Chapter 4: True Demons
"Woe to the one who believes they have faced hell only for hell to show it's true face to them."
Ente Isla, 2 years ago
Ray stared at the old man, Olba who was to accompany him and Emilia's group from here on just gave him the wrong feeling, like he was familiar somehow, a faint energy wasn't distinguishable but that was because he also had Celestial Force flowing through him which made it difficult to detect anything else.
The group had dealt with betrayal recently thanks to a demon in the guise of a church priest but Emilia had discovered the means to detect such trickery, which resulted in a rather confused confrontation with Ray over the fact that his weapons were heavily charged with demonic energy, a question he barely managed to evade. He trusted her and if the circumstances to how he became what he was were different, he would have told her the day she woke up from her near-fatal injury.
As the days passed and more battles came about and it was beginning to be painfully clear that the church in the south wanted to weed their way into every aspect of human society on Ente Isla and were only tolerant of resistance because of the common threat, if that threat were defeated then they would most surely turn back to humanity's lesser favored nature of self-destruction.
One night, a night he wished didn't happen.
Bennard, Olba's assistant came to him with a long term mission in the Central Continent, Demon Territory.
"I think my skills are better suited in open conflict than for infiltration Bennie." said Ray, he made his dissatisfaction to Bennard known with that nickname, Bennie and Bennard disliked hearing it. He had his good side though as Bennard didn't see things the way Olba did, he wanted unity, not conquest and believed Emilia would be able to keep humanity from tearing itself apart or at the least prevent the church from going to far as unlike most of their officials, Bennard was not corrupt.
Bennard replied "That they are, but at the same time nobody else would be suited for this task and without it any attempt to invade the central continent is doomed to fail, even with Hero Emilia's help." Ray smirked and said "You forgot about me. I'm used to killing demons both here and at my home and trust me when I say the demons here are nothing compared to them. The Generals are the only thing even close and Satan himself I assume would only put up a moderate fight. You think you've seen hell? You have no idea what hell truly is Bennard."
Bennard sighed and said "Perhaps you are the expert then, you being one yourself." Bennard regretted those words as almost immediately Ray held White Eagle to his skull and said "Excuse me?" Bennard replied "I'm trained to sense such things, I'm sure Hero Emilia is capable but hasn't noticed yet because you conceal it as much as possible. I also found it odd you use less power the more Emilia is focused on her surroundings. I'm also sure a discharge from your unique weaponry isn't concealable."
Ray chuckled for a moment and holstered his pistol, saying "Well Bennie I didn't know you had the balls to say that to my face. I'll do your little wet work on one condition." Bennard replied "Name it."
Ray began to walk to the edge of the open tent as he said "No more secrets."
Ray approached Emilia who was alone at the center of the camp, most of the men asleep and the night watch falling asleep or keeping themselves awake on a special stimulant Ray had given them (or more specifically snuck in their water, not wanting the camp to be unguarded, Emilia knew, she just let Ray have some fun once in a while as he had a mischievous side when it came to some things but in battle he toyed with his enemies unless they got too close to Emilia, as if he were overprotective to the point that he stopped playing Cat and Mouse and just killed the creatures.).
Emilia spoke, saying "Need something?" Ray nodded and said "Just some time to talk. I'm sure you've suspected something by now, considering the feel of my weaponry."
Emilia's face became serious and she said "Why open this conversation all of a sudden?" Ray replied "I've got something that I have to take care of, which means I'll be absent for a while, there's a chance I might get delayed in returning also so I'll just say it. My abilities are demonic in nature, a difficult situation forced me to infuse myself with demonic power or die. I chose to live and I've made my life hunting the bastards who made a decision for me. There was someone who taught me how to fight, how to take those abominations down without breaking a sweat. Irony is he was half demon himself, by birth unlike me."
Emilia gave a slight smile and said "I've already figured out the nature of your powers. I let it be because I know you're a good person. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Ray sighed and said "I suppose my generosity helps sometimes or at least in Ente Isla, it's always been a downside in my world."
Emilia said "Speaking of your world, you rarely talk about it." Ray replied "Because the demon threat in my world is veiled, people don't have a common enemy and they have a constant history of perpetual warfare and conquest amongst themselves, something I fear will happen to Ente Isla if the demon threat is ended, no matter how or why." Emilia didn't think much of the aftermath of the war but now that Ray had mentioned it, there were several tensions among the humans of Ente Isla and the only thing keeping their swords from being thrown at eachother was because they were too busy throwing them at the demons.
Emilia spoke, saying "I suppose we'll have to deal with that when it happens. If I may ask one last question before you set off. How did you come to Ente Isla? You've never mentioned that."
Ray sighed and said "A demon I was about to kill got a little too clever and opened a gate, sending me here. I'm sure the gate sucked him in too however so the kid he was about to kill should be still alive." Emilia asked "Who did you save?"
Ray replied as he got up, saying "Some girl at some random School where I tracked the demon down. Her father contacted me about it and was worried it was a stalker but he couldn't do anything because his superiors said he was untouchable. I sensed a demonic aura around the kid in question, forgot her name by the way, and investigated further."
Emilia said "Were the two of you close?" Ray stared at her, saying "She was, what, 14. I don't know about this world but the age of adulthood is a lot higher in my world. Because we know a little bit more about brain chemistry than Ente Isla does." Emilia stared with an annoyed face and said "And would I be considered a kid?"
Ray nodded and said "Yeah, your just a few years shy of adulthood. Then again so am I but I don't think it'll matter much, side effect of the infusion of demonic power for me is longevity, I'll be stuck this age for the rest of my life."
Emilia sighed for a moment and Ray merely shook his head and said "It may have something to do with what we've experienced, the lack of a constant global conflict in my world has dulled our senses, allowing people to be naïve without any risk. Though also there is hard science to back these things up." Emilia grinned for a moment, saying "If people can go about their lives with naiveté and without risk then it's probably a better world than this one."
Ray shook his head and said "No, in honesty, it's worse. This world may have it's problems but mine has even more. Demons aside crime has become heavily organized and law and order is becoming weaker in influence. There are some checks and balances but not enough. Moral Depravation runs amok and is even considered acceptable. I suppose you could say more people of my world need the fear of God in them, Demon attacks simply aren't often enough to the point where most believe they are myth."
Emilia replied "Well, I suppose I've taken enough of your time. Be safe." Ray nodded his head and walked away, he could speak honestly to Emilia and it was something he enjoyed, despite their culture being over 800 years apart they thought alike, perhaps Ray was old-fashioned as those on Earth would say or perhaps the two seemed to be aligned in some way. Such a thought was humourous though, Ray believed in hard science and unlike Dante his encounters with demons only drove him to respect his faith even more so than before though in Dante's case he never was raised with any specific faith, just the facts and history of Sparda. Despite the fact that he was now no longer entirely human though, he did enjoy the fact that now he had the power to kill things once thought to be immortal.
Present Day, 11:17 PM
Boredom was the word Dante would use for this trip so far, Ray sighed as he sat on a bench in a small park at night, reading a fiction novel, the famous War of the Worlds. Ray occasionally recalled that Well's description of the Martians, being a large bear sized bug was identical almost to a certain demon he had encountered once, only this thing had recurved legs and swords for arms but still it was a lesser demon, one easily slain with a few follow-ups with Hunter, his devil arm.
Closing the book Ray looked at a surprise, Emilia was sitting on a bench opposite, looking at Ray.
"Since when did you learn how to use stealth?" said Ray.
Emi sighed and said "There's something I want from you, an honest answer. Assuming you didn't kill Bennard two years ago, who did?" Ray put the book away in his trenchcoat, he had changed into a black trenchcoat recently to be less obvious (And as much as it pained him to admit it, Dante indeed attracted a lot of attention and Ray was tired of being asked if he knew Dante, a lot of desperate eyes seemed to glance in Dante's direction and Ray knew the half-breed enjoyed the attention almost as much as he enjoyed hacking apart his own kin.) though still Emi found him easily, perhaps she knew what to look for with her supernatural senses as afterall Ray was infused with demonic energy, making anyone with magical senses able to notice him even amid a crowd.
Ray replied "I would have to say Olba, Bennard wasn't corrupt like the rest of Ente Isla's church. Plus I gave him a set of flintlock pistols I designed to help your war effort." Emi this time unlike the others had a face which wasn't disbelieving, she spoke, saying "Some time ago Olba made a deal with Lucifer to kill me and Maou, they failed but he tried a second tim-"
Ray darted forward with inhuman speed, tackling Emi and breaking the bench in the process, both his from the shockwave and her's from the impact, Emi didn't need to ask why, a gunshot is too easy to notice.
A summoning circle appears near Ray's hand, arming himself with White Eagle he unleashed a barrage in the direction of the gunshot and got up but was still tense, this was not a random robber, whoever was using this gun was seeming with demonic energy.
Emi got up and said "I've never seen you react that fast. Who was it."
Ray's eyes darted to the side, turning orange with demonic energy as he tackled Emi once more, saving her from a red sickle which was too familiar, Ray uttered the four letter word in English as his right arm had been blown clean off in the process though he quickly summoned and crushed a green Vital Star L to instantly regenerate the lost limb as an Abyss Demon made itself known, Emi just stared at the thing, she had never seen demons in this manner, fantasy goblins and reptilians with wings sure but those were nothing to this 'thing' was all she could picture.
Ray said "Run" softly as he summoned his Devil Arm and sent himself forward in a stinger, slamming into the Abyss at the same time a red streak appeared and did the same, Ray grinned and said "Tired of me stealing the fun?"
Dante didn't reply and simply along with ray, slashed to the side, their combined attack cut the Abyss in half, causing it to dissipate in a red smoke which was new, usually Abyssals were able to escape back to the demon realm but in this case there was no time.
Ray and Dante stood back to back as more Abyssals appeared around them however their attention was focused on Emi instead of the far stronger opponents. Ray said "This is an assassination attempt, We need to cover Emilia." Dante nodded and said "Sure kid, we'll save your girlfriend." Ray wanted to snap at him but sighed as he was used to Dante's humor. He dashed to Emilia's side as at the same time she summoned better half, an Abyss almost sliced her in half with it's scythe, Ray said "Don't bother, Heros are what these things eat for breakfast, takes a demon to kill them." with those words a hailstorm of bullets killed the Abyss he was clashed with, Dante was using twosome time to provide support and have some fun with another dance parter in the form of a Hell Vanguard.
Ray sighed and swapped firearms, grabbing two .45 automatics, both silver plated, he didn't have a name for these guns, only White Eagle and any devil arms had the honor of getting such a name. Though occasionally he called the pair "Twin Suns" when someone asked what they were, Ray even used the name as a mental note when summoning them, unlike Dante Ray could summon and rescind his firearms like his Devil Arms, ordinarily Dante only did this with large caliber arms but perhaps that was a quirk Dante operated with rather than a lack of skill as skill was Dante's forte.
Ray slashed his sword back and charged it with energy, sending an overdrive, a move of demonically charged pulses in a combo of three that sped towards their target from a distance, this overdrive pushed back, but didn't kill his Abyssal foe. Emi seemed to recognize the pace of the fight and deflected an Abyssal's scythe that almost struct Ray.
Ray merely drew one of his Twin Suns and barraged it in the face, the sound of the gun firing point blank temporarily deafened Emi not to mention causing searing pain though she recalled similar pain just before Ray saved her, though that was from a concussion.
Ray smiled, enjoying the fight apparently as he said "Just like old times." Ray wasn't even paying attention to Dante anymore, just focused on finishing the demons that managed to get past him as Dante seemed to be having a hell of a time killing these bastards, a few even managed to slash him, meaning that he wasn't bored.
Ray noticed a stronger demonic aura approaching and deflected a conventional bullet with Hunter and turned to face a large armored demon with red eyes, it's armored hand was holding an old Colt Peacemaker though reloading seemingly wasn't necessary as demons can convert pure energy into solid projectiles.
Dante threw an abyssal at the larger demon who slashed the minion-turned-projectile in half with a large claymore sword and then pointed it at Emilia, saying "You are next Nephilim." Ray activated his Devil Trigger in full which shocked Emi for a moment as the last time she had seen this form, they were fighting eachother.
Ray dashed at the larger Demon and kicked the peacemaker out of it's hand whilst at the same time sending his sword in a spinning slash, turning him into a spinning metal coil by appearances which rapidly clashed against his opponent's Claymore sword until he broke it, that fact meant he wasn't facing a Devil Arm. The demon grinned and teleported out of sight with a slight black/red mist. Ray looked around, Emi almost didn't recognize him as his trenchcoat was slit and merged with his scaled armor though he left his Devil Trigger state and walked calmly towards her, Dante had killed the last of their attackers with a Dance Macabre.
Ray sighed and said "Well, glad that's over. Demons don't usually attack in force like this, at least not in ordinary places. They're up to something big." Dante nodded and said "Yeah, anything to do with this demon king perhaps?"
Emi was about to say something when Ray spoke ahead, saying "Most likely they see him as weak and want to depose him. I ran into him a few days ago, Hell he's my neighbor." Dante stared at him for a moment and said "Three Million dollars isn't incentive enough to kill someone you were at war with for three years?"
Ray shook his head and said "He's harmless right now, a small fry gives more of a fight. We should be focused on that bastard who attacked us. He is the exact same demon that sent me to Ente Isla four years ago." Emi shouted to interrupt, saying "Excuse me? When am I going to be able to speak here? I was the one attacked." Ray looked at her as if looking at a child and said "Emilia, everything you faced in Ente Isla is nothing compared to what is coming. No offense but that heightened speed, ability to fly and your celestial force aren't enough even if you had them in full, to face what's coming. Dante and I have been through worse though so you shouldn't feel threatened."
Dante shook his head, a move that surprised Ray as he said "No, I think this is different. Remember that girl we saved a few days ago? She was hiding something and I think the demons and youma aren't fighting eachother but rather gearing up for an alliance. That big demon we fought wasn't using devil arms either, normally they all have at least a sword or something if they look even remotely human. I'm gonna call the kid in on this one." Ray sighed and said "If you're getting serious then do you think Nero is up to this?"
Dante nodded and said "Believe it or not he's gotten better using Yamato now, had to work with him a while ago when some angel-hating witch attacked us." Ray scoffed for a moment and said "How'd that turn out?" Dante merely grinned and said "So, Emilia Justina was it? I'm Dante, I hunt demons for a living, and for kicks."
Emi stared at the silver-haired man in the red trenchcoat as he set Rebellion to rest on his back, he didn't look like the man Ray talked about so much, then again Ray looked human unless drawing on his power. She said "Nice to meet you. That other demon called me a Nephilim, aside from some fiction I don't know much about what that is." Dante was about to speak when Ray shot him a glance which seemed to say 'Shut up'. Ray reached into his pocket and pulled out a book, Journal was written on the cover in Ente Islan. Ray said "I shouldn't have kept this from you years ago. I thought you would react adversely to the information but I suppose I had no right. This is a journal your father wrote after the attack on your hometown. As far as I know, he's still alive."
No right indeed, Emi drove Better Half into Ray's shoulder and pulled it out quickly, Dante didn't interfere, merely laughed at the sight. Ray sighed as Emi took the book, she spoke, saying "You're right, you had no right to hold something like this back. Before I open this thing up, tell me what is so important in here that made you keep it a secret."
Ray's injury didn't even faze him, it had already healed as he said "Alright, your father's real name was actually Gerald and well, he was a demon, making you Half-Angel and Half Demon, not half human. A Nephilim." Emi stared at him silently as her phone rang, she looked at it and it was an alarm she had set reminding her to sleep (She set it specifically for tonight as she was worried she might get into a scuffle with Ray) She closed the phone after dismissing the alarm and said "I suppose I can understand a little how you may have thought that was too much information, something like this would send the church into a fury. But I'm able to handle it." her hand shook slightly which betrayed her words, Ray said "I know it troubles you more than you're letting on, If these demons are after you then they'll try again. I took the liberty of contacting someone to find your residence, that area hasn't had demon or youma incidents but still, I'd feel better if you had an escort home."
Emi looked at him for a moment before saying "Fine, if you're so concerned you can walk me home, but don't get any ideas." Ray stared for a moment before losing control, he laughed, laughed so damn hard even Dante was surprised, Emi seemed to understand it as she only grinned, Ray stopped laughing and said "Got accustomed to Earth pretty quick did you?" Emi replied "Only a few days here and I realized this was the world you talked about. Tall metal structures and people with no clue on magic."
Ray's sword seemed to absorb into him and a demonic summoning circle enveloped his Twin Suns, causing them to disappear, Dante merely concealed Ebony & Ivory and summoned his guitar case, Rebellion fit in there pretty well as he closed it and slung it over his shoulder and waved once, walking off. The park was rather clean despite the battle that had taken place here. Ray said "We should get moving before someone comes to investigate all the gunfire that happened. I'm surprised nobody has yet." Emi nodded and the two walked off.
Next Day.
Ray woke up sluggishly, he had barely gotten home before sunrise and was still a bit tired, losing an arm after all was an exhausting experience even if it grew back.
He would have his Black Trenchcoat repaired later, he slipped on a brown leather bomber jacket and opened the door, the landlady, a rather large, though repelling individual by name of Miki Shiba (Who insisted on being called Mil-Kitty) was waiting on the other side with a serious face as she said "So, it seems you're a local resident after all." Ray made a waving motion with his hand and said "So what? I pay the rent. Besides, the only Nephilim I want to deal with right now is Emilia and you're not her."
Ray knew who this person was, before he was flung to Ente Isla, she was the person who hired him for a job before the main one. Miki Shiba, one of the few remaining Nephilim in this world, she was powerful indeed but up against Ray or Dante, she wasn't powerful enough.
Mil-Kitty said "You have no idea who tried to kill her, do you?" Ray's eyes shifted at her, as if begging her for an excuse to summon Hunter and send it through her heart, Ray said "If you know something, talk." Shiba replied "Recently Heaven and Hell have decided on an uneasy truce, one to rid Ente Isla and Earth of Nephilim. Me and my family haven't been discovered yet but they have uncovered Emilia's identity and in a cruel twist of fate, spellbound her father to do the job." Ray couldn't believe what he was hearing, the demon that led the attack last night was Gerald Justina? Ray knew that what the demons and the like about Ente Isla and Earth truly were. He considered "Heaven" on Ente Isla to be some in kind of extra-terrestrial and extra-dimensional alien force, he almost vomited at the thought of such a corrupt race being paradise.
Ray sighed and said "I'll let Dante know, he can break those kinds of things with Ebony & Ivory." Shiba spoke again as Ray closed his door, saying "Be careful who you direct your feelings towards, such a relationship would have it's pains. What you've face so far is nothing to what will come.
She began to walk away, Ray sighed, she always could read another person's soul accurately.
Indeed his feelings towards Emilia were more than just friendship but even with recent events, it was more likely she still held some of a grudge against him. Ray did feel a bit of guilt in Bennie's death, he had given Olba the means to do it and frame him at the same time. The bigger question was though, Why did Gerald send him to Ente Isla in the first place? Why was he attacking Chiho those years ago? Perhaps he had appearances to keep up to avoid the other Inferni Demons from learning his secret but somehow they found out. Ray sighed as he locked his door and put his key safely in his pocket. He had made a decision, he would figure out what was going on even if it meant cracking down on some of the youma he tolerated years ago to gain information.
Nightfall, 8:35 PM, Red Light District
Ray walked into a questionable establishment, the music assaulted his ears, the stench of alcohol and demonic energy was abound. Youma liked to use places like this to sap human energy without being detected, Demons found sinners aplenty here and were most likely to attack places like this. Dante must have had the same idea as he was chatting up some waitress who was returning his supposed advances, he could sense the demonic energy in the woman but he saw a killing intent in Dante's eyes. Ray wanted information, not a couple red orbs.
Walking up and interceding on their conversation, Ray knew this demon, a good source of information provided she behaved herself. She looked in his direction and said "I'm following the rules." Ray sighed and said "Come on, you can't tell he's the son of Sparda?" The woman, whose name was Nanako, looked at Dante with a combination of hate and fear. Dante sighed and said "Trying to score here." Ray shrugged off the comment and said "She only hunts people who dabble into the dark arts, you probably give off a demonic aura but your human side means you can be misinterpreted as a sorcerer and not the legendary devil hunter. In the event, Nanako, I'm here for information on a demon named Gerald, may have fathered a Nephilim? Now trying to hack her in two?" Dante stared at Ray with disbelief. Ray continued to speak saying "And don't lie to me, I'm on the warpath right now. You know how I can get." his eyes flashed orange for a second which sent his message across, Nanako sighed and said "Fine, but this is big, second coming of Mundus big. He's found out about Emilia and he doesn't just want her dead, he wants her blood. Somehow it may be more than Dante's in level of power and may break the spell Dante used to keep him in his place." Dante said aloud "Son of a bitch." not many eyes looked at him, cursing was commonplace here.
Ray sighed, Mundus, the one who killed Dante's mother and father, the one who spellbound Vergil into becoming Nelo Angelo and created Trish to lure Dante into a trap several years ago. He was the one Dante wanted to kill the most and the one powerful enough to defy that. If he was making a move then every corner of hell was watching and waiting for the outcome, picking sides or staying neutral depending on whether or not the human realm would once again fall under demon rule.
Ray said "Any idea in how to break this spell?" Nanako sighed and said "This is only in the interest of self-preservation that I'm telling you this. You or Dante are powerless to free Gerald if you wished, only someone related to him can break the spell, meaning Emilia is the only one who can free him and she is nowhere near powerful enough to face a full fledged demon. Sure she could take me down but Gerald used to serve under Sparda's command and for a short time was one of his many apprentices."
Ray sighed and said "Dante, you know what this means right? I'd rather not have Emilia watch her father die knowing he can be saved. We're going to have to instruct Emilia on how to tap into her inner devil." Dante sighed and said "Sure, why not. While we're at it we can get her a real job. You told me she works as some customer service clerk or something. I'm sure she won't have a problem getting into the devil hunting business." Ray sighed and said "Fine, but you're buying the trenchcoat if she wants to join the devil may cry team." Dante sighs and says "It's not mandatory ya'know. In all truth I gave you my spare because you won it in a bet." Ray sighed and replied "Dante, if you tried blackjack at any casino you'd end up flat broke, more than you are now." Nanako sighed and said "Also, when you decide who to look at, remember what I've done for you." Nanako walked off to service other customers and Dante looked at Ray suspiciously, Ray sighed and said "That demon seems to have her eye on me for some reason, it's unwanted attention on my part. Let's get the hell out of here, I got more places I need to milk for information, if what she said is true, they'll say the same thing more or less." Dante shrugs and says "Knock yourself out kid, I'm gonna stay and have a little fun."
Ray looked at Dante and sighed, saying "Just leave Nanako alone, she's my version of a Confidential Informant, sometimes you need to have friends in low places to get information."
Dante nodded and said "I wont kill her but, ah, you can put the rest together." Ray shook his head and walked out, he hated places like this but sadly it was a necessity in order to go to them to get information.
Three Days later.
Ray tapped his foot, waiting outside the MgRonalds that Maou worked at and sure enough the demon king walked out, Chiho was leaving too and was nearby, Ray looked at her and couldn't believe his eyes, she was also a bit surprised.
Maou said "Oh, you. What do you want?" Ray said "It involves business. Nice to see you again kid." Chiho replied "Sure, I never got the chance to thank you for fighting off that creep." He shrugged and said "Just doing God's work." She smiled and walked off, Maou asked "You know Chiho?"
Ray nodded and said "Yeah, she thinks I fought off a stalker with ill intent, in reality it was a demon bent on killing her. Though the identity of that demon has recently become aware to me. We need to talk about Emi." Maou sighed and said "What about." Ray replied "Well for starters, she's a Nephilim, and she's got the wrong attention going after her. I don't mean the church of Ente Isla or those pretenders but we got ambushed by at least 100 Abyssal Demons, ya'know, Inferni Breed?" Maou stared at him in disbelief, he thought Inferni were only a legend, a myth, a tale to scare young dark recruits into following orders. He spoke, saying "And let me guess, you want me to see if I can tell them to back off?" Ray shrugged and said "No, this involves someone far stronger than you could ever be, Mundus, the king of hell regarding Inferni Demons. Even Dante couldn't kill the son of a bitch, though he's about to get a second chance. Emilia's father is still alive, what's worse is that he's the demon heritage for her and the others found out about him, he's spellbound to kill her. Cruel twist of fate if you ask me but Inferni are saps for poetic executions."
Maou sighed and said "Well I don't have enough magic to even take on a weak demon right now so I can't help you." Ray shook his head and said "Oh yes you can. What if I said I could bring you some support from your Ente Islan demons. I don't draw magic from despair or celestial force and thus I can open gates at will. I know you seem to be adjusting to life in Tokyo in a human fashion and well, I care about Emi, I don't want to see her die or force her to watch her father die when he can be saved." Maou nodded and said "You were in Ente Isla for a year after I came here, how organized are the demons there?" Ray shook his head and said "They left token garrisons and retreated to Infernum to join forces with the various Inferni Generals there but following an incident in Fortuna a year before I got back They formed their own forces and are trying to stay out of the way. Contacting those outposts in Ente Isla will be easy and theres still plenty of despair in Ente Isla to charge you to full almost instantly. But if you don't come back and honor this deal, I'll kill you."
Maou stared at him for a moment in fear and shock but then nodded and said "Funny thing that I've only just noticed, Emi isn't the kind of person I thought she would be. I thought she was a Church Fanatic for a while but after seeing her here in Earth, well, I wouldn't call us friends but." Ray grinned and said 'Fine, friendly rivals it is. Just go and retrieve something called the Key of Minerva, it's supposedly an artifact Ente Islan Demons brought from Earth many years ago that can unlock the full potential of a Nephilim. I intend to awaken Emi's true potential." Maou sighed and said "I know exactly what you're talking about but it's in my old castle, likely the humans took it if it's not there. I got a job to keep so contact me on the weekend." Ray grinned and said "Fine, in the meantime I'll help Emi the old fashioned way." Ray walked off as Maou sighed, it was an opportunity to return to Ente Isla but even if he did so, he was to get something, go back, or be hunted by someone potentially stronger than him.
Ray had one more contact to get in touch with, this one would be tricky as he wanted to be left alone most of the time but still, he owed Ray a favor.
The Next Day.
Ray looked at the form of a drunken old man drinking his life away in some small-district bar. The sight of Ray seemingly sobered him up instantly as he said "I been keeping our deal." in English. Ray sighed and said "Thought you should know Mundus is making another move, he's itching to get a taste of a Nephilim's blood this time." The old man sighed and said "Ah, king of hell working on some grand scheme to rule the human world again. Never gets old. Let me guess, that Redhead who came from Ente Isla a year back." Ray nodded and said "Good to know you're keeping an eye on things. That item I asked you to keep, that sword that the Son of Sparda's fake used. I need it or rather, the girl needs it." His name was Kraine (Pronounced Crane) and he was a famous demon who was among the elite few who could craft devil arms not only of high quality, but adjust them to combat Angel weapons and armor. In fact he was the one who crafted Rebellion on Sparda's request. Kraine sighed and said "You said I could use it for whatever I wanted, but seeing as I used it to build a new weapon, I suppose you're asking for that weapon. I call it Reclaimer, good and well balanced Bastard Sword with a bat like handle. I used the duplicate Rebellion to allow it to filter through both demonic and angelic energies, perfect weapon for a Nephelim like your friend."
Ray nodded and said "Much appreciated, I'm not leaving you out to dry here though, How would you like to move to Ente Isla?" Kraine looked at Ray and said "Ah, I heard their king went soft and mushy, and that he's stuck here on Earth. Keep the sword, I owe you a favor anyway for keeping my existence a secret from Nanako, speaking of Nanako, how is she doing?" Ray sighed and said "Still on my watch list, though at the same time I think she's developed an interest in me, one that I do not return." Kraine laughed a bit and said "Figures, she always was people at least 100 years younger." Ray ignored the statement as Kraine summoned Reclaimer, it was a well crafted Bastard Sword in outward design, the grip was smooth and the hilt was similar in design to rebellion with two bone-like spikes protruding out from a skull in the center only there was also an engraving of a halo over the skull, signifying both Demon and Angel merged as one entity. Ray grabbed the weapon and absorbed it, saying "Thanks, We're even now." Kraine nodded and resumed his drinking, he intentionally lowered his alcohol tolerance (Which for a demon is at insane levels) so he could experience the feeling it caused.
The following day.
Ray sighed as he waited at the train station and Emi tapped him on the shoulder from behind, saying "That's twice I've snuck up on you." Ray turned suddenly and sighed again, saying "Yeah, yeah. I suppose you've had more than enough time to read through that book." Emi's eyes gave a slight distressed look as she said "Yeah, more than just that specific entry but the rest of it. It's just a lot to take in. More importantly though, what did you want to meet about."
Ray said "I've got another bombshell for you, that and me and Dante are going to take turns instructing you on how to face Inferni and more specifically, tap into your own inner devil." Emi sighed and said "Why should I learn to do that?" Ray replied "Because you rely too much on Celestial Force, It's kept you weak compared to me and Dante. The demon who ordered all this is Mundus, he once ruled over Earth with an Iron Fist until Sparda, Dante's father, rose up in rebellion with other likeminded demons who grew attached to humanity and they fought him to the point of defeat, Sparda wasn't able to kill Mundus because of his sheer power and he was forced to seal him instead. Mundus believes your blood can undo his seal. This guy is no joke Emi, he can control reality around him and as far as I know only Dante and Sparda have faced him in battle and lived."
Emi stared at Ray for a moment, Demons known as Abyssals pushed Ray and Dante to a serious fighting stance but from what Ray had just said, they were small fry." Emi spoke, saying "What of the one who led that incident?" Ray sighed and said "I'll explain later. In your free time from work we'll be heading to some small shrine nobody goes to along with Dante and we'll train you. I've also got you a gift, a devil arm designed to work in tandem with both Angel and Demon abilities so it'll be perfect for you. Better Half is merely an Angel Weapon and you'd be better off with a dual-purpose armenant like the one I've procured. I'm also going to train you in firearms." Emi sighed and said "And once this blows over, once we finish this crisis, what then?" Ray replied "Then we can live normal lives hopefully. I've already enlisted Maou's help, he's brought back an artifact from Ente Isla that I gave to Dante for safekeeping." Emi stares at him for a moment before saying "Wait, you let Maou go back to Ente Isla, and he actually came back?" Ray nodded and said "Well perhaps threatening to hunt him down if he didn't return had a play in his return but more or less, yeah, he was lucky and it was where he left it before, the Church doesn't even keep a garrison in his old castle. I think he brought back some of his old things too."
Emi shook her head slightly and said "I guess he's changed. I'll learn what you have to teach but only under one condition." Ray nodded and said "Name it."
Emi spoke, her words shocked Ray as she said "Once you've taught me all you can, I want a serious duel between us. Not so much for the past, I believe you now, I should have earlier. But I still feel angry that you kept that book from me. I don't mean a duel to the death, but I don't want anything held back." Ray stared at her for a moment before nodding and saying "Alright, I agree to those terms. May be a good idea. A lot of people in this world have forgotten how two opposing swords can bridge their owners more than any amount of words." Emi nodded and began to walk away. Ray just had one more visit to accomplish before he and Dante were ready to instruct Emilia.
He had to make sure of heaven's intentions and that meant the manager at the SFC near Maou's workplace.
Ray waited outside the SFC and a small heighted individual with light purple hair walked out, immediately noticing Ray and saying "Ah, what brings you to this place?" Ray replied coldly "I know about the stunt you pulled a few months ago. I'm just here to let you know soon you'll have no power over her. I imagine you are aware of the plans the Inferni have made?" Sariel was his name though in Japan he used the alias Sarue.
Sarue replied "We are aware. It is only a matter of time before the 'mistake' is dealt with. I do not believe you have the power to stop what is coming." Ray grins and says "You were not counting on the Son of Sparda intervening were you? Make a move if you wish, we'll just slay the angels that try to attack Emi like demons."
Sarue felt a bit of fear as Dante's title was mentioned. Be it Angel or Demon, Dante is more than capable of slaying them. Sarue spoke, trying to regain his composure, saying "For once there seems to be a common goal for heaven and hell. You would be facing both sides, caught between just for one woman. Is it really worth it. I'm told that you lost an arm protecting her."
Ray sighed and said, in Ente Islan "Wouldn't be the first time. I'll kill you if I ever see you approach Emilia. She is most definitely worth getting caught between Heaven and Hell. Need I remind you also that she wields the power of both said groups. I have other allies among the Inferni as well and trust me when I say, you can't succeed. If I have to go down to the pits of hell and to the highest pedestals of Heaven to slay those would seek to harm Emilia, you can better damn well believe I won't be alone." He said one more thing before walking off.
"Terra Firma."
That phrase spoke his intentions loud and clear, Sarue grinned at the prospect that Emilia had no idea who her friend was in reality. He wasn't a philanthropist or a Hero, he was a reincarnation of a figure in human history that Sarue had read about since his arrival, several in fact. Perhaps he had much in common with Napoleon and other great generals and manipulators, he saw Earth's importance ahead of the other worlds, ahead of Infernum, ahead of Ente Isla, ahead of Paradiso and ahead of Heaven and Hell.
Later that night.
Ray stood over a shrine, he knew it's importance, it was shrined here because this was the place where the Youma decided to leave the rest of the Demons and lay a claim to Earth after Mundus' rule collapsed.
Dante set a cooler down on the grass and opened it up, taking out a beer as he said "You give the first lesson, she's your friend afterall." Emi looked at Ray for a moment before he summoned Reclaimer and tossed it at her, She grabbed it and felt it attune to her, it absorbed into her for a moment before reappearing in her hand, Emi wasn't used to heavy weapons and seemed to be unable to hold it with only one hand, something Ray and Dante could do easily with otherwise two-handed weapons.
Ray summoned Hunter in his right hand and said "The first lesson is a spar, I need to get a grasp on your abilities. I already know them to an extent but I need to push you past your limit, Abyssals and other demons will simply kill you where you stand if you get in a fight with them right now. Also to fully awaken your abilities you'll have to do something unpleasant." Emi replied "What would that be?" Dante interrupted, saying "You have to get stabbed in the chest by your own sword."
Emi stared at Dante then back at Ray, unpleasant was putting it lightly but the two had serious faces, this wasn't a joke. Emi nodded and said "I'd probably die." Ray shook his head and said "Any other weapon or the one I gave you, yes, but once we awaken your inner devil a devil arm unique to yourself will form, you'll be able to withstand greater punishment and your devil arm, once fully attuned with your blood, will become your strongest weapon."
Ray positioned himself into a basic combat stance and said "I'm going to come at you hard and fast, always staying a step or two ahead of you, once you're pushed to the edge your power should awaken."
Ray didn't give any more warning, immediately dashing and sending his sword forward at Emi who barely evaded the attack, a step or two ahead was not a joke. It also reminded her that he had held back that day years ago, he could easily have killed her back then but chose not to.
Emi swung Reclaimer and began to get accustomed to the weapon's weight as Ray easily parried and evaded strikes, the two seemed to be master swordsmen from an outside perspective but to the eyes of Dante who was observing the spar, Ray clearly was more experienced in swordsmanship than Emi or at the least Emi was used to quick and decisive battles, a fight against an inferni demon however can become drawn out, lasting minutes depending on the skill of your opponent.
Ray stepped up his game as Emilia began to use her new weapon one-handedly and sent himself into a Steel Coil, a move he used before against Gerald (Though he had yet to tell Emi that her assailant was her own father) the night they were attacked. Ray spun with his blade in one hand and a blade of pure energy in his other, bright red and of pure demonic power, spiraling to hit his target several times in a row. The weak Nephilim Dante faced once before had a similar one-sword variant called Death Coil (A name Dante disliked as it was too brash and forward, he preferred poetic or regal names for his techniques)
Emi held her blade sideways to withstand the attack but Ray seemed serious when he said he was going to push her limits as he quickly darted back using the impact from his final strike and sent a stinger from the side, Emi evaded it partially but a wide gash went past her back as a result, bleeding profusely which caused her to stagger back a bit. Ray said "I'm sorry but you have to be in a real fight in order to awaken your demon side. Your angel side is suppressing it and the only way to wittle that down is blood loss. Don't worry though, I have no intention of killing you."
Emi nodded and ignored the pain, absorbing her sword and summoning Better Half and sent herself in a move paralleling Dante and Ray's stinger attacks.
Ray parried the strike easily and twirled in a single spin, slicing clean through Better Half with Hunter like a hot knife through butter, shocking Emilia to a large extent as it was supposed to be an Angelic Weapon, but it seems Hunter was more well constructed in addition to Ray's skill with the devil arm.
Dante watched as Ray slowed his pace down so as to not hurt Emi too much but in all honesty, Dante was getting bored, he chucked the now-empty beer can sky high (It would later land in a trash can 32 miles away) and summoned Rebellion which fell from the sky instead of appearing in his hand.
Dante sent a stinger forward, slicing a flesh wound on Emi's left shoulder, the sudden attack surprised Ray a bit but it got the reaction they wanted to draw out.
There was just one problem, she was not in control of herself as her Nephilim Weapon formed, similar in design to Alastor, one of Dante's devil arms he acquired when taking on Mundus. Emi's eyes shifted red and bright, her hair turned snow white and a purple aura both demonic and angelic burst from her like fire. She flickered behind Dante and spun far faster than Ray had before, a move Dante decided to coin Roulette Spin as he executed a Royal Guard stance, withstanding the attack at first only for him to have underestimated what they had awoken as his red sphere shattered and he quickly switched to trickster and dashed back to avoid a blow which would have slashed him in half. Even for the Son of Sparda, that would have been fatal. Ray noticed that Emi was in some in kind of berserker state and activated a partial devil trigger, transforming his right arm into a black scaled demon arm which held Hunter.
Ray shapeshifted Hunter into a different form, that of a Katana he called Predator.
Sending pressure waves with Predator to specifically disarm Emi of her weapon she flickered into the air and almost instantly white wings manifested from her back, no blood was dropping down which led Ray to assume her injuries were healed. Ray entered a full Devil Trigger as Dante said "Hey kid, I think she's lost it, means we gotta do this the hard way."
Ray sighed and said "Yeah, go devil, she's not fooling around in this state, I bet she's a prisoner of her own body right now, we need to calm her down so instinct decreases and her consciousness comes back to the surface." Dante nods and enters a devil trigger state as Emi appears behind him almost instantly and roundhouses Dante who as he is flying, drives rebellion into the ground, uses it to spin about and propels himself back at Emi as Ray dashes and grabs Rebellion from the ground and throws it in the same direction.
Emi evades Dante but Rebellion slices through one of her white wings and as it reaches Dante he grabs it and turns to face her. Ray reshifts Predator into Hunter and rests it on his back, charging at Emilia unarmed as she immediately turns and forms a ball of purple energy, discharging a barrage of shots which Ray barely evades. Ray at the moment feels glad they picked an out-of-the-way spot as he summons a demonic designed crossbow and fires several blue energy bolts at Emi who evades them. Dante reshapes Rebellion into Nevan and sends a barrage of lightning charged swarms of bats which manage to hit Emi, the electricity stunning her as Ray lands and fires a single blue bolt from his crossbow (A weapon known as Deception) which hits the stunned Emi, causing a torrent of blue energy to erupt and incapacitate Emi though it doesn't seem to have injured her.
Dante sighed and said as he returned to normal form, saying "I didn't know demons made non-lethal weapons." Ray also returned to human form and absorbed Deception and as he walked towards Emi he said "I know someone who can craft Devil Arms with high levels of quality, I acquired this weapon a few months before I was chucked away to Ente Isla."
Dante sighed and went back to the cooler he set on the ground only to realize it was vaporized by Emi's attack earlier, prompting a second sigh.
Ray bent over Emi whose wings had retracted and she seemed unconscious. Ray simply poked her cheek and she woke up, startled but no longer out of control, her eyes were still red though her Hair had returned to it's natural red color, a few moments later and her eyes returned to their usual emerald color.
Ray got up and reached out his hand which she grabbed and got up, saying "What happened?" Ray replied "Long story short, your power woke up entirely, not partially and you lost control, you tried to kill us." Emi rubbed her head as a headache started to hit, she said "I suppose that's all the training for today?"
Ray nodded and said "Yeah, we'll see if you retained anything from before next week, in the meantime it's business as usual."
Emi was about to reply when her stomach started to growl, awakening her Nephilim abilities seem to have made her hungry as she grabbed her stomach with a slightly pained face, saying "I suppose food before sleep would be better."
Dante walked over, saying "Well you blew up my cooler so I pick the place."
Ray replied "Let me guess, a Pizza place?" Dante nodded and said "This was your idea Ray, you're buying." Ray sighed and nodded, reasoning with Dante on where to get food was impossible, once he had his eyes set on a big slice of pizza, there was no stopping him.
Ray then said "Just to remind you, not many pizza joints in this area." Dante shrugged and replied "I know of a few, found them while you were gathering information about our attacker." Ray was about to start walking when Emi interrupted him, saying "Speaking of the demon who attacked us the other night, who was he?" Ray sighed and replied "Apparently your secret is out, the Inferni demons spellbound your father to force him to kill you. The demon that attacked us the other night was him." Emilia stared at Ray in disbelief, unsure of what to say, if she could say anything at all regarding this information. She silently complied with just finding a pizza place for sustenance and her silence unnerved Ray but still, he knew she was strong-willed and if anything else, she would be committed to freeing her father from the spellbind placed on him.
To be continued...
