My Blood Legacy: Reincarnated as a Vampire

Dante entered the cave with a vigilant gaze, his eyes adjusting to the dim light as he felt the presence around him. The cave was cold, with only the faint light from the entrance illuminating the place, but what caught his attention was the dense smell of decomposition in the air.

The atmosphere was saturated with a sickly energy, something Dante had never felt before. It was as if the very space itself had been consumed, corroded by decay.

When his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, he saw what caused the smell: a creature surrounded by flies, a twisted mass of flesh and bone, so pale it seemed almost translucent. It was difficult to tell what it actually was. The being was sitting on the ground in a lotus pose, immersed in meditation, though its form was far from anything that could be considered human or demonic. What was most striking, however, was the aura it emitted—or rather, the lack of one. Its life force was declining, as if the demon itself was dying slowly.

"What the hell is this..." Dante muttered to himself, unsure how to describe the grotesque scene before him. He hadn't expected to find Beelzebub in such a state. The appearance that normally accompanied one of the greatest demons of the Seven Deadly Sins was absent, replaced by something... empty.

The demon, or what remained of it, slowly lifted its head, its eyes covered by a thick layer of fog, the lashes heavy as if it was physically incapable of opening them completely. Dante observed, his heightened senses trying to detect even the slightest trace of power left in the being. The glow he had expected to see, a reflection of the sin of gluttony, was now extinguished. There was nothing left there but an empty shell.

"Ah... you came." Beelzebub's voice was weak, like the whisper of a dying breeze, yet still carried the weight of an authority that seemed to be fading slowly. "I knew you'd come, Dante."

Dante didn't move, keeping a safe distance while assessing the state of the demon. His eyes were fixed on the grotesque scene before him, but he remained alert for any sign of treachery or sudden change. The demon of gluttony was clearly in a state of decay, something that would never have been allowed in its full form.

"Are you... dying?" Dante asked, with no compassion, just a cruel curiosity. He didn't feel pity for Beelzebub, but he couldn't help but wonder what had caused such decadence.

Beelzebub let out a sigh, a weak laugh, almost as if mocking itself. "Yes, Demon Emperor. I am dying. The sin of gluttony I carry within me... is an unbearable weight. And yet, it's what keeps me trapped in this state."

"But you are Beelzebub. You are the demon of gluttony. How could someone like you be defeated like this? You should be indestructible," Dante said, his voice low but firm. He took a step closer to the weak being, now more intrigued than before. Something was wrong here. He couldn't understand it.

"Indestructible?" Beelzebub mumbled, his eyes still hidden behind the thick fog. "Nothing is indestructible, Your Majesty. Not even the greatest of demons. I was one of the most powerful, but now... I see my strength is being drained." He smiled faintly, an expression full of bitterness. "I am just a shadow of what I was."

Dante stopped in front of him, watching him in silence. What he was hearing seemed impossible, but there was a tangible truth in Beelzebub's words. He approached further, focusing on the remaining demonic energy still emanating from the creature, though weak.

"What happened to you?" Dante asked, his words now carrying a deeper curiosity. The explanation about Beelzebub's weakening wasn't enough for him. There was something much bigger behind this.

Beelzebub closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. "Astaroth... That damn, treacherous Astaroth. She started stealing the power of the demon kings, one by one, and I was the next on the list after absorbing them all. But she wasn't gentle. It wasn't what I expected, and the price I paid was... too high." He paused, his breathing sounding even more labored. "She tried to steal the authority of gluttony. Tried to seize my power, my essence. She wounded me gravely, more than anyone ever has before. But... of course... she couldn't take everything from me. Not even she... could."

Dante furrowed his brow, now better understanding the situation. Astaroth, the strange servant, had always been an ally of Lucifer, but her ambitions had led her beyond what was acceptable. She didn't just want more power; she was trying to dominate the very essence of gluttony.

"You're saying Astaroth tried to take your power?" Dante repeated, beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation. "And you couldn't stop it."

Belzebu slowly shook his head, a gesture of resignation. "I tried to resist, but the forces he brought were... unsustainable. He managed to wound me. He left me almost powerless, almost devoid of the very essence of the sin of gluttony. When he tried to take control, I was forced to hide, to disappear. And now... here I am, just an empty shell."

"Does that mean Astaroth is trying to do the same to others?" Dante asked, once again reflecting on the implications of all this. He was starting to realize that what was happening wasn't just a power struggle; it was a silent war to take control of all of Hell. And Belzebu, apparently, was just a victim of it. "She's going to do this to others, isn't she?" Explore more at empire

"Yes," Belzebu answered, his voice still weak. "Astaroth has her eyes on all the Sins. She will continue her hunt. She will take us down one by one. She's already weakened several, and she's about to take control of the entire demonic hierarchy. And Lucifer... Lucifer is lost in his own affairs."

Dante fell silent, absorbing Belzebu's words. The situation he had thought was simple and straightforward, with Belzebu merely being an obstacle, was now transforming into something far more complicated. The balance of Hell was at stake, and Astaroth was the key to it. If she managed to steal the powers of all the demons representing the sins, Hell—and perhaps the world—would be dominated by a force Dante couldn't even begin to understand.

"You say Lucifer is busy... then what's happening with him?" Dante asked, now more interested in what was going on with the Demon Lord. Something wasn't right, and he knew that even in his weakened state, Belzebu might still have valuable information.

"Lucifer is weakened because he has to deal with the consequences of his own actions. He's no longer the absolute ruler he once was. The weight of leadership is consuming him, and to make matters worse, Astaroth is infiltrating his power too. Lucifer can't control Hell alone for much longer, especially with the World Tree ceasing to support him..."

'It stopped supporting him??!!' Dante was stunned but stayed silent... then turned inward, nodding slightly, his eyes now sharper. "This is much bigger than I imagined," he murmured to himself, deep in thought.

"And why are you here? Using the dwarf as a vessel for Gluttony?" Belzebu remarked. "How could I speak to the Demon King without using the rest of my life to get your attention?" He questioned Dante, who remained silent.

"You gambled everything on this? And if you died, would you have stolen her body?" Dante asked, still suspicious. "Why would I need that? I've lived long enough; life hardly matters to us demons," Belzebu said, and again, Dante only heard the sincerity in his words.

"I see..." Dante murmured. "I can help you," he said, his voice firm, devoid of compassion but with the determination of someone who knew what needed to be done.

"You... want to help me?" Belzebu asked, surprised. "Why would you do that?"

Dante smirked slightly. "Because you're still useful. And I won't let Astaroth take control of my Hell."

The Demon of Gluttony looked at him, his eyes now seeming sharper, as if his consciousness was starting to clear a little before the end. "Do what you need to do... If you can stop him... if you can stop Astaroth... then perhaps my fall will have meant something."

"Do you know what Astaroth truly seeks?" Dante asked, but Belzebu shook his head in denial.

Belzebu hesitated, then spoke, his voice now weak, almost as if he were revealing the last secret of his life. "The real issue isn't power. It's control over creation itself. She wants to become the very demon god. But I think that's a very vague possibility, given how she acts. But still, it's my final guess. She wants control."

"Besides... she seemed quite interested in the World Tree. When she tried to kill me, she said that all that was left was the World Tree, and everything would be complete, or something like that..."

"If she destroys the World Tree... or takes it... she will corrupt everything that sustains the balance of the realms."

This was more than just a personal battle between demons. The destruction of the World Tree would mean the fall of everything. The balance of the universe, both in Hell and in the higher realms, would be shattered.

"She wants to absorb Hell," Dante said...