Third-person POV
Dante shifted his head to dodge the Dead Apostle's attack while simultaneously blocking another attack from his opposite side.
In the distance, the Primate Murder opened its mouth to unleash several blasts of powered-up magical energy.
In response, Dante grabbed his opponent's limbs and flung them directly into the Beast's attack, causing the resulting explosion to tear the Dead Apostles' bodies apart.
Seeing an opening, Dante launched himself forward at full speed.
Once the smoke cleared, the Primate Murder looked around for his opponent but couldn't see him, as he was now directly beneath him.
Lying slightly, Dante activated his Armament Haki and his magical circuitry.
"Vis centuplo augetur," he recited, striking the Primate Murder in the stomach and sending him flying into space as the floor beneath him shattered into thousands of pieces by the resulting force.
At that moment, he sensed an attack from behind, but only just managed to dodge Rizo's attack, which shattered the ground beneath Dante.
Dante easily evaded Rizo's relentless onslaught, demonstrating his lack of experience in hand-to-hand combat.
As Dante prepared to strike Rizo with his magic circuits, Rizo, in an attempt to block the attack, crossed his arms over his chest.
"Celeritas centies augetur," Dante recited, punching the true ancestor and sending him flying at a speed beyond human sight. "You know it, he... he's gone," Dante said, watching Rizo disappear from his range of vision and Haki.
"Even sealed by the Counterforce and Gaia, you're still quite a threat; I expected nothing less from you, destroyer of pantheons," Altrouge said, watching the battle as a spectator.
"Destroyer of pantheons?" Dante questioned.
"It's not stated in the books, but it's believed that you were the cause of Olympus's fall, or at least a major factor through indirect actions; hence one of your many titles," Altrouge replied.
"I see, but that's the past; I don't care. What now? Are you going to fight too?" Dante asked the true ancestor.
"Why not?" she said to herself, standing up and preparing to fight. "But I came here to do something else besides play wrestling, and that means you helping me," I told Dante.
"Help you with what?" Dante asked.
"Help me bring Helena back to life."
...
*Current Events*
Dante found Touko drinking alone at a bar.
"Just because you're of legal drinking age doesn't mean you can drink yourself into oblivion," he told Touko as he sat down next to her.
"You came here to make fun of me? You must be so happy that your dear Aoko inherited Grandpa's magic," she complained without looking at Dante.
"I just came to see how you were, that's all," he explained.
"I'm fine. Now go away, and don't bother me."
"You don't look well," Dante retorted.
And whose fault do you think that is? "In fact, if you wanted, I could have intervened or stopped this," I told Touko with hatred.
Dante didn't reply because there was some truth to it; he might have been able to convince him to change his mind, but he didn't, mainly because he doesn't spend much time at the Aozaki estate.
"I'm not the head of the Aozaki family; in fact, I should be a pile of dust lying around somewhere, and your grandfather's decisions are his and no one else's. If he wanted to do that, he must have had a reason, but I still feel it was a little unfair to you considering everything you went through, so if you want, I can help you with anything you need," Dante explained with great conviction.
Touko's expression softened slightly, since the hatred had never been directed at Dante, and seeing his sincere intention to help her, she relaxed.
Touko stared at her glass of alcohol and reached into a small bottle of strange liquid in her pocket.
"If you want to help me, stay with me all day and let me grieve," Touko told Dante.
"As long as it's something I can do, I'll do it." Dante's actions were intended to prevent a conflict between the two sisters, who, if he remembered correctly, would eventually try to kill each other.
"Aren't you afraid I might ask you to do something you don't want to?" she asked.
"I trust you," Dante told Touko, a pang of guilt momentarily crossing his mind for what he had planned to do. "Besides, if you ask me to do something I don't want to, I can refuse, period."
...
The next morning, Touko felt her body ache; she was lying naked in bed, holding an equally naked man. The moment she got up, she saw Dante still asleep.
She looked at him with guilt but also with determination; without thinking much, she took her phone and snapped a picture of herself and Dante, proving they had had sex.
She went to her messages and found Aoko's contact, and just as she was about to send the picture, she heard a voice.
"I see, it was for revenge." Hearing the voice made Touko freeze with fear.
She glanced around a corner only to see Kiss-shot leaning against it, staring at her.
"Kiss-sama, I wasn't in Greenland with Helena-sama," she said, somewhat fearfully, upon seeing the imposing vampire queen.
"Yes, but as soon as I realized Dante had been drugged, I ran to where he was. I waited to find out why you did that," she replied to Touko.
"Are you going to do something to me for sleeping with your husband?" she asked, somewhat fearful.
"It doesn't bother me that Dante sleeps with other women, since I don't have sensual desires like he does, but what bothers me is that he was manipulated and tricked into doing it."
Guilt began to weigh heavily on Touko, since for her, Dante had always been an example and a role model; she admired him and wanted to be just as great as him.
She also knew that Aoko had liked Dante since she was a child, and those feelings had never changed; in fact, Dante, by being so good to her, perhaps made those feelings stronger so that that childhood love wouldn't disappear.
Knowing this, and consumed by hatred, envy, and rage, she made a decision: since she had stolen the fifth magic from her, she would steal Dante from her.
Kiss-shot realized this thanks to his Haki and saw Touko taking the photo, ready to send it to Aoko.
The vampire sighed.
"Just because you're a descendant of Chiaki, I won't do anything to you this time, but next time, you'll see what a high-level exorcist is like." With that, Kiss-Shot disappeared into the shadows.
Touko remained thoughtful, reflecting on her actions, but out of nowhere, she remembered Aoko's stupid face, and envy surged back within her.
Without a second thought, she sent the photo and threw herself back onto the bed. She stared at Dante; perhaps she should take advantage of this, since she didn't know if it would ever happen again. With that, she hid under the covers.
...
Morning had arrived. Aoko was getting out of bed, ready to start the day. She felt a little bad for her sister for stealing her inheritance, but there wasn't much she could do about her grandfather's decisions.
Before going to wash up, she checked her phone, only to see a message from Touko. She was surprised, as she hadn't expected her to message her, but after thinking about it for a moment, she figured maybe she was going to challenge her to a duel to see who possessed the fifth magic.
Lost in thought, she opened the message, only to have her eyes blur and drop the phone.
Aoko stood still for about five seconds, then ran from her room to Touko's. She kicked the door open, only to find it empty.
At that moment, she remembered that she hadn't come home yesterday.
...
When Dante woke up, there was no one in the hotel room, but he remembered everything that had happened.
At that moment, his cell phone rang; he quickly answered and heard a maid's agitated voice.
"Dante-sama, help! Miss Touko and Miss Aoko are trying to kill each other and are destroying the estate," the maid's voice was frantic as explosions could be heard in the background.
This completely freaked out Dante, since Touko and Aoko's parents were away on a trip at the estate, and Takeo was too old to stop them.
Without thinking much, he tried to go there, but when he stood up, the effects of the drugs impaired his gait. He still wasn't well, and his motor skills didn't match his physical abilities, but with great effort, he left the hotel and headed toward the Aozaki estate.
...
At the estate, Aoko was grabbing her sister's cheeks and ear, while Touko responded by pulling her hair.
Half the residence was completely destroyed.
"How could you? You knew I liked Dante," she retorted, tears welling in her eyes.
Dante had always rejected both of their advances, so for him to suddenly sleep with her sister was something she must have done; in her mind, she must have threatened him or something, so it was all Touko's fault.
"I knew it, but now he's mine, not yours; now you're a loser," Touko replied with a voice of supreme victory.
Both sisters' emotions were running high: fury, envy, and frustration between them. In the end, the attempted murder between them came much sooner than expected.
Just as they were about to reactivate their magic circuits to fight again, two hands grabbed both women by the neck, abruptly pulling them apart.
Both sorceresses felt a wave of panic and nausea, as if they might faint at any moment, unable to move.
"It's time you calmed down, brats."
...
Dante's POV
When I arrived at the Aozaki residence, the entrance was already completely destroyed, but I didn't hear a sound.
I entered the grounds without thinking, expecting the worst, only to see Touko and Aoko kneeling in submission before Kiss-Shot with their arms crossed while the maid held the parasol for them.
"It's about time you arrived, my husband," she reproached him.
"I'm sorry; I was just feeling much worse than usual," I apologized. At my words, Touko lowered her head even further.
"I already explained the situation to both of you and..." Kiss-Shot couldn't continue speaking as Aoko interrupted her.
"It's not fair," she complained. "you've been rejecting us for years; I even planned to make a deal with Kiss-Shot just so my sister could get ahead; it's not fair."
I felt more tired than usual listening to her words while Kiss-shot raised an eyebrow.
"Don't be a sore loser," Touko told Aoko, emphasizing the word "loser." "You just have to face the truth. Dante-dono only needs a woman from the Aozaki clan in his life; with his child in my womb, he doesn't need you."
Upon hearing those words, Aoko became even more hysterical, while Kiss-shot raised his other eyebrow.
I can't believe Aoko actually believed that lie.
"How do you know you're pregnant?" I asked her honestly, since it's impossible to know less than a day after the act.
"The way you treated me in bed and how you filled me up, it's impossible that I'm not pregnant," Touko explained.
I have several cases where I didn't get a woman pregnant in those same situations, but just as I was about to explain that, Takeo appeared out of nowhere, surveying the destroyed place, his gaze fixed on Touko.
"Hehe, I see there's no other way; if she's pregnant, there's no other option, Dante will have to take responsibility," he said with a very natural calm.
Touko was already triumphant with her victory over Aoko while the latter was freezing inside.
"But—" Aoko tried to say, but her grandfather stopped her.
"But it would be very unfair to leave Aoko out of all this." Those words stopped Aoko's cat. "But she's still too young for grown-up things, so when you turn 18 I'll give you my blessing, just like I did with Touko to be with Dante; that was the original idea, wasn't it, Grandma?"
"We were never able to confirm anything, but given this strange situation, I can accept it reluctantly," Kiss-shot replied to Takeo.
And my opinion? Doesn't it exist?
"Grandma, wait, Dante's your grandfather too?" Touko asked in shock, since no one knew Takeo was my step-grandson; by default, Kiss-Shot was his grandmother.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that." With that, Takeo vanished as suddenly as she'd appeared.
"Did you hear that, Dante? We can get married!" Aoko exclaimed excitedly, running into my arms.
"I see she doesn't care that Dante is her great-great-grandfather," Kiss-Shot remarked, observing Aoko's reaction.
"What's with these mood swings you have these days?" Aoko asked, blushing furiously.
"Dante, you idiot!" With that, she smacked me with her magic circuits, sending me sprawling to the ground, then covered her face in embarrassment.
"Ah, you reminded me of Akane," I said, sprawling on the ground.
"Oh, you reminded me of Akane." Kiss-Shot was shaking her head, and Touko was processing that she slept with her great-great-grandfather; later she would explain the situation, and Aoko would express her emotions directly through violence.
At least the conflict over the fifth magic has temporarily disappeared, and I don't see the two sisters killing each other.
I think that having a relationship with both sisters will be a noble sacrifice so that they don't hate each other in the future.
...
*The Passage of Time*
After so much time, doing practically nothing since during the time I managed to remove the seals from the scythe, which I now only use to move from one place to another, I haven't made any progress in my magical research.
In fact, I went to university and studied mathematics, physics, and theology.
Once I finished that, I returned to the Clock Tower, but since I didn't have much to do, I joined the Executioners and stayed there until I became a leader, and now I'm here.
With all that, I reached the rank of "Brand," which is the second-to-last rank in the Clock Tower, and so far I don't know anyone who is a "Grand" rank; maybe Zelrech, but I never knew what he was doing here.
I was promoted thanks to my family, my political influence, my small investigations, and, above all, because I helped others with their own investigations, including Touko's and Zelrech's, thanks to my all-seeing eye.
"How strange to have a room to myself," I said to myself, only to see someone open the door and only to see Touko walk in.
"Did something happen?" I asked her, to which she only sighed.
"She's not interested in anything here; she prefers to fight and cause chaos, and every time she sees me, she says when she's going to marry you and have lots of babies," Touko explained to me about her sister's situation while rubbing her temples.
Not long ago, Aoko, around 18 years old, arrived at the clock tower to conduct her investigation, and in those six months she hasn't done anything, just eats, drinks, and wanders around. So, she starts fighting with other sorcerers.
"It was to be expected; Touko was never interested in that kind of thing. I figured what she really wants to do is travel the world." I told her what Aoko had said to me a while ago.
"But it's a waste of Kounji's tutoring and the Fifth Magic," Touko complained, only to walk over to where I was and sit on my lap.
"She says what Alice taught her is more than enough, and I feel like she's right. Maybe it's not enough for research, but I don't see almost anyone beating her, just a few exceptions," I said, stroking her legs.
"Let's change the subject," she said, sounding annoyed by her sister.
"Perhaps that's for the best. How was Kaori?" I asked about our daughter.
"Helena was taking care of her, since she could never spoil a brother, and this is her chance," she explained.
It turned out that if I got pregnant, it had been a long time since I'd experienced anything like this, leaving someone with my child right away, like with Nami. But I never knew if she was really my daughter; maybe she never was, but I always considered her like a daughter or niece.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door, making Touko stand up and straighten her skirt.
"Come in," I said, only to see a young lady with an aristocratic air enter my office alongside a woman made of mercury.
"Well, what do I see? It's my partner in crime with his own office; it's about time, old man," the girl teased with a sharp tongue.
"Why, if it isn't the El-Melloi's coyote, here to see my magnificence," I replied to the girl, making us both laugh.
Touko just sighed at my interaction with the girl and went to sit in an armchair nearby.
A long time ago, I met the El-Melloi through Kayneth; may he rest in peace.
He came seeking information about the Holy Grail War; I readily told him everything important, though not everything I know, because I wouldn't have any way to justify my knowledge.
Later, she would come with the intention of getting a catalyst, since hers had been stolen. Unfortunately for her, I had nothing to give her; if I gave it to her, it might not work, since I would have to be summoned, but since I was here, she might get any old thing, as if she had nothing at all.
During these interactions, I got to know Rennes, who came to me out of mere curiosity, only to later combine in one thing: playing pranks in the clock tower.
With my love for bothering people and her love for making people suffer, we became the most feared pair in the entire clock tower.
"I don't think you came here just to see me," I retorted, to which she only shrugged.
"You know me so well. I came mainly to investigate a guy who used the El-melloi's resources in the clock tower," I explained my situation here.
"Who would be capable of doing that?" Touko asked.
"Waver Velvet, a former student of your brother, came here a long time ago, just like him, seeking information about the Holy Grail. When I learned that he returned afterward to take Kayneth's place, I went to visit him. 'Don't be so harsh on him; he hasn't done anything wrong. He just wants to atone for his mistakes and debts,' I explained.
"Hmm, I'll decide when I see him with my own eyes," she said, not paying much attention to my suggestion; he would probably ignore it anyway. "But speaking of the Holy Grail War, I understand it was left rather incomplete, so it will be held again in a few years. Tell me, who do you think should participate?"
'Isn't it obvious?' I said, stretching lazily in my chair. 'In the next Holy Grail War, I will participate, but as a teacher.'"
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Hi, I wanted to say something.
And in the harem section, there are about 5 or 6 slots. These are women who will accompany Dante on his journey, which means they won't be the only female characters who have some kind of interaction with the protagonist.
For example, we have Touko, who is with Dante, but she won't be part of the harem, since she'll remain in the Type-Moon universe. Besides, in my professional eye, Touko is just as attractive as Aoko, and instead of choosing one or the other, what could be better than having both sisters?
Well, that's all I wanted to say; I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Cheers.