The tension in the room escalated exponentially. A declaration of war during a meeting meant to discuss peace... It was almost pathetic to think it all boiled down to—
"—All this over a childish misunderstanding?" Orion Dolafor interrupted, seemingly assuming the role of advocate for Velkan and his son. "I know you 'died,' but that was ten years ago, and it had nothing to do with his son." He finished, crossing his arms, his tone heavy with frustration.
Orion wasn't the only one who thought this way; many in the room shared the same opinion... "So what?" Dante broke the silence, ignoring the shocked expressions around him.
It was simple.
"He pointed a sword at me, threw me in a dungeon to die. Not just me, but my wife, Nagasawa, too. And after that, I was murdered by someone I'm still eager to find out who." Dante paused, his eyes scanning each face in the room before continuing, his voice growing sharper. "But what enrages me the most is your reaction. You banished both my wives to the Prison Realm just because it suited you."
"But that was a joint decision," Orion countered.
"Yes, and so? I choose my targets as I see fit." Dante replied with disdain. "Besides, I'm sure Morgana had all the freedom she wanted, while my Valentina chose to mourn. But to antagonize me for ten years, even knowing there was evidence I wasn't to blame?" He laughed, a dark, almost animalistic laugh.
"My wives spent ten years in mourning, all because of three fools who threw me into a damn dungeon."
His aura grew, thick and suffocating, as he spoke. Everyone in the room felt the weight of it.
'How far will this escalate? This power is unbelievable!' Titania, watching from a distance, couldn't contain her thoughts. 'Do not antagonize him.' She recalled her father's words, instructing her to side with Dante if things took a dangerous turn.
'You know this man...' She reflected, a tinge of fear creeping in.
"Moreover," Dante resumed, "there are two kingdoms I'd love to take for myself: an army of giants and another of werewolves. Of course, I'll have to train them like dogs, but I think I can get something decent out of it. Just imagine..." He murmured, his eyes scanning the room with a controlled madness. He seemed like a madman addressing a sane audience.
"Anyway, war declared." He smiled, a sharp, predatory smile. "I'll attack in a few weeks. Be prepared, yes? I have two dragons, a demon-goddess, two Demon King-level super-succubi, a Celestial Virtue, the God Slayer, and a World Tree on my side. Good luck."
He paused, as if offering an escape, but his words were venomous: "Or you can deliver your son's head so I can torture his soul in hell."
Dante stopped for a moment, savoring the silence in the room, as if every second of hesitation was a personal victory. His eyes locked with Velkan's, challenging, almost demanding a response. Everyone present held their breath, aware of the weight of every word.
'This is worse than I thought...' Lyrianna thought, looking at Velkan.
Velkan, however, remained impassive. His face, sculpted by experience and pain, showed no clear emotion. He stayed silent for a few seconds, observing Dante with a calm that impressed everyone, but the storm in his eyes betrayed the true essence of his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his voice was low but as sharp as a blade.
"Do you think you intimidate me, Child?" Velkan finally replied, his words laced with coldness. "Do you think I'm the same man you saw from afar ten years ago? That I'll give in to your pathetic revenge theater?"
The room grew denser. The atmosphere was suffocating with tension, as the auras of both men clashed like two colossal waves. The air seemed electrified, and everyone around could only watch, petrified.
Despite this.
The impact was devastating.
Valentina was hurled backward with brutal force, crashing through several columns before slamming into the wall with a deafening crash. Fenrir's power was immeasurable, her attack fueled by a long-contained, uncontrollable rage.
"YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" she roared, the sheer force of her voice shattering parts of the structure around her.
"Fenrir?!" Velkan shouted, reaching out, but there was something in her eyes—a fury even he didn't recognize. She was consumed by a primal impulse, something beyond reason or control.
"So, it was as I suspected... The one who brought Gungnir was Loki," Dante said, his voice echoing through the room. "Did you know about this?" Vlad asked, glaring at him. "No, Valentina just told me recently.
I was going to declare war on that idiot anyway, but once I learned about her, it became obvious," Dante replied, watching as Valentina rose from the debris, a macabre smile creeping across her face.
"Gungnir," she said, and the spear materialized in her hand. But before she could grasp it, Fenrir spun with feral rage. "It doesn't belong to you!" Her voice was cold, laced with a furious growl.
Valentina paused, her eyes narrowing with pure curiosity. "You have no idea what you're provoking. Do you really want to fight?" she asked, smiling.
'She's excited...' Dante thought, seeing the wide grin on Valentina's face. She was genuinely thrilled to face this woman.
"You've made a grave mistake, Fenrir," Valentina's voice was low, but each word seemed to vibrate with hidden power.
Fenrir laughed, a guttural and menacing sound. "I'm not here to talk about mistakes. I'm here to fix the problem you created for yourselves."
Velkan, finally recovering from the initial shock, stepped forward. "Fenrir, stop!" he ordered, his voice filled with authority. "This is not the way."
But she ignored him, her wolfish eyes fixed on Dante and Valentina. "You want war, boy? Then war starts now."
Dante narrowed his eyes, his aura pulsing like a volcano on the verge of eruption. "I'm getting tired of being called 'boy.' I'm older than all of you combined."
As Dante locked eyes with Fenrir, who was ready to strike, he heard a whisper near his ear.
"Dante, he's gone," Lilith's voice said softly.
"Huh?" Dante turned, looking for his target... But Alexander had simply vanished. "You've got to be kidding me," he grumbled, realizing that only Velkan and Fenrir remained.
"General? General, my ass. He's just a useless pup," he muttered, frustration lacing his words.