1241 Why was he here?

Dante stood frozen on the spot. His mind broke as if he had just been struck by lightning. "I… you… huh…" He stuttered unable to digest the sight in front of him. He simply couldn't believe what he was seeing. His brain short-circuited. 

How was this even possible? Of all the people in this vast wide myriad realms, why was this asshole sitting in front of him? Why was he even alive? 

Arrrghhhhh! A scream erupted inside his brain but nothing came out of his mouth. Dante simply stood like a statue dumbly staring at the familiar face in front of him.

The figure before him, the one who had brought the soul-healing pill, was someone Dante had never expected to see again — someone from his past, a ghost from the life he had fled, a person he believed to be long dead.

WHY WAS HE HERE???

The next second, a small fox jumped out and landed on the table. Dante's eyes widened even more on seeing the familiar little beast. It had more tails now but it was the same damned thing.

If he had any doubt before, now it was all gone. This was him. This was him and the damned fox. Somehow, they had crossed several worlds and come here. To this same world he was in? What the fucking hell was going on? Why wasn't he dead?

Liam.

The one and only person he utterly despised. The guy who had time and again defeated him and made him feel like a worthless pile of shit. The cold and ruthless villain.

Dante's mind was completely blank for a moment, every thought eclipsed by the sheer impossibility of the situation. Liam, his arch-nemesis, was here, in front of him, with that damned fox of his. It was too much to take in, too surreal to be true.

Liam, meanwhile, just sat there, watching Dante with an unreadable expression. There was no gloating, no triumphant smirk, just a calm observation that was somehow more unnerving.

Breaking his thoughts, a cold voice sounded in the small room.

"Dante... it's been a long time." Liam slowly spoke, a mock smile appearing on his face. "You look well, considering everything. I must say, I didn't expect to find you in a place like this."

The next instant, Dante whirred into action. 

It did not matter what this person had, a soul-healing pill or even some sort of heavenly soul-mending elixir. It did not matter.

This was because Dante knew that nothing good could ever come from this devil's visit.

Dante quickly acted to tear up a talisman. He wasn't going to take any chances, not with Liam. The talisman burst into a blinding light, a protective shield meant to keep any immediate harm at bay while he prepared for what was to come.

Liam's expression didn't change, even as the room filled with the light from the talisman. He simply watched, the same unnerving smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Dante was not done. He was no longer the same weak idiot he was back in the game when he had relied on an impotent guild to protect him. 

This time he was better. He had worked hard in the real world. He had escaped the apocalyptic world and come here to a new world. 

In this new place, using his talent and hard work he had built a business empire from scratch. He had a monumental amount of funds at his disposal, not to mention extremely capable bodyguards. His level was also not lacking.

There was no way he would let Liam, or anyone from his past, threaten what he had built here. His hand moved to another talisman, this one designed to unleash hell upon his opponent. At the same time, he also opened his mouth to shout at the top of his lungs.

However, the next second, he was frozen once again.

Dante blankly stared as his offensive talisman did nothing to the bastard in front of him. He was also completely unable to move, think, or even breathe. What the hell was happening? He couldn't understand.

Meanwhile, Liam casually stood up with a sigh. "Dante. Dante. Dante. All I wanted was a simple conversation. Why must you react in this manner? I am very deeply offended." 

Liam clicked his tongue. "A fellow citizen of earth and yet you want to attack me. After everything that happened, why must you be so hostile?"

Dante's mind raced. He was unable to move, unable to speak, his body completely under Liam's control. How had Liam become so powerful? What level was he at the moment? 

No, he couldn't have progressed more than he had. After all, he had escaped from that godforsaken place while Liam had been stuck on the same backwater planet. So how could he be possibly more powerful than him?

Liam walked around the room, the fox following at his heels. "You know, Dante. It was not nice of you to leave our burning world and run and hide here like a little rat. You should have stayed back."

"With your brain and alchemy talent, we could have staved off threats and more people could have been alive. You have let down a lot of people. All for what? This?"

Liam shook his head. "Alright. Let's forget about that. You ran away to this little spot. Claimed a spot for yourself and made a life. Good for you. I am very impressed. But why the hell were you stupid enough to select this particular name?"

Dante wanted to cry. Even he was cursing his stupidity right now.

He did not think about all of this because he simply didn't consider anyone would remain alive after all the disasters that were unloaded onto their world one after the other.

"Well, you dug your grave and now I am here. Let's not talk about the past. After all, there is so much to discuss about the future." Liam grinned. Mimicking him, Luna also revealed an evil but cute smile.

***

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