The castle courtyard trembled with the echoes of chaos. Soldiers ran in all directions, mages shouted orders, and at the center, now cleared of any distraction… two figures faced each other.
On one side, Dante, katana in hand, hair swept by the wind, eyes calm but focused, cracked his shoulders. He inhaled slowly, as if plunging his body into a second state.
On the other, Baldrek Grimhorn, second of the Fundaments of Attack, spun his massive war mace over his shoulder. The weapon alone looked capable of crushing an entire knight. He let out a low laugh, muscles swelling with excitement.
"I'm gonna shatter your spine, blondie," he growled.
Dante didn't answer. He tilted his katana slightly to the side, and a burst of energy surged from his feet.
"Awakened Speed."
His body blurred. He shot toward Baldrek like a silver arrow. The blade whistled.
But Baldrek raised his mace with one arm, blocking the strike with a metallic clash. The impact kicked up a cloud of dust.
"Fast, huh? But too damn light," he spat.
He slammed his mace into the ground.
"Seismic Wave."
A shockwave ripped through the stone floor, violently cracking it. Dante leapt back to avoid the debris, but a shard of rock sliced his thigh.
"Shit..."
He clenched his teeth, activated "Flash Slide." His body became a sudden burst of light. He reappeared behind Baldrek, ready to strike.
But the next instant:
"Rocky Wall."
A wall of stone burst from the ground, stopping the katana dead as it embedded like it had hit wood.
"You think you can catch me off guard?!"
Baldrek smashed the wall with his fist, sending Dante flying back several meters.
The blond crashed onto the stone but rolled and got back up immediately.
"You've got defensive magic for a brute," he admitted with a smirk.
"And I haven't even started!"
"Iron Colossus."
Baldrek's body began to shine with a steel sheen. His skin turned metallic, muscles swelling even further. Every step echoed like an anvil on marble.
Dante adjusted his orange sunglasses. Focused. A bluish aura began to rise around him. He whispered:
"Double Slash."
Two spectral blades appeared, one on each side, slashing diagonally.
Baldrek crossed his arms. The blades bounced off, but one scratch nicked his cheek.
"Tch... cute try."
He charged, mace raised. Dante barely dodged.
But then...
"Telluric Chain."
A stone chain erupted from the floor, wrapping around Dante's leg and anchoring him in place.
"Shit!"
"Crushing Gravity!"
A dark circle formed above Dante. The pressure dropped like a mountain on his back. He collapsed onto the stone, suffocating under the force.
Baldrek walked up slowly, mace lifted.
"You're done."
But Dante closed his eyes.
"Not yet."
He poured all his mana into the blade.
"Ice Lance."
A frozen spike shot from his katana, piercing Baldrek's shoulder. The colossus screamed, dropping his mace from the pain.
The pressure vanished. Dante stood, panting, bloodied.
"You wanna play heavy? You forgot one thing... a katana is made to kill in one cut."
He activated "Flash Slide," spinning around Baldrek in a blur of motion.
Then—
"Double Slash."
Two crossed strikes ripped open the flanks of Baldrek's armor.
"Ice Lance."
A shard froze his left leg solid.
Baldrek dropped to one knee, trying a final punch.
But Dante appeared behind him.
Silent. Precise.
A clean strike to the neck.
The metal resisted half a second, then gave. Blood burst.
Baldrek collapsed, face-first, his massive mace rolling away, lifeless.
Dante slowly sheathed his katana, panting. Blood ran down his forehead, arm, leg… but he was still standing.
"One down..."
And in the quiet courtyard, the wind blew over the corpse of the Second of the Fundaments of Attack.