Patty ran. That was the only thing that she could think of to do. What else could she do, besides cry? She just saw her brother be easily killed. By a man revered to be one of the nicest and also strongest people on Remnant. No one would believe her, and she couldn't possibly do anything against him.
Patty wanted to bury herself into someone's arms, cry out in sorrow and anguish and just let out the pain that she felt. She didn't even get to confirm if the woman that she saw her mother or not. It was just by luck that she ran into Pyrrha.
"Patty, where have you been? You just vanished. Mrs. Arc is very worried about you."
That's when she noticed the tears running down the blonde child's cheeks and the sound of her sniffling. She knelt down, gently grasping Patty's shoulder with worry as she used her other hand to wipe away her tears.
"What's wrong? Patty, why are you crying?"
"I-it's Jaune! H-he's…" she whimpered.
At the mention of his name, Pyrrha grew even more worried. "Jaune? What about him? Did you follow? He's just going to meet up with Ms. Nature and-"
"Mr. Rugal killed him!" Patty blurted out.
Time seemed to stop around the young redhead. She could hear something inside of her shatter. No. She must've heard her wrong. There's no possibly way that that was true. "What...did you just say, Patty?"
"I-I saw them… Mr. Rugal killed Jaune!"
Disbelief, horror and sorrow filled the older Nikos sister. When she heard that Jaune was in a short coma, she had panicked and fretted so badly, she had to take a day out of school. Pathetic as it may sound…she's grown very attached to Jaune. To her, he was a pillar of support. Of courage. Of inspiration. Someone she can always think of to brighten up her day, and make her smile. And during the days they would spend time together, he felt the same.
It made her so happy when they got together. It strengthened her motivation to become stronger, so that one day, she could stand beside him and fight with him. The dream was gone. He was dead. But her thoughts were then promptly replaced with something else.
She stood up and bolted, surprising Patty. The kid couldn't even react in time. Pyrrha was already long gone. Shaking her head, she pushed herself up and started heading back to the banquet hall. She still needed comfort, preferably from her mother.
Eve silently walked through the streets of Mistral, wearing a hoodie and a pair of shades to hide her horns, as well as her scar. She carried a guitar case, which held her weapon just in case she ever needed it. She decided to take up Jaune's offer and get to know the family of her teacher. Create ties…with humans.
Luckily, no one could recognize her, and she blended in perfectly among the crowd. Then, out of nowhere, the sky turned night, as if darkness had overtaken the light. Everyone looked up and began muttering to themselves, wondering what was going on.
Then, a source of light shone on them, coming right above the Bernstein Tower. Eve's eye widened, recognizing what it was… The light was a portal. A horde of grotesque creatures began to swarm out out of it. They looked like the cross of a snake, fused with many untold horrors that made them all the more terrifying.
When a group landed before them, it let out a ear-grating shriek that sent the people in a mass wide panic. It showed no sort of morality as it started to tear through everything - human, Faunus and even the buildings and cars. Nothing was spared from the havoc.
Eve pushed through the retreating crowd, heading to face off against the monsters. Opening up the guitar case, she pulled out Wilt and Blush and charged in for a fight. She pulled the trigger on her scabbard and fired out her blade, striking one of the demons in the head with it. Dashing forward, she grabbed it by the handle and sliced it clean from the neck to its right hip.
This distracted them long enough for Eve to shout at the stunned crowd as she sheathed back her sword. "Run, now!"
And they finally regained the sense to do so. The Disciple of the Dark Slayer jumped back, deflecting the claws of the snake-like demons with her scabbard, before swiftly drawing it out and decapitating another one of them. She spun around and sliced through two more.
She rolled to the side, dodging some sort of acidic projectile that they spat. Eve kicked herself into the air and shot down the ones airborne. As she fell, she split another one of them in two, blood gushing out heavily.
On the peak of Bernstein Tower, Rugal rumbled with dark mirth, watching the Kobras slaughter people of all ages. "Go forth, my fellow servants. Wreak havoc upon these ungrateful insects, so that our Lord's vision may be realized! SLAUGHTER THEM, SO THAT THIS WORLD MAY BE SAVED!"
Looking down, a frown crossed his lips as he saw Eve fighting against the Kobras. This inspired some of the other Huntsmen and Huntresses in the area to join in. It wouldn't be long, until the Black Knights came in. His frown was wiped away and replaced with a grin as a much more stronger beast emerged from the portal.
The monster resembled a a large tree, as if given life. The Treants, they were called. Two of them dropped down and let out a loud shriek that caused glass to shatter, and the ground to quake. Eve sized up the beast and merely gripped her weapon tightly as she and the others prepared to fight.
"The hell is even happening?!" shouted out Lady as she rapidly pulled her triggers, emptying her clips into the horde of Kobras that crashed into the banquet hall.
Most of the fighters had fled in search of safety, though some had stayed to help fend off against these monsters. Dante cracked a grin, using Coyote-A, his sawed-off shotgun. Utilizing his Gunslinger style, it was a cinch for him to kill them off with just a single shot. From behind, one of them tried to pounce him on the back, only to be met with a face filled with lead.
"Twenty Lien says this has to do with Orochi!" Dante remarked.
Seeing him as the bigger threat, the present horde decided to focus all attention on him. The Son of Sparda smirked and spun his shotgun around like a pair nunchucks, blasting them repeatedly until they were all covered in holes. Reloading, he kicked over one of the monsters, before nodding.
"It has to be Orochi. Besides, I don't think I've seen any of these demons while I was at Hell."
Another group of Kobras dropped down, hissing at them menacingly. A fearful yelp caught their attention. Turning around, Patty was frozen in terror, looking at the monsters with a scared expression. Before they could even take a step forward, all of their heads rolled off and onto the floor, Jeanne slamming her katana back into its scabbard.
Patty threw herself into her mother's arms and sobbed, heavily surprising her. "Honey, what's wrong? Don't worry, if you're afraid of the demons, then we'll-"
"B-big brother is dead..." she hiccuped out.
Everyone looked at Patty with astonishment. Disbelief was well written on their faces, with Nora finding the courage to speak up. "W-what? Patty-cakes, what do you mean?"
"Mr. Rugal, I-I saw him stab big brother in the heart, a-and then he stopped moving!"
Lady and Trish looked absolutely shocked. Ren wrapped an arm around the crying Nora, his head bowed slightly as tears fell down his cheeks. Luna looked away, biting her lips as she desperately tried not to cry. Dante had a blank look on his face, his eyes shadowed by his hair. Jeanne, of course, was hit the worst. From devastation to anguish, her eyes were clouded with tears as she realized that she lost another one of her children.
The entire hall began to shake, until the roof was torn off by a Treant. It looked down on them angrily and tossed aside the roof to grab them. Before it could do so, K' appeared and struck, kicking it in the head, his foot aflame.
With it distracted, Dante let out a loud roar of rage, flying into the demon of Orochi in his Perfected Devil Trigger, bursting a hole through its chest. Without pause, he ascended further into the sky, before slicing it in half with his Rebellion Tail, burning down the remains with his mere presence
Descending, he grabbed K' and let him down. With a quick nod, he looked at the others and explained the situation. "The whole kingdom's gone to shit. All of these demons are spotted all throughout the entirety of Mistral. The BK's already been doing the best they can to fend them off while every able Hunters are getting the people to safety."
Suddenly, Eve crashed through a wall, being carried over by a Boarbatusk, a boar-like Grimm. Noir followed after and launched it into the air with a firestorm tornado. Willing away Agni and Rudra, she pulled out her Murasama blade and sliced it in half, her blade ignoring its defenses. The redhead dropped down, falling onto her feet. Immediately, K' recognized her, but was stopped by Noir.
"Don't. We're under siege by demons. Let her be for now. Besides, we'll need all the help we can get."
The dark-skinned man grunted and extinguished the flame on his hand. By now, the others have recovered over the revelation of Jaune's demise. Jeanne stood up, and faced Eve. The cow Faunus gulped and bowed at her.
"I-it's an honor to meet you. Master Vergil spoke very fondly of you, Mrs. Arc."
Although surprised, the Arc Matriarch didn't bother asking, not with what's happening outside. Noir went up to her little sister, grabbing her by the shoulder.
"Come on, Patty. Let's get you out of here and to somewhere more safe."
"Not yet, Noir..." cut in Jeanne, her tone completely blank and flat. "You need to go and pick someone up first. Patty knows where he is."
The First Child felt absolutely put off by the lack of emotion from her mother. Nonetheless, she nodded and ushered Patty to lead them to whoever it was that their mother wanted them to pick up. The young child looked very hesitant, but went through with it in the end, prompting Noir and K' to follow.
"Wait... Where's Pyrrha and Kyrie?" voiced out Ren.
The Devil May Cry crew looked around, and there was indeed no sign of the young redhead. Dante, who was still in his demonic form, crossed his arms. "We'll just have to hope they managed to get to safety... Come on! Mistral needs us!"
Jaune loudly groaned out, cradling his head as a migraine bombarded him as he slowly sat up. He softly rubbed his temples, trying to push it away. With luck, it soon subsided, allowing him to open his eyes. The blond grunted in surprise as he was on some sort of grassy plain that stretched out for miles, spotting some beds of flowers. The sky was a clear blue, with no cloud in sight. And the sun softly shimmered, but not too bright.
"Where am I? What…is this place?" he asked, more to himself, rather than anyone that could be near by.
The Son of Vergil got up to his feet, scanning his surroundings further to see if there would be someone that can tell him his location. Unfortunately, apart from the peaceful animals that seem to hop around the place, there was nary a person, other than himself.
Without any other choice, he trudged forward, hoping to find at least one person. Jaune clutched his head, migraine coming back a bit. He simply shook it off and just kept on going as he tried to make sense of what was going on.
"Last thing I remember was talking with Ms. Mature, before blacking out somehow and ending up…wherever this place is." he thought out loud, taking another gander around him.
"Jaune?!"
The blond felt his blood freeze at the sound of the voice. He knew it all too well. Haunting him through the nights, scarring him because of his idiocy. But how? She was supposed to be dead. Slowly turning around, his bright, blue eyes meeting another pair with the same shade as his. He could feel himself tremble at the very sight of the person that he dearly missed, even to this day.
"Nera…?" he asked, unsure if she was real.
Standing in front of him was indeed his older sister, who had been long dead for many years. Nera said nothing, looking horrified at Jaune's presence. Before she could say anything, however, her brother pulled her in for a tearful hug, repeatedly telling her how sorry he was.
It still didn't register to her, more focused to wondering as to why her brother was in this location. "Jaune… What are you doing in this place?! You shouldn't be here!"
Breaking away, the blond wiped away the tears in his eyes, looking at his sister with utmost confusion. "I was hoping you'd tell me? Where are we? And what do you mean I shouldn't be here?"
Nera glanced away, biting her lips in nervousness. Sighing, she decided to give it to her brother straight. "We're in the land in between the living and the dead. They call this Purgatory… And you can only come here if you're dead."
Jaune's eyes widened, his mouth agape in complete horror. He…was dead?! He clutched both sides of his head as the migraine came back full force, making him scream in agony as the memories of his death played back. Nera could do nothing but watch as her brother processed the revelation.
"N-No… I, I can't be dead! Not yet… Crap. I, I need to get back. They don't know about Rugal!"
Nera shook her head, a frown crossing her face. "I'm afraid there isn't much we can do, little bro. No one can come back, except for some pretty rare occasions. You'll be staying here until you ultimate fate is decided."
The Son of Vergil gritted his teeth and pounded the ground in rage. He kept doing this until practically burrowed a hole through the ground. Jaune wept, but was more angry that he got himself killed so easily. The dead daughter could only wrap him in a tight embrace, rubbing his back in an effort to comfort her raging brother.
Dante, still in his Perfected Devil Trigger, hovered over his sister-in-law as the two of them watched the on-going battles. Ren and Nora had ran off to assist the Hunters in their efforts to evacuate the people, while Lady, Trish and Luna helped the BK drive off the demons.
The Son of Sparda was pretty worried for Jeanne. Even now, her face remained blank and emotionless. The amount of guilt and grief that she must be feeling, he knew exactly how it felt years ago. The half-devil grunted, crossing his arms he looked over Jeanne once again.
"I know you're probably beating yourself up over what Patty said, but trust me when I say that things will end up on a brighter note. Look, Jaune wouldn't want you to-"
"I know." she interrupted him, her face still blank…before tears flowed down her beautiful face once again, tightly clenching her hand to the point that it drew blood. "But it's just- After Nera died, I promised myself that as long as I drew breath, I will never have to bury another one my children. But, for it to happen and with none of us the wiser, it just really aggravates me… I'm a failure of a mother."
Fluttering down, Dante tightly clasped her shoulder, a frown on his face. "You're not. None of us anticipated it. You weren't the gun that took Jaune's life. So stop acting like you're reason he's gone."
Turning back, he watched many people fell to their knees, praying to whatever god they worshiped, hoping for a miracle as a Treant closed in on them. The Red Demon let go of his sister-in-law and readied to intervene.
"You can either stand back and watch, or jump in and help. Your call."
Dante dove down and rammed right into the Treant, bursting through its chest. Flying up, he concentrated his energy and blasted the tree demon with his demonic fire, burning it to ashes. The people of Mistral looked up and were immediately frightened at the sight of the half-devil, until it magnified as more Kobras started swarming in.
The Son of Sparda crashed down, creating a small crater that obliterated some of the serpent-like monsters, which also served as a gap so that the civilians could escape. They didn't think to do this until Jeanne dropped down, unleashing a wave of light that bisected them with her blade.
"Don't worry, we're on your side. Run, we'll take care of them."
The sight of a demon and an angel fighting together was something they never thought to see, but were very grateful for it. The civilians quickly ran away, allowing the two half-lings to fight without worry for casualty. More Treants dropped down, accompanied by another horde of Kobras. The two sported a bloodthirsty grin and let out a war cry as the two of them charged into the fray.
Jeanne deflected their attempts on chomping her down. Drawing her blade, the nephilim performed an unrelenting series of slashes at the horde, mowing them down painfully. She blocked an attack from behind, spinning around to swiftly decapitate her assauleters before moving on to bisect another.
The Arc Matriarch quirked a brow as the Kobras began to gather onto spot, crawling onto each other as they seemed to meld into one. The new being towered over the mother by a few feet, its entire body covered in scales, yet still resembled a humanoid shape. It hissed at the blonde with its forked tongue and made a punching motion, a nest of snakes crawling out and flying towards Jeanne.
She dashed back and unsheathed her blade at blinding speeds, cutting down the serpents that were launched at her. Tilting her head, Jeanne decided it was to display why she actually received the moniker 'Angel of Terror'. Rising into the sky, the nephilim held out her blade, a bright flourish of white light enshrouded like a coat of flame.
The Kobra sensed the danger in the coming attack and unleashed more snakes right at right her. With a loud roar, Jeanne blinked away just as the snakes reached her, stabbing the large demon right in the gut. Wordlessly, she lifted it up through her blade, watching as it writhed in pain. She grinned evilly and fired lasers from her eyes, melting off its head ever so slowly.
Once it was completely dead, she pushed it off. Turning around, yet another horde of mindless drones charged. Once more, she rose up into the sky and let out another terrifying shriek as she released a wide-spread laser beam that turned all to ash. With a satisfied grunt, she left Dante to his own devices and went to find more dummies to vent out her frustration.
Dante ascended into the sky once again, doing battle against the tree beasts. He laughed as he easily avoided all of their slow attacks. Rebellion moved on his own, slicing up their hands as they got close. Clenching his hands, spikes of fire sprouting from his wrists. The Son of Sparda lunged at Orochi's minions and swung his blades, easily ripping and tearing through them like paper.
One of the Treants managed to surprise him, growing out rather sturdy tendrils that restrained him…had he not been in his current form. Accumulating his energy, Dante released an explosion of demonic energy that perfectly disintegrated the tree demons that were near-by. However, this came at a cost. Dante was forced out of his DT and fell to the ground and on his knees. The exchange for such a devastating attack, which made him vulnerable.
While the Son of Sparda recovered, more demons swarmed in and moved to take advantage of his state. Before they can reach him, however, a hail of bullets rained down, tearing them to shreds, momentarily stopping them.
"Hope you don't mind me cutting in, luv."
Dante laughed as Cereza dropped down, wielding two sky blue pistols, and oddly enough, there were two others lined up on her heels. The Son of Sparda took her offered hand, pulling himself and brushed off the dust on him.
"Great timing, babe. I was getting kinda lonely."
The Kobras recovered, letting out a pissed off hiss at the couple. Dante cocked a smirk and drew out Rebellion. He and Cereza struck a pose before charging with a cry.
"Let's party!"
The Son of Sparda roared and leaped forward for a quick lunge attack that skewered through some, and knocked back the others. Rotating himself, he launched them all into the air with a giant swing them and right towards Cereza.
The witch giggled and blasted them with her magical bullets, sending them higher up. She break danced into a handstand and took aim with the guns on her heels, both glowing brightly and shooting out two shots infused with magic, blowing them to smithereens.
Cereza pushed herself into a flip, avoiding globs of acid. Looking up, she saw numerous Kobras on the rooftops, staring at them menacingly. Hissing again, they started spitting at the doctor.
Smirking, she haughtily flipped her hair and blocked all of the projectiles with a Glyph fired out from her guns, all the while striking a pose. The sequence remained unbroken until a trio of the Kobras spat out a stream of the acid, taking her by surprise.
Luckily, she had managed to conjure up a barrier around herself. Unfortunately, however, it came at the cost of her weapons, melting under the bubbly green liquid. Cereza sighed in frustration, throwing a lazy glare at the Kobras, before glancing at her lover.
"Dante, looks like my toys are broken. Can you be a dear and let the boys come out to play?"
Ducking over a lunging demon and swiftly piercing its chest, Dante looked at the lady with a smirk and nodded. "Of course. Anything for you, babe." He pushed away his coat and drew out his signature guns, tossing them towards her. "Be good, now!"
Cereza caught the two pistols, a glint in her eyes. "Ebony, Ivory? Shall we dance?" The Witch Doctor lined up her shots at the Kobras above and wildly fired at them, the bullets made out of her magic.
Orochi's demons cried in pain being shredded down, while a small number of them managed to evade, retaliating by spitting out a stream of acid, letting it fall like rain. Dante grabbed Cereza by the hand, twirling her around, striking another pose as they spoke as one.
"Stand still!"
An orb of negative colors washed over the surrounding area, leaving them tinted in gray and everything that was in motion paused. The couple swiftly moved themselves out of the way and jumped up to the remaining Kobras, finishing them off with a powerful series of strikes.
Time swiftly resumed, and the demons were flung back, already dead. The two smirked in satisfaction, with Dante running a hand through his hair. He ran up to the ledge and saw that many of the demons still persisted, joined in by the Treants. Cereza walked up to him and gently squeezed his hand.
"Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" he intelligently asked, facing his girlfriend. "What do you mean?"
The doctor looked at him with a quirked brow and a worried look. "I heard what happened. It must hurt to have lost another family..."
Dante's face remained passive, and squeezed back her hand. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. The light will shine our way." he responded cryptically. Letting go, he stood on the ledge, and changed into his Devil Trigger, having recovered enough demonic energy. "Come on. Others still need help."
Rugal was at the summit of his tower, staring down at the many fools that were brutally slaughtered. He could only grin and sip his wine in glee as even the Hunters fell. Lowering his glass, a lightly surprised look crossed his face, before it was promptly replaced with that of amusement.
"Well, isn't this surprising. Normally, you call ahead before visiting."
Standing behind him was Pyrrha, gripping her weapons tightly as she glared heatedly at the blond, feeling nothing but hate and contempt for the man. "I know what you did... And I'll make you pay for it!"
Rugal said nothing and merely smirked, tossing away his glass of wine, pushing himself off of his chair. The blond cracked his knuckles and his neck, curling around his fingers as he stared down the enraged redhead with an amused look.
"Show me a good time, little Hoplite."
Pyrrha sneered and tossed her shield towards him like a disk. Rugal batted it aside and fired off a Reppuken, forcing the Huntress-in-training to jump. While in the air, she threw Milo in an attempt for an attack, but was caught.
Smirking at his distracted state, Pyrrha quickly activated her Semblance and pulled Akuou back towards her, hitting Rugal in the back of the head. With him disoriented, the older Nikos bashed her shield into his face, following it up with a roundhouse kick.
Retrieving her javelin, she turned it into its xiphos form and started swinging. Rugal composed himself and effortlessly stopped her attacks with a single arm, only spinning around to move himself or change positions. It frustrated her to no end, none of her attacking even hitting.
Grinning, on the next strike, he caught Milo in between his fingers and twisted her arm around, disarming her. Cocking back his fist, Rugal tried to punch Pyrrha, only for it to be blocked. He continued to his attack, unrelenting, while Pyrrha just kept on defending.
Before she could make her next move, Rugal laughed and launched a Genocide Cutter tore the shield from her grip, distracting her. Pyrrha didn't even get the time to blink as her former sponsor grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the wall, as Akuoo fell back down with a loud clang.
The redhead tried to pry off his large hand off her neck, but his grip was just too tight. Rugal tilted his head in amusement, enjoying the look of struggle on the young girl's face.
"Brave... yet foolish. Although, did you really think you stood a chance against me, Pyrrha?" He shook his head, chuckling darkly as he clenched his hand tightly around her throat. "You're a thousand years too young for that."
However, much to his confusion, Pyrrha wasn't panicking. In fact, she was smirking. Noticing too late that she was using her Semblance, Rugal looked behind him and saw all of his statues speeding towards him, covered in a black outline.
"Oh sonuva-"
He was completely cut off as the golden decorated bashed him at all sides, squishing him as he grunted in pain, his grip on Pyrrha loosening. She quickly retrieved her weapons, recovering her breath. Rugal roared and blasted off his statues, looking absolutely pissed.
The red-haired Hoplite continued to manipulate the marvelous decorations, forcing the blond to destroy each one that came in his way. Aside from her damning anger, Pyrrha was absolutely terrified, watching as the megalomaniac shattered all of his statues with a single blow. Seeing that there was nothing left to throw, she turned her attention to the desk behind her and threw it at the unaware man.
Rugal stretched out his palm and blew it up without looking. Out of the smoke, he seemed surprised as a suit of armor came right at him. The blond smacked it aside, only to be impaled in the shoulders by a sword out of nowhere.
While the former philanthropist was still distracted, Pyrrha charged forward and began attacking him with focused rage. The furious redhead wildly swung her weapons with wild abandon, cutting up the man she once idolized. She aimed for his vital spots, making the attacks much more painful.
Rugal could do only gape in horror as he kept on taking hits from the vengeful girl, unable to even defend himself. He tried to plead for her to stop, but everything he said was ignored. Pyrrha roared and slashed down, slicing up and revealing the flesh inside his torso. Gripping her javelin tightly, she jabbed it inside of Rugal's head with a loud roar.
The adrenaline started to wear off. But before it could comply fade, she gripped both sides of Akuou and twisted it around, snapping Rugal's neck for good measure. Pyrrha fell to her knees as the adrenaline rush had passed, panting heavily as she stared at her former sponsor's corpse with horrified realization.
She had just killed. She...had just taken a life. A life of a human...
The Huntress-in-training lowered down her head, tears streaming down her face as she tightly clutched the necklace that Jaune had gifted to her, looking absolutely torn and terrified.
"I... I did that. I...avenged Jaune, but...at what cost?"
"Oh please. Did you think it would be THAT easy?!"
Pyrrha's eyes shrunken in pure horror as Rugal's body had suddenly risen up from the ground, the blood flowing back into him, dark matter pulling out the swords that was inside of him. Without even a nanosecond to react, Pyrrha found herself slammed into the wall once again. Although this time, she was held up by her hands.
The blond's head snapped back into place, although the fact that he was moving with Akuou still embedded inside of him was nightmare-inducing. Rugal gripped the javelin and pulled it out slowly, the hole on his face closing up, revealing a mocking sneer.
"Like I said, you're a thousand years too young to even pose a challenge for me. But I'll admit, the fact that polarity of yours include the iron in blood surprised me. Now, it doesn't matter."
Rugal clutched his hands tightly and broke Pyrrha's wrist. The champion screamed loudly as she heard her bones break.
"Your Aura is useless. It cannot help you in this situation, my dear."
He raised an eyebrow, mildly infuriated and a bit surprised that the pained look Pyrrha had was now replaced with that of resignation to her fate.
"Go ahead... I deserve a clean death."
At this, Rugal laughed. He couldn't contain it and used his unoccupied hand to clutch his stomach, trying not to hurt himself from too much laughter.
"Clean death? Oh no. You won't be dying. Remember the statues you made me destroy? I never did tell you where I got them, didn't I? Those statues were of the corpses of all the people that I've had the pleasure beating in combat. They struggled very much, but that was what made it fun. In the end, they stood no chance against Lord Orochi's power and I've dumped molten metal on all of them! But since you made break them all, you'll be the first in my new collection!"
Pyrrha could only shout as the bones of her wrist were now fully shattered. Rugal jabbed her on the stomach, before headbutting her and striking her with his knee. She gritted her teeth, her Aura having been long gone when he broke her wrist, feeling the full strength of the blows.
Rugal tossed her overhead, crashing her into his glass display. The redhead couldn't even push herself up, since her hands were rendered useless. She could only watch as Rugal strode up to her slowly, a maniacal grin present on his lips.
"PYRRHA!"
Said redhead's eyes widened in fear and worry as Kyrie burst into the room. Rugal swiveled around, and his smile turned even darker. Sensing his intent, Pyrrha immediately told her sister to get away.
"Kyrie, run! Forget about me and just save yourself!"
However, that warning came a little bit too late. Rugal had appeared in front of the younger redhead, leaving behind a trail of after images. The blond grabbed Kyrie by the dress and lifted her up, making her shriek in terror.
"No! Let her go!" begged Pyrrha. "I'm the one you want. Leave my sister out of this."
Rugal instead smirked, and tore open Kyrie's dress, revealing her bra-covered breasts. Horrified at being stripped, Kyrie tried to slap him, but Rugal had caught the hand, and like he did to her sister, crushed it. Kyrie fell to her knees, sobbing as not even her Aura could protect her.
Pyrrha sobbed, begging for the man to stop as the crushing of bones echoed throughout the room. Rugal, determined in humiliating the girl further, decided to just tear apart her dress until nothing was left, except for her lingerie.
The man grunted and manhandled her. He harshly kneed her back, making her scream as she could feel her spine almost be ripped into two, but not quite exactly. One more elbow to the gut and Rugal threw Kyrie back to her sister.
Pyrrha did her best to crawl up to her little sister, who had started crying in fear and humiliation. Kyrie wrapped her arms around her sisters for comfort, all the while unconsciously healing Pyrrha with her Semblance.
The despicable bastard strode up to them slowly, a menacingly hazy aura beginning to permeate from his body. He laughed with vicious glee as he watched their terrified expressions.
"Begone!" exclaimed Noir, carving the demons with an Upper Slash.
Swiftly sheathing back her weapon, the blonde dashed back, allowing K' to have his share of fun. The white-haired cracked his knuckles and started dishing out fast-paced attacks against the horde, his limbs shrouded in his flames. Gathering fire on his gloved hand, he roared and zipped through Kobras, launching them into the sky.
Both Eve and Noir jumped after their airborne enemies, dealing them with a relentless combo of sword strikes. The Disciple of Vergil slammed Wilt back into Blush and charged it up. Just as more demons arrived, the redheaded Faunus drew out her blade and released a vortex of slashes that sliced them to bits.
Sheathing back their weapons, Noir went up to her little sister. "Are we close yet, Patty?"
Wordlessly, the young child nodded, pointing at the door that led to the storage room. The First Daughter felt a pit form in her stomach, worried at what she may see. Nodding at her subordinate, K' kicked down the door off its hinges, allowing them to go inside.
They cautiously entered the room and were immediately greeted with the sight of Jaune crucified on the wall, the Yamato firmly planted in where his heart was. His eyes were still open, but the life inside of it had been extinguished as his own blood coated his face and his clothes.
"Holy shit…" was K' reaction, taking off his shades to make sure it wasn't a trick. He only met Jaune about once or twice, and they never got off the right foot, but, seeing him dead wasn't right. He looked right at his comrade, worried for her well-being.
Noir slowly shook her head, not willing to believe what's in front of her. She ran up to her little brother as the bindings on his limbs simply vanished, allowing him to limply fall into Noir's arms. She gently settled him down and carefully pulled out the dark-forged katana out of his body.
Eve walked up beside her, looking down on Jaune's prone body. Kneeling down, she took his left arm and was about to check for a pulse, until she felt how cold he was. "Dust, he's really-"
However, Noir still refused to accept it and continued to deny that she had lost another of her sibling. She cradled Jaune's head onto her lap as she kept on telling him to wake up.
"Jaune? It's to wake up… Pyrrha's coming over later, remember? You promised her you'd take her out to the park. You wouldn't want to upset her…right? So come on, wake up…"
Nothing still. Noir grew desperate, trying to 'threaten' him to get up, or else. She broke down in tears, hugging her little brother's corpse, screaming for him to stand up. Patty ran up to her older sister, telling her to stop and accept that Jaune was gone. The two of them hugged each other for comfort. K' bowed his head in respect while Eve looked away, unwilling to show her tears.
Yamato glinted, attracting their attention. "Forgive me... I, I tried my best to keep him alive. But, there was nothing I could do. His heart was destroyed!"
Wiping away her tears, Patty approached her dead brother's body and planned to say some last words to her. She placed her hand over his chest and prepared to speak, when a bright light began to shine from her fingertips. The young girl looked curious, while the others were apprehensive.
Noir gasped, recognizing what it was.
Silence reigned over the two siblings. At the very least, Jaune had now calmed down. Since he apparently now had a lot of time, Jaune used it to ask his sister a question. "Why didn't you do it?"
Nera looked at her brother in confusion. "Didn't do what?" she asked.
"I know Noir and the others got their Aura unlocked when they were twelve... But you, you died when you were fifteen, and never showed that you had it. So, why? Why didn't you get your Aura unlocked?!" He broke away from the hug as his anger came back, joined in by his sorrow. "You could've survived! You could've lived!"
Nera remained silent. She paced back and forth, trying to find the best words to answer him. Taking in a deep breath, she sighed and looked at Jaune right in the eye.
"I knew, little brother. I knew how jealous you were of Noir, Sol, Luna and Saph. You were jealous of them, because they had powers, and you didn't. I... I wanted to help you out. At first, I didn't know how, then, I kept on dreaming of something. It was like, a vision of the future, or something. I watched it all in perfect clarity. It was accurate down to the last detail. And you wanna know it was? It was that day, when we went to the fair. I knew it was going to happen."
Jaune was taken aback. As quick as his shock came, it was soon replaced with his rage. "But... Why?! Why didn't you say anything?! Why didn't you tell mom, me, or anyone!? We could've stopped it, we could've prevented it! So why did you keep it-"
"I did it for you, you idiot! You were jealous of our sisters, and I wanted to help you out by waking up some of your dormant powers. Extreme physical and emotional stress seemed like the best choice, and that vision validated it..."
Again, Jaune was left speechless. He didn't know how to react. How to respond. He felt himself choke up, trying so hard not to cry again. The Lone Son grabbed his sister and pulled her in for a tight hug.
"Why? There could've been another way! Do you know how many weeks I couldn't sleep?! Every time I tried, all I could see was your dead body, reminding me that you were never gonna grow up, that you were never gonna be able to see all your favorite shows end, or that you'll never see our dad and it's all because of me..."
"It was my fate, little bro. My destiny. I had to fulfill it, and I'd say it was worth it. Look at you, you've grown up to become a powerful person in your own right, and scored not one, but two hot girls!"
He pushed her away, looking frustrated. "That doesn't make it any better! I just died. What good is me being powerful if I couldn't even beat Rugal?! What good was your sacrifice if I can't use my power?!"
Nera was rendered silent. She couldn't think of a rebuttal because her brother was right. In the end, it wasn't enough. Jaune died, and her sacrifice was entirely in vain... Or was it?
Much to the both of their shock, Jaune slowly began to fade and flicker, like a phantom. He looked at his body as it continued to stay translucent. Yet, Nera didn't seem horrified. In fact, she smiled.
"Guess your time isn't up yet." she remarked. "Looks you'll be going home."
Jaune was surprised. He turned to his sister and stretched out his arm, staring at her with a pleading look. "Then come back with me... Mom and the others, they've missed you, sis."
Nera turned away, not wanting to show her deep sorrow to him. "I can't... I'm not allowed to leave. My soul is already bound to the afterlife, but you, you're being given this second chance. Go on... I'll always be there with you in spirit."
Shedding a few tears, Jaune pulled her in for one last hug and said a proper farewell. "Goodbye, Nera... I'll miss you through and through."
She smiled into the hug and reciprocated the act, tears pricking her eyes as well. "I'll miss you too, Jaune... Stay safe, okay?"
With that, he flickered out of Purgatory and back into Remnant.
Jaune's eyes shot open as he found himself back in his body. He saw Noir and Patty, looking extremely happy, accompanied with tears of joy. That was all he could see as his vision was filled with nothing but blue. In it, he could see something that terrified him. The need to act was nigh. Yamato flew into his sword and a powerful ripple flung them all back.
When they recovered, Jaune had crashed through the ceiling, presumably heading towards the epicenter of the mess. Noir could only smile, silently wishing her little brother luck.
Ren wordlessly drove his fist into the serpent-like demon and tossed it towards its compatriots, distracting them. He charged at them with a furious cry and performed a revolving whirlwind heel stomp, slicing them in two.
Looking ahead, he could see Treants destroying numerous buildings that led to debris crushing many people to death. He remained still, as a grenade came sailing through and blew up in their faces that made them stumble. Nora leaped at them with a furious roar and whacked them with her oversized hammer, which she wielded with ease, smashing in their faces.
At point blank, her weapon, Magnhild, turned into a grenade launcher and she fired them straight at the Treants, blowing them up. She used the explosion the fling herself right besides Ren's position. The both of them watched in shock as the tree creatures began to regrow their missing features, standing back up.
"They don't know when to quit." snarked Ren.
"Then let's give them a timeout!" using her own grenades, Nora launched herself into the air to continue her fight with the Treants.
Ren was about to follow, when more Kobras appeared and surrounded him. The Son of Dante cracked his neck and closed his eyes, curling his fingers as a gust of wind blew around him, his coattails billowing against it. The demons hissed and lunged at the teen. The wind grew stronger and swept them all back.
Ren pried off a pipe in the middle of a wreckage, wielding it like a makeshift sword. Tightly gripping it, he coated the metal object with his wind and brandished it with a look of contempt.
"Let's dance!"
The cambion charged forward and fiercely swung around the makeshift sword, slicing through the demons like they were nothing but butter. He circled his swings around himself, leaving a trail of air blades to strike multiple targets. Ren bisected one of the Kobra's with an upward swing, launching himself into the air. He roared and did an overhead swing, crashing himself down and cutting up two more.
The Son of Dante grunted and flipped back to dodge, but also used the opportunity to kick away an approaching demon. Quickly landing, he immediately did a lunge attack, knocking back a few of them. This also shattered the pipe.
Grunting in surprise, Ren tried to throw off an Kobra that managed to latch onto him. Soon, the others started to dog pile on him to give their comrades a chance to strike. However.
"Raging Storm!"
A geyser of wind materialized and shredded down every demon that was on him. Ren brushed off the guts that on his clothes and re-equipped Gilgamesh once more.
Nora danced around the lumbering arms of the Treants trying to her but because of her short stature, and surprising agility and nimbleness, she could easily avoid them. The orangenette slammed down her hammer and caused a slight tremor that was enough to stun her opponent. She smashed off its leg and made a hole in its stomach.
With a wide grin, she filled the thing with explosives, as it closed up. Counting down her fingers, Nora shielding her eyes as the Treant blew up into splinters, catching a few of its fellow servants on fire.
Nora moved in while they were distracted doing what she does best - breaking legs. Skidding to a halt, the orangenette spun around and struck a car that was chucked at her right back the Treant that threw it. The pseudo half-demon often wished she could do something else, pretty jealous of how stylish her adoptive mother can be when fighting.
However, due to her distracted state, she was struck down by numerous vines, causing her to fall down. A Treant caught her in its snare, before tightening its tendrils around her, crushing her in its grip
An unfortunate thing about Nora - she had an abnormal amount of super strength and speed, but she's incredibly fragile. A glass cannon, if you will. The servant of Orochi roared and tossed her into the air, for his fellow Treant to clobber her through a building and right towards Ren.
The Son of Dante stared with wide eyes as Nora groaned and writhed in pain. She still hadn't gotten her Aura unlocked, and her healing, quite frankly, sucked. Ren growled as he felt something bubbling inside of him.
Rage.
He turned around and faced the Treants, his eyes burning red with a look of contempt. Growling animastically, Ren charged recklessly right towards them. The servants of Orochi fired off seed bombs right at the running half-blood, but he was too quick for them to hit. He ran on the wall and kicked himself, zooming in like a torpedo at one of them.
Ren sent out a blade of wind with his leg, cutting up a portion of the Treant's chest, letting him go inside of it. The demon groaned, before its life violently ended as a large tornado emerged from its body The others were sucked immediately sucked in, along with every other Kobra that was close by. Soon, the clear attack was muddled with blood and dirt.
The tornado then stopped, with Ren dropping down as the viscera scattered. He clutched his wrist, trying to control and restrain himself from using any more of his demonic powers. Succeeding, he fell to his knees and panted. Glancing at Nora's direction, he was relief flooded his expression as the signs of her recovery became apparent.
"I've lost a cousin, and I won't lose anyone else! I won't succumb... I never will..." he muttered cryptically.
Turning his attention back to Nora, he quickly went up to her side and helped her sit up, a worried expression coming over him. "Are you alright?"
"Mmm... Yeah, I'll be fine." The orangenette flashed her boyfriend a smile of reassurance, slightly easing his fears. "Don't worry about me, Renny."
He was about to recommend that they get to somewhere else, when a familiar presence made itself known. Ren and Nora were feeling an array of emotions, ranging from shock, surprise and of course, hesitant happiness.
"I-is that...?" trailed off Nora, unwilling to believe what she had sensed.
"It has to be... There's no other explanation." exclaimed Ren with slight glee.
There's no doubting it. He's-!
"I think it's about time we ended this."
Rugal raised his hand, coating it with dark energy. The Nikos sisters closed their eyes, silently crying as they awaited their death. It crackled into a deadly sphere, making him laugh. He clenched his fist and clocked it back to strike the sisters.
SHCLICK
Rugal grunted in surprise and in pain as his arm was sliced clean off, forcing him to take a few steps back. He regained his bearing and faced the one who dared to interfere.
There stood a blue, humanoid creature that wore something akin to a trench coat, but made out of scales. It had several white imprints detailed on the coat with its coattails separated into four. Whoever they were, they had silvery-white hair that seemed to resemble a tusk of sorts. Attached to the creature's sleeve was a sheathe of some kind. A dark blue hazy aura emanated from him, giving the image of power.
But what really caught the their attention were three things: it's arm and two of the weapons on its person - they were the Devil Bringer, Red Queen and the Yamato. All three belonging to-
Play - Holding Out for a Hero (EPIC METAL COVER BY LITTLE V)
"Jaune!" cried out the two sisters in complete joy and relief. Their love interest wasn't dead. He was actually alive!
Jaune faced the two of them to show how much he had transformed. Most of his face was left mostly untouched, but his eyes became a dark shade of white with no pupils, his teeth had become fangs, and there were lines running down his face. What's more, like his coat, most of his skin had become scaled.
"Pyrrha! Get yourself and Kyrie out of here!" He shouted, his voice completely distorted and warped. When she didn't move, he had to force her. "NOW! Save yourselves, I'll come back to you both, I promise!"
Once those words were spoken only did Pyrrha feel any confidence. She gently wrapped her sister's arms around her shoulder and carried her out of the room. Rugal growled and tried to move in to try and stop them, but Jaune barred his path and pushed him back.
"Where are you going, Rugal?" he growled out. "You owe me another round!"
The Son of Vergil nearly buckled under the intense murderous presence that suddenly appeared, but kept himself firm. Rugal let out a dark rumble, his earlier pain swept away easily as he looked at Jaune with a menacing stare, his eyes becoming nothing but red, his coat billowing against this sudden gust of wind.
"What makes you think you're even worth my time? You died so easily at my hands, it didn't even take any effort!"
At his proclamation, the gust blasted Jaune in face, but he didn't flinch, and kept his gaze steady as a deadly aura began to emanate from the last Hakkeshu, a maniacal grin on his lips.
"You know what? Why not? I can play one more game before I wipe the rest of you out of existence!"
A pillar of Orochi Energy mixed with Evil Intent exploded around the megalomaniac. Rugal's skin becoming a darkened-pale complexion, his golden hair becoming pure white, and his body becoming more bigger and powerful, creating rips across his suit. Another ripple of energy surged out, his hand regenerating as the aura continued to surround the man, making him look even more threatening.
"My power will be burnt into your eyes. Now, come forth with everything that you have!"
At surprising speeds, Rugal dashed forward and grabbed Jaune by the neck, slamming him through the wall. The two of them crashed down onto a skyway, which conveniently overlooked their surroundings, wrecked and burnt by the inferno caused by the chaos.
The Mad Genocider momentarily released his grip on him to erect a barrier around them, so their little game wouldn't be interrupted. With that done, he grinned and lifted him up and started mauling him with a brutal barrage of punches, and kicks, all coated in sharp energy as he cackled madly. Pacing himself, Rugal ended it off with a Genocide Cutter, smashing him into a wall.
Jaune groaned, trying to push himself up as the servant of Orochi channeled gravitational powers, charging up a ball of electricity. The Son of Vergil stumbled, completely disoriented by the earlier attack, leaving him vulnerable. Rugal merely laughed and fired out the Gravity Smash at the cambion. Much to his shock, Jaune quickly recomposed himself and drew out Yamato for an Upper Slash, sending the attack back at him.
Grunting, he thrust his arm and summoned out his Dark Barrier, deflecting it but also made it more powerful. Jaune materialized his Aegis Shield and shoved it aside. Drawing both Red Queen and Yamato, he charged forward and started swinging.
Each of Jaune's attacks were varied. Strong, but slow. Swift and precise. Even then, Rugal easily weaved through them with grace and class. Spinning around, he blocked both blades with his hand, surprising Jaune. The Mad Genocider quickly used the opportunity and coated his free arm in a sharp aura to deliver a rising slash.
"Psycho Sword!"
The Son of Vergil was sent back, a gash appearing on his chest. Growling, he channeled his demonic energy into both of his swords and released it into an X-strike.
"Scumbag!" he roared out.
The attack struck true, drawing blood. Rugal was unable to react further as Jaune had managed to shorten the distance between them and clocked him straight in the cheek, now equipped with Beowulf. Growling, the two began trading blows, though it was clear who had more power. Exchanging one more blow, the both of them knocked back each other, pushing them at the far end of the skyway.
The two glared at each other, their hate apparent. Rugal fired off a volley of Gravity Smashes and Kaiser Waves at Jaune, spamming them out at a rather swift pace.
"Ice Breaker!"
Calling out his arm switch, Jaune froze the projectiles coming at him, before shattering them all to shards, which rocketed back to the Head of the Hakkeshu. Sneering, he laughed at him mockingly and phased through the attacks at super speed, leaving a trail of after-images as he stopped behind Jaune, grinning madly.
"Suffer!"
Piercing through his skin, the Mad Genocider dragged him across the skyway and smashed him against the wall, a small explosion of Orochi energy erupting from the impact, before turning around and slid towards the other end repeated the attack.
Rugal dashed back, looking at him in sadistic glee as Jaune shakily pushed himself up as his blood dripped down and his wounds healing. Unbeknownst to the two of them, their fight was being picked up by one of the drones from earlier, broadcasting all throughout the entire kingdom.
Pyrrha and Kyrie met up with the others and saw the footage. Ren took notice of Kyrie's state of attire and draped his coat over her. Giving a curt nod, she turned her attention to the jumbotron. All of them were mostly relieved that Jaune was alive, but was tinged with concern as they watched him fight.
When Jeanne saw it, her first immediate thought was to intervene, but something held her back, and it was Dante. The Red Devil merely shook his head, silently telling her to be confident in Jaune's abilities. Begrudgingly, she backed down and the two watched from atop of a building, nothing but worry filling the mother.
"Kick his ass, kid." Dante thought in encouragement.
"Reppuken!"
A wave of wind rode along the ground, sent by Rugal. It was bigger than what Ren could send out, and it was possibly more powerful. The Son of Vergil grunted and guarded with his Aegis Shield. He kept on blocking, the megalomaniac going on a brutal assault.
His defense fell, when Rugal leaped on top of him and began twisting around at high speeds, crushing him into the ground. The Mad Genocider laughed at his pain, even striking a pose as he kicked himself off the cambion.
Shaking it off, Jaune grabbed Red Queen and swung into MAX-Act, before leaping forward for an overhead strike. Rugal anticipated it and deflected the blade, catching Jaune by the arm. He snapped the thing out of place, earning him a hiss and a wince from the spectators.
Gathering Orochi Energy into his hand once again, he lashed at Jaune and pierced his stomach, lifting him as he glanced upon the Lone Son with maniacal grin.
"This place shall become your grave!" he declared. Rugal suffused the energy and a pillar of Orochi Energy violently exploded around him, engulfing the teen over and over in the most torturous attack as he laughed at his suffering.
No one could bear to watch as they heard Jaune's screams in complete agony. However, the attack soon ceased, interrupted as a figure materialized below them and bifurcated Rugal's arm, forcing him to drop the cambion, reeling back at the sudden attack.
Jeanne, Dante, Noir and even Lady grew wide-eyed at the sight of a translucent Vergil, hovering over his son protectively. Turning around, he grasped Jaune's arm, spinning him around before releasing his grip, sending the blond right into Rugal.
Jaune drove his foot into the mad man's stomach, quickly following it up with a cartwheel kick to the jaw. The pseudo-Vergil leaped over him and wounded Rugal with its copy of the Yamato, further disorienting him. Jaune rolled over him and channeled Iori's powers, striking him with his ethereal claws.
Soon, the phantom joined in and the two of them started an onslaught of swift yet vicious strikes, leaving multiple lacerations around Rugal's body. The former Combat Philanthropist let loose a roar of rage and generated a shockwave that shoved back the blond, while dispersing the phantom.
This left him open for an attack, one which Rugal took advantage of this and burst forward, grabbing Jaune by the head and injected him with some sort green fire, overloading to the point it blew up. This rocketed Jaune a good feet away from him, as his body slowly turned receded out of his Devil Trigger.
The Devil Hunter clenched his still active Devil Bringer tightly, not knowing what to do. Every attack he threw at Rugal, the man took like a sponge and quickly healed himself up. Not even Yamato seemed to do any lasting damage.
"What the hell do I do? How can I beat him?!"
Despite his thoughts, he charged forward, calling out Fenris and materializing Summoned Swords by his side. Grinding his two katanas together, he imbued the both of them with his power and sent out another double shockwave. Rugal merely phased through them, only to be struck by the Yamato, interrupting him.
Jaune swiftly went on the attack and whacked the megalomaniac with Fenris's scabbard twice, then drew him out, slashing at him thrice in quick succession, the last hit freezing up Rugal, frozen Summoned Swords embedding themselves on him to prolong the effect. Switching back to Beowulf, he cocked back his arm, charging up its power as it glowed brightly twice.
"Dragon Breaker!"
Just as Rugal freed himself, Jaune unleashed his attack, a powerful double rising uppercut, juggling the the Omega God into the air and sent him even higher with Blistering Swords. Rugal recovered and fired off multiple fireballs at the blond.
Erecting his Aegish Shield, he blocked the projectiles before flipping back, avoiding Rugal as he descended down. Jaune continued blocking or deflecting, the Mad Genocider becoming aggressive in his attacks, while the blond continued to think of a way to actually beat him.
"What can work? Does he even have a weakness?!"
He switched to offense and released a row of flame pillars, momentarily paralyzing Rugal. Running at him, he drew out Yamato and swung her right at his throat, a large gush of blood spurting out, but even then, it wasn't enough to end him.
The gash on his neck closed up, and even manipulated his own blood to blind the Son of Vergil.
"This is it!"
Rugal rapidly struck the blond with his legs, coated in sharp energy, launching him into the air with three rising roundhouse kicks. Jaune fell down unceremoniously with a thud. Once again, he forced himself up and wiped the blood off his lips.
"Maybe there's something I already know that I just haven't realized! Think, dammit! Is there something I can use?!"
Equipping Beowulf once more, Jaune went to a defensive route as he tried to remember anything useful. Then, his eyes shot open, Ren's and Mature's words ringing clearly in his mind. Then, during the fight with Vice and how she seemed to flinch when she made contact with his Devil Bringer…and the first time he met Rugal, with the same thing happening. He didn't want to believe it, with how bizarre and stupid it seem.
"You're kidding me… They meant it literally?! But, is it even gonna work?"
Jumping away to create some distance, Jaune dismissed the Devil Arm to look at his literal one, doubt plaguing his mind. In a second, he made up his mind. He had no other option. Tightly clenching his fist to the point it bled, he grabbed Red Queen and Yamato, both of them glowing with power.
"Place your bets… I'm going all in!"
Rugal merely laughed, his gaze nothing but a hateful sneer as he prepared to use Akuma's most deadly attack. The Son of Vergil may have only seen it once, but he was ready for it. The Mad Genocider cackled and glided toward the blond to grab him, but Jaune had Tricked back, just slightly away from his range and unleashed his counter attack.
The Devil Hunter moved at breakneck speed and swung both blades with speed that most people couldn't keep up with, rapidly slashing Rugal's chest. Jaune didn't stop. He didn't slow down. He kept on going, then ended it with a spinning overhead slash, forming a gash large enough for a hand to fit in.
Jaune dropped his weapons and forced his Devil Bringer through, bringing genuine fear to Rugal's face. The megalomaniac tried to pry it off, but kept on hissing every time he made contact. Jaune roared and injected his energy mixed with his blood into Rugal's body.
In a few moments, the cambion kicked the Omega off of him. Almost immediately, he got onto his feet and looked at Jaune with both hate and fear. "Y-You…! What have you done?!"
Heavily panting, he gave the mad man a smug grin. "Doesn't feel nice to be injected with someone else's energy, huh?! Gave you a little taste of mine, with a dash of my blood. Hope you don't mind!"
Rugal clutched his arms as his body began to convulse. Pure disbelief struck his face as he stumbled around, cracks running through his body with energy seeping through. "No…! This can't be! How…could this have happened?! I was supposed to be unbeatable, with the strongest power in this world, only next to Lord Orochi! We were supposed to win…while you were all driven to extinction! And yet, I was beaten by a mere brat?! This is inconceivable. YOU DAMN JERKS...!"
If he had said anything else, it had been drowned out by his subsequent screams of pure agony, spreading his arms across as the cracks spread across.
"Put a sock in it!" Jaune drew out Blue Rose, spinning it around and lined up his shot. Smirking, he placed his finger over the trigger as multiple Summoned Swords materialized behind him. "Jackpot!"
Firing out the Charged Shot, the infused bullets struck Rugal right in the face, skewered in quick succession by the spectral swords, hastening the process of his death. With one last wordless scream, Rugal's body exploded in a tremendous display of light, the force pushing back Jaune and making him drop his revolver.
The Son of Vergil weakly chuckled, starting to feel a bit disoriented and his vision becoming blurry. He dropped to his knees and noticed his eyes start to droop. His body leaned on his own but instead of falling down, Jaune felt someone swoop in and catch him in their arms. Forcing his eyes open, he saw his mother's relieved and proud look, accompanied by tears. Jaune just smiled and leaned into her embrace.
It was over. They had won. Rugal had been beaten.
Jeanne brought out a Vital Star and let Jaune bite into it, letting the devil fruit heal his wounds. The Lone Son looked at his mom gratefully, feeling energized. Looking forward, he felt a bit fearful as he saw the silhouette of Akuma. The Master of Fists craned his neck, his eyes boring into the cambion's very soul. He grunted and faded into nothingness, leaving behind an orb.
"A Devil Arm?" he thought out loud.
Jaune called the orb towards him and firmly grasped it. Like with the Yasakani Jewel years ago, a flood of memories surged into his mind, along with a portion of the Evil Intent. The Arc Devil immediately released his grip upon the object, falling back as he panted.
Jeanne quickly sprung into action encased it into, well, a glass case, and placed it away for safe keeping. The blonde matriarch walked up to her son, gingerly clasping his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked in worry.
Jaune gave his mother an assuring nod, just needing to catch his breath. He accepted her outstretched arm and pulled himself up. The Lone Son went to pick up his fallen weapons, securing them onto his person. Ren, Kyrie, Nora and Pyrrha came running in, the latter in the lead.
"Jaune!" all four of them cried out in joy, as Pyrrha jumped into her boyfriend's arms.
The older redhead cried into his chest and tightly wrapped her arms around him, afraid of letting go. The blond smiled and tenderly reciprocated the act with one hand, using the other to run it through her hair affectionately.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere." he assured her.
Pulling back, Jaune wiped away he tears and planted gentle kiss on her forehead. Smiling, Pyrrha broke away and let the others have a go. Nora swooped in her cousin for a bone-crushing hug, while Ren was content enough to just clasp his shoulder, happy enough to know he was still alive.
After a few more minutes of crushing his ribs, Nora let go. She and Ren stepped aside, letting the last person to finally confront Jaune. Kyrie shyly smiled, a rosy tint coating her cheeks, a bit embarrassed at her current state.
"Hey…" he awkwardly started.
"Hey…" she responded just as awkwardly.
Jaune cleared his throat and sighed. This made Kyrie a bit nervous at what he was about to say. She blinked, and felt her blush grow more heated as Jaune gently clasped his hands on her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.
"I have my answer." he finally said. The blond smiled at Kyrie, one of his hands cupping her cheek. "I wouldn't mind trying dating the two of you. Kyrie, you and Pyrrha really bring something out in me that I just can't describe. Just the thought of seeing the two of you unhappy brings me down, and I'm sorry for hurting you for so long."
"Nero…" she whispered, tears of joy starting to form in her eyes.
Kyrie closed her eyes and the two of them slowly leaned in for a kiss to seal the deal. Soon, their lips brushed together, and-
Play - Shall Never Surrender
Jaune drew out Blue Rose pulled the trigger, shooting a Kobra right on the head. Pulling away in disappointment, they could see that there were still remnants of the demons around, coupled with some Treants, that terrorized the streets. The Son of Vergil clicked his tongue in irritation, holstering back his gun.
"Looks like this mess needs to be cleaned up. Guess that kiss is gonna have to wait. Sorry, but duty calls." he said apologetically, glancing at Kyrie.
The younger Nikos smiled and nodded in understanding. "It's alright… I can wait."
This time, her words weren't laced with bitterness, making the blond smile appreciatively. Nora and Ren joined their cousin while Pyrrha led her sister to somewhere more safe. Then, they took notice that the participants of the tournament earlier appeared, led by Kyo.
"Oi. Don't you worry, we'll help out clear this thrash so you can get to your girl." the Kusanagi heir said, his fist aflame before extinguishing it with a clench of his hand as the others stood at the ready in their battle stances.
Jaune smiled, appreciating the assistance. From atop a building, Dante, accompanied by Cereza, Trish and Lady, called out to his nephew.
"Hey, kid. Your turn to say it!"
Looking at his uncle with an incredulous grin and shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "Didn't even know we were taking turns." Jaune cracked his knuckles as he approached the demons. "This party's getting crazy…" He kicked Red Queen's blade off of his back and caught it by the handle, revving it up with an excited smirk. "Let's rock!"
The entirety of the fighters roared as one, charging right into the horde. Jaune grunted and rushed forward and magnificently spun around twice, his blade coated in flames that scorched them. Ren sent forth a gust of wind, fanning the flames and made them stronger. Sending a nod of gratitude to his cousin, he flipped back and shot a Charged Shot to the horde, sending out some Summoned Swords as well.
Nora jumped high up into the air and squashed two of them into paste. Pulling back, the lightning cambion easily maneuvered her hammer around, easily dismembering or smashing off the heads of the snake-like creatures. A Kobra tried to pounce Nora from behind, but ended up being torn to shreds by blades of wind.
Ren smiled at his girlfriend and dashed over to two of them and elbowed in the gut, following it with a double palm thrust that tore through their body. The Son of Dante released waves of Reppukens, slicing them into bits. He quickly stepped backwards, letting an attack pass through harmlessly before quickly going for a counterattack, knocking them into Jaune's direction.
The Son of Vergil Bustered the demon and stabbed it fast and furiously, a bit akin to a Million Stab, before violently bouncing it into the sky it with a heavy, overhead slash. He jumped after the demon and struck it three times, before doing a Double Down, burning and eviscerating the thing. Jaune rolled back, dodging the snakes that were sent his way.
"Ice Breaker!"
He switched to his cold powers and froze the ground beneath the Kobras, making them slip and distracted. The Arc Devil leaped forward and repeatedly slammed the blunt side of his blade onto them, before stabbing it into the ground and ran along it to create a spark that blinded them.
Jaune grinned. His eyes glowed briefly as Nero emerged from out of his body, sporting a similar grin on his lips. Grabbing their respective blades, the two dashed in and swung their blades in complete sync, easily hacking through the demons in their way with grace and style.
From their spot, both Pyrrha and Kyrie watched in awe as the two pretty much mowed down anything in their sight. In the very back of their minds, they were giddy with the prospect of Jaune being able to make a clone of himself.
The two passively watched as the remaining Kobras merged in a desperate attempt to do a bit of damage. Original and copy clapped their hands and beckoned for the demon like it was a dog. This enraged the servant of Orochi and pounced at the duo, only for its head to be slammed into two Aegis Shields.
Switching to the Yasakani Jewel, they both unleashed a pillar of purple flames that froze the demon. Rounding behind it, they called on Beowulf and spin kicked it towards their cousins. Nora sent it back with a powerful, double-handed smash. Nero chuckled and backhanded it, changing its direction once again. Ren stylishly performed a flurry of kicks, and ended it with a powerful Straight. Jaune jumped into the air and moved in, aggressively kicking it, before crashing it down with a forceful heel kick.
The four cocked back their arms with a large grin and simultaneously performed a rising uppercut that launched the demon back into the air. Deciding to finish it, Nero materialized Fenris onto his person. Slipping into an Iaido stance, the Son of Vergil skewered the Kobra in a vortex sphere of coldness, freezing it before it was diced up into fine pieces and shattered as it hit the ground.
Ren and Nora clapped him on the shoulder before dropping down the sky way to help the others clean up, and to give him some privacy. Nero absorbed Fenris back into his arm as the original sighed, watching as the rest of Kobras were now easy pickings, which meant that they had it handled.
Turning around, they ran inside of the building of where Pyrrha and Kyrie hid inside of. Jaune and Nero scaled up the stairs, sensing that they were at the rooftop, probably waiting for him. It didn't take him long to reach his destination, as they saw the two of them watching the sun prepare to set. A thought came to mind, and Nero went in alone.
They noticed his presence, facing him with a smile that made him feel joy. Pyrrha nodded at her sister, stepping back to give them some space. Nero walked up to Kyrie, brushing away some strands of her hair. Hazel met with blue, their lips curled into a joyous smile.
"Sorry for making you wait."
Kyrie could only shake her head. "Don't worry. It's alright."
The white-haired cambion cupped her chin and gently pulled her closer. The younger redhead felt ecstatic, closing her eyes as she leaned forward. Finally, their lips connected. Both of them could feel a jolt shudder through their body as their kiss deepened, Kyrie wrapping her arms around his back.
Everyone clapped and cheered for the newly minted couple. At a higher building, Dante looked down at his nephew with nothing but pride, pretty happy for him.
Pyrrha wiped away a tear, feeling nothing but joy for her sister. She finally got one of her greatest desires. Then, much to her confusion, Pyrrha felt someone take her hand and interlocked it with their's. Glancing to her left, Jaune stood there with a goofy smile.
"As if I was gonna leave you out."
She just smiled in contentment and laid her head on his shoulders, gently squeezing back his hand.
Jeanne beamed at her son, short of nothing but happiness and pride for him. As she was about to turn away, she felt someone embrace her from behind. The translucent Vergil tenderly wrapped his arm around his wife, a soft smile on his face. This brought a tear to the nephilim's eye, bringing her hands over his as the phantom slowly started to fade.
Finally, the sun set, and the night approached. The disaster has been averted, and there was still a tomorrow to look forward to. A happy ending...for now.
EDIT: Based on a snap decision, I took this down to re-edit and revise some of the fights. I'm sorry for doing so, please don't hurt me.
Hey, y'all. Sorry for taking so long. I wasn't feeling at a 100% during this past weeks. I felt nothing but down, and I couldn't find the strength to write. I'm pretty thankful for all of the beautiful that exists in the Arkos Discord Server for helping me out of my funk. You guys might not see this, but thanks a lot.
Enough about me being sulky, time to focus on the chapter. So, this has to be the longest chapter of this story so far, having overtaken, coincidentally the DMC4 arc finale. I'm never doing chapters this long ever again...I hope.
Hope y'all enjoyed the fight, and I'm quite sorry that I didn't include a scene of Dante and Cereza fighting together. Maybe in the Chronicles, I'll include one.
Next chapter will be relatively short, and it'll set up the transition into the RWBY side of things. As always, if you have any questions, leave them in a review, or a PM. Thank you for taking the time to read my rather mediocre story.
Until next time. Keep yourself safe and sanitized.