Dante's black boots made clicking sounds as he walked on the red carpet laid down through the city lord's huge white hallway.
Right now, he was wearing a black tuxedo that enhanced his handsome features, with his shoulder-length hair tied into a bun,
"Kekeke, it seems we will finally have a good fight after such a long time. I can't wait for this bloody party to begin."
Kroft, still in a cheery mood, laughed wickedly,
"We are here to fulfil a mission, not to party."
Dante, not even moving his gaze from in front of him, said with an expressionless face,
"Kekeke, you say that, but I know that deep down you can't wait to get rumbling."
"~Sigh~ how did I end up with such a bloody maniac as my soul contract beast, especially such a stupid one"
Dante couldn't help but sigh helplessly as he soon reached the main doors leading to the hall,
"It's about to begin, be careful and don't let your guard down."
Saying his final piece, Kroft's presence disappeared, leaving only Dante standing in front of the huge door.
'Don't worry, I was born for this'
Dante thought to himself with a smirk as the guards on both sides of the door saluted him and pushed the door open, announcing the arrival of the main character for whom the party was being held,
"King Inquisitor, Lord Dante Novaless! has arrived!"
The Chandeliers that hung on the ceiling illuminated the entire hall, which was filled with people of both genders dressed in exquisite clothing, clearly indicating their higher status in society.
But as soon as Dante entered the place, all of their eyes were drawn towards him.
The eastern parts of the four heavens were ruled predominantly by the inquisitors thus, it was no surprise that the profession of a nether inquisitor was held in high regard here, especially so if the person had the high-ranking inquisition title of a King.
And because it was all too common for Dante, he indifferently looked upon all the gazes filled with admiration and awe directed at him.
As Dante walked forward, he could hear the murmurs of the people in his surroundings.
The young boys were admiring his physique and talking about how they wanted to be like him, the grown-ups were also applauding his masculine figure as well as the dignified aura that he emitted.
And all the young and middle-aged women were blushing profusely as they stared at him in wonder.
Dante was indifferent to all of these things, he had never been one to enjoy being in the limelight. He would have much rather preferred to sharpen his blade quietly alone by himself,
'It's so crowded that it's suffocating'
He thought to himself as he soon saw the tall, masculine figure of the person he was searching for.
With his hands still in the pockets of his pants, he walked forward to greet the city lord of Rose Frost while a small smile played on his lips,
"HAHAHA!! Young lord Dante! It's such a pleasant surprise that you came to visit our humble abode here in the middle of nowhere!"
The city lord of Rose Frost, Robert, said with a thunderous laughter, causing his bulging muscles to shake uncontrollably.
Robert was a man in his late forties who had a head full of blond hair and a nicely trimmed mustache to go along with it. He had lost his wife fifteen years ago, along with his youngest son, and just two years ago, his only surviving son committed suicide, leaving him all alone with no family in this world,
"The honors all mine, Mr Robert, I have long since heard the tales of how you alone defended the gates of Rose Frost from the savage frost beasts for three days and three nights straight."
Dante said politely as he shook hands with Robert, and both of them exchanged some pleasantries,
"HAHAHA!! Well, you know how to sweet-talk at least. Come then, Young Dante, let me treat you to the most delicious cuisines of rose frost. Although I fear they will not be anything special compared to what you have back at the capital, these delicacies are still something you shouldn't miss. And who knows, maybe you will find some young one you are interested in, hahahaha!"
Robert said with a joking manner, causing the surrounding people to let out soft chuckles of laughter as he himself turned around and took a step forward to lead Dante towards the table filled with food,
"Indeed, that would be great. But may I ask something first, my lord?"
Dante asked with a gentle smile as he looked at the back of Lord Robert, which seemed as big as a titan's,
"Hmm? Yeah sure, go ahead."
Robert said as his head slightly turned to look at Dante with the same warm smile,
"....why did you choose to become a Dreadling..."
.
.
.
.
Raging thunder echoed outside the mines as Luan's eyes widened in horror, looking at the horrendous transformation of his fellow miner.
The miner that was screaming out his lungs just a few moments ago had grown a full three heads taller, and his entire figure was now covered in dark black fur while his spine bent back as his mouth protruded out like a snout.
All the people who had surrounded the man before were now slowly stepping back.
The "thing" raised its head and looked at its surroundings with its pitch black eyes, saliva dripped down from its mouth from between its razor sharp teeth as it let out a heavy, warm breath,
"W-Werewolf!!"
Luan didn't know who had spoken, but he didn't have the time to care, as soon as he heard the word werewolf, his face went pale.
According to his limited knowledge of these mystical creatures, they were a high-level beast with great fighting potential, and would require an experienced team of warriors with excellent coordination to exterminate them.
Silence reigned in the cave, the only thing Luan could hear at this point was the abnormal breathing of the werewolf and his own thumping heart.
Sweat covered his entire body, drenching his back, as just being in the presence of such a savage being was suffocating,
"AAAHHHHHH!!"
Suddenly, the silence was broken as a man screamed, running towards the exit with all his might.
Muttering a curse under his breath, Luan's head snapped towards the fleeing man.
Luan had always thought that he had adequately quick reflexes, but clearly this situation was out of his league. Before he could even process what was happening, the black figure was already above the man, plunging its fangs deep into his belly,
'fast!'
That was the only thought that entered his mind before Chaos broke out and everyone started fleeing in a panic.
Pushing and pulling onto each other, the miners tried to get as farther away from the beast as possible, but the savage thing was too damn fast, it quickly swung its long hands, slicing through the human flesh as if they were scythes cutting weeds.
Screams of terror rang out through the mines as Luan looked on in dread. His mind told him to run, but his body just wouldn't follow his command as if it were frozen on the spot he stood.
Time seemed to slow down as he looked on at the scene of his fellow miners being sliced into pieces.
Slowly, the Werewolf was drawing nearer and nearer. Before long, it was already close enough that Luan could look it in the eye,
'so.... this is how I die'
Luan thought to himself as he readied himself and closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to come.
...
....
.....
He kept on waiting, and yet the pain he anticipated did not arrive. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, and he looked in front of him.
As soon as he laid eyes upon the scene before him, unconsciously, tears welled up in them before pouring out and drizzling down his cheeks,
"R-run...Luan"
Right in front of him crow was standing there with his back facing him, blood dripped from the dark beast's hand, which had long since plunged through the old man's chest.
Time seemed to have come to a standstill as Luan looked at the blood-covered figure of the old man he had known since childhood.
Many memories since the time he was a kid flooded his mind as he gritted his teeth and turned back,
"AAHHHhhhhhh!!"
With one final scream and tears streaming down his face, Luan dashed toward the entrance of the mines,
'good... survive.... and live on'
Crow thought with a gentle smile as he saw the departing back of the kid who had grown up to become a young man before he knew it.
Luan felt his throat grow itchy and his legs burn as if they were dipped in hot oil, but he didn't stop running,
'fuck! fuck! fuck! Why?! Why is this happening!?'
Tears kept on pouring out of his eyes, which had red veins popping out of them as he screamed internally in agony. Soon enough, he reached the entrance of the mines and rushed out without a second thought.
But outside, he was greeted with an even more horrific scene.
As soon as he stepped outside, his already pale face went even paler while his eyes looked on at the chaos that was ensuing.
There were more werewolves along with many other dreadful creatures that were causing a carnage all over the place, with many dead bodies lying on the ground, which was dyed red with blood.
Suddenly, Luan felt something hit his leg, causing him to jolt in surprise and look down, but his gaze soon landed upon a very familiar face.
His face contorted in fear as he looked at the severed head of the old warden Leo, whose face still showed the great horror and shock he was in before he died.
Taking a few steps back, Luan broke out into a Dash running through the familiar roads that had now become so unfamiliar.
He ran through the streets of the city that was now littered with corpses, his path was illuminated only by the remaining lamps that were not completely broken.
It had already started to rain heavily, and Luan drenched in the water, had fallen many times, causing many scars to be inflicted on his body, but he did not care much.
He ran and ran as if trying to escape reality, but no matter where he went, he was only greeted by the horrifying screams of the people and the blood that had by now started to flood the entire city.
Soon enough, he reached the slum area, out of breath, and his chest feeling like it was on fire.
But he didn't stop, on the contrary, he hastened his steps even though his feet hurt like hell.
Finally, after a while, he reached near his house and stopped right in front of it, as a very odd and terrifying view occurred before him.
Luan considered himself to be a very calm person, even in this situation, he knew exactly how dire it was and what that meant for the people in the slum area who had no protection whatsoever.
While he was running, many terrible thoughts had crossed his mind, he had even prepared to face the corpses of the people he called family.
But no matter how much he prepared, he was not ready to face the scene in front of him.
The old man who had looked after him since his parents had passed away was lying down on the ground, his eyes lifeless as blood flowed out of the gaping hole in his chest.
But that was not what terrified Luan,
"..why..."
Near the corpse of Joseph was another figure that was "standing", it was a beautiful woman who wore a simple white dress and had fair skin.
But right now, the beautiful woman's eyes were empty as a shell, and an arm soaked in her blood was pierced through her chest,
"..why..."
Even this was not enough cause for Luan to feel so terrified that the hair on his back stood on end.
What was truly terrifying...
Was the one who had pierced through Clara's chest and was now looking at him with a gentle smile,
"Welcome home, Luan."
Luan finally couldn't take it anymore and fell on his back as he heard Walter's words echo in his ears.