My Blood Legacy: Reincarnated as a Vampire

Dante walked alongside Akira, the silence between them broken only by the sound of their boots against the arid, cracked ground of Hell. The heat was suffocating, even for someone like him, and the air vibrated with an oppressive energy. Despite this, Akira seemed unbothered, her posture straight and her eyes fixed on the horizon.

"Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" Dante asked, frowning as he glanced around. Everything looked the same — the same desolate landscape, the same endless blood-red sky.

"Yes," Akira replied simply, without looking away. "The heart of Hell isn't something you just see. It reveals itself when you're worthy of reaching it."

Dante rolled his eyes. "Worthy, huh? And how much farther do we need to walk to prove that? We've been going for hours."

Akira let out a low chuckle. "As impatient as ever, Dante. You think you can conquer everything through brute force. Not everything works that way."

Dante scoffed but didn't respond. He knew arguing with Akira was a waste of time. She had that annoying way of always seeming in control, even when she wasn't. He kicked a rock along the path, watching it disappear into a small chasm nearby.

"So, tell me something," he began, breaking the silence again. "What exactly are you hoping to find at the heart of Hell? Or are you just here because you had nothing better to do?"

Akira finally stopped and looked at him, her smile a mix of arrogance and mystery. "Maybe I just want to see if you'll survive the journey. Or maybe I have something to seek... just like you."

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Something like what?"

She shrugged and started walking again. "You'll find out when we get there. If you can, that is."

After hours of uninterrupted walking, Dante stopped as he spotted something he didn't expect to see in Hell. In the distance, a city emerged from the mist and the desolate landscape. Tall, twisted buildings made of black stone and obsidian rose like teeth in a jaw, illuminated by a reddish glow that seemed to emanate from the ground itself.

"Is that... a city?" Dante asked, confusion clear on his face. He frowned, trying to process what he was seeing. "Here in Hell? That doesn't make sense."

Akira stopped beside him, crossing her arms as she observed the city with a faint smile. "Why wouldn't it make sense? What did you expect to find here? Just chaos and desolation?"

"Well... yes," Dante admitted, glancing at her. "After all, it's Hell."

Akira laughed, a deep and almost mocking sound. "You have such a narrow view, Dante. Think about it: demons were people too, at some point. Humans, fallen angels, creatures from distant worlds. All of them, somehow, ended up here. And like any sentient being, some learned to organize."

Dante narrowed his eyes, still skeptical. "You're telling me they live... like a society? They work, have families, and all that?"

"Exactly." Akira began descending a path toward the city. "Don't be fooled by the chaos on the surface. The closer you get to the heart of Hell, the more complex and organized things become. Here, even evil has order."

Dante followed her, still trying to process the information. "But why have I never heard of this before? I was always told Hell was just pain, torture, and eternal fire."

"Because most never make it this far," Akira replied without looking back. "They die before discovering the truth. And, of course, there are places like that in Hell... But this part? It's different. It's where power concentrates."

As they approached the city gates, Dante watched creatures of all shapes and sizes moving through the streets. Some were silent, others bartered in makeshift markets. There was a strange order here, a dark harmony he had never imagined.

"Well," he murmured, "this is unexpected."

Akira smirked. "Welcome to the real Hell, Dante. Get used to it because things only get stranger from here."

As Dante passed through the twisted black gates, his eyes widened, unable to hide his shock at the sight unfolding before him. The city was a chaotic order, a brutal contrast to everything he had expected of Hell.

The streets were paved with polished bones, faintly glowing under the reddish light emanating from the ground. Grotesque buildings rose on either side, constructed from a bizarre mix of petrified flesh, demon leather, and monster scales that seemed to still pulse with life.

Shops lined the streets, selling things Dante couldn't begin to comprehend: fragments of souls trapped in jars, weapons forged from fangs and claws, and even smaller caged creatures, some whimpering, others roaring. The merchants were conscious demons with grotesquely humanoid forms, fiercely bargaining with equally terrifying customers.

"This... is insane," Dante finally muttered, his voice filled with disbelief. "How can this exist here? How can there be... a civilization in Hell?"

Akira, walking ahead with a carefree confidence, glanced over her shoulder and gave a sly smile. "What did you expect, Dante? That all demons were irrational beasts, roaring and tearing each other's flesh apart?"

"Well… yes," he replied honestly, still trying to take in the scene. He passed by a group of demon children playing with what looked like the head of an irrational monster, while their parents watched from a distance.

"Is this… trade?" Dante pointed to a shop where one demon was bargaining over an arm made of horns and spikes with another.

"Everything here has value," Akira answered casually. "The bodies of the irrational demons you slaughter serve as raw material. Flesh, bones, blood—everything is used to build or sustain this society. Nothing goes to waste in Hell."

Dante stopped as he saw a demon blacksmith hammering away at a glowing obsidian blade with a hammer made of skulls. Each strike made the blade emit distant screams, as though the soul of some creature was trapped inside it.

"This is… completely different from what I imagined." Dante looked around, his confusion shifting into a strange fascination. "And these people? They live… normal lives?"

"Normal is relative, Dante," Akira replied, pausing to look at him. "But yes. They have lives, purposes. Even monsters need order to survive. And the closer we get to the heart of Hell, the more intelligent and conscious everything becomes."

Dante let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "And here I thought I'd seen it all."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Akira replied with an enigmatic smile as she resumed walking. "The city is just the beginning. Keep moving, Dante. The real surprises are yet to come."

She's really enjoying this at my expense... Dante thought. I wonder how things are up there… he mused, glancing at the crimson sky.

...

Lilith was kneeling on the ground, her body covered in deep wounds, and her once proud face now marked by pain and exhaustion. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and the broken sword in her hand seemed more a burden than a weapon. Mary Rose walked toward her with slow, almost predatory steps, her black and red scythe hanging in her hands.

"You fought well, Lilith. Better than I expected," Mary said, her voice laced with a tone that was almost condescending. "But everyone has a limit... even you."

Lilith lifted her gaze, her eyes burning with the last of her determination. "I... won't fall... to someone like you."

Mary let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "Always so proud. But look around you, Lilith. Everything you were... everything you represented... ends here."

Lilith gathered what was left of her strength, pushing herself to her feet. Even in her weakness, she exuded a fierce dignity, raising the broken blade before her.

"I am Lilith, the Demon Goddess! You cannot erase who I am!"

Mary Rose watched the scene for a moment, then smiled cruelly. "And that's why this will be so satisfying."

She moved with unimaginable speed, her scythe slicing through the air in a deadly arc. Lilith tried to block, but the overwhelming force of Mary's strike shattered her remaining blade, sending her crashing back to the ground.

Lilith spat blood but still tried to rise, her hands digging into the earth. "I... am not finished yet."

Mary Rose stopped in front of her, raising the scythe above her head. Her dark aura pulsed with an almost unbearable intensity. "You're right. You're not finished... you're destroyed."

With a single strike, the scythe descended, cutting Lilith from shoulder to chest. The impact was brutal, and the ground shook violently, cracking under the devastating energy that spread across the field. Lilith fell to her knees, her exhausted body unable to resist the final blow.

Mary Rose raised the scythe again, her eyes glowing with a mix of triumph and sadism. "This is where your story ends, Lilith."

However, before she could deliver the killing blow, three devastating auras tore through the environment like an explosion of pure force, freezing the scene. In the blink of an eye, three figures appeared before Mary Rose, their presences radiating absolute power.

"You've crossed the line." Valentina's cold and sharp voice echoed across the field. She stood at the front, her ruby eyes burning with anger as her vampiric aura made the air around her vibrate.

Beside her, Morgana raised a hand, the sinister glow of her dark magic surrounding her like a storm. "You played with fire, Mary Rose."

Then Alice, holding her own dark blade, stepped forward. Her expression was one of pure disdain. "Lilith is ours, and you... will not have the privilege of killing her."

Mary Rose took a slight step back, surprised by the sudden appearance of the three women. However, a crooked smile formed on her lips. "So you decided to make your dramatic entrance? How lovely... Let's see how long you last."

Before Mary could move, a deafening roar ripped through the sky, followed by an explosion of heat. Two enormous dragons, their scales gleaming like molten metal, appeared on the horizon. They soared across the field and, with a single synchronized attack, unleashed torrents of devastating fire.

Mary Rose's army was consumed by the flames. The ground trembled as the dragons' fire swept across the field, reducing the demonic soldiers to ash in seconds.

"I see, you finally decided to show up..." A huge grin spread across Mary Rose's face.