Today, I shall let the world burn for daring to touch what’s mine

Was what I thought, until,

"Do.. don’t..." a weak arm draped over mine.

"Khali..." my voice came out layered as I called to her.

"Do..don’t.."

"Rest now... this city shall hurt you no more..."

I ignored her words, raising an arm, ready to drop it when,

TSSSSSS!!!

The smell of burning flesh drifted into my nose.

I froze, the flames on my head going off immediately.

"Wh... why??" I asked, voice choked in repressed rage as I looked at Khalifa, specifically at the hand she had burned to cinders the moment she touched my face.

A smile, bloody and painful, yet genuine, graced her face,

"Do... don’t.."

...

...

"Blergh... I’ll die... if.. you.. waste anymore time... hehehe.. cough cough..." her words came out broken, weak, as she got into a violent coughing fit at the end..

I looked up, the sun had vanished alongside the ungodly heat.

Everything coming undone the moment I felt her harm herself.

"Wh..why??? You.. you would still save them?? After this??? After they hurt you??? Whyyyy???" I grit my teeth so hard they were almost breaking.

I couldn’t even look at her, afraid I might fly into another rage..

"Keh!.. da.. Dante.." her hand stretched, landing on my cheeks as she pulled my head down, I let her, unwilling to stress her out anymore as I willed my evolved healing skill active,

"I.. do not do this to save them.. I do it.. to save you.." saying so, she closed her eyes, finally going unconscious.

...

...

I looked up.

For a moment, a very tempting moment, I was almost pulling through with it.

Just one word, one snap, and this entire city burns to hell.

But yet, "don’t..." Khalifa’s voice resounded in my head..

I looked at the slowly calming skies, my hands felt tied, the rage, the murderous intent, they felt suffocating, so I "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Roared!, it was the only thing I felt I could do at that moment, pouring out all my frustration and rage, taking her unconscious form in my arms as I took a step and space folded our figures disappearing from the area.

"Hooo..." the leading demon captain sighed in relief, wiping the cold sweat that had formed on his brow.

"Alright.. let’s retreat and tell the king..."

Bang!

It started with a single demon.

Bang! Bang!

Then three.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before the captain could react, his entire army had exploded into blood mist,

"Myre, we need to.."

BANG!!

The body of his vice exploded into a gory mist of blood before he could get his words out, his head turning upward as the reddened skies of the demon continent came into view,

"Ahh... so I was right. We are indeed dead."

BANG!!

Silence finally reigned as all the soldiers that had arrived, the ones that had surrounded Dante and Khalifa, were obliterated without ever knowing how.

......

"Intruder!!! Stop!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I was in no mood to entertain any foolishness.

The bodies of the wretheched guards immediately exploding as I stormed into the city lords mansion.

"HUMAN!!!! YOU DARE!!!!!" A furious roar shook the entire mansion as a massive demon exploded into the skies.

Just like the demoness from earlier and most of the demon guards I had encountered, it was a demon with the lower half of a snake and the upper half of a human, two gnarly horns curled out of its forehead.

This one was massive, almost a full 50-feet in length and over 30-foot tall, its scales were dark, looking like plates of armor instead of natural defenses.

What stood out most was its aura, despite not being as overwhelming as the first demon we’d encountered, it was still significantly stronger than that of the guard captain from earlier..

"FOOLISH HUMAN!!! I SHALL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR TRESPASSING...."

"Cleave..."

A massive line immediately appeared on the body of the massive demon as I ignored it, continuing my way into the mansion, behind me, I could hear the ground rumble and quake as the bisected halves of the demon’s corpse fell to the ground.

.....

....

"Ughh..." Khalifa finally stirred awake after what felt like an eternity of waiting..

Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she groaned, trying to get up,

"Don’t." I stopped her.

"Where... where are we?"

"The city lord’s mansion."

.....

...

"You spared the city." She muttered quietly.

I kept silent, merely watching her.

...

...

"Why?" Was all I could ask.

I couldn’t understand it.

Why would she still go this far after all that she’d seen?

Why remain staunch in this belief that these worthless creatures were capable of any good?

She claimed children were innocent, that these wretheced things could be capable of raising families, yet those same children had almost taken her from me, yet still, she persists, I just needed to know,

"Why?"

"Heh! You probably think I’m foolish and naive, don’t you?" She laughed, a self deprecating smile on her face as she sat up.

"I merely wish to understand why you care so much for such a wretched race."

"I don’t do this because I care for them, Dante."

"Then,"

"I do it, because I care for you." Her words made me go silent.

"I couldn’t careless what happens to the demon race, I really couldn’t, but I can’t just stay here and watch you throw away you humanity, your morality, just for the sake of vengeance, these demons aren’t worth such a sacrifice."

"I sacrifice nothing for these creatures, since they are worth nothing in my eyes."

"That’s what you think. But what happens when the rage fades. When your vengeance is accomplished? What remains when there’re no more demons to hate?"

...

...

"They hurt you, Khali."

"And you made those responsible pay, did you not?"

"It is not enough."

"It is. Anything else, becomes a weight on your conscience."

"I shall bear it wholeheartedly."

"I cannot. If you will not spare the city for yourself, then spare it for mine. I do not believe you will wish to see me live, burdened by the weight of thousands of innocent lives on my shoulders, would you?"

A moment of silence passed between us before I closed my eyes, breathing out softly.

"That is unfair, Khali."

"It is. But if it’s the only way I can save you from yourself, then I don’t mind being unfair."

I sighed, standing up as I made my way towards the window, getting a clear view of the carnage that had engulfed the city.

I had wiped out every last armor wearing demon within the city, so now, it was a lawless zone with nothing but chaos everywhere.

Step.

Step.

Soft footsteps sounded from behind me, as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, Khalifa’s body resting on my bare back as we both just stood there.

"Are you upset with me?" She asked.

"Haaa.. I am not. I am merely.... Confused."

"Look around Dante, what do you see?"

"Chaos and demons being the wretched creatures that they are."

"Heh! You see what you want to believe, but I need you to really look, not with your eyes, but with your heart, just this once, see what is really happening."

I sighed, shaking my head, as I let my perception bleed into the atmosphere, covering the whole city as everything unfolded before me...

.....

At the edge of a store, a demon wielded a blade as he confronted a little child,

"Give me the draxis or I take your head."

"No. My family needs this, mama is about to give birth and papa needs all the assistance he can get." The young demon denied, pulling his pouch close.

"You little shit! Die!!" The demon with the blade lunged, yet before he could reach the boy,

BANG!!!

A massive club slammed into the back of his head.

"Father!!"

"Ohh... thank asmodeus, you’re safe, my boy!" The old demon cried as he hugged his child, both father and son, getting up and leaving the place.

...

"Help!! Someone please, help me!!"

At another location, a demoness was trapped underneath fallen rubble, her tail mangled from the rubble as movement became impossible.

Her call rang out continuously until suddenly,

"Who’s there?" A voice answered.

"Oh, please! Help!!" She cried out.

The owner of the voice rushed out, it was a young male, his expression worried and fearful, yet the moment he saw the state of the woman, he didn’t hesitate as he arrived before her, lifted the rubble and assisted her.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"You can thank me later after we make it out.".

All over the place, there was carnage, yet there were still those few that were doing their best to help others.

The true shock came when some demons organized themselves and raided the slavers taverns, freeing the captured prisoners and escorting them out of the city..

.....

"See? This is what you would’ve wiped out if I’d let you do it."

I could only watch in silence.

"Yes, the many are corrupted, but there are still a few that are worth saving."

"Will you willingly abandon their lives just for the sake of those in the wrong?"

"It is but one city Khali, and the circumstances favor them, they had done nothing until now, they’re not innocent."

"No, they aren’t. But they’re trying, and that should count for something, right?"

A silence fell once more between us, our figures still stuck together...

"Haaaa...." I sighed, suddenly tired.

"I miss my airheaded exhibitionistic elf, she was a lot more easier to deal with."

"Hahahahahaha..." she laughed, a genuine beautiful sound..

"She’s here." Her hands tightened around my waist, her figure pulling even closer, "she’s here, and she’s trying her hardest to make sure she doesn’t lose her shameless pervert forever.."

***********

A/N: Khalifa for best girl? She’s currently putting on a very strong show right now.. damn!!

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Thanks for reading...