Prologue: Counting From Zero
The Demon World, contrary to popular belief, could be considered a fascinating place. Referred on multiple instances of human history, throughout multiple myths and lore, it has been adjudicated by multiple names. The Underworld, Dark Realm, and even Hell. Yet, none of these names could ever hope to truly describe the full magnificence of its real escence. More than a simple universe, the Demon World could be more accurate to be called a nexus in the multiverse. Multiple parallel worlds being capable of reaching it, use it as an easier way of travel, or simply a place to gather strength away from prying eyes.
For the man named Vergil, this place holds a more sentimental value to him than many others. It was here where he ended up so many years ago after liberating the Temen-Ni-Gru on the human world; where he confronted the demon king Mundus and was sentenced to serve as his slave after losing; where he healed from the wounds his own brother inflicted over him after their dispute at Mallet Island. And here he was again, alongside his twin brother, to cut down the roots of the Demonic Tree which he unleashed on the human world...huh, he really has a thing for unleashing hellish structures upon earth.
Back on track, the black clad Cambion was walking with a purpose. Gone were his days looking for power, and after a heartful, on his terms, reunion with his brother and his son, the oldest of Sparda's twin sons was ready to turn the page, and live the rest of his life peacefully. So much violence has he seen...
"Oh come on, Vergil. Give us some details already!"
...and so much violence he shall unleash over his brother if he continued being a buffon over the matter.
"There are no details to give. You almost destroyed my body, so I wandered around here until I recovered enough strength to come back to the human world. The rest you are already familiar with."
His red clad twin hummed slightly, but Vergil knew it was from over. Dante was a simple creature, just feed him and he should be fine. But there are some things he just couldn't let go, and must always make a circus until the person in question either breaks or tries to kill him.
"Such foolishness."
He will have time to beat some sense into his brother at a later date, the task at hand shall require both brothers' attention. Up ahead in the distance, seemingly stretching beyond the sky itself, was a gigantic tree, far larger than any mountain. Its roots, which were visible, spanned several hundreds miles around. Higher up, the trunk extended all the way across dimensions, into the human world. This was the Qliphoth, a miraculous demon tree that blooms once every few thousand years.
"So we just have to cut this thing down?" Dante asked, calling forth his Demon Sword into the material plane.
"That's right," Vergil replied, allowing a sliver of teasing into his tone, how he missed moments like this. "You know, I am more than capable of handling this on my own."
"Of course you are," his twin replied with an eye-roll, although the fond smile on his face couldn't be denied. "But you could do with some help. So how about we take care of this together?"
Once upon a time, even the mere notion of him needing help would have invoked his anger. But a lot has happened to Vergil over the years, and he has changed for the better, at least he hoped. For all their differences and constant bickering, the two brothers were glad to be reunited. And for the first time in his life, Vergil allowed that to show in the form of a tiny smile that graced his face for half a second.
"Have it your way then," he simply replied.
Together, the two Sons of Sparda approached the Demon Tree. With its roots dug into the soil of the Demon World, the Qliphoth was absorbing large amounts of the demonic energy. Those same roots has spread all the way to the Human World, where it had drained the population of Redgrave City dry of blood to nourish its power, raising it to cataclysmic levels, enough that it's mere presence was tearing the through the already volatile fabric of Space-Time that encapsulated the Demon World. To destroy something of that magnitude would require considerable power. There was no point in holding back.
Simultaneously, the two warriors transformed, red and blue auras exploding as they shifted into their true, demonic forms. Each brother having achieved this level of power through their own means. Vergil through the consumption of the Qliphoth's fruit, while Dante through the assimilation of the Rebellion and Sparda Swords. Despite the differences, both Sin Devil Triggers pulsed and crackled with electricity, holding power on the level of gods.
Their mere presence caused the Demon World to tremble to its foundation, and each of its denizens felt it, and experienced true terror once more. Terror that none had felt ever since the prime days of Mundus, the one who had brought countless demons to their knees on brute force alone. And then, there had been the Legendary Dark Knight, he who proved even stronger by waging war not only against Mundus himself, but also against the horde of demons he gathered under his banner. And now, not one but two devils had appeared who surpassed him.
None dared to stand in their way, be it lesser demons, or even those so called 'Demon Princes' that ruled over a very few. In the Demon World, might reigns supreme, and the Sons of Sparda had the absolute right of strength to approach the tree unopposed.
With a primal roar, the two godlike beings prepared their weapons, Vergil unsheathing Yamato from his forearm, while Dante raised high the blade in which he engraved his very soul and name. Matching their timing as though it was entirely natural, they attacked in perfect sync.
Vergil's two handed slash seemed to rend through the fabric of the Demon World itself, sending an expanding blue line that went clean through the gigantic trunk. At first, nothing happened. Then, the top half, separated from the roots that connected it to the ground, began to slide off. In desperation, the sentient tree attempted to save its own life, as countless tentacles grew from it, attempting to hold it together. That was when Dante's attack connected. A single swing sent forth a river of red blades made of energy, stretching across the miles that separated them from the tree. The countless phantasmic blades seemed to cover every inch of the Qliphoth's surface, stretching all the way up to where it crossed over into the Human World.
And then, they detonated.
With a blast that would put any human invention to shame, every last bit of the demon tree was completely obliterated, reduced to atoms.
With their task completed, the twins morphed back into their human forms, dropping gracefully into the ground. Dante turned to face his brother, a grin on his face.
"I'd say we're still even."
It would still be a while before either of them took the lead in their seemingly never-ending competition.
Before Vergil could correct his uncultured brother that he caused more damage to the tree, the ground began to shake.
"What the-"
All around them, the very world seemed to fall to pieces, like so many shards of glass. With each piece that fell away, a swirling mass of everything and nothing was laid bare.
"What the hell's going on?!" exclaimed Dante, teeth bared.
"The tree! Destroying it released too much power! The wall between dimensions is being torn apart!"
Vergil, owning the Yamato for almost a lifetime, has more raw experience than most people concerning space-time phenomena. And could clearly recognize what was happening here.
"I thought you said cutting down the roots would close the opening!"
"It did! It's closing already! But before it does, the tree's released power is making one final, misguided attempt to keep it open! Do not be alarmed, it will close for good in mere moments," promised the elder twin.
Dante swore at the implication.
"Then we need to get back, right now!" he exclaimed, before looking at his older brother with a glare on his face. "Hey, you aren't planning on staying here, are you?" he asked with suspicion.
Vergil laughed, an uncharacteristic gesture for himself he will admit.
"I have had quite enough of the scenery here. I would like to return, if you don't mind."
"Now that's what I'm talking about," said Dante. "Let's go!"
The two of them broke into a full sprint, racing across the rapidly cracking ground at supersonic speed, towards the swirling hole in reality that existed where the tree had once been. Even as they approached, the portal grew smaller.
"Can't you just make another one of those with the Yamato?!" called Dante as they ran.
"Not likely! The dimensions are too unstable already. If we rip it apart even more, we will be lost in the limbo for eternity!"
With another swearing of the red clad twin, both brothers sped up. But even then, they both knew they couldn't make it at their current pace, so they decided to pull out all the stops. It was only ten meters to the portal, the energy expenditure wouldn't be as serious to be considered mortal.
Vergil's silhouette flashed blue for a moment, and he disappeared, using a technique of the Dark Slayer style called simply Trick.
Dante, on the other hand, jumped. Behind him, a floating red magic circle shimmered in the air, and as soon as he placed his feet in it, it hurled him forward. This was his Trickster's style move Sky Star.
This was it. They had done all they could. Now it was just a matter of seeing if it would be enough.
And as a matter of fact, it was. Both brothers reached the gap in reality right at time.
However, Fate had played a hand neither of them had seen coming.
The limbo space between worlds is common.
So, while it was possible to traverse it and cross over from the Demon World into the Human World, and vice versa, it was also entirely possible that one might end up somewhere else.
Indeed, humans exist in more than one universe.
And so, the single portal split into two, each leading to a similar, but completely different realm.
A moment later, Dante found himself in the familiar destroyed streets of Redgrave City.
As for Vergil...he opened his, and saw blood everywhere.
"So COOL!"
XXX
Vergil looked around, blinking a couple of times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.
They weren't.
The scene right in front of his eyes could only be described as a bloody massacre.
He was in a living room, the television being the only source of light into such a darkness. There were even two adults seated on the couch right in front of the device. A perfectly normal scene, if one were to ignore how one of the adults lacked a head, and the light of television revealed how the walls of the room were painted red with the blood of the owners.
For a moment, Vergil thought he was back at Redgrave City, and he was just witnessing one of the many aftermaths that the demons he led rampant had caused.
He didn't feel...guilty per se. Responsable would be the correct word. He caused this, and so he must assume responsibility for his acts by at least giving the couple an appropriate burial.
"So COOL!"
His gaze immediately felt over the source of the noise, and his newfound sense of responsibility to the couple evaporated immediately.
Off to the side, painting a circle of blood on the ground with his foot, was a man. Of Asian descent, his bright hair color was quite eye-catching if he were a simple human. But it was not his hair that caught Vergil's interest.
It was his eyes.
In his youth, back when he was still looking for information about the whereabouts of the remnants of his father's power, Vergil had crossed paths with all kinds of evil-aligned individuals, Arkham prime among them.
Cultists, warlords, rapists, terrorists, unscrupulous magicians. All these types of men had a certain look in their eyes. For the man in front of him, Vergil only had one word to utterly describe him.
"Scum," he almost hissed.
These types of men were one of the true reasons why Vergil wanted to get rid of his human half, his weakness in the first place. Demons were born evil, they could change to the better as his father proofed, but they were evil by nature. Humans weren't. They weren't born either evil or good, they make the choice of being evil just for the sake of evil itself. That free will that religious men preach over and over again doesn't make them better than animals, but worse.
"I can't believe it!" the man shouted, not even realizing the kind of glare that he was receiving. He was ecstatic with himself, almost euphoric. Great, one of those. "I summoned a Demon!" he cried high, looking up to the heavens. "I summoned a Demon! This is the GREATEST COO-"
THUD
A head rolled to the side, and moments later the man's body followed soon after.
Giving the Yamato a light swing to clean it from the man's blood, Vergil posed his eyes over a book clutched closely to the corpse.
He didn't know if it was simple curiosity, or a greater power at work, but Vergil picked-up the bo- Grimoire he corrected himself, the cover made of human skin being an indicator of its real nature. Now the circle in the ground makes some semblance of sense.
Opening the blasted object, a name written on the front page quickly catches his eye, and all this scene is turning both clearer and confusing at the same time.
Francesca Prelati.
That name gave him a pause.
Prelati. He knew that name very well. It was the same last name of the author of the book that Arkham always carried around with him all those years back. Only that it was written by François Prelati. A "priest" and alchemist native of France during the time period of the Hundred Years War. To the supernatural community, he was the head of a cult of demon worshipers, whom alongside his friend, Gilles de Rais, raped and murdered uncountable children before his own father brought an end to their lives.
But still, his works persisted over the time, and it seems one of its descendants decided to spread the word of the madman.
Vergil was disgusted with this discovery, so in a fit of righteous punishment, gathered part of his power on the hand holding the Gremoire. He watched, not with satisfaction, but with apathy how the accursed thing started to burn itself into his hand. The flames hurt somewhat, but Vergil dismissed the feeling and instead concentrated on making sure only ashes remain of the object.
He must have been more careful with his actions.
As a Cambion, Vergil is part human, and part Demon. Beings of desire and ambition, his demonic heritage presented him as a beacon to another object of great power currently in the city.
It still needed a Seventh to properly start, so this one shall do.
At his back, the circle painted with blood was jump-started due to the great concentration of mana into the air. With the support of both the Cup and the being right next to it, a chant wasn't needed, it was just necessary to find a match.
One that must be decided by the deepest desire of the Contractor.
"I just...want a family. Want to experience once again that warm feeling."
Vergil spun over his heels, the Yamato half-way unsheathed already. And he waited to see what came out of the summoning circle.
"You called me and I came right away! Your lovely foxy wife, Caster, has now arrived! Mikon~!"
Blue and golden eyes crossed their gazes, none the wiser of what this encounter shall unleash in the future. Battles shall come, an adventure awaits, a new page on the life of the Dark Slayer has been turned. And as his twin should say…
Let's Rock!
XxXxX
Uff, hello everyone! This is darthwolf bringing you all a new adventure for you all to enjoy.
Now, the motivation to write this story came from smilingsamurai, with his own work "The New Teacher''. I totally recommend it if you guys are fans of a good Devil May Cry story. Now, some of you may start complaining that the first half of the prologue was a full plagiarization of his own work, not to worry that I asked for permission and he gave me the okay.
Now, I don't know you, but I AM MOTIVATED for what is to come. We will all see this Devil's misadventures on a completely new world as crazy as his last one, with a waifu already for the ride. I see that as a total victory.
See ya.