Between Bullets and Blood

"Son of a bitch..." Dante clutched the wound in his abdomen, but upon realizing it wasn't too deep, he grabbed another rifle from the floor to keep moving forward.

He was well aware that the damage he had sustained so far was severe.

However, these injuries could prove fatal if they accumulated, so he needed to be extremely cautious not to get hurt again.

As Dante was about to exit the hallway, a man in a gray suit appeared at the opposite end of the stairs and began descending, firing at him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Instinctively, Dante raised his arms to shield his head. The bullets struck his suit, which fortunately managed to block them all.

The man in gray, knowing Dante wasn't dead, drew a dagger and used the opportunity to try slashing his throat. In a matter of moments, it became his primary objective.

Time seemed to stand still for both of them.

A distinct sound echoed near Dante's hand, which had taken the brunt of the dagger's first strike.

The man in the gray suit widened his eyes in shock, realizing he couldn't pierce Dante's suit easily.

He didn't know what kind of protection Dante had, but it was clear from what he'd just seen that it was top-tier.

Dante didn't stay idle. He unsheathed his sword again and, with a swift stroke, slashed the throat of the man, who tried in vain to shield himself with his hands.

The man's hands fell lifelessly to the ground.

He couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

Seconds later, the man in the gray suit's gaze went blank.

With that final attack, his life came to an end.

"Argh!" The man in gray tried to breathe, but jets of blood spurted out in response.

Dante stared into the man's eyes and silently prayed for his soul's ascent.

"Ahhhh!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dante gathered what he needed and searched for another exit, as he wasn't insane enough to face an army of armored soldiers without cover.

Meanwhile, in Henry Collins's office...

Gunfire, explosions, and cries of agony drained the color from Susie's face. She understood perfectly what was happening and quickly joined others heading downstairs to provide support.

"Don't worry, our boss will make sure your brother is safe," said a man who knew Susie well.

Steven, tasked with protecting Susie, said nothing. His sole focus was on killing, leaving no room for personal opinions or sentiments.

Susie raised her weapon and aimed it at Henry, who sat slumped in his chair, motionless.

"Are you Stanley Johnson's lapdog?" she asked.

"Lapdog? I'm doing him a favor," Henry replied.

Susie furrowed her brow and murmured, "Then that's enough."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Without hesitation, Susie pulled the trigger, eliminating the nuisance before her.

"They're on their way. We need to move," said Steven as he and others repelled enemy fire.

Susie observed how the men Dante had assigned as her guardians were all combat experts, far superior to the ones who worked for her father.

Pushing such thoughts aside, she advanced and saw how these men faced dozens of enemies head-on.

"Go straight that way; you'll find your brother up ahead," Steven directed, watching as the number of enemies continued to grow.

"What about you?" Susie knew what was likely to happen but still hoped for a different outcome.

Steven looked at the bodyguard accompanying Susie and said, "We'll retreat shortly. You have five minutes—use them wisely."

Nodding, Susie pressed forward, gunfire echoing all around, making it difficult to pinpoint the enemies' locations.

As she reached part of the hotel with escalators, more enemies emerged.

"Damn it!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bodyguard fired back, as Susie wasn't equipped with sufficient weaponry. Facing a well-armed group with assault rifles from a distance, he chose to take cover.

"Ahhhh!"

Clang!

At that moment, just as they ducked for cover, Dante appeared like the Grim Reaper, and heads began to roll one by one.

Dante's precise and powerful slashes cut through even reinforced armor.

Despite his injuries, which limited him, Dante quickly dispatched six enemies.

Descending further, he found Susie injured in the abdomen and a visibly shaken bodyguard.

"Can you keep moving?" Dante asked as he helped Susie, who was hurt, and glanced at Steven, who nodded.

"I have a convoy that can get you out of here and take you to a safe house until things settle. But we need to move now," Dante said, heading toward the sound of gunfire.

At that moment, Jack, fighting alongside some of Dante's men, was shot in the abdomen and collapsed.

"Brother..." Susie ran to Jack and cradled his head.

"I'm fine…" Jack muttered.

"There's so much blood."

Dante observed the scene and quickly decided as more of his men arrived. "Quickly, take him and tend to his wounds. Crocodile and I will cover your retreat."

The only way for them to survive was for the first group to leave with the injured while the second group acted as a decoy, drawing their pursuers' attention.

Turning to Crocodile, who was by his side, Dante said, "Take that path. When you reach the top, head right. I'll take the other route. We'll meet at the end, so move fast."

"Understood, boss."