Rise Of The Death Monarch

Sitting on Luna's back, Dante's senses prickled as an enemy A-Rank aura sliced through the air, locking onto him like a predator. Before he could react, a shadowy assassin appeared in front of him and struck, a blur of precision. His daggers flashed up just in time, their blades screeching against the attacker's weapon.

'What the fuck is this shit now,' he thought, just before the pain hit.

The force of the blow was cataclysmic, hurling him backward through the air as Luna was confused by what had happened. More assassins attacked her, but she quickly killed them without much effort. He crashed into a massive tree, letting out a sickening crunch, the impact splintering bark and sending a shockwave of agony ripping through his body.

He slumped to the ground, blood trickling from his lips, vision swimming in a haze of pain. But the torment did more than break his body; it shattered something deeper. A switch flipped in Dante's mind, and sanity unraveled like a frayed thread. His eyes, once sharp with cunning, now blazed with a feral, unhinged light.

Moments later, the air around him warped, thick with a suffocating death energy that pulsed. The grasslands seemed to cower under the weight of his power, the atmosphere twisting into a maelstrom of dark, crackling aura that lashed out like a living storm. ''ASSASSINS?!'' he thundered, his voice a soul-rending scream that shattered the skies. ''I'LL KILL THEM WITH MY OWN HANDS!''

Luna froze as his eerie voice echoed out, a chilling sound that seemed to seep into the earth itself. The assassin, a human cloaked in black robes, staggered back, eyes wide with fear. They had expected a wounded monster, crippled by the attack and previous attacks, but he was no longer a man.

Rising to his feet, Dante shook his head and attacked; his movements were a blur, like the wind itself. His daggers gleamed as he surged forward, the air shrieking in his wake. The assassin's confidence crumbled, blade trembling as they faced the onslaught of a mind shattered by pain and consumed by vengeance.

***

Luna shivered as she watched Dante stand up after blocking the attack. He was warping into something otherworldly, as if the pain had clawed him apart and birthed a nightmare in his place. The air grew heavy, suffocating, as his death energy surged, a black miasma swirling around him like a living shroud.

His once-sharp features blurred, dissolving into shadows, edges flickering like flames licking at the night. The agony fueling him wasn't just breaking him; it was burning away the last threads of his humanity, each pulse of his power a scream of torment made manifest. His daggers glowed, their blades now extensions of the darkness that covered him.

Moments later, the ground beneath him cracked, grass wilting to ash as his aura pulsed outward, a tidal wave of rage. The assassin stumbled back, eyes wide with primal fear, reflecting the monstrous figure before them. ''You humans keep attacking me, enough!'' His voice echoed out.

Luna's heart pounded, her instincts screaming to rush toward him to help, but she stood rooted, her blue eyes locked on the creature he had become. She had seen him fight, seen him bleed; this was different. The pain had cracked him open, and what spilled out was a storm of shadow and wrath, consuming everything in its path.

Dante's movements were no longer just fast; they were impossible, a blur of darkness that seemed to tear reality itself as he lunged at the assassin. The enemy raised their blade in desperation, but it was useless. His daggers sang of vengeance as he struck; each slash was a burst of shadow, the air shrieking with the force of his blows.

The enemy's weapon shattered like glass, fragments scattering into the wind. They tried to retreat, but he was everywhere and nowhere, his laughter a jagged, unhinged sound that clawed at her soul. Blood sprayed, painting the withered grass, as the assassin collapsed, their body broken under the weight of his onslaught.

But he didn't stop. His shadowy form loomed over the human, daggers rising and falling in a frenzy, as if he could carve his pain into the world itself. The ground trembled, the air thick with the scent of ash and blood, his power burned brighter, hotter, threatening to consume even himself.

Luna whined softly, her bond with Dante pulling at her heart. She felt his pain, his rage, but also something deeper, a flicker of the man he used to be, drowning in the abyss of his own power.

***

Dante soon calmed down as a notification popped up.

[SSS: Death Form unlocked - Cannot use until S Rank - Will be weaker until leveling up again]

The inferno of his rage snuffed out like a candle in a storm, leaving only a hollow ache that gnawed at his shattered body. He staggered, the world tilting, and collapsed to the earth with a thud. His leg screamed thanks to the agony, a white-hot fire searing through muscle and bone, as if the pain itself were clawing its way out of him.

Luna rushed over to him, a worried expression on her pretty face. She started checking him over, but it was too much. Whenever see saw a part of his body, it hurt, but he reassured the wolf woman. ''I'll be fine, but may need more of your help. I just need the monsters to hunt for me.''

''Let's set up camp, you need to rest,'' she suggested.

Dante nodded in agreement, and the older woman asked for the tent, which is happily gave over as he slumped down onto a soft patch of grass not far from the attack, the pain easing up once he was relaxing. His senses were on edge, but when the Death Trolls, Warden, Lion, and Bear appeared, the worry went away.

Their auras would stop any attackers from approaching, thanks to the lion being S Rank. After some time, Luna finished setting up the tent and called him over. ''Come, master. I have some cushions here you can use.''

''Coming,'' he replied, slowly getting to his feet, groaning.

He hobbled over to the beaming wolf woman as she asked, blue eyes glowing with affection. ''Can I pamper you tonight, master? It might help.''

Glancing at her, an unknown glint, and she nodded. ''That sounds good, let me eat first.''

Following that, Dante sat down in front of the fire that Luna started, keeping the cold air away from him. He pulled out some ale and downed a mouthful before he scanned the surrounding monsters. They were on guard as the Death Trolls circled the camp while the lion lounged nearby.

It's red eyes scanning the surrounding darkness, letting out growls every so often to keep the night creatures away. Moments later, the horde of Wendigos poured out of the Domain to prowl in the shadows. When Luna saw this, her eyes widened in surprise as a shiver ran down her spine.

''Those things give me the creeps, even though they're weaker than me,'' she revealed, joining him by the fire. ''Why would you want such nasty beasts?''

''Numbers, the creep factor, and humans hate them,'' he answered, taking another swig of ale, offering it to Luna, who accepted it.

''Thank you,'' she said, drinking some of her tail stiffens.

The fire crackled between them, its warm glow beating back the chill of the night. Their voices, low and halting, wove through the air as Luna spoke of her life, painting a vivid picture of her journey. ''I've roamed every corner of Nemaroth,'' she said with a mix of pride and resignation, but never near the sea.''

He watched the older woman shiver, putting a smile on his face as she continued. ''There's no place for me. Too many things lurk in those depths, waiting to drag you under.''

Dante leaned back, the ache in his leg dulling to a throb as the ale worked. His head swam slightly, the ale hitting harder than he'd expected, loosening his thoughts. ''Velora's oceans,'' he murmured, his voice rough from the earlier battle. ''They're a graveyard of thousands of vessels. Kraken, leviathans, things that'd swallow a ship whole. Learned that in the old texts… back when I thought reading could prepare me for this world.''

His mind drifted to those ancient books, pages brittle with warnings of the abyss. The ale blurred the edges of his pain, but it also stirred something deeper, a flicker of the man he'd been before the betrayal. Luna tilted her head, studying him, her instincts catching the shift in his tone.

''You sound like you've seen too much already,'' she expressed, her voice soft but piercing. ''What's got you drinking like you're trying to forget?''

Dante's lips twitched, a bitter half-smile. ''Everything,'' he replied, taking another swig.

''At least we reunited,'' Luna suddenly commented, a big smile crossing her face. ''I'm glad we did, and there's a chance for more.''

''More?''

The older woman nodded. ''Yes. Now I have a humanoid form, we can get closer,'' she revealed as if it was nothing.