Vexion nodded.
Then she disappeared.
BOOOOOOM!
Xerex's eyes widened. One moment, she had been standing dozens of meters away. The next, a fist buried itself into his stomach, folding his body around her arm before launching him backward with such overwhelming force that the gigantic branch beneath him exploded into thousands of splinters.
His back smashed into the side of a mountain. Stone shattered, and cracks spread across the cliff face.
"...Eh?"
He barely managed to utter the sound before another impact struck.
BOOOOOOOOM!
His head snapped sideways. Then came another blow, followed by another. A punch, another punch, a knee, a spinning kick, and a palm strike. He couldn't see her anymore. All he could perceive were flashes of crimson and the relentless impacts crashing into his body.
Vexion had become a crimson blur. Every strike detonated like an explosion, and the mountain itself trembled beneath her relentless assault.
She was too fast—
BLARGH!
Blood erupted from Xerex's mouth as his ribs caved inward. Before his body could rebound from the impact, another fist buried itself into his chest, followed by yet another. Every blow drove him deeper into the solid stone until the mountain itself became his prison, his battered body carving a tunnel through the rock.
I HAVE TO ESCAPE!
Smoke erupted around him as his body dissolved into black mist. His assassination skill activated instinctively, and the cavern vanished beneath a sea of darkness.
Then—
"AHHHHH!"
Something seized his ankle.
The grip was absolute. Before he could even understand what had happened, Vexion ripped him straight out of his own smoke.
BOOOOOOM!
She slammed him back into the mountain with enough force to deepen the cavern by several more meters.
She can find me...? Inside my smoke...? Impossible—
He had no time to think. Punch. Kick. Punch. Another punch. A palm strike, an elbow, a knee, and another kick. The assault never paused or slowed. His vision blurred until all he could distinguish was the outline of countless fists striking him from every direction.
Vexion unleashed absolute brutality.
His nose collapsed, his jaw shattered, and his left arm bent backward. Ribs pierced through flesh, while bones protruded at grotesque angles. Still, she continued.
Pain was all that remained. Nothing else.
Finally, Vexion stepped back. She slowly raised one leg high above her head before bringing it down.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Her heel crashed into his chest. The impact tore through flesh, shattered bone, and blasted him completely through the rear of the cavern.
The mountain shook.
Silence followed.
The final coherent thought passing through Xerex's mind echoed faintly.
"...She'll kill you... in fewer than seven moves..."
...He was right...
Darkness consumed him.
Vexion quietly surveyed the destruction.
"...Is this big enough?"
She sighed before walking into the newly formed cavern. Moments later, she emerged, dragging behind her what barely resembled a human being. The man's body had become little more than a mangled mass of broken limbs and crushed flesh, which she casually tossed aside.
Looks like I've reached the current limit of my physical strength.
She flicked away the remaining blood staining her clothes before crouching down. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she silently surveyed the devastation surrounding her.
Everything within a seven-kilometer radius had become a wasteland. Ancient trees whose tops had once disappeared into the clouds now lay snapped in half, while entire mountains had been split apart. Massive boulders littered the landscape, and floodwaters poured through newly created valleys, swallowing ruined buildings beneath them.
Yet beyond that seven-kilometer circle, everything remained untouched.
The boundary was almost perfect, as though someone had deliberately drawn a circle upon the world itself.
Inside, there was war.
Outside, there was peace.
Vexion quietly rested her chin upon her knees. Her crimson eyes slowly became misty.
"...Master..."
"...Where are you?"
A familiar voice drifted through the ruined mountains.
"...What's with this mess, V?"
Vexion froze.
Her heart skipped a beat. Slowly, almost timidly, she turned toward the voice.
Standing several meters away was Dante, his hands resting comfortably inside his pockets. His silver hair swayed gently in the mountain breeze, and his clothes were immaculate, without a speck of blood staining them. A relaxed smile rested upon his face.
For a brief moment, the world became quiet.
Vexion stared at him, her lips slowly parting.
"...Master..."
The smile she had been suppressing for nearly an entire day finally appeared. It was small and soft, almost fragile. She took one hesitant step toward him, then another, her breathing gradually becoming uneven.
"...You found me."
Dante chuckled.
"I told you I would."
Her eyes immediately became moist. She had spent the entire day searching, destroying monsters, destroying mountains, and destroying everything around her. All because she wanted him to find her.
He slowly walked toward her, casually glancing across the devastated landscape.
"So... you really made all this?"
Broken mountains, collapsed forests, ruined rivers. He scratched his cheek as he took in the destruction.
"...That's excessive."
Vexion lowered her head.
"...I'm sorry. I wanted..."
She hesitated before continuing.
"...To make it easier for Master to find me."
Silence followed, but then he laughed.
"...Idiot."
Her shoulders relaxed.
Yes. That sounded right.
He finally stood directly before her, close enough that she could smell him and no longer had to wonder whether he was real. Vexion smiled.
"...Master."
Without another word, she gently wrapped both arms around his neck. Just as she always did, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his shoulder.
"...I missed you."
Silence.
She waited, but nothing happened.
Normally, by now, his hand would already be wandering. Without fail, without shame, and without warning, he would find some inappropriate place to touch her.
But this time, nothing happened.
A tiny crease appeared between her brows.
She waited a little longer.
Still nothing.
Vexion slowly opened one eye. Instead of his usual shameless behaviour, Dante smiled gently. His hands rose, one settling behind her neck while the other softly cupped her cheek. His thumb slowly brushed across her skin.
"So did I."
"I missed you too."
Vexion blinked once, then twice.
Something felt wrong.
Not dangerous. Not hostile. Just... wrong.
She quietly looked into his eyes. He smiled warmly, but somehow, it was too warm.
Master... smiles like that... sometimes. But...
Her thoughts became strangely sluggish. Something deep inside her chest felt uncomfortable, a tiny irritation that was almost impossible to notice. Yet it refused to disappear.
He gently stroked her cheek again.
"...You've worked hard."
Vexion remained silent.
Worked hard...? Master would usually say, "Looks terrible." Or "You made a mess." Or "Hungry?" Something stupid. Something shameless. Never this.
Her heart began beating faster as she looked down at his hand, which still rested against her cheek.
Not... my waist...
Her breathing became uneven.
Not... my butt...
Her eyes slowly widened.
Master always touches...
She couldn't finish the thought. Instead, she stood frozen, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar discomfort spreading through her chest.
He had always been like this with her. Shameless, careless, and completely unconcerned with whether his affection was appropriate. His hands wandered wherever they pleased, and his words were rarely as gentle as his actions.
This wasn't right.
Vexion slowly stepped backward.
The fake Dante blinked.
"...V?"
She froze.
V.
He had called her V. That was right. He always called her that.
Then why did something still feel wrong?
Her crimson eyes slowly narrowed.
He tilted his head.
"...What's wrong?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she simply stared at him, studying every movement, every expression, and every breath.
Something didn't fit.
She didn't know what it was, but her instincts were screaming.
He took another step toward her, concern appearing across his face.
"V... are you alright?"
Concern. Too much concern.
Master would've already pinched my butt, complained, asked if I broke anything expensive, or asked whether I planned on blowing up the rest of the mountain.
He wouldn't stand there looking worried.
He reached toward her again, intending to gently wipe away the tears gathering beneath her eyes. His fingertips had barely touched her skin when Vexion's pupils violently contracted.
Like lightning, everything connected.
The hugs. The smile. The concern. The gentle touch. The words. The way he looked at her, the way he stood, and the way he moved.
None of it was Dante.
Not a single part.
She remembered every shameless embrace, every casual squeeze of her backside, every lazy complaint, and every teasing insult. She remembered every completely inappropriate touch that only made sense because it came from him.
Her Dante.
Not this.
Never this.
Slowly, very slowly, she looked at the hand resting against her cheek. Then, without emotion, she whispered,
"...Wrong."
The fake Dante blinked.
"...What?"
Vexion quietly lowered his hand, still staring at it.
"...Master... never... touches me... like this."
Silence settled between them.
Her voice became quieter still.
"...When we meet... he never reaches... for my face."
She slowly placed her own hand against her waist, then moved it lower, resting it upon her hip. Almost embarrassingly low.
A tiny smile appeared.
"...His hand..."
"...Always ends up here."
The fake Dante's expression froze.
Vexion's smile disappeared.
"...You know what Master looks like. You know what he sounds like. You even know how he smiles."
She slowly raised her head. Her crimson eyes had become terrifyingly calm.
"...But you don't know how he loves me."
Silence.
A single heartbeat passed, then another.
The fake Dante instinctively stepped backward. For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.
Vexion's voice became almost inaudible.
"...Who... are... you?"
The fake Dante forced a smile.
"My love..."
"It's me—"
"DON'T."
The word wasn't shouted or screamed. It simply fell between them like judgment.
The mountains shook. Mist exploded outward, and the sky darkened crimson. Everything within seven kilometers bent beneath an unimaginable pressure. The earth groaned, ancient trees snapped, and even the mana filling the world seemed to recoil.
Vexion slowly lifted her head. Her ruby eyes had become almost black. Tears still rested upon her cheeks, but now they mixed with fury.
The fake Dante struggled to breathe. His knees buckled, and every instinct inside him screamed to flee.
Vexion's voice cracked, not from sadness, but from rage.
"You... wore... his face."
Another heartbeat passed.
"You... used... his voice."
The pressure doubled. Cracks spread through the mountain beneath them, widening as the overwhelming force continued to descend.
Then came the sentence that terrified even the imposter.
"You... dared... touch me... as though... you were... my Master."
She slowly clenched her fist.
Every ounce of restraint disappeared.
"ANSWER ME."
"WHO... ARE... YOU?"