sudden turn of events. Weren't they enemies? wasn't she trying to kill him just moments ago? No matter how much she tried she just couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.
So she turned to the only one who could give her an answer.
"Dante!"
Dante who was already walking away after saving her stopped mid step with his back turned to her and said nothing. Trish didn't mind and she proceeded to ask.
"Dante...why did you save me?"
As soon as Trish finished speaking silence enveloped the entire cave. Even Naruto turned to look at dante, curious as well as to Dante's reason for saving her.
After a few seconds of silence Dante turned a little to look back at Trish and said. "Because you look like my mother"
Trish and Naruto were speechless when they heard Dante's answer.
However before Trish could say anything Dante continued.
"Now get out of my sight. The next time we meet, it won't be like this." With his part said Dante resumed his walk.
Trish watched him for a few seconds before standing up to follow him. "Dante?"
However before she could take another step Dante turned around and pointed ebony at her stopping her in her step. "Don't come any closer you devil! You may look like my mother but you are nowhere close to her. You have no soul. You have the face but you'll never have her fire!"
With his piece said Dante turned around to leave. "Let's go Naruto
"C.. coming!" Naruto who had been caught in a trance, cast one last look at Trish before running after Dante. It didn't know what it just experienced but he could feel the emotions rolling off of Dante.
'It must have been painful being betrayed by someone with your dead mother's face'
Trish watched them leave with a somewhat sad expression. Her eyes glued onto Dante's retreating back. A few seconds after they left three red glowing orbs in a triangular formation appeared beside her and said in a demonic voice.
"You too have failed me, Trish. You know the rules."
...
Meanwhile Naruto and Dante walked out of the red membrane and into a ring shaped room around a central pillar.
"Are you okay, Dante?" Naruto asked immediately they stepped out of the membrane. Dante has been awfully quiet since that incident with Trish. He was starting to get worried since this was the first time he has seen Dante so down.
"I'm fine. Dante sighed then continued. "It's just having to see my mother's face being used like that really bothered me. That's why I won't forgive Mundus"