My Blood Legacy: Reincarnated as a Vampire

"Every moment I spend here feels heavier, as if the very Limbo itself is trying to drain me completely," Dante muttered as he walked through the whispering souls, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. The voices around him seemed to reach for his mind, but he ignored them with the characteristic determination that defined him.

Now, his goal was clear: reach the next layer. Limbo had already proven to be a treacherous test, but he knew the true hell was only beginning.

"How's the fight between Lucifer and Astaroth?" Dante suddenly asked, his voice cutting through the oppressive silence as he quickened his pace, moving with increasing speed toward the depths.

A laugh echoed beside him. He glanced briefly to see Alter-Dante floating a few meters away, his expression laced with casual sarcasm.

"I'd say it's turning into quite an interesting fight," Alter-Dante replied, keeping pace effortlessly.

"Oh, really?" Dante questioned, not slowing down.

"Lucifer wasn't joking when he said he'd prepare. Looks like he's finally showing why he should be the Emperor of the Underworld," Alter-Dante commented, his eyes gleaming with a mocking tone. "But what surprises me is how well Astaroth is holding up... in fact, she's pushing him impressively hard."

Dante let out a thoughtful sound, not allowing himself to be distracted. "She stole the power of several demon kings. You can't deny the strength that gave her. She was supposed to be stronger than him, but... she probably hasn't found the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

"She might not have found them," Alter-Dante replied, a sinister grin forming on his face. "But I have."

The words struck Dante like thunder, and he came to an abrupt halt, his feet skidding on the rough ground. His cold gaze locked onto Alter-Dante's, his eyes sharp with intensity.

"Where?" Dante demanded, his voice firm and unwavering. "Which of the Nine Circles?"

Alter-Dante crossed his arms, floating with a nonchalant air as if savoring the moment. "That depends. Do you really want to know now, or would you rather discover it as you reach each layer?"

Dante narrowed his eyes, his fists clenched. "I don't have patience for riddles. If you know where they are, speak."

Alter-Dante laughed, the sound echoing like a taunt. "Ah, Dante... impatience is your greatest weakness, you know? You always want quick answers, but this game doesn't work that way. The Horsemen aren't just pieces on the board—they are the board. Finding them won't be as simple as following a direction."

"Enough of this." Dante stepped forward, his presence radiating authority. "If you know where they are, tell me. Or I swear I'll force the answer out of you."

Alter-Dante's grin widened, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I'd love to see you try. But let's avoid that scene, shall we? I'm not here to hinder you, Dante. I'm here to prepare you. And believe me, every layer you descend will bring you closer to them. You just need to be ready to face them."

Dante took a deep breath, controlling the anger burning within him. He knew Alter-Dante was enjoying himself at his expense, but he also knew he rarely spoke without purpose.

"If they're in the Circles, I'll find them," Dante said, his voice low but brimming with determination. "And when I do, nothing will stop me from taking what I need."

Alter-Dante floated to the side, giving Dante room to resume his journey. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you. But the Horsemen aren't like Minos or any other demon you've faced. They are entities born of chaos and destruction."

Dante cast one final glance at Alter-Dante before continuing his descent, his steps firm and swift. "I already have enough strength. All that's left is to prove it."

Alter-Dante watched as he moved away, the smile on his lips slowly fading. "We'll see," he murmured, more to himself than to Dante, before vanishing into the darkness that surrounded them.

The final layer of Hell, a plane utterly devastated, where the air itself seemed to crackle with raw energy, and the ground was broken into infinite floating fragments. The sky above, tinged with blood-red and absolute black, roared with incessant thunder. At the heart of this chaos, Lucifer and Astaroth clashed like titans, their powers defying the very fabric of reality.

Lucifer, his black wings spread wide in all their grandeur, radiated an aura that flickered between gold and black. His eyes, like smoldering embers, locked onto Astaroth with unyielding intensity. His celestial sword, a weapon that seemed to slice even the essence of the air, was wreathed in white flames burning with the fury of a thousand stars.

Astaroth, on the other hand, embodied pure destruction. Her wings, though battered, did nothing to diminish her overwhelming presence. Her horns, appearing as if forged from living obsidian, pulsed with dark energy. She wielded a scythe seemingly formed of liquid shadows, devouring the light around it. Her eyes burned with a mixture of unshakable focus and feral madness.

"Lucifer," Astaroth roared, her voice reverberating like the echo of a thousand storms. "You are the last obstacle between me and total control of Hell. I will not retreat."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Control?" Lucifer retorted with a cold smile. "You seek to reduce the Underworld to ashes in the name of your greed. That is not control—it's annihilation. And I will not allow it."

Without further words, they lunged at each other. Lucifer's sword met Astaroth's scythe in a clash that erupted into an explosion of energy, sending shockwaves that tore through the landscape. Fragments of earth and stone were hurled in every direction as their blows turned the environment into a storm of chaos.

Astaroth was the first to retreat, spinning her scythe in a wide arc that unleashed a wave of black energy toward Lucifer. He raised his sword, dispelling the attack with a precise strike, but had no time to rest. Astaroth appeared before him in an instant, her movements blurring with supernatural speed. Her scythe slashed horizontally, forcing Lucifer to lean back narrowly to avoid it before countering with an upward slash.

The scythe and sword collided again, but this time the impact generated an explosion of force that drove them apart. Lucifer used his wings to stabilize himself in midair while Astaroth landed gracefully on a floating fragment of earth. Her smile was fierce, almost triumphant.

"Is that all you've got, Lucifer?" she taunted, raising her scythe. "I expected more from a fallen archangel."

Without responding, Lucifer raised his free hand and summoned a rain of light spears, descending from the heavens like comets. Astaroth spun her scythe in a circular motion, forming a barrier of darkness that absorbed the spears before they could reach her. As the final spear vanished, she launched herself at Lucifer again, her scythe slashing diagonally, forcing the archangel to evade.

"You don't understand," Lucifer said as he parried another strike. "I didn't fall to be destroyed by someone like you. I fell to defy fate, to stand against injustice."

"Spare me your speeches," Astaroth spat, her voice dripping with disdain. "You cling to outdated ideals. This is a new age, and I am its future."

They clashed once more, their battle now even more ferocious. Lucifer struck with precise, measured blows, each swing of his sword a testament to millennia of skill and experience. Astaroth, however, fought with calculated savagery, her scythe seemingly alive as it shifted forms and struck at Lucifer from impossible angles.

The battle seemed balanced, but it was clear both were testing each other's limits. Every exchanged blow was accompanied by explosions of energy that shook the battlefield. The two titans were mirrors of power—light against darkness—but neither yielded ground.

Lucifer, realizing he needed to change the dynamic, raised his hand once more, summoning a sphere of pure light that glowed intensely before expanding into a devastating wave. Astaroth, caught off guard, was thrown backward but quickly recovered, stabbing her scythe into the ground and creating a field of darkness that neutralized the light.

"Not bad," she admitted, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. "But I've got a few tricks of my own."

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Raising both hands, she channeled energy as the scythe dissolved into a cloud of shadows. From the shattered ground emerged grotesque creatures, monsters forged from pure darkness, charging at Lucifer with murderous intent.

Lucifer stood his ground. Spinning his sword, he unleashed an arc of light that cleaved the monsters in two before they could reach him. But for every creature destroyed, two more emerged, forcing him to move constantly while defending against their relentless attacks.

Astaroth seized the distraction to strike again, appearing behind Lucifer in the blink of an eye. He turned just in time to block the scythe that reappeared in her hands, but the impact sent him hurtling backward, crashing through several floating fragments of earth before regaining his balance.

"You can't last forever," Astaroth said, advancing relentlessly. "I am chaos incarnate. The more you fight, the stronger I become."

Lucifer, now visibly worn but still resolute, smiled with a mix of exhaustion and determination. "Perhaps. But I'm not here to last forever. I'm here to win. This ends for you now."