Chapter 20

Congratulations: You've learned a Demonic Energy Technique: Burst.

-10 DE

A wide grin spread across my face as my boots scraped against the rough stone of the second platform.

I let out a loud hoot and pumped my fist in the air. As exhilarating as that was, I'd not made the jump lightly.

I had spent several hours trying to break out of the strange dimension before I decided to jump. I'd practiced ejecting demonic energy for hours, using it to do everything from augmenting my punch and kicks to boosting my vertical leaps and double jumping in the air.

The daring jump I'd just completed had been what finally netted me the named technique, however.

The journey to the seals after that was a cinch. While I hoped that I would leave this realm with a tool to keep Xavier out of my mind, I wasn't counting on it. For now, I settled for just getting out alive.

Besides, I didn't know how much time would've passed when I returned. In the DMC game, no time passed when Dante returned to the real world, but this universe has shown me again and again that this wasn't a game.

So, I didn't know what to expect.

I cleared distances that should've been impossible for anybody else, and I constantly had to remind myself that I wasn't human, though I looked like it.

Bludgeoning it with my meaty fists seemed like my option. It was crude, I know, but I didn't think Rebellion would do any better.

Trouble found me when I was a few platforms away from the Stone Seal. It was at the top of a set of dilapidated staircases, and it pulsed with bright crimson energy.

A black rift opened in reality, and a writhing mass poured out of it.

Startled, I took a few big steps backward and summoned Rebellion.

My heart raced as I watched the mass stretch and suddenly dig into the ground around, shattering stone. It spread itself around the chunks, stacking them on each other until they resembled something vaguely humanoid. It was hunched over, with one hand several times larger than the other and a head missing. It was, without a doubt, the most disturbing thing I'd ever seen.

Just when I thought things could not get any worse, an eye opened up at the center of the mass, staring intently at me.

"What the fuck." I took a step back. I recognized the eye, though I'd only seen it in passing. It was the eye of that Outer Eldritch Thing. It'd only seen me once in Shin's domain before I got sent here, yet it tracked me down across universes.

A guttural, scraping voice emerged from the stone mass.

"Mine…" it hissed as it swung its chunky hand forward.

I ducked under the swipe and summoned one of the two grenades that I'd stolen from the men at Donnie's shop. I pulled the pin and slid it over, backpedaling rapidly. The explosion eviscerated my otherworldly visitor, along with half of the platform.

A flood of energy filled me, threatening to throw me off my feet as a notification rolled in.

You've killed a Lesser Eldritch Concrete Spawn, a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the many minds of Quellithrax, the Insatiable. You've caught his eye, beware.

You've earned 30 Red Orbs.

"Now you tell me!"

Once again, Shin's antics had fucked me over, but I couldn't complain about the influx of Red Orbs. A few more Concrete Spawns and I could buy Ophion. With the way things were going, I had a feeling I would need the grappling hook.

The black portal in front of me pulsed again, and two masses poured out instead of one this time, and I moved immediately. I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

A lobbed a grenade at the writhing pair as I turned tail and ran. A double jump carried to a stone platform behind just as the grenade went off. It kicked up a cloud of smoke as the Island crumbled, and small chunks of it fell into the endless sea.

You've earned 30 Red Orbs.

I immediately activated my Devil Eye skill the second I saw the notification, and it saved my life.

Lesser Eldritch Concrete Brute.

I saw the name floating at the edge of the smoke cloud microseconds before a mass of stone and writhing black tentacles crashed onto the spot where I previously stood. A handy use of burst had carried me halfway across the platform.

The ground shook beneath my feet, sending vibrations through every inch of me.

The single eye stared at me, its proportions largely identical to his predecessor. He was 10 feet tall with a heavy top and tiny legs. Several tentacles danced behind its back, but most mass concentrated on its chunky forearms that ended in fists as thick as trees.

The blow came faster than I could blink, dying my white hair red as it grazed my scalp. Its boulder-like fist had been launched and was still connected to its unnatural body by pulsing black tendrils that yanked it back moments after I ducked underneath its fist.

I rolled out of the way, coming up with a 12-gauge shotgun that I unloaded into its chest. I pumped the action and fired again and again, sending it stumbling back one step.

The Brute's fist swung out, landing slightly to my right as I summoned Rebellion and swung at the black tendrils connecting the fist to the rest of the body.

My blade made it halfway through before it was clashed against a bit of stone. I had to unsummon my weapon and scramble to the side to dodge the second fist.

I couldn't use Rebellion unless it were a clean cut, so I switched tactics.

I hitched back a ride to its body on its returning limb and gave it a taste of its own medicine with a demonic energy-infused fist. The first Burst had it tipping over, but the second one put it flat on its ass. I raised my energy-clad fist, aiming for its big eye when its black tendrils surged. I immediately leaped back, but a sole tendril snagged my right leg, pulling me in. More tendrils struck out and I twisted, summoning Rebellion.

Since it was made from Eldritch gunk, Rebellion chopped the tendril wrapped around my leg and parried the others. I landed on my feet, smiling. A preemptive use of Burst positioned me across a mess of attacking tentacles, and another one allowed me to cut most of them.

The Brute roared in pain.

A third Burst sent me straight into its sole eye, sword first.

Rebellion sunk to the hilt, and I abandoned it immediately when I felt the Brute shift. I backpedaled with a Burst, but I was not nearly fast enough.

I was in the air before I realized it, hands windmilling, with most of my side crushed.

-250 HP

I was above the platforms now, but I knew I only had seconds before I went over the edge and fell to my death.

With a mental command, I unsummoned and resummoned Rebellion and yelled "Status." I toggled to the Devil Arm Section and immediately purchased Ophion.

Rebellion warped before my very eyes. Its blade transformed into a long interlinking metal spine with a rusty claw at the end of it. It snapped open and shut as it pulsed with demonic energy. I immediately recognized it as the Demon Pull ability of Ophion.

I needed the Angel Lift ability, so I switched energy, and the change was immediate. The head transformed into a serpent-like monster with long vicious canines pulsing with blue energy.

I aimed Ophion at one of the floating chunks above us and fired. It snagged the chunk of rubble just as my body fell past my platform.

With a mental tug, I commanded Ophion to shorten, slingshotting me over the edge and flipping back onto the Brute's platform.

Unsurprisingly, the fucker was still alive. But now that'd taken out its eye, it was flailing and helpless.

Good.

I switched energies and flung out Ophion, grabbing hold of one of the Brute's legs, and I yanked, tripping it over. I moved to its flank and watched as it tried to stumble its way back to its feet, but I grabbed hold of its hand and pulled again, bringing it that much closer to the edge.

I repeated the trick two more times before it finally caught on and grabbed Ophion's chain, but by then, it was too late. It was at the very edge, and I'd switched energies. I pulled myself to it and desummoned Rebellion at the very last moment, slamming into the Brute with a Burst strike to the chest. It fell right over the edge, and I nearly joined it, with half of my body dangling.

It took more effort than I expected to pull myself back onto the platform. I was panting when the notification popped in.

You've earned 60 Red Orbs.

Jesus. That was the equivalent of offing 15 humans. Taking him down felt like it, too. I burned Angel Regeneration, rapidly restoring my health.

The latest notification brought my Red Orb count to 62. Under normal circumstances, that would've made me excited, but then I looked at the Dark Portal.

A familiar single eye was staring out of it now, regarding me with naked hunger. Strangely, all I felt was white-hot anger.

"What the fuck are you staring at, you peeper."

"TaSTy MoRSeL. aLL RoAds LeAd to QUELLITRAX."

Quellitrax's voice boomed in my mind, its voice a chorus of distorted whispers. His enormous mind briefly touching mine was enough to send me stumbling to my knees with my nose bleeding.

Something good did come out of nearly getting my mind melted.

Congratulations. For bearing the weight of an infinitesimally small portion of Quellitrax's will you've learned Mental Resistance: Adept.

Congratulations: You've received your first Quest from your God and Patron, Shin, The Avaricious.

A Lesser Fragment of Quilltrax has followed you here from the Void between realities for what was denied him. Your essence. Beat back 5 Incursions of the Insatiable Eldritch.

1 of 5

Time till next Incursion 1 month.

Rewards: One class token from the Shin's Multiverse-famous Shop.

For completing 1 of many trials, you've been rewarded 1 of the 2 keys needed to access Shin's store.

Note from Shin.

Wow, that was intense. I mean unlocking Ophion just as you fell over the edge, only to come back and kick Stone Golem's ass? Main continuity Dante would be proud.

In case you were wondering, yes, I let him follow you. No, this will not be the last time I put your life in danger for my amusement, and if we're being honest, you know as well as I do that you needed the Red Orbs.

Besides, Quell is a dick, and he could use some humbling.

Anyway, Ciao, and happy hunting.