’God... fucking damn it...’
It only took a single moment for Dante to realize he was out of his depth. The situation had made a shift so sudden it forced him to regret not retreating when he had the chance.
First it was his desire for bigger pay, then it was the desire for more heroes to die by his hands. If he hadn’t let his greed dictate the course of his actions, he wouldn’t have ended in such a chaotic situation.
As he watched a rabid beast crush his arm between its bloodied fangs, he reflected on the decisions that put him in such a position.
Coming back to save Rose and the others was unavoidable. He hadn’t anticipated a new hero showing up so late in the game, and with him being from the same team as the one who took down Shark, he knew he had to interfere.
Ever since he heard what happened to their fat Diver, Dante made sure he was prepared for an encounter with the Blizzard Force heroes. Well, his preparations could be summed up to him asking his resident AI for suggestions, then studying the design and abilities of the armor he recommends.
Dante decided to go with Type 1-3 before getting a threat evaluation on the cold hero, and though the armor’s design was a little perplexing, it proved to be a sufficient counter for what turned out to be a Level 4 Advanced Genome. His opponent proved to be quite skilled, however, and before he could finish him off, the other heroes came to back him up.
That should have been the point where he made his retreat, but instead, he chose to join forces with Klaus Stahlwölfe and his bodyguards. The five million he received played a big role, but his decision was mostly based on his desire to finish off at least one more hero before escaping. He came to regret that choice not long after, but even then, he still didn’t learn his lesson.
The furry bastard had gone berserk, that was Dante’s conclusion after watching him claw at empty air while growling and barking like a mad dog. Of course, Dante knew right away that the area wasn’t as empty as it looked.
It wasn’t too difficult to guess that the beast was being blocked by a barrier of some kind, and having fought Shirogane Sorcerers before, Dante figured that one of them was right under the beast, waiting to be ripped apart.
Still, Dante didn’t understand how the furry bastard losing rationality factors in the entire floor transforming into a foggy forest. At first, he suspected that he had been transported to a different location, seeing how there was a moon in the sky above. Volcan quickly corrected him, however, confirming that what he was seeing was just an illusion.
Dante had attacked the beast before learning the truth, having intended to finish him off while he was busy with his invisible prey. That backfired when the bastard escaped the flames and turned his ire to him, and before he knew it, Dante found himself face to face with the monster.
The bastard was fast. Too fast. The distance between them wasn’t short by any means, yet he crossed it in a single instant, making it appear as if he had teleported. That sudden burst of speed left Dante stunned, and faced with the wide open maw and the fangs lining it, his reaction was far slower than it should have been.
Even while taken aback, Dante still managed to raise his right arm and shove it into the beast’s maw, stopping it from biting his head off.
Type 1-3’s right-hand gauntlet was a massive cannon shaped like a dragon. Though it was lighter than it appeared, it was as sturdy as the rest of the armor, which had a considerable Durability despite specializing in thermal energy. With that in mind, the last thing he expected was for it to be crushed between the beast’s jagged teeth.
The shock almost left him paralyzed for the second time. What saved him was realizing he didn’t feel any pain, leading him to conclude that the damage was limited to the cannon’s outer shell. That didn’t mean he was safe, however.
The werewolf was pressing its jaws, still trying to bite his arm off. He only had a fraction of a second to think of a way out, and before the cannon deformed even further, he gritted his teeth and shouted in his mind.
Attempting to change his armor in that situation was tantamount to suicide, but at that moment, it felt like the only viable option. As the red armor disintegrated into threads of light, the beast seemed to be startled, causing its jaws to relax. Dante didn’t hesitate to pull his arm out, and as soon as his dark gray armor finished weaving itself, he activated Instant Acceleration and put some distance between himself and the monster.
Arriving a few dozen meters from his last position, Dante sighed in relief, thinking he was in the safe. The air behind him seemed to move, however, forcing him to activate the ability once more.
It happened another three times before he realized the beast was chasing him around, which only added to the fear in his heart, causing his stress to rise. The darkness and fog weren’t helping, either.
’Volcan! Give me something!!!’
[Threat Evaluation: Level 4 Prime.] The AI replied a moment later. [Overall boost in physical abilities, and from the nature of the transformation, a great boost to natural senses as well. There is a-]
’How do I kill it!!!?’ Dante yelled internally.
[Type 9-3.] Volcan replied evenly. [Aether Distortion.]
Dante gave the order without thinking, activating Instant Acceleration one more time before the armors got swapped. By the time he came to a stop, his body was clad in the regal white armor resembling a marble statue.
Before he could notice the change brought upon by the ninth type’s special characteristics, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers, causing pure white light to erupt around him.
As the light spread out, the foggy forest disappeared, and the area quickly returned to the way it was before.