Sorry for the wait, everyone! This took a ridiculously long time to put together. I can only hope the quality reflects that. Thanks to all of you who have added this to your favourites, reviewed, and are currently following this story. Your support really means a lot to me. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Devil May Cry, or the characters. They belong to Capcom; I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes. No money is made off of this fanfiction.


Chapter 11: Dark Wings Descending

Nero watched in horrified fascination, as Dominus continued his transformation into his true form. Dark spikes now jutted up from beneath the Overlord's armour, running along his shoulders down to his knuckles, covering nearly every inch of his legs, several smaller spikes forming on the back of his head.

He turned slowly, hovering several feet above the devil hunters, his wings extended to their full breadth on either side of him, fiercely glowing red eyes finally coming to rest on the part devil. His lips pulled back into a smirk, his shoulders shaking as a dry, humourless chuckle rumbled from deep within his chest.

"Your human nature betrays you, young one." He barked out another contemptuous laugh, Nero doing his utmost not to flinch at the sound. "Yes, I see true fear in those eyes."

Nero's chin jutted out in defiance, the part devil letting out a snort of disgust as he glared at Dominus. "Don't flatter yourself."

"I hate to break it to you," Dante chimed in then, the younger hunter turning to stare at the half devil in disbelief, "but the kid's been up against much bigger, much tougher opponents than you." Though his face was lit with one of his usual over-confident smiles, his eyes glittered dangerously, the laugh lines that often hinted at one of his playful moods completely absent. Hearing a threatening growl, the part devil shook himself from his observations, his gaze flicking between Dominus and the devil hunter in alarm.

What the hell is Dante doing?! Nero wondered, his eyes widening as he watched Dante make his way slowly toward Dominus, stopping a few feet in front of the Demon Overlord with the tip of his sword casually resting against the ground.

Nero managed to catch his eye, the older hunter only giving a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders as if to say, 'Since he's in this form now, we may as well make the best of it.'

When Nero returned his attention to Dominus, it was obvious that the silent exchange between them hadn't gone unnoticed by the Overlord; if he had looked smug and self-assured before, he looked ten times more so, now.

"If that is so," he drawled, his piercing red irises returning to Dante, "then why does the boy look so afraid?"

Nero bared his teeth, forcing himself to maintain control over the sudden rush of anger boiling deep within him. Keep calm, He reminded himself as he unclenched his fists, he tried this before, remember? Don't let him manipulate you; one screw up, and this whole situation could end up going to hell in a hand basket.

Exhaling shakily through his nose, he kept his eyes locked on the Demon Overlord, suddenly aware of the subtle vibrations thrumming through the air. Sliding his eyes in Dante's direction, he saw that he, too, was aware of the energy building up all around them, the half devil halting whatever clever retort he'd been planning, mid-sentence.

So, while he was preparing his attack, he kept us busy with idle chatter, huh? Well, that was almost clever of him…

Gripping Red Queen tighter, Nero glanced back at Patty, giving a slight jerk of his head to indicate she should move further back. Patty must have understood, for she slowly started retreating toward the statue, the barrel of her gun-blade rising little by little as she kept her sapphire eyes trained on Dominus.

Massive black spheres appeared then, the swirling balls of energy forming what appeared to be some sort of protective barrier around the Demon Overlord. As he moved into a defensive stance, Nero had no doubt that the spheres could also be used offensively; Dominus didn't seem like the type satisfied with remaining on the defensive-at least not for very long.

The younger hunter's theory proved true as Dominus propelled himself forward, flapping his wings with tremendous force, kicking clouds of dust up around them.

"Stay on your toes, kid!" Dante shouted. Both hunters lurched forward at the same time to meet Dominus' attack halfway, while Patty sought cover behind the statue. Nero thought he could hear her chanting an incantation, but with the roar of the wind in his ears, he couldn't be sure, and with his own task to fulfill, he couldn't afford to ponder on it further.

Rebellion met the inside curve of the scythe a split second before Nero thrust Red Queen forward, the younger hunter intent on skewering the Overlord on the tip of the durandal. Before the blade could meet its mark, two of Dominus' black spheres hurtled toward the hunters, the first one slamming full force into Dante despite the half devil performing a backflip to evade it.

Nero leapt off to the side, the part devil diving into a roll as the sphere shattered the ground behind him, pelting the back of his neck with rubble.

That was close.

Nero got to his feet and looked over his shoulder as Dante landed hard on his back, the half devil letting out a pained groan as Rebellion clattered to the ground beside him.

The old man never falls for tricks that simple…what the hell is going on?

Realizing the error of taking his eyes off of his opponent, he returned his gaze to the Demon Overlord, leaning back a second too late as the handle of Dominus' scythe struck him full force in the face.

"It's no use, hybrid." Dominus cackled, raising his weapon to strike again-this time with the blade, itself.

Nero staggered back, doing his best to ignore the throbbing pain above his right eye as he brought his sword up. The clashing of metal set his teeth on edge, the part devil trembling with the effort as he held Red Queen steady, keeping the wicked blade of the scythe from slicing into the base of his throat.

When he showed no signs of weakening, Dominus pulled back, the sudden movement causing Nero to stumble forward before righting himself, the younger hunter gritting his teeth from the forceful gust of wind Dominus created with his wings.

Just as he was getting ready to launch a counter-attack, a gleam of silver caught his eye; Rebellion streaked passed him, the sword moving toward the Overlord with such speed, Nero was certain he'd seen the blade glowing white-hot.

Just before it could strike Dominus, one of the black spheres moved directly into its path, the sword rebounding off of it before Dante called it back to his left hand.

Casting a cursory glance behind him, Nero was relieved to see the devil hunter back on his feet, Ivory cocked over his right shoulder as he observed Dominus with glacial blue eyes.

"Hmm, you're holding up better than I expected." He murmured, casually hefting Rebellion's weight in his hand, "But, play time's over. What d'ya say, kid?" He turned his gaze to Nero then, a lopsided grin gracing his face.

Despite the direness of the situation, Nero answered with a grin of his own, the part devil revving Red Queen's handle eagerly. "Right there with you, old man. Let's show him what a couple of hybrids can really do!"


Dante and Nero's attacks became quicker, a lot more brutal than they had been before. Patty watched in morbid fascination as both white-haired men unleashed a flurry of strikes with their swords, Dominus spinning his scythe just as quickly to meet the blades of his opponents with each downward slash and horizontal sweep they threw at him.

Both hunters seemed to be in perfect sync with one another, dodging and weaving from side-to-side, their swords clanging each time they met the handle or the hooked blade of the Overlord's weapon.

Just as Dante dodged one of the many black spheres hovering around them, Nero went in for the kill, thrusting his sword through one of Dominus' wings. The Overlord let out a strangled cry, the sound changing halfway into a menacing growl. He dropped to the ground, tucking his bloodied wing in as he brought his scythe down in an arc, the part devil dodging to the right.

Patty heard his pained gasp, as the hooked blade grazed his shoulder, slicing through the soft leather of his coat. Gritting her teeth, the adolescent extended her left hand, a whirlwind of energy enveloping her as beams of light shot from her fingertips. The devil spear attack split apart, forming several smaller beams that pierced through Dominus' armour, shattering a few of the spikes lining his body on impact.

The attack had the desired effect, distracting the Overlord from his quarry as he turned his burning glare upon her. A split second later, Dante rammed Rebellion through his left shoulder, bits of blood-coated spittle flying from Dominus' mouth as he let loose a tortured cry.

His interest in the teenager was forgotten as he attempted to wrench free of the claymore buried within his shoulder blade, the devil letting out another cry as Dante ripped it free with a quick jerk of his wrist.

The half devil was giving him no quarter however, his finger twitching on Ivory's trigger to unload a salvo of stinging, demonically-charged lead into the profusely bleeding wound of his enemy. Nero mirrored the elder hunter, releasing three well-placed charged shots of his own into Dominus uninjured wing, darting back and forth when Dominus lashed out with his scythe, a savage roar erupting from the Overlord's throat.

Just as Patty readied herself to unleash another devil spear, Dominus was in the air once again, the wounds in his wings rapidly healing before her eyes, new muscle and skin tissue replacing what had been damaged. He waved his right hand around in a graceful arc, the gesture slow, almost hypnotic. At first, she couldn't tell what was happening, and from the mixed murmurs of both devil hunters, they couldn't, either.

It wasn't long before they all understood however, for the black spheres began swirling faster and faster around Dominus, blurs of mottled black streaking through the air as the devil directed them at the hunters.

Bringing her hands up quickly, Patty cast a protective shield over the two white-haired men. Indigo domes pulsating with white light formed around them, the black spheres bouncing harmlessly off before evaporating into nothingness.

Too late, Patty realized several of the spheres were coming at her. With a mental curse, she braced herself for impact, knowing she wouldn't get a shield up around herself quickly enough. Screwing her eyes shut, she waited for the painful blast that would knock her off her feet; it never came.

Instead, she felt a surge of power pass over her, a familiar blast of energy that gave her the distinct impression something had cancelled out Dominus' attack. She cracked one eye open cautiously, and looked around. She caught sight of something bright blue, before it faded into thin air. Hearing an agitated growl, she whipped around quickly, met with the sight of Dominus glaring down at Nero.

It became clear to her then what had happened; Nero had devil triggered. A large, armoured demon phantom rose up from his shoulders, blue flames flickering up and down his right arm, Yamato in his grasp. He stood several feet in front of the teen with his back to her, his hair and coat fluttering from the powerful energy emanating all around him.

He must have summoned those energy daggers. Patty realized. She had seen Nero do it on only a handful of occasions, the part devil able to control and direct the daggers toward multiple targets at a time.

Before Dominus could retaliate against the part devil for interfering, he jolted forward with a cry of surprise, spinning through the air before slamming into the ground with enough force to shatter the cobblestones beneath him. He skidded to a stop, face-down with his wings sticking up at awkward angles.

Patty was momentarily confused, until she saw Dante standing directly behind him, his sword glowing red from the shockwave he'd released upon the Demon Overlord. As Dominus attempted to rise to his feet, both devil hunters rushed toward him; Nero, still triggered, going at him from the front while Dante went for his back, thrusting Yamato and Rebellion forward at the exact same moment.

The teen felt it before she saw it; there was no time to cast protective shields over them, no time to draw her own weapon, nor unleash a magical blast. An explosion of power surrounded Dominus, flinging Nero and Dante away with concussive force. Nero slammed into the statue beside Patty with a pained grunt, his devil form disappearing as he crumpled to the ground. Dante skidded across the pavement in the opposite direction, Rebellion landing tip-first in the soft soil at the base of one of the park's trees.

A mixture of fear and anger surged through Patty, fuelling the powerful energy that suddenly formed around her, the blue light becoming a phosphorous white.

She clenched her fists tightly at her sides, paying no heed to the powerful cyclone whirling around her as she glared at the devil hovering overhead.

"You'll pay for hurting them," she growled, raising her hands so that they were extended directly in front of her, "now it's time for you to see the true power of the Lowell bloodline!"


Dante got to his feet with a groan, his jaw slackening when he saw the immense output of power Patty was displaying. A wind that could only be described as supernatural whipped around her, an eerie violet glow coalescing with the waves of white and blue, becoming brighter the longer he stared.

The teenager stood in the centre of all of this, her pendant a bright indigo as it whipped back and forth from the force of the wind, straining against its silver chain. Patty's sapphire eyes flashed with an angry fire the half devil had only seen a couple of times in the five years he'd known her, her lips moving quickly as she chanted an incantation under her breath.

Looking beyond the blonde girl, Dante could see Nero getting to his own feet, his eyes wide with the same awed shock that the devil hunter, himself, was feeling. Dante watched as Patty's hands twitched, the power pulsing around her materializing on the tips of her fingers.

The teenager let out a cry, one that betrayed a mixture of anger and pain, and with a final upward thrust of her hands, released a powerful blast unlike anything Dante had ever seen from her.

The energy beam resembled her signature devil spear attack-except for the fact that it had to be at least ten times larger. The violet and blue all but vanished, replaced with a white light so pure, the half devil had to shield his eyes.

Despite the sheer impressiveness of her attack, Dominus was more than ready. At the moment that Patty released the massive, swirling beam of light from her hands, the Overlord had merged the last of his black spheres into one without so much as moving a single finger.

Patty's beam collided with the large ball of black, the two cancelling one another out in a sonic explosion. The teenager was flung backward by the force, the half devil watching as Nero caught the girl in his arms, both of them hitting the ground considerably softer than Patty would have without the younger man's aid.

His gaze fell on Dominus then, the Demon Overlord hovering above them, unscathed by the blast. A ghost of a smile graced his lips as he turned to face the devil hunter, crimson irises boring into pale blue ones.

Gritting his teeth, Dante held Rebellion behind him, demonic power coursing down his arm into the blade until red bolts of energy arced across it. With a sweeping thrust forward, he unleashed one shockwave after the other at the devil, Dominus weaving back and forth in the air to avoid the blows. His smile grew, his laughter echoing around the park as the day faded into night.

"You may have denied me ultimate power, but you will find out soon, Son of Sparda, that you are out of your league." He declared in a self-satisfied tone, "With or without the human sacrifices, it doesn't matter; I will return to the Demon Realm a hero, once I stamp out the last of your accursed bloodline, and destroy the descendant of Alan Lowell!"

"Don't bet on it!" Adrenaline pumped through Dante's veins, his heart thudding almost painfully against his ribs as a burning sensation prickled up from his feet, rising until it coursed through each one of his limbs, flooding every fibre of his being. When the surge of energy was at its peak, Dante brought it to the surface, grunting from the powerful shock that always came with his devil trigger.

Peering up at Dominus through hazy red eyes, he was pleased to see the fear and displeasure that darkened his face, the Overlord's lip curling into a sneer.

Dante let out a dark chuckle, the sound coming out distorted due to his demonic form. He took slow, deliberate strides forward, his clawed toes scraping against the stonework with each step.

"If I'm out of my league, then show me." He rasped, extending Rebellion toward Dominus in a bold display of defiance that only he could achieve. "Let's dance!"


What followed Dante's proclamation was a series of lightning fast blows, the half devil parrying and thrusting with Rebellion as he dodged Dominus' wild swings with his scythe. Sparks flew each time the blades struck against one another, a mixture of Dante's and Dominus' demonic growls reaching Nero's ears as he helped Patty to her feet.

"It looks like he no longer has any of those black spheres left," Nero observed, targeting the Demon Overlord with Blue Rose, "I think now is our chance."

"I'm right behind you." Patty declared, cocking the hammer back on Karma as she stared down the length of the barrel.

Nero clenched the fingers of his demonic hand, willing the power to flow up through his right arm, across his chest, and into the revolver within his left hand. An all-too-familiar tingling surged through his body, the Devil Bringer pulsing from the energy transfer. Blue Rose glowed briefly before returning to normal, the bullets within absorbing the demonic essence. A flash to his right indicated that Patty had done the same with her anti-demon magic, the shard of Alan's Tear within the gun-blade's handle turning a vibrant blue.

Nero pulled the trigger, the crack of Blue Rose's gunfire echoing between the park trees as two bullets sped from the revolver's barrel, tearing clean through Dominus' armour. The Overlord stopped his scythe mid-swing, a demonic shriek erupting from his mouth as thick rivulets of blood poured from the gaping hole in his shoulder.

"Try healing that one, asshole." Nero muttered, charging up another shot.

Patty fired six shots in tandem, three scorching holes in each wing bringing Dominus down to earth with a sickening crunch as he landed on the left wing, breaking the hollow bones.

Releasing another two bullets from the chamber, Nero's face split into a grin as he saw Dante leap into action, taking advantage of his downed prey. The red-clad half devil was still in his demon form, the red and black armour covering him from head to toe sizzling with raw power. He lunged forward, thrusting Rebellion forward with such speed that both he and the sword were shrouded in a blaze of red energy.

Just as he was about to meet his mark, Dominus vanished from the spot, the half devil stopping short to look at the crater the Overlord had left behind.

Nero frowned, exchanging a look with both the elder hunter and the teenaged girl. Dante took a deep breath, the half devil raising his chin with a sigh as his demonic form receded, the crimson glow in his eyes returning to their usual icy blue.

"Where the hell did he go?" Nero wondered aloud, swinging Blue Rose back and forth as he searched the park, instinctively keeping his back to his comrades.

Dante and Patty joined the formation, the part devil only hearing the sound of the adolescent's breath as she reloaded her gun, the three of them continuing their circular pacing.

All of a sudden, a swirling red vortex appeared directly above them, Nero snapping his head up to meet Dominus' triumphant sneer with a strangled gasp. There was an echo of gunshots as Patty fired at the Demon Overlord, the teen cursing when he vanished once again.

"I'm getting really tired of his bullshit." Nero growled, Dante snorting in agreement as he pulled Ebony and Ivory from their holsters.

"If you're bored," all three hunters started at the voice, whirling around to see Dominus standing atop the statue of Sparda, another swirling red vortex suspended in the air behind him, "then perhaps it is time I make things more interesting."

Just as Nero brought his gun to bear on Dominus, a wave of black erupted from within the vortex, writhing and churning as hundreds of winged demons disentangled themselves from one another, their shrieks nearly deafening as they hurtled toward the devil hunters.

Nero cast a cursory glance in Dante's direction, the half devil placing his hands on his hips as he heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Oh great," He grumbled, running a hand over his face, "as if we didn't have enough obstacles, already!"


Well, that took a lot of work and hair tugging, but I think I finally have it just the way I want it. I can only hope you all enjoyed it, as well. Please review; concrit is welcome. :)