CHAPTER 257: OPERATION WOLF SLAYER. (PART 46)

The thirty seventh floor returned to its normal state as if the foggy forest had been erased from existence. With the illusion dispelled, visibility was restored, and Dante finally got a look at his opponents.

His focus remained on the rabid beat that almost bit his arm off. Seeing that it was frozen in its place, its head raised as if in a daze, he was about to give his resident AI an order. That was when something struck him from the side, almost knocking him off balance, but doing no significant damage.

The battlefield was filled with heavy hitters so it didn’t make sense for a sneak attack to be so light, and when Dante turned around to check, he quickly understood why. The blue demons, no longer invisible, seemed to had turned their ire at him. He was supposed to be on their side so it startled him to see them launching attacks in his direction, but it wasn’t long before he understood what was happening.

He held up his right hand and snapped his fingers just each of the blue demons launched as a salvo of translucent missiles at him. The pure white light of Aether Distortion exploded, erasing each missile as it expanded toward the limits of the thirty seventh floor. The blue demons went on the move long before that, bursting through the wall of light as they headed for its source.

[Transformation? Or did you swap suits?]

Distinguishing Klaus Stahlwölfe from the rest was easy thanks to how different his suit was, but even if it was identical to the others, Dante still recognize him by his voice. The rich bastard didn’t know when to shut his mouth, after all, continuing to run his mouth even as he attacked.

[Sorry, my friend, but it seems we’re fated to be enemies after all!]

Two of the demons charged forward while the other two slowed down and created more translucent missiles. Not giving them the chance, Dante activated Aether distortion and charged at the same time. He closed the distance between him and his target before the rich bastard passed through the wall of light.

Starting with a three hit combo, he threw two punched at his chest then followed with a right hook. Each blow echoed like the strike of a sledgehammer, the impact echoing through the surroundings. Despite that, it didn’t seem like they had much of an effect on the blue demon suit.

’Hey, what the hell is this thing?’

[I have yet to finish my analysis, but...] Volcan replied. [The power suits seems to be capable of harnessing Aether with great precision.]

It should have been obvious that the suit was what allowed Klaus Stahlwölfe to use Sorcery, but Dante failed to make the connection before now.

’Harnessing Aether...’

Though he didn’t let up, there was a limit to how many attacks one can deliver while fighting multiple people at the same time. One of the other blue demons was quick to come for the rich scion’s aid, using his Sorcery to create a translucent weapon.

The obvious move should have been to disarm him using another Aether distortion, but Dante held back, choosing to evade and back away instead.

’How come those things still work?’ He thought, parrying an attack with his gauntlet alone. ’Don’t tell me...’

[They seem to be resistant to Type 9-3’s Aether Distortion.] Volcan said. [That does not mean they are immune to its effects. A higher Level might be required to influence the internal circuits responsible for-]

’Okay! I get it!’

Just the thought of equipping a higher Level armor was enough to spark pain throughout his body, bringing his attention back to the strain he had worked hard to ignore. If this wasn’t a sign that he needed to get the hell out then he didn’t know what it was. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like his enemies had any intention on letting him escape any time soon.

As another blue demon lunged at him, Dante moved to evade only to be forced to block instead. Pushing the enemy away, he looked down at his right foot and saw that it was stuck to the floor, a layer of ice connecting the two as it spread up his leg.

Before he could follow it to the source, a shadow fell on him from behind and he was forced to turn around and block, holding his arms up in a cross as a set of dagger like claws ripped through the air before slashing at him.

The force of the strike shattered the ice and sent him flying, but that wasn’t the worst of it. He was sure that the gauntlets of his white armor had been damaged by that attack, but he didn’t get the chance to check as the one who delivered it was already on his tail.

’Shit!’

Another swipe carved lines through the armor and he was sent flying once again. The furry bastard was still acting like a rabid dog, growling as he chased him around. Dante barely evaded the third slash, and as the fourth one came at him, he realized that trying to escape wouldn’t work.

Forced to hold his ground, he struck with his right arm and parried the blow before it could gain momentum. The beast was unperturbed, following with another slash, but Dante killed it once again. The same thing happened a few more times, and eventually, the demented monster howled in frustration before leaping away. Realizing it was going for another charge attack, Dante tried to follow after it but was struck from a different angle.

With how light it was, he thought one of the blue demons was responsible for that strike but was proven wrong when a sudden explosion blasted him away. Seeing the white flames eating at his armor, he turned his gaze to the heroes grouped to the side and watched one of them point an arrow at him, his arms positioned as is he was pulling the string of an invisible bow.

Utterly ridiculous. Somehow, the tables have turned and everyone were suddenly ganging up on him. Both the Sorcerers and the heroes decided to put aside their differences and focus on taking him down, as if acknowledging that he was the biggest threat they currently faced.

Dante watched the white clad hero let go of his arrow, the furry bastard dash in his direction, and the blue demons launch their translucent missiles. Three different attacks from three different directions. Though it shouldn’t have been a problem, Dante found himself unable to think of a way out. His mind felt awfully slow for some reason, and as he struggled to find a solution, it started to feel like he wouldn’t be able to successfully survive the avalanche of attacks.

[Aether Shield!]

The sudden shout snapped him out of that momentary daze, prompting him to activate one of Type 9-3’s abilities. The marble armor glowed with a pure white light and a translucent sphere manifested around it an instant before any of the projectiles reached their targets.

While the air missiles launched by the blue demons shattered upon impact, the white arrow launched by the cloaked hero bounced of the sphere’s surface before exploding. The white flames washed over the translucent sphere of light only to spill onto the floor like a splash water, having found nothing to burn.

Rolling away from the fire, Dante pushed himself just in time for the beast’s attack to reach him. An ear piercing screech followed the claws scraping against the translucent sphere. Being blocked must have brought back bad memories as the furry bastard launched a flurry of swipes only for each one to bounce off without leaving a mark.

Faced with the continuous attacks, Dante could only grit his teeth as he watched the 9-3’s energy counter drop at an alarming rate. The blue demons were preparing for another attack while the heroes waited for an opening by the side, reluctant to attack with one of their kind in the way.

Dante worked his mind for a solution, knowing he wouldn’t last long in that situation. Before he could come up with one, however, the rampaging beast raised its paws as it prepared to slash at him once more, but this time was unlike anything that came before.

Right in front of his eyes, Dante watched as an ethereal red energy manifested around the beast’s claws, forging five new blades around the new ones. The crimson daggers triggered an instinctive reaction in Dante’s mind and he leaped away in an attempt to evade, but it was already too late.

The translucent sphere shattered the instant those glowing red claws made contact with its surface, and as if it offered no resistance at all, they continued on their course toward Dante’s body, leaving him no time to react.

As he leaned away from the attack, the sharp tips of the ethereal claws dug into the left shoulder guard, sinking into it with ease before flashing across the rest of the armor, drawing four lines that exposed its internal workings. Wisps of the ethereal red energy remained in the deep gashes, and as it ate at the mystical alloy, it soon made contact with the dark red liquid seeping from between the gaps.