My Blood Legacy: Reincarnated as a Vampire

He pulled his sword to the side, slicing through the central head. The creature's black blood poured out like a torrent, mixing with the mud on the ground. But to his surprise, the two remaining heads continued their assault, as if the beast didn't need its central head to survive.

"Interesting," Dante muttered, leaping to avoid a double bite.

As he fought, Dante felt something strange in the air—a presence, an energy tied to the place itself. It wasn't just physical punishment; the third circle whispered forbidden desires and excesses, trying to seep into his mind.

He paused for a moment, observing Cerberus with renewed focus. "So, that's how it works here," he said. "This place doesn't just punish the body—it tries to consume you from the inside out."

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Dante concentrated. He drew upon the power of Gluttony within him, a rare and overwhelming energy he seldom used. When he opened his eyes, they burned with an intense golden glow.

"If this place wants excess," he said, his voice reverberating, "then I'll show it what it truly means to devour everything."

With a sweep of his hand, Dante conjured a force that seemed to consume the environment itself. The mud was drawn toward him, as were the rain and even the tortured souls writhing in the ground. Cerberus howled in agony as its massive form was pulled toward Dante's vortex-like energy.

"You wanted to consume me, Hell?" Dante shouted. "Then taste what it means to be consumed!"

But before Dante could press further, Cerberus let out an ear-shattering roar, thrashing wildly as Dante clung to its rough, scaly skin. Despite the creature losing its central head, its remaining two heads attacked with relentless fury. It slammed into the ground, creating fissures that spread across the desolate terrain. Acid rain and thick mud only added to the chaos.

Dante drove his sword deeper into the creature's flesh, forcing himself to maintain balance. "You're persistent—I'll give you that," he muttered, gripping the hilt tightly. "But I'm worse."

One of the remaining heads twisted back unnaturally, snapping its jaws toward Dante. He barely ducked in time, the massive teeth grazing him and tearing into the creature's own flesh instead.

Seizing the opportunity, Dante leapt from the beast's back, landing in the mud with a splash. As he turned, he saw the other head spitting a torrent of acid in his direction. Without hesitation, he swung his sword in a wide arc, creating a temporary barrier of demonic energy that deflected the corrosive attack.

"Is that all you've got?" Dante taunted, adjusting his stance as his eyes locked onto the monster.

Cerberus didn't respond with words but with action. It lunged forward with surprising speed for its size, its massive paws crushing trapped souls beneath them. The ground shook with each step, and the wind from its snapping jaws carried the essence of torment from the third circle.

Dante dashed toward the beast, but not in a straight line. He zigzagged, dodging coordinated strikes from the heads and stomps from the massive claws. Each step brought him closer to the base of Cerberus' neck.

"You might have strength," Dante said almost casually, ducking under a double bite, "but I've got something you don't: brains."

As he neared, he leapt into the air, using his demonic energy to propel himself higher. Twisting mid-air, his sword gleamed with a crimson light as he delivered a devastating slash that cut deep into one of the remaining heads.

Cerberus roared in pain, staggering as black blood sprayed from the wound. Dante landed gracefully, wiping mud from his face as he admired his handiwork.

"One head down," he said, raising his sword to eye level. "One more to finish the job."

But Cerberus wasn't finished. Its last head unleashed a roar so powerful that the air itself seemed to tremble. The acidic rain intensified, pouring down in torrents that began to corrode even Dante's armor. The mud surrounding the beast started to writhe, taking on a life of its own as grotesque tentacles rose from the ground, lashing toward Dante.

"So, now you're playing dirty?" Dante asked, dodging the first few tentacles while slicing others into pieces. "Getting desperate, aren't we?"

One of the tentacles managed to grab his leg, yanking him to the ground with a heavy thud. Cerberus seized the opportunity, charging forward with its mouth wide open, ready to swallow him whole.

Even pinned, Dante refused to lose control. He drove his sword into the ground, channeling his demonic energy in a powerful explosion that obliterated the tentacles and forced Cerberus to retreat.

He got to his feet, shaking off the mud and rain. "Alright, now you're starting to piss me off," he growled. Read exclusive adventures at empire

Dante closed his eyes for a moment, focusing. He began to channel the power of the sin of Gluttony, a rare ability he seldom used. When he opened his eyes again, they glowed with an intense golden light, and his presence seemed to dominate the entire battlefield.

"If you want to play with excess," he said, his voice reverberating with power, "then let's see who devours whom."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Cerberus charged once more, but Dante didn't move. Instead, he raised his free hand and conjured a whirlwind of demonic energy that began to consume everything around him. The mud, the rain, even the tormented souls were drawn into the vortex. Cerberus roared in defiance, planting its massive paws into the ground as it fought against the pull.

The beast strained with all its might, but it was futile. The vortex grew stronger, and the very flesh of Cerberus began to disintegrate, torn apart by the consuming force.

"You're strong, I'll give you that," Dante said, his voice calm but filled with dangerous authority. "But in the end, everything here belongs to me."

With one final roar of defiance, Cerberus was completely consumed by the vortex. When it was over, silence fell over the battlefield. The mud had vanished, and the acidic rain had ceased. Dante stood in the center of what was now a dry, desolate wasteland.

He glanced at his sword, still glowing with the residual energy of his ability.

"One guardian down," he murmured, twirling the blade once before sheathing it. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the weight of his destruction settle over him. How many more until I reach the bottom of all this? he wondered.

Without waiting for an answer, he began to channel the sin of Gluttony once again. Golden energy radiated from his body, extending like invisible tendrils that absorbed the remaining traces of power and essence in the circle. He felt the surge of energy flow into him—an almost intoxicating sensation—and for a brief moment, an idea crossed his mind.

"Should I go back to the first circle and consume everything there?..." The thought was tempting, almost like a calling. If he devoured every ounce of energy in Hell, who could challenge him? Who could stand against the absolute power he would gain?

But then he sighed, his expression hardening. "No, forget it," he said, shaking his head. "Power alone isn't enough. I need to understand what's behind all of this."

He cast one last look at what had been the third circle. The silence was absolute now, and the storm of mud and acid rain that had once surrounded him was completely gone. Turning, he began walking toward the path leading to the next circle, his dark cloak billowing behind him.

As he descended, his red eyes burned with determination. He was no longer merely a traveler in Hell; he was its master in the making.

...

Valentina hovered in the air, her scarlet eyes fixed on the horizon where the army of the undead marched relentlessly forward. The sky above was heavy with dark clouds, lightning briefly illuminating the desolate landscape below. She could smell the stench of death in the air, the ceaseless sound of thousands of footsteps reverberating like a war drum.

Her lips curled into a bitter smile. "So, this is it," she murmured to herself. "The past always finds a way to come back and haunt you."

Valentina tilted her head, studying the advancing soldiers. Their armor was battered, but the crests they bore were all too familiar. Every tattered banner, every piece of metal tarnished with rust and dried blood, was a stark reminder of a war that had defined her rise as Grandmaster.

"The armies I destroyed," she whispered, a lump forming in her throat. "I remember every face I crushed. Every scream."

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the memories flood her mind. The war had been brutal—a battle for survival that ended in the annihilation of this very army. She remembered how she had swept across the battlefield with her newly awakened power, each move a devastating blow, each spell a death sentence.

And now, they stood before her once more. Not as living warriors, but as puppets of necromancy, condemned to serve a force that respected neither honor nor the rest of the dead.

"Mary Rose," Valentina growled, her voice low but seething with fury. "I will grind your existence to dust, devastate every cell of your body, and turn you into a pile of broken blood and bones, you disgusting wretch." She cursed through clenched teeth, her power radiating around her like a storm about to break.