Everything Dante had been thinking up until that moment seemed like mere speculation. In fact, he hadn't fully believed it. How could anyone kill the World Tree? Was that even possible? Then, an epiphany struck him with the force of a blow.
He had overlooked a crucial detail, a blind spot that now became glaringly obvious to him.
"Shit!" Dante shouted, his voice echoing through the vast expanse of the cave. His mind started to clear, and everything clicked into place in a terrifying way.
"Damn it!" he cursed, his head swirling with thoughts that had once seemed disconnected but now formed a clear path forward.
It all started with the Demon Cult trying to resurrect Tiamat through Valentina. He had thwarted that by taking the attack himself and frustrated the cult's plans, even destroying those who had been behind this insane scheme. But now, Dante understood that the cult hadn't given up. They had continued with their plans... only now, instead of just bringing Tiamat back, they had something even more terrible in mind. They wanted to resurrect a Demon God. But not just any god.
It was Astaroth, after absorbing all of Hell.
Dante finally made the connection. The cult wasn't just trying to resurrect a mythical creature; they were actually trying to transform Astaroth into the very demon god who would rule the end of times. And with that, the plan grew even darker. To complete Astaroth's ascension, they needed more than just a sacrifice—they needed to destroy the World Tree.
"Damn it!" Dante yelled again, his shout reverberating through the cave, making the rock tremble. His fury filled the space as his mind raced at full speed. He couldn't let this happen. The destruction of the World Tree would mean the end of everything. Astaroth's plan wasn't just about ruling Hell or the demon realms, but about destroying the very fabric of reality.
With a mental snap, Dante saw the key piece he had missed. Mary Rose, the enigmatic figure behind the Demon Cult, was deeply involved in this game. She was the true mastermind. And now, she held a force capable of annihilating everything...
'With Fenrir, the plans have advanced. Mary Rose will help Astaroth ascend to the Demon God by bringing Tiamat back to life and killing the World Tree, then... she'll betray him with Fenrir's power and herself become the Demon Goddess, absorbing all of Hell,' Dante thought.
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"Now everything makes sense," Dante muttered to himself, his face contorting with rage and despair. "Mary Rose wants this... she wants to consume the Qliphoth, the very root of the world. She knows that if she destroys the World Tree, she can strike at the very foundations of reality. And that's how she plans to control everything."
Apparently satisfied with the conclusion of his thoughts, Dante turned to Beelzebub, who was still stunned, trying to process Dante's words.
"I will revive you in the future, Beelzebub. I don't know why you sought me out this way, but you prevented a major event. But now... what I need is the authority of Gluttony," Dante said coldly, like someone who didn't hesitate when it came to a necessary sacrifice.
With a quick motion, Dante drove his blade into Beelzebub's body, halting his decaying process. The authority of Gluttony, which he had always desired, was now finally within his grasp. He watched as the demon hounds approached and devoured the body of the demon of gluttony with inhuman brutality.
Her aura of power expanded, filling the room, and the earth trembled more violently, as if the world itself feared the resurrection of this monstrosity.
And then, the first movement. The leftmost head, the one exhaling fire, began to stir, the stones shattering from its eyes and jaws, slowly regaining its original form. A muffled roar came from deep within the dragon, a threat of a return as catastrophic as the destruction of the world itself.
Mary Rose smiled, an enigmatic and cold smile, a smile of someone who knew that control over this creature, this primal force, was about to be hers.
"Now, you belong to me, dragon..." she said, the power growing in her voice, as if each word were a curse cast upon the universe.
With one final movement, the petrified body began to crumble, and the dragon was reborn from its stone prison, ready to fulfill the will of its new mistress. The other heads began to come to life, each emitting a terrifying sound, as if the very air were being cut by their fury. The resurrection of the dragon, one of the oldest and most powerful creatures in the world, was complete.
Mary Rose looked at the beast with a look of dominance, knowing that with this, she had the power necessary to take the next step in her plan — and no one would be able to stop her.
"Now, the world will be consumed." Mary Rose declared, her gaze fixed on the newly resurrected creature, the dragon's fury filling the cave with a threatening presence. However, before she could savor the victory of her ritual, a figure emerged from the shadows, moving with the speed and grace of a predator. A vampire, with piercing eyes and the posture of one who carries heavy secrets, appeared before her.
"We have a huge problem," he said, his voice laden with urgency.
Mary Rose raised an eyebrow, her expression hardening. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice as cold as the wind blowing through the cave.
The vampire stepped closer, the tension in his shoulders revealing the weight of the news. "All the Virtues were saved... and all the sins that were in the human world have also been captured. But... Gluttony... it was also consumed by Dante."
Those words hit Mary Rose like a punch to the stomach. She stood silent for a moment, absorbing the information, her mind racing. "But I'm sure Beelzebub was killed in Hell..." she murmured to herself, the pieces of the puzzle aligning. When the truth finally hit her, her expression darkened, and anger flickered in her eyes.
"That damned bitch failed in Hell?" she asked, her voice sharp, as if she were speaking directly to the essence of the wind, carrying with it frustration and contempt.
"Astaroth... damn it! Let's go. We need to open the portal to the Demon Worlds and send Tiamat into Hell to kill the Qliphoth, I will go myself."
"But mistress... you're going to die—"
"I've already absorbed enough energy from the end and demonic energy; I'm no longer a witch."