We begin with the story, going directly to the fight of our protagonist, DANTE, where he finds himself alongside MALEKIN and MAMMON; a battle is about to break out.
MAMMON: It is the first time a demon and a human are united. What an irony of life; it was truly worth living for several millennia just to witness this, but your stupid rebellion will amount to nothing, haha.
DANTE HERALDI: MAMMON!, this will come to an end today, and the others will be free.
MAMMON: Free? What arrogance lies within your words, you speak as if you knew this world 100%. Listen, stupid human, this place is a planet, and it is far larger than your stupid home planet; it is over a thousand times larger. I estimate it to be exactly 100 times larger than planet Earth.
DANTE HERALDI: You are insane. If there are 24 hours in this place as well, how can it be that massive?
MAMMON: haha, well, this planet rotates on its own axis much faster too, we just don't feel it, but that's how it is; physical laws don't apply much here. Enough chatter already, and come at me, damn human!
The fight begins: MAMMON leaps to try and touch DANTE, but he backs away and constantly dodges MAMMON's grabs, refusing to be touched. MALEKIN kicks MAMMON from behind, sending him flying, but he quickly gets back up, and we realize that the rock behind MAMMON that he grabbed to get up has turned to gold.
DANTE HERALDI: Malekin, look at that stone, it's gold!
MALEKIN: That monster has the power to turn everything he touches into gold. What a piece of shit, be careful, that's why he was trying to touch you at all costs a moment ago.
DANTE HERALDI: The power of King Midas. What a strange world this is, everything is mixed together. Thank goodness I dodged instead of blocking; I had a bad feeling from the start, good thing I followed my instincts.
MAMMON grows annoyed that they figured out his power, and from one of the pouches on his waist, he draws a curved sword and a serrated one to fight. DANTE looks on, puzzled that the swords do not turn into gold.
DANTE HERALDI: Monster, why aren't your swords turning into gold?
MAMMON: Unlike that Midas you speak of, I can control it; when I want to transform something into gold, I choose to. I am nothing like that trash you mention, otherwise the beast I rode in on would be gold by now.
DANTE HERALDI: And to think that in the stories Midas suffered because of that, while you… You are the absolute worst. (with an annoyed glare).
DANTE pulls a regular sword out of his pouch and charges at MAMMON; MALEKIN cloaks his entire body in a red barrier and joins DANTE to attack MAMMON. DANTE begins to strike MAMMON with immense force, but he simply blocks DANTE's attacks. MALEKIN lands a clean punch, but MAMMON blocks it with his sword and counterattacks, forcing them to retreat. MAMMON's serrated sword chips and cracks DANTE's sword, making him anxious. He discards that blade and pulls out another identical one to fight, as he didn't want to draw his special katana against that serrated sword, fearing it might destroy Kusanagi.
DANTE HERALDI: Damn it, MALEKIN, that serrated sword is a real problem. This demon knows I can't draw my katana. We have to destroy his sword. I came up with an idea to win, but buy me some time. Do you think you can? I'm going to try something.
MALEKIN: Leave it to me; I will get you what you need.
MALEKIN deploys his purple shield and rushes at MAMMON, while our friend DANTE reaches his hand into his pouch and concentrates, trying to retrieve something. Meanwhile, we see MALEKIN facing off against the demon king in a nearly even match, as MAMMON is surprised that his attacks are doing no damage to MALEKIN due to that purple aura. MALEKIN also strikes with everything he's got, but the demon only blocks his fists with his swords; despite everything, neither yields to the other. It is a highly balanced clash, and suddenly, both land on the ground, face-to-face.
MAMMON: You piece of trash, how did you get this strong?
MALEKIN: Heh, to think that a demon like you is no longer what he used to be. (MAMMON grows annoyed). Thanks to training, I am this strong—something you have never done.
MAMMON: Nonsense! HAAAAAAA!
The fight continues while our friend DANTE remains focused, with his hand still deep inside his pouch.
DANTE HERALDI: (in his mind) …This pouch has something special about it; it can create anything you want. I proved this last time, so if I think of a weapon powerful enough to defeat that damn demon, it should work, but I have to imagine something that will truly help me. Let's see, what am I best at?…
In his mind, DANTE sees images of various weapons flashing before him; after a while, he realizes a sword would be best, praying to the heavens for a truly powerful weapon. In his mind, a sinister voice echoes—one he had heard once before when he was still alive.
MYSTERIOUS VOICE:Hello, DANTE, long time no see. It seems desperation has called upon me once again, hahahaha.
DANTE HERALDI: You... what the hell do you want? I already know what the fuck you are, and honestly, I want nothing to do with you.
MYSTERIOUS VOICE: No, you are mistaken. This time I don't want to hurt you; rather, I want to help you. I want to give you power. You want a weapon, right? Give me control of your body for just a few moments, and I will win this for you. What do you say?
DANTE HERALDI: You're insane if you think I'm going to listen to you.
MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Your friend won't last much longer against MAMMON; that demon has no need to train because he possesses a power within him that allows him to distort reality, look.
The mysterious voice projects MALEKIN's battle against the demon into his mind. Little by little, MAMMON is gaining the upper hand. DANTE uses his "Appraisal" skill and sees that MAMMON is level 1,900, and he recalls that MALEKIN is level 2,300. Yet, Malekin is losing ground. Upon checking the stats, he realizes MALEKIN's energy is dropping rapidly; apparently, maintaining that purple barrier drains a massive amount of energy. He also notices that MAMMON's stats are steadily increasing while MALEKIN's are plummeting. Looking closer at his abilities, he discovers that MAMMON possesses a skill called "Essence Theft," which allows him to steal 75% of his opponent's strength. Without any other choice, DANTE speaks to the voice.
DANTE HERALDI: If… I give you my body… will it really only be for a moment?
MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Yes. Currently, I do not possess enough strength to take your body by force, hehe. But I won't let you die because—(from the shadows, a face identical to DANTE's emerges, but completely gray)—this body is mine! HAHAHAHAHA!
DANTE HERALDI: (lowering his head) Alright. (the evil face smirks). We have a deal, but I swear to you, I won't just let you do whatever you want. (DANTE extends his hand).
MYSTERIOUS VOICE: (gripping DANTE's hand) We have a deal, wahahahaha!
We see DANTE's body writhe in agony as his consciousness begins to fade. A pitch-black vapor starts to emanate from him, and DANTE's hair, which used to be a light brown, shifts into a pale gray—indicating that, for the moment, DANTE's body is no longer his own. From one second to the next, he takes a massive leap.
Now, we shift our focus for a moment to REX and RENJIT, who are rushing toward the battlefield.
REX: (while running with RENJIT on his back) Hmm, hey, RENJIT, do you feel that massive power?
RENJIT: Yes, I feel it too, but I also feel like something isn't right.
REX: This is bad, DANTE's energy is mixing with something evil. What could be happening? We are almost there.
RENJIT: That is exactly what is worrying me. Damn it, hurry up, REX, this is becoming far too problematic.
REX: Right…
Returning to the fight, we see MALEKIN completely on the defensive.
MAMMON: What's the matter, you damn excuse for a demon?
MALEKIN: (removing his handkerchief) You bastard, what the fuck are you doing to me? I can't maintain my purple barrier.
Out of nowhere, MALEKIN's barrier shatters, and MAMMON smirks.
MAMMON: Wahahahaha! It seems you've run out of strength, hahaha. Only that damn demigod survived this power, but he was still no match for me anyway.
MALEKIN: (exhausted) Do not utter his memory with your filthy mouth. I don't know what kind of trick you used, but you are a goddamn cheater.
MAMMON: Heh, I possess the ability to steal the stats of all my opponents. There is a limit, but it is minimal, and almost all of your power is mine now, haha.
MALEKIN is left stunned by the demon's power, and he thinks of his brother HERACLES, who held him back so he could escape. Remembering all of this makes him sorrowful. With nothing left to say, MAMMON slowly approaches MALEKIN to deliver the final blow. The demon king raises his sword, intending to slice MALEKIN in half, bringing his blade down with monstrous force and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
MAMMON senses a presence in front of him that does not belong to MALEKIN. He blows the dust away to clear his vision and sees a person with gray hair. At first, he doesn't recognize him, but then he realizes it is DANTE, who blocked MAMMON's sword with his Kusanagi katana—and he did it with a single hand. The demon is shocked to see DANTE completely altered, looking down at the ground.
MAMMON: You little bastard, since when did you become this strong?
A sort of pitch-black mist surrounds DANTE, and the atmosphere turns incredibly tense. DANTE lifts his head to look at MAMMON, who is taken aback, as DANTE is wearing a black mask as dark as the abyss, with a white cross right in the center of it. It is a spine-chilling mask; it has no mouth, and only eyeholes can be seen, from which deep, intense red circles glare at MAMMON. Shocked, the demon immediately retreats.
MAMMON: You... you are not the mortal. Who the fuck are you?
This version of DANTE drives his sword into the ground and begins to clutch his head, as if he were writhing in agony; from one moment to the next, he stops and looks up at the sky.
¿DANTE?: hahahahaha! I am finally free, hahaha! It's a dream come true. (looking at MAMMON). You'll be the first to be killed by this man.
MAMMON: (with a serious look) You are the demon inside of him. What is your name? (narrowing his eyes) If I may know.
¿DANTE?:What does it matter? You're going to die anyway. My name is "*******"; I don't know if you understand me, but that is my name.
MAMMON is stunned that an ancient language was just spoken, and he grows furious.
MAMMON: NO, NO, I can't believe you're a demon ancient times, one from before the arrival of the archangels who were banished to Hell. How?! How is it possible that you're still alive?
*******:hahaha, well, let's finish this.
The demon inside DANTE stands perfectly still in his place and reaches his hand into the bag. MAMMON freezes, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine as he watches the demon in front of him pull a very rare sword out of the bag; he begins to sweat upon realizing it was a weapon well-known among demons.
*******: It seems you recognize this beauty. (fully drawing the sword). Behold "la espada abizal"—the Abyssal Sword—a blade forged at the dawn of time, before those so-called archangels ever arrived at my playground.
MAMMON is left utterly stunned: an ancient sword was now in the hands of DANTE and the demon within him—a rare, black-colored sword with a rather peculiar shape. The end is drawing near; how will this fight turn out? We will find out very soon.