As Maxim obtained his new game and character from the system, a pair of dual pistols appeared in front of him.
One of them was a matte black semi-automatic with a slightly elongated barrel, with the word Ebony engraved in white on the side of the barrel.
The other was a polished, silver-white pistol with a similar design to the previous one but with a slightly shorter barrel, with the word Ivory engraved on the side in black.
That's right, the game Maxim obtained was Devil May Cry, and the character template was Dante Sparda.
Maxim could already feel his powers going stronger. His physical body grew stronger and stronger as a flush of energy swarmed him. His muscles grew firmer, stronger and his explosiveness grew as well.
Maxim could also feel the Demonic Energy washing over him, improving his resistances to Magic based attacks, and also allowing him to potentially dabble in Magic himself in the future.
Maxim was very excited, as from his knowledge, if he got 100% assimilation with the Dante Template, he'd truly reach a God like status, especially if he obtained the 'Sin Devil Trigger' which represents the pinnacle of Dante's power.
Now, with the immense physical strength he'd obtain from Dante and his own incredible combat knowledge, Maxim would be virtually unstoppable in close combat, to the point he could overpower almost anyone in sheer physical prowess.
However, the biggest buff to Maxim was definitely the Demonic Energy. With this, he could finally gain a true resistance to Magic, and he'd also be able to use Magic to his own advantage in the future without any potential of being corrupted.
Finally, there was Ebony and Ivory, two of his favorite fictional weapons from his past life as Alex.
"A.N.G.E.L, contact Wanda and Pietro, its time for a training session." Maxim said, getting up and moving to the training room.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The dimly lit training room was filled with tension as Maxim stood in the center, his body coiled with anticipation as his eyes narrowed, his gaze locked on the two people in front of him.
Across from him, Wanda floated above the ground, her fingers crackling with Chaos Magic as Pietro stood at her side, ready to strike at enemy moment.
Maxim simply stood across from them, waiting for the battle to begin, his gaze locked with the twins as time ticked by, second after second passed without anyone making the first move, the tension continuing to rise.
And then, in a flash, Maxim's hands shot down to his pistols. The silence shattered as he squeezed the triggers.
~BANG~BANG~BANG!
Three shots rang out, faster than a human could blink. Ebony and Ivory barked with thunderous force as Maxim unleashed a volley straight at Pietro.
The bullets cut through the air venomously, each one aimed precisely at the speedster's path, predicting where he'd be instead of where he stood.
Pietro's eyes widened, and in an instant, he became a blur of motion, dashing to the side just as the bullets sliced through the space where he had been standing a fraction of a second earlier, but Maxim's enhanced senses could follow his every move.
Another shot. Pietro veered left, narrowly avoiding the bullet. But Maxim anticipated it, his next shot from Ivory curved, catching Pietro off guard as it grazed his shoulder.
"Gotcha," Maxim muttered under his breath, a smirk forming on his lips.
During all of this, Wanda finally began her attacks, unleashing a torrent of hex bolts, the Chaos energy swirling towards Maxim with deadly precision.
To anyone else, the attacks would have been impossible to dodge. But Maxim wasn't just anyone. He leapt into the air and did a flip, dodging the Hex Bolts and shooting off 3 more shots towards Pietro, another one of them grazing his shoulder.
Then, Maxim twisted his body mid air, locking his gaze onto Wanda and shooting another 3 bullets towards her, directly to her chest.
Wanda's eyes widened, but she was quick, using her Chaos Magic to create a barrier that barely blocked the bullets, just in time for Maxim to land back onto the floor and skid to a stop, his boots screeching against the floor.
He smiled, feeling the demonic energy pulsing through his veins. "Nice trick," he murmured, and in a flash, he summoned his sword, Rebellion. The massive blade materialized in his hand, crackling with demonic energy.
With a single swing, he shattered Wanda's barrier.
Wanda staggered back, startled, but quickly regained her composure, hurling more bolts at him. Maxim deflected them with the flat of his blade, moving closer with each strike.
Wanda's frustration grew as she tried to keep him at bay, but no matter how many attacks she launched, Maxim was always a step ahead. He danced around her, fading in and out of view.
"Stop moving!" Wanda hissed, her voice laced with desperation.
Maxim only chuckled. "But that would be boring." He twisted his wrist, sending Rebellion spinning through the air like a boomerang. The sword sliced through Wanda's magic, severing her control for a moment.
That was all he needed. In a flash, Maxim was behind her, his arms wrapping around her in a tight grip. His hand glowed with astral energy as he whispered into her ear.
"Sleep."
Wanda's eyes fluttered, and the magic around her dissipated. She slumped forward, unconscious but unharmed. Maxim gently lowered her to the ground, his expression softening for a moment. She had fought well, but the outcome had been inevitable.
He turned around just in time to see a blur of silver charging toward him. Pietro, his face twisted in anger, was moving faster than the human eye could follow. But Maxim could see Pietro's every move, the ripples in the air as he accelerated, the twitch of his muscles before each strike.
Maxim calmly waited as Pietro closed the gap, and just as the speedster was about the land a blow, Maxim leaped into the air, flipping over Pietro with graceful ease. In mid-air, he pulled out Ivory, the demonically enhanced pistol gleaming in the low light.
Time seemed to slow.
Maxim fired once. The bullet cut through the air like a whisper, piercing Pietro's foot with precision. The speedster let out a cry of pain as his momentum carried him forward, crashing into the wall with a loud thud.
Dust and debris scattered as he slumped to the ground, clutching his bleeding foot.
Maxim landed softly, holstering Ivory with a flourish. He walked toward Pietro, who was groaning in pain but otherwise still conscious. The speedster looked up at him, a mix of frustration and disbelief in his eyes.
"How...?" Pietro muttered through gritted teeth, trying to stand but faltering.
Maxim knelt down in front of him, his face calm, though a small smile played at the corner of his lips. "You're fast, Pietro, but speed means nothing if you can't think ahead."
Pietro winced, but there was a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He nodded weakly, letting himself fall back against the wall.
"Get some rest," Maxim said quietly, his voice softer now. "We'll try again tomorrow."
As he turned to leave the training room, Maxim grinned, both Ebony and Ivory, alongside Rebellion had worked perfectly well, and he could still feel himself getting stronger.
His Demonic Energy was constantly growing, his physical strength continuously improving, his power was improving holistically at an extreme rate.
For Dante, the best way to assimilate his template was combat. The more fights the better, the more wins the better, as long as Maxim kept fighting, he'd keep growing stronger, more experienced with his power.
For now, though, he had a duty to prepare these two for the war that was coming. A war where their powers—and his—would be the key to everything.
The shadows swirled around him as he disappeared from the room, leaving Wanda and Pietro to their thoughts and their pain.
______________________________________________
For anyone who loves DMC, be sure to give me some ideas on how to most effectively use Dante's powers for the story.
Always interested in suggestions, as long as they're not overly mean!
"~GRUAH~" Wanda groaned out as she was sent crashing onto the ground, feeling a couple bones breaking in her arms as she looked up, spotting Maxim standing above her as he sent a flurry of bullets towards her brother, Pietro.
Pietro managed to dodge a couple shots, but before he could react, a Gravity Well appeared at his feet, stopping his movements and pulling him to the center. Then, the Gravity Well exploded, sending him crashing into a wall, breaking a couple bones himself.
"Nice try, go Heal, I need to think for a while," Maxim said, and the twins nodded, heading off to the Healing Pods designed by Maxim and A.N.G.E.L to repair their injuries.
Meanwhile, Maxim was silent as he walked out of the training space, exhaling softly as he thought about the Dante Template.
It had been 2 days, where Maxim trained basically every time he could, training for almost 17 hours a day every day in order to improve his assimilation with the Dante Template.
However, he had only reached 4% Assimilation. Whilst combat training with Wanda and Pietro was fine, at this point it was ineffective, as the level of combat simply wasn't high enough.
This lead Maxim to think about how he could potentially improve the rate of assimilation of the Dante template. If he intended to reach the ultimate strength Dante had obtained, he'd have to go way beyond training exercises.
Unlike the other Template's which Maxim could easily assimilate with just training, this template wasn't a matter of time. It was about experience, combat and challenges that Maxim needed to experience to push his skills to their limits just like Dante experienced.
Maxim walked into his lab, checking the progress on his recent inventions while thinking, and after an hour, an idea popped into his mind.
He had read about it before in his past life as Alex when browsing comics; The Concept of Hell Dimensions.
Marvel's interpretation of Hell was less of a singular place and more a collection of realms scattered across the multiverse, each one shaped by the dark entities ruling them.
These dark entities were called Hell Lords, demonic beings who had immense power and ruled their own individual Hell Realms, inhabited by souls of the damned, monsters and people who sold their soul.
The most famous Hell Lord in the Comics was Mephisto, the Iconic Hell Lord who made deals with various Mortals to sell their soul to him, although he always managed to trick them.
Although Maxim was confident, without at least 100% Assimilation with the Dante Template, he wouldn't dare touch Mephisto. He knew his limits, and that would simply be courting death.
There were many other Lesser or Weaker Hell Lords, like BlackHeart and Marduk Kurios who Maxim would be much more confident in facing, and there were potentially weaker Hell Lords Alex didn't know about as well.
If Maxim went to one of these Hell Dimensions, he knew he would be facing unimaginable dangers, but he also knew that this was his best potential course of action to improve his assimilation to Dante's power.
Within the Hell Dimensions, he'd be able to constantly battle Demons and Monsters. He'd never be able to rest, but that also means he'd be constantly improving his template integration.
He'd grow more comfortable using his Weapons, whether that be Ebony, Ivory or Rebellion. Without hesitation, Maxim said, "A.N.G.E.L., I'll be leaving soon and I might not be able to contact you. Inform Wanda and Pietro that I'll be gone for a month at most. They're to continue training and healing up as needed in the pods. I need you to keep them secure."
"Understood, Maxim. They'll be monitored around the clock. Safe travels," A.N.G.E.L. responded, her synthetic voice calm, but with a hint of warmth he had come to rely on.
Once he finished speaking, Maxim made sure he had everything he needed, also making sure to confirm the progress of his projects before he headed outside.
He immediately sunk into the shadows and within moments, he was swiftly dashing between the various shadows as he swiftly moved towards his final destination.
Before, he couldn't sense it, but after receiving the Dante Template, Maxim could sense it more clearly, a beacon of Mystical Energy located within New York, like an ancient being that held vast power.
After a while, Maxim finally arrived outside, grabbing a taco on a nearby stand as he sat next to the Sanctum and just waited in silence, biting down on his meal as he knew the Ancient One would sense him, and would inevitably bring him in.
The seconds stretched into minutes, and Maxim finished his taco, just awkwardly standing there before, like a wisp of smoke solidifying into form, a portal shimmered open before him.
He looked around, wondering if anyone else could see it. But judging how everyone just walked around him normally, Maxim figured it was only visible to himself.
Taking a step forward, Maxim entered the Sanctum, the world around him shifting into a place of swirling colors and ancient artifacts. The air itself felt thick with time, as if each moment in this space was layered upon countless others.
Once he exited the portal, he stood before the Ancient One, her robes flowing with a calm but unmistakable power. Her gaze was gentle but sharp as she stared at him.
"You are… a peculiar being, Maxim Novikov," she began, her voice layered with intrigue,"I've kept tabs on you and I have been quite intrigued. Your very essence defies the threads of time and fate. What are you?"
Maxim stood silently for a couple seconds, thinking for his response before finally, "I'm just someone who wants to protect my family. Haven't you seen that from keeping tabs on me?"
"That I have, but as the protector of Earth, I always need to remain vigilant." The Ancient One said, the entire environment around them warping.
Suddenly, Maxim found himself in the middle of a chaotic dimension, with Humans running but being eaten by malformed monstrous beings, and then, without warning, someone appeared.
A menacing, otherworldly being, towering over everyone with a massive humanoid form composed of pure evil dark energy, with their most striking feature being their face, a glowing skull with empty eye sockets that burn with intense, firely light.
"My life's mission has always been to protect us from him, Dormmamu, the Lord of the Dark Dimension. Just his mere presence of Earth would breed calamity....Tell me, what is your mission that you needed to approach me?" The Ancient One inquired, shattering the illusion.
"I need passage into one of the Hell Dimensions," Maxim replied, his tone unwavering, "I've come to understand that without true, unrelenting trials, I'll never tap fully into the potential of the abilities I've gained, and I believe a Hell Dimension would offer exactly that."
The Ancient One's gaze became even sharper, and her lips pressed into a thin line, "You seek what no mortal would willingly enter: a realm where rest and mercy do not exist, where even the strongest souls have been ground to despair. Do you truly comprehend what you are asking. The Hell Dimensions are governed by entities who feed on suffering. Should you encounter one of them, even the smallest misstep could condemn you for eternity."
Maxim's jaw tightened, but his resolve didn't falter, "I understand. I don't intend to face beings like Mephisto, I know my limits. But demons, beasts, the weaker Hell Lords… constant struggle and battle? That's exactly what I need. You know as well as I do that sometimes strength isn't enough. It must be tempered in the fires of real experience."
The Ancient One regarded him, her gaze softening almost imperceptibly. "You are indeed an anomaly, Maxim. I cannot see the source of your power, and I sense a deep Primordial power within you, yet I also see a purpose, a sense of responsibility in you to protect your own. Very well."
A pause lingered between them, then she spoke again, "But if I grant you this favor, you must pledge to protect Earth. The worlds beyond might offer you power, but this world, our world, must remain your priority. Do you accept this condition?"
"I swear it. I'll defend this world, whatever it takes." Maxim didn't need to hesitate, the Earth was his home in both lives he lived. Even if he travelled to different worlds, dimensions and potentially Universes, he'll always make sure Earth is protected.
A quiet, satisfied nod came from the Ancient One, and without another word, she raised her hand. A subtle shift in the air preceded the formation of a portal, swirling vortex that blazed to life beneath him.
Maxim barely had a chance to process the sight before gravity seized him, and he was pulled into the portal with startling force. The world around him spun, colors blurring into dark reds and smoky grays as he tumbled downward through an endless void.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the journey ended. Maxim shot out into a vast expanse that stretched endlessly beneath a blood-red sky. The landscape was a twisted tapestry of jagged rocks and twisted spires, rivers of molten lava flowing in unnatural patterns through the craggy ground.
Shadows crawled and flickered at the edges of his vision, and he felt the presence of thousands of hostile eyes watching him, lurking in the darkness.
A monstrous figure, towering and wreathed in black flames, appeared from the shadows, its body hunched and twisted, spiked limbs trailing embers as it moved.
Maxim felt an eerie sense of calm as he reached for Ebony and Ivory, pulling the guns from his sides with practiced ease. The demon let out a guttural roar that echoed across the hellish plains, and Maxim raised his guns, a smirk forming on his face.
"Alright then," he muttered, pulling the triggers in quick succession, "It's time to fight!"
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