Chapter 396: This is a Teleportation Array, Not a Weapon

In truth, the cultivators harbored no dread of demonic might; their fear was born entirely of the unknown.

Through *The Legend of Sword and Fairy*, they had come to know the near-immortal strength of Li Xiaoyao, yet *Devil May Cry 3* offered a taste of demonic lineage—a concept utterly foreign to their wildest imaginings.

As they had discerned from their time in *Grand Theft Auto V*, the game was merely another world where illusion and reality intertwined, yet divided by a vast chasm that ensured no lingering malice could stain the waking world.

As they watched Guild Master Fang play, and as they took up the mantle themselves, the character of Dante slowly unfolded before them: a man of mirth and optimism, possessed of a profound equanimity that could laugh in the face of a collapsing mountain, guided by unyielding principles, and remaining, at his core, essentially human even after awakening his demonic blood.

His twin brother, Vergil, stood in stark contrast—a creature of cold demonism, aloof and proud, worshiping raw power and willing to employ any means to achieve his ends.

Yet, unlike the orthodox cultivators and martial artists of the Morning Star Sea or the Dajin Dynasty, the local players of Half City favored Vergil by a wide margin.

He possessed the sweeping vision of a ruler who disregarded trivialities, an aristocratic bearing, and immense power; his minor flaw of impetuous ambition was born of a fanaticism for strength, viewed by the denizens of Half City as mere blemishes upon a flawless jade.

By this time, the two great cultivation realms had already begun their scrutiny of the armaments found within *Devil May Cry 3*.

Dante commanded five melee weapons in total, and save for the greatsword Rebellion, the remaining four had been wrested from the carcasses of vanquished demons.

Consider the one now before them—a vampiric witch adorned in a cascading mane of wavy crimson hair and a flowing black gown.

The entirety of *Devil May Cry 3* diverged from any title that had come before; where *The Legend of Sword and Fairy* lingered on destiny and love, and *Diablo II* thrived on the synthesis of attributes and skills, and *Grand Theft Auto V* allowed the indulgence of an entirely novel life, *Devil May Cry 3* possessed but a single doctrine: combat.

Indeed, it was combat.

If *Grand Theft Auto V* satisfied the leisurely desires of the idle masses, then *Devil May Cry 3* was a sanctuary for the most fervent of warriors.

The vampire witch before them possessed not only the traditional art of dispersing into a cloud of bats but could also conjure a swarm of them as an impenetrable shield, complemented most terrifyingly by her mastery over lightning.

Guild Master Fang’s execution grew visibly more exquisite, transforming the encounter into a veritable visual feast.

The opponent’s swift and lethal bat-shadow assaults were met with the flawless defense of Dante’s Royalguard style.

The witch summoned a horrific tempest of electricity that swept through the chamber.

Amidst a metallic crescendo of parries so rapid the eye could scarcely follow, Dante sustained no injury at all; instead, his demonic energy swelled continuously.

Beholding Dante standing as immovable as a mountain amidst the raging thunder, the onlookers were once more struck by his terrifying prowess.

The higher the Style Rank ascended, the more frightening the displayed might became, a truth that held equally steadfast for the Gunslinger and Swordmaster styles.

Yet, it was clear that Royalguard demanded a far more absolute mastery of timing.

With combat experience enriched by the various cultivation chambers, Fang Qi had grown deeply attuned to this rhythm through ceaseless battle; furthermore, having mastered the original game, he was intimately familiar with her patterns, knowing precisely how to counter even her life-draining grasp.

What transpired on screen transcended mere play; every step was precise, nearing a perfection that left the audience breathless.

It could no longer be deemed a mere fight; the clash of lightning and the whistle of the blade interwove into a moving symphony, and to Dante, it seemed nothing more than a captivating dance beneath the moon.

Suddenly, a brilliant fusion of white and crimson light erupted from the screen!

The terrifying power of his Devil Trigger burst forth instantly, coalescing with the precision of a Royal Release; the two forces stacked like an exploding volcano, unleashing all accumulated energy in a single breath.

The demonic power surged like a torrential flood as the screen dissolved into a blinding fracture of red and white light.

Immediately following, the crimson glow receded; the explosive energy vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and the Devil Trigger dissolved.

The bat witch now lay vanquished upon the floor.

Behind him, the spectating crowd fell into a deathly silence.

Only after a long pause did a chorus of gasps erupt: "What kind of sorcery was that?!"

"A Devil Trigger Release," Guild Master Fang replied nonchalantly with a wave of his hand, while on screen, the fallen witch transformed within Dante's embrace into a dark purple electric guitar, launching into a roaring rendition of rock and roll.

Rock music... to these traditional cultivators and martial artists, such an intensely modern concept should have been entirely incomprehensible.

Yet, a vast number of them had already been steeped in the melodies of *The Glorious Years* and *Boundless Oceans and Skies* while frequenting Guild Master Fang's arcade room within "My Space."

"Magnificent!"

"Utterly thrilling!" A continuous stream of exclamations echoed from the back.

"At a moment like this, one should sing of 'braving the storm with one's dearest comrade'!" Yue Yan and her companions cried out, eagerly flaunting their newly acquired knowledge of rock lore.

"..."

Evidently, it was another weapon of immense power.

Yet, powerful as these armaments were, they defied replication; each weapon was the soul of a formidable demon, and any attempt at forging would result in a mere imitation.

At that moment, a certain demon, huddled shivering beneath a heavy quilt, suddenly felt the gaze of the surrounding cultivators shift in a peculiar manner.

It was as though they had stumbled upon an undiscovered continent.

"???" As the demon watched Dante strumming the newly acquired electric guitar with joyous abandon, a sudden shudder ran down its spine. "Why are you all staring at me?!"

"Can this one turn into a weapon as well?" Yue Yan murmured softly.

"Presumably..." Mo Xian whispered in return. "Are they not of the same kind?"

"What sort of weapon do you imagine it would become..."

A chorus of rustling whispers filled the air.

The demon convulsed in sheer terror.

Guild Master Fang offered an explanation: "This one is a teleportation array, not a weapon."

The demon hastily agreed: "Yes, exactly! I am a telepor—"

The creature paused mid-sentence, a sudden sense of profound dread washing over it.

"Tell me... old monster, do you happen to have any kin remaining...?" Ning Bi giggled suddenly, her emerald eyes flashing with a light that suggested she had just unearthed a mountain of gold.

"None! Not a single one!" the demon shrieked, nearly leaping out of its skin.

...

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