CHAPTER 431: A WANTED VILLAIN.

Though he tried to fight it, Dante was powerless to stop the bull’s rush. Before he could come up with anything, they smashed through the window and ended up outside.

Activating Dragon Claws, he slashed with his left hand, sinking the bright orange knives extending from his fingers into the monster’s flank. That finally got a reaction out of it, but it refused to let go even as they smashed into the ground.

Finally managing to pry himself out of the monster’s grip, Dante rolled and pushed himself up, the Dragon head on his right arm already spreading its jaws. His perception was enhanced to the max. Even then, he almost missed the fist swinging at his face.

The world around him was slowed to a crawl, but his opponent seemed exempt from the effect. Ducking at the very last instant, Dante held the dragon arm to his side and activated Dragon Breath once more. This time, instead of a torrent of fire, he released an explosive wave, one that generated more kinetic force than he had.

The monster was blown away, forced a dozen meters back. As he held his dragon-headed arm up, ready to fire again, he noticed that his opponent hadn’t moved. Instead, it was ginning at him from ear to ear.

"Well, look what we got here." It said. "To think that I would be the lucky bastard to run into you next."

Dante kept his mouth pressed tight.

"I was told you might be involved, but I never held my breath."

The thing craned its head and cackled. Dante continued to glare, watching for the slightest sign to enhance his perception. This seemed like a fight where he needed to keep it at the highest setting all time, but that was only a recipe for disaster. There was no way to tell if the battle was going to be a long one, so he had to avoid exhausting himself early on.

"Hey now, don’t leave me hanging like that!" It said. "Say something!"

Studying the thing once more, Dante unconsciously gritted his teeth. Though it had been struck with fire at point-blank range and had incandescent claws pierced into its flank, the monster was standing there as if nothing had happened. Or maybe not.

A part of its costume was torn, and the skin under it seemed to be changing color. It took Dante a moment to realize it was growing back, meaning the thing had a decent healing factor, one that could repair burn wounds as if they were never there.

[Threat Evaluation.] Volcan said. [Level 4 Ascended Genome. Enhanced strength and durability, as well as a powerful healing factor.]

That was the sum of it, and Dante could tell at a glance. He already knew all of that even before deciding to participate in this mission. He had done his research, after all.

Red Bull, leader of the superhero team Crimson Watch. The bastard was assigned to Red Hill late last year, and soon after his debut, he and his team started throwing their weight around, crushing the smaller gangs in the district, including Riot’s Red Rage.

"Hey now, you gonna say something, or what?" The horned hero said.

By now, Dante had guessed that the bastard was buying time till he was done healing. Needing the time a well, Dante decided to keep the conversation going.

[You’re early.] His voice came out as a distorted mess. [Don’t tell me you were waiting behind the corner.]

As he spoke, he turned to his resident AI in his mind.

’Volcan.’

[Yes?]

’Get the kids out.’ He said, ’Kill everyone else.’

[Understood.]

As he conversed with his resident AI, the horned hero was laughing, looking like he dropped his guard while rambling.

"Waiting around the corner? You could say that." He said. "Didn’t I just say I got a tip that you might show up?"

[Didn’t know Eidolon’s dogs licked gang boots as well.]

"The hell are you talking about?" Red Bull cackled. "You’re a wanted villain, I’m a hero. Do I need any reason to come after you?"

Fixing him with a glare, Dante worked hard to keep his anger from spilling out. Gunfire roared at that moment, signaling that the fighting had resumed inside the mansion. The hero glanced in its direction, and so did Dante. Their eyes met again a second later, or so it felt, since Dante’s were hidden behind the visor of his helmet. As the silence lingered between them, Dante’s right arm rose slowly, pointing not at the hero, but at the mansion where all the chaos was taking place.

[Did you know?] he asked.

"Now, what could it be you’re talking about?"

[You knew and did nothing?] Dante asked. [And you call yourself a hero?]

"Like I said..." With a flex of his coiled muscles, the hero released the force gathered in his legs, exploding forward with a much wider grin. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!?"

The world came to a stop, but the hero continued flying through it, his right fist pulled. Dante was on the move as well, his dragon-headed arm falling to the ground at his feet as he activated the explosive Dragon Breath. His body shot up, leaving only an orange cloud for the hero to punch. With his right arm still extended, he activated Dragon Breath once more. This time, he didn’t hold anything back.

FWIP-BOOOOOOM!!!!

A massive dome of light manifested, swallowing anything and everything in a twenty-meter radius. Wind blasted, glass shattered, and anything that wasn’t pinned to the ground was flying. The heat radiating from the explosion set the surrounding greenery on fire, and the shockwave uprooted some of the trees, turning them into spears that crashed into anything that happened to be in the way.

Two hundred energy points, all in one attack. As he let the explosion carry him away, Dante held on to his focus. He tried not to think about how that was far beyond what a tank should be capable of, and though it seemed like something that could turn a human being to unidentifiable pieces of scorched meat, he didn’t let his guard down at all.