CHAPTER 23: ENCROACH ON OUR TRADE!

Dante’s excitement skyrocketed as the bandits grew more confident thanks to their numerical advantage over him. But that ended quickly as Henry stepped into the clearing, only to stop the group. The leader stared at the giant Black Knight with wide eyes, mumbling as his face went white. ’’A C Rank undead, I can sense its horrible aura.’’

Abruptly, a portal tore open behind Dante, and his chilling voice slithered across the clearing. ’’Slaughter every human, but spare the Fairies.’’

In a heartbeat, a writhing horde of Rotlings spewed forth, a storm of jagged limbs and ravenous maws, charging in a frenzy of death. The bandits, paralyzed by the horrific sight, scrambled for their weapons, their desperate swings pathetic against the onslaught.

His monsters engulfed the humans, razor-sharp claws and needle-like fangs ripping through flesh with savage glee. Skin tore like wet parchment, muscles shredded into ribbons, and bones splintered under the relentless assault.

Blood gushed in torrents, painting the ground in crimson arcs as guttural screams choked into gurgles. Ten men collapsed, their bodies reduced to mangled heaps of pulped meat and shattered bone, entrails spilling across the gore-soaked earth.

Silence fell, broken only by the wet drip of blood. Dante stood unmoved, his face an icy mask, his heart numb to the carnage. ’’Take the bodies back to the crater and wait for my orders,’’ he commanded.

As this happened, the Dark Fairy appeared beside him. ’’That was quicker than I expected,’’ she commented.

He chuckled. ’’Yes, I didn’t think the little fuckers were fast or even powerful, but I guess I was wrong.’’

Dante neared the cage where the creatures cowered in a corner. The group surged forward as the cage door swung open. His emotions were a whirlwind as he watched their reunion, arms wrapped around each other, laughter a reminder of all he’d lost.

His heart ached, a hollow pang inside him as he gazed at the Dark Fairy, her presence a cruel mirror to his emptiness. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he finally spoke. ’’You’re free now, flee deeper into the jungle and stay hidden. The next few weeks will be pure chaos, humans will pour in, but the monsters will finish them off.’’

As the rescued Fairy heard his words, a radiant smile lit up her face. She floated closer and bowed deeply, her voice trembling with emotion. ’’Thank you, Death Monarch, for giving me this chance. I pray our paths cross again.’’

[Quest Complete: 800 Death Points]

The other creatures did the same thing, but he waved them away, smiling. ’’Go, live your lives, and steer clear of humans.’’

Once they vanished into the tree line, he turned and trekked toward the nearest town to gather supplies before destroying it while continuing to Dreadport. After some time, he came across a road slicing through the dense jungle.

Dante summoned the Death Bats, commanding them to scout the area. They surged into the sky as Sulla materialized from the Domain. ’’My Lord,’’ he cautioned. ’’Bury those memories deep. Velora has changed; nothing is as you remember.

The Death Knight scanned their surroundings as he concluded. ’’Even the heroes of old are not the same. That was over a century ago.’’

’’Did they celebrate my death? What did the empire do with my corpse?’’ he suddenly questioned.

The two of them continued walking as Sulla finally replied. ’’You want the sugar-coated version or the brutal truth?’’

’’Truth,’’ he answered.

Dante learned the entire Sunreach Empire had erupted in celebration at the news of his death, convinced by vicious lies and bogus magic visions that he planned to betray humanity for the Demon Princess Carmilla Nightclaw.

Sulla’s words only fueled his rage: the vile humans had tarnished his legacy, proclaiming a wretched holiday to mock his death. The Death Lich revealed an even darker truth: soldiers had defiled his charred corpse, casting it into a river to be ripped apart by ravenous beasts.

’’Thanks for that,’’ he muttered just as one of the Death Bats crashed down in front of him.

Dante’s eyes sharpened as the creature revealed a barrier shielding the town, blocking their entry. He paused mid-stride, catching sight of a faint outline. When realizing this, he sent the monsters back to the Domain before being seen. Following that, he stepped through the barrier, leaving his Death Knights stunned as they wanted to protect him, but he refused.

A wry chuckle escaped him as he advanced toward the town, only to halt when a group of armed men and women encircled him. ’’What business do you have in Thornebrooke, young man?’’ an older woman suddenly questioned as she stepped forward.

Dante’s eyebrow arched as a sly thought crossed his mind. ’They think I’m human? This should be interesting.’

’’Trading some monster materials and buying supplies for my journey south,’’ he responded to the question.

This put the humans at ease as she continued. ’’What are you doing in the Dark Jungle alone? Don’t you know it’s dangerous out here?’’

Dante shrugged, his tone cool and measured. ’’I dodged the monster hordes on my way from Port Veil. After weeks of traveling, when I stumbled on a gutted village, I knew I was heading the right way.’’

When the group heard this, pained expressions appeared on their faces as one man muttered in frustration. ’’A damn Necromancer has appeared on Nemorath; whoever it is has been killing groups all across the north.’’

’’Necromancer?’’ he pretended not to know what they meant.

The older woman revealed. ’’Yes. There were three survivors and a scout who managed to sneak away from the fiend. They arrived here a few days ago, exhausted and scared shitless.’’

Following that, the group led him back to Thornebrooke as he spoke to Sulla. ’Should I kill them before we get back to the town? Or slaughter everyone?’

’We should wait until the humans let you in the town gates,’ the Death Lich replied. ’After that, its your choice, My Lord.’

Dante nodded, returning to the present and scanning the surrounding eight warriors with his Death Eyes.

[E Rank Human - Warrior]

[D Rank Human - Archer]

[E Rank Human - Warrior]

[D Rank Human - Mage]

[E Rank Human - Warrior]

[D Rank Human - Defender]

[C Rank Human - Healer]

[C Rank Human - Leader]

’A C-Ranked healer, just like Medea,’ he mused to himself.

A moment later, the older woman turned, her gaze probing as she attempted to scan his rank and power, only to realize that there was something wrong. Her eyes widened in shock, a reaction that drew a faint smile from him.

’’Something wrong?’’ he innocently asked.

The human couldn’t speak as one of the men questioned. ’’What race are you, boy?’’

Dante glanced at the warrior who spoke and shrugged, making them nervous. ’’Half Elf without the pointy ears,’’ he answered.

All of them sighed in relief when they heard his answer. The older woman’s expression softened as she revealed her misgivings. ’’For a moment, I sensed something sinister from you, almost like the Dark Wolf of the South.’’

His eyes gleamed with interest as he turned to the leader. ’’What can you tell me about the wolf?’’ he asked, his voice sharp.

The group exchanged puzzled glances, and one of the men spoke up, brow furrowed. ’’How do you not know about that monster? It’s been wreaking havoc down south.’’

’’I was captured by Slavers on the mainland and brought here, but managed to escape when the ship exploded,’’ he revealed.

’’Where was this?’’ the woman suddenly asked.

Dante pointed in a random direction, which was west. ’’That way. There are twenty Slavers and about one hundred slaves shackled up. They’re waiting for more ships to come and retrieve all the people.’’

The humans’ faces twisted, and one man snarled. ’’We can’t let those scum encroach on our trade! Darkmoore’s always preferred our slaves; they pay well, and we can’t afford to lose that coin.’’

’Just like Ashvale Village,’ he thought, a flicker of disdain crossed his mind. ’These Darkmoore humans are utterly deplorable.’

Dante had no qualms about razing the town but decided he’d grab a few supplies from the human settlement first. The group continued down the road until it spotted the shield protecting Thornebrooke.

As he walked, a notification popped up.

[Systam Quest: Destroy Thornebrooke - Reward: 1000 Death Points]

When they got closer to the magic, the older woman turned to him with a strange look in her eyes. ’’Stay in the town. Other races are welcome, unlike the southern settlements. They aren’t as nice and would attack on sight.’’

’’Alright, thanks for the warning,’’ he replied as they stepped through the shield after she waved something at him.

Crossing to the other side, Dante unleashed a chilling laugh as his death aura erupted, paralyzing the humans in fear. The older woman’s face drained of color, her eyes fixed on him, prompting another mocking chuckle as a portal materialized behind him. From it emerged the Goblin Death Warrior, the Black Knight, Sulla the Death Lich, and Madea the Plague Maiden.

The humans’ eyes widened in terror at the sight. With a wicked grin, he hurled a Death Blast at their leader, the dark energy crackling.