Chapter 35: The Hollowing’s Chosen

The battlefield was silent—too silent.

Dante stood in the center, his blackened blade resting casually at his side. His glowing eyes swept over Leo and the others, his smirk widening. He wasn't just confident—he was certain.

And that terrified Leo more than anything.

"Still standing?" Dante mused. "I expected as much."

Leo tightened his grip on his sword. His muscles ached from the previous battle, but he refused to show weakness. Not now. Not to him.

"You've changed," Leo said. "You're not the Dante I knew."

Dante chuckled. "I am Dante, Leo. You're just too blind to see it."

The wind howled, carrying the thick stench of corruption. The Hollowing pulsed around Dante, twisting and warping the air itself. The energy was alive—it was watching them.

Kaelara stepped forward, twin daggers gleaming. "We're wasting time."

She moved—fast.

Her body blurred as she vanished, reappearing behind Dante, her blade aimed for his throat.

But Dante was faster.

Before her blade could make contact, he spun and caught her wrist mid-strike.

"Predictable," he whispered.

Then—he twisted.

Kaelara cried out as her body was sent hurtling through the air, crashing against the ruined stone behind them.

Leo barely had time to react before Dante was on him.

Their swords clashed, sparks flying as Leo struggled to keep up with the sheer ferocity of Dante's attacks. Each strike was heavier than the last, forcing Leo backward step by step.

Marcus charged from the side, swinging his greatsword with monstrous force—but Dante moved like a phantom.

With a flick of his wrist, he redirected Leo's blade into Marcus's, throwing both of them off balance.

Then—a kick to the gut.

Leo flew backward, slamming into the dirt. The impact rattled his ribs, stealing his breath.

Eris acted next.

Violet lightning crackled around her hands. She muttered a spell, and the sky darkened.

Then—she unleashed hell.

Bolts of energy rained down toward Dante in a storm of pure destruction.

Dante sighed.

Then—he raised a single hand.

The Hollowing surged around him, swallowing the lightning whole.

Eris's spell vanished.

Her eyes widened in horror.

"Magic won't work on me," Dante said, his voice eerily calm. "Not anymore."

Eris took a step back. "That's impossible…"

Dante smirked. "It's inevitable."

Leo coughed, pushing himself to his feet. His vision swam, his body screaming in protest.

Dante watched him with mild amusement. "Still fighting?"

Leo spat blood. "Always."

Dante's smirk faltered for just a second.

Then—he moved.

Leo barely had time to raise his sword before Dante was on him again. Their blades met in a storm of steel, the force sending shockwaves through the ground.

Dante pressed forward. Hard.

Leo gritted his teeth. He was losing ground. Fast.

Then—a whisper.

"Stop fighting, Leo."

The voice wasn't Dante's.

It was something else.

Leo's breath hitched. The Hollowing was inside his mind.

"You were never meant to win."

Dark tendrils snaked around his vision. His strength wavered.

Dante saw it—and struck.

His blade slashed toward Leo's throat—

—but stopped an inch before impact.

Leo gasped, his body frozen.

Dante's glowing eyes studied him, something unreadable flickering within them.

Then—he laughed.

"Oh, Leo," he sighed. "You don't even realize how close you are, do you?"

Leo clenched his jaw. "Close to what?"

Dante leaned in. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Understanding."

The Hollowing surged.

The ground beneath them split apart, black tendrils bursting forth like a living nightmare. Shadows swallowed the sky, and for a single, heart-stopping moment—

—Leo saw something beyond reality itself.

An endless void. A presence watching him.

A voice, ancient and unknowable.

"You are already ours."

Leo's body convulsed. His mind burned.

Then—everything snapped back.

Dante stood before him once more, grinning.

"I'll be seeing you again, Leo."

And then—he vanished.

The Hollowing receded. The battlefield returned to silence.

Eris rushed to Leo's side. "Leo? Say something!"

He barely heard her.

Because deep inside, something had changed.

And he wasn't sure if it was for the better.