CHAPTER 39: FAILURE

Dante couldn’t hear anything.

The ringing in his ears was too loud—it blocked all the surrounding noises.

At this moment, all he could feel was pain.

His brain worked relentlessly to remember what happened, and then he looked at his back.

His back was still resting against the silver barrier, which meant it was strong enough to save him and stay standing.

Unlike the Mana Barrier, the Ether Barrier could stay manifested for a long time without needing Dante to keep providing it with Silver Ether.

Unfortunately, the other barriers couldn’t save him entirely. They all shattered from the explosions.

Dante was tired, his back hurt him so much, some ribs were broken, his breath was ragged, and he could barely feel his arms and legs.

Dante looked at his right arm. He couldn’t see his cloak for some reason, and the centipede wasn’t in shield form and refused to listen to him. No, it seemed as if it were unable to listen to him.

It was back into his arm, its color looked faint, and its eyes weren’t glowing. His arm itself was burnt heavily, with some parts of it revealing his bones.

Finally, Dante looked at the person resting on his chest, his heart pounding rapidly.

"Pathetic..."

Selena’s eyes were closed peacefully and her chest wasn’t rising. The worst part was... he couldn’t see her luck.

’You failed.’

Selena was dead.

’You can’t do anything right.’

Dante clearly blocked most of the impact, but her body was too weak compared to him and her condition wasn’t perfect.

He bandaged her wounds, carried her on his back, refused the idea of leaving her to run alone, covered her body with his own to protect her, and did his best to absorb the baron’s attack instead of her.

And yet, he still failed to save her.

He did his best to save her. Yet he was the one who survived.

’And this isn’t the first time.’

Just like that car accident, he was supposed to die as the weakest. But instead, he was the only survivor.

"Am I truly unlucky?"

Why had he always survived while the people around him died?

Even when a policeman shot him, the one who actually died was Fafnir, not him.

"Maybe... because living itself is my misfortune?"

Weren’t those who had died... luckier than him?

When his parents died, they actually rested in peace. They didn’t have to worry about an unfortunate child like him anymore.

Meanwhile Dante, as the supposed lucky survivor, had to suffer his entire life because he didn’t die in that accident.

Fafnir suffered so much and couldn’t even die if he wanted. By performing that ritual, he left his regression marks in his old body and died instantly, without a chance to experience the pain of the bullet.

In a sense, he was truly lucky. And Dante, the supposed lucky survivor who got a better body, had to literally die several times in order to survive the ancient ruins.

And now, Selena died.

She didn’t know that her friend sacrificed himself to save her. She died without having the chance to feel that guilt and probably followed him to the afterlife if it even existed.

As for Dante, the supposed lucky survivor, he was left alone with an injured body and who knows what would happen to him later.

’I hate my life...’

Sighing deeply, Dante pushed Selena aside and stood up, his left hand pressing against the silver barrier for support.

"Well, at least my beautiful barrier is still standing, haha."

Dante laughed lightly, barely hearing his own voice, but then he stopped as he realized the corruption was affecting his mind again.

’I almost forgot about that.’

Sighing again, Dante glanced at the silver barrier—only to see the baron standing on the other side with visible interest.

"Is this your class’s ability? I can’t believe that a single barrier cast by a Rank 1 blocked my attack."

The baron swung his greatsword vertically, shattering the Ether barrier completely.

Dante stared at his right arm, finally noticing that it looked like a noodle and replied: "No... it’s related to my innate traits."

’My demonic arm is broken.’

Seeing the baron nodding in satisfaction, Dante flexed his left arm slightly as he asked: "Why did you decide to attack us? You could have just left silently. I... can’t understand."

The baron smiled, his eyes glowing faintly as he laughed: "Hahaha! I’m a Pride demon! The bloodline of the Sin of Pride is running through my veins, you think a being like me would run from a few nobodies and pathetic villagers?"

"I simply decided to make you all regret thinking of harming me before I leave this village. I couldn’t get a good relic until now anyway."

Seeing Dante’s confusion, the baron frowned: "You don’t seem to be born in the Abyss. Did you find the Greed blood and inject yourself with it, or was your birth itself a mistake?"

Dante tilted his head, not understanding half of what Ash said. But after thinking for a second he answered: "I think a mix of both."

With ease, the baron raised his greatsword, its edge barely touching Dante’s neck: "It would be a waste if I killed you here. Thus, I offer you to become my new right hand. I have never given this offer to any being, and now, you are the first."

Before Dante could reject the offer, Ash continued: "My comprehension of the Light Aspect is already 100%, and I have collected the 1500 Existence Essence required to advance to the third rank. That means I’m so close to gaining an advanced aspect, so think carefully about my offer, kid."

Dante frowned instantly.

’So collecting Existence Essence isn’t enough to advance to Rank 3? And what does he mean by *advanced aspect*?’

Dante shook his head and forced his left hand’s pinky finger to aim at Ash.

Ash laughed: "You think I’m a fool? If you were capable of making another attack like that, you’d have used it to save your girl."

Dante smiled bitterly: "You are right..."

Glancing at Selena, Dante continued: "In fact, I can probably save her and stop you from your surprise attack. All I have to do is... die."

Ash frowned as Dante glanced back at him.

"But I won’t... I don’t want to waste my life to save someone that I have known for only two days. She isn’t my girl, and she isn’t my friend either—she is just one of the people I met in my short life. Well, several lives, technically."

"I risked my life a bit to save her, but that was because there was a chance for both of us to survive. If real kindness means to literally sacrifice my life to save her... then I was never kind, I guess."

Dante’s face darkened: "In the end, I’m just a coward, selfish, greedy bastard. I can’t even make a choice myself. I use a stupid coin because of my fear of the future. It showed me only one skull, which made me accept helping this village, but here I’m against a monster that can live without a heart."

Ash squinted his eyes sharply: "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing..." Dante shook his head: "I’m just trying... to waste your time."

Before Ash could say anything, Dante muttered a single word:

"Bam."

BAM!

At the exact same moment, a silver bolt struck Ash’s left side, crushing some of his ribs and sending him flying again.

But this time, he was sent only half the distance of the last time.

Before he could regain his balance...

Demonic Misfortune Spell — Demonic Jinx!

Misfortune Spell — Jinx!

"ICE SPIKES!"

"Blood Lance."

Two Jinx spells were cast on Ash. Simultaneously, three ice spikes erupted from the ground and one red lance came out of nowhere, all aiming toward the baron.

"Pathetic!" Ash roared as he shattered two from the spikes and tanked the blood lance with his bare body, but then the third spike pierced his shoulder.

At the same time, an arrow struck his ankle and shattered, spreading ice all across Ash’s leg.

"Kyahaha! You are really here! You stupid prideful demon, you stepped with your own legs into your grave!"

Dante glanced at the source of that strange laugh, seeing the male frost elf, Kyle, welding two swords and smiling excitedly.

Kyle pointed one of his swords at the baron and roared: "No one dares to interfere again! This demon belongs only to me and my wife, you hear me?!"

’As you wish, boss.’

Dante stepped back immediately—ignoring the urge to rain them all with abyssal slashes—and looked to his right, seeing Fafnir as a black shadow running toward him with Elizabeth, Skylar, and a villager.

’You are all... too late.’

If only they had come a bit earlier...