Disclaimer: I own nothing. Capcom owns Devil May Cry, Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson, etc.


Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return

Chapter 3: Building Pressure Part 1

The Caribbean Sea, Off the Coast of the Americas

Nero's eyes slowly opened as the smell of salt water filled his nose and the lapping of waves filled his ears. The hunter let out a tired groan as he sat up from the bed he was using during their voyage. Upon sitting up, he felt something jingle against his chest. Reaching inside of his undershirt's collar, he lifted out something, and his face instantly softened. In his right hand was the necklace he gave Kyrie that fateful day.

Looking at the necklace longingly, he sighed as he put it back underneath his undershirt and decided to get himself dressed. Upon getting dressed, he glanced at Red Queen's case and decided to quickly open it up and see if any seawater had gotten through the fabric. To his relief, none had. Taking the mighty weapon, he sheathed it across his back. In the room he was using, there was a small counter where Blue Rose rested.

Taking the silver firearm, he twirled it on his finger and put it in his holster.

Noticing that nobody was inside, he decided to head for the deck outside, and see where they were. He walked through the door and emerged onto the deck of Lady's ship. It was a white charter boat, with Lady steering the boat on the top. Trish, wearing her black shades again, was leaning against the side railing, and he decided to approach her.

"Hey, Trish," he greeted. The blond woman glanced over at the young man and smiled at him, "How far out are we?"

She shrugged, "Don't know. But we should be getting closer to Vie de Marli, or from what Dante has told us. We should arrive in an hour or two."

"Good to hear," replied the youngest hunter, he then glanced around when he noticed that someone was missing, "Any idea where our friend is?"

"She might still be asleep," shrugged Trish, however, a small smile graced her lips, "Worried about her wellbeing, Nero?"

"Worried that she might slow us down," snorted Nero, though he didn't mean it completely, he saw how she handled herself in his vision and he could guess that she was more than able to hold her own, but that still didn't excuse the fact that they had an extra body to worry about, "Given what's at stake."

"Right," sighed the electric demoness. A few moments of silence passed between them, not an uncomfortable silence just, words weren't needed presently.

"Remind me again, why Lord Raiden couldn't just zap us to the island like how he got to the manor with his stand-in?" complained the hunter, "I like the ocean as much as it's god likes me."

Trish giggled at his dramatic behavior.

"Because the island Vie de Marli has unique properties established thousands of years ago," interjected a voice from behind them. Both Nero and Trish turned around to see there plus one, however, Nero's eyes widened ever so slightly.

Saeko Busujima as they had been introduced by Raiden stood before them. She wore an untucked white blouse, a green untied tie hung loosely around the collar. The collar was flipped up with the top two buttons were undone, exposing her cleavage. The cuffs were rolled up to her elbows. She also wore black pants that were tucked into knee-high lace leather heeled boots. A green belt was strapped around her waist with and was connected to a special harness that wrapped around her left thigh and attached to it was her sword. On the back of her belt was a holster that carried what Nero could guess was a Desert Eagle with Silver Sliver slide and black grip. The Japanese girl's hair flowed through the sea breeze as she approached the two.

"Due to these properties, it makes the island near invisible to eyes of gods," continued Saeko, "also, using that much power could draw the attention of the Greek Gods to the Lowell's home."

"From what he told us, he took a big risk even coming to the U.S.," added Trish as she took off her sunglasses.

"Yes," nodded the purple-haired girl, "The Greek Pantheon's hold on the country is strong. The other gods have tolerated their domain over the country for the moment, but with recent events, that may change."

Trish nodded, given what happened, it would come as a surprise if the other gods didn't do anything about the Greeks.

"If you will excuse me, I'm going to speak with Lady," stated Saeko.

Trish nodded as the young woman before glancing over to Nero to see him watching her leave.

"See something you like, Nero?" teased Trish as she playfully shoved the younger hunter. This jolted him out of his daze and glared at her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded indignantly.

"Come on, you like her," she elaborated, smiling when she saw him roll his eyes.

"I'm going to find Dante," he evaded and left the demoness.

"They say denial is the first step," continued Trish as she watched him leave. Nero grumbled about something while he walked away. The blonde smiled, seeing Dante's nephew come to terms, or at the very least start to come to terms with what back then. Maybe, this new girl can help him through and convince him that Kyrie's death wasn't his fault in any way at all. However, she could only hope they take one step at a time. Kyrie had been everything for Nero, his entire world. Trish didn't doubt for a minute that Nero loved her to a fault. She changed his life, gave him a sense of hope when there was no one else around him when he was growing up.

The blonde woman let out a sigh as she turned back to the railing to lean on it once more, looking out across the water. She would admit, she loved Nero as if he was her family, her little brother. When he lost Kyrie, Trish closed her eyes as the memory of that awful day came back.

'I have never seen anyone so broken,' she thought to herself, not even some clients she and the others were hired by looked so defeated and sad.

When Nero lost Kyrie, he broke; but now there was a chance to mend the pieces. Trish glanced over her shoulder to the wheelhouse to see Saeko speaking with Lady. It went without saying that Nero didn't tell them everything he saw in his little daydream, but she had a hunch it had something to do with their most recent addition. Ever since that day, Nero has never really been himself, so maybe Saeko could help him back to what he once was.

"One step at a time, Trish," she muttered to herself, realizing she was thinking way too ahead of herself. She needs to focus on the here and now, and at the moment, they were playing a very dangerous game, traveling through the ocean since flying would be way too dangerous given Zeus is gunning for them and it was possibly easier to get by Poseidon. It was a big risk, but it might be easier to fight off a god of the ocean than the sky, but she shouldn't just rely on faith, especially with how she felt before boarding the boat Lady got them.

In order to help as much as he could, Raiden transported them to one of the major cities of Florida, Miami specifically. The Shinto deity also sent Nero's van with them because it is unlikely that he would be able to return any time soon with monster uprisings popping up everywhere in Japan. So to avoid wasting time, Nero's van was brought along. After finding a parking lot that allowed long term parking, the group got a boat and started their journey, however, it was when they shoved off from the dock did she get a bad feeling, like an omen.

She didn't know what it was for, but a part of her said that she should be careful and not because of Poseidon and the Greek Pantheon hunting them down, but because of something else. The strangest part was that this warning wasn't just for them, but for the gods as well.

As if they were being watched and not by deities, but by something else.


Mallet Island, South Pacific

Mallet Island, a small mass of land located in the middle of the ocean, far from any major landmass. Hundreds of stories surround this eerie dot in the ocean, some more recent than others, and some dating back long before proper governments were formed. But the most legendary of all the stories was when the son of Sparda, Dante, prevented Mundus from escaping the Demon World and ending his reign. It was with his defeat that Mallet Island collapsed beneath the waves into the ocean, but that was history and this is the present.

The once sunken island had risen once more, thanks to the Demon Emperor's son, Excelsus. The castle that had dominated nearly ninety percent of the island was ruined. Parts were restored thanks to Excelsus' power, but the new ruler of the Demon World valued functionality over comfort and only made repairs if necessary.

Across the island, hundreds, perhaps thousands of demons prowled across the rocky terrain. Ranging from lessers to elites and high-class demons. The number of beasts was staggering but there were a few who stood out from the rest. It was clear that the previous demon king's son was intent on claiming this world for all demonkind, and a base of operation was obviously in demand, and what better place to build one's forces then on an island forged by demonic kind, especially since the only people to ever visit the island and leave alive believes it to be destroyed.

Within the ancient castle, Excelsus was seated in a stone throne, the interior appears to have seen better days. Likely, before the island crumbled to the bottom of the ocean. He had actually assumed a human form, something that no other Demon King had done since the only other Demon King was Mundus and he wasn't around anymore. Despite assuming this form, he still held some traits of his original form, like his armor was almost a copy of his actual body, the only difference know was what used to be his crown now served as a helmet which he had removed and was resting on the right armrest.

His facial features now exposed, one could get a clean look at his face and in all honesty, he didn't look anything like what you might think a Demon Lord would. He had a rather handsome face, a small stubble lining his jawline and chin was neatly trimmed. He had grayish hair that reached down to his shoulders, but despite the color, he looked incredibly young, no more than thirty years old at most and twenty-five years at least. Behind him, his great wings were closed slightly, faintly pulsing with energy. The King of the Demon World was leaning back in the throne with his eyes closed. Standing by his side were his two most trusted lieutenants. On his left was Valfalk in his human form, his silver armor reflecting the rays of light that broke through the ceiling. Among the Devils that passed through the portal into the Human World, he was the one that embodied the sin of pride. On Excelsus's right was a very voluptuous woman wearing some very revealing armor, if it could be called that at all.

She was wearing gunmetal grey braces on both her forearms, outlined with light blue and hints of purple. Her shoulders and upper arms were exposed, revealing her cream-colored skin. A gray breastplate hugged her waist and actually raised her generous bust slightly. At the center of the plate was a golden plate that had a unique symbol on it. The symbol appeared similar to the yin and yang, except the curve that went through the circle went horizontally and not vertically, and was missing the eyes for Yin and Yang and was colored purple.

A very small and thin black piece of cloth covered her nether regions, if only barely, and just came over her hips. Dark grey armored leggings hugged her thighs, and shins while golden knee pads covered her knees and were accented with the color violet. She also wore grey high heels with golden accents.

Looking at this woman's facial features and just calling this woman beautiful wouldn't even begin to do her any justice. She had flawless cream skin as if an angel had sculpted her. Lilac eyes gazed fondly at her king while her lilac hair cascaded down her back reaching her waist while two long bangs flowed down and tickled the top of her cleavage. Around her neck was a purple victorian lace choker, with intricate patterns and a small amethyst gemstone attached. Following the theme of her armor, she wore a sort of small crown, a tiara, that framed her face with two extensions stretching down past her cheeks. In the center were three golden jewels.

Aside from her stunning beauty, the second most prominent feature of this woman was what was behind her. Jutting out of her back were six spider-like legs that were currently hugging her body. Two legs cupped her hips and rested within her inner thighs, while the four others situated themselves on top of her bust, the tips reaching into her cleavage, and on top her shoulders.

This was Nerscylla, the demoness that represented the sin of Lust. The demoness was currently sitting on the armrest of Excelsus' throne, gently resting her hands on his body, tracing his armor and caressing her master's physique.

"If I may be honest, my lord; I did not think it was possible that we were able to escape the Demon World," spoke the demon of lust, her tone silky and sensual, "that we could finally see the land that was promised to us so long ago, but denied at the last moment."

"And yet, here we are," interjected Valfalk from the right, gaining Nerscylla's attention. The purple-haired demoness giggled seductively, however, the demon it was directed at only snorted, "I would have more faith in our master, Nerscylla."

"Don't be so uptight, my dear, Valfalk," purred the spider-like woman, "Master knows that I am only joking."

Nerscylla then nuzzled herself into the crook of Excelsus' neck and gently nipped at his exposed skin. Valfalk only rolled his eyes and adjusted his sword's position at his belt before folding his arms.

"But I must ask, why can we not improve this?" whined the demoness, "Surely a grander palace is more fit for a ruler and conqueror."

"Because, my dear Nerscylla, we cannot allow ourselves to be blinded by pride and material possessions," spoke Excelsus, startling Nerscylla as she leaned back, a blush forming across her face as she looked down embarrassed. As opposed to when he observed Camp Half-Blood and the portal's closing, his voice sounded more human but still held such power that could make anyone bend the knee to him, "At the moment we are still weak, outnumbered, and continuing to build our forces."

The latest and second king of the demon world rose from his stone throne and stepped away, leaving his helm behind on the right armrest while he approached a broken window to look out onto the island and watch as more demons began to arrive, despite his eyes still closed. He could sense the presence of every single demon that came onto the island. The very island that was meant as the staging point for his father's triumphant arrival to the human world. Only to be foiled by the son of Sparda and a last-minute aid from that artificial construct which was inspired by Sparda's wife.

"In time, we will improve our new home and take what belongs to us from these gods who squander about over petty rivalries and hurt feelings," Excelsus then turned back to face Nerscylla and he approached her, the demoness removing herself from her position on her throne stand before her master. In their human forms, Excelsus was just slightly taller than Nerscylla at six foot two inches, "Though I promise you, my dear," the demon king rested his hands on her shoulders, the demoness jumping slightly at the slightly cold touch of his gloves metal fingertips. Excelsus then opened his eyes and revealed his golden irises to her, "We will rebuild this castle, in memory of my father's dream to be free of that accursed place, and take our place as rulers of this world."

Nerscylla nodded, a blush forming once more, but not in embarrassment, but adoration, and some lust, for the one who helped her and the others escape. The two looked at each other for a moment, silently before the only other person present in the room coughed into his hand

"Not to rain on your little moment, master; but why exactly did you choose this ruined castle?" interrupted Valfalk, bringing Excelsus and Nerscylla out of their gaze at one another. The demoness glared at her king's right hand while Excelsus just gave him a look that said 'really?'

"For several reasons, Valfalk, though I shall provide you with the three I consider a priority," addressed Excelsus with a sigh, as he let go of Nerscylla and clasped his hands behind his back and headed back to the window, "For one, Mallet Island's natural properties shield from the eyes of the gods and goddesses of any pantheon, regardless of their domain happens to be the very seas which they reign over. For all the know, this island does not exist. A second reason is that, despite Dante and Trish knowing the location of the island, it is unlikely that they will conclude we have made this once great castle our stagging grounds, believing it to be destroyed upon their escape from my father when he failed to invade the Human World."

"And the third?" asked the silver demon. Excelsus smirked as he glanced between Valfalk and out the window to see the sun beginning to set.

"It has nice sunsets," stated the Demon King in a cheeky tone. Valfalk just rolled his eyes and let out a huff of exasperation while Nerscylla giggled into her hand. Despite being a Demon King, Excelsus was hardly a normal Devil and not just because he was the youngest son of Mundus, but because he knew something that gave humanity an edge, an edge that he will take upon himself in order to come out on top. He had every intention of achieving his goals and sometimes, unusual tactics had to be employed.

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room were opened, the three Devils turned to see one of their comrades enter, also in human form wearing hulking armor. Standing at about seven feet with incredibly dense plate armor, entered Nergigante, the Demon representing Wrath. Large spikes rose from black shoulder pauldrons, a helmet covered his entire face, leaving only small holes for his eyes to peer through. Those eyes glowed a bright orange. Rising up from the top of the helm were two large horns.

His chest armor boasted a muscular design and appeared to be comprised of black dragonic scales. Armored gauntlets were strapped to his forearms and were lined with dozens of spikes. A belt was strapped around his waist, a skull was used as the buckle while armor plating covered his legs and shins.

resting directly on top of his shoulders was a sort of leather cape that held a distinct resemblance to a dragon's wings.

"My Lord," growled Nergigante in a deep guttural voice as he fell to one knee, "I bring word, "We have discovered that the boy, Nero and his cohorts have left the Lowell's home and are currently heading to Vie de Marli."

"How long ago was this?" requested Excelsus, his tone shifting into stone.

"Approximately yesterday morning."

"There's no way they'd risk flying with Zeus gunning for them," spoke up Valfalk, stepping towards his master.

"Agreed," responded the Demon King, eyes narrowing slightly, "It appears other gods are assisting them."

"Indeed, the Shinto God known as Raiden assisted them," confirmed Nergigante.

"How was he able to come here without being noticed by the Greek pagans?" asked Nerscylla.

Excelsus hummed for a moment before coming to a conclusion, "They are still recovering from our initial exodus into Camp Half-Blood. They have not recovered completely during this time and are weak enough to allow deities to enter and leave the country freely."

"You think Nero is also making use of this window to get some help?" asked Valfalk.

"I would not put it past him but this sudden change of pace does complicate matters," theorized the Demon King as he cupped his chin with his left hand and began revising scenarios in his mind.

"How were we not informed sooner?" demanded the silver demon.

"Our surveyor got ambushed by some of that feminazis goddess's followers," answered Nergigante as he rose to his feet, "Barely escaped and able to return to deliver the message."

"We have no need for weakness," stated Valfalk, "dispose of that demon."

"Belay that order, Nergigante," interrupted Excelsus as he turned to Valfalk, surprising all three devils.

"But master, that surveyor failed to inform us sooner, would have-," started the demon representing pride but was cut off instantly.

"Could have's, would have's, and should have's, will not change what has already happened. A set back beyond that surveyor's control," stated Excelsus sharply causing Valfalk to bow his head in shame, "Eliminating that demon would serve no purpose beyond reducing our forces."

"But master-!" tried Valfalk, but was slammed against the wall, cracking the stone when Excelsus held his right hand out, his appendage bursting with energy.

"But nothing, Valfalk!" Excelsus's tone becoming what it normally is in his demon form. His eyes blazing with power while he unfurled his massive wings, illuminating the entire room. The son of Mundus slowly approached his second while Nergigante stood at the side of the room with Nerscylla, though the two had very different reactions to their master's outburst.

For one, Nerscylla had a deep blush on her face while she gently bit her lower lip. Her hips swayed slightly as a deep sense of arousal flowed through her, watching her master punish his subordinate. Maybe he could give her the same treatment one day.

"Do not let your pride control you, Valfalk," stated Excelsus as he stood just two feet away from his follower, "Realize our situation. We are outnumbered, unprepared, and continuously building our forces. If we are to reign control of this world from the gods, then we must use every asset to our advantage. To that end, a set back is not a failure. I will not waste an asset because it was delayed by forces beyond its control and resulted in a minor delay to my agenda."

"I will take this world for demonic kind. I will succeed where my father failed. Meaning, I will not make 'his' mistake allow my own arrogance to blind me of the bigger picture," concluded Excelsus, letting Valfalk fall to the ground, coughing slightly as air rushed back into his lungs. The Demon King's power settling down slowly, "My father's mistake was assuming victory was already his when the battle was far from over and squandering resources because it inconvenienced him momentarily. I will not sacrifice an asset unless absolutely necessary."

Excelsus paused for a moment to allow his words to sink in for Valfalk before addressing him in a slightly more composed and calm tone, "I realize you embody pride, Valfalk, but do not let your pride control you. Are we understood?"

"Yes master," nodded the silver demon.

Excelsus grunted in approval before turning away for a moment, "While Nero's progress is unexpected, it will not last long."

"What's the plan, master?" asked Nergigante as he approached the son of Mundus.

"While we may not have the forces to track down Nero ourselves, there is another way," replied the ruler of demonkind. Holding up his right hand, he created a wide window that revealed an image of Las Vegas. The window focused on one point, in particular, a recording studio. DOA Recording Studios to be specific, "We apply some pressure to persuade the Greek Gods to step up their search for Nero and his compatriots."

Nerscylla approached Excelsus and wrapped arms around his chest and pressed her body against his, smiling wickedly as she planted a small kiss on his cheek before looking at the window. Valfalk joined them as well, massaging his throat slightly.

"And what better way, then by giving one of the 'Big Three' a visit," smirked Excelsus, "And if that doesn't grab their attention."

The image changed to New York City, focusing directly on the Empire State Building, "We visit the home of Zeus himself to give him an incentive to find the boy faster for us."

"Gather Gore, Deviljho, Kulve Taroth, and Narkarkos and tell them we embark for Las Vegas," ordered Excelsus, Nergigante nodded before leaving the throne room. The demon king smirked sinisterly as the studio reflexed against his faintly glowing eye, "Let us see if Hades is anything like the Demon World."


DOA Recording Studios, Las Vegas, Nevada

Things have picked up incredibly quickly in the studio, though not for the right reasons.

Inside the Studio you didn't come in for a job, you came in to make your way to the afterlife. For this place served as the gate for Hades and Charon was not having a good day. For one thing, it was far more busy than it should be. There were souls filling the entire lobby, there weren't even enough seats for them to take their place. Standing about, silent, like the dead.

Sitting behind the desk in the steel gray colored lobby was Charon, the Spirit of Boundaries and Territories and the ferryman that transports dead spirits to the Underworld. Though for someone who ferries the dead, who was looking very healthy.

Currently, he was tall and elegant, with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

His true form and attire consisted of a long black robe and unlike the appearance he has in the lobby, his eyes are empty, completely dark, full of night, death, and despair. Right now, he was despairing alright, he had been experiencing nothing but an even bigger headache the last three weeks. The only other time he had this big of a headache was during Nam.

The doors to the lobby suddenly opened once more, causing the son of Nyx to silently strangle the air.

"More already?" he muttered to himself, having a distinctly British accent, "What in blazes is going on?"

Deciding to take his break, he took out a newspaper and unfolded it and held it up in front of him, cutting off his sight with whatever new souls entered.

"Mr. Charon," spoke a regal voice.

"I'm on my break currently, mate," stated the Ferrier sharply, "You'll just have to wait your turn."

"Oh, I don't wish to speak to you, good sir," corrected whoever it was, causing Charon to furrow his brow in confusion, "Rather, I wish to speak with your employer."

"Ha," scoffed the spirit, "No chance with that. My employer doesn't talk to random nobodies."

"Well that is unfortunate," said the owner of the voice. It was then the entire atmosphere in the lobby suddenly became dire. Like every single entity should get the hell away from here. The souls in the lobby instantly became frightened, bustling about causing Charon's eyes to widen, but before he could put the paper down, a large clawed hand grabbed the paper and ripped it from his hands.

"Oi! Just who...," snapped Charon, initially angry though his anger soon changed to trepidation as to who was standing before him.

He remembered Hades mentioning something happening at Camp Half-Blood, and he remembered the wave of despair that passed through here a while back. Startled the souls of the dead something fierce. Now standing before him was the one responsible for it all, and with him was his cohorts.

Excelsus and The Seven Sins.

"But we must insist," stated the Demon King that invaded Camp Half-Blood, and from his tone, he wasn't going to take 'no' as an answer.


The ferry which Sharon used to carry souls to Hades bumped against the black sand, carrying only eight passengers.

"Many thanks, ferryman," thanked Excelsus as he stepped off the barge.

The last one to get off was Nergigante who was rubbing his knuckles, a dark chuckle rumbling from the devil as he left the son of Nyx a beaten and bloody mess on his own boat. While it is very difficult to harm a spirit, there are ways to cause them pain, and each demon knew plenty of ways to make others suffer.

"That was fun," stated the devil of wrath sadistically.

"Yes, always a joy to watch you show 'Does the poor victim bend that way?'" commented Narkarkos dryly.

Nergigante just scowled at the devil. Narkarkos was porky figure when in his human form. His armor not that well kept, in fact, it should barely count as armor at all. Just random bones strapped together. Though it should not be surprising considering he was the devil that represented Sloth.

"Let us make haste," interjected a feminine voice, drawing the attention to the only other female of the group, other than Nerscylla, "The gates to Hades are close."

"Dial it down a notch, Kulve," snorted Valfalk, "Hades' money isn't going anywhere."

Kulve Taroth, the Devil of Greed only frowned. Unlike Nerscylla, she was dressed a bit more conservatively, but no less flashy. Her armor consisted of almost pure gold. A gold breastplate covered her chest while golden chainmail and plating went down her arms. Unlike Nerscylla, Kulve's bust was not as large, to her hidden annoyance, but still larger than most women. She wore a golden skirt and knee-high gold boots. She wore a pair of golden rams worms on top of her head. Her hair color was a very unique bright gold blonde that contrasted with her cream-colored skin.

Excelsus stood before the gate to the Underworld which strangely resembled a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike.

"I hate modern culture," growled Nergigante as he glared at the gate before them.

"Foods better though," commented Deviljho from his left.

"Of course you would say that," muttered Nerscylla as she rested her left hand on her hip as she stood beside Excelsus.

"You surprised or something?" deadpanned the devil that represents gluttony. Contrary to what one might assume, this devil was far from fat, he was chunky but extremely muscular in his human form. His helmet was colored green and sported a massive underbite that was covered with dozens of yellow teeth. Two small holes allowed the demon to see out of the headpiece. With beefy arms covered with more green leathery armor and spiked elbow pads, a barrel-chested physique with more green armor and broad legs. The devil had the muscle to match his hunger.

"Quiet," snapped the final member of their group, "I sense something."

All the devils fell silent as Gore Magla did his thing. About the same size as his master, Gore wore dark purple armor, almost pitch black. His shoulder pads looked like claws gripping his shoulders while a long cape dragged along the floor. His head was hidden by a cloak, only allowing two purple horns to rise up. The armor he wore was bulky but still flexible, and it appeared that a dark mist was continuously flowing from him.

Suddenly a loud howl echoed through the chasm in which they stood. Looking towards the gate they saw a semi-transparent mass move. Excelsus narrowed his eyes slightly until he picked out what it was.

"It seems the guard dog has noticed us," commented the Demon King as he clasped his hands behind his back.

Sure enough, Cerberus was growling lowly at the Demons that stood before the gates to Hades. Unlike what people would normally assume this beast would be a black mastiff, the Cerberus of Greek Myth appeared to be a rottweiler. About three times the size of a minivan, and the same size of one particular Devil among them.

"Nergigante," called out the Demon King, getting the attention of the aforementioned devil, "Introduce yourself to this mutt."

The mythical canine growled, clearly knowing an insult when one is directed at it. The devil chuckled darkly as he cracked his knuckles.

"You're too kind, master," thanked the Devil as his body started glowing. Suddenly, he began to grow in size, the scale armor becoming more organic while Nergigante got down on all fours. Continuing to grow in size, the Devil soon reached his full size and the light began to fade.

In his true form, Nergigante was a hulking beast not dissimilar to a western dragon. He had powerful forelimbs with enormous claws on each hand, numerous spikes covering his arms. A long-tail whipped out the back, lined with even more spikes that went up across his spine to the back of his head and across his wings. Two enormous horns sprouted from his head, almost twice its size. A massive maw of jagged teeth oozed some saliva as Nergigante's orange eyes locked onto the Cerbeus in front of him.

The devil let out a thunderous roar, flaring his wings before charging right towards the gate. Cerberus let out a howl and also charged. The devil of wrath smashed his horns into the rottweiler's center head while lashing out with both claws to grab the throats of the other two heads. The central head snapped back from the impact, exposing its neck to Nergigante, allowing the monster to sink its teeth into the animals' flesh.

Throwing his weight around, Nergigante hurled Cerberus to the far side of the cavern where the dog slammed into the stone wall. The beast let out a pained whine while the Devil roared. Flapping his wings out, Nergigante took to the air, rising several feet off the ground before divebombing right towards the downed guard dog. The impact sent a shockwave through the cavern, shattering the stone ground where the devil collided with the mythical dog.

The devils watched as one of their own tore apart the Cerberus, smiling cruelly.

"Come," ordered Excelsus, bringing their attention back to what they were doing, "We have work to do."

"Didn't know Nergigante was so well versed with fighting Cerberi," commented Valfalk as he walked beside his master.

"Before pledging his loyalty to me, he used to hunt the Cerberus tribe for fun," informed Excelsus, this made the silver devil stop and glance back.

Cerberus was thrown once more across the ground by Nergigante, hundreds of wounds covered the animal's body, the poor beast whining in pain for its master to make the pain go away. Suddenly, Nergigante crashed down onto it once more, standing on its throat and pressing down. Hard.

What followed was a very loud and audible crack as the neck of the guard dog to the Greek Underworld was crushed and the beast fell still.

Nergigante growled lowly before throwing his head back, letting out a thunderous roar of triumph.

To Be Continued...


And here we have chapter three of Slayer's Return. Still getting tons of support and followers every day but I've been thinking about just condensing it into Godly Demon like I close this story and move the chapters over to Godly Demon and just delete the extra chapters. I don't know, I've just had a lot on my mind recently with college and getting used to everything. I will leave a poll asking if I should condense this story into Godly Demon or keep it on its own.

Moving on, I want to post a little warning before we move further into the story. At points, there will be some explicit moments where it might not be suitable for younger audiences. I'm of course referring to whenever I have Nerscylla as the current focus.

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Don't judge me and I honestly don't know what you were expecting. It's demons! This what some demons do! Especially this one since she represents lust! So I'm just getting this warning out of the way now so angry mobs don't storm my college calling for my head on a pike. So mature content will appear and I thankfully, changed the rating to M so that some random kid doesn't accidentally stumble upon my story and reads this. I don't want to take away a kid's innocence, don't want that on my conscience.

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Also, I might pair Excelsus with Nerscylla to make Excelsus more than just a 2-D character and someone with actual depth. And yes, all the Devils are inspired by monsters from Monster Hunter, sue me. Also, they each have their own unique voice. For instance, Gore Magala sounds Tony Todd, Narkarkos sounds like Gabriel Woolf (the voice actor of The Beast from Doctor Who), Valfalk like Philip Anthony Rodriguez (Jetstream Sam from Metal Gear), Nergigante like J. K. Simmons, Deviljho like Brian Dobson, Nerscylla like Kelly Hu, and Kulve Taroth like Gina Bellman. And that's all of them.

Alright, leave a comment or follow me. Whichever.

See you next time!