Why am I here?
As I stand atop this spire and look out over this once-proud human city, I cannot help but wonder what my role in this conflict is. Hah, conflict…this is no conflict, no glorious battle for supremacy, this is a slaughter. Their warriors fall before us, and then we turn our swords on their women and children. Is this what I have trained all these years for? To murder civilians by the hundreds? Where is the honor in taking the lives of innocents?
Innocents…several stories below me, a priestess is trying to shepherd terrified children to safety. Fifty feet away from them, a pair of Lessers spot the children and start to give chase. They will be able to run them down within seconds; the demons are fast and the children are slow. Even from this distance, I can see the fear in the priestess' eyes…but it's not fear for herself. As she runs, she places herself between the children and the pursuing demons, shielding their bodies with her own. Who among our race would have the courage to do this, to willingly sacrifice their own life to save that of a lesser being? These humans may not be our martial equals, but their strength of spirit astounds even me, the "greatest warrior to have ever lived". Even I am humbled in the face of this selflessness.
The Lessers are now drawing closer, and one of the children stumble and fall. The priestess urges the rest to move on ahead and stops to pull the child to his feet, even as her killers breath down her neck. She knows the child will not be able to outrun them alone, and so she turns to confront their pursuers. I can see her legs trembling with exhaustion, she must have been running for hours evacuating civilians, but her face betrays no doubt. She knows what she must do. And now, so do I.
Stepping off the balcony, I pull the Sparda off my back. The massive blade, so named as the physical manifestation of its master's power, draws a red arc through the air as it passes over my head. With the momentum I pick up from my descent, the first Lesser is rend completely in half, showering the ground around us in its blood. Its companion stands frozen in shock, unable to understand why his commanding officer would attack them. In him, I see many of my fellow demons: unable to understand, to comprehend, to accept my decision. I don't have the time to try and convince them all, not with Mundus driving them ever forward. My only course of action is clear. As the Lesser's blood sprays the air, I turn to face the priestess. She and the child stare at me with a mixture of surprise and fear; they likely do not know who I am, but they recognize that I am a being of great strength nonetheless. I know my role now, the reason why I have come to the Human World; with my free hand, I grasp her shoulder and push her gently towards the rest of her charges. "Keep moving." I say to her. "I will protect you."