For Dante's prayers, the heavens offered only silence.

Having no other option, he would at least need the information. If what the monster said was true, and time was indeed passing more slowly there than in the outside world, he would take advantage of it.

""You said you were here on Zay's orders. But...how can you talk? I mean, so far, I've only talked to Phoenix, but she's inside me, in a way. Zay I suppose is of a very advanced stage. Is it the same for you? Or are you a cultivator using Oversoul?"

The wolf's eyes gave a brief dilation, like when someone sees their favorite dish.

"I am the one who doesn't sleep, the guardian of the night, the reason for the darkness. Artorir, the king of the wolves. I am no cultivator, but rather a spark of what I once was. A finite piece of my soul was stored in the artifacts you carried, in order to help you. So far, I have not seen what you are worth the investment for, I must point out."

"And the second way consists of fighting you?" Dante asked. He knew pain, but he also knew when an opponent was far beyond his level. If the monster gave his all, Dante would die before he got stronger. Dante's mind digressed into the possibilities, the ideas....

Confidence was not the problem. He was sure that the wolf was there at Zay's behest, because if they wanted him dead, it wouldn't be too hard. Time after time, he had proven to everything and everyone that he was worthy of the opportunity.

This time would be no different.

"I have just one last question. If, from what you are saying, the second choice is clearly more helpful for my physique, why make a choice at all?" asked Dante. If a thousand cultivators were to have the same questioning, surely a good portion of these would go for the same answer.

"It was for Zay's instructions. Part of my task was to judge the way you killed the alpha monsters and offer choices. Paths of power. Tell me, have you never thought of using your regenerative powers on others? They would serve very well for that, too. If that was the case, I would offer you only the first choice, the Qi infusion, since you probably would have had help from the others to reach me. Since you have come so far alone, at the expense of battle, your prize is a last battle. The benefits will seem to dwarf the previous ones."

Realization descended on Dante. How had he never thought of that possibility? No, he had, at the beginning of his path. But he never put it into practice. Come to think of it, the one who was most in danger all this time was him, and not his companions.

"I choose the fight," Dante said.

"Very well. Get ready. The longer you survive, the better for you."

It wasn't as if Dante needed any warning to do what he knew best. Qi gushed through his meridians, quickly forming flames that engulfed his arms.

He was sure he couldn't start with anything less than his maximum. If that hideous monster was to be his opponent, any slip-up would surely result in an early defeat.

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The wolf moved. Out of the posture that resembled that of a dog, the beast came quickly. With its weight resting on all four paws, the monster's size was even more surprising. It was as if all monsters until then were only pups, and this one a true specimen.

The monster opened its mouth, and white flames bled from between its sharp teeth.

Dante wasted no time. He quickly adopted an instance of defense, prepared for another shower of flames, should the need arise. He was confident that just one attack would not defeat him.

However, strangely enough, the flames did not stay in the wolf's mouth. Little by little, energy gathered around the monster's mouth, though not as an attack being made. It was as if something was being invoked.

"Witness, child, what was once the worst nightmare of your kind. The reaper of the night and divider of life."

Before the cultivator could react, inside the wolf's mouth came out a gigantic sword. The sword was not only white, like the purest of whites, but it was as if the shadows of the cave even touched the weapon.

In the middle of the darkness, there was now an incandescent white blade.

Dante could not waste time admiring the weapon. He summoned his claws, which now joined the fire that encompassed his arms.

Even without Ikarus, Dante put his all into the technique. The golden flame glowed with tiny white scrambles, courtesy of the lion.

Lies could not be told. At that moment, Dante wondered if this was in fact a test whose ultimate consequence was only failure. An enormous wolf with the largest sword he had ever seen in its mouth was not exactly an encouraging sight.

At a speed that defied its sheer size, the wolf leaped ferociously toward Dante.

Whatever the test was, it wouldn't take long to find out. The sword descended at great speed, making it seem as if it was being controlled by the hands of a master.

Dante dodged the first attack, lowering the top of his shoulder. Where the blade passed, a layer of wind made an echo of the attack, breaking the surrounding rocks.

As he stabilized his stance, fighting the wind, Dante saw he would not be able to dodge the next attack. The wolf swung his sword again, giving Dante no time to recover this time.

As Dante regained his balance after the overwhelming attack, he saw the sword coming back toward him.

This time, dodging would be possible.

Not to be caught off guard, not entirely, Dante went for the weapon, bringing his flaming claws to meet the white blade. Both his hands went forward to block the attack. When the sword collided with the claws, energy flickered. Golden flame danced with the white Qi coming out of the sword, fighting for supremacy.

A brief movement by the wolf was enough to put an end to the stalemate. Before Dante could have any proper reaction, the sword came down dry, ripping through his energy.

The problem was that the weapon didn't just stop at the flames. The extra layer of force given to the attack was enough that Dante could feel his claws being slashed.

Even though they his claws were energy, the attack made him wince. It was as if the energy was his own flesh.

Dante would not lose. Not yet. Determined not to go down without a fight. He tried to move his hands, but the sword remained immovable, like a mountain.

Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation throughout his torso.

Before he could figure out what had happened, the wolf recoiled. Only there did Dante gauge what had happened. A brief look at his body was enough to confirm his fears: a deep cut had opened his entire belly.

His body went to the ground, blood gushed from the wound and stained the cave floor. Having no other option, Dante internalized his concentration and directed Qi to the wounds.

His energy fought against the white force that threatened his life. Dante could feel a Qi alien to his own circulating through his meridians.

He looked at the wolf, hopeless.

No, that was impossible. Dante could not let this happen.

Armed with the memories of everyone who had helped him get this far, Dante's Qi exploded.

He put his arms on the ground and tried to stand up.

It was not yet time to encounter darkness again.