Burst In Blazing Glory

Outside the cave, Dante suddenly appeared after successfully escaping from Amber. With his worn-out body, he dragged himself towards the ominous-looking gate. Reaching into his haori, he removed a scroll. After a close inspection of the gate, he inserted the scroll into what looked like a round keyhole.

After a few clicking sounds, the gate was wide open leading into a dimly lit room. The dimly lit room had a single path leading into a tunneled hallway. With no choice, he entered just as the gate closed behind him with no signs of the inserted scroll.

''Huh? A little kid just entered so effortlessly. Finally, after months of no activity, I can complete my task and head back to young master's service'' A muscular middle-aged-looking man in black formal attire said to himself. This man was standing on top of a tree near the cave, spotting Dante's arrival.

Years ago, a mysterious and gloomy-looking cave appeared in the depths of the Glacier Forest. After being discovered by a traveler, the information was sold to mercenaries who intended to excavate such a mysterious place. More often than not, these places were fraught with danger but also with rewards.

But sadly the traveler intentionally left out the information about his inability to explore the mysterious cave. Without the scroll-like key of the gate, entry was denied. Pushing, pulling, and attacking the gate did not budge it open.

After many years of no activity, everyone returned to their daily lives. Out of the blue, information about the scroll-like key was discovered. In the information, it was stated that the key was in the possession of a lord of the Nightmare Brigade sub-branch.

But with the influence, the organization wielded no one dared to engage in any confrontation that may seem to challenge the authority of the organization as a whole. With the radical personalities exhibited by the mobsters in the organization, attacking a Lord of just a sub-branch might come back to bite the attacker in the ass.

Hence, individuals with their eyes set on the price resorted to covert operations to steal the scroll right under his nose. With some hiring professionals and some using kids due to their misleading innocent features. Unsurprisingly, Dante was one of the few hired and that single encounter, set a blazing course in his life where he met great personalities. So here they were with the hired owning the key.

The muscular man suddenly disappeared as he headed to his young master's location to report his findings. He felt excited about his upcoming release from his boring watch duty.

**********************

On the carpet in the well-ornamented throne room, lay Dante. A flame-like marking spread across Dante's body from his neck covering his right chest down to his right arm. Right after the appearance of the marking, his body started undergoing minute transformations.

A black waste substance was excreted from his body, as his marrow and blood pathways were cleared. His body was refined by this mysterious marking, taking a much firmer and sturdier shape. With muscles compressed containing terrifying strength, his abs took a much-chiseled form.

The spread markings felt alive for some reason. The markings devoured the waste substance and all the hidden injuries in Dante's body after years of fighting. All the scars were healed except for the one across his chest.

Even after spreading entirely across his chest, the marking found it impossible to heal that scar for some reason. With no other option, it retreated, forming a pitch-black cyclone tattoo on his neck. The cyclone swallowed up his other tattoos leaving their original positions void of any form of marking, except for the infinity sign circled by blue flames on his back that had suddenly appeared.

After the transformation gradually reached completion, Dante's eyebrow fluttered, regaining his consciousness.

He looked with an expression of confusion plastered over his face. After a look around he found nothing different from his usual surrounding. But a weird feeling crept in as he run his hands over his body.

Only to find his body had undergone overwhelming changes and his Cursed Brands had mysteriously disappeared. He instantly panicked, scanning the throne room for the weird spirit-like being. He didn't know how, but he knew that these changes had something to do with him.

Whoosh

Suddenly, Dante disappeared from the throne room

and appeared in a mysterious dimension. Once he arrived in the dimension, a rush of information projected in front of him which was permanently stored in his memory.

In the dimension, a vast expanse of land in a volcanic region, with a continuous flow of magma beneath the ground, resulted in soaring temperatures akin to a sauna appeared before him.

The area was adorned with enormous circular rocks that were oddly stacked on top of each other, with the higher rocks being relatively cooler.

Multiple lava mountains dotted the landscape, one of which had an intricate network of underground tunnels leading to the lava lake beneath. At the summit of the dormant volcano, a crater spanning 800 meters across and 200 meters deep was present, with lava streams flowing from its walls and pools of lava scattered across its floor.

The region had an extensive network of caves that led to the underground concentration of superheated mana fueling the volcanoes, and the tunnels were hotter than the surface.

The atmospheric mana, combined with the high temperatures, made it challenging to breathe and only creatures with a high fire affinity could survive in the area. The magma below had a temperature of 1800 degrees, and the land itself was approximately 1500 degrees, hot enough to cook anyone alive if stood on for too long.

The valleys were flooded with water that flowed into the tunnels, triggering massive volcanic eruptions that released clouds of ash and obscured the blazing sun hanging in the fiery sky of the dimension.

During the night, the volcano ceased erupting, and the lava receded, revealing a hidden dungeon within a cave located in the deepest parts of the underground tunnel beneath the lava mountain.

The entrance was a plain doorway made of stone blocks, adorned with a strange marking above it, and opening into a tunnel lined with large crystals leading to a chamber full of traps.

The pathway was guarded by several lava stone golems. After taking in all these landmarks, he opened his eyes, familiar with the strange dimension.

The projection before him was the rumored ''Mana Signature''. This should not have been possible since he still felt the same. There were no signs of any Awakening and the series of shocking occurrences numbed him from this inconsistency.

Suddenly, a large dragon appeared in the fiery sky of the dimension. A loud pained roar resounded throughout the dimension as an eagle sunk its piercing talons into the fiery scales of the dragon.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Continuous explosions rumbled throughout the fiery sky, tearing apart the very clouds that acted minimally as shade against the blazing red ball of fire that hang in the sky.

As the explosions subsided, the victorious eagle emerged from the dust, bearing a few injuries on its body. The dragon, an ancient and legendary creature hailed as the king of the sky, landed heavily in a crater formed on one of the lava mountains.

The eagle screeched, noticing the insignificant human who had arrived in the Abyss domain, a place where even the lowest races dared not venture. However, with its weakened state, the human could not cause much disturbance in this realm. With a single flap of its wings, the eagle left behind a trail of shadows and vanished from Dante's sight.

As Dante wiped the sweat off his brow, he couldn't help but regret not thinking things through before venturing into such an ominous-looking place.

The oppressive aura surrounding the first gate he encountered should have been a warning sign. Now, with no sign of the spirit-like being that seemed to be the ruler of this dimension, he had no clear path of return. All he could do was explore the area in hopes of finding a clue that could lead to his safe exit.

Fifteen minutes later, after walking for about a mile, gasping for air, his sweat-covered body collapsed on one knee. With the nearest lake being close to the lava mountain that the huge dragon, Dante hesitated as he headed towards it.

Either he died of thirst or he was chomped on by a dragon, with his chances, all he could do was leave it up to fate. With his mind made, he climbed to the peak of the lava mountain.

The heat borne by the mountain left scalding wounds on his unprotected arm. Most parts of his inferior clothing had been obliterated by the scorching heat and with no protection, he laid bare and at the mercy of the scorching heat.

He seemed to have overestimated the change in his body constitution as his consciousness slowly drifted away. Under the glare of such scorching heat emanating from all sides, no ordinary human could have survived for so long.

Suddenly, the spirit-like being appeared before him with the same psychotic smile on his face. He seemed to be enjoying Dante's misfortune since his mere presence had disrupted his years of planning.

But with the subtle hints from the brat's parents, he knew if the kid died, his survival would not be guaranteed. But even without the hints, he had no choice but to save the kid, now that their lives were tied together.

He touched Dante's forehead and transferred a mysterious energy that coursed through his body.

Once the energy moved through his pathways, the fatigue rolled off his body, in the process of revitalizing him.

''He has a firm will as demonstrated by his determined climb to this mountain and he lacks the hesitation of an amateur. He acted after accessing all the information he received from the system'' The spirit-like being mused on weighing in on Dante's strength as a means of convincing himself of the credibility of his choice.

If Dante turned out to be trash, his years of preparing would have been for naught. Putting those thoughts aside...

'' We have not been properly introduced. I am an Abyssal Spirit and the last survivor of my kind. My Abyss Soul Name is Elrid. This dimension is known as a Plane and it has been contracted to my soul. I have merged my soul with yours as proof of my magnanimity and with this, you can get stronger by walking a different path from other ''Awakened''.'' Elrid said to Dante in a serious tone with hints of deceit.

''What are you.....''

''No questions will be answered now. I will help you use a little bit of my power since this is all new to you. Leaving this dimension can only be possible after killing the flaming dragon on the crater floor. This will be your main weapon from now on'' Elrid interjected as he handed a pitch-black katana to Dante. He stared at his Soul Arm with a pained expression.

''Let's get this over with quickly'' Elrid said as he disappeared back into Dante's consciousness.

Suddenly, a smoky black aura surrounded Dante's body. In a range of fifteen meters, the heat emanating due to the presence of the scorching mana abruptly plummeted.

Involuntarily, Dante's body rushed into the volcano charging toward the wounded dragon on the crater floor leaving a smoky trail. The smoky aura enveloped his new katana aiming right for the gaping wound, the talons of the eagle had left on the dragon's skin.

Clang!

Unexpectedly, the sword clashed against the thick scales of the flaming dragon instead of the wound on its side. The sharp edge of the katana, slid ineffectively across the thick scales of the serpentine beast, not leaving a tiny scratch on its scales.

But the smoky aura slowly devoured the thick fiery mana surrounding the mythical beast. Seeing that his attack was ineffective, Dante hurriedly stepped back, staring warily at the rising dragon.

The reason he decided to go with the plan suggested by the being called Elrid, was because he believed the dragon was on its last leg. After being a witness to the previous terrifying clash- even if he did not catch a glimpse of the fight- he knew the amount of damage the dragon sustained.

But as usual, everything did not go as planned. The dragon rose, unraveling itself from its coil. Looking down at the insignificant human, opening its mouth, a concentrated scorching blast of fire breathed out its mouth with sheer destructiveness. Lacking mobility as a result of the confined space prevented Dante's escape.

Bracing himself, he focused all the smoky aura he could control at the edge of his blade. Once in range, he swung his blade in full force slicing the ball of flames. The resulting explosion sent him flying back leaving him with scorching injuries.

This short but dangerous engagement had Dante on his toes. Even after using his years of combat experience, all he could barely do was defend.

He knew that he from an hour ago, would even die before such a terrifying foe.

Even though Elrid was to blame for his predicament, he was grateful that he could engage in a fight of this standard. Surviving meant sharpened sword skills and sharpened sword skills meant he was one step closer to his goal.

A smile lit up his face, clutching the hit of his katana tightly. With his enhanced agility, he charged toward the enraged beast that hovered dangerously above him.

With full force, a sharp claw tearing up wind struck toward him. Weaving through seamlessly, he barely evaded the attack that could have mangled him. This just further enraged the floating flaming dragon. In the next moment, the dragon moved with frightening speed, throwing two of its claws in the direction of Dante.

Repeating the same movements, Dante nimbly wove through the dragon's claws barely evading attacks that could have potentially crushed him. Upon identifying small openings, he capitalized with sword strikes that just effortlessly slid against the creature's thick scale.

Evading a second too late, the heavy and sharp claws of the dragon landed on his tiny body, spraying blood and viscera around the crater floor which quickly evaporated upon coming into contact with the blistering mana.

Click! Snap!

A click sounded in his consciousness, snapping his eyes open, he hurriedly evaded toward the right. The heavy and sharp claws of the dragon landed where he used to be standing.

With this premonition, Dante finally confirmed the existence of his Trait abilities. Even though his tattoos had mysteriously disappeared he seemed to have retained his abilities. This was his thought, regaining his confidence due to the presence of his abilities.

Taking the active role, his shoulder muscles bulged out as he held his katana with his two hands. His dark smoky aura enveloped the katana surrounded by a pale yellow sword light. With his full strength, he swung his katana aiming for the dragon's injury with his Extrasensory Perception.

A streak of yellow and dark blue light mixed rushed out the blade of his katana charging toward the dragon. Upon contact with the gaping hole, a bright light swallowed up the darkness projected by the crater. All that was left of the dragon was... nothing. No traces of its blistering mana nor its corpse.

On the crater floor laid a collapsed Dante with no form of protection. The flickering smoky aura surrounding him suddenly extinguished...