While the Heroes got paranoid, Dante was standing in front of a dark cavern that led into a place called the Death Mountains, appealing to him for obvious reasons. Luna was standing beside him after finding this place. She looked at him and warned. ''My love, this place is full of those horrible Ogres; they are hated by all races, including mine.''

''Why are they so hated?''

''They raid other races' lands, capture people only to eat them, including children, which is a no-go to the honourable ones,'' Lilith revealed, appearing in her raven form and transforming into her normal one. ''Strong monsters, stupid but can be reasoned with.''

''So they only care about eating?'' he asked, curious about them.

Luna shook her head. ''They're warriors, but more monster-like compared to other humanoid races, and they love to eat,'' she answered.

''Never heard of them, but I want these monsters,'' Dante revealed. ''Maybe they will submit once I kill their leader?''

''You want to fight the Ogre King?'' Lilith asked, shocked.

''Yes,'' he confidently declared. ''I may be low rank, but I have a lifetime of experience fighting monsters. Remember, I was Gold Rank in my past life?''

''You're devious, master,'' the wolf woman commented, grinning. ''I can't wait to see what you do.''

Lilith sighed as she compromised. ''We can always retreat to the Domain; they'll be too stupid to understand what happened.''

Dante couldn't keep the smile off his face as the three stepped into the dark cavern just as several monsters appeared around him. He held his hand up. ''Let me deal with them, ladies. I want to test something.''

With a wave, he summoned twenty Death Soldiers who materialized around them, surprising the monsters who resembled Komodo Dragons, causing him to want to capture them. He used Death Eyes on the thing to see what rank it was.

[Wyrmbloods - A Rank]

''Kill these creatures and I'll help,'' he ordered the soldiers, who instantly charged at the giant lizards.

A battle erupted as five Death Soldiers fought a Wyrmblood, thanks to the presence of four of the monsters. Dante became excited as he summoned his daggers and darted into the fray. One of the lizards swung its massive tail at him, but she slid under it while slashing at its thick hide, sending blood flying everywhere.

The creature roared in pain, but he vanished, only to appear above it and fell straight toward it and drove his daggers into its skull, killing the Wyrmblood instantly. Dante felt the experience pour into him, but there were still three to finish off. The Death Soldiers swarmed the remaining ones.

He watched as the ones wielding the spears pinned one lizard in place as the sword warrior swarmed over it. They wildly stabbed at the enemy, and minutes later, it dropped dead, leaving two who lunged forward. One of the monsters snapped a soldier in its jaws before crushing it.

It vanished into nothingness as three more were hit by the second's tail, prompting Dante to get involved. He cast several Death Blasts at the monsters before moving toward them. He became blue as he stabbed into the side of one of the Wyrmbloods and dragged his blade down.

This ripped the creature open, and its blood flowed out like a wave. Dante was drenched in its fluids as he moved toward the last one. A manic grin stretched across his face. This scared the last Wyrmblood who tried to flee, but he declared. ''You're going nowhere!''

The monster sped up, sprinting through the cavern, but he was right behind it and taunted the thing. ''I'm getting closer!''

After this happened, Dante vanished and appeared high above the creature and began hitting it with a dozen Death Bolts. The bright red projectiles sliced through the air like missiles. Seconds later, they connected with the monster, pinning it to the ground, causing it to let out a pain-filled roar.

The monster dropped dead, leaving him with a satisfied feeling washing through his body as he landed behind it. Dante stood up and summoned the Bigfoot Death Giants, ordering them to drag the body to the others. When he returned to the previous spoke, the two women were staring at him.

Their eyes were wide as Lilith commented. ''What was that, Death?''

''Now I've bonded with Luna, I've grown stronger,'' he answered as the Death Giants dumped the body.

Six more of the Wyrmbloods were stacked up, catching his attention. He glanced at the two women, who shrugged as the blonde revealed. ''They tried to sneak up on us and we killed them all.''

Dante chuckled at this before turning the monsters into his minions and casting Arise at the ten creatures. His death magic seeped into their bodies, transforming them into something different, something strong that would be useful to him in the future and during his journey toward the Ogre's.

Once the change was complete, he used Death Eyes on the creatures to find out their ranks and was pleasantly surprised by the results.

[Death Wyrmblood - S Rank]

His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly sent the monsters into the Domain to find a home for themselves. Following that, Dante turned to the women. ''Let's get going, it's getting cold here.''

The trio continued through the cavern and fought even more creatures that the Death Soldiers instantly killed. Their weapons impaled them, causing the blood to pour out like a waterfall, covering the ground. By the time the group encountered the first Ogre, they were exhausted.

Dante was surprised when the giant humanoid stepped from around a corner, holding a stone club, his eyes narrowed before casting an overcharged Death Bolt into the monster's forehead, blowing its brain out the back, covering the surrounding stones as its corpse slammed into the ground.

Luna yelped, and Lilith looked surprised as the monster's sudden death was quick. They glanced at him, questioning expressions lining their faces as he explained. ''I used Death Bolt to kill it. I didn't want it attacking thanks to being tired.''

A ripple of laughter escaped them, the sound echoing faintly in the shadowed ravine as the wolf woman, her big blue eyes glinting, seized his hand. Her grip was firm, her nails grazing his skin just enough to send a shiver down his spine. Without a word, she tugged him toward a crevice carved into the rock, its entrance hidden by a curtain of vines and moss.

She glanced back at him, her voice low and steady. ''This'll do for the night,'' she said, her tone carrying the weight of someone who'd survived countless such nights. ''Those things out there won't be able to reach us here while we rest.''

Dante nodded, his gaze flickering to the darkness beyond, where the distant snarls and rustles of unseen creatures stirred the air. Lilith trailed close behind, her steps silent but deliberate, her eyes scanning their surroundings with the wariness of a predator who knew she could just as easily become prey.

The trio slipped into the secluded alcove, a cramped but defensible hollow tucked away from the main path. The entrance was a mere slit in the stone, barely wide enough for a human to pass through sideways, let alone the Ogres that prowled the wilds outside. It was a natural fortress.

As they settled in, Dante's instincts urged him to protect the entrance. He raised a hand and summoned one of the Death Wyrmblood. The air shimmered briefly before the creature materialized. It moved to the entrance, coiling its lithe form just inside the crevice, its presence a silent warning to anything that might dare approach.

A hiss emanated from its throat, reverberating through the stone walls and into the night beyond. The sound was a clear message to the lurking horrors outside: this sanctuary was guarded, and trespassers would pay a steep price to get inside while they were relaxing before sleeping.

Luna watched the Wyrmblood with a faint smirk, her tail flicking lazily. ''Good call,'' she murmured, her voice tinged with approval. ''Let's see those beasts try to squeeze through that.''

The air inside the crevice was cool and damp, carrying the faint scent of earth and stone, and for the first time in hours, the tension in Dante's shoulders began to ease. They were hidden, protected, at least for now. They settled into the cramped space, their breaths visible in the cool, damp air.

The distant howls of the creatures outside were muffled by the rock, but the tension of their pursuit lingered like a weight in the air. Dante knelt near the center of the alcove, his hands moving as he gathered a small pile of dry twigs and kindling he'd scavenged. With a murmur, he snapped his fingers, and a spark flared to life, igniting the tinder in a soft burst of flame.

The fire crackled to life, its warm golden light pushing back the gloom and painting flickering shadows across their faces.

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