"The devastation that we have suffered during what is now being referred to as 'Hulk Day' has shown us here at S.H.I.E.L.D. that the Registration Act is needed now more than ever. With a proper way to have catalogue and find superhumans on the field, we might have been able to organize a proper defense sooner and avoided the needless destruction and bloodshed that had ensued, as well as prevented the unfortunate incident that started it in the first place. Therefore, as director of S.H.I.E.L.D., I officially reinstate the Superhuman Registration Act in its original form as of now. On suggestion by Tony Stark, S.H.I.E.L.D. is also giving a 24-hour grace period to register. Any superhuman, native to this universe or otherwise, that registers themselves as superhuman within the next 24 hours will be granted full amnesty for any actions they might have done related to either avoiding or opposing the Registration Act. I strongly urge any 'heroes' who are part of this 'resistance movement' going on to do so, as after the grace period has ended, S.H.I.E.L.D. will do everything in its power to capture and detain any unlawful superhumans once more. And as for the hero who stopped the Hulk known only by 'Akuma'…"

Hero… bah!

Akuma scowled at the news footage of the short-haired woman being shown in his room. He so badly wanted to do more than that, to shut off the infernal box, then fight his way out of this facility that these S.H.I.E.L.D. people were keeping him in. But he couldn't even do that in his current state, covered from head to toe in hard plaster and metal, unable to move any part of his body except his eyes. Even if he could move, he was in an enormous amount of pain, which alone would have confined him to the singular bed that was in his room. His eyes darted around the room, attempting to take in where he was.

The room he had woken up in was filled with medical equipment, mostly machines to measure his heart rate, breath rate, and blood pressure, as well as IV drips to keep him hydrated since his jaw, like almost every other bone in his body, had been shattered in his fight with the Hulk. Looking out the one window in his room, he could see the clouds moving in the sky below, and the moon that provided the only illumination to his room at this hour of the night. Seeing nothing else of interest, he attempted to do the one thing he was still capable of doing in this situation: meditate. He rarely did it since his days training under Goutetsu. He remembered his old master saying Akuma never truly had the patience for it. He was right, of course, but now he didn't need patience. He just had no other options.

He closed his eyes and attempted to calm himself, to bring himself to a peaceful state of mind. But even if that was not contrary to his own nature, the unbelievable pain his was in only served to shatter any notions of calmness that he had. He only felt rage. Rage at the Hulk, who had humiliated him in combat. Rage at the Warbound, who barely offered him a proper warm-up for the fight to come. But more than anything, Akuma's rage was directed at himself. He had made the mistake of underestimating his opponent, and turning his back on them before assuming they were dead. A rookie mistake. And now because of his mistake, he was stuck in this room. He, the strongest warrior in the world, was now stuck in a hospital bed, being fed through a tube and having his limbs held aloft by metal harnesses, while doctors told him to his face that he may never even be able to walk again, much less fight. And he had no one to blame but himself.

He growled underneath his full-body cast, and the small movement alone was enough to send even more pain shooting through his body. Why didn't the Hulk finish him when he had the chance? Then at least he would've died like a warrior, instead of a weakling. He should have crushed Hulk's head when he had the chance. He screamed in frustration, and though his voice was muffled and his body was in pain, it only served to fuel his own rage. He continued to scream until he ran out of breath, and then all was silent.

"Frustrating, isn't it? To have so much power, but be so confined by your own mortal body."

Akuma's gaze shot towards the source of the voice. In the far corner of the room was a tall white haired man partially hidden in the shadows. As he stepped into the moonlight, Akuma could see that the man was wearing a blue trench coat with ornate red designs twisting down the chest and a ruffled undershirt to match. On his hip rested a gold-hilted katana still in its black sheathe. He walked up to the side of Akuma's bed and stared into the slit in the cast that showed Akuma's eyes, "I admit, however, that I am impressed. The power you showed while fighting this 'Hulk' was nothing short of spectacular. But in the end… it wasn't enough."

Akuma wanted to scream at this intruder, to crush this man's bones for even daring to toy with him in this manner. But in the end, all he could do was glare at him menacingly. The man saw the look that Akuma was giving him and sighed, "But of course, you can't respond, can you? Oh, very well. Here… a gift."

The man raised his katana and tapped it against the casts surrounding Akuma's head. The plaster cracked almost instantly, and then shattered, exposing Akuma's head once more. Moving his mouth around, Akuma realized that while the rest of his body was encased and broken, his head was fully healed. He immediately spoke up, "What did you do?"

"I gave you a taste of my new power. Power that can be gifted to you, for a price."

Akuma raised a brow. What was this man blathering on about? "Who are you?" he asked, "And what do you want from me?"

The man pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed, "You can call me Vergil. I come to you with an offer of partnership. You have impressed a very powerful being, Akuma. One that wants your assistance to bring about their victory."

Normally, Akuma would laugh this man out of the room, would claim himself to be the most powerful being in the world before crushing his skull. But this Vergil could heal him with only a touch, and his recent beating by the Hulk taught Akuma that there was far more power to be gained in this world than he originally thought. So instead, he simply asked, "How powerful are you talking about?"

Vergil leaned in close and said in a low voice, "One with the power to merge worlds."

Akuma's eyes widened as Vergil continued, "The Merge was merely the first step in a grand plan aiming for power beyond your imagining. Everyone else is simply a piece though which victory will be achieved. All you have to do is decide, right here, right now, whether you will be a pawn or a player."

Akuma turned his head to fully face Vergil, "And what do you want with me?"

"Simple," Vergil continued, "You have shown raw power far beyond the average human. With a simple boost of power, no one on this world can stop you… but there are a few people in this world that can make our plans infinitely more difficult. One has already been dealt with, but the others must be dealt with quickly and harshly, before they can affect our plans."

Akuma couldn't help but scoff at what this man was trying to say, "So you want me to be your attack dog, is that it? Why not do this yourself."

"Because I have other duties I must attend to. And the others involved have their own part to play. But know this, Akuma: these men that need to be dealt with are incredibly skilled fighters and incredibly powerful, a worthy challenge for the man who faced down the Hulk. And if you accept our offer, the power you will receive will dwarf even the Hulk's." Vergil stood up once more, "However, you have the option to refuse. If you do, I will walk out of here, and you will never see me again."

Akuma was quiet for a long time. Finally, he spoke, "Alright, I'll work with you and your master, for now. But when you heal me, do NOT give me that power. At least not until after I have done my job."

Vergil raised his brow, "Oh? And why's that?"

Akuma gave him a dark grin, "This world offers many worthy challengers. I want to have some good fights before I crush them all."

Vergil gave him a curt nod, and then drew his sword, which started to glow with a dark red aura. With a single slice, Vergil slashed through the cast binding Akuma to his bed. As he sheathed the blade, the casts fell apart, and Akuma felt his strength returning to him. Leaping off of the bed, he tore sensors and IVs from his body before sending a fist through the heart rate monitor. Clenching his fist, he turned to face Vergil once more, "So, what now?"

"Now, we take our leave. I will teleport us out of here, just as I entered, so that we are not followed. Then, our real work will begin."

Akuma walked up to Vergil, who he could now see was at the very least a full head taller than he was, "So, who's the first one on my list?"

"He's a man I am assuming you are very familiar with; to make sure you are truly up to the task. I assume you will know where to find the man called M. Bison."

Akuma spat on the ground, "Him? I've killed that coward once, I can kill him again. I thought you said that I will have an actual challenge!"

"Consider this a warm-up for what is to come. He could be considered the weakest target, after all." Vergil placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, "Rest assured Akuma, soon we will have the power to bring the people of this world to their knees. We will be the heralds of a great and terrible power. One that will quickly become our own."

Vergil stepped forward and placed his hand on Akuma's shoulder, and with a blue flash, the two of them vanished, leaving the empty room behind.

[Author's note: Woo! Two chapters in a week! And for those of you wondering, Vergil's new duds are actually based on the 4th (I think) costume option for him in the game, to show the power gifted to him by his benefactor. I have much more to say, but I'll save it for a super-long author's note to come out in the next day or so.]