My Blood Legacy: Reincarnated as a Vampire

The air felt different in the Sixth Circle. As soon as Dante crossed the portal, he immediately sensed the change. The scorching heat of the Fifth Circle was replaced by a suffocating, dense, and cold atmosphere. The sky, if it could even be called that, was a pale gray, marked by occasional lightning strikes that illuminated the vast black mountains on the horizon. An unsettling silence dominated the environment, as though even sound was afraid to manifest.

Dante stopped, observing the terrain ahead. The ground was a mixture of ice and ash, and each step echoed like a muffled scream. At the center of this desolate landscape, a massive black fortress rose like a scar on the land. Its towers were grotesque, curved and sharp, resembling the fangs of an ancient creature.

"The Sixth Circle..." Dante murmured, spinning the spear in his hand. "The Circle of Heresy. Quite fitting."

He knew what awaited him there. This was the domain of those who had directly defied the gods, rejected divine laws, and embraced the destruction of sacred beliefs. What made this Circle unique was its dark order: unlike the chaos of the previous Circles, here reigned a cruel and relentless discipline.

Before he could move forward, a metallic sound echoed, reverberating through the mountains. Dante stopped, his gaze as sharp as a blade as he assessed the origin of the noise. From the shadows, figures began to emerge.

They were soldiers, but not like the ones Dante had faced before. Each wore dark armor, etched with glowing runes that pulsed like beating hearts. They wielded spears and swords that exhaled dark energy. They were not ordinary souls; they were the guardians of the fortress, the keepers of the Sixth Circle.

"Ten... twenty... thirty..." Dante counted, his tone almost bored. "Ah, I do love a warm welcome."

The guardians said nothing. As if they were a single entity, they advanced, their weapons ready to strike. Dante smiled, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"It's time to dance."

With a swift movement, he twirled the spear, and the black energy surrounding it exploded in a wave that swept the ground. The first guardians were thrown back, but others quickly took their place. They attacked in perfect synchrony, their swords descending like a swarm of deadly blades.

Dante dodged the first strike with casual ease, the spear's tip piercing the throat of the closest enemy. He pulled the weapon in an arc, severing the head of another soldier who tried to approach from behind. His movements were precise and efficient, each strike a macabre work of art.

"Do you really think numbers will stop me?" Dante taunted, his tone a mixture of disdain and amusement. "You should have brought something more interesting."

One of the guardians raised his sword, and the runes on his armor blazed brightly. A burst of dark energy was launched toward Dante, who merely raised his free hand. A shield made of miasma appeared around him, dissipating the attack as if it were smoke.

"Nice," he admitted. "But useless."

Dante advanced, his spear moving in impossible patterns. He swept the feet of one guardian, stabbing through his chest before throwing the weapon like a projectile. The spear impaled three enemies at once, pinning them against a nearby rock. He snapped his fingers, and the spear returned to his hand as if it had a life of its own.

More guardians appeared, their armor glowing with an even brighter light. They began chanting in an ancient tongue, and the ground beneath Dante's feet started to deform. Ice and shadow thorns emerged, attempting to swallow him.

"Ah, finally something interesting," he said, leaping back as the thorns nearly reached him. He raised the spear, pointing it at the soldiers. "But still... insufficient."

With a swift motion, he planted the spear into the ground. The impact created an explosion of black energy that spread like a wave, destroying the thorns and disintegrating the nearest guardians. Dante laughed, walking slowly toward the survivors.

"You can attack me together or one by one," he said, opening his arms in a theatrical gesture. "The result will be the same."

Suddenly, a deeper sound echoed across the battlefield. The ground trembled, and a colossal figure emerged from the shadows of the fortress. It was a heresy golem, a creature made of black stone and ice, with glowing runes all over its body. Its eyes were empty holes exuding an unnatural energy.

"Now we're talking," Dante murmured, watching the creature with interest. "Looks like someone finally decided to take this seriously."

The golem roared, charging with heavy steps that shook the earth. It raised a massive arm, attempting to crush Dante with a devastating blow. Dante leapt, landing on the creature's arm and running up to its shoulder.

"I hope you're more resistant than you look," he said, driving the spear into the golem's neck. The black energy exploded, but to his surprise, the golem didn't fall. Instead, it roared again, grabbing Dante with surprising speed and throwing him to the ground with enough force to create a crater.

Dante slowly rose, brushing the dust off his clothes. "Okay, that was unexpected," he admitted, rotating his shoulders. His eyes glowed, and he raised the spear once more. "But I love a good fight."

Dante wiped the blood from his mouth as he stared at the heresy golem. The giant continued advancing, each step shaking the ground. Dante's smile was almost insane. Experience tales at empire

"Alright, big guy... time to finish this."

The golem raised both arms, preparing a strike that seemed capable of splitting the earth in two. Dante jumped back, narrowly evading the devastating impact that created a crater where he had been. Without hesitation, he charged at the monster, his spear glowing with even darker energy.

"Come on, girl. Show me what you're capable of!" Dante shouted to his weapon. The spear responded, growing in size and being coated in dark flames. He spun the weapon, creating an arc that launched a wave of destruction toward the golem. The creature tried to block, but the energy hit with full force, ripping off one of its legs.

The golem fell to its knees, letting out a roar of pain that reverberated throughout the Circle. Dante didn't give it time to recover. With a swift movement, he leaped into the air, concentrating his strength at the tip of the spear.

"This is for making me dirty my clothes!" he yelled, driving the weapon straight into the creature's chest. An explosion of black energy followed, consuming the golem from the inside out. The glowing runes faded, and the colossal body began to disintegrate into a cloud of ash.

Dante landed softly on the ground, leaning on the spear as he watched the remains of the golem vanish.

"Well, that was fun," he muttered to himself, looking around. The remaining guardians, seeing the golem's defeat, hesitated for a moment before disappearing into the shadows, as if they knew they had no chance.

With the battlefield now silent, Dante took a deep breath. He pointed the spear at the ground and used it as support while staring at the black fortress ahead.

"Let's end this."

He walked to the center of the area, where an altar made of bones and black stones glowed with an unnatural energy. Placing his hand on the altar, Dante channeled his own energy into it. The environment around him began to tremble, and a crack opened in the air, releasing a wave of power that made him smile.

"Finally," he murmured. "Death Knights. Are you here?"

For a moment, silence dominated the place. Dante waited patiently, his eyes fixed on the crack that had opened. Then, a presence filled the space, making the air grow denser, almost impossible to breathe. A figure began to emerge from the rift, surrounded by a gray mist. Its silhouette was tall and slender, covered by a black cloak that floated as if alive. It held a silver-bladed scythe, which seemed to absorb the light around it.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Dante's eyes gleamed with excitement as he saw who it was. The figure tilted its head, and its deep voice echoed through the space.

"You called me, invader of Hell?" The voice of the Knight was cold, laden with authority, and at the same time, devoid of emotion. "What is the reason for your audacity in challenging the realm of the dead?"

Dante raised his head, displaying a sarcastic smile. "Reason? I'd say curiosity. I've always wanted to see up close the famous Death, the Horseman of the Apocalypse." He took a step forward, his posture defiant. "And, of course, I have some questions that only you can answer."

Death fell silent for a moment, its figure motionless like a statue. "You do not fear destruction, Dante. That is admirable, but also reckless."

"Ah, recklessness is what brought me here," Dante replied, spinning the spear in his hands. "But let's get to the point. I'm here because I know you have something I need."

"Something you need?" Death repeated, its voice carrying a hint of mild curiosity. "And what would that be?"

"I already have the seven deadly sins, the seven virtues, and now... only Pride is left, along with the souls of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," Dante smiled. "Pestilence, War, Famine, and of course... yours, Death." He grinned as his entire aura manifested.

"Want to steal a concept? You're more of an idiot than I thought," Death responded, however...

"It seems you don't understand... I am the Administrator of Hell, the Progenitor, the Supreme Emperor over everything that exists in Hell... Do you think your authority belongs to whom? Everything within Hell belongs to its owner... Your soul already belongs to me." Dante smiled.