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Past
«Bravo, bravo! - Alighieri was indescribably ecstatic when Emeric voiced his conjectures. It was obvious that his knowledge of these facts simply overflowed with enthusiasm. - God, at last you have given me a truly cultured interlocutor!
Alighieri kneeled down, right in the air, to begin fanatically crossing himself.
With every minute they spend with him, Dante Alighieri seems more and more unstable as a person. Some frivolity began to seep into his original cultured speech, which was characteristic of aristocrats or intellectuals of the Middle Ages. It was obvious that if it weren't for his strict upbringing, he would have gone off the rails in front of them much sooner.
«How did you come to those conclusions? - Valerie asked. She could not understand anything at all. They seemed to be in the same conditions, but the King managed to literally in a single dialog to identify not only a person who apparently should be dead for eight hundred years, but also guessed that he owns Longinus, which was previously considered lost. More precisely, if you think hard enough, the fact that this individual owns Longinus and has isolated himself in some asshole in Hell are related facts. But how exactly did this, sometimes not keeping his thoughts to himself boy, manage to figure it out?
«Sun and Moon," Emeric pointed a finger upward while Dante listened to him with renewed interest.
«Young cavaliere, would you care to explain? - Dante began to hover slightly ten meters away from them, like a shark entangling a lost swimmer. He had the same relaxed posture as before, that is, loose shoulders and a slightly tilted head. Everything about him screamed that he was the master of the situation.
«Senor Alighieri, would it be wrong of me to assume that you've been sitting in your dimension for hundreds of years? - Emeric regained his composure and tried his best to think of escape options. He wanted nothing to do with an obsessed man who had created an entire dimension of sinners' misery by his own efforts. Who knew, maybe he would pay attention to their demon essence after all?
«That's right, young cavaliere, your guesses are right on the mark, as always," he nodded approvingly. - I'm not quite sure what you mean by Sun and Moon.
«Let's put it this way," he pondered. - Because of certain circumstances, the most brilliant mind in Hell decided to create simulations of Earth's luminaries that would exactly replicate the mechanisms of their counterparts," Emeric noticed Dante tense slightly. He didn't like it when someone changed things in the Underworld. - The thing is, señor, that these "illusions" give nothing more than light illumination, but their genius lies in their complete attachment to our entire dimension, - Emeric circled the surrounding space with his hand. - That is, the Sun and the Moon should theoretically be anywhere in Hell. We take the fact that it was impossible for me to teleport out of this dimension on my own and conclude that we are in a place," Emeric shook his head in his direction, "that is inside Hell, but lives by its own laws....
«Ha-HA-HA...
The ghost was laughing hysterically again. His laughter began with a slight bouncing of his shoulders and ended with a convulsive and somehow unnatural shifting of all his limbs. He was laughing so hard that he wasn't watching the unreal distortion of his own body.
Emeric noticed that there was some warping of space on the periphery of his vision. That is, if you looked straight ahead, everything was fine, but if you looked sideways, some obscure details would pop up. And these anomalies began when Dante lost control.
«What is the Divine Comedy? - She asked him faintly.
Silence. Dante abruptly froze in his seat in the same unnatural pose. The question she had very quietly addressed to Emeric was fully heard by him.
Emeric pressed his lips together. The psychological profile of this individual was becoming clearer and clearer in his mind. And he didn't like it very much.
«The Divine Comedy is a classic of all world literature, and has brought about a simply incredible shift in art and even the very public perception of religion. - The Phantom began to slowly thaw at his words. - This work has served as inspiration for a multitude of cultural figures, from writers to artists, even hundreds of years later. Have you heard of the Nine Circles of Hell? - Valerie nodded. - Well, the Circles of Hell are not actually a canonical part of the common religion, as many might mistakenly assume. It is only a figment of the imagination of an Italian author whose work has left an indelible imprint on the minds of people....
«I would argue with that!...! - Dante raised his voice in a shrill tone. - Don't you see, young cavaliere? Look around you! This is the true face of Inferno, the true face of Hell!
As if echoing his words, the surrounding landscape for miles began to change to rearrange itself into many horrifying patterns.
There were people who were constantly being crushed by the rock, only to go back up a second later and repeat the pattern again.
There were blasted graves, in which sinners were burned alive, that the walls of these graves were red-hot.
There were swamps that sucked in the perpetually fighting desperate people.
There were many unique pictures of anguish.
And they all had the same author.
Danite Alighieri, who in his madness was forever reproducing pictures from his work.
«What makes it Clarity of Innovation? - Large drops of sweat formed on Valerie's forehead. What was happening around her resembled a form of madness. This individual seemed to have the power of God.....
«A random shot, but on point," Emeric was completely focused on finding a solution, so he was indifferent to all the surrounding pictures. - This Longinus is something between a Lost Dimension and a Creature of Annihilation. The master of this Longinus can create his own dimension with their inhabitants in which he can set laws. - Emeric began to disperse demonic energy through the magical circuits. - Option one is to escape, but we don't know the exact size of this place, and teleportation doesn't work anymore, I tried," he shook his head. - Option two is to destroy the master, but I don't know how we can get his true body....
«Can't you see the splendor of this place?! - Dante stopped the surrounding landscape at the representation of Hell in the hearts of the common folk. That is, a land that was riddled with lava pits and fiery geysers for miles around. The heat from them could be felt even a hundred meters above. - Don't you think this is the "right" Hell?! I am the true creator of this place! My vision is the only true one! - the phantom began to dissolve to broadcast its voice directly into their minds. Everything around them seemed to speak to them.
I AM THE DEVIL
I AM LUCIFER
I AM YOUR TRUE RETRIBUTION
BELIEVE.
A huge devilish giant emerged from the bowels of the earth. It was the size of a ten-story building and possessed all the features common to demons in the general consciousness. Red and rough skin, aggressive features of a monstrous face, huge wings behind his back and horns on his head.
«I think we found his true body," Emeric announced a little nervously.
This image and size was truly terrifying, even to demons like them. To be more precise, many would think that since they were demons, they were used to such images. Not a damn thing at all! They were used to a very smarmy environment, where the men had a brutal scar at most, and the women could only horrify with their "huge" forms.
Just because they're demons doesn't mean they're used to the sight of the literal Devil from the Bible. Who looks like he eats a bunch of sinners for breakfast, and for lunch he goes to give some archangel a pussy kicking!
BELIEVE.
Dante, in Devil form, used his huge wings that caused miniature hurricanes from flapping to close in on them at a rapid pace. He raised his monstrous hand with a bunch of claw-wielding fingers in their direction.
Emeric was looking to break the distance but....
«DELETION!
Valerie fearlessly rushed towards him, making full use of her Sacred Mechanism. She had already made her fist, small in comparison to her opponent's, but the unexpected happened....
The Divine Divide released its excess absorbed energy for the last time for the day and simply disappeared. Valerie was indeed the most talented bearer of this Longinus in history, but she was only thirteen years old, and before that she was already on an active run, having already used her full potential a couple hours ago. It was no surprise that her powers had simply failed at the most crucial moment.
She stared at Dante's monstrous limb approaching her in a daze of sheer exhaustion. A limb that was several times larger than herself. She hadn't been afraid to meet such an obstacle head-on before, but when all the "separations" had been thrown off, and she herself couldn't even put up a simple magical shield....
It was as if time had frozen for her.
She thought back to her useless father, who had been jealous of her strength and had lashed out at her.
Her indifferent grandfather, who liked to watch her beatings like watching ants being stung with a magnifying glass.
Her mom, who tried her best to ease her pain. How she helped with her wounds and then gave her self-made pasta. There was no garnish, it was bland, but there was no better treat for her.
Her first friend, who, though he often said stupid things, did not wish her harm.
Too bad it's all coming to an end for her now....
«What?
The figure of Emeric appeared in front of her, releasing his special power in all directions and embraced her. She was instinctively afraid of this indifferent power of destruction that devoured even the magic around her, but...
She knew Emeric had filigree control over his power, so she had nothing to fear. Well, not exactly.
Dante's fist met their duo squarely in the air and launched them into the ground. The brunt of the momentum came at Emeric's barrier, which he had created from the power of destruction, but not all of it could be absorbed. He could feel the bones and organs seeming to strive to shuffle through his body. As the impact knocked the air out of his lungs and for a second his eyes went dark. But, it didn't matter, he was able to save Valerie.
Gathering all mental strength into a fist, he was able to slow their fall. Panting for breath, he asked:
«Are you okay?
«Mind," Valerie nodded uncharacteristically shyly. To give herself a mental slap in the face. She wasn't a princess in distress, but a warrior! Well, a warrior who had run out of strength, and she would be in the hands of another warrior for a while....
Emerick had to immediately move out of the trajectory of another strike.
He began to accelerate the force of destruction around him and Valerie, so that it destroyed the air in front of him and weakened gravity. In this complex way, he accelerated himself many times over and outpaced Alighieri by many times.
Okay, he didn't need a sledgehammer, he needed pinpoint strikes! He already had the speed advantage, but it wasn't certain that his strength would be enough to kill Dante all at once. Well, not exactly.
A condensed ball of pure power of destruction formed over his hand, unoccupied by Valerie. Not enough, need more! More!
When his control was at its limit, he loosened the pressure of the balloon at one macroscopic point that was facing directly toward Dante.
«Aaah!
The beast roared at his attack. It stabbed through his shoulder and into his side.
«I see," Emeric muttered and began to circle around the devil and launch incredibly thin but destructive beams at him.
Dante Alighieri in his Devil form was not as formidable as it seemed. Yes, his capabilities were vast, but his combat potential was small. He couldn't move at high speeds, not even within his own dimension, and on top of that he had never presented himself as a skilled fighter. He was a writer who had realized the fantasy of an "absolute" devil, though he himself had never met anyone like that in his life.
Under ideal circumstances, Dante would have been an easy target, and they would never have gotten caught in his attack. But the general exhaustion and unfamiliar surroundings had taken their toll. It didn't matter, because Emeric wasn't going to let Dante get away with it anymore.
He began circling and attacking with numerous beams at the Devil.
One attack.
Two attacks.
Ten
A hundred.
It got to the point where Emeric began to resemble a small fly that was continuously attacking the "human" with lasers. One small hole would do nothing, but a hundred? Two?
«NO! NO! STOP! AAAH!
The legend of Dante Alighieri's Devil was crumbling right before Emeric and Valerie's eyes. Pieces of flesh that no longer had anything to hold on to were just falling off of him and falling down.
Emeric pushed up when he heard his many cries of pain.
No mercy!
«Noooo... - The Devil's remaining head fell to the ground and began to dissolve.
The surrounding landscape abruptly underwent a drastic change. As if a mirage, the past scorched earth was replaced by ordinary purple sands. The sands often found in the territories of Hell...
«Luna," Valerie murmured happily, and tugged on his arm. When she realized what she'd done, she jumped up from his arms. - Well, I, that is," she didn't know what to say. It was the first time she'd ever been in this situation.
«Just say thank you," he prompted her slightly wearily.
«S-thank you," she turned away.
Shaking his head in a classic zundere gesture, Emeric made his way over to the man lying nearby. Instead of a dark slump, the old Italian's face now showed. Wrinkled and weary.
«Ah, young cavaliere, kha-kha," he coughed up blood, "Please come closer....
It wasn't actually very safe to do that, but Emeric was too curious for his own good...
He leaned over Dante to hear his last words.
«Do you know what the original form of the Clarity of Innovation is like? - The voice was getting quieter and quieter by the moment. It was clear that its owner didn't have much time left.
«What's it like? - Curiosity flared up. Very, very little was known about this mechanism. Emeric suspected that Dante was already its greatest user in history.
«A dagger," Emeric felt a sharp pain in his stomach. - I was able to 'add' a very unpleasant poison to it..... - Before the ball of destruction fell on his head, he said his last words as if in a delirium before his death. - Beatrice, I will finally meet you...
«EMERIC! - Valerie supported his weakening body. They could watch as the blade dissolved from reality to move on to the next owner.
«Poison," his lips were weakening and it was getting harder and harder to form sentences. - It had already managed to destroy the internal organs.....
«Don't leave me! - Valerie began to drop tears on his face. - You wanted to make me your queen! I agree, just don't die! - she said in a choking voice. - Please, Emeric, I don't want to be alone anymore!
«I'm sorry," he tried to lift his hand, but it refused to obey. The cold was starting to eat into his bones. - You won't get to see my cool movie theater...
His eyes began to lose clarity.
"Albion!"
"Yes, partner?"
"I can divide and appropriate anything I can imagine, can't I?"
"Valerie, don't do this..."
«DELETION!
Valerie groaned in pain as she realized she was 'appropriating' his organ damage.
«DELETION!
Her tears were beginning to turn a purple hue due to the exertion.
«DELETION!
The Sacred Mechanism had apparently performed its last separation while its mistress had lost consciousness. Blood was already flowing from her ears and nose, and in some places her bloody clothes showed the opening of wounds she had never had before.
Valerie sacrificed her life to take on all the wounds of her new friend. Emeric's mortal wounds.
Emeric crawled heavily over to the almost dying girl and pulled a queen figure out of subspace...
«And I heard everything," he said through his fatigue. - Now you'll have to put up with my antics for the rest of your life," the figure began to dissolve on Valerie's chest. - As they say, for better and for worse.....
***
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