🌆 [North of Central District – Ruins of Hero City]
The ruins vibrated with suffocating heat. Pieces of melted buildings flowed like wax, turning the streets into rivers of magma.Above, a colossal figure shrouded in an incandescent aura floated like an angry sun: Trog, the Thermal Colossus.
Trog, with a cruel smile, raised his voice so it echoed across the ruins:
Trog: "Pathetic… How dare you call yourselves heroes when there's nothing heroic about you? Masked idiots, paid handsomely! You form guilds for your own benefit and still have the nerve to call us villains!"
From the ground, amidst the flames, Dante stood firm, katana in hand, eyes locked on the enemy.He responded coldly:
Dante: "Say whatever you want… But none of that justifies the destruction you've caused."
Trog smiled—a smile that seemed to burn the very air.
Trog: "Destruction? Hah! No, boy… We are recreating what you never had the courage to build. A world without inequality!"
A scream echoed through the ruins. Civilians writhed, buried and burned.Dante clenched his fists, rage pulsing in every word:
Dante: "These people cry and scream in pain! They lose their homes, their families! What kind of reconstruction is this, you damn fool!?"
Trog descended at an absurd speed, each step cracking the ground into fire-filled craters.
Trog (growling): "You, Valtier… A boy who always had everything. Never crawled out of the mud. Joined a prestigious guild while we were humiliated and trampled by people like you!"
The heat intensified. The air seemed to burn his lungs.Then Trog roared, punching the air with colossal force:
Trog: "DON'T YOU DARE LECTURE ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
A punch of pure thermal energy exploded toward Dante.
🔥 Shock: Dante blocked with his katana, but the heat melted part of the blade and burned his skin.
Dante (thinking, gasping): "Shit… He's too strong… His heat alone is consuming me… What do I do…?"
Trog laughed, his aura exploding like a miniature sun.
Trog: "You think your flames can compete with the heat of a star, Valtier!?"
💥 [Battle – Dante in Trouble]
Every attack Dante launched melted before even reaching Trog.His technique Infernal Wings evaporated upon contact with the scorching air.His sword trembled, cracking under the heat.
Dante staggered, feeling his body weaken.
Trog (dominant): "Still alive…? Hah! But how long do you think you can resist, boy?"
The ground boiled. The heat drained his soul. Dante nearly fell to his knees—
Then a different sound emerged. A soft, rhythmic pulse, breaking through the chaos.
From behind the rubble, a figure advanced. Calm eyes. Steady presence.
Abby.
Dante (surprised): "Abby…! You arrived just in time!"
Abby (determined): "Don't worry. I synchronized my pulse with the satellites. I'll stabilize your energy. We'll open a gap together."
A faint smile appeared on Dante's face, even under the suffocating heat.
Dante: "Alright. Let's do this."
✨ [Combination – Abby + Dante]
Synchronized Beat! – Abby connects her pulse with Dante, aligning his heart with the satellites. His fatigue vanishes, his flames shine again.
Synchronized Flame! – Dante raises his katana. The golden fire of the Eternal Phoenix Blade now burns unbreakable. The flame is no longer consumed by Trog's heat.
Satellite Wings! – Dante flies in flames while Abby fires translucent beams that follow his movements. Perfect synchronization creates illusions of multiple attacks, confusing Trog.
Trog (irritated): "Those tricks won't stop me!"
He raised walls of cosmic heat, but—
Harmonic Inferno!
Dante and Abby joined forces: celestial fire + pure emotion beams.A rain of golden flames and translucent shots struck Trog, crushing his incandescent aura.
Explosion!The sky split in flashes. The ground trembled. Trog roared, consumed by the synchronized storm of power, until his body collapsed amid the flames.
🌌 [After the Battle]
Dante fell to his knees, burned and exhausted. Abby caught him.
Dante (smiling, gasping): "Wow, Abby… I didn't know you were this strong… Looks like our training paid off. Thanks…"
Abby (smiling lightly): "It's thanks to you, Dante… I should be the one thanking you."
A figure emerged from the shadows.Ryu Nox, bloodied but standing.
Abby (worried): "Ryuuu!"
Ryu (forcing a smile): "Looks like I arrived late, guys. My bad."
Dante (teasing even while hurt): "Yeah, man… You're always late."
Ryu looked at Abby—she immediately turned red.
Ryu (confused): "Uh… Abby… why are you glowing? And… why are you all red?"
Dante (suspicious face): "No way… Is this what I think it is?"
Ryu (clueless): "What? What are you talking about?"
Abby covered Dante's mouth, laughing awkwardly:
Abby: "N-nothing! It's just that my Heart-Satellite power becomes unstable when my emotions run high, hahaha!"
Abby began gesturing secretly at Dante. He widened his eyes.
Dante (whispering): "Are you crazy!? Don't tell him you like him, you fool!"
Ryu (raising an eyebrow): "Huh… I get it. Abby… if you liked me, you could've just said it earlier."
💥 Comedic Explosion!Abby screamed, red as a tomato, releasing uncontrolled energy. The battlefield shook.
Ryu had to raise a shadow capsule to protect Dante.
Ryu (teasing): "Trying to kill us, Abby?"
Abby (hiding her face): "S-shut up, Ryu! I… I just admire you, okay! That's all!"
Dante (meme face): "I don't know… That power isn't just admiration."
Abby punched Dante in the stomach.
Abby (still red): "Let's go help the civilians, idiots!"
⚔️ [Scene Shift – Another Corner of the Ruins]
The narrative cuts to another duel.Two warriors face off amidst the cutting wind and ruins.
Mason Valeborn: "Not bad for an arrogant blonde like you."
Kane Jayson: "And you talk too much for a little villain."
Mason raised the Crown of the Gale. The air warped into whirlwinds.
Mason (cold smile): "Today… you'll be my second victim."
Kane (clenching crimson fists): "Come try, idiot."
🌪️ End of Chapter 82