Battle of Blood and Brothers

by Dark Side Luke

Novelization of Mission 13. Vergil and Dante duel in the Lair of Judgment, a mysterious figure is identified and Lady fights for her revenge! Rated T for Violence and language.

Battle of Blood and Brothers by Dark Side Luke

Disclaimer: I do not own the Devil May Cry franchise and I am not making any money off of this story in any way, shape or form. This piece of fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only.

Author's Note: This is my first DMC fanfic and my first fanfic in…forever. I started writing this as a way to practice my wording without having to come up with something original and I accidentally finished it. Be aware that there is very little original material in here: The dialogue is pretty much exactly as it is in the game, as are the actions and setting.

It goes without saying that there are spoilers in here, so don't read this if you haven't played past mission 13.

Enough talk! Enjoy!

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Vergil stood in the grand sacrificial room in the Lair of Judgment, looking down on the shallow pit in the middle of the raised circular section of the floor and the blood within it, his blue eyes narrowed to mere slits. As he waited, his left hand -- all but healed from where he had cut it to release his blood with only a slit in the glove as evidence of there ever being an injury -- toyed idly on the hilt of his precious katana, Yamato. After a few moments, his fingers began tapping the hilt impatiently. After a full minute, he clutched the sword in his hand and grit his teeth, flames burning behind his eyes.

"Why isn't this working?" he yelled, his voice echoing throughout the room. He began to pace, his quick steps taking him back and forth, back and forth in front of the shallow pit. He looked from the pool of his own blood to the drying stain that had once been the demon Beowulf, his thoughts tumbling over each other to try and find a solution to the problem at hand. "Must more blood be shed?" he asked himself.

"You seem to be in a bad mood," an all-too-familiar voice said from the door. Vergil whirled, his long coat flourishing behind him. A man in a blood-red coat walked in through the huge door leading to the sacrificial room. A huge grin split the man's face from ear to ear and he strode with confidence as if he were simply wandering into a local restaurant or tavern. Vergil's eyes darted from the man to the door behind him and he saw an Orihalcon jewel glittering in the center recess of the door.

He had expected no less from his half-demon brother.

"Dante," Vergil hissed, his hand reaching for his sword. The cold metal pressed against his exposed palm and he imagined he could feel the sword's hunger for his brother's blood. He hesitated, however, waiting to see if Dante would make the first move. More than likely, he'd reach for those pathetic guns of his...

"So," Dante said conversationally, "my mother's amulet is the key that unlocks the door to the demon world." He chuckled. "Good plan, pop," he added with a look to the vaulted ceiling as if speaking to their dead father.

"Just the opposite actually," Vergil cut in, his eyes following Dante as the half-demon climbed the few steps of the raised floor. Dante didn't even seem to care where he was or what he was about to do next. He glanced around the room, his light blue eyes hesitating on the pool of blood where Beowulf had died and Vergil had stolen his body and soul to make a new weapon. His eyes wandered past to take in the cracks in the floor, the wall and the ceiling.

"Originally it was the key to the demon world," Vergil continued, "but was given to humans as a gift."

Dante shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me one way or the other," he said, shaking is head and tossing his snow-white hair out of his eyes -- eyes that burned with the same fury Vergil felt. "More importantly, I've come all this way." He reached over his shoulder and drew the gruesomely decorated greatsword Rebellion, pointing it at his brother in an open challenge. "I'm sure you have time for one more game...right?" he asked with a sneer.

Vergil half-drew Yamato from its sheathe with a metallic hiss but stopped himself short. The light caught the keen edge of the blade and the dried blood on it from his last kills -- his human partner, Arkham and the monster Beowulf. With a smirk of his own, he threw the blade back into its sheathe with a loud click and held up his fists, positioning his feet in the classic fighter's stance.

"Why not?" he asked rhetorically. His fists and feet were suddenly surrounded by a soft white light -- a light that hardened into black gauntlets and grieves over his fists and feet. This was Beowulf's soul and the more useful form of the blinded behemoth. Dante's sneer faded into a frown as he watched the weapons appear. "After all, we share the same blood...I'll just use more of yours to undo daddy's little spell."

"So, you want a piece of me...literally," Dante jested. He looked into the reflection of his blade, spinning it in his hand before pointing its barbed end at Vergil again. "Okay, bro. Come and get it...if you can."

Dante rushed at Vergil, Rebellion cocked over his shoulder as he prepared to deliver a crushing blow on his brother. Vergil threw his hand upwards and caught the blade on his gauntlet, sending a violent tremor up the sword that threatened to shake the weapon loose from Dante's gloved hands. He grit his teeth and jerked the blade back. At the last moment, he saw Vergil's other gauntlet arch back to crash into his gut and he skipped back nimbly, barely avoiding the attack.

Dante took a moment to reflect. His brother had grown stronger since they had last met and that fight had not ended well for Dante. He would have to be extremely careful now, especially dodging those flash gauntlets. Maybe if he could upset Vergil a little bit...

He leaned forward and gestured for Vergil to come forward, smiling all the while. "Come on, you wimp," he said.

He saw the effect of his words immediately. Vergil believed in the honor of a warrior, the sole reason he did not fight with firearms, and was extremely insulted whenever an opponent mocked his ways. With a harsh growl, he ran forward, quickly covering the distance between himself and Dante, and launched a flying kick.

Dante rolled to one side, dropping Rebellion for a moment to draw Ebony and Ivory, his precious handguns. He cocked back their hammers as he rolled and came up on his knees, his twin guns pointed at Vergil's exposed back. As he pulled the golden triggers, however, Vergil spun around, his hand darting for his katana and drawing it in one lightning-fast smooth maneuver. He spun the blade as Dante fired several rounds. As Dante had feared, Vergil caught the bullets in the sword and deflected them around the room, letting them ricochet all around the twin brothers.

Dante holstered the guns behind him and picked up Rebellion again as Vergil sheathed his sword and jumped into the air and prepared to drop a brutal kick on Dante's head. Dante darted forward -- reversing the grip on his sword as he moved -- and felt the wind of Vergil's passing ruffle his hair. Vergil's sheathed sword tapped Dante on the shoulder, so close were the brothers.

Vergil hit the ground and turned to see Dante reaching his sword behind him, the barbed end pointing over his shoulder. Dante grunted a quick "C'mon!" and swung the blade around, adding a bit of his demon power to the force of the blade, unleashing a short-lived wave of energy. The wall of dust and loose stone chips slammed into Vergil and forced him to take a step back. The hit hadn't caused much damage but gave Dante an opening.

Dante quick-stepped forward and drove his sword at Vergil's chest. Vergil swept one gauntlet in front of him and glanced a blow against the sword but only managed to deflect it so it thrust at his shoulder, spewing bright crimson in a gory fountain. Vergil grunted in pain and kicked out with one foot, crashing into Dante's gut and sending him flying back. Dante spun in midair, his coat fluttering around him like a single red wing, and landed on his booted feet in a cloud of dust.

For a moment, both warriors looked at each other and formulated separate plans of attack.

Dante's hand slowly reached under his coat and touched the ice-cold tri-nunchaku hooked to the back of his belt. The problem with Rebellion was that the single blade could be blocked quite easily while Cerberus was unpredictable and if one of the maces didn't connect, the other two might. He grasped the iron ring connecting the chained maces together and unhooked it from his belt. He grinned at Vergil. He was in for a hell of a surprise.

Vergil scowled at Dante's grin and drew his katana. He took a step forward and Dante prepared to block his attack but suddenly the half-demon vanished. Dante's eyes widened in surprise as he spun around, his sword sweeping behind him. Yamato and Rebellion met in a shower of cascading sparks and for a moment the two devil brothers were locked together in a struggle for supremacy, one sword pushing against the other.

Dante looked into his brother's eyes and saw the fierce hunger for power there -- a hunger that threatened to devour Vergil if unchecked. He had to be stopped, Dante knew, and there was no one else would could beat him. If he was destroyed here...

Dante stepped back from Vergil and Vergil came forward at the unexpected shift. Dante quickly sheathed his sword and plucked Cerberus out from under his coat. He grasped the weapon by the iron ring and jumped into the air, throwing his body into a tight spiral with the tri-nunchaku spinning around him. Vergil used both gauntlet and sword to deflect the attack but Dante still saw a brief mist of crimson flit through the air as one mace connected.

Vergil stumbled back, his face livid with rage. He pointed his katana at Dante and muttered, "You will not prevent this devil's power." Before Dante could make a comeback, Vergil held his hands away from his body and threw his head back, unleashing his demonic power in the form of a blue sphere that surrounded and protected him. Waves of energy emitted from the sphere, pushing Dante farther and farther back. He tried to get a solid grip with his boots but was unsuccessful. As he was pushed back, he watched Vergil's body change from that of a man to a demon's form -- his skull changed into a triangular shape, with sharp white teeth, his eyes became white slits and his hands developed claws under the gauntlets.

The energy sphere dissipated, leaving an unobstructed view of the new Vergil. Any emotion the devil might have felt was hidden behind a demonic mask. He slashed his katana in front of him threateningly and then rushed at Dante, his clawed feet finding easy purchase on the stone floor.

Dante knew he didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell against this devil so he performed the only defensive move that came to mind: he changed into a devil himself. He unleashed the pent-up energy hidden within him and let it explode outward in a red wave of pain. He dropped Cerberus and drew Rebellion again with his clawed hands, his exposed teeth gritting and his red eyes flashing dangerously. With the speed born of a demon, he blocked Vergil's attack and pushed it aside.

The devil brothers fought fast and furiously, at times moving so fast that their limbs blurred and their swords became mere streaks of light. Blood flew as hits were scored on both demons but neither flinched. Dante pressed his attacks against Vergil until he felt his powers waning and knew he had to revert back to his human form and soon. If he locked swords with Vergil and ran out of energy before his twin, he knew he would be done for.

Vergil pressed his own attacks as well, viciously kicking and punching and slashing. As Dante's power began to fade and his movements slowed, he took the opportunity to lash out with one final kick. Dante was in the process of turning his body in a full circuit to add momentum to his sword attack but Vergil's kick broke the chain as it connected with his exposed back and sent him sailing across the room. As Dante flew, his power drained and he reverted back to his human form, moments before Vergil turned back.

Dante hit the wall, but managed to get his feet in front of him and kick off of it before colliding, flipping and spinning through the air with the grace of an acrobat. He landed solidly on the ground and glanced over his shoulder when he heard the sound of heavy footfalls. Vergil was running at him and he didn't have the time to set up a proper counter attack, let alone a defense.

Vergil jumped into the air and sailed toward Dante, aiming his foot to smash directly into Dante's skull. The hit would crush him and he knew that the wound would never heal, despite his amazing regenerative powers. Dante knew it as well and raised his own boot in a kick, but not one aimed at Vergil. He hit the wall, pulling himself up with the help of his speed and his boot's grip. He placed his other foot on the wall, swiftly climbing up the sheer surface.

Vergil's greave crashed into the wall where Dante's head had been mere moments ago. Dante, on the other hand, was climbing the wall without the aid of footholds or even his hands. When he got ten feet into the air, he began to lose momentum and his grip faltered. Before he could fall, he flipped backwards, landing behind Vergil's exposed back.

Time to turn the tables, he thought, taking Rebellion in both hands and readying a devastating thrust that probably wouldn't kill Vergil, but would leave one hell of a mark.

Vergil turned and saw the massive sword aiming for his heart and quickly concentrated what little demonic power he had left to disappear and reappear in the middle of the room, straddling the pit of his blood. Dante's sword hit the wall and cracked it. He quickly pulled the weapon out and faced Vergil again.

"Is that all you got?" Dante mocked.

"Scum," Vergil whispered. He was beginning to grow weary of this battle -- both in body and in mind. He had to end it quickly before his clever little brother got the upper hand. He was definitely proving himself a worthy adversary so far, but he did not want to admit it aloud. He had to end this -- now!

He summoned a simple globe of energy and dropped it in front of Dante, who was now walking up the few steps to the raised dais again. The globe unleashed two energy blades within it that whirled around and slashed at Dante. One bit into Dante's flesh but he easily dodged the second. Before Vergil could repeat the maneuver, Dante did a most remarkable thing, something no other warrior would ever think of doing and something that Vergil was deeply offended by.

Dante threw his sword, letting it travel end over end towards Vergil. Vergil could have easily caught the improvised missile and moved to do so but Dante drew his pistols and began firing them. Vergil was caught between the decision of blocking either sword or bullets and he hesitated for the briefest of moments. He slashed at Dante's sword and knocked it out of the air but his hesitation cost him: before he could block the bullets, three of them bit into the flesh of his chest and the large caliber projectiles knocked him off balance. He nearly fell but managed to maintain a standing position as he twirled his katana and caught the other bullets.

As he turned to concentrate on Dante once again, he saw that his twin had recovered his sword and was mere feet from Vergil. Dante's blade flitted through the air, arcing towards Vergil's arm. Vergil raised his gauntlet to block the blade, but Dante altered the point of his sword and cut the simple buckle holding the gauntlet in place. It fell off of Vergil's arm and Dante kicked it away before he could recover it. Dante struck at Vergil's other arm and similarly sliced the gauntlet away.

Vergil still had his greaves, however, and he used them to trip Dante. Dante started to fall with a yell, but Vergil caught the collar of his coat and began to spin his body, gathering momentum. He threw Dante away, sending the half-demon twirling through the air to land hard on his back near the edge of the dais.

Dante groaned and rolled onto his stomach, pushing himself up onto all fours. He shook his head to clear his eyes of the stars he was seeing and breathed deeply. He looked to his side to find Vergil but his eyes came into contact with the tri-nunchaku he had discarded earlier. He grinned and picked the weapon, sheathing his sword again.

Vergil glanced around for his gauntlets, but they had tumbled over onto the lowered part of the room somewhere. Deciding to finish this off while Dante was still incapacitated, he walked confidently across the circle -- dripping blood the entire way as his wounds slowly closed -- and prepared to leap up to deliver a crushing blow on Dante's head and chest. There was no way Dante could escape this time.

Dante flipped over onto his back and saw Vergil launch himself into the air and aim both of his feet for Dante. Before Vergil could land, Dante gripped Cerberus by one mace and swung it at Vergil, aiming for his feet. Two chains wrapped around Vergil's feet, unbalancing him in mid-air. Dante yanked forward as hard as he could and pulled Vergil to the ground. Vergil bounced against the hard stone with a sharp yelp of pain. Dante stood up and yanked back on Cerberus, pulling off Vergil's greaves. With a flourish, Dante hooked Cerberus to the back of his belt again and drew Rebellion. It seemed only right to finish Vergil with a sword.

Vergil stood up and clutched Yamato in both hands. Both warriors stared at each other, breathing hard, dripping blood and aching from various bruises. Blood was spattered all over the dais, dripping into the sacrificial pit to mingle with Vergil's blood. The Lair of Judgment was shattered by their duel.

The two warriors ran to each other, their swords flashing as they collided again and again. Both scored simultaneous hits, showering each other with blood. The hits didn't even slow them down, however, and they were soon locked together again, pushing at each other, their swords sparking and shrieking.

Another sound entered the fray and Dante stepped aside when he heard it, throwing Rebellion out to the side. He felt a collision as a missile ran into it and was cleanly sliced horizontally in two. The missile continued its direct course, however, and Vergil met it with his blade, slicing it vertically. The missile faltered and fell to the floor in four equal quarters, smoke trailing from the back end of it.

Dante looked to his side and saw a feminine figure standing by the door, a missile launcher in her hands, its sight trained on Vergil. She wore a simple white blouse, high purple shorts and calf-length red boots with shin guards. Her tousled black hair shaded her odd-colored eyes -- one blue and one a light shade of brown that bordered on red. Dante grit his teeth together in annoyance at her interruption and then looked back at Vergil, holding his sword again in both hands.

"Sorry, but this is no place for a little girl," he said to the woman. "So beat it!"

Another missile exploded out of the gun but the brothers scattered and avoided the lethal projectile. "Shut up!" Lady yelled back.

Dante ignored her outburst and swung Rebellion at Vergil again. Vergil easily blocked, forcing Dante back a step. Lady ran up onto the dais and thrust the blade of her missile launcher into the opening between the battling brothers. Vergil blocked the clumsy attack and pushed hard against the missile launcher, picking Lady up and throwing her aside. He launched himself in the air, spinning around with his blade to deal the deathblow.

Dante saw what Vergil was about to do and thrust his sword into the air to try and stop him but Vergil batted the blade aside with his own, emitting sparks and the ear-splitting squeal of metal on metal. Dante's attack was denied.

Vergil landed in front of Lady, his sword coming down swiftly, but it was blocked by the thick metal of Lady's missile launcher. He forced it down and her arms trembled but managed to hold onto the makeshift shield.

"You forced him into this!" she accused, spitting each word at Vergil as if they were poison.

Vergil calmly cocked an eyebrow and pushed down harder on the missile launcher, cutting into the metal. "Is that what you think?" he asked. He shook his head minutely. "Foolish girl."

Dante appeared again, his sword leading him in another attack. Vergil dragged his sword against the missile launcher, throwing sparks into Lady's eyes, before lifting it and batting Dante's attack aside. The two fought again, hacking and slashing at each other with abandon. Dante swung his sword viciously at Vergil's chest, drawing a deep, angry red line across his chest and opening a fountain of gore, but in doing so left himself vulnerable to attack. Vergil's sword carved a similar line across Dante's torso. Both half-demons fell back and then collapsed to their knees, supported by their swords. They glared hatefully at each other, resting up before attacking again.

"Bravo!" a shrill voice echoed throughout the room, followed by slow clapping. "Bravo! I never dreamed that things would go so smoothly!"

A figure clad in purple feathers and wearing a fool's cap emerged from the shadows, his oblong face split in a huge grin that displayed yellowed teeth. He surveyed the scene with odd-colored eyes -- one light blue and one pink -- that were deep-set over a long, pointed nose. Dante knew him immediately: Jester.

Jester clapped his hands appreciatively. "Well done, everyone! Well done!"

"You!" Dante yelled, struggling to get to his feet. He glared at Jester with flames burning behind his eyes.

Lady had risen to her feet and pointed her missile launcher at Jester's face but the joker spun a quick circle and appeared beside her, grabbing the bazooka in both hands.

"Don't be a bad girl, Mary," he said, a mocking lilt to his voice. Her heaved the missile launcher around and flung Lady like she was a rag doll. She hit the floor hard on her stomach with a pitiful groan. "Or you can expect a spanking from daddy later!" He swayed his hips in a mocking dance. "Daddy's gone spank your butt," he sang, "spank you on the bu--"

"Insane buffoon!" Vergil interrupted. He was on his feet now, his fist gripped tightly around his sword, his face mottled with rage. He breathed heavily and grit his teeth in frustration. It was bad enough that Dante had made a mockery of him, but a fool in a costume! He would have none of it! "I don't know where you came from but you don't belong here! Now leave!"

Vergil rushed across the circle and cocked his sword over his shoulder. Dante watched, wondering what would happen after his brother cleaved Jester down the middle. He wasn't ready to fight again, although his wounds were swiftly healing and his demonic energy was slowly filling again. By the looks of things, though, Vergil was ready to go another few rounds before he would quit. Dante slid his hands behind him and placed them on Ebony and Ivory. He slipped the pistols from their holsters.

Vergil chopped down but his sword stopped as if it suddenly hit stone. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that it had been caught in between Jester's long hands, the blood-red fingernails of which were gleaming dangerously.

"Zowie, that was close," Jester shouted. He looked from Yamato to Vergil and grinned widely. "But you've taken quite a trouncing today, haven't you Vergil?" He grabbed the tip of the sword between the thumb and forefinger of one hand and turned it aside. Again, Vergil tried to force the blade free but in vain. "You could have chopped me into confetti by now if you were in tip-top condition."

Vergil trembled as he tried to move the blade from that steel grasp but he had no control. "Damn you!" he cursed.

Jester's face suddenly became serious as he looked into Vergil's eyes. "You have lost..." he said in a deep, resonating voice, totally unlike the one he had used previously. Vergil's eyes widened again at the familiar tone and his jaw dropped open. Before he could speak, Jester smashed his elbow into the side of Vergil's face, sending him flying back across the room, balanced precariously on his head and shoulder. He reached the opposite edge of the dais and fell to his back. Dante's eyes followed him the entire trip.

When Dante looked back, Jester was no longer there. In his place stood Arkham, looking alive and well despite the fact that Vergil had run him through mere hours ago and left him for dead.

"...Because you underestimated humans," Arkham finished.

Lady looked up and saw Arkham standing there and she joined Dante and Vergil in their confusion. She voiced what everyone was thinking at that same moment.

"What's going on?"

Arkham turned his head towards her as if seeing her for the first time. "Good girl," he said. "Pure and innocent...just like your mother."

"You bastard!"

Dante blinked and suddenly Arkham had disappeared. Jester reappeared beside Lady, his long-fingered hand grasping her head. "It's time for your spanking, my dear!" he shouted. He brought her head back then pushed it forward and smashed her forehead against the stone floor. Blood flowed freely from the point of contact and she groaned with the impact. Jester grinned and stepped away from her, looking to Vergil, who had recovered enough to watch the odd display before him.

"You want to know why the spell didn't break, hmmm Vergil?" he asked. Before Vergil could reply, Jester continued. "You have two amulets and Sparda's blood. You've got everything you need to unleash the evil..."

Dante stood up and pointed his pistols at Jester's long nose. "I told you before," he said harshly, "I don't like anyone who has a bigger mouth than mine."

Jester covered his mouth with both hands, as if to hide his surprise at Dante's impertinence.

Dante pulled the triggers of both Ebony and Ivory repeatedly, blasting the spot Jester had stood only moments ago. Jester disappeared and reappeared a few feet away and Dante redirected his aim, blowing holes in the wall behind Jester. Jester was suddenly standing on the wall, as if gravity was a plaything for him. Again, he disappeared when Dante changed his aim.

"You are wounded and weak," Jester's voice floated to him from everywhere at once. He appeared on the ceiling above Dante and Dante raised his arms to point his guns at him but it was too late. "Even I can do THIS to you!"

He dropped from the ceiling and landed a curled-toe slipper on Dante's head, forcing the demon hunter to the floor, his feet pointing at the ceiling for a moment as they were suddenly swept out from under him. For a moment, all Dante saw was a dark purple sole and all he could smell was the dirt clinging to Jester's foot. Dante's feet fell back to the floor and he lay uncomfortably on his back, his sword hilt digging into the area between his shoulder blades.

Dante had never been so angry in his life.

Jester disappeared leaving Dante free to breathe. For a moment, he just lie there, staring at the cracked ceiling, blinking dirt out of his eyes. He vowed that he would end that fool's life. No one had ever pissed him off that badly before.

"Two amulets," Arkham's voice said. Dante lifted his head enough to see Arkham standing beside the discarded missile launcher in the middle of the room. "A set of Sparda's blood. Now I need one more key." He picked up the missile launcher and looked at the serrated blade attached to its end. A small smile played upon his thin lips, lifting the mottled skin on the side of his face. He walked slowly towards Lady, who was beginning to regain her senses.

"He sacrificed two things to suppress the tremendous force of this tower," Arkham continued, looking down at Lady. "His own devil's blood...and a mortal priestess." He hefted the missile launcher and pointed the blade down at Lady. Without a moment's hesitation, he stabbed it into the back of her thigh.

Lady screamed and arched her back in pain, closing her eyes against it. Blood shot out of her thigh, showering the stone floor and pooling around her. She grunted and scratched her gloved fingers against the floor, gasping.

"I needed you, in whose body flows the same blood as the sacrificed woman." He yanked the blade out of Lady's flesh, unleashing another fountain of gore and a similar grunt of pain from Lady. "His spell cannot be undone without your blood."

Arkham became Jester in the moment it took to blink an eye. "It was quite a ride, you know," he told everyone, his shrill voice echoing loudly in the confines of the chamber. "If any of you had died, my little plan would have gone to waste!" He danced around, looking quite restless, and grounded the point of the missile launcher, using the weapon as a prop to lean against. He pointed at Dante and Vergil. "So my job was to let you battle each other in order to weaken you but at the same time I needed to guide you here to make sure you were kept alive." He looked down at his feathered bodysuit and swept a hand over it in distaste. "I even went so far as dressing like a complete idiot!"

He looked back to Lady, who had rolled onto her back and was staring up at Jester in horror. He grinned down at her, displaying yellowed teeth and flashing eyes. "It's time for bed, Mary," he said softly. "You can visit your dear mother." He threw back his head and laughed, long and hard.

Something inside of Lady snapped. She kicked the missile launcher with a trail of blood spewing behind her injured leg. The bazooka twirled in the air as Jester stumbled from the lack of support. She hopped to her feet, her face steeled against the pain, and grabbed the weapon out of midair. The blade touched Jester's long and pointed nose and he crossed his eyes to look down the barrel to see the missile waiting within, like a coiled viper.

"Whoa..." he whispered.

"Try me," Lady threatened.

Before Jester would back away or disappear to another location. Vergil's Yamato sword touched the back of his neck. Jester's eyes flickered in that direction before Dante's Rebellion tapped on Yamato.

"Time for the clown to bow out, Arkham," Vergil said, his eyes narrowed.

"Dude, the show's over," Dante added.

All three blinked at once and Jester was replaced with Arkham.

"Impressive," he said, his voice deep and solemn. "I expected nothing less from the devil's descendants. But aren't you forgetting something Vergil?" Dante and Lady's eyes looked to the half-demon, who was frowning now and looking somewhat uncomfortable. "The spell is broken. What do you think will happen next?"

At those words, the pit in the center of the room raised itself up, becoming a pedestal.

"Let's welcome chaos," Arkham said with a smile.

The dais shuddered and dust fell from the ceiling. Everyone teetered as if they were about to fall, then shot forward to keep their hold on Arkham, but the bald human ducked. Weapons clashed over his head, showering him with sparks. He picked himself up with one hand, using it as a pivot to spin his entire body around, lashing out with his foot. He tripped the three fighters, throwing them up into the air then spun around a second time, his foot on a higher path. He hit Vergil in the side, sending him careening into Dante and sending both of them to crash into Lady.

The dais began to rise into the air and was ten feet off the ground when the three warriors flew off the platform. Vergil landed on his back, his head rebounding on the stone and knocking him unconscious. Dante flipped through the air, regaining control and landed hard on his feet, the impact causing his legs to tremble.

Lady landed similarly to Dante, stumbling as her injured leg threatened to give out under the pressure. She watched the dais rise high in the air with Arkham on top of it, looking down victoriously, a huge grin splitting his face. Lady took a few steps backwards as Arkham was carried high out of her vision. She wasn't ready to let him get away so easily.

The floor shook with the rising of the dais, cracking and falling into dark depths. Flagstones snapped and threw bullet-like chips of stone before tumbling into nothingness. The floor under Vergil's shoulders ripped apart like it was parchment, pushing two sections of the floor away from each other. Vergil slipped between the expanding crack and fell into the darkness.

Dante watched his brother fall and took a step in his direction to try and catch him, for reasons even he couldn't understand. He raised one arm, as if hoping to reach past the distance separating them and catch the half-demon but he saw that it was already too late. Before he could even drop his hand, he heard another crack open up behind him. He whirled around, his coat whipping around his ankles, to see Lady, stepping backwards towards the edge of the room. The floor opened up behind her and her next step threatened to put her over the edge.

Lady felt the floor tremble all around her but did not hear the crack until it was too late. She stepped back once more and her foot came into contact with nothingness, pulling her whole body after it as she tried to put her weight down on it. She gasped and threw her hands into the air to try and catch the edge of the cliff but it trembled past her reach. She began to fall away to her death.

A strong hand clasped around her wrist and she looked up to stare deep into the light blue eyes of Dante, his face a cool mask of determination. He pulled her up using only one arm, as if she weighed no more than a few pounds. When she was back onto solid ground, he released her and brushed the clinging dust off of his remaining coat sleeve and pants. Together they looked up at the rising tower as it reached the very tip of Temen-ni-gru.