Vergil calmly stretched out the phone to Dante saying, "Its for you."

Curiously, Dante took Vergil's cell phone and held it up to his ear, "Hello?"

"You're going to die up there!"

"Hello Morrison and how are you on this Christmas Eve?"

"Dante - damn it! Listen to me, alright?!"

"Talk to me."

Taking a sigh of both relieve and frustration, Morrison began his story. "At first I didn't know what Vergil had sent me. I looked everywhere in demonology for this - this thing. I didn't even have a name to go on. Now I wish I didn't. I found it in folklore and myths. Most of it from - a - a well known source to me."

Dante walked away from Vergil as he listened to Morrison. Vergil got up from the floor and leaned on his sword watching his brother curiously. He wanted to hear everything Morrison was saying but he could wait.

Morrison went on, "Its - it's the unnamable. According to the myths, this thing seeks out anybody who has uttered its name within a two month period. After Halloween is when it becomes active."

Dante looked out past the ladder of the attic into the town below which he could see hardly none of because of the snow, "So this thing sits and wait for its name to be uttered?"

"That's the legend. The story is that when it finds these people it 'takes' them."

"What do you mean takes them?"

"Nobody knows. They're never seen again if that means anything."

Looking at the ladder, Dante asked, "Tell me everything you know about it."

"If I do Dante, do you promise to leave that town?"

"I'll consider it."

"No! I want your word that you'll leave as soon as possible. Those people can't be helped. Not by you, not by the military, not by anyone or anything!"

"I promise, I'll leave as soon as possible."

"It came about, both the legend and the creature, over five-hundred years ago. Tons of lost ships in the Arctic Ocean over the centuries. Expeditions, pirates, Vikings. The - it - was born out of all the fear and rage of those men lost."

"So it's a vengeful spirit?"

"No. That's the thing. If it was a spirit your swords and bullets would actually be able to stop it. They don't so no."

"Keep going."

"You've seen the different colored veins on it, right?"

"Yeah."

"The blue is for fear and the red is for rage. All the fear and rage that those dying men felt. Dante - even the demonworld has its own stories about it."

"What?"

Vergil took his sword in hand and began to approach Dante, curious by his tone.

Morrison's voice began to tremble with fear, "Apparently demons have run into this thing before too. It carted them off as well when they said its name. Powerful demons. Your -" He stopped think if he should tell Dante.

"My what Morrison?"

Trying to give himself enough courage, Morrison took a swig of a bottle he had next to him. "Your father has tangled with this thing before."

Dante looked out at the snow covered landscape and said, as he saw Vergil right next to him, "I'm putting you on speaker Morrison. Vergil should hear this too." He looked at the phone and hit the button. The two brothers listen as Morrison told them the story.

"How do you think I found out about it? Part of the Sparda legend is that he tangled with it - for decades. A goliath-like beast of white skin and red and blue veins. Taller than a poplar with arms longer than boa-constrictors. Able to hurtle a legion of men in one hand the length of a forest. Sound familiar? He uttered its name hoping to put a stop to it once and for all. In fact, he might have been the first. He might have just given that thing its name. He fought it back to the Arctic. That's where it lies dormant until after Halloween. Your father fought it every year. Even when he started to fade away he fought until his death."

Both brothers looked at each other with determination in their eyes. Dante was the first to speak. "Morrison - how do we stop it."

"You don't. It a force of nature now. The only thing you can do is run away from it."

Vergil looked at the people in the attic. He saw the little girl shivering as the others did their best to warm her. He gripped his sheathed sword tightly, asking Morrison, "You said it lies dormant? For something to be dormant it first must become inactive. Logically, this thing has a shelf-life, right? How long until it goes away?"

Morrison looked at his watch, "By Washington time - half-an-hour."

Dante said surprised, "Wait! That's…"

"Christmas!" Vergil finished.

Stepha stood up from the group, "What about my brother?!"

The two brothers looked at the little girl as they heard that familiar pound on the ground. Then another coming closer. Dante and Vergil both looked out past the ladder barely seeing a gigantic shadow heading their direction.

Dante put the phone up to his ear, "Call you back Morrison."

"No Dante get out of there! You can't beat…" He had already hung up.

Vergil marched over to the girl and picked her up by the waist. The others tried to stop him but he was way too strong for any of them. He pointed his cased sword at them saying, "She's safer with us than with all of you. If she stays here she will bring that thing down on you. Don't worry, its our jobs."

Bringing the girl, Vergil stood next to Dante saying, "You ready for this?"

"I'm not sure what I'm ready for anymore. I thought I had seen every evil in the world and then this…"

"The Grither." Came from the little girl's mouth.

The two brothers looked down at the girl. A screeching roar came on the wind sending a spike of ice in the hearts of everyone as the giant beast picked up its pace.

Vergil asked, "Why is he called that?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Stepha replied, "Because he 'grithers' them in. The ones who have been speaking his name in vain. That's what my grandpa told me."

Dante pulled Rebellion from his back, "Seems appropriate somehow."

The two jumped from the attic with the girl in-tow. They landed on the ground kicking up a wave of snow as a quake shook the area. It was getting close. They took off for the middle of town heading back towards the wrecked army vehicle. The two demon hunters not sure what they were going to do.

They nearly made it before a large, house-sized chunk of road came at them hurtled from somewhere. It hit right behind them colliding with the force of a small meteorite, knocking the two off their feet with the girl leaving Vergil's grasp. She was flung about twenty feet from the brothers. Vergil was sent crashing through a store front window rolling down aisles of merchandise. Being buried under the racks of odds-and-ends. Dante was sent forward high in the air landing hard into the decimated vehicle, decimating it further. Metal and steel enclosed around him surrounding him in a big, black ball.

The girl was covered in dirt from the impact as she crawled for some kind of safety. The Grither was right behind her planting its foot on the roadway hard. Kicking up small amounts of debris and dirt as it walked after her. Stepha began to cry as she crawled for Dante who was still out of it.

Shaking his head with glass and small metal bits falling from his white hair, Dante came-to standing out of the nearly unrecognizable scrap metal, grabbing hold of Rebellion. He planted his blade in the road as he watched on in rage as the Grither hunted down its prey. Twisting his hands on the hilt in readiness he went at the monster full of vigor and vitality slashing at the ankles of the beast making it roar out loud in anguish.

This stirred Vergil from within the store as he knocked away a few of the fallen racks on top of him. He stood up with Yamato in hand walking out through the destroyed window frame. Hopping out onto the street, Vergil swung back his sword; flinging the blue sheath to the ground, sending out four whipping, air slices that went right for the Grither's other foot.

Both men's attacks hit dead center their intended targets but did nothing to slow it down from hunting the girl. It tripped up the behemoth a little but its path towards the child was undeterred. Even with the trail of black blood it was leaking out.

The two brothers slashed furiously at the monster's feet but to no avail. They stopped in the middle of the road taking a rest. Stepha got to her feet running for cover. The two demon hunters went back at it with no effect. The wounds healed too fast and the black blood slowly disappeared into the snow.

Being nearly right on top of the girl, that gigantic hand of its reached down for her but Vergil was there sending out five air slices pushing the beast's paw away from the small child. Dante grabbed her and ran away to the side wall of the first shop they had come across when they arrived in town. He sat her down in the snow telling her, "Listen - Stepha - we need you to run away. Find a colonel down below named Klink. You tell him what happened. You tell him - tell him that we did our best to stop this thing."

Stepha's cheeks had slow moving tears rolling down them as she barely uttered out, "What about my brother?"

Looking back at the tracks he had seen where he knew the boy had been 'gritherd up' he said, "Stepha, I'm sorry. He…"

She just cried more as the Grither had picked back up on her auditable scent. It knocked Vergil away as it stomped towards its victim.

Dante looked back around the building at his brother who was struggling to keep the Grither's attention seeing him be knocked away. He breathed out with dismay turning his attention back to Stepha, "Run. Now! It won't be hunting you anymore."

"Why?!"

"Run!" Dante shoved her away walking out to face the Grither head-on. Stepha bawled hard into her hands as she raced down the long road towards the blockade. Her figure disappeared into the falling snow as Dante looked at the massive beast going in for another swing. Again, he was kicked away as the Grither marched on.

Both Vergil and Dante angrily pounding their fist on the road kicking up some snow as they did. Standing up, the two attacked but the feet did not stop. All they did was leave a trail of black blood and dissipating hope in the two expert demon slayers.

Backing off at the same time, Dante said at the marching beast, "Hey Grither?!"

Vergil looked at his brother shocked, "What are you doing?!"

The big feet stopped just at the edge of town. They stood there for a minute as a low growl came from above. They then turned right for Dante stomping towards him as another monstrous growl came from the titan of terror.

Dante continued on, "Grither! Grither! Come on - come and get me! I'm right here!"

Vergil pounced back up to a roof of a building yelling down to his brother, "What's your plan, brother? Get him so mad that he trips?"

Dante rolled backwards as the Grither reached for him. "No! Try to get to his head while he's on me." He had to roll twice to avoid the hand again.

Spinning his sword, Vergil got ready. He watched the lumbering goliath chase after his brother and then launched himself right at the back thigh of the titan. Sinking his sword deep into the back leg of the Grither, Vergil began to scale upwards, climbing the living mountain.

Down below, Dante dodged and slashed his sword trying to deter the Grither. He ran into a shop which the Grither just immediately demolished as Dante ran out the back stalked by the humongous humanoid.

Vergil was now on its back still climbing upwards planting his sword multiple times into the spine of the beast. He reached the back neck as this tangled mess of white hair slapped him in the face smelling of mildew and rotten flesh. It was enough to make Vergil sick. Not as much as a bowl of chili but close to it.

Making his way to the top of the head he stood on it like he had climbed Mt. Everest. He raised his sword high above his head and drove the point clear through the top of the monster's cranium. A loud roar came from the Grither as it fell to the ground taking Vergil with it. Vergil jumped from the echelon of the skull and rolled onto the ground landing next to his brother who watched in barely composed glee as the Grither collapsed to the ground like a fallen monument of evil. It landed with a hard smack as a wave of snow was kicked up nearly knocking both brothers off their feet.

Walking away from Dante, Vergil found his blue sheath and cased in his sword. As he sauntered back towards the fallen giant of horror he had a small smile slide across his face, "I think that's the end of the Grither."

Dante approached with his sword on his back and his guns aimed. He walked up to its face getting a good look at the behemoth. The head was as big as a large car looking just like a old man's face. A tangled, white beard donned its face covering most of it. Its nose was thick and crooked as if it had had a run in with another of its kind and lost in a boxing match with it. Its cheeks were notched with scars and pit-marks. Some so deep and long that Dante felt he could wrap his sword in the folds of flesh. He bent down looking at the lips and moved its upper lip getting a good look at its teeth. Yellow chipped canines and snaggletooth bicuspids. Some molars were black on the inside with yellow on the outside. Its breath stunk of a stench indescribably bad and reminded Dante of wet wood and dead skunks only inhumanly worse. 'It's breath!' Dante's mind yelled out coming to a frightening realization.

The Grither's eyes popped open staring a hole in Dante. They were a faded blue with black pupils. Red lines extended out from the pupils looking like red lightning in a milky blue sky with a black hole in the center. Dante shot several times at its face but all it did was let out this horrible groan as it began to get up. Vergil sliced the blue sheath off Yamato with surprise and shock in his eyes. Dante kept shooting as the Grither made a long, drawn out roar as it stood back up on its feet.

Dante and Vergil both eluded the giant predator as Vergil shouted at his brother, "Well, what now?!"

Red lightning began to accumulate in Dante's hands as black claws burst from his fingertips encircling his guns. He twitched with power as a fire grew in his eyes. "Now - I'm done jerking around with this thing!" An energy wave blasted out from Dante as he had Devil Triggered. His guns sinking into his skin becoming part of him, his sword sinking into his back also becoming part of his anatomic arsenal.

Vergil grabbed his sword by the hilt and flung it up into the air. He produced an energy wave of his own catching his sword in a silver-clawed hand. His skin rippled with blue scales and his hair had become horns. His wings unfurled as he said with that demonic reverberation to his voice, "Alright Grither!"

A growl came from the Grither.

"Time to bow down to some real demons."

Dante strutted over to his brother with his black claws on his feet digging into the tar of the street. He growled as his own demon powered voice came out, "Lets see just how unstoppable you really are." Opening his fists, aiming for the Grither's chest above him, he opened fire with his palms becoming a blaze with fire. Overpowered bullets flew into the Grither's chest tearing out chunks of his anatomy as pieces of white flesh and black meat slapped the ground torn from the behemoth's pectorals.

Taking off like a rocket, Vergil launched into the air and spun right for the Grither's face like a sidewinder missile. His sword in front of him becoming like a blue drill twisting right for the child killing creature. Vergil bore into the Grither's skull tearing apart its left eye, drilling right through his head out the other side like a blue power drill. Black blood sprayed out of the giant hole and from Vergil's spinning body as he flew to a distance and watched the creature fall to one of its knees.

It collapsed to one knee as Dante stopped his barrage of lead smiling, showing off his monstrous teeth. Vergil landed right by his brother as both demon's outstretched their wings walking towards the Grither.

It was breathing heavily as it wheezed loudly because of the damage it had taken. As the two demon brothers approached, the Grither looked down at them as its eye had fully healed and its chest was no worse for ware. It stood back up making the two stop with rage. Dante nor Vergil could believe it.

It roared out against them with that piercing holler that had shattered the glass from the army trucks in the video. Both of them covered their ears as it went on making them take a step back. The monster stopped, slamming its hand down on Vergil. Dante swung his head at the giant hand that had crushed his brother, saying to the Grither, "Oh, that was a bad move, tall, white, and ugly!"

Vergil stood up with the hand pressed upwards with both hands. Guerrilla-pressing the hand, he flew upwards with his silver claws dug into the palm of the hand, flying above the monster's head. Still locked onto the hand he tried to lift the whole beast along with it. The Grither was strong though and pulled against Vergil's might wining the power struggle, sending the blue-scaled demon hunter into the ground like a tossed rock.

He hit with the force of a missile kicking up debris and snow. Breaking apart a concrete sidewalk and a large section of street. He shook off the impact as he stood up shaking his head, looking back up at the beast infuriated.

Dante flew into the air launching an all-out assault, firing with one hand while with the other he slashed and cut apart the Grither's face. The beast backed away from Dante's onslaught as he stabbed, shot, cut, and dismembered pieces of the Grither's face. Black blood sprayed everywhere but Dante let out a belting roar and with a wined-up of his sword, he slashed at the goliath's throat spraying blood all over the ground. The Grither reached up choking on its own fluid, gasping for its life as its strength slowly drained from the wound in its neck.

Flying up to meet them, Vergil raised both of his hands above his head and roared out, "Dante!"

Dante swung his head looking at Vergil with venom.

Vergil formed two, huge, blue ethereal swords above him. "Move!"

Snarling, Dante moved out of the way of Vergil's attack.

The two swords both looked more like knight swords rather than the samurai style of Yamato. Holding them both out of his hands, Vergil threw them at the Grither aiming right for the dying beast. They went in for the kill as they swung around its neck cutting its head right off its shoulders. The Grither let out one final gurgling howl as its head was lopped off by the demonic, blue, ghost swords. They disappeared as the Grither's head fell to the ground like a boulder pushed off a mountain top. The body fell to its knees and rolled over backwards leaving a trail of blood. Its head on the ground letting out small gasps of noise. Bubbling black liquid escaped its lips.

Vergil hovered to the ground with both arms and wings outstretched. Dante landed with a hard impact walking over to the side of his brother. Both of them looked on with pride as the black blood of the killed goliath emptied out into the street melting the snow as it flowed like a river of boiling oil.

Turning their backs, the demon hunters walked away from the evil being proud of themselves. They nearly turned back into their normal selves but Dante held out one clawed hand smacking his brother in the chest. Both of them stopped and turned slowly back at the creature seeing its severed head making gurgling noises at them as more black blood emptied from its mouth. The dead body of the Grither slouched over to the head touching the head with the severed neck. The oil-colored blood of the Grither sprayed over the served head as it connected back to its body. Dante said in his demonic voice, "You have got to be kidding me?!"

The body twitched with small spasms as the head reattached itself, the Grither becoming whole again. It stood back up on its legs and twisted its newly attached head on its neck. It made a pleased sound as it refocused back on Dante and Vergil taking a step towards them. The behemoth sneered at them letting out this deep throated growl as it looked on with evil in its eyes and hatred in its dark heart.

Standing ready, Dante readied his sword looking over at his brother. Vergil was nearly in shock. His mouth hung wide open not believing what he was seeing. He felt powerless as his brother slapped him on the shoulder, "We've got work to do, remember?"

Vergil snapped his head at Dante as Yamato swung up to meet Dante with Vergil saying confidently, "Yeah!"

Both of them flew upwards to meet the Grither face-to-face. The two slapped their sword blades together. Lightning bolts traveled down the blades as they began to form together making one sword blade. Purple flashes of light traveled down the two swords becoming one as both Dante and Vergil's powers combined.

The Grither looked on in hate lowering its head, glairing at the two. A low tone roar came from its mouth that neither of them had heard from the beast. A roar that was so full of rage and evil that it made both the brothers shake just a bit in fear.

They were undeterred though as they gathered their own energy together. The blade extended outward with three points growing from the metal. The steel lost its silver color becoming an ash black being overtaken by the void color. Flashes of purple lighting covered the blade like veins in the metal. Both demon brothers pulled back with the large, black blade ready for evisceration.

Taking a step for them, the beast let out this long howl and outstretched its arms roaring at the two. Dante and Vergil both smiled seeing the perfect spot for their newly formed sword. Right through its heart. The two not being able to help themselves from saying it simultaneously, "Jackpot!"

Driving the black blade right through the Grither's chest, it explode right through its back with the goliath rearing its head back with a roar to the sky as the falling snow whirled around its roar to the heavens. Its wound was massive and the pain excruciating. The large sword was charged with power as bolts of both demons' power flashed about the blade as a tremendous force was unleashed. A bright blast knocking both brothers away from the monster as it disappeared behind the light. It was like a large bomb of power with the two devil kin landing in the snow in human form.

A sphere of light was formed engulfing the town of Surulec, Washington. Even the colonel saw it from where he was at. The bright light blinding him as he was standing outside a ways from the command center. Little Stepha was safe drinking some hot chocolate in the main building watching from the monitors in the building. She watched in terror as all of them were wiped out by the blast making all the monitors shut down.

Slowly fading off, the light retracted back to its point of origin where the Grither was no more. Not one piece of it was left. No blood, no footprints, no nothing. Like it hadn't ever existed.

Dante sat up back in his human form looking at Rebellion. He then looked over at Vergil who was also back in human form. Vergil was still laying on his back with his eyes shut. Whether he was unconsciousness or just exhausted Dante wasn't sure. He stood up slowly barely able to stand.

Vergil's eyes finally opened as he looked up at the dark sky of night. He was helped up by Dante with Yamato by his side. Standing a little hazy and unbalanced with grogginess to his voice, Vergil asked tiredly, "Did we do it?"

Looking around, Dante answered his question with an unsure exhale and a, "What time you got?"

Vergil flipped his cell phone open, "12:01."

Nodding his head, Dante said to Vergil, not taking his stone blue eyes off the small city landscape, "Merry Christmas bro."

Breathing heavily, Vergil looked around to see if the explosion had caused any damage. He was surprised to see that actually most of the destruction caused by both them and the Grither was completely gone. Flipping his phone shut, he asked, "Did we kill it?"

"I don't know. Morrison said it would disappear after the stroke of midnight on Christmas."

Letting out an exhale of disappointment, Vergil said, "So, either we killed it or -"

Dante finished for him, "Or we get to do this next year."

Vergil stood up with his sword at his side watching Dante get up sheathing Rebellion. The blue-coated devil hunter then asked, "Why do I feel like its going to be the latter?"

With sorrow filled eyes, Dante replied, "The same reason I do. We hit that thing with everything we had and it just kept coming."

Vergil had never felt so defeated in his life. He had been through the bowels of the demonworld and had beaten most challengers and more as Neo Angelo. He was the only one that could beat Dante and yet him and his brother were next to nothing against the power of the Grither. Even both of them in their Devil Triggered state with their powers combined, it was doubtful the monster was truly destroyed. For now they could only wait.

The two walked back to the blockade and were greeted by both Colonel Klink and Stepha. Stepha came running to the two and pleadingly asked, "Did you find my brother?"

Dante bent down on his one knee and gently touched her shoulders, "Stepha - you're safe now. I wish we could have been here sooner to save him but -" He stopped and swallowed hard as he saw the tears accumulate in her eyes. She put her head against his chest as the half-demon felt his heart ache for her. He wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest.

Looking away from the two, Vergil thought about next year. What if he lost Dante? The snow and the cold hid his emotions as a little water swelled up in his own eyes. Thoughts of loosing his brother and regret welling up inside of him.

Looking down at the ground and taking a step back, Colonel Klink gave them some room as the two brothers stayed still in the snow. Frozen not by the icy grips of winter but by the feelings of loss. All of them having lost something this Christmas day with the small child in Dante's arms. She cried for at least five minutes before saying to Dante, "I don't have anybody. My brother and grandparents all killed by that monster. Even uncle Mike was killed. I don't have anybody!"

That was when Vergil took a step towards the two, "You have plenty, little girl."

She looked at him curiously wiping away her cold tears.

Vergil continued, "Those people in that attic seemed awfully worried about your well-being. Maybe one of them can care for you?"

Dante stood up with a slight smile, "That's right. The Grither's gone now. You're safe."

She backed away from Dante to the side of Klink.

Klink halfheartedly smiled saying to her, "They are the best at what they do."

Nodding, Dante walked away from the two as Vergil followed. The two slowly approaching their rental car. Both of them had their heads hung low as Klink walked back inside the command post with the girl. He directed her inside while he stayed outside. He waited for Stepha to enter before asking the two devil hunters angrily, "Did you really kill that beast?!"

Dante and Vergil both looked at Klink with sorrow in their eyes. Dante being the one to answer, "We don't know. I hope we did. It won't be back until next year even if we didn't."

Klink snarled at the two not because they had presumably failed but because the Grither may still be on the loose. He then said with pride, "I'll be watching for it next year around this time. If it does come back, you two we'll be the first ones I call."

Nodding his head, Dante stepped into the car with Vergil following slowly after. Klink walked back inside the command post to comfort Stepha.

Inside the car, Dante let out a sigh along with Vergil who loosely gripped the steering wheel. Putting Yamato down he swallowed as he turned on the ignition. The car revved up and Vergil was about to shift the car into reverse when Dante held up something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his attention to see it was a gold-chained locket for a picture. He took it slowly and asked Dante coldly, "What's this?"

Not even looking at his brother, Dante said, "It a picture pedant. I know you didn't have one for mom so I got you that for Christmas. It isn't much after all but I told you I get you something."

Again, Vergil felt those ideas and feelings of loss coming over him. Washing over him like a tidal-wave and actually hurting him when they did. He gripped the locket and put it in his pocket. He looked at his brother Dante and forced the words out, "Merry Christmas, Dante."

Dante slowly looked at his brother with extreme surprise. He never thought he would ever hear those words come out of Vergil's mouth.

His brother pulled from the parking space, away from the blockade, and was heading back onto the snowy road for home. He told his red-coated twin, "I guess I'm going to have to get you something now."

With a small, pleased smile, Dante thought about the words Vergil had just uttered and said, "You already did, Vergil."

A/N: This is the 25th chapter. Odd coincidence. I thought it was worth mentioning nonetheless. Merry Christmas everybody! I hope this was up to it and I hope you all liked it.