The madness of a man who has lost everything; he stands ready to confront the ultimate evil before him. Today, something monumental will shatter the foundations of Underworld No. 1.
Dante's power overflows uncontrollably while Bell watches with a sinister, faintly amused smirk. Dante is beyond furious, burning with impatience to begin the carnage.
BELL: (Nervous) Hehehe... I never imagined you would push yourself this far, mortal.
DANTE HERALDI: (Furious, voice distorted) You... you... I want to kill you... No, I AM GOING TO SLAUGHTER YOU!
The demon Bell arrogance steps forward, narrowing the distance until they stand face-to-face, merely a meter apart. Bell speaks with utter condescension.
BELL: Look, mortal, it was nothing personal. But you've been quite useful to me, and with your final act, I can finally take my leave. I'll spare your life if you step aside.
As Bell rambles on pedantically, raising a hand mid-sentence, a spatial slice flashes through the air. In a single blur of speed, Dante draws Kusanagi and cleanly severs Bell's hand at the wrist.
Bell feels no pain, merely staring down at his missing limb in slight irritation before addressing Dante in a calm, measured tone.
BELL: (Irritated and nervous) What in the world...? That weapon can cut me? Cursed Mors... nobody told him to refine that blade to such an absurd degree.
Watching Bell lose himself in thought, a twisted, mocking grin spreads across Dante's face.
DANTE HERALDI: Hu... It seems your little puppet didn't follow your orders to the letter, did he?
BELL: (Furious) How dare you, filthy mortal!
The severed hand vanishes into dust as a new limb instantly regenerates in its place. Bell leaps backward, putting distance between them.
BELL: It seems I'll have to personally discipline that wretched creature for disobeying my instructions. I can't believe I have to degrade myself to fight you, brat—after I gave you everything!
DANTE HERALDI: YOU?! YOU GAVE ME EVERYTHING... AND YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME! I'M GOING TO GUT YOU, BELL!
Bell sighs heavily. In his right hand, a long, slender blade materializes.
BELL: To think I'd actually draw my sword after eons...
DANTE lunges forward with feral aggression. Bell catches the opening strike, but the sheer force of Dante's impact pushes him back, his eyes widening in shock at the raw weight behind the attack.
BELL: (In his mind) Damn it! I can't afford to underestimate this brat... After all, he wields the power of that thing.
Dante takes to the sky, leaving Elena's body resting on the stone ground below. He unleashes a ruthless volley of twin-blade strikes against Bell, who parries with expert precision—though his blade trembles under the crushing weight of every collision.
BELL: (Blocking, in his mind) This bastard is driving me back! To think he's matching me in my current form... It's time to unleash more power!
Bell suddenly surges forward, pressing Dante back and forcing him to trigger Wrath. Now evenly matched, they exchange blows across the sky. Capitalizing on a momentary lapse in Bell's guard, Dante delivers a brutal kick to his jaw, lifting him off his feet, followed by a heavy roundhouse to the abdomen that hurls Bell straight into the grand castle behind the pyramid, shattering its outer wall upon impact.
Bell rises from the rubble, dusting himself off as he glares at Dante, who descends upon him at breakneck speed. The battle shifts into the main hall of the castle, turning into a wild, brutal brawl. Impact after impact makes the entire fortress tremble.
Meanwhile, back on the pyramid summit, Azrael channels his divine energy into Rex to heal him. After a brief moment, Rex forces his eyes open.
REX: Damn it... Where am I?
AZRAEL: Hound, over here! Come closer, but do not touch the green flames!
Rex forces himself up, staggering toward Azrael as loud explosions echo from the back of the pyramid structure.
REX: (Startled) What was that...?! You're an angel? I heard stories about your kind... I thought you didn't exist!
AZRAEL: (Surprised) You see demons every single day and yet you doubted our existence? Well, no matter, now is not the time for this. Come, I will bestow divine power upon you so you can assist your friend—he is in grave danger!
REX: (Shocked) That's right! Dante! Is he okay?! What do I need to do?!
AZRAEL: Just stay still. Once I empower you, I'll help the others so you can all provide support. But you are the most critical one... Take this!
AZRAEL raises his palm, channeling divine aura into REX.
Returning to DANTE and BELL's battle, the sheer intensity of their collision is shattering the entire fortress. Only a single chamber in the distance remains standing, its reinforced doors straining against the relentless shockwaves.
DANTE HERALDI: (Mid-strike) Die, you bastard! I will never forgive you for what you did to Elena!
BELL: (Parrying) Please, I did her a favor! Thanks to me, she was actually able to walk beside you!
DANTE HERALDI: (Clashing blades) You lied to me! Everything you said was a damn lie! Who knows what else you manipulated?! She meant the world to me!
BELL: (Gleefully) But without me, she would have been nothing at all!
DANTE drives a crushing strike forward, which BELL barely blocks. The shockwave forces them apart for a fleeting moment, locking eyes through the dust.
DANTE HERALDI: What the hell are you trying to say?!
BELL: Hehe... I was the one who granted Elena her magic—not that old fool Fausto.
DANTE stares in complete disbelief.
DANTE HERALDI: What kind of bullshit are you talking about?! Elena told me herself that Fausto gave her that power!
BELL: Oh, please! Who gave you that little system window of yours? Hahahahaha!
DANTE HERALDI: But why?! To what end?!
BELL: Umm... To what end? Simple. If I hadn't empowered that useless girl, she never would have made it all the way here to serve as your ultimate breaking point! Her purpose is fulfilled, and she was of no further use to me. And thanks to you... that door is finally unlocked.
BELL points toward the shuddering chamber doors. Moments later, the barrier shatters into splinters, revealing a grand staircase leading down to a swirling azure portal. DANTE stares at the gateway, sweating profusely, hit by a wave of shock and intrigue.
DANTE HERALDI: (Gasping) You killed Elena... just for that piece of trash?!
BELL: You just don't get it, do you? I needed someone to execute Mictlantekuti, and you did the job splendidly. I couldn't leave this realm on my own; escaping required two conditions: slaughtering that miserable god... and possessing this.
From his robes, BELL produces the sleek, futuristic keycard.
DANTE HERALDI: When the hell did you steal that?!
BELL: Haha! The preparation is complete. Now, the only thing left to do... (Voice twisting into pure malice) ...is get rid of you.
BELL's physical form contorts hideousness. His skin turns a deep crimson, his hair falls out, and long, curved horns burst from his skull. His nails extend into obsidian talons, and a thick tail sprouts as his true demonic form manifests. In a flash of terrifying speed, he clamps his hand around DANTE's throat, crushing his windpipe until DANTE can barely draw air.
BELL: Mortal... did you truly believe you were anything to me?!
BELL slams DANTE headfirst into the stone floor, dragging him toward the portal while maintaining an iron stranglehold. DANTE thrashes desperately, unable to break the grip.
BELL: Did you think I couldn't kill you whenever I pleased?!
BELL smashes DANTE through a stone pillar, shattering the structure into dust.
BELL: Do you have any fucking idea who I actually am?!
Staring into the demon's burning eyes, memories of his confrontation within the desert mindscape flood DANTE's consciousness.
Flashback: The moment DANTE defeated his alter ego within the desert dunes.
MERZOST: Dante, you have to stop him... That creature wants to destroy everything!
DANTE HERALDI: You mean Bell?!
MERZOST: Yes. He is no ordinary demon... He is something far worse. You cannot show him a shred of mercy. If he succeeds, he will incinerate all of creation purely out of vengeance against his Father!
DANTE HERALDI: Wait... what are you saying?! It can't be... All this time... the greatest sinner in existence was standing right beside me?!
MERZOST: Exactly... He is... "LUZBELL"!...
.................................current events
DANTE HERALDI: "LUZBELL"... That's your damned name, isn't it?!
LUZBELL: So you finally figured it out. That parasite inside you told you, didn't it? If I'm not mistaken, he goes by "MERZOST", doesn't he?
DANTE HERALDI: How the hell do you know that?!
LUZBELL: Hahahaha! You have no idea how long I've been watching you… In truth, it was I who created you, Dante. I was the one who gave you that demon—the very first one I subjugated when I arrived in these lands. I was also the one who left that mark on your mouth. In my search for something, I found you, and through that monster, I marked you so that, upon your death, you would come to this place—hahahaha! You are one of the few original humans who still possesses an intact soul, but you're of no use to me anymore… or perhaps… (He glances back over his shoulder).
Just a few meters from the portal, DANTE loses his strength and reverts to his human form. Suddenly, LUZBELL is caught off guard as something bites his shoulder—it's REX. LUZBELL quickly shakes him off, tossing the dog—along with a wounded and shell-shocked DANTE—right to the threshold of the portal.
LUZBELL: Hehe... This hound was my intended sacrifice, yet thanks to that woman's interference, you managed to survive. Now live with your dishonor... Farewell, Dante Heraldi.
DANTE lifts his gaze, battered and broken. Confused, he cradles the bleeding REX in his arms. Without warning, LUZBELL drives a heavy boot directly into DANTE's chest, shoving both him and REX headfirst into the azure vortex.
As DANTE and REX sink into the swirling spatial rift, the dying embers in DANTE's eyes reignite into a roaring inferno. He unleashes a final, shattering roar before the portal consumes him whole.
DANTE HERALDI: BELLLLLL! OR SHOULD I SAY... LUZBELL! I SWEAR TO YOU, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN WHEREVER YOU HIDE IN THIS MULTIVERSE! AND I SWEAR ON YOUR FATHER'S NAME... I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL NEVER STOP UNTIL YOU ARE DEAD! I PROMISE YOU, ONE DAY I WILL SLAY YOUUUUUUUU!
Our companion DANTE is swallowed entirely by the dimensional rift. Observing the empty portal, LUZBELL smiles sinisterly.
LUZBELL: I shall be eagerly waiting, little mortal...
LUZBELL collapses onto one knee, coughing up dark essence.
LUZBELL: That mere human actually managed to wound me... Hehehe. Slowly but surely, my grand design unfolds... He-he-he... Wahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Back at the pyramid summit, the green flames suddenly dissipate. Having fully healed MALEKIN and ISAMU, AZRAEL rushes to inspect the aftermath of the battle. Standing atop the stone structure, he watches as LUZBELL turns, raises his middle finger in supreme defiance, and steps through the azure portal.
AZRAEL: Curse it all! No! He escaped!
MALEKIN: What on earth is happening?! You are a divine angel, aren't you? I read of your kind in the ancient texts of Acham that I unearthed!
AZRAEL: Where is your other companion?
MALEKIN: He went down to retrieve Quetzalcóatl so you could tend to her wounds.
AZRAEL: Very well.
A short while later, the surviving companions stand fully restored. QUETZALCÓATL kneels in absolute anguish beside ELENA's cold body, her tears staining the stone floor.
AZRAEL: Goddess, I understand your profound grief, but this is no time for tears. Dante and the hound were pulled into a spatial rift, and we have no means of tracking their coordinates.
QUETZALCÓATL: (Glares up, sobbing) What?! You are a entity far above my standing, aren't you?! I don't know if someone like you can comprehend our pain, but let me tell you something: THIS IS EXACTLY THE TIME TO WEEP! SO DON'T FUCKING TELL ME WHAT TO DO!
AZRAEL: Easy... Her soul will not fade into oblivion.
Everyone freezes, stunned by his words.
MALEKIN: What did you just say?! But she perished in this realm—a place where second chances do not exist!
AZRAEL: I, the Archangel of Death, swear it to you. See for yourselves.
ELENA's body begins to emit a gentle, radiant light. Stunned, the group watches as her physical form slowly dissolves into shimmering motes of celestial essence, ascending smoothly toward the high heavens.
QUETZALCÓATL: What is happening?! Where is Elena going?!
AZRAEL: She met her end through the most noble path in existence: sacrificing her life selflessly to protect another. It is the purest act a living soul can perform. Though she cannot be resurrected within this realm, her soul is far from lost. She will reincarnate in a peaceful dimension far beyond this conflict—I assure you, she will know a far gentle, beautiful life for her sacrifice.
QUETZALCÓATL: (Tears flowing freely) Thank you... Thank you so much...
AZRAEL: Now, regarding this realm... The throne of the God of the Dead stands vacant. Before long, another deity will rise to claim it. I need you to establish a truce with—
A sharp, glass-shattering echo resonates through the air. AZRAEL's physical form begins to flicker and fade.
AZRAEL: What in the holy—?! Someone destroyed the silver whistle that summoned me! I am being pulled back! Listen to me, time is short! The throne of the God of the Dead must ALWAYS be occupied by a god of the—
A soft snap echoes across the summit, and in an instant, the Archangel AZRAEL vanishes without a trace...
MALEKIN: What the hell just happened?!
ISAMU: I have no idea... He just vanished out of nowhere. But he did say something about how the throne of the God of the Dead must never be left vacant. Umm... If that's the case... Hey, Quetzalcóatl, why don't you claim that throne so you can govern this realm?
QUETZALCÓATL: What?! Me?!
ISAMU: Yes! You are the only deity left among us, so it makes total sense. That way, no evil entity can ever claim it again.
QUETZALCÓATL: You raise a good point.
MALEKIN: Are you sure about this? I could swear he said another God of the Dead had to take that place.
ISAMU: Don't be foolish! If that happens, how are we supposed to protect our people?
MALEKIN: Umm... You're right.
QUETZALCÓATL: You know what? I'll give it a try.
Quetzalcóatl ascends the dais of the Dead God, taking her seat upon the throne. Instantly, a column of radiant light surges from the ancient stone, shooting high into the atmosphere before dispersing into nothingness.
Exchanging shocked glances, everyone wonders what just transpired.
ISAMU: See? Nothing bad happened! That was probably just the formal decree appointing Quetzalcóatl as our new Goddess of the Dead, hehe.
QUETZALCÓATL: Yes... I believe so, because I can feel a surge of strength flowing through me... All of a sudden, I wield immense divine power.
ISAMU: Exactly, that had to be it! Hahaha! Well, Quetzalcóatl, stay here for a few days while I head back to the village to report everything. It's a tragedy that DANTE disappeared along with REX, but I think we can manage. I'll be taking my leave now.
As Isamu turns and descends the stone stairs, his eyes briefly shift into narrow reptilian slits for a split second before returning to normal. He departs unnoticed, leaving no trace behind.
Meanwhile, Malekin inspects the wreckage left in the wake of the battle while Quetzalcóatl remains seated upon the throne. Wandering through the debris, Malekin discovers the Archangel's silver whistle—cleanly severed into pieces as if sliced by a razor-sharp blade.
MALEKIN: Umm... Something about this is extremely suspicious...
Within the Primordial Pantheon, AZRAEL kneels upon the sacred floor before the Archangel MICHAEL.
MICHAEL: Azrael, report! What transpired down there?!
AZRAEL: Michael, this is catastrophic... A ancient seal has been shattered, and Luzbell has escaped!
MICHAEL: (Sweating profusely) Father will not be pleased with this...
Deep within the abyss, the darkness silently observes the events yet to unfold. A single, unseen eye watches over Underworld No. 1, casting its gaze across every battle yet to come throughout all realms of hell.
We pull back from the primary conflict, drifting toward a remote corner of this vast multiverse—a place where pitch-black darkness dominates and not even the divine light of "GOD" can reach.
Stepping into this nightmare domain, thick black tentacles coil around the landscape as dark slime coats every surface of this realm. Enormous black serpents, their scales embedded with countless blinking eyes, roam freely across the wasteland.
At the center of it all stands a throne carved from pure obsidian. Seated upon it is a towering entity bound by heavy, rusting chains—seven thick links encircling his throat, one of which now lies shattered upon the ground.
This pitch-black entity—dark as the event horizon of a black hole—smiles sinisterly, raising his head to gaze into the void.
This entity is the "Lord of the Abyzz".
LORD OF THE ABYZZ: (in a sinister voice) Heh, heh, heh… it won't be long now…
Our view shifts to another world resembling the first underworld—a realm ruled by a completely different deity of death. Deep within this vast landscape, on a small desolate rock, lies our friend DANTE.
He groans, slowly pushing himself up as dense fog swirls around his boots.
DANTE HERALDI: (In pain) Where am I...? What is this place? (Taking a few steps forward) Uh, what's this... water?
DANTE looks down, realizing he stands at the edge of a murky river. As he reaches down to touch the water, a ghostly face erupts from the surface, forcing him to leap backward.
The mist parts slightly, revealing a tattered wooden boat drifting toward the shore. At the oars stands a cloaked ferryman, his body completely concealed beneath tattered robes.
BOATMAN: Greetings, mortal. Welcome to Hades. My name is Charon—a pleasure.
DANTE stands frozen, his jaw dropped in complete disbelief as a single thought crosses his mind.
DANTE HERALDI: (In his mind) If I had known "life after death in hell" would turn out like this, I should have just let them kill me a long time ago...
END OF VOLUME 1
Aggret1
Thank you all so much for joining me through to the end of Volume 1! I'm going to take a break for a few weeks to recharge and plan Volume 2. I truly appreciate your interest in this work, and I promise to put in even more effort to help it reach a wider audience. Thanks for everything—see you soon!