CHAPTER 22: SOLELY WITH HUMANITY

Dante was walking through the Dark Jungle while being followed by the Death Goblin and Black Knight. The two were silent but made sure to scan their surroundings. As they jumped across the river and landed on the other side, he checked his status to see what the upgrades had done.

[Name: Dante Ashbourne]

[Class: Death Monarch]

[Level: 82]

[Experience: 550/15,000]

[Rank: E]

[MP: 271]

[HP: 243]

[STR: 291]

[DEX: 316]

[INT: 241]

[CHA: 132]

[DP: 3900]

[Skills: SSS: Arise (1) SS: Death Blast (2) SSS: Death’s Domain (1) SS: Death’s Harvest (2) SSS: Death Eyes (1) Dagger Mastery (2) SSS: Death Bolt (0)]

While busy with the statis, Dante heard a high-pitched scream coming from nearby, causing his head to snap in that direction. Henry and Raoul spun only for him to take off like a bolt of light as a quest popped up.

[System Quest: Help the Dark Fairies - Reward: 800 Death Points]

His eyebrow arched at the quest he received. That’s when Dante remembered tales of Fairies from his hero days, creatures said to be exceedingly rare. He recalled whispers of companies that hunted them on Eldoria. The humans covet their unique ability to channel the world’s mana and cultivate exotic plants.

Dante sent the Death Knights back to the Domain after reassuring them that he’d summon them when the time was right. While rushing through the jungle, he wanted to check on how much it cost to upgrade Raoul, Medea, and Henry to the next ranks.

[Goblin Death Warrior - Rank: D C - Cost: 1200 Death Points]

[Plague Maiden -Rank C B - Cost: 2400 Death Points]

[Black Knight - Rank C B - Cost: 2400 Death Points]

He was surprised but shrugged, muttering. ’’I’ll just save up some points to upgrade them later.’’

Dante sprinted through the jungle, magic at the ready, halting behind a thick tree. Through the foliage, he spotted three humans cornering something small and shimmering. When seeing this, a grin crossed his face as he crept closer, silent as a shadow. Now, just behind the men, he spoke in a mocking tone. ’’You pigs enjoy trapping innocent creatures, don’t you?’’

One warrior spun around, sneering. ’’Dark Fairies are vile and deserve enslavement.’’

Their eyes locked onto his, but in a heartbeat, he unleashed three Death Bolts at point-blank range, shattering the men in an eruption of blood and gore. A piercing scream shattered the air, forcing him to clamp his hands over his ears.

[3 x D Rank Humans - 600 Experience]

’’Oi, Fairy! Enough of that racket!’’ he snapped, ignoring the notification. ’’They’re dead.’’

Dante stood amidst the carnage, the jungle air thick due to the coppery stench of blood. The three human bodies lay in ruins, torn apart by his Death Bolt. He sent the corpses to the Death Camp. Following this, he turned toward the source of the human’s interest. A moment later, he spotted something perched on a twisted root that was a Fairy, no taller than a cat, sitting there.

The creature’s skin was a stark dark grey, her black hair spilling like ink over pointed ears. Her eyes burned, radiating pure, unbridled evil that he would’ve killed once before, but no more. Dante’s lips curled into a predatory grin, his heart racing. This was no ordinary sprite; this being was a shard of darkness, and it set his blood alight.

***

The Fairy’s gaze locked on a tall, lean man with short white hair, a mere human, she sneered, ripe for her cruel games. But as she pierced the veil, a bone-chilling terror coiled in her gut, something told her to run. ’He’s like us! How is that possible!’ she thought in shock.

His eyes blazed thanks to an unholy red glow, and his aura writhed, a storm of evil barely contained in mortal flesh. Then, a smile slithered across his lips, slow and venomous, and his features contorted, twisting into a mask of soul-shredding evil. This was no man. This was Death incarnate, a harbinger of destruction and misery, his very presence a wound upon existence.

Her insides churned, and she collapsed, retching in abject, paralyzing fear, her wings trembling.

***

’’You’re safe,’’ Dante suddenly said, sitting down next to the creature. ’’You’re not a human, so I have no reason to kill unless you give me a reason to.’’

He observed the Dark Fairy visibly relax as he took out some bread and offered her some, questioning. ’’What did they want from you? I know the dogs capture your kind to sell to nobles and other degenerates.’’

’’They’ve captured the rest of my village,’’ she revealed, taking the food before nibbling at it like a mouse.

His brow arched sharply, a glint of resolve flickering in his eyes as he spoke with unwavering conviction. ’’Lead me to them, and I’ll see every last one set free.’’

The Dark Fairy tilted her head, her expression a mixture of bewilderment and cautious hope. ’’You... you’re not planning to bind us to your will? To enslave us as others have tried?’’

Dante’s gaze softened, though his voice remained firm. ’’No,’’ he said, his tone resolute. ’’As I’ve said, my grudge lies solely with humanity.’’

When the creature heard this, she eagerly nodded and led him further into the jungle as he followed behind. He summoned the Death Wolves and Bats to patrol the area around him to kill anything that came too close. After some time, the Fairy stopped and pointed toward a nearby trail. ’’Go down there and you’ll find the humans. There are ten of them, the strongest is Rank D. So be careful.’’

Dante nodded and headed toward the path. He dismissed all his creatures but told the Death Knights to get ready for a fight. Moments later, he appeared on the edge of a large clearing. There was a cage holding a dozen Dark Fairies, looking depressed as the humans sat around a fire chatting.

After he saw this, he got an idea and decided to test out some of the monsters from the Death Camp. When seeing this, he pulled up the number of bodies he had to work with and was pleasantly surprised.

[Total Human Bodies: 1084]

[Men: 306]

[Women: 388]

[Children: 396]

Moments later, he decided to use all the children’s bodies to create the Rotlings, which caught his attention as the notification popped up.

[Convert Children into a Rotling Swarm? 500 Points]

Dante selected and felt something change in the Death Camp as horrifying screaming emerged from it. The sound even sent a chill down his spine as Raoul, Sulla, and Henry appeared from a portal. ’’My Lord! This is a brilliant idea!’’ the Death Lich exclaimed. ’’Rotlings are little evil bastards but strong E Rank Monsters.’’

As he shut his eyes, a vision tore through his mind: the first creature climbing out of the crater, a blasphemous abomination birthed from the darkest pits of nightmare. The flesh was blackish-brown. A sickening pulse washed across its skin as though infested with unseen parasites beneath its surface.

Its red eyes were bigger than a normal human child, as they were twice the size, and even gave him the creeps. Dante watched as the thing lurched upright, a stuttering mockery of human motion, its childlike silhouette a perverse distortion of purity as if innocence itself had been defiled and reborn as this monstrosity.

Its arms stretched and wiry, ending in vicious-looking claws that glistened, weeping a viscous, tar-black ichor that sizzled as it seared the ground, leaving scorched, bubbling wounds in the earth. The creature’s mouth tore wide in a hideous, yawning grimace, lips peeling back like decayed skin to expose shark-like teeth, each one pulsing rot, as though possessed by a ravenous, almost conscious hunger to rip and consume.

When Dante saw this creature, he shivered while thinking. ’These remind me of the Pack from Dead Space. Is the goddess reading my mind?’

Just then, a notification popped up, causing his eyes to glow with excitement.

[Death Rotlings created: 396]

[E Rank Rotling]

Following that, he jumped into the Domain as the Rotling’s head snapped toward him. The little creature charged at him, but he narrowed his eyes at it, forcing it to stop. Moments later, even more of the monsters rushed out of the crater and appeared. They all knelt when Henry stepped forward and threatened them without a word, making him laugh.

Dante glanced at the growing horde and was happy. He shook his head. ’’You creatures are part of my army. I will give you food, but you’ll be collecting bodies for me,’’ he said.

When the Rotlings heard this, they hissed as their eyes glowed, but he could sense the agreement thanks to being the Death Monarch. Once that was sorted, his smile grew wicked as he stepped back into the real world and entered the clearing. Henry and Raoul appeared beside him as Mary the Death Wraith flew above as the humans turned around.

The leader was shocked as the bandits prepared to attack, as one of them revealed his rank. ’’Boss! The stranger is a lowly E Rank. We can take him!’’