" If it is the only way to save her, then so be it," Sara said, her voice trembling but firm. "I can't lose my mother or anyone else." She said, completely serious and focused. "Let's go."
Dante looked at the scene and couldn't help but feel guilty. After all... "You're making that face again. It's not your fault." Sara said, lifting her mother's head from her lap and placing it on the ground. She then calmly stood up and looked at Dante, staring him down. "If there's anyone to blame here, it's me." She said, taking all the blame on herself.
"My carelessness caused all this. If I had been here, I could have protected her." Dante listened, but when he opened his mouth to argue...
"If you had been here, nothing would have changed." Lilith said, her serious look piercing Sara's heart. Sara felt her body tremble, but Lilith didn't back down. "I don't know what's right at the moment, but I know enough that what happened doesn't matter, only the results. Judging by the wounds on her arm from when I first saw her before healing, this woman, Lyrianna, wasn't it?
She was completely decimated." Lilith said, looking at Sara. "I don't know where your confidence comes from, but she is dozens of times stronger than you."
Lilith's words were harsh, but... It was the reality of the situation. With or without Sara... Nothing would have changed.
"Asmodeus of Lust is not a simple entity to deal with, even Dante couldn't fight him physically, he had to go into a mental realm of his own soul. Asmodeus fell against a tough opponent, but if you ask Dante, I'm sure he would agree that the battle was extremely difficult." Lilith continued, not caring how cruel her words sounded, she was a demon, she was cruel.
"I understand your self-confidence, but you are not far from Lucifer." Those words... Were so harsh that Sara clenched her fists, almost tearing her flesh. "Lilith, that's enough," Dante tried to stop her, but she didn't. "You are slowly giving in, surrendering to your proud side.
Without humility, you are not thinking correctly and using the world around you as an excuse to put yourself at its center. Your mother being defeated changes nothing. You being there or not would still result in defeat because your spirit is weak."
"That's enough!" Dante shouted, making the two move even further apart. "I'm getting sick of seeing all these women fighting. What does it cost to be comrades for a moment?" Dante said, looking at them. It was the first time Dante had lost it like this. "Letting you resolve these issues alone was a terrible idea. I'm taking the lead." He said, grabbing Lilith's arm and pulling her to face him.
"When I say stop, you stop." He said, his eyes overflowing with possessiveness.
Unlike the other girls he knew well... Lilith wasn't quite the woman he knew, or rather, he didn't fully know her, so he wouldn't accept her as a wife so easily. Despite everything, he was still a man of principles, and the contract situation made him uncomfortable. For these small reasons, he hadn't made the girls aware of her, but...
"What? I was raised at home; I didn't know I could consume something like that. Actually, I was half-succubus until a few days ago, Dante made me a complete succubus just recently!" Vex defended herself. In a way, it was true, but... "Idiot, you should have mentioned that before!" Sara said, leaving Vex speechless.
"A-alright, do whatever it takes..." Sara replied to Lilith, who nodded. "Alright, are you okay with this? I know you can do the same thing as me." Lilith commented, and Dante shook his head. "I would have to take her soul for myself, I can't do that to someone who doesn't even know me." Dante said, and Sara felt he was really hesitant but accepted the situation.
"Alright, let's start then." Lilith said and looked at everyone, "I recommend giving some space, I need to prepare something..." Lilith said. "Prepare? As far as I know, it's just a transformation, isn't it?" Lilith looked at Dante and gave a crooked smile. "Let's say I lost many things by fleeing Hell..." Dante's eyes widened, and he felt something... it was as if part of Lilith was missing...
"You~" "We'll talk later." She said as everyone continued to step back, leaving only her and Lyrianna.
Lilith began to prepare the ritual, drawing symbols on the ground around Lyrianna with dark, mysterious energy. She murmured words in an ancient language, her voice resonating with power. Meanwhile, everyone watched in silence, Sara's heart racing. Dante held her side, placing his hand behind her neck. "Don't worry, she wouldn't do anything to your mother." "I know...
but still, it's worrisome to know your mother is dying."
Everyone watched Lilith from a distance. Eldrax, Vex, and Voralith stood on one side, while Dante, Sara, and Morgana, who had been very quiet during this time, were on the other.
"Demonic runes..." Morgana murmured, standing next to Dante. "Yes, I know a few, but she... she must have known them since her creation... it's truly fantastic to see up close," he commented. Morgana's silence was simple... she was focused on absorbing all the knowledge she could, and just by listening to Lilith speak, she had already gained several new insights...
Well, she was the best when it came to knowledge, so obtaining more was not a problem, especially after reading her mother's entire library.
Lilith knelt down, her hand touching Lyrianna's chest. She then placed both hands, channeling her energy into Lyrianna's inert body.
The air around them began to vibrate, and an intense red light emanated from Lilith's hands, enveloping Lyrianna in a cocoon of energy.
Dante watched with wide eyes, unable to look away. The power emanating from Lilith was terrifying. The red light grew brighter and brighter until suddenly, a burst of energy swept through the room, throwing everyone back. When the dust settled, they saw Lyrianna lying on the ground, motionless.
"Sara..." Dante began, but Sara was already moving, running to her mother's side. "Mom? Mom, can you hear me?"