blueteamnovel Chapter 429 How's the fight?
Chapter 429 How's the fight?
"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."
"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."