Lilith watched as the Death Goddess vanished, leaving only a final whisper that clawed at her soul. ''The family you've longed for, the love you've craved through countless lonely nights, it's all bound within that broken young man. Go now, Lilith Deathbloom, and pull him back from the abyss, consuming his soul before it swallows him whole, and all hope is lost.''

When hearing that, something clicked inside her, and she flew down to the valley floor. While doing this, she returned to her normal form. Catching the wolf woman's attention, prompting her to raise her hands. ''I come in peace, Wolf. I want to heal the Death Monarch, one of my kind.''

She hoped the woman wouldn't overreact and attack her because she didn't want to fight.

***

Luna's eyes narrowed at the blonde woman; she sensed no hostility coming from her and finally responded. ''Then help, the fall hurt him worse than he already was.''

''I know,'' the stranger replied before introducing herself. ''I'm Lilith Deathbloom, Death Witch of Dawnfen and the most wanted woman on the continent.''

''I'm Luna, it's good to meet you, but this is a bad time, now heal my master!''

''We need to get him back to my home,'' Lilith revealed. ''The S-Ranks here are aware of my mana and can sense it. The healing spell will use A LOT, so we need to be covered.''

Luna transformed into her wolf form, gently scooping Dante into her mouth as the blonde began to lead them toward her abode. After walking for an hour, they arrived at a shadowed crack in the valley wall. This took the duo on a path, forcing her to transform into her humanoid form.

''How long Lilith?'' she asked.

The Death Witch didn't turn around but answered anyway. ''Not far now, just hold onto him.''

Luna noticed the woman was staring at the slumped Dante, prompting her grip to tighten around his body. This made Lilith smile as she spoke once more. ''You love him, don't you?''

When the wolf woman heard this, she stopped walking, cheeks going dark as she nodded. ''I do, we were companions centuries ago, and we've just reunited thanks to the Death Goddess who guided me here and put him in the Dark Forest.''

After that, the trek wasn't that long, and Lilith led them toward a staircase that trailed up the side of the mountain until it stopped at a hut built into the rock. It was peaceful and quaint. This surprised the wolf woman, who commented. ''This looks nice, haven't seen anything like this on Nemorath.''

''I made it myself, had to have a safe place to live while being hunted.'' Moments later, Lilith cast a spell that revealed a door that she opened for her and continued talking. ''Step in, put Dante on the nearby bed, the healing will take some time.''

Luna did as Lilith asked with a worried expression on her face. Once he was on the comfortable bed, she sat down as the Death Witch hovered her arms above his body. ''Looks like the light magic is slowly eating away at his body. Lucky you found me when you did, or he would've lost the leg.''

''What!'' the wolf woman jumped up. ''Will he be fine?''

''Yes, it will take a lot of mana to heal him, but I have enough for now,'' she answered.

Following that, Luna watched as a red glow, similar to Dante's, washed over his body, slowly repairing the scars, lacerations, and broken bones. Snaps echoed out, making her flinch, but Lilith reassured her. ''Those are good noises; it shows my magic is working and healing him from that vile mana.''

''Okay,'' she replied.

Luna's tail slowly swayed, waiting to see if her master would be healed, and after a few hours, the blonde stopped, letting out a relieved sigh. ''He's healed, but won't wake up for a few days. The strain on his body was too much for an S-Rank to handle. He's what? D-Rank at the moment?''

''Yes,'' the wolf woman responded, a small smile crossing her face. ''Thank you for helping him, Lilith.''

''Don't worry about it, but I'll be joining you on your journey,'' the blonde revealed, with glowing red eyes. ''I want to grow stronger from the death he brings to this world. Plus, this place is getting boring now.''

Luna laughed at this before the two women began chatting and getting to know each other, only to become quick friends.

***

While they did that, Dante was dreaming of his life on Earth. It was an easy and peaceful one; he had parents, siblings, but when the coach they were on exploded, thanks to a faulty engine, killing everyone inside. It wasn't an accident either; the mages of the Sunreach Empire were targeting ten of them as the rest of their friends died.

The emperor and princess told them that the rest of the class would be summoned to other worlds to become heroes. He only then realized the humans were lying and murdered their classmates during the accident. As he remembered this, his anger surged, but soon enough his eyes snapped open.

He saw a thatched ceiling and warm air brushing against his skin, growing confused and looking around the room he found himself in, only to notice it was pitch black. Moments later, he sent out a wave of mana, only to sense Luna and someone else. This caught his attention, before sitting up, only for pops to echo out.

''Damn, I feel so much better,'' he muttered.

''I hope so, considering how much mana I used to heal you and get rid of that foul magic that was eating your body,'' a soft voice sounded from behind him.

Dante spun around, his heart stopping as a figure emerged from the shadows. Words failed him, his voice silenced by the sight before him. A woman stepped into the dim light, her long, sandy blonde hair flowing like a golden cascade, catching faint glimmers from the flickering torches nearby.

Her eyes, glowing red that mirrored his own, pierced through the darkness, sending a shiver of astonishment down his spine. The resemblance in their gazes held him captive. Her presence was magnetic, her flawless figure accentuated by the way she moved, each step oozing authority that seemed to bend the very atmosphere around her.

Clad in a sleek, dark ensemble that hugged her form, she carried herself with the poised elegance of someone who wielded power, as if it were woven into her very being. The air grew heavy with unspoken tension, and Dante's pulse quickened, sensing that this encounter was no mere coincidence.

''Are you the Death Witch?'' he asked.

The stranger's smile widened as she closed the distance, stopping just in front of him. Her eyes glowed even more before answering. ''I am, my name is Lilith Deathbloom, and you must be Dante Ashbourne, the long-dead tenth hero and now the living embodiment of death.''

''Yes,'' he replied, intrigued by the woman. ''Thank you for healing me, I feel much better now.''

Lilith waved him away as a smile crossed her face as she ran a finger down his chest. ''I've been told you can supply me with enough Death Mana to help me progress in my power.''

Dante looked at the woman, tilted his head, and opened a portal to the Domain. ''Go in there if you want death, it's full of the stuff,'' he said.

When she looked into the undead realm, her eyes bulged as a wave of Death Mana slammed into her, sending the blonde tumbling onto her backside. She began muttering. ''How! No one has ever harnessed so much necrotic energy.''

''Well, there's an army of Zombies, Ghouls, and all kinds of other creatures,'' Dante revealed. ''Plus a continent's worth of dead humans.''

Lilith glanced at him like he was a monster. This only made him laugh as he approached the older woman, grinning. ''Who am I, Lilith?''

The blonde trembled in fear. She responded in a low voice. ''Death.''

She watched as his face twisted into shadows with bright red eyes and a row of shark-like teeth. ''And I've come for my revenge. You can join me or die,'' he warned.

Just then, Luna emerged from the shadows, her growl low and menacing, flanked by the Death Lion and Panther, their eyes glinting with predatory intent. Lilith froze, her breath catching as the trio's presence loomed over her. Her hands shot up in surrender, trembling, but something inside her snapped.

The weight of years of pain and rage boiled over, spilling out. ''I'm one of you!'' she screamed, her voice cracking with desperation and fury. ''I'm not your enemy! I want death, death for those wretched humans who destroyed me! They banished me, cast me out like filth! They slaughtered my family, my mother, my father, my siblings, all because I refused to be the Duke's plaything! I wouldn't crawl into his bed, wouldn't bow to his disgusting whims! They took everything from me, everything! And now I'll burn their world to ash for it!''

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