Rise Of The Death Monarch

Dante stumbled, forcing Luna to support him as he answered. ''I used too much mana bringing this big cat back to life, he better be worth it.''

Just as those words left his lips, a roar erupted, causing them to glance at the Blood Lion that was now standing. Fur blacker than night and eyes that mirrored his own. He grinned when he saw the new monster added to the Death Army. The creature bowed down just as a notification popped up.

[Death Lion - S Rank]

'Oh my god, another S Rank on my side,' he thought, excitement welling up inside him.

''My lord,'' the lion bowed. ''I'm eager to show you what I can do in this new body. May I be permitted to bring you the mightiest Stone Warden? There is a powerful one I can kill to bring into the army?''

Dante's eyes narrowed, and he nodded. ''Go for it, bring the strongest ones. I don't want any weak monsters.''

Following his words, the Death Lion shot off, rushing out of the forest and entered the mountains. Luna watched this before turning to him. ''What's going on with all that? Why did he give up his life?''

''I'm not sure,'' he shrugged. ''Maybe he was too old?''

''It doesn't matter,'' the older woman said. ''Let's follow the old man and see what he brings back.''

The two of them continued walking through the forest as Dante was hobbling thanks to the injuries he sustained. Luna glanced at him, concern written all over her face. ''I can transform, master? You can get on my back?''

''It's fine, I need to move or my leg will stiffen up.''

Afterward, the two walked after he sent the Death Trolls back to the Domain because he didn't need them for anything. Half an hour later, a massive battle erupted in the distance. Explosions shook the ground, sending trees flying all over the place. One flew toward them, forcing the Death Bear to slash the projectile in half.

This shocked Dante, who stepped back as the spot he was in got covered in arm-sized splinters that pierced the ground. His eyes widened, but soon enough, the noise suddenly stopped before a dragging noise echoed out. Soon enough, Luna moved in front of him just as the lion reappeared.

It had a massive stone beast in its maw, and it dumped the corpse in front of him with a thud. ''Here we go, master, a S Rank Stone Warden. One of the many leaders, but the strongest.''

Dante's curiosity surged, a tingling thrill coursing through him as he cast Arise. A shimmering red aura erupted from his hands, cascading over the stone beast, its form looming in the dim light of the mountain pass they were in. Moments later, the statue began to quiver, its surface rippling as though stirred by an unseen tide.

The transformation was both mesmerizing and unsettling; the stone softened, edges morphed into twitching limbs, and what had once been a mere humanoid now twisted into a nightmarish entity. ''Brilliant, this monster will be death to the human,'' Dante exclaimed, his excitement welling up.

His aura flared, but the pain soon brought him back to reality. He was brought to one knee as a notification popped up.

[MANA: 4/318]

'Shit, I nearly used all my mana bringing back that creature,' he thought.

Following that, Luna rushed to his side as the Stone Warden stood up, looming over them. He then used Death Eyes on his newest monster.

[Death Warden - S Rank]

'Three powerful S Ranks will help me ruin Nemaroth,'' he muttered, glancing at the giant stone construct.

The monster knelt in respect as a grumbly voice echoed in his mind. 'My Lord, thank you for bringing me to your side.'

Dante nodded. ''Good because you'll be helping me take down Blackharbor when the time's right,'' he revealed. ''Now to travel further south.''

As those words slipped from Dante's lips, the Death Warden, it pulsated with an otherworldly glow, responded with startling speed. The creature reached down, hoisting him into the air and settling him atop its rocky shoulder. The stone-like flesh seeped through his robes, chilling him to the bone.

From the sidelines, Luna's piercing blue eyes glinted with an unmistakable flicker of jealousy, her lips tightening as she watched the scene unfold. Dante, sensing both the icy discomfort and the older woman's envious gaze, raised a hand and barked a command, his voice firm yet tinged with exasperation. ''Enough! Put me on her instead, you're freezing!''

The Death Warden obeyed without hesitation, lowering Dante toward Luna, who stood ready, her expression shifting from jealous to satisfaction. As he settled onto her back, the warmth of her fur was a stark contrast to the Warden's touch, and a faint smile tugged at her lips, her earlier resentment melting into quiet triumph.

Together, the trio made their way toward the shadowed expanse of the Dark Forest. Its twisted trees loomed in the distance, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers. They began their descent into the foreboding forest, the air growing thick with the scent of damp earth and the faint whisper of something stirring within its depths.

Following this, Dante and his monster caused chaos all across the land, sending creatures fleeing for their lives until he ran into some familiar creatures, but this time they were much stronger.

[Wendigos - A Rank]

Without waiting, he summoned the Blood Lion, ordering. ''Bring me the leader, I want the whole pack this time.''

The monster obliged and sauntered toward the creepy humanoids who tried to attack, but one swipe of its paws sent them crashing toward Dante, who brought them back as undead. Soon enough, he had about thirty behind, and now the leader was alone, spotting the tall, gangly figure in the distance, Luna vanished.

He watched as the Dark Wolf appeared behind the shocked monster before knocking it out with one powerful punch. The Wendigo folded instantly, crumbling to the floor like a floppy noodle. A smile appeared on his face as he now had thirty-one of the creatures that would help him in his journey south.

Raising a hand, he cast his special spell. ''Arise!''

Dante watched the monsters return as Death Wendigos, but they were all A Rank, making them much stronger than his last ones. When Luna saw the manic smile on his face, scaring the wolf woman as she mumbled. ''What are you, master?''

His head snapped toward her, the motion so sharp it seemed to fracture the air itself. Luna's blood turned to ice as his face contorted, dissolving into a writhing mass of black shadows that coiled like serpents. Two crimson orbs flared within the darkness, piercing her soul with a gaze that promised annihilation.

His voice slithered forth, a single, venomous word that echoed with the weight of the Grim Reaper. ''Death.''

Luna's body quaked, her breath catching as terror gripped her. The boy she had once known, the one she'd traveled beside, was gone, eviscerated, replaced by a being of pure evil. Hatred and darkness poured from him, a force that seemed to choke the very air. Yet, as her heart pounded with dread, she felt the cold brush of his hand against her cheek.

The touch was impossibly gentle, laced with a twisted, possessive love that sent conflicting shivers through her. Her eyes flicked upward, meeting his crimson gaze, now softened with an eerie tenderness. ''You're safe, my Luna,'' he murmured, his voice a low, honeyed poison.

''But the humans? They are not. They deserve the torment I'll unleash upon them. Their betrayal has severed all mercy, every vow, every bond. I'll wipe most of them from existence, their screams for my delight. The rest will kneel to my will… or perish in agony.''

His words dripped with chilling certainty, and as he turned his gaze toward the horizon, the Dark Forest seemed to bow to his presence, its shadows deepening as if in reverence to the harbinger of doom now leading the way. Luna, still trembling, followed, her loyalty tied to the monstrous love of the creature who was no longer Dante, but something far worse.

''Are you the boy I once knew?'' She asked, bringing him back to reality.

Dante glanced at her, his eyes narrowing before answering. ''A part of me is, but another is consumed by a never-ending rage, Luna, it's gnawing at me, telling me to kill all humans for what they did and build an empire of my own.''

''What will you do with such a realm?''

''Teach everyone to be kind,'' he revealed. ''This world is wicked, my loyal wolf. I fought for it, died for it, and now I will remake it in my image. No more betrayals, no more suffering. If people just heed my warning, they can live.''

''So you're planning to become a conqueror?''

Dante nodded. ''Eventually, once I've killed that Light Goddess, her minions and those fucking pathetic heroes who burned me alive!'' he exclaimed, rage sending his aura flaring.