Chapter 49: Disparity

Yaah!

Clunk!

The sharp crack of wood echoed through the training hall as one staff collided with another. Cindela held her ground, her staff pressed firmly against Dante’s as the two struggled to overpower each other. Then, leaning backwards, she suddenly shifted her weight and shoved him away.

"Ugh!" Dante grunted, staggering backwards. The impact jolted through his already injured body, forcing him to clutch his stomach.

"You’re clearly getting stronger," Cindela remarked, casually spinning her staff beside her.

Dante shook his head, still panting. "Four days. Four bloody days, and I’m still struggling with a wooden staff!" He slammed it against the floor in frustration, only to groan and clutch his stomach again. "What’s the point of all this? I’m supposed to be the Golden Phoenix, not some novice who can’t even hold his own in a sparring match!"

"You’re being too hard on yourself," Cindela said, approaching him. "I nearly got myself electrocuted too, remember? But look at me now. I’d say I’m handling things rather well, wouldn’t you?"

Dante slowly raised his head and glanced at her.

"Congratulations," he muttered. "You’ve somehow managed to make me feel even worse. I can’t even beat someone who’s already been through the same ordeal." He let his staff droop beside him. "And I’m supposed to be the Golden Phoenix." He turned and began walking away.

"What are you doing?!" Cindela barked. "We’re not finished!"

Dante’s expression hardened. In a flash, he caught her by the chin and forced her to look at him.

"Use that tone with me again, young lady, and I’ll remind you who’s in charge here."

Cindela’s eyes flashed with anger. Her hands tightened around her staff, and for a moment, she looked ready to strike him with it. Yet she held herself back. Whatever else Dante was, he was still her king, and there were limits to how far she could challenge him.

She glared into his eyes, refusing to look away.

Dante stared right back, his grip firm beneath her chin. Neither yielded until he abruptly flung her face aside.

Cindela gasped and stumbled backwards, barely managing to steady herself.

Apparently satisfied with the exchange, Dante turned and headed towards the exit. He was almost there when a brilliant green light flooded the training hall, casting eerie shadows across the walls.

He turned his head as the light gradually faded, revealing three women standing at the opposite end of the hall.

The Grey Sisters.

Their ragged black robes hung loosely over their bony frames, the tattered hems dragging against the floor. Their bald heads bore only a few strands of damp, grey hair, while their sunken faces were dominated by hollow eye sockets devoid of eyeballs. Well, except for Pamphredo, who stood in the middle and had an eye fixed in one of her sockets.

Cindela recoiled, immediately covering her nose as the foul stench reached her. Instinctively, she turned towards the intruders.

One of the Grey Sisters sneered as she looked Cindela up and down, attempting what she apparently believed was a seductive gaze.

"Well, well... would you look at that? She’s hot," she croaked, her gaze lingering on Cindela’s face. "Damn, look at that beauty."

Pamphredo, standing in the middle, turned her attention towards Cindela as well.

"Yes... and look at that figure," she murmured appreciatively.

Enyo leaned forward, peering at Cindela’s chest. "And those breasts! Practically spilling out of that red training kimono!"

"What the..."

Cindela’s expression twisted with disgust. Still pinching her nose with one hand, she brandished her staff with the other and pointed it at the three women.

The Grey Sisters immediately staggered backwards.

"How dare you walk in here without the king’s permission? And-and-and talk about my breasts!" Cindela barked through clenched teeth.

Dante closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Lower your staff, Cindela." He opened his eyes, glancing at her before directing an irritated glare at the Grey Sisters. "And you three, stop making a spectacle of yourselves."

Cindela frowned in confusion and turned towards him. "Why?"

Then her eyes widened slightly.

"Hang on. Are these...?"

"Yes," Dante replied.

He took a few steps towards the three women, his expression darkening. "Though I must say, you have a lot of nerve showing up here after everything that’s happened."

Pamphredo frowned. "Forgive me, my king. I never intended to interrupt your wonderful moment with this beautiful lady."

Her gaze drifted towards Cindela again, and she gave her another supposedly seductive look.

Cindela’s frown deepened. "How can the three of you even see us? Only the one in the middle has an eye, and she has just one!"

Enyo immediately straightened, apparently delighted by the attention.

"Oh? Is she interested in us? I think she likes me!"

Pamphredo shook her head in exasperation.

"We all see through the same eye."

Dante chuckled. "So you’ve finally settled your little dispute over who gets to keep the eye, have you? And now the three of you share it?"

"Yes, my king!" all three answered in unison.

Dante’s smile widened, but there was nothing pleasant about it.

"My king, you say..."

His expression suddenly twisted with fury.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill all three of you!"

Enyo flinched. "That’s quite a mood swing..."

Pamphredo shot her a warning glance before turning back to Dante.

"Because we’re your allies, my lord."

Deino trembled slightly, then added with a nervous smile, "And because we’re beautiful?"

Dante’s eyes flashed gold. For a fleeting moment, flames erupted from his body, filling the hall with a scorching wave of heat.

The Grey Sisters recoiled.

"You think this is some sick joke?!" he roared. "You’re so hideous that your existence alone should be a crime punishable by death!"

All three women flinched.

"We’re not joking, my lord," Pamphredo insisted.

"Then shut up!" Dante barked, his voice thundering through the hall.

"You three just stood by doing nothing?!" His fists trembled. "While I was out there almost beaten half to death by Vehitoshi! All our plans... fallen apart, my efforts wasted, and everything I worked for gone to hell!"

He took another step towards them, his golden eyes burning with resentment.

"And you have the audacity to stand before me, flirting and making jokes as though none of it matters?!"

Dante’s roar shook the training hall. The Grey Sisters flinched, their bony shoulders jerking as his voice thundered around them.

Pamphredo immediately bowed her head. The two sisters beside her followed suit.

"We’re sorry, my king," she said hurriedly. "We never intended to disrespect you. However, we know we were wrong not to help you bring the boy down."

"That is precisely why we’ve come bearing good news," Deino cut in.

"And an explanation," Enyo added.

"One that might finally make sense of everything," Pamphredo concluded.

Cindela stared at the three women, momentarily distracted by how effortlessly they completed one another’s sentences.

’How on earth do they manage that? Do they share a brain as well as an eye?’

Dante, however, paid her no attention. He scrutinised the Grey Sisters, his expression gradually settling into a thoughtful frown.

"An explanation?" he asked.

Pamphredo raised her head, a faint smile returning to her face.

"You see, my king, I believe you and the boy are struggling with the same problem."

Dante’s eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to say?"

This time, Deino lifted her head.

"You have the Golden Phoenix residing within you. A power of unparalleled magnitude, prophesied to rise above all others and purge the world of evil. Yet, despite its immense power, you could not defeat Vehitoshi."

She paused, allowing her words to settle.

"This is because, that power was never meant to be yours, no offence, but... Until the two of you find true alignment, its full strength will remain beyond your reach."

Pamphredo picked up where her sister left off.

"The boy suffers from the same affliction. Within him resides the core of the first demon ever to exist, a primordial being whose terror once threatened all of existence before your forefathers finally chained it away."

Her hollow socket remained fixed on Dante.

"Therefore, like you and the Golden Phoenix, neither he nor the entity within him has achieved true balance."

Deino nodded slowly. "You both are just like two vessels, containing two immiscible liquid each."

"And that, my king, is why you appeared unable to defeat Vehitoshi." Deino finalized.

Dante’s expression grew contemplative.

’They’re actually making sense.’

He recalled the battle with startling clarity. He had expected the Golden Phoenix to grant him overwhelming power, something capable of making even the most formidable demons tremble. Yet, when he had faced Vehitoshi head-on, he had felt strangely underwhelming.

He remembered the moment his Golden Phoenix had been trapped within the Eternal Void. Despite possessing the power of a beast prophesied to purge evil, he had been left feeling utterly helpless.

’Could this really be the reason?’

He slowly nodded, but another thought soon troubled him.

"I doubt it," he said, lifting his gaze towards the sisters. "Vehitoshi didn’t appear to have any difficulty using his abilities. His movements, his Demonic Rites, his... his manifestations. He wielded them as though they were second nature."

Dante’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the terrifying precision with which the demon had fought.

"He pushed himself to the point of coughing blood on several occasions. I saw it myself. But that wasn’t because of your reason. It was because Star’s body couldn’t withstand the strain of a being like him using such a high level of power."

He shook his head slowly.

"He had even reached the level of a Silent Master. And yet, despite the strain on his body, Vehitoshi continued fighting, even using silence, just as he wished."

The Grey Sisters exchanged glances.

They hadn’t been there to witness it, but Dante’s explanation alone was enough to bring horror into their faces.

For a brief moment, none of them spoke.

Then Deino’s head tilted slightly.

"I think I’ve found the answer."

Dante fixed Deino with a piercing stare, silently ordering her to continue.

"Perhaps when Vehitoshi takes over, the boy’s consciousness becomes completely recessive," she explained. "His mind retreats, leaving Vehitoshi dominant."

Pamphredo picked up where her sister left off. "Yessss... And considering that Vehitoshi is a demon who has actualised most of his power, he should be able to wield his abilities however he pleases. After all, it’s still his own power, even if he’s using another person’s body."

Dante shook his head slowly. "Let’s assume you’re right. How does any of this help me?"

"Because this leads to the goodnews."

A smile finally spread across Pamphredo’s face.

"A plan, my king," she declared. "This time, one that will never fail."