The atmosphere in the private "Holy Sanctum" of the academy was thick with the scent of incense and magic. Dante walked in like he owned the place, his boots clicking on the marble.
Seraphine was there, sitting on a stone bench. Her wings were drooping, and her face was buried in her hands. She wasn't the "Ice Queen" anymore. She was trembling.
"Nice show with the demon, by the way,"
Dante said, leaning against a pillar. "But we both know that beast was a weakling.
Lilith probably 'summoned' it just to see me flex, didn't she?"
Seraphine looked up, her eyes red from crying. "You knew?"
Dante laughed. "I knew the moment I smelled her perfume on the beast's collar.
She's playing games. But I don't care about her games. I care about why the Queen of Heaven is crying like a mortal girl."
Seraphine stood up, her voice shaking.
"It's not just the Void-Beasts, Dante. There is a Primordial Curse eating at the roots of the Universe. It's a rot. My father, the Heavens, the Hells... we are all fading. We need someone with Chaos energy to burn the rot away. But..."
She stepped closer, her hand reaching out to touch his chest, then pulling back in fear.
"The power you used today... it was too much. If you unleash your full strength to break the curse, you won't just save the world. You'll shatter it. You're like a star trying to live inside a glass bottle."
Dante looked at his hands. She was right.
He felt the "itch" under his skin—the massive, infinite power of the Chaos Prince trying to burst out.
"So what's the plan, Angel?" Dante asked, his voice softening but still arrogant. "You want me to meditate? Drink some tea?"
"You must Cultivate through Control," she whispered. "You need to seal your power into 'Nine Gates.' To do that, you need to find the Primal Elements. Hot springs of ancient mana, frozen peaks of the North, and... and..."
Her face turned bright red, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"And you need a Vessel to bleed off the excess heat. Every time you train, your body will become a furnace. If you don't 'vent' that energy into a partner... you'll explode."
The sky above Astraea Academy didn't just change; it shattered. A golden staircase descended from the clouds, radiating a pressure that forced every student to their knees.
Dante stood in the middle of the courtyard, his hands in his pockets, looking up with an annoyed scowl. "The old man really can't send an email, can he?"
Within seconds, Dante was pulled through space. He blinked, and suddenly he was standing in the Hall of Infinite Pillars. In front of him sat the Great Circle—the most powerful Gods and Elders of the Divine Realms.
In the center sat his father, The Primordial King, a man with a beard made of starlight and eyes that held the weight of galaxies.
"Dante," his father's voice boomed, shaking the very foundation of the hall.
"You were exiled to learn humility. But the Universe doesn't have time for your tantrum anymore. The Curse is spreading."
Dante let out a loud, bored yawn that echoed through the holy silence. The Elders gasped.
"Are you done?" Dante asked, scratching the back of his neck. "You kicked me out.
You called me a 'failure' because I wouldn't follow your boring rules. I'm an outcast, remember? If the universe rots, let it rot. I've got a nap scheduled."
"You arrogant brat!" one of the Elders screamed. "The Divine Realms are crumbling!"
Dante leaned against a pillar that was literally a holy relic. "So? There are hundreds of 'Gods' here. Thousands of 'Heros.' Why am I being called back to do the dirty work? Ask one of them to save the day. I'm busy being a 'Level 1' student."
"Because none of them have the Chaos Bloodline, Dante!" his father roared, his aura flaring. "You are the only one who can burn the curse without being consumed by it!"
"Pass," Dante said, turning to walk away.
"Find someone else."
"I will do it."
A new voice cut through the hall—sharp, arrogant, and dripping with ego.
A man descended from the ceiling, glowing in golden armor. This was Apolloion, the son of the Sun-God. He was the "Perfect Hero" that everyone loved. He landed gracefully, looking at Dante with pure disgust.
"If the Prince is too much of a coward to save his own heritage," Apolloion sneered, "then I shall cleanse the Curse. I have the strength. I have the will."
The Elders looked hopeful, but then Apolloion's eyes turned greedy.
"But," Apolloion continued, "there is a price. Once I break the Curse, I will be the sole Emperor of all three realms—Heaven, Hell, and the Mortal world. You will all bow to me. The Queens will be mine. The throne will be mine."
The Hall erupted in fury. "You dare?!"
"That's tyranny!"
But Apolloion just laughed. "Who else is going to stop the rot? The Dropout Prince?
He's too busy hiding his face in a mask."
The assembly ended in chaos. The Elders were terrified. If they let Apolloion do it, they would become slaves. If they didn't, the universe would end.
After the others left, Dante's father appeared beside him. The "King" look was gone; he just looked like a tired father.
"Dante... stop the act," his father whispered. "I know you're hiding your power. I know you could erase Apolloion with a thought. But he's right about one thing—if you don't step up, he will take everything. He will take Seraphine. He will take Lilith. He will rule with an iron fist."
Dante stayed silent, his silver eyes cold.
"You can't just unleash your power, son," his father continued, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Your body is a sun. To fight the Curse and beat Apolloion, you have to master the Nine Gates. You have to cultivate control. Go to the Primal Elements. Train your body to hold the heat. If you don't... you won't just kill the Curse. You'll kill everyone you care about."
Dante looked at his father's hand, then pulled away. "I'm not doing it for you. And I'm definitely not doing it for 'justice.'"
Dante walked toward the portal back to the academy, a dark, dangerous smirk on his face.
"But I really hate that guy's armor. And he mentioned 'The Queens' were his? He's about to find out that what's mine... stays mine."