Hiro knew Dante all too well, not only from working with him, but from fighting him. He gave a small scoff. "Dante, don't let even the slightest amount of doubt enter your mind." He slowly opened his eyes. "If you let that shadow consume you even slightly, then your worst fear will come to be. You are the reason why Mundus doesn't exist on any plane. And besides, with powerful allies like these, there's no way you'll lose. So loosen up, will ya? You're no good to anyone if there's doubt." He stopped to let his words sink in. He knew his words wouldn't be for nothing.
Dante nodded, confidence as well as his smirk returning to him. He saw a skeleton lying in a spot that looked good to sit, and he kicked it, sending it down the hill. He sat, and looked around. He saw that they were all gathered around him now, and he cleared his throat. "As you all know, there's no turning back from this point. We're here now, and we all have to do our part to make sure this mission is a complete success and we can all go home alive." He paused, looking around to make sure everything was clear before continuing. "Through that city is the Devil's Citadel, the home of the Dark Emperor of Hell. I will fight him alone, as there will be Generals for you to defeat. Each of you. These Generals are quite possibly the strongest devils your eyes will ever behold. I'm going to warn you now: some of us may not make it out of this alive."
He took a breath and continued. "I won't allow interference against Diabolus. I have a personal score to settle, like with Salem. But enough about what will happen later. We need to focus on getting through this city alive. There will be powerful devils around every corner. In order to get through, we'll have to defeat the Demon General in the central tower. Its death will unseal the area and allow us to pass through. Is everyone clear on the plan, then? Any questions?" He waited, seeing if they all understood. The plan needed to go perfectly, or someone would surely die. As soon as everyone was clear on the plan, they could move on into Grikkn Shrifr.
Rayven stood and thought for a moment about what Dante had told them. She began to think of the demon she had fought not too long ago. Blasphemy must be a Demon General to be as powerful as he was and she needed to settle the score with him. "Dante, can we choose which Generals we want to go after? 'Cause if we can...I need to settle a score." Her eyes began to change with the demonic power coursing through her as she thought of the demon that had almost destroyed her. She looked down and then quickly back up at Dante with her red eyes. "I want Blasphemy." A maniacal grin crossed her lips.
Hiro was caught slightly off guard by Rayven's sudden angry conviction. "Rayven, I understand your feelings better than anyone, but please calm down. You were bested last time because you couldn't control your anger." He did remember that it was because of her actions that he was alive. He waited a moment, then said, "If we have the option of choosing, It doesn't matter who I face as long as I get to face Sigma afterwards." His words granted quite a lot of freedom toward the others. Like Rayven, he had a score to settle, but his score was with Sigma and his underlings. "The two Grand Generals, Sigma and Diablous, are the most powerful demons at the moment. Sigma destroyed my family, and now I will destroy him and everything he stands for. That's all, whatever you plan on doing is fine by me."
Dante looked from Rayven to Hiro, and nodded hesitantly. He had to grant the others the same liberties as himself. And if he was going to fight Diabolus alone with no interference from them, he had to let them have their own targets. Sigma had killed Hiro's entire family, including his father, Desmond. There was an understandable score to settle there.
He knew nothing of Rayven's score, but didn't bother to ask. All he needed to know was that all of the Generals would meet their ends. And that would leave him the grand adversary: Diabolus. He was happy to give up fighting Sigma to Hiro, seeing as the Demon General was below the Dark Emperor. It seemed that everyone was coming to an agreement, seeing that Trish and Lady were silent. He nodded, and stood up, as he had been sitting.
He looked at the others, nodding briefly before setting off down the hill. He expected the others to follow, and didn't bother to break his stride. He wanted to end this so he could go back to the shop. As he walked, his thoughts drifted to Anshin, and he wondered what he would do with her after this was all over. The small girl would surely want to get away from the man that had so quickly slain her brother. His thoughts here interrupted, however, when he arrived at the gates of the devil city. His eyes narrowed, his fists tightening. Three upside-down crosses stood on the city walls around the gates, three mangled bodies hanging upside down on them.
His eyes looked from one face to the next, his anger growing with each recognized comrade. On the far left, Valen's bloody face looked back at him, one eye missing, the other opened wide in a look of surprise and terror. Claw marks and scythe wounds marred his corpse, his clothes and skin dyed red with his blood.
His eyes shifted to the right, and the center cross caught his eyes. Enyo's lifeless body hung there, her body a bit more intact than Valen's. Both eyes were there, both open in a look of defiant resolve. Her arms were outstretched, her wrists and palms nailed on the dark metal cross. Her blood had run the entire length of the cross, from her feet to the ground. The sites in which the nails had entered had ripped flesh around them, showing that she had struggled immensely.
Dante tore his eyes away from Enyo, looking at the final cross. Naoki hung on the cross, his head severed and gone. Blood pooled on the ground under the open neck. The only clue that it had been Naoki was the small handle of a flame whip that rested on the ground next to the cross.
Dante turned to the others. "This is the kind of fate that awaits anyone who backs down or falters. Anyone who is captured and not killed will meet the same end, if not a worse one." He ground his teeth and let his fists uncoil. He continued into Grikkn Shrifr.
Rayven walked forward next to Dante, staring at their fallen comrades. She looked back to see Dante walking into the city. She followed directly after him, her right hand staying close to her remaining sword. The other one had been broken by Blasphemy in her last fight. Her demonic energy surged into her again as she was prepared for anything. A red glow was around her eyes and right hand. She had to end Blasphemy's life here. Her mother had given her life to stop Blasphemy from killing her when she was a child, but she had never known why he wanted her dead. Maybe it was her demon blood, as she never known her dad and only known her mother for a very short time, and her mother had been a human. Maybe, she thought, Dante could help her figure out who her father was. She let the memories drift away as she recalled herself to reality. She looked at the back of Dante's head as she walked behind him. "Thanks, Dante," she said quietly. He had given her a chance to get revenge for her mother.
Hiro stopped at the crosses for a only a moment. He gazed upward to see his fellow hunters slain. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. He stood for a moment in utter silence. There was no need to speak, his mourning over the losses of these fine hunters was quite obvious.
"So this is is the kind of fate, huh?" Trish slowly meandered up to the dead bodies and studied them, circling her arms around herself. It was a pretty gruesome death, she wasn't about to deny that, but she commended the demons on their use of creativity since each had suffered a different death from the other. A wry grin quirked its way over her mouth as she thought about pitying the creatures and then threw the thought away. They weren't the types to want to be pitied, that would be certain. Perhaps, she thought as she turned her eyes to the city they would be entering soon, it was the demons inside that she should pity? Brushing her fingers through her hair to comb out the blood and gore that might have already fallen in there, the woman deftly stepped away from the bodies and followed Dante into the city, leaving them behind along with any thoughts of turning back.
Dante continued forward, his rage growing with each step. The bodies lingered in his mind, their faces crying out for justice. They were in the city now, and nothing stirred. The demonic presence was overwhelming, but there were no devils to be seen.
He halted the small procession, his eyes scanning the horizon that was marred by the colossal tower in the center of the city. That tower was their destination, their only objective in Grikkn Shrifr. A small layer of dust seemed to rise, but nothing came of it. Nerves seemed to be the weapon the devils planned to use against the Hunters now instead of direct combat. The silence in the city was deafening, the only sounds to be heard were footsteps and small intakes of breath.
The others were surely as bothered by the change of tactics as he was, which meant that things would continuously change to try and catch them off guard. If they got careless and it worked, things would take a turn for the definite worse. He shook the pessimistic thoughts from his head and continued, rounding a corner onto what looked like a western-style street. Clawed tracks marred the dirt path, and Dante stopped. He smirked and pulled out Ebony and Ivory, holding them at his hips, as if they were holstered.
Small distortions appeared in front of them, a large clawed hand appearing, followed by the cloaked form of a Faust. The devil peered at him through red eyes underneath the "hat" of smoke that sat upon its repulsive head. It seemed to glare at him, its claws resting where its hips would be. The smoky cloak billowed around its form, concealing the coward hidden within.
Dante cocked his head to the side, staring down his opponent. The devil seemed to share his enthusiasm for the small game they were playing. "So, three paces, turn and draw, then?" Dante said with a grin. The devil's expression remained impassive, and it lunged, sending five razor-sharp claws at Dante, who rolled forward, firing three shots and destroying the demon. He stood, continuing the march forward. The tower was close now.
Hiro could sense Dante's rage. He didn't blame him, though. He stopped for a second as the ground gave off light vibrations. "From the rear, then?" Neon yellow energy pulsed from Hiro's arm. He turned and thrust his arm in a slashing motion. A sphere of energy shot out and struck a medium- sized demon that resembled a mole. The demon died instantly as it disintegrated from the intense energy. Hiro drew his blade and stopped the claws with a single circular motion of his sword. He continued his stride right after Dante finished firing his pistols, sheathing his sword. "Not impressed so far," he said as he shook his head slightly.
Rayven followed closely behind Dante as they approached the tower. She pulled her machine guns out and held them, ready to fire at whatever came. "This looks like something from a western movie." She went to the right side of Dante and watched his right side. A demon came out of an alley and jumped at her. She shot it through the head quickly, spraying decaying brain matter and blood over the dirt. She continued her walk and the closer she got to the tower, the heavier the demon presence became.
Dante continued leading the group forward toward the massive tower, suddenly halting as the path split into a fork. Dante looked one way and then the next, scratching his stubbled chin and thinking. All of a sudden, the demonic presence rose to an unheard of level, two incredible auras appearing, one down each path. Hiro stood next to Dante, feeling the same energy and anticipating the fight to come.
Demonic shouts and growls permeated the air from the direction of the two paths, and Dante looked at Hiro, crossing his arms and smirking. "Whaddya say we make this interesting? Two incredibly strong demon Captains under Sigma, five of us. Why not split into two teams, eh? Have some fun?"
Hiro thought a moment and grinned, nodding. "Let's do it." He pointed to each path momentarily, picking which one he wanted. He settled on the path to the left and looked at Dante. "I chose which path I wanted, so why not pick your team first?"
Dante looked at him for a moment, then at the others. He nodded. "I'll take Lady and Trish. You can take Rayven." He nodded and elbowed Hiro briefly, winking. He waited for Lady and Trish to stand alongside him, and the two teams split, going down their chosen paths. Halfway down the path with Lady and Trish, the demonic presence became crippling and the form of a gigantic demon appeared in front of the group.
Ten horns jutted from its skull, and three mouths lined with razor-sharp teeth grinned at the group, four dead-white eyes staring at them blankly. The creature stood on six gigantic back legs with claws jutting from them and sinking into the dirt. Four giant arms were poised to rip the group to shreds. "I am a Guardian of Sigma. There are two of us, my brother should be meeting your friends shortly, and then you shall be no more, Devil Hunter. Prepare to die!"
Reddish portals opened and lesser demons flooded in, separating Dante from Trish and Lady. He looked at the devil and smirked, Rebellion out and ready, resting on his shoulder. "Ya know, you remind me of a kitty I skewered not too long ago. Sure ya wanna go through with this?" The demon roared and the battle began.
Back where Hiro and Rayven were, the brother of the Guardian stared at Hiro, identical in appearance with his brother. The demon said nothing, but waved one of its arms and demons flooded out and separated Rayven from Hiro. Hiro unsheathed his sword, and the demon lunged forward.
Hiro widened his senses, closed his eyes and waited. "Whats wrong, mortal? Not going to fight head on? Then I shall come after you!" The beast charged Hiro at full speed. Hiro's body blurred and then vanished and he reappeared on the creature's back, crouching with his sword mostly sheathed. "Foolish demon." He sheathed the rest of his sword and several silver streaks appeared on the beast's body. The demon let out a loud roar before collapsing. "Too easy. Sigma's creations are pathetic." He turned and began to walk towards Rayven. Hiro was unaware that the beast had a trick up its sleeve. Its mouth opened and fired a single spike.
Dante dodged the first attack of the demon, which was a thrust with two of its arms, the claws gleaming in the mockery of daylight that existed in the world of devils. He jumped between the two arms, slashing away and sending brownish-green blood to the dusty path that they battled on. The creature screamed, swatting at Dante. He got careless with his timing and was batted hard to the ground.
The creature seemed to grin, bringing one of its hind legs hurtling down towards where Dante laid on the ground. Dante rolled, slashing with Rebellion and severing the gigantic foot. The creature howled, but adapted to the change in stance adequately. "You will not find me as easy to defeat as my underlings, Devil Hunter. Simply slicing me to bits won't get rid of me," the devil hissed. It outstretched a bleeding arm and the severed body part reattached itself promptly, good as new.
Dante sighed, watching the regeneration. "Well, shit. And here I was thinking you were a pushover. This could be interesting after all," he grinned. He sheathed Rebellion on his back, pulling Ebony and Ivory from their holsters, firing rapidly as he zig-zagged toward the demon. Small showers of blood issued from the bullets holes as the slugs impacted, and the demon seemed to cringe.
He ducked under the monster's legs just as it was about to swipe at him again, firing rapidly into what he could only assume was a mixture between a thorax and a stomach region, spewing more blood out of the creature. The demon growled, stomping rapidly around him. Dante smirked and shot up into the air, eye-level with the devil. He charged up Ebony and Ivory and fired, destroying two of the four eyes on the devil's head. A goo-like mixture poured from the empty sockets like tears, running down the hideous face of the demon.
Dante shrugged, looking while the thing writhed in pain for the moment. "Well, at least I know you're not indestructible. That would be a major pain in my ass," he said. The creature turned to look at him with its remaining eyes. "You will suffer more than you ever thought possible, Son of Sparda! Now die!"
Hiro turned and quickly slashed the spike. He cleft it in two with no effort. The spike exploded releasing a purple smoke. "What?!" Hiro leaped back as quickly as he could, his free arm covering his mouth and nose. He landed safely a few feet away from the smoke. It dissipated. "What the hell?" "I see that it failed. That's too bad, I was looking forward to obliterating you slowly," the demon hissed. Hiro looked at the decimated monster, only to see a smaller one crawling out of it. The demon was cat-like, but it had a human shape. It was roughly 5'5 in height, and had pure white fur. "What a waste, Master Sigma gave me that Battle Body too. But he warned that it may not be useable yet." Hiro reveled at the new demon that stood before him. "Battle....Body?"
"It's an artifical body created to use as a suit that alters your weakest points, turning them into strengths. This one wasn't quite complete. That's why you tore it apart so easily." Hiro's facial expression became that of a worried team mate. "Shit, Dante may be in bigger trouble than he knows!" Hiro turned to warn Rayven of the plight. "Do you always turn away from your enemy?" The demon lunged forward with its claws. Hiro dodged to the side, only to have a foot in his ribs. "Are you really that predictable?" Hiro's body flew several yards to his right, his body hit the ground and landed in a contorted position.
"Whats going on? I didn't even see his foot coming... I'm much sharper than this...What the hell?" Hiro rolled over, and coughed up some blood. Immediate pain surged into his rib cage. "AHHHH!" He had two, maybe three broken ribs. "That was fun, I haven't played kick the demon slayer since I took out that demon slayer with the shotgun!"
"He did that?" Hiro thought to himself as he tried to get up, only to collapse again. It would be a couple minutes before his ribs healed completely.
Dante stared down the demon, the fight being at a standstill for a moment. He had eluded the beast's last attack, and now waited for the next. The demon stared back, but decided to speak during the down time. "My brother is surely tearing your friend to shreds by now, Devil Hunter. My brother isn't exactly identical to me, his body was modified by Master Sigma. My body, however, was the mold Master Sigma used for the job."
Dante stared back, remaining impassive. "Fascinating... plan on finishing this fight anytime soon?" The demon seemed taken aback that his mental sabotage had failed, and Dante took the opportunity to check on Trish, who was busy blasting demons left and right, and couldn't look happier. She shot lightning occasionally, but stuck to guns. She seemed to make a delightfully bloody mess. Lady was no different, firing left and right with Kalina Anne, explosions of decaying flesh and black blood blossoming randomly around the area. Dante grinned, and turned back to the demon. "They seem to be having fun, so why don't we start again, eh? Give you the first strike this round."
The demon roared and lunged. "You will regret your arrogance, Devil Hunter!" He struck with all four arms this time, and Dante leaped above the claws that grasped at his flesh. He took the time now to strategize, and noticed something new. There were two jewels on the front of the demon, one on the forehead and one on left side of the chest. He smirked and backflipped behind the devil, seeing the third and final jewel in the center of its back. "Well, well, well, Mister Indestructible, looks like I found how to tear you apart." Dante aimed quickly, leaping into the air to dodge a sweep with a hind leg and fired a charged shot into the jewel, shattering it.
The demon howled, turning around, snarling in rage. It charged Dante again, its attacks somewhat fiercer now, and Dante still dodged and blocked effortlessly. It was after he took down the next jewel that he was going to have some trouble. He would distance himself and snipe the next two jewels, then go in for the kill. He jumped backwards quickly along the ground, aiming mentally and charging up two shots. When he was the right distance away, he lifted Ebony and Ivory, and fired. He watched as each shot hit its mark, and the demon crumpled, regaining its feet slowly. It seemed to stagger as Dante rushed in, Rebellion drawn and ready. The demon watched as Dante soared in and Rebellion sliced through its neck, and the head slid off of its shoulders.
Trish walked away from the bloody mess that she had made and put a hand on Dante's shoulder. Lady hung back, making sure there wouldn't be a second wave. "You okay? Don't forget, we need you as much as you need us here. Don't go getting careless."
Dante smirked. "You got it, babe." He rushed off with Trish and Lady in tow and headed to where he felt Hiro fighting.
Hiro was stil on the ground, his ribs only half repaired. The cat demon approached him slowly. "So this is the heir of the Dark Suppression Style? You're just as weak as Master Sigma warned." He stopped just in front of Hiro. He knelt down. "I'm surprised that you took out the Battle Body so quickly. Most hunters would have succumbed to the the intense strength of the body, but you weren't worried about that, were you?"
"No, I was worried. That's why I tried to end it so quickly." He spoke truthfully. His real objective was simply to stall for his regeneration. 30 seconds... "Too bad you didn't examine the body closer, you may have noticed that I was inside it," the demon taunted. 10 seconds. "Yea," Hiro smiled weakly. "I may have." Hiro secretly charged energy into his sword, concealed by the sheath. 5 seconds. "Too bad you didn't notice that you walked into a trap!"
"What!?" A black sphere surrounded the demon, and there were several slashing noises. The demon writhed in pain from the multiple hits. He backflipped back after receiving the damage and landed several feet from Hiro. Hiro rolled backwards and took a quick draw position.
"You were stalling for regeneration time?"
"Yep, and I made the mark as well. Now it's time for some fun, I know what I'm up against now. I won't make the same mistake again. Hiro's sheath turned red. "Blaze Dasher!"he shouted. Hiro quickly unsheathed his sword and swung in a wide arc, two fire balls intertwined and charged to their target, leaving a trail of red fire behind it. The beast jumped and narrowly dodged it. This was one of Hiro's favorite traps. He appeared behind the beast and slashed downward. "I've got you now!"
Dante arrived on the scene, first looking at Hiro, who seemed to have just gained the upper hand against his foe, then to Rayven, who was battling fiercely against the hordes that separated her from Hiro. Dante looked at Lady and Trish, grinning. "Care for a little more fun, ladies?" he said slyly. The women looked at each other and then back at Dante, their grins matching his own.
The three took off like a shot into the crowd of demons, guns ablaze. Rayven looked around and found herself back to back with Dante, and she began fighting on a whole other level than before. She was more accurate now, being with her comrades, the veil of suspense lifted. She could make it through this. She shot through the rotting brain of a charging demon, shouting over her shoulder to Dante. "What took you guys so long?"
Dante chuckled over his shoulder. "Something popped up and I killed it. How's he doing?" he asked, hinting at Hiro. He had seen the man fight before, but he, too seemed to be someone other than himself in this particular fight. He decided to not try and rationalize it, but rather accept it as it was. The numbers of the devils swarming them were diminishing rapidly, and soon only a few stood. A few well-placed bullets later, and the four stood on, watching Hiro.
Dante watched as Hiro made his move. Don't fuck this up. You know we can't do this without you helping us. He smirked. "Yo, kid. Hurry it up, huh? Mortal adversaries to defeat. You know the drill!" he shouted. The man's concentration wouldn't be thrown off enough to thwart his efforts, only to encourage him to finish with a bang. He waited, watching for the conclusion to the fight.
Hiro sensed Dante's group enter the fray. A small smile spread across his face. "That certainly puts my mind at ease." Hiro's stance loosened just a bit. "But still, his speed will be a problem." Hiro had never faced anybody who's speed matched his own. Dante was the only one who had ever adapted quickly enough to survive. But this demon didn't need to adapt, he was already on par with Hiro, and on top of that, he had already seen several of his moves. "Moves... that's it!" Hiro thought, a smug smile spreading across his face. "I'll end this in six moves!" Hiro said aloud. "Just you watch! If you can keep up, that is!"
Hiro's opponent snarled. "How dare you?! I'll crush you!" He charged forward on all fours. "That's it. You fell for my trick. This is the end." Hiro took his quick draw stance once again and closed his eyes. He could hear the constant footsteps his opponent made.
"What are you doing you fool?" His voice was much deeper and more demonic sounding, definitely more fitting. Hiro appeared behind him, his sword coming straight down. "Impossible! No one's faster than me!" the demon shouted. He barely side stepped the sword only to be met with Hiro's foot. "HRUAH!" The demon was sent flying in the opposite direction. Hiro reappeared where the demon was heading. "Up you go, you little bastard!" This time kicking upward, the demon was launched high into the air. Hiro made several hand signs, and ended with his index and middle fingers erect, a classic ninja hand sign. A triangle overlapped with another triangle and caught the demon in a pincer, completely immobilizing him. Hiro jumped high in the air, and stopped as if he had jumped to something physical. Hiro's image multiplied to seven. "Ragnarok!" Six of Hiro's after images turned a blood red and blazed past his opponent. After six instantaneous cuts, Hiro's real body appeared just above the demon, his sword glowing a multitude of colors. He came down and cut the demon width wise, the sound of steel slicing through flesh echoing throughout the area. Hiro landed, swung his sword, cleaning it of blood and sheathing it slowly. The final clicking of the sword in it's sheathe was the catalyst that destroyed his opponent. "Brother, Master Sigma, I failed." could be heard whispering as his body faded into nothing.
Dante watched the demon fade away, satisfied with the fight as Hiro had finished it. "Very stylish, my old friend. You didn't disappoint." He turned, ready to lead everyone to the final destination in Grikkn Shrifr, the tower, where a particularly nasty Demon General waited for them. He looked at the group, as he, Rayven, Trish and Lady had joined Hiro now. Now that everyone was together and the path was clear, it was time to step it up a bit.
He looked at Hiro. "Not tired, are ya? We still got a big fight ahead to unseal the city to see our good friend Diabolus. Wouldn't wanna keep him waiting, would ya?" They needed to progress quickly. Things would only get more dangerous as they neared the Devil's Tower, and the demon attacks more ferocious. They might have to split up again, then meet up at the tower itself.
He began walking along the path, everyone following him now. It was finally time to take down Devil's Nest and face the biggest enemy that any of them had ever faced. Things were going well, and Dante hoped it would stay that way. If any of the team died from now on, it would doom the mission, or make it nearly impossible. He walked along the path, the dust path converging again into a single line. The tower loomed in the distance, and Dante gritted his teeth in expectation for the fight to come.
Copyright 2008 Kevin Sims