Our friends are frozen in surprise after seeing such a formidable character appear. From one moment to the next, his flames die down, revealing a very muscular man wearing a strange hat from which fire erupted, dressed like an ancient Aztec emperor; the god stands there, watching them.
DANTE HERALDI: Hey MALEKIN, do you think it's okay to just stand here staring instead of running?
MALEKIN: Activate the power that covers your whole body. Here he comes, dog; stay close to me.
REX: As ordered.
HUEHUETEOTL leaps from the bottom of the dry lake and lands right in front of our friends.
HUEHUETEOTL: Hello, gentlemen. What brings you here, to these lands?
DANTE HERALDI: (to himself) The heat... just being a few meters away, I can feel this immense heat. If it weren't for this power covering my body, I'd be dead.
MALEKIN: Nice to see you, HUE. How have you been? I'd appreciate it if you could turn down the heat a bit; you're hitting nearly 200 degrees right now, and these mortals won't last long.
HUEHUETEOTL: Such insolence, MALEKIN. You expect a god to lower himself for a mortal? (MALEKIN looks at him very seriously.) It seems you have a soft spot for this boy and his pet. Fine, then. Let me introduce myself properly. (The ambient heat drops.) I am the god of fire; you may call me HUE for short, instead of the long name the Creator gave me. And MALEKIN, who is this boy? What are you hiding so intently?
MALEKIN: If I tell you, you won't get mad, right?
HUE: What is this about? (with a sharp glare) Spit it out, MALEKIN. You know I don't like surprises.
DANTE HERALDI: (to himself) This guy is dangerous. The temperature dropped, but it's still pretty hot; I'd better not lower my "Shadow Mantle."
MALEKIN: I'm training him; he… has been marked by BELL.
HUE: (The veins on his head bulge with rage) What? A protégé of that cursed, deceitful, boastful, ARROGANT BRAGGER! (The flames on his hat turn a brilliant white).
MALEKIN: Wait, HUE! For some reason, he just gave him power and left him alone; he hasn't done anything else since.
HUE: Hmm, you're right. (His fire returns to a reddish hue). That being... no one knows how his mind works, but I find this interesting. How about a fight, brat?
DANTE HERALDI: Huh? (He looks at MALEKIN).
MALEKIN: Go ahead. (Resigned) He won't kill you, but fight seriously; he isn't as patient as I am. You should be able to hold your own against him for a while, so give it your best. (Sighs).
REX: Could I fight too?
MALEKIN: What a miracle! You're usually a bit of a coward.
REX: I see DANTE moving forward and I'm not sure I can keep up with his pace, but maybe I can be of some help.
MALEKIN: Hey, HUE, do you agree to let the dog fight you too? A 2-on-1.
HUE: Well, if you'll vouch for him, no problem. The boy can withstand me to a point with his power, but that dog has nothing like what the boy has.
MALEKIN: Okay. (Envelops REX in a kind of shield around his entire body.) There, REX, this will hold you off for a while. When I tell you to back off, retreat because my shield won't last much longer.
REX: Thank you very much, MALEKIN.
MALEKIN: Alright, get some distance and begin. I'll put up a large barrier around you so you don't ruin this forest's ecosystem.
HUE: How considerate. You know very well this forest is special, but then again, maybe you just don't want to attract everything that lives here, right? (MALEKIN looks at him seriously, sweating slightly.)
MALEKIN: Fine. BEGIN!
Our friends pull back from HUE to size him up; HUE just stands there watching. The current temperature inside the barrier is 100 degrees, and our friends can feel the heat. DANTE concentrates his power to maintain his mantle, and REX, thanks to the barrier he has, feels cool, so they leap toward HUE with everything they've got. DANTE swings his sword, but HUE catches it with his bare hand and tosses it aside; REX launches a volley of fireballs, which HUE absorbs with his mouth as the temperature continues to climb to 200 degrees. Even after this brief exchange, our friends are already exhausted, while HUE just watches them with a smirk.
HUE: Good. It's my turn to attack. Are you ready? Hahaha!
Our friends drop into a defensive stance, and HUE attacks REX with blinding speed, kicking him and sending him flying into the air. Instantly, he closes the gap with DANTE and throws a punch; DANTE manages to block it, and HUE is surprised by DANTE's immense reaction speed. However, despite the block, the force of the blow sends DANTE flying back several meters.
DANTE HERALDI: (to himself) What the hell is this? This is bad; he's too strong. No matter how much I've leveled up, I can't match his power. Wait—leveling up, that's right! How many points do I have left to distribute?
DANTE opens his status window, realizing he is Level 800. They had leveled up so much without him even noticing. He looks in awe at the 787 points available to distribute and immediately puts half into Intelligence, splitting the rest between Agility and Strength. Now, DANTE's black aura is more powerful and resilient; he halts his momentum and unleashes a "Shadow Slash." HUE is stunned; just as the slash is about to hit, he turns serious and covers himself with both arms. After the dust clears, we see that HUE's arms are injured from withstanding such tremendous power. REX lands on his feet, staring toward HUE. He sees that the god is annoyed; the fire on his hat changes to white again, and the temperature inside the barrier rises once more—it is now at 500 degrees.
MALEKIN: This is bad. REX won't be able to take any more; the heat is too much. REX, RETREAT! LET DANTE HANDLE THIS, IT'S TOO MUCH FOR YOU! DANTE, DON'T TOUCH HIS HAT—STRIKE THE BODY! HIS HEAD EXCEEDS 5,000 DEGREES!
DANTE HERALDI: What did you just say? My god, this is dangerous. REX, get out of here. I can still hold on; my skills have been updated.
REX: No, I think I can keep going. Let me stay.
In an instant, HUE closes the distance to REX and lands a kick across his body, sending him flying toward MALEKIN, who opens the barrier for a split second to catch him. REX now has the scorched mark of a footprint seared into his chest.
MALEKIN: Oh, REX; you should've listened. DANTE, don't worry, REX is okay, but he'll be slow to heal. Fight with everything you've got!
DANTE HERALDI: You bastard... how dare you hurt REX like that?
HUE: He brought it on himself; he didn't understand the power gap. Now, we shall fight with everything we are allowed! wahahahaha! (He bursts into flames).
DANTE raises his energy to fight on equal terms; the temperature inside the barrier is 800 degrees and an amazing fight begins: DANTE throwing "shadow slashes," moving from side to side every so often as he closes in to strike, and HUE throwing blue fireballs, disintegrating everything the blue fire touches. DANTE notices, dodging everything as he closes in to strike and throws shadow slashes. They remain like this for a few minutes, during which the temperature has already reached 3500 degrees.
MALEKIN: (to himself) This is almost over. The temperature is nearly on par with the surface of the sun; it's too much. The ground is melting, turning into lava. If it weren't for DANTE's immense speed, he would have been turned to ash by now—that and his "Shadow Mantle." He doesn't know it, but that technique is incredible; he'd be dead without it.
Inside the barrier, the fight rages on. DANTE leaps, using the walls of the barrier as platforms because the ground has become scorching hot, with parts of it already molten into lava. DANTE's mana is nearly depleted; he gathers the last of his power to unleash a Super Shadow Slash, launching a massive attack. HUE is taken aback, but he simply raises his hand and declares that the sun is at its zenith. Suddenly, the temperature spikes to 8,000 degrees.
The Shadow Slash evaporates. DANTE, unable to go on, falls hard to the ground. His mantle protects him from the heat of the floor, but it's slowly flickering out. Then, HUE whips the air, swirling fire around himself. His entire body is engulfed in flames within a five-meter radius, and HUE launches those flames at DANTE like waves of fire. They roar toward the exhausted DANTE. Just as they are about to collide, the barrier dissolves and the steam scatters across the entire jungle. HUE is stunned; when the mist clears, we see MALEKIN standing in front of DANTE. With a purple barrier, he had stopped HUE's attack cold.
MALEKIN: It's over, HUE. You've won. If you're so itching for a fight, I'm right here. (He removes the handkerchief covering his mouth.)
HUE: (Gulping) Heh... Hahaha! Fine. Honestly, I'm all fired up right now. Do you have the power to extinguish my flames, MALEKIN?
MALEKIN approaches DANTE.
MALEKIN: Listen, kid. I'm going to give this guy a beating, so watch closely. Look at us both and see how much I've grown.
DANTE uses "Examine" on MALEKIN and is shocked to see that he is no longer Level 1,000, but Level 1,500. DANTE is stunned that he had leveled up so much. Then he looks at the god: he is Level 1,700. This was going to be a clash of titans. MALEKIN encloses REX and DANTE in a purple barrier and tells them to just watch. MALEKIN approaches HUE until they are face to face, barely two meters apart.
MALEKIN: You're ready for what's coming, right? Things are about to get very hot.
HUE: "Hot" is an understatement, my friend! Hahahaha! (The temperature instantly spikes to 10,000 degrees, and the flame on HUE's hat turns blue).
MALEKIN: (Sweating) Hahaha... remember, I am a High Demon; this only makes me sweat. Let's get this started.
The entire area is completely shrouded in steam, and the surrounding trees burst into flames; the ground is melting away. Out of nowhere, MALEKIN strikes HUE with a heavy blow, sending him flying. HUE spins mid-air to stabilize himself; when he finally manages to stop, he looks ahead only to find MALEKIN already in front of him, delivering a kick straight to his face that draws blood.
The god HUE is becoming furious, engulfing himself in blue flames. The ground beneath him liquefies instantly. HUE launches blue fireballs; MALEKIN barely manages to dodge them. The speed of the fire has increased, and he is starting to look worried. HUE lunges into the attack, hitting MALEKIN with a punch that leaves the mark of his knuckles seared into his chest. Meanwhile, DANTE and REX watch the battle in awe; neither side is slowing down. MALEKIN and HUE begin to trade blows at high speed, though MALEKIN is taking more damage. HUE manages to land a direct kick, sending MALEKIN crashing into a massive tree. DANTE's barrier begins to crack.
DANTE HERALDI: Dammit, it looks like MALEKIN is losing too much power. What do we do, REX?
REX: (trembling with pain) The truth? Just pray.
DANTE HERALDI: No, we have to trust him, we have to cheer him on. GET UP, MALEKIN! YOU CAN DO THIS!
REX: You're right. COME ON, MASTER MALEKIN, YOU'VE GOT THIS!
MALEKIN stands up, aching, as a black aura begins to envelop him just like DANTE's. MALEKIN's eyes turn pure white; HUE watches him and smirks. Immediately, MALEKIN lunges at HUE with staggering speed, driving a punch into his stomach that makes him cough up blood. MALEKIN's hand is slightly scorched by the flames, but he succeeds in bringing HUE down to his knees.
MALEKIN: Do you want to keep going? I think this is over. My power is greater than yours now.
HUE: (lifting his head to look at him) Do you honestly think this is over?
HUE touches the ground, and pillars of fire erupt everywhere as he screams in rage. MALEKIN leaps back a few meters and sees that HUE's power level is skyrocketing. Using "Examine," DANTE realizes that with that aura, MALEKIN's stats have doubled—but then he sees HUE's level rising until it hits Level 2,000. DANTE is paralyzed with shock.
HUE: Mortal, look closely at that screen of yours; we gods are not bound to that fool BELL. We can bend reality to our will.
The combat resumes, and MALEKIN and HUE begin to strike each other with their full strength, moving so fast that DANTE can no longer follow them with his eyes. They trade blows and blocks for several minutes until a body hits the ground. It was MALEKIN. He was missing an arm, and HUE stood before him with a massive wound where his shoulder had been—it had practically been ripped off.
DANTE HERALDI: HEY! Stop this already, HUE. You win! Please, just stop.
HUE: (Annoyed) You really want me to stop? What do you say, you cursed demon?
HUE raises his hand, creating an immense sphere of blue fire.
HUE: This power will vaporize everything within a 500-meter radius. I've compressed it just for that. What do you say, MALEKIN?
MALEKIN: (Exhausted and in pain) TCH... You win. I've lost.
HUE: (Surprised) Heh. That's what I wanted to hear.
HUE makes the massive fireball vanish in a second and stares at them.
HUE: Now you've learned your lesson. (His shoulder regenerates rapidly). Now you know you need more power to defeat that hateful bag of bones.
DANTE HERALDI: What do you mean? Were you... training us?
MALEKIN: (His arm regenerates rapidly.) This bastard knew what our goal was from the start, so he made sure to train us well. We gained a lot of combat experience from him. Say thank you. (He puts his scarf back on.)
REX: Seriously, couldn't you two have just talked? I feel terrible because of you guys. (Looking dejected).
DANTE HERALDI: Forget it, REX. These two are just cold-hearted like that; there's no helping it.
HUE and MALEKIN laugh at them. The god and MALEKIN say goodbye with a handshake; HUE asks him to defeat Mictlantekuti so he can finally be free and be with his beloved. He wishes them luck and says his farewells as he walks away alone. We see his silhouette vanish into the darkness, and the environment returns to its cloudy state.
MALEKIN: We're done for today. DANTE, feel free to examine your skills and perfect them. Let's rest here; by tomorrow, everything will have returned to normal.
Our friends take a break after such a hectic day: REX in a corner, wondering how to help DANTE because he feels useless; DANTE elsewhere, checking his stats and deciding what to do with his new powers; MALEKIN resting at the top of a tree. What new things await them? We will see further ahead.