"Come on! Pick up the pace, and let's get this little 'expedition' over with." said a male wearing a black and white hooded uniform that resembled a cult, and a mask that highly resembled a Grimm. He was accompanied three others that wore the same thing. A key thing noticeable about them was the animal features that they had.
These people, no, Faunus, were apart of an organization called the White Fang, a once peaceful activist group that turned into a radical terrorist group that aimed to use fear as a way to garner equality for the Faunus people.
Currently, the four White Fang members were wandering around an old, seemingly abandoned Mistralian-style house near the very outskirts of Mistral. One of them, a female with raccoon-like stripes, asked a question.
"Remind me again, why we're exploring this spooky house instead of helping the others?"
She stepped over some fallen rubble as her comrades walked forward, holding flashlights. Lucky for her that she had it. The one with ram horns answered her.
"Because, you know how Commander Taurus gets about whenever they hear about something that's associated with the supernatural, or whatever. And, if the information's correct, we might get something powerful that'll help us in our crusade for equality."
"Better hope you're right about this." muttered the raccoon Faunus.
As they ventured deeper into the house, they came across a large section of the hallway looking like as if a battle had just occurred. Scratch marks across the wall, with some chunks of it having broken down and becoming nothing but rubble. The floor was also covered in deep burns, making it obvious that fire was involved. The horse Faunus knelt down and rubbed a finger across it, before hissing in pain as he wagged it around.
"These burns were very recent. Whoever did this is likely still here."
"Then keep your eyes peeled."
The four shot up, hearing a pained giggle. Pointing their flashlights across the hall, there, a female figure was slumped over, breeding quite profusely, looking barely alive. She had bluish-red hair, the bangs covering her eyes. Her entire body was riddled with scratch marks and third-degree burns.
The fatally injured woman looked directly at the White Fang grunts and gave them a grin.
"None of you… Should have come here… You'll all… Just die… Like the animals you are…"
Taking one last breath, her head tilted down and she turned limp. Whoever she was, she was now dead. The quad of Faunus was completely unnerved by what she had said, the raccoon one more so, starting to become very afraid.
"As if this place wasn't already eerie, now we just saw someone die. Come on, let's get out of here!" she urged her companions.
"Not yet. We'll check out the last room, and if there's nothing, we get out of here. Just, get your weapons ready." ordered the leader of the quad, who had whiskers.
With great reluctance, the four of them walked deeper into the hall, taking out their Dust rifles and putting it off of safety. Every step they take, they carefully scanned their surroundings for anything that might pop out. Seeing nothing, they entered the room. The four of them gaped in awe. The room was filled with all sorts of treasure, sets of armor, scrolls, and even weapons. In the middle stood a strange shrine with an eight-headed snake. Quite surprisingly, the room was well lit by a chandelier.
"Dust, look at all of this. I'm surprised some sort of scavenger hasn't come across this place. It's practically a gold mine!" exclaimed the ram Faunus.
The other two just nodded in agreement, still in awe. The mouse Faunus shook his head, focusing back on the mission, "There may be a trap. Be sharp, and carefully inspect from top to bottom."
Just as he said this, the lights died, and their torches flickered until it went off. All four of them made varying noises of reaction. Raccoon girl, being the only one with decent night vision among them, tried to discern what was happening. In the corner of her eyes, she saw something large move quickly to the side. While her comrades panicked, she slowly crept up it to investigate despite how much her heart was pounding.
Before she could say anything, a hand grabbed her and muffled her screams. Meanwhile, the others tried to get the flashlights back to working as they stumbled around. Then, the light went back on…except it didn't come from the chandelier. They looked up and could hear something breathing heavily, growling quite like an animals. There, hanging from the ceiling, was a man with purple flames from the palm of his hands, which illuminated the room…and his other hand buried deep into the neck of the now dead raccoon Faunus.
The man roared and threw down the flames, burning down Ram. The other two screamed in fear as they rushed to get out. However, the monster gave chase, running at them on all fours like a rabid animal. Antelope wasn't so lucky as he tripped down and was promptly impaled him through his back and bypassed his Aura. Mouse didn't turn back as he shed tears for his dead companions. He grabbed his radio and tried to steadily set the frequency to call for help.
He bit down a curse as his radio kept on giving out large static that would most definitely give him away. Soon enough, a connection was made. But, he didn't get the opportunity as his hunter pierced him on the chest, rapidly slashing him seven more times before bisecting him cleanly. Mouse screamed in pain and tried to crawl to his radio as his superior's voice barked out, demanding what was happening. He didn't even get a chance as the hunter bashed the life out of his bleeding body, the last hit burning the corpse to cinders.
"What the hell is going on there? Respo-"
The rabid man crushed the radio to pieces and gave out a loud roar under the light of the moon.
A Month Later
Jaune just smiled as Pyrrha made herself comfortable on his chest. The two of them were lying down on a blanket as they enjoyed the refreshing breeze brush on their face, accompanied by the sounds of nature. The two of them decided to go on a simple picnic to enjoy the beauty of what nature could offer.
The couple was situated on a hill, overlooking a field of flowers, teeming with woodlands critters wandering about. And they were quite friendly too. It was by sheer luck that Trish had discovered this place when she first struck out on her own, and she shared this knowledge to only a select few. With this, Jaune and Pyrrha used it to their advantage to have some alone time together so she wouldn't get recognized.
Jaune wrapped his demonic arm around his girlfriend, letting her feel the warm energy that it seemed to exude, causing her to nuzzle into it. The blond chuckled at her reaction. He reached out for their picnic basket and flipped it open, grabbing a box of his favorite snack - chocolate caramel bites.
Opening it with just one hand, he laid it by his side and grabbed a handful, popping them into his mouth. He dug his hand into the box once again, and fed them to Pyrrha. The beautiful redhead happily accepted the treat, letting her boyfriend feed her. Jaune sighed in contentment as he rhythmically caressed Pyrrha's hair.
For what seemed to be moments, the two just stayed like there in that exact position. Jaune looked up, seeing the clouds come over and form shapes.
"Hey, look over there. That cloud is shaped like a tree." the blond pointed it out.
Pyrrha giggled and pointed at another one. "That one looks like a pumpkin."
The shapes were blown away, replaced by that of a baby. The couple's face flushed a healthy amount and were quick to turn away as it disappeared.
"I think it's a little too early to be thinking about that, right?" Pyrrha spoke up.
"Hmm. I wouldn't mind settling down, and start a family some day, but yeah, we're barely into our adulthood and we haven't even seen each other naked… Except for that one time you walked in on-"
"Oh Dust, please don't remind me! I couldn't get the image out of my head for weeks!" she pouted.
The two let out a lighthearted laugh, enjoying the moment. Then, they decided to switch positions so that they were now under the shade of the tree. Jaune pulled Pyrrha in for an embrace, nuzzling the back of her neck.
"What I wouldn't give for it to be like this forever…" he muttered. "With all the crap about the demons, and you with your school work, we barely get any time to spend with together."
Pyrrha smiled and broke away from the embrace. She craned her head and their lips met for a kiss. Jaune ran his hand up her back, pushing the kiss deeper. Lightly, she moaned into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, becoming a little drunk by the kiss.
Getting a bit bolder, she probed her tongue in between his lips, asking for permission to enter. Parting his lips, their tongues met in a little clash for dominance, dancing around each other as they swapped spit. The young pair broke apart, a string of saliva trailing from their mouth. Looking into each other's eyes, Jaune couldn't help but ask her something.
"What brought that on?"
Pyrrha hummed in satisfaction as she laid herself on his chest. "Do I really need a reason to kiss you, the man I love?"
Jaune chuckled and wrapped his arms around her again as they watched the flowers and trees dance around peacefully. Pyrrha got up, looking like she had something important to say.
"I've been meaning to ask you about something… It's about Kyrie."
"Your sister?" asked Jaune in confusion. "Why, did something happen with her?"
Pyrrha shook her head. "No. It's about-"
Unfortunately, they were soon interrupted by Jaune's Scroll ringing. Sighing in irritation, he fished it out of his pocket to check who it was. The redhead frowned at this.
"Duty calls?"
"Yeah…" he reluctantly replied. "Looks like that talk's gonna have to wait. Sorry, Pyr. Come on, let's pack up. I'll take you home."
The Son of Vergil dropped down through a portal to the Devil May Cry office after giving his girlfriend a lift. Morrison sat on the couches, and he was the only there. The blond stood up, approaching the info broker.
"So, what's the details, Morrison? You kinda cut in on my sweet time with Pyrrha."
"Heheheh. Sorry for cock-blocking you, my friend, but you got some work to do. There's been word near the outskirts of Mistral that something's been causing some curious fellows to disappear. Some Huntsmen were dispatched to go check it out, but they ended up missing too."
Jaune immediately went to one conclusion. "You think it's a demon?"
"Huntsmen are, by no means, weak. But the Grimm aren't like demons, so I'm inclined to think that that might be the case." Standing up, Morrison moved to exit. "Now, you ain't gonna be getting any back up. Dante's still at the hospital, Ren's finally gonna get discharged. Lady is off who-knows-where. Trish is trying to look into your little Hakkesshu problem, and Luna's helping out her twin."
"Well, I'm not gonna need it. I can do this on my own, Morrison."
Chuckling, the dapper man put on his hat and closed the doors on Jaune.
"You sure you don't want me to come with you?"
"Blake, while I appreciate the thought, I can't let you come. I was the one who sent them there, and it falls solely on me to find out what happened to our brothers and sister."
"But Eve-!"
"My decision is final, Blake."
The two that spoke were both female with Faunus heritage. Eve was a cow Faunus that primarily wore an all black outfit accented with red and a bit of white. She had short, thick, red hair that reached up to the nape of her neck, and little horns. Her face was obscured by that of a Grimm mask. Blake, meanwhile, was a cat Faunus that also wore primarily black, complimented with white. Long black hair, and amber-colored eyes.
The redhead ruffled the cat Faunus's hair affectionately, looking at her with a smile. "Trust me on this, little sister. I'll be perfectly fine. Our brothers and sisters here need you more."
"If you're sure…"
Eve nodded and turned to leave, but not before being wrapped by a hug by Blake.
"Be safe out there."
"Hey, this is me you're talking about. There's nothing out there I can't beat."
Bidding her farewell, the redheaded Faunus waved goodbye to her sister figure and headed off , to the outskirts of Mistral, where her subordinates last were before dropping off all of a sudden.
Jaune pulled the breaks on his motorcycle, parking it right in a cover of rocks. He got off and slowly approached the abandoned house with a curious look. On its front yard, numerous bodies were littered around, all of them heavily mutilated, with some looking like they were set aflame.
Scanning around his surroundings, the Devil Arc found no demons nearby and surmised that they were inside. He walked up to the steps and pushed open the doors. Immediately, he was met with pitch black darkness despite it still being day outside. His only source of light was his Devil Bringer arm. He kept his hand tightly around Red Queen as he ventured forward into the mansion.
As he walked down the hall, he was met with numerous corpses that littered around. Each and every one of them were heavily butchered, as if they were just animals. Some of them them only had ashes as their remains. His face bore no emotion as he looked down on the dead bodies. Years of working as a devil hunter, even if it was short compared to Dante's longer tenure, he had become a bit desensitized to gore.
Looking at his demonic arm, it's glow was still dim, meaning there weren't any demons nearby. But if there weren't any demons, what killed these people? Jaune's head shot up, hearing the floorboards creak. Turning around, he whipped out Blue Rose and aimed forward. Narrowing his eyes, the blond didn't seem to see anyone and holstered back his gun, proceeding to walk forward.
As he went in deeper, he took notice that the darkness seemed to lessen, allowing him to see the paintings, albeit a bit torn, that decorated the walls. Jaune looked at them with curiosity. Whoever lived here were once a part of a trio of clans, but something happened with a snake that caused a rift between two of the clans. Other than that, everything else was incomprehensible.
Jaune eyes narrowed, sensing that someone was behind him. Spinning around, he grabbed Red Queen and blocked the blade of a red chokuto. It was still a bit dark, but he could make out who exactly his attacker was.
"Eve Taurus, the leader of the White Fang's Vale branch. Aren't you a little bit faraway from home?"
"I'm never too faraway. I'm there whenever my brothers and sisters need me… And I'll exact vengeance for the Faunus that you've slaughtered!"
The two clashed blades, canceling out each others strikes. Eve saw an opportunity and sheathed back Wilt into Blush, quickly slipping into an Iaido stance. Pulling the trigger, she swiftly slashed at Jaune's chest, drawing his blood. Eve looked at her bloodstained blood in surprise, not expecting for that to happen. Jaune grunted and drew out Blue Rose, firing at the distracted woman.
Eve focused and sliced through the bullets. She dashed back, evading Jaune's strikes before countering with her own. Leaving Wilt drawn, she flipped Blush and used its rifle mode, shooting at the blond. He grunted and blocked her attacks with Royal Guard, his face being illuminated by the flicker of energy.
Once again, Eve was distracted. This time, by Jaune's appearance. He looked familiar to her. This costed Eve as Jaune took this to his advantage and grabbed her with a Buster.
The Son of Vergil threw her into the air, before smacking her back to the ground, making her bounce. Jaune grabbed Red Queen and struck her twice, ending it by punching her through the wall, which led to her being launched out and into the back yard.
Eve grunted and pushed herself out of the wreckage, dusting herself off. She turned to glare at Jaune, but instead gaped in surprise. The blond summoned out Yamato and covered himself in his DT's aura, causing his hair to swoop back. Then, the redhead said something that caused Jaune to stop in his tracks.
"Master Vergil?"
Jaune stared at the female Faunus in utter shock. His hostility from earlier faded as he watched Eve pick herself up. He willed away his demon and let his hair fall back down to its normal state. But still, he was apprehensive and kept his hand on Yamato.
"How… How do you know my father's name?"
"Your father?" she parroted.
However, before she could say anything further, the two of them took notice that there seemed to be some thing…eating. Under the shade of a tree, they could see a man hunched over seemingly devouring his meal. From what they could see, he wore a red jacket with the symbol of a white crescent on the back, and black pants with belts strapped around the ankle. The man stopped and turned to face then, showing his red hair and face dripping with blood. His eyes were merely a blank yellow.
Whoever he was, he growled and tossed his meal at the two, revealing that he had been eating the raccoon Faunus from a month ago. Eve looked horrified at her comrade's mangled corpse and saw red. She dashed forward at the rabid man, gripping her sword tightly.
"Bastard, you'll pay!"
Eve jumped into the air and drew out her sword for a descending slash. The man growled and jumped into a rising uppercut, his fists coated in purple flames. It launched back Eve, surprised at the man's reaction. Like an animal, the rabid redhead ran on all fours and leaped forward and slashed right at her.
As she fell, she parried the attacked and kicked him in the face. Eve landed and dashed forward and swiftly struck the man, sheathing back Wilt and sent out numerous slashes at him. Once again, she was surprised as she drew blood, very used to fighting opponents with Aura.
The rabid man arched back then sent out a purple wave of flames at the distracted girl. Jaune intervened, changing his arm into Ice Breaker and threw a ball of ice at the projectiles. It canceled each other. For a moment, Jaune looked at Eve before focusing his gaze at the rabid man.
"Whatever that thing is, he's dangerous. Let's call a truce, for now."
She had no objections and merely nodded. The man dashed forward with astonishing speed and sucker punched Jaune, causing him to stumble. Eve moved in and the two exchanged strikes. The man's fingers were extremely sharp, able to create sparks as it scraped against the blade. As they locked, Eve grabbed a hold of her scabbard and blasted the man twice in the chest, staggering him to Jaune's direction.
The Arc Devil equipped himself with Beowulf and slugged the redhead on the back of the head. Grabbing him by the neck, he tossed him into the air and dealt a flurry of upward kicks then knocked him down with a double hammer fist.
Jaune sidestepped, dodging another wave of flames flung by the man. The rabid killer stood straight and charged up a sphere into his hand. The blond wasn't about to let him and fired an ice ball at him, Roaring, he launched the projectile, only for it to explode in three, separate pillars that melted his ice. Jaune grunted as the attack managed to hit him. He felt a burning sensation spread through his entire body as it suspended him in mid-air.
Eve looked at the spectacle in total confusion, leading to the man attacking her while she was vulnerable. Soon, the feeling ceased and Jaune crashed onto the ground.
"What the hell was that? These flames feel like the energy Vice used, but with a difference."
Pushing himself up, Jaune rushed back into the fray, taking a hit on the back. Biting down a curse, Jaune swiveled around and launched him into the air with a powerful uppercut. Cocking back his fists, he threw a barrage of lightning fast punches and ended it with a forceful axe kick, cracking the ground below.
The man quickly recovered and jumped back. Despite his numerous wounds, the man was still up and running. Arching back, he let out a loud shriek that grated against their ears, more so for Eve, being a Faunus. Charging forward, the man screamed and slammed Eve on the ground. Holding her head, he released a brilliant explosion of flames that sent her right into a tree, which knocked off her mask, revealing her blue eyes, and rendered her unconscious.
Jaune aimed his shot and fired off a Charged Round at their mysterious opponent. Turning his attention to the blond, he ran at him as Jaune rapidly shot out bullet after bullet, yet the man didn't even seem deterred by it. The rabid killer leaped forward and slashed at Jaune, his claws covered with his purple flames that burned him. Then, he followed it up with another rising uppercut. Before Jaune could even recover, the man was on him and didn't let up one bit.
The redhead with unbridled savagery attacked without mercy, not giving Jaune any room to breathe, moving with such speed and ferocity. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped and struck a pose. But even then, Jaune couldn't react in time. The man delivered eight blows to different vitals points in his body. Stabbing him in the chest, the man gripped him tightly with both hands and exploded him off with his purple flames.
However, he still wasn't done and tried to barrage Jaune again. Luckily, however, he managed to evade this time, but it led to his coat being torn and burnt to shreds, leaving him in his hoody.
"Crap. Saph is gonna kill me when she finds out I lost the coat that she bought for me."
Tossing the remains aside, the man growled, only to be silenced by Red Queen's blade being smacked on his face. Jaune planted his sword into the ground and revved up its Exceed.
"Guess I have to fight fire with fire!"
Zipping forward, Jaune leaped and planted an overhead strike on the savage, earning him a writhe of pain, Pulling back, he struck upwards and launched him into the sky, following after him as Jaune spun and slashed at him twice, the blade coated in flames as he sent him further up.
Recovering, Eve flipped herself up and jumped to meet the falling monster. Jaune watched in astonishment as Eve performed a move similar to his first Aerial Rave when wielding Yamato. Gripping her sword tightly, she launched him skyward, only to be bring him back down with a descending spiral slash.
The cow Faunus dashed back, narrowly dodging the claws that threatened her face. Slipping into an Iaijutsu stance, once again, Jaune was surprised as Blush glowed an explosive red. Eve drew out Wilt, and a vortex of slashes surrounded the monster.
Sheathing back her chokuto, she dashed forward and pulled the trigger on Blush, slicing the rabid man multiple times in one strike. Getting a little confident, Eve continued to attack the seemingly still cannibal as she unleashed her pent up fury against him. The lives of her brethren would be avenge.
Eve raised her blade, prepared to take the man's life. But, despite his seemingly savage state, he retained a bit of sense of strategy by waiting her out. The redheaded monster parried her blade and clawed at her face, more specifically her left eye. He channeled more his flames into the attack, and he managed to bypass her Aura.
Eve cried loudly, feeling immense pain as she was flung back. She couldn't do anything as all of her focus was on the burning sensation directly in her eye as she clutched it, desperately trying to make it go away. The man charged at her, fully intending to finish her.
Jaune intervened, grabbing him with a Buster. He pulled the savage towards him and clobbered him with his Devil Bringer. Switching it to Ice Breaker he froze him up then broke him out by delivering a devastating back kick that sent him careening back into the mansion. The Son of Vergil decided to finish things up and summoned Yamato to him.
Red roared in anger and the two met in a clash. Jaune grunted as he blocked and swung, every action he did met with the man's claws. Begrudgingly, he had to admit, despite acting severely on animal instinct with a hint of skill, the rabid killer evenly matched him, and he could respect that.
Striking another pose, hinting that he was gonna do the same eight string attack that he did so earlier. This time, he was ready. Jaune entered Royal Guard and blocked blocked the eight consecutive blows perfectly. Channeling the accumulated Rage, he jabbed him straight in the chest and blew him back just as he tried to continue the attack.
Gripping Yamato tightly, Jaune grunted and disappeared out of sight. Flurries of Judgement Cuts surrounded Red, trapping him in a vortex of blades, giving him numerous lacerations. The blond reappeared and moved to put back Yamato in her saya, before turning back and stabbing the rabid man straight in the gut.
Red screamed in intense agony as Jaune further drove the katana in him. He violently squirmed and gripped at the blond's arms, trying desperately so hard to wrest the blade out of his stomach. But soon, it would cease. His arms fell limp and his body slumped forward as he drew his last breath.
Jaune ripped out Yamato and watched as the man's body unceremoniously fell back, a pool of his own blood forming under him as his eyes lost its glow. Flicking the crimson blood off the blade, he slammed Yamato back into her scabbard and quickly ran up to Eve, who was still writhing in pain, clutching her left eye.
Kneeling down, the Son of Vergil shifted her arm off her face and placed his over it, cooling the burn with Ice Breaker. Eve let out a hiss, as did the burn as the cold presence of the ice extinguished the flames. Pulling back his arm, the burn was now gone, however, her eye would need to be checked at, with the claw mark scar running across it.
"Is it bad?" she asked, noticing that he was staring quite a bit.
"Can't tell. As far as I know, you might not be able to see through that eye."
Eve merely grunted, pushing herself up to grab her fallen mask. "It doesn't really matter. Vergil taught me how to fight without my sight."
At the mention of his father, Jaune finally questioned Eve. "How exactly do you know of him?"
The red-haired Faunus sat down on a peace of rubble as she began to reminiscent of her moments with her teacher. "The first time we met, he saved me. I got tangled up with a bad group, and he pulled me out then beat them all to submission. I was amazed at how strong he was, and I begged him to teach me. He was hesitant, but in the end, he stuck by for a whole year and taught me the basics of his techniques. Vergil was the closest thing I had to a father. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here. He taught me a bit about demons, and I took an interest in them. That's why some of my men were here. There were rumors of a demonic artifact, and I hoped it would be something connected to him."
"So, you don't know where he is?"
Much to his disappointment, Eve nodded her head. "He left all of a sudden. Didn't even get to say goodbye. But, he did leave something behind. He told me, that if I somehow crossed paths with his son, I should give it to him."
Eve reached to her back and handed him a lightly cracked Scroll. Jaune took it from her and stared at it for a brief moment. Was this Vergil's Scroll? He pocketed it, wanting to look through at it later in private. Then, much to his surprise, the redhead pulled him in for a hug.
"Uh… What are you doing?"
"You'll understand when you listen to what's in the Scroll. Trust me." she softly insisted.
Shrugging, Jaune allowed Eve to hug him, staying like that for a couple of seconds before breaking away. She ran her fingers through her hair sighing.
"I'm going back inside to investigate further. Wanna come with?"
The blond shook his head. Eve merely nodded and walked back inside the mansion, leaving the Lone Son alone. Jaune crossed his arms and processed what he had just learned. Instead of getting answers, he got more questions. What was exactly going through Vergil's mind when he left? Did he have a reason? Why did he teach Eve then leave without any warning?
Shaking his head in irritation, the blond went to leave, when Red's body was burned to cinders out of nowhere, leaving no trace of his corpse. A spirit appeared, looking exactly like Red. The man offered Jaune a grateful smirk and grunted as he faded away, a jade-colored magatama materializing.
Feeling apprehensive, Jaune pulled the jewel towards him hesitantly. When he made contact with it, a surge of memories flowed into his mind, making him scream silently as he experienced all of them. From childbirth, all the way to his death. The man that they had just fought, his name was Iori and he was the heir…to one of the three mystical clans that fought Orochi!
Jaune pulled away from the magatama, panting heavily. He let Iori's memories sort out in his mind. Once he recovered, he took hold of the sacred treasure, and this time, there wasn't a surge of memories. Jaune absorbed the magatama into his arm, and like with Ice Breaker, it changed. His scales were an even deeper shade of red, the glow on it colored purple like the flames.
Grunting, he willed it away and turned to leave. Eve whistled, grabbing his attention. She tossed a bunch of scrolls to him and sent him a two-finger salute, saying her farewells. Before she left, Jaune called out to her.
"Hey, you know, you're not as bad as what that public makes of you. If my father helped you out, then, you're more than welcome to come swing by and visit us at Mistral."
Eve didn't say anything. She craned her neck and flashed him a smile, nodding. With that, she left to head back to her base.
Jaune silently drove through the road, the sun slowly setting in the sky. He thought back to the Scroll that Eve had given to him. Ever since he got it, his mind had been in a whirlwind of emotions. For the past months, admittedly, he had forgotten about Vergil. While he didn't fully hate the man, per say, a small part of him loathed his uncle's twin. Yet, another longed to meet him. All in all, his feelings regarding his father is quite mixed.
Sighing, the blond headed into the forest and parked right at a clearing. Jaune took out the Scroll and booted it up. As it opened, he couldn't help but feel surprised when he saw the screen saver on it - a picture of him when he was still just an infant, being carried by his mother. A small, sad smile overtook Jaune's face. He shook his head and opened up the lone file that was on the device - a recording. For a few short seconds, no one spoke, only the sound of nightly breeze and chirping of cricket until, finally, a voice.
"Eve, I'm entrusting my Scroll to you. Do not listen to the rest of this message, only Jaune may do so. When you meet him, give this to him… Oh, and hug him for me as well."
Jaune listened in astonishment. He finally heard what his father sounded like. "So that's why Eve did that." he thought. Remaining silent, he listened to what he had to say.
"You'll hate me… I know it. Being absent in your life does that. Some part of me hated my own father for doing that to me and your uncle, and yet here I am, repeating his actions. But, my leaving is not without reason. I…had a personal problem that I needed to resolve. I couldn't let it endanger any of you, so, regrettably, I had to leave without a word. Let me tell you, my son. I was… so happy when you were born. I couldn't quite understand why, but I just was. Not seeing you grow is something that will forever haunt me, but I know your mother well, she'll be there for you, always. Hopefully, I can finish this ASAP, and get back soon… I realize that, I left a bedtime story for Nera on a cliffhanger. She's probably quite eager to find about the ending. That, and all the parties I missed for all of you... Heheheheh, I can't wait to hear your mother's stories of your birthdays."
The blond sniffled, wiping away his tears. Nera had often pestered everyone to read her her favorite bedtime story, but they couldn't because the story didn't have any books. It was completely made by Vergil, who made no notes whatsoever, so, she was left hanging for years…and she never even got to hear the ending. He was snapped back to reality, hearing his father grunt in displeasure.
"It seems I need to go… Stay safe, all of you. Know that I will protect and guide you. I can tell, that I'm already proud of what you'll become. Until then, my son."
And the Scroll beeped, signaling that the recording had stopped. Jaune looked down, tears still fresh on his face. How? How was it possible to miss someone you've never even met?!
"Like master Vergil said, I'm sure he had good reasons for leaving, young master." perked up Yamato. "Surely, the two of you will meet in the near future."
He remained silent. Standing up, he pocketed the Scroll and prepared to leave, when he felt his arm glow brightly.
Play DMC 3 - Cerberus Battle Theme
Jaune looked down on his Devil Bringer, signaling to him that there was a demon near-by… and it was powerful. He looked around, getting ready for a fight if he had to. A figure zoomed behind him, but when he turned around, there was no one there. Gulping down his nervousness, Jaune drew out Red Queen and stood at the ready.
"So, you are Sparda's latest descendant?" spoke a booming voice.
Jaune fell to his knees at the large amount of killing intent that was being expelled, making it hard to breathe. Looking up, he saw a figure standing before him, his back turned. He wore a black and tattered karate gi, had spiky red-hair and a menacing aura covered him.
Jaune shakily forced himself to stand as the man turned around to face him, revealing his piercing red eyes. The deadly stranger regarded the blond with a measuring gaze before grunting and introduced himself.
"I am Akuma, the Master of Fists. I have done much for power. Shed myself of any human weakness and conquered my own darkness and embraced it. It is unfortunate that Sparda is gone. He was one of the few to give me a good fight, but for someone that has his blood, you're quite a disappointment."
Slamming down his foot, he surged out his killing intent once more. The Son of Vergil gritted his teeth as his knees threatened to buckle under the pressure, but he stood tall and called out his pseudo-DT, equipping Beowulf onto himself. Steeling himself, Jaune slammed his gauntlets together and slipped into a stance, glaring heatedly at the demon. Akuma seemed slightly amused as he let up a bit, readying himself for the battle.
"It seems this won't be a total waste after all. Very well. Now come, and face death!"
The two charged at each other. Jaune threw a punch, but Akuma had blocked it, connecting his fist with the blonde's gut. Swiftly pulling back, he sent out a rising uppercut that launched Jaune into the sky. Akuma jumped after him and twisted his body like a tornado, rapidly striking the cambion, kicking him into a tree.
Akuma cupped his hands together, firing a purple fireball of energy. Jaune rolled out of the way, letting the tree be obliterated into nothing but splinters. He growled and charged at the redheaded demon, throwing out punch after punch. But, the difference between them was staggering. Akuma merely blocked and parried every attack that he had delivered. Flipping forward, he grabbed Jaune by the shoulders and body slammed him into a jagged rock.
The Son of Vergil winced in pain. The Master of Fists jumped back, dodging Jaune's attempted to leg sweep. As he was still in the air, he thrust both of his arms, firing out more fireballs at the blond. This time, he knew how to react. Jaune punched and kicked them aside, bringing down a couple of trees. Grunting, he drew out Blue Rose and fired off a few shots, accompanied by Summoned Swords.
Akuma didn't even seem bothered as he simply phased through them, as if they were nothing, leaving behind a trail of afterimages as he did so. He stopped right behind Jaune and charged up his power, sending out a literal fire ball. Luckily for Jaune, he managed to react, but not fully in time as he brought up Royal Guard, blocking the fireball normally as it dissipated. His pseudo-Trigger began to flicker out due to Jaune not being able to perfect the guard.
Akuma rocketed forward and punched Jaune, dizzying him, allowing the fighting demon to dish out a brutal string of attacks, each one nearly cracking his bones.
"Messatsu!"
Akuma grunted and repeatedly performed numerous rising uppercuts, juggling Jaune into the air. Getting an opportunity, the Arc Devil grabbed Akuma's wrist he tried another strike and twisted his arm then kicked him down.
"Go back to hell!"
Charging up Beowulf, he fell crashed down and slammed his fist into Akuma's gut, a geyser of light erupting around them. Taking the opportunity, he switched out to Yamato and launched the demon with an upward strike. Jaune grunted and slipped into an Iaido stance, sending out Judgement Cuts at the airborne redhead.
However, he propelled himself back with his fireballs, dodging the slash vortexes. Landing down nimbly, Akuma gathered energy into his hands and fired off a massive fireball at Jaune. The Son of Vergil didn't dodge, and instead redirected its path upward, causing a few more trees to fall behind them.
"Impressive. Show me more!"
The two ran at each other and their punches met a clash, creating a small shockwave that shook the ground. Dashing back, he drew out Red Queen and tried a Shuffle read the move and parried it, disarming the blond and tossing aside the sword…which just so happened to cleave his bike in half.
"Not my bike!" he cried out.
Teleporting behind the distracted devil hunter, he grabbed him by the shoulder and karate chopped his neck, before executing a palm thrust to his face, dazing him. Using this to his advantage, Akuma dashed forward and performed an upward spiral kick that pulled Jaune in, the both of them rising into the sky. Reaching a big enough height, he pulled back his hands and unleashed a barrage of fireballs that sent him crashing down, creating a small-sized crater.
Jaune groaned as he pushed himself out, Akuma landing down near by with a large tremor. The Master of Fists roared and charged once again for another attack. The Son of Vergil managed to anticipate this and land a Buster on him. The two engaged in quick exchange of strikes, and kicks. Luckily for Jaune, he managed to win and slashed at Akuma's chest, creating a large gash that made him bleed.
Tricking back, Jaune projected out more Summoned Swords and sent them at the fighter demon. Almost without effort, he batted them all aside. But, this left him vulnerable from behind. Jaune performed a Rapid Slash, further injuring Akuma, tearing up his gi. This greatly amused Akuma, giving off an unnerving grin.
"Prepare yourself, and face a thousand deaths!"
Without warning, Akuma glided over to Jaune and grabbed him. The red-haired demon unleashed his ultimate on the young cambion, the entire area turning pitched black. Only the sounds of flesh being pounded and Jaune's agonizing screams could be heard. However, before he could finish, the astral projection of Vergil appeared and struck Akuma's chest, forcing him back as he held his wounded chest. The Master of Fist glared at the phantom, before looking down on the blond, noticing he was still breathing. This further amused him.
"Good. You are still alive. Despite the blood that has deeply stained your hands, it does not count as evil. You would've survived, even without interference. I'll let you go for now, young descendant of Sparda. This will give me another opportunity to fight you once again. Until then, grow stronger, and then we shall do battle once more. In the meantime, I'll be looking for strong warriors."
Having said his piece, Akuma blurred and phased out of the vicinity, leaving behind an unconscious and heavily wounded Jaune. The projection of Vergil took hold of his son and carried him over under a tree, grabbing the fallen Yamato and stabbed her into the trunk, allowing the katana to channel some of her energy to help him recover faster. The pseudo-Vergil glowed and covered Jaune, covering his entire body to protect him, effectively camouflaging the blond.
Unbeknownst to any of them, Noriaki had been observing the fight from afar. Having seen enough, he dispersed into a puddle of water and headed for where Rugal was.
Took a bit longer than expected, but here's chapter 18. Now, to address the elephant in the room. First, no, Eve won't be with Jaune. Think back then at the first chapter, I only introduced five of Jaune's sisters. Counting her in, he now has seven...technically. Yeah, I don't even know why that's the reason I made Adam into a girl.
Second, I admit, the original plan was to use the plot of the TAS, but after watching it again, I decided not to. Aside from introducing us Morrison and Patty, showing how Lady and Trish meet, and exploring a bit on Dante's possible subsequent depression after the plot of DMC1, not much to work with, considering every enemy Dante faced was mostly dealt with, by just using Ebony and Ivory.
So, that's why I decided to use some elements from the King of Fighters. This arc served to be a sort of bridge, because I just didn't want to use a time skip over to RWBY immediately, but, guess I failed. Oh, and many other fanfictions do that as well, and aren't located in the misc x-over. I'm sorry if I sound rude, by the way, but doesn't that seem unfair?
However, I can't deny that what you, and SP said. I have been focusing too much on adding characters and trying to speed things up to finally go over the RWBY portion. I've been disregarding character development. But, both fortunately and unfortunately, there's only two chapters left planned for this arc. I thought of a possible way to remedy this, but I'm not sure, what do you guys think?
I'm thinking of maybe doing a side-story connected to this that brings in attention some details that I have been ignoring - how Jeanne and Vergil met, Kyrie and Jaune/Nero interaction, same with Pyrrha too, why Nera died, Arkos first date, etc.
Tell me, should I do this? And if you think I should, review down below what other thing I failed to put under the spotlight on. If you guys don't say anything, I'll take your silence as disagreement. As always, thank you for your continued support. It's happily appreciated. Until then.