I realise that this has been a long time in the coming. Believe me, I wish it hadn't. I disliked the way the chapter was going so I had to stop and rewrite it. A big shoutout to Satanic Park of Madness who has constatnly reviewed. I am honoured dude. Anyway, I understand that the last battle scene was a little difficult to understand so I tried to make this one as succint as possible. Cheers.


A Sortie

"What we need is a group of proper close quarters fighters that can be more of a help if they come over the wall again."

Vergil had his fists clenched on the table and was leaning forward to emphasize his point. They were presently clustered around a table in what had been dubbed "the war room" by the defenders. There had been three more attacks on the walls since, but they had been beaten off successfully. However, every time the enemy gained the wall, the Devil Hunters had shown that they were not capable of close quarters fighting. It made sense that against an enemy who excelled at close quarters battle, you stuck to ranged combat. Out of all the whole one hundred and two, roughly twenty five were capable of giving a good account of themselves in the midst of close quarters combat. Of these, maybe ten were competent in difficult situations. Vergil was not about to have to carry the whole burden himself, Nero was similar position and even Trish was feeling the strain. The past three attacks had only ended when the "super defenders," as they had been dubbed by the people here, had literally taken the brunt of the fighting and blasted them off. Time was getting shorter. Each attack left more dead and each attack drained more of their strength. What Vergil was proposing, and Nero was supporting him in, was that they get the fighters who were good at close quarters and hold them solely for that purpose. A sort of backup squad who would be able to take the fight to the enemy when they tried to gain a foothold at the top of the wall. Lady opposed it, feeling that they needed every gun. Kyrie, who was in charge of taking care of the wounded, a fact she loathed, also opposed it, on the grounds that they were losing fighters too fast anyway, trying to get into close battle would only add to the numbers they were going to lose. Dante was fast losing the rag, due to his being required to run the damn show as well as listen to the bickering. Trish and Credo were still on the walls and Lucia was performing a reconnaissance mission. Right now, Vergil was making his case again.

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"If, and only if they have a chance to breach our defences will these Hunters be called upon."

Lady slammed her fists on the table as well and gritted her teeth as she outlined a very valid fact. "We haven't got enough CQC men for the task you're proposing Vergil. We need the guns they can fire."

"When the Hells come over the walls then their guns will be of little use to us." Vergil retorted.

Kyrie added a blow to the argument. "If they can hold off the attackers before they reach the walls, won't it be better?"

Vergil dismissed her comment with a wave of a hand and a curt, "You've not been on the walls, ergo you have not seen the numbers we are talking about. With them it is not, if they reach the walls, but instead a matter of when."

He said all of this in a superior tone, with his eyes half closed, so he never saw Lady hand the other girl, who had a face as red as her hair, a revolver pistol. Dante sniggered moments before Kyrie blasted Vergil in the face. Nero rolled his eyes. Vergil had to have hit on that particular note.

"The only reason, mister demon princeling, why I have not been on the walls, is because my somewhat overprotective boyfriend over there won't let me anywhere near them."

Dante's smirk grew wider. Nero rushed to try and cover up the weakness in his image.

"It's for your own good Kyrie. Besides, it's a real battle out there, and you're not ready to see this kind of action."

Dante's smirk grew even wider at the mention of "action" and Nero was quick to try and drop the subject. "Now is not the time, Kyrie, for this conversation."

"Don't give me that chauvinistic bull Nero, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

Vergil arose from beneath the table, like a phantom rising from the deeps, which was not far from the truth. Blood cascaded down his forehead like water from a fountain and he grunted as the wound sealed up. Crimson eyes locked on the two girls who felt a mix of fear and slight annoyance that the half devil would continue to get up. For a few brief moments they all sat in silence waiting to see if the elder son would snap, but he didn't. Instead the fire cooled and his usual icy demeanour returned.

"What the hell Verge?" asked Dante.

"I was counting to ten." Vergil replied brusquely, "though I may reconsider it." He finished after he saw the gleam of mirth in the eyes of the two girls.

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"They're coming back!"

The alerting shout from outside had Dante out the door before anyone could even blink. He had rested, if only briefly while they had a respite and now he was back up to something like his peak. It showed. Outside on the walls as they ran up to them, hundreds of Hells were coming closer. Accompanying them were dozens of Assaults. It looked like it was going to be another attempt at storming the wall. Dante was beginning to get a little peeved with all of this.

"Vergil, Nero!" he called over his shoulder, "Keep them off the wall. I'm going to need a little workout after my little rest." With his typical smirk he stepped forward.

It always surprised him that no matter how many time they refused, Mundus always had an emissary there to try and convert them to his side. Why Dante didn't know, perhaps it had something to do with Vergil's stint as his right hand, or Sparda's, however long ago it was. Perhaps it was out of spite, hoping that they'd reject their mothers human side and become completely devil. However, this time he felt the need for a more blunt refusal.

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Trish and Lady were already at the parapet as Nero came out of the hallway, Kyrie hurrying behind him. He paused only briefly to turn to her and say, "Stay here."

Kyrie grabbed his arm as he turned to go. "Don't get hurt." She murmured quickly and quietly, all previous consternation at their argument gone.

Nero reached out with his right hand and gently stroked her face. It was his own little gesture of intimacy that he kept only for her. The mere showing of his arm was a measure of trust, but to actually touch her with it was a gesture of devotion. She was the only one whom he could ever touch gently with this weapon of war. Kyrie's simple acceptance of it, coupled with the small kiss she pressed to the centre of his palm meant that she trusted him implicitly. So much was communicated in such a short space of time by the merest touch. Then he was gone, and she had to hurry back into the medical wing.

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Nero joined his two half brothers on the wall, all three of them looking out over the parapet. Below, the Underworld army once again climbed into a state of readiness. Dante doubted that they'd actually try another assault. Despite the fact that the Devil Hunters on the walls lost more and more with each attack, so did the demon army. And they lost a hell of a lot more than the defenders did. Assaulting a heavily defended position, especially when one has no artillery was never a good idea. Sure Death Scythes and Scissors along with Sins and Mephistoes often tried to come around, but one of the Devil Hunters had managed to scramble up a flamethrower out of lamp oil and a hose. The effect was spot on. Demons had a mortal fear of fire, especially hells and other creatures that were comprised of a flammable material. Scythes, Mephistoes and Fausts, all of who used cloaks of darkness about themselves immediately fled the flames that would burn away their cover and leave them vulnerable. Also, the six mages they had here could also summon fireballs and other powers that would smash any target. Then there was Dante and his shotgun, and Pandora, and Nero's arm, and Lady's submachine guns. Those all had a huge impact on the would be attackers. No demon wanted to try going up against those kind of weapons.

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So Dante wondered exactly why the demons watched them so carefully. Food was not object to either side, as Dante had noted before, the cupboards here never ran out. Demons didn't really need sustenance to survive, so they could maintain a siege for hours. The darkness that they brought with them also happened to be affecting the land around the castle, the earth stained a dark brown and a deadness hung in the air. The overall effect was bleak, but the castle was still living on a prayer it seemed. The air around it was pure and clean, free of any taint and still mild. Only when there was a particularly harsh gust of wind did the smell of the "deadlands" sneak through. For some reason, Dante suspected that this contributed to the demons holding back. If his experience was anything to go by, they should have been upon them like a lightning bolt. Even so, if Mundus wanted to take them, he would have come himself. He threw a quick glance at his twin and was rewarded by a knowing look. Vergil had it figured as well. Mundus intended to keep them there, safely out of the way, nowhere near danger or near the lethal fighting area. He wanted them out of his way.

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"Hail, sons of Sparda." The knight in command was back again. "We once more repeat the glorious offer made by his Supreme Majesty, the Emperor of the Underworld, the godly Mundus. What say you? Will you accept his offer of admittance into his host?"

"Let's see." Dante paused and began counting on his fingers. "We said no the first two times, then we shot at you the next three. We didn't bother answering the last couple, so that leaves us with, what next Vergil?"

"Asking for your surrender." Vergil suggested in an amused tone.

"There you go." Dante spread his arms in a wide gesture and spoke aloud to the whole battalion. "If you will lay down your arms and peacefully depart back to your own realm we will consider it a cessation of hostilities."

"Certainly likes to hear himself talk doesn't he." Muttered Nero to Lady, who giggled.

"He always was one for the loud speeches that's for sure." Trish added.

Down below the Knight shrugged and walked off. Just as he raised his hand for the assault, and the defenders readied themselves, there came an immense roar.

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Out of the road side, threw the rotting trees came a huge articulated lorry. Seventeen Hunters hung onto the outside and fired grenades, bullets, arrows, projectiles and various other implements of destruction at the demons. Instantly there was panic among the battalion as they eagerly sung to tackle the human force. It was worse than when Temen ni Gru had arisen. Shotguns fired, assault rifles clattered and demons fell. But that state of affairs only lasted for a brief few minutes. Dante could see the Knight start to rally his forces and gather them together for an all out assault on the arriving humans. In that moment he made his decision.

"Vergil!"

The blue twin fell into step with him as they headed for the stairs.

"Gather the best close quarters fighters we have, get them together and meet me downstairs."

"A sortie I take it."

"If that's what you call going out there and kicking their asses as fast as we can."

"It is."

"Then a sortie is exactly what we're doing."

Vergil turned to grin at Lady, who had opposed the idea of creating a CQC group. "Looks like I win this one my dear."

Lady glared at him. "Don't ever call me your dear again."

"Regardless, I still won."

Saying nothing, Lady walked past him with her nose in the air. And Vergil found it a little hard to be as smug as he should have felt.

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The demons had oriented on the truck. Where once people being shipped in containers would have led to the deaths of many of them in slavery, now the container proved to be salvation for many of them. The devilish horde couldn't breach the walls of a fast moving vehicle, and the Hunters on the top prevented any of the prospective slaughterers getting a grip on the moving vehicle. Once the thing stopped however, that's when things would get bloody. At present that was not a problem, but sooner or later the demons would stop the truck. Knowing this the Devil Hunters kept up an even harder barrage of fire. Their leader was a guy called Billy, a swordsman. One of the Frosts leaped up at the top and Billy took a quick moment to swing his chainsword. With a smash the tip embedded in the lunging demon and with a wrench the blade roared to life. Greenish white blood sprayed everywhere as the teeth bit deep. A quick yank and the blade came loose again, dragging most of the Frosts intestines with it. But beyond it he could still see more coming. Then he saw a line of Hells vanish. Out of the castle gates came a small party of fighters. Dante lead them, Vergil on his right and Nero on his left. In the party were Trish, Lady, Credo, Abe and six others. All of them carried firearms, except Vergil, and they were pouring a steady stream of lead into the rear of the Devil horde. Immediately demons locked onto them, only to be rammed form the other side by truck. Skidding the truck came to a halt before the gates and the defenders quickly set up a perimeter. Then the demons got in close enough for a battle.

"Keep together, support each other." Vergil commanded the swordsmen. They quickly switched to their bladed weapons, some of which had been drawn from the castle itself.

The Hells closed in. One leaped at Vergil, even as he addressed the men. Without so much as a backward glance, Vergil spun, unsheathing Yamato and sliced the Hell in half. Keeping the spin he turned back to the men and spoke quickly. "Lessers can be lethal, but they're slow. Use speed and precision against them and you will be successful."

"Okay now let's rock!" Dante thundered.

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The battle was short sharp and fierce. Every time it looked like the Devil Hunters were going to fall, the Devil May Cry crowd picked up the slack for them. Dante used all of his tricks, including at one point he used his dreadnaught armour to draw all their attention onto himself before Vergil's rift cut attack broke them off of him. Credo kept the gates open, making sure that no one was left behind and only when the last of the humans was in did he shout out, "That's them all."

"Abe!" Dante shouted over the noise of battle, as he ripped Rebellion out of an Abyss, "Get yourself and the others inside. We'll handle the rest out here."

Abe nodded, ducked under a sweep of a blade and hacked the Hell Pride in half with his axe. Instantly he waved his hand and the rest of the Devil Hunters that Dante had brought with him retreated. All four of them, the other three had been killed by Blades.

"Okay guys let loose."

Five of them devil triggered, and one unslung a bazooka. To say that the Hells halted in their steps is an understatement. The red Devil that was Dante grinned, showing a mouth full of sharp fangs.

"Are you ready to die?" it questioned.

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They all blazed out their firepower, with Trish hurling balls of electricity at them all.

"Keep them away from the gates!" Vergil roared and hurled himself at his targets.

With quick, economic movements he tore through them, using the sheath of Yamato almost as much as the blade. With barely a glance he gracefully flipped, flicking the blade as it tore limb from limb. Beside him Nero snatched another demon and swung it round his head, sending Hells and Scarecrows stumbling away from himself. Even as he did so he started firing with Blue Rose, the bullets coinciding with the summoned swords he began to cast from his arm. With a single swift movement he summoned Modus and began his two armed assault with Red Queen. Trish swung Alastor, the heavy blade ripping through all targets, taking out several demons at once. Raising it high above her head she slammed it down into the ground, allowing a fountain of electricity to pour in a circle around her. Credo's shield sent six demons sprawling as he battered them away before leaping into a twisting slash which ripped up anything in front of him. Lady let her guns do all the talking as she used them to put six rounds into the nearest demons skull. With a whirl Kalina Ann was swept in a circle, causing all the demons to jump back or be sliced. Then she flipped the weapon up over her shoulder and fired. The blast gouged out a huge chunk of their enemies. Dante just stingered. That was all he needed to do. He ripped through any and all opponents, twice, three times, four, it didn't matter. They fell all the same. He leaped and came down in a Helmcleaver that sliced through demons like a hot knife through butter.

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Watching from his perch a little way away, the Knight watched with a hint of concern. His force was being decimated. The Sons of Sparda and their allies were doing too much damage. Raising a hand, he called them back. Shuffling the demon army retreated. Now he had no choice but to continue the siege with what he had. No reinforcements were coming. Angelic forces had been sighted on the march and Mundus himself had gone to oversee the battle he would be engaging in. All the Knight, whose name was Salem, knew what was required of him now. Keep them in. That's all, nothing more, nothing less. Here they would be no threat to his master. If he couldn't get in, then he would make sure they couldn't get out.


And that is Mundus' plan. Keep the little perishers out of the way. Yes, you are right in that I was inspired by the Dawn of the Dead remake when I wrote this. How can I not be, it's a great film. Anyhoo, for those who wish to see a massive battle with two armies going head on, next chapter is for you. The new arrivals bring news.