Dante stood before the massive corpse of the Gorgon-Hydra. His back to his team.
Their silence was telling a thing. A mixture of fear, anger and desperate unwilling faith.
They were his audience. The stage was set for his rise to power.
He ignored the simmering hatred from Jin and Masha. The conflicted loyalty in Eric's eyes. The possessive stares from Erica and Lana.
'None of them matter. All that matters is the prize.'
He placed his hands on the adamantine scales. Closed his eyes. Reached inward.
He wasn't looking for the spirit. He was looking for the center of its power. The S-rank mana core.
He found it. A blazing furious star of raw energy deep within the creature's chest. Already leaking power as all dead things do.
The moment his will made contact, the devouring began.
It was not gentle. It was violent. Like trying to swallow the sun.
