Chapter 29

After our little heart-to-heart, I led Jean to the base of the stone seal on Dante's memory and shattered it. I hadn't expected any new memories to follow, but how wrong I was.

I saw visions of Dante's childhood growing up in a large mansion alongside his brother and Mother.

According to the stories Sparda, a white-haired regal man, told him. He and a handful of other Demons came to this reality through the help of Balesco, a powerful human sorcerer.

For his part in helping them cross over, the Archdemons gave him a cup of their blood and granted him immortality. He, in turn, used his new-found immortality and demonic power to conquer Limbo and abduct a few human women whom he raped and had children with.

Most of the archdemons scattered throughout the stars, setting up on fresh planets rather than battling each other for a backwater like Earth, but Sparda was content to stay.

Weary of war and slaughter, he decided to act as guardian to Earth and a check for Belasco. He didn't wish for any more of his fellow demons to make the journey through to this reality.

Over time, Belasco built a society of half-demon hybrids in Limbo and approached Sparda about moving them to the surface to repopulate the Earth, but Sparda refused him.

He'd come to care for the humans and other creatures that occupied this world. He knew what would happen to it if he let Belasco loose.

So, in a fight that lasted days, Sparda put Belasco in his place. None of his demon-human hybrids were ever to cross the veil.

For centuries, Belasco obeyed, biding his time, slowly growing his army, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

It presented itself nearly 20 years ago when something came through Belasco's long-dead teleportation circle.

It was an Angel, and the forces of Limbo immediately attacked her. She wielded shifting weapons and energy constructs and managed to beat back most of Belasco's forces until the sorcerer himself stepped forward.

He put her down fairly quickly but did not kill her, marveling at her power. He figured children made from his seed and her genetics could grow powerful enough to rival Sparda one day and let him invade the surface, but the Legendary Dark Knight put an end to his plans before they formed.

Sparda took Eva to the surface world. And in no time, they fell in love and had two children, Virgil and Dante.

Desperate for revenge, Belasco sent a message to Mundus, the conqueror and former King of the demon world. He had a grudge against Sparda and was furious when he discovered that Sparda had taken an Angel as a wife. He and Belasco invaded their home, killed Eva, and sealed Sparda after the Dark Knight sucessfully hid his sons.

Mundus left Earth after the deal, leaving Belasco to do with it as he pleased. Now, only the sorcerers of Sanctum Sanctorium hold back his forces.

Oh, hell.

What the fuck did Shin get me into now? I thought I was done with all of Dante's crap. Now, you're telling me there's an entire dimension of demons that were probably after me.

Congratulations: You've triggered your second Quest from your God and Patron, Shin the Avaricious.

Free The Dark Knight Sparda, kill Mundus, the four other Arch Demons roaming the Marvel Universe, and wipe out Belasco's army.

Hand over the Belasco to Shin and submit control of Limbo.

Reward: 2 Advanced Class Tokens, 1000 stat points, a World Key, and 1 Legendary-tier item from the shop.

Note from Shin

You found the other thing I wanted. Thank heavens you're not completely slow. The Paradise Simulacrum could have gone undiscovered for years if you never thought to combine both of your energies. P.S. Do more of that, by the way.

You didn't need to be a genius to explain why Shin wanted Limbo. He wanted to get his hand on Belasco's bullshit multiversal summon magic.

It had been powerful enough to transport several arch demons and an Angel from several multiverses. No doubt, Ilyana had something to do with this.

Thinking about the entire ordeal gave me a small migraine, but after I broke it down, I realized it wasn't that big of a deal.

I could end Belasco and his army with a wave of my hand if I find the Power, Mind, or Space stone.

As for the remaining four archdemons, they'd get their due in time.

The only task I was slightly nervous about was saving Sparda.

I kept myself from getting too excited about the rewards, remembering who they were from. If my plan worked out, I'd not need to rely on Shin's charity to get stronger.

—

"Are you okay?" Jean's voice pulled me back to the platform. I was covered in sweat and slightly unsteady on my feet.

"Dante, do you need to sit down?" she asked. "What did you see?"

I let out a dark chuckle. "I officially know where I come from, and it's no surprise. I'm half-demon like I told you." I knew I was technically lying to Jean, but I couldn't fully trust her. She was a fencesitter until she made up her mind about the professor.

"Ooh," she sounded slightly disappointed, so I decided to give her more.

"I have a family out there, apparently," I said, folding my arms. "I will have to look for them when all this is over."

"It's good to hear you have someone," Jean said. "They could be looking for you."

A humorous chuckle escaped my lips. "Doubt it," I said. "Let's get to the mental drills."

Jean's opening attack cracked open my mental shield like a walnut. My adept mental resistance lasted all of five minutes against her. I was gasping, gripping the side of my head, when the first session was over.

"Need a break?" Jean asked in an innocent voice.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I said, spiking Angel Regeneration. The intense pain faded, but the headache lingered for a minute longer before we went at it repeatedly.

We worked on my Mental resistance stat for hours, slowly grinding it past the initial stage until I could resist Jean for up to fifteen minutes before she wore me down. Each time she got through my walls, she didn't thankfully linger, only skimming my bare surface thoughts.

I slowly learned to be guarded around her, though I didn't intend for it. Still, Jean noticed easily enough. I concentrated on the mission, focusing on strange obsessions like how much the punching bags in the gym weighed and how SHIELD would react when they met me.

"You know, you don't have to go through with this," Jean said. "The fact that you're willing to endure this much pain tells me you believe the Professor is guilty."

"But do you believe it, though?"

The look on her face was telling. "You have to see it with your own eyes. I know you love him like a father, and you're struggling with this. I would need irrefutable proof if I were your shoes. The occasional migraine is a small price to pay for your peace of mind."

Jean didn't say much after that, and neither did I. We spent the next few hours slowly building up my mental resistance, and just as my skill was about to expire, I told Jean the particulars of my plan to expose the professor.

"You're going to call SHIELD?" Jean yelled, staring at me as if I was a crazy person. My mental shield was up, so she didn't see how much fun I was having at her expense.

"I'm going to have you do what the professor promised three weeks back."

"Didn't you say they were after you for killing their agent?" Jean brought up a fair point.

"That was a mistake, and the agent was most likely dirty. Besides, after I go through with my plan, they'll be crazy not to try and negotiate with me."

"Are you going to tell me the particulars of this crazy plan of yours?"

"As soon as we deal with the Professor."

Jean let out a frustrated huff and sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"The professor needs to be off-kilter when I provoke him, so we do that by letting him think that SHIELD has caught onto his little secret."

"Won't he suspect you of setting this up somehow?"

"Not if his perfect Jean does it in my stead," I smirked. "Here's what I want you to do."