The beast let out a deafening roar, the ground trembling beneath its fury. Bolts of searing lightning exploded from its body, one striking Dante squarely and blasting him backward. Dust and debris kicked up — but as the smoke cleared, Dante stood firm, his feet dug into the cracked earth, eyes locked onto the monster with unwavering resolve.
Without a moment of hesitation, Dante sprinted toward the beast, his body coiled with raw power. His head snapped backward, gathering energy before he thrust it forward in a bone-crushing headbutt. The beast, swift and agile, dodged the attack with lightning crackling around its body, trailing in the wake of Dante's movement. The lightning zipped past him as he narrowly avoided the beast's retaliatory strike, the air sizzling with the intensity of their clash.
The beast spun with ferocity, its backspin fist aimed directly at Dante. He managed to block the punch with his arm, but the follow-up elbow struck his ribs with a sickening crack. Dante gritted his teeth, refusing to flinch, his resolve as unyielding as ever. In one fluid motion, he retaliated with a vicious hook kick, landing squarely on the beast's head. The beast absorbed the blow, but its eyes glowed with defiance.
Without a moment's hesitation, the beast unleashed the same move in return, slamming its own hook kick into Dante's side. Dante took the impact head-on, his body rock-solid, but the force still rattled him. They both stood, staring each other down, sweat dripping from their brows, breaths heavy. The tension was palpable, a silent battle of wills unfolding between them. The air between them crackled with energy, both warriors gauging the other's next move, each waiting for the other to make the first mistake.
The beast growled, a twisted smile curling on its lips. "How about this, human?" it taunted, its voice deep and ominous. With a sudden movement, it clasped its massive hands together, crackling lightning enveloping its fists, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished.
Dante's eyes darted to both sides, his senses heightened. He knew something was coming, but the speed of the beast caught him off guard. A flash of lightning streaked above him, and before Dante could react, the beast descended like a bolt from the heavens. Its fists collided with Dante's body, delivering a devastating "Lighting Hammer" attack, the thunderous force sending shockwaves through the air.
Electricity coursed through Dante, shocking him to his core, but he stood his ground. His body shook from the intensity of the attack, yet his unwavering willpower kept him upright. His muscles burned, his vision blurred slightly, but he remained defiant, staring at the beast with a cold, unwavering resolve. Despite the sheer power of the strike, Dante stood, the electricity still crackling around him, his body a testament to his strength and endurance.
The beast roared in triumph, but Dante's gaze hardened. This wasn't over. He wasn't going to fall to this creature.
Dante stood still for a moment, his arms swinging down in a controlled motion like the calm before the storm. Dust swirled around him, the air thick with the tension of the coming fight. He exhaled slowly, the weight of the battle settling in. His veins bulged, muscles tense and coiled, eyes locked on the beast with a cold, unyielding gaze.
In an instant, his knee shot forward with explosive force, connecting with the beast's chest. The impact sent it tumbling backward, crashing to the ground with a deafening thud. But the beast was quick to recover, its massive form rising with unnatural speed, fueled by a burst of lightning-like energy. It lunged at Dante, tackling him with terrifying velocity.
But Dante was already prepared. As the beast's weight bore down on him, he pivoted and drove his elbow downward with brutal precision. The strike landed square on the beast's head, the force of it like a hammer smashing into stone. The creature's head snapped back, its body crashing into the ground, the earth shaking from the impact.
Dante stood over the beast, his breath steady, his eyes never leaving the fallen creature. The fight was far from over, but he had just reminded the monster who was in control.
Dante pushed off the ground, rising like a force of nature. He raised his leg high, aiming to crush the beast with a brutal downward kick — but in a flash, the beast swept low, its foot tearing across the ground in a vicious undersweep.
Dante's balance shattered. His body staggered, wide open — and the beast struck.
A storm of punches slammed into him, each fist wreathed in crackling lightning, growing larger, heavier with every blow. The air vibrated with raw power. Dante gritted his teeth, muscles tensing under the onslaught, but the beast roared with a savage fury —
And unleashed a final, thunderous straight punch.
The lightning-clad fist crashed into Dante's face like a god's hammer. His body snapped back violently, a shockwave splitting the ground beneath him. Smoke and sparks trailed him through the air as he was hurled across the battlefield, crashing into the earth with a sound that echoed like a cannon blast.
The dust rose thick, the world holding its breath.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Skill Detected: Thunder God's Hammer
Type: Special Attack
Description:
The user channels concentrated lightning into both fists, increasing muscle density and destructive force temporarily. A sequence of rapid strikes ends with a singular, devastating straight punch capable of stunning or launching even heavily fortified targets.
Warning: Impact force exceeds standard Tier 0 thresholds. Extreme caution advised.
Dante spat a thick glob of blood to the side, the metallic taste fueling the fire boiling under his skin.
"Not bad," he muttered, cracking his neck with a slow, deliberate twist. The veins on his arms bulged, muscles tightening under his torn, dark gi as he stared down the beast.
The creature crouched, lightning crackling at its feet, waiting for the next move.
Dante's lips pulled into a crooked grin, wild and dangerous.
"My turn now," he said, voice deep and cold.
He took a slow step forward.
"You know..." Dante's tone dropped lower, almost casual. "Come to think of it... we kinda pulled the same move, didn't we?"
The beast let out a low rumble, confused for a moment.
Dante's fists clenched — and without warning, crimson flames burst to life around them, roaring up his forearms like furious serpents.
"Let me show you how it's really done."
In a blink, Dante shot forward, faster than before — his fist smashing into the beast's gut with a heavy BOOM.
The beast gasped, lightning sparking wildly around its body.
"You see..." Dante growled, his second punch hammering into the beast's ribs, flames flaring brighter, the air burning hot.
"...every punch..." A third punch, heavier than the last, sent cracks spiderwebbing through the ground under them.
"...gets heavier..." Dante twisted low, slamming an uppercut into the beast's jaw, snapping its head back.
"...and hotter."
The beast roared, stumbling back — but Dante was already there, fists a relentless storm of blazing red.
Every strike now left scorch marks on the beast's armored hide.
The heat in the air thickened, making every breath a battle.
Left hook. Right straight.
Body blow. Uppercut. Downward smash.
Each punch faster. Each punch heavier. Each punch a hammerfall.
The beast tried to counter, a desperate swing — but Dante weaved under it, fire trailing his movements like the afterimage of a falling star.
His eyes locked on, merciless.
"This..." he hissed, his right fist exploding forward, sinking into the beast's stomach with a deafening shockwave,
"...is Crimson Gauntlet Rush."
The monster lurched forward, coughing blood, body flickering with broken sparks.
Dante didn't stop. He drove a brutal knee into its gut, sending the beast lurching upward — and with a roar that shook the battlefield, Dante twisted his whole body into a final, devastating punch that crashed into the beast's chest.
The air ignited.
The ground split open.
The beast flew, a flaming blur hurtling across the battlefield, crashing through rocks and trees like a comet.
Dante stood still, smoke rising from his fists, his breath heavy, chest rising and falling slowly.
The crimson light around his arms faded, leaving only the wreckage of his fury behind.
The beast staggered, its hulking form swaying as it tried to stand. Steam and smoke hissed from its cracked armor, blood and sparks dripping onto the shattered ground. It let out a low, broken growl, lightning twitching violently across its battered frame.
Dante narrowed his eyes, stepping forward slowly.
The air around him shifted, heavy and charged — as if the sky itself was holding its breath.
He planted his feet firmly, lowering into a stance. His hands drew back to his side, palms open, fingers curling as energy crackled between them.
The ground beneath him began to tremble.
Above him, the black clouds rumbled — answering his call.
"Storm Hadoken," Dante muttered under his breath, his voice barely a whisper — yet heavy enough to shake the bones.
In a flash, a massive bolt of lightning condensed between his palms, swirling wildly, alive with raw fury. The energy was blinding, a storm captured between two hands. Thunder roared, shaking the heavens.
Without hesitation, Dante thrust his hands forward —
BA-BOOM!
A blinding bolt of lightning shot from his hands, tearing through the air faster than the eye could follow, screaming toward the beast.
The beast, half-risen, let out a savage roar — its mouth snapping open wide, summoning its own desperate surge of power.
From its jaws, a wave of pure lightning erupted, clashing with Dante's Storm Hadoken mid-air.
CRAAAAAAACK—BOOM!!!
The two forces collided, a titanic struggle of will and raw energy.
The ground cracked.
The skies split open.
The battlefield became a raging sea of thunder and light.
Gritting his teeth, Dante growled low in his throat — and without wasting a breath, charged another Storm Hadoken in his hands.
The crimson veins on his arms bulged, muscles flexing violently as he summoned another furious bolt.
"You're not the only one who can rage," he snarled.
With a brutal shout, he hurled the second Storm Hadoken —
KRAKAKK!
The fresh surge of energy slammed into the first, overpowering the beast's lightning wave instantly.
The combined force punched through like a tidal wave, crashing into the beast with an earth-shattering explosion.
The impact was monstrous.
The beast's body was blasted backward, its flesh searing and blackening under the fury of Dante's lightning.
It let out a guttural, pained howl — a sound so raw it tore through the battlefield, rattling the air.
Chunks of stone and debris rained down as the shockwave flattened everything around them.
When the dust finally cleared, the beast lay crumpled in a massive crater, twitching, smoke pouring from its body — its chest heaving shallowly, barely clinging to life.
Dante stood tall amidst the chaos, arms at his sides, his dark gi flapping in the howling wind, eyes cold and unyielding — a silent storm made flesh.
Dante's foot slammed into the ground with a bone-shaking impact, sending the beast rocketing into the air. Without hesitation, he ignited his entire arm in searing flames, his body tensing as the power surged through him.
Inferno Uppercut — Dante's fist exploded upward, trailing a violent burst of fire that consumed everything in its path.
The beast's form was engulfed by the flames, and with a deafening roar, it was sent flying into the sky, leaving behind nothing but a trail of ash. Dante stood tall, fist clenched as the last remnants of the beast disintegrated before him.
He faced the gates of the base, expression cold and unyielding.
Senkoku, standing behind, raised his hands and spoke with a calm, almost reverent tone, "Absolute cinema."
The destruction was complete.
Senkoku's POV
It's been three days since Sir Dante fought that beast.
The battle left its scars — not just on the land, but on everyone who witnessed it.
Even now, I couldn't shake the image of him standing tall, fists burning, against that monster.
My boots echoed softly down the long, sterile hallway.
I stopped at the door near the end, the one guarded the past few days. I pushed it open carefully.
Inside, the woman — the one with the cowboy spirit — lay resting.
Her usual rugged outfit was gone, replaced with loose, soft patient clothes designed to let her breathe, to ease her battered body.
Yet somehow, even lying there, bruised and bandaged, she still carried that wild, untamed air.
She turned her head slowly, eyes heavy but sharp, locking onto me.
A faint, tired smile pulled at the corner of her lips.
"You're here," she rasped, her voice weaker but still carrying that stubborn strength, like a fire that refused to go out.
The woman shifted slightly, the blanket slipping down her shoulder as she sat up straighter, flashing a sly, teasing smile despite her injuries.
"What's the food today?" she asked, voice low and a little seductive, eyes glinting with mischief.
Before Senkoku could answer, she grabbed the tray and started eating fast — like she hadn't tasted real food in days.
Senkoku just stood there, staring without thinking, watching how her cheeks puffed slightly when she chewed, how her messy hair fell into her face but she didn't care.
And before his brain could stop his mouth, the words slipped out.
"You're... so cute when you're eating," he said, voice low, almost like a confession.
The woman froze mid-bite, eyes wide.
She swallowed hard, blinking at him like he'd just slapped her with a bucket of ice water.
"W-whatttt?!" she squeaked, her face flushing pink, flustered and furious all at once, slamming the spoon down on the tray.
Senkoku blinked, realizing too late what he said.
Ah, shit... he thought.