Chapter 29: To Each, Their Own Fight
The Ruler of the Hall of the Dead looked out across the vast plains in front of her. While the lands here were fertile and well populated by wild animals, that would not be the case as they travelled further and further. Wilderness would turn to wastelands, and the creatures of unlife, the Grimm, that infested the wastes of this world would be waiting. And that was the direction in which she must go. Not away from the danger, but towards it. Not that any of those creatures held any danger for her.
"This is our mission, then?" Valkyrie asked the succubus next to her.
"Yes," said Nevan. "The complete and total eradication of the Grimm. This is the only way forward, the only way to ensure that this planet is safe for humans. And thus, the only way to ensure that our kind and theirs can live in peace."
"Is that really true?" whispered Valkyrie, half to herself.
It was true that the Grimm were a blight that needed to be erased permanently. But there was also one other problem.
Demons themselves.
While the five members of the Council agreed on peaceful coexistence with humankind, they knew that vast numbers of their own kind would never think of such a thing, let alone accept it. There were hordes of lesser, nameless demons all over Remnant, most likely hidden in their small pocket dimensions. They had not yet come out to feast. Yet, they should have. The fact that they hadn't meant that someone was keeping them under check. Part of the reason must be the Five themselves. There wasn't a nameless demon in hell who would cross them. Yet, Remnant was not so small that demons all across the planet would be in hiding, when the Five had so far remained only in one part of the world. No, there must be other demon lords out there.
There had been Orion, Hunter of the Skies, who had been defeated in his own ways of combat by Dante, and sworn loyalty to him.
There had been Raijin, The Lightning Made Flesh, who had likewise attempted to fight the Legendary Devil Hunter, and lost, becoming one more of Dante's Devil Arms.
Yet, there must be more.
How many more of the terrors of the underworld had escaped through into this world when the Qliphoth had fractured the wall between realms in its death throes?
Was it really safe to leave Hoperow behind, knowing that out there somewhere were true monsters?
No, what am I thinking?
A warrior does not question her duties.
A queen leads from the front.
She gripped her sword firmly.
"Very well, then. So it has been decided. And so it shall be done."
She turned to Nevan.
"I leave the village in your care."
In a rare show of acknowledgement, the succubus nodded.
"No harm shall come to them. This I promise."
Valkyrie exchanged brief nods with Atlas and Iris, before turning her gaze to Malevar.
"Well, Serpent. I expect you to slither quickly and keep up."
The demonic snake looked at her with disdain that would have made a king proud.
"Always the same with your type. Training every muscle, but never the brain."
Miraculously, instead of sliding forwards on the ground, he slip upwards, into the air, climbing higher, moving effortlessly in the sky despite having no wings.
Valkyrie cocked one eyebrow, amused.
"Eh? Even worms may fly, then?"
"Worms? Miserable fool. We are the fathers of the Dragons. We ruled the skies before they were even a thought in our heads."
"Hmph. It will suffice, then. Should you prove too slow, I will find a way to make you faster."
With that, she leapt off the ground, spreading her wings wide as she shot into the sky and out towards the wilds. Incredibly, Malevar was able to keep up, with barely any distance between the two of them. The other three watched them go until they disappeared from view.
"I did not know the Serpent could do that," admitted Atlas.
"... Of course he can. Never trust a schemer to run out of hidden cards," said Nevan.
"Is it safe to leave him alone with Valkyrie?", asked Iris.
"Far safer than it is for him to be here in this village. No, it is best that he be away from humans. There isn't anyone better than her to keep an eye on him anyway. In the meantime, the three of us will guard this place."
She paused for a moment, glancing briefly at Iris.
"You have no other information you can give us?"
"No," she replied. "Second Sight has seen all it can for now. I doubt it will see anything more again."
She did not need to explain further. Nevan was aware that she was dying. She had not asked for details when the symptoms of whatever was killing her had appeared a few days ago, during their meeting. No, one's life and death were their own business. Yet, they had all come together for a purpose. And it was one that could not be achieved without the abilities of each of the Five.
Iris' Second Sight was invaluable. It had allowed her to learn the locations of the largest Grimm hordes all over Remnant. Taking care of them would mean that the bulk of the pest control was done. Having revealed those locations to them, Iris' work was done.
That was where Valkyrie came in. As a frontline fighter, she was the most powerful of them all, save perhaps Atlas, and the full scope of his might could not be unleashed on Remnant without destroying the entire planet. Malevar was useful as well. His magic could take almost any form. Healing, transportation, building or changing things, even combat. He could do it all, and thus, he'd been sent with Valkyrie on the extermination mission.
That left only herself. Nevan was the weakest of the five in direct combat besides Iris, but she knew how important her role was. Someone needed to keep them all in line and together, mediating between them and making sure they each served their purpose. For lack of a better word, she was their leader.
"Now all we can do is wait," she muttered.
Valkyrie and Malevar might take a few days at most to cleanse the planet of Grimm. Once that was done, contact could be made with the kingdoms again. With solid proof of their intentions on clear display, they could negotiate a peaceful relationship with them.
But there were obstacles. The rulers of the human kingdoms, for one.
Humans were mistrustful. Nevan had already seen the one named Ozpin, who was supposedly only the head of a school. But having had Malevar observe him from afar, she knew there was more to him. She was also aware of how he had reacted upon Dante's true nature being revealed.
It was unlikely he would be favourable to the idea of a Demon King on Remnant.
And then, there were the secrets hidden in each of the schools. She knew they existed, but did not know what they were. Yet, she was sure they would come into play before this was all over.
The humans here have false magic fused to their life energy.
The one called Ozpin has a fragment of true magic, as does the witch that controls the Grimm.
It was as if humans here had been given magic once upon a time. Why then were Ozpin and the witch, Salem, different from the others? There was also the fact that Salem's magic signature had disappeared recently. Had she been killed? It was a possibility. Or perhaps she was merely hiding her power in preparation for some plan.
Things were happening in Remnant. They would need to move quickly if they were to succeed.
The key to this entire idea was getting Dante onboard with it.
Everything hinged around it.
From her knowledge of the Devil Hunter, she knew it wasn't in his nature to care for authority. Ordering people around, ruling in general, wasn't his area. But it didn't have to be. There were plenty of others who could handle the specifics of that. All that was needed was that he provide his approval, and when needed, his guidance.
They were almost there. She could convince him. This was safest for the humans, and the safety of humans was what was important to him. Once Valkyrie and Malevar returned from their mission, she would approach him. Their actions would prove their intentions. Once he saw that the Five's plan had merits to it, he would agree. With Dante at his rightful place leading them, they would be unstoppable.
"Be swift…" she whispered.
"So… Hoperow," said Ruby. "Anyone of you been there before?"
"... I'm literally from another kingdom."
"Nopes."
The team leader glanced at Weiss and Yang. Her attempt at making conversation having died, she resigned herself to grinning awkwardly and continuing to walk. A bit further ahead was Penny, the demon girl as inscrutable as ever. The journey so far had been a silent one.
"This is a really bad idea," said a voice that hadn't spoken until now.
They turned round and looked at the lone Faunus in their group.
"We're heading out into the wilds," said Blake. "This would have been bad enough with just the Grimm to think about, but there are demons too."
She glanced at Penny briefly.
"Sneaking out like this… I don't like it."
Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Come on, Blakey. You of all people have a problem with sneaking out?"
Blake shot her a nasty look.
"There are skilled hunters back at the shop. Miss Goodwitch, and Trish. There's team JNPR too. We could have asked them for help!" she said.
"I know," said Ruby, looking down. "But it would take time to convince them, and we don't have time. Besides, they might not agree."
"Because we're heading to meet the Five? The demons that have practically taken over Vale?" said Blake.
"They're just living in Hoperow," said Yang. "You're blowing this out of proportion. It's not like they've tried taking over the kingdom or anything."
"Yet," said Weiss. "They haven't tried that yet. I hate to admit it, but Blake has a point. Remember, Dante isn't exactly friends with the Five either."
"Yes, he is," said Yang. "At least one of them. Remember big titty green lady with the red hair?"
"Her name is Nevan," supplied Ruby.
"Yeah, her. She's Dante's friend."
"I think the word you're looking for is 'trying to get into his pants'."
"That's not a word."
"But it is true."
"Whatever," said Yang, shrugging. "Dante said she's cool. And she's with them, so they can't be that bad, right? Besides, demon girl's mother is one of them, right? Won't she be happy we brought her little girl home?"
Blake stared at her, exasperated. She just wasn't getting through. Yet, she didn't want to desert the mission. No matter what, she didn't want to run away, ever again.
"I don't know," she said. She looked at Penny. "Will she?"
Penny's face was as unreadable as ever.
"I do not know. I have never known my mother. Never beheld her with my own eyes, never spoken to her. I do not know how she would react."
"She's the deer antler lady?" said Yang, helpfully.
"Iris, Seer of the Underworld."
"Huh. Might not know her, but sure as hell know her full title, eh?"
Penny glanced at her before looking away and continuing on.
"There are few who don't," she said. "Demon names are powerful."
The others watched her walk in silence for a while before they jogged to catch up to her.
"Demon names are powerful?" asked Ruby. "How?"
Penny did not look at her.
"Did the Legendary Dark Knight not teach you?"
"He… uh, must not have got to that part yet," Ruby replied, laughing awkwardly.
"Hmm… or he never intended you to encounter named Demons at all."
"Hey! That's not true. We did meet one."
"Really?" asked Penny. There was a hint of curiosity on her face as she looked at Ruby. "Who was it?"
"Er…" Ruby struggled to remember the name of the buff, pyramid-headed, lightning demon she had met with the other demon hunters in training. He may or may not have mentioned his name, but Ruby had not been paying attention. "I… must have missed it," she said.
Penny gave her a look of expected yet profound disappointment.
"I highly suggest a different line of work for you," she said. "I hear the fast food chain WacDonald's is always hiring."
"Hey! I just wasn't paying attention to him. These evil villain types tend to talk a lot, and it's hard to shut up and listen to 'em, you know?"
"Pointless arrogance. Your enemies the demon lords may be, but they are your superiors. Listen when they speak. In their pride, they may give away information that will be your only chance at victory."
"Like… their names?"
In reply, Penny raised one hand. A shimmering crimson longsword appeared in it. But a moment later, it warped into one of Yang's gauntlets. The blonde gasped. Another moment later, it turned into Ruby's scythe. And then, it turned into a gigantic minigun.
"Demonic power is the strength to bend reality to one's will. It is True Magic. The most powerful thing in True Magic is the idea. The idea is everything. All form is but a manifestation of the idea."
She waved at the trees around them.
"See the forest. This is not a true forest. It is but an approximation to it, the closest this part of the planet could get to producing one. The true forest is the idea of a forest. Imagine a cluster of trees, each so tall, you cannot see their beginning, nor their end. So closely packed, you can barely pass between them. And teeming on every trunk and branch, every blade of grass, countless creatures, big and small.
As Penny spoke, Ruby could see the images she described in her mind.
"That is the idea of a forest. No tree that exists in the plane of reality will ever be as true as the forest in your soul. And so it is for all things. The raw power in ideas is immense, immeasurable, frightening. Human and demon minds alike struggle to express it physically. That is why we deal with approximations, creating the closest thing we can to what we imagine. Yet, for demons, whose every thought can turn into reality, we need ways to control our own thoughts, ensure that what is not intended does not come into existence. Thus, we take the raw power of ideas, and we bind it, restricting it so that we may safely think of it. And the method we use to bind ideas… is to give them names."
Penny paused, and the minigun in her hand disappeared.
"Those names, in turn, may be manifested into existence in the plane of reality. All demons are such manifestations. Without names, we are raw collections of instinct and psychic power, nothing more. Yet, being given a name gives us a purpose, binds our being into a specific form. And in doing so, it gives us strength.
"The stronger the name, the greater the power."
Ruby, whose jaw had dropped open some time ago, stared.
A few paces behind, Weiss whispered to Blake.
"Did she just claim that demons invented language?"
"I… would not be surprised if they did."
"So all powerful demons have names?" asked Ruby.
Penny nodded.
"Even half demons? Like Dante? Wasn't his name given to him by his human mother?"
"Do you think the name born out of a mother's love lacks power?"
The sudden pronouncement of that rhetorical question briefly silenced Team RWBY.
Penny continued.
"... Names given by loving parents are powerful in and of themselves. But beyond that, it is clear that Dante's mother was no ordinary woman. The names she gave to both her children proved true."
"How?"
"... In hell, there are stories of a human who visited long ago. This human survived a journey through all nine circles of hell, and returned alive."
She looked at Team RWBY.
"Dante is the name given to the one who walks through hell unscathed. There is no darkness here or anywhere else that can harm him. That is who and what he is."
Ruby took a moment to digest all of that.
"So a Demon's name describes their nature… and their power?"
"That is why you would do well to pay attention when one gives it away. Let it be your gauge, to understand whether or not a foe is beyond your reckoning."
Light and Dark observed the figure in front of them, hidden within their parallel dimension.
"This one will join us?" asked Dark, sceptical. "He does not look cooperative."
"He need not join us, so long as he battles our enemies," replied Light.
"And what if he were to win?"
"He would be greatly weakened from the fight, and we would be able to erase him easil-"
Before he could finish what he was saying, a shot past him.
The shattered fragments of dimensional space floated in its trail.
The Twins stared at the figure in alarm. He was staring right back at them.
"Those who hide and watch should reveal themselves if they wish to look upon me."
The figure was both tall and broad, with an immense musculature that looked capable of crushing tempered steel to dust. Every fibre, every bone was cut with hard lines, as though his entire body was carved out of rock. He was completely nude besides a strange waistcloth-like garment that covered his genitals. His body was covered in countless scars. Wild hair flowed upwards, seemingly ignoring all laws of gravity. While his form was far larger than any human, his complexion and features were, surprisingly, no different from one. His face was handsome, with sharp features and beautiful, blood-red eyes. The spear he had thrown had returned to his hand.
Bloodthirsty Hound of War, Cú Chulainn
Light and Dark did not bother pointing out the obvious to each other.
That spear, had it hit either of them, would have instantly killed them.
No, it was wrong to call that thing a spear.
It was the Spear, the very idea of a Spear, manifested without any loss of power.
For him to wield a weapon like that with such ease…
"We come in peace," said Light.
"Indeed. We mean no harm", said Dark.
Cú Chulainn looked at them, his distrust evident.
"I will be the judge of that myself. What do you want?"
The Twins thought back to what Lucifer had told them about this one.
"We wish to welcome you to this world. As its caretakers, we are honoured that a mighty warrior such as yourself has come here."
"Caretakers? You two? You are poor at your job indeed. Neither of you were here when I first arrived."
"We were… dealing with urgent business. But we have returned now, to take care of our duties.
"Indeed. And we bring news of another warrior, one who would encroach on your territory."
"A ruinous creature. An affront to an illustrious king such as yourself. After all, this one claims that title as well.
"To protect your honour, we thought it bes-"
"Enough. I see through your drivel. Your grovelling sickens me. Leave now, before I kill you both."
Dark glanced at Light. The elder brother did not appear bothered by this dismissal. In fact, he could read his thoughts, and in them… he was celebrating, because they had succeeded.
"As you wish."
The Twins departed.
As they left, Dark spoke.
"Is this truly as it should be?"
"Yes. He is not corrupt. He is a strong warrior who seeks the thrill of battling worthy opponents above all else. All we needed to do was remind him of Dante's existence. His own nature will take care of the rest."
Cú Chulainn watched the two leave.
In truth, he knew the one they were talking about.
After all, he had watched his battle with Lucifer.
"Dante…"
Yes, he was a truly strong opponent, without any shadow of a doubt. His original choice of an opponent after becoming a demon had been Lucifer himself, but it was clear that the Lightbringer did not accept all challenges. Of course, that would not have stopped him: he would have forced him to accept. But, Lucifer had been nowhere to be found, all these eons. Then, of course, there had come the pretender kings, Mundus, Argosax, even that brief usurper Urizen. All powerful, but none of them honourable warriors who had earned glorious battle. There had been Sparda, and of course, Cú Chulainn had duelled him. But neither of the two had been able to gain the upper hand. The battle had ended with both warriors earning each other's respect.
Since then, the underworld had become a boring place.
He had come to Remnant seeking a change of scenery, but not really expecting to find great warriors.
And then, to his surprise, he had found one who surpassed all the others he had ever fought. An opponent so powerful, he was unsure if he could win.
He couldn't keep the smile off his face.
Of course, the grovelling Twins' plan was easy to see. Dante was righteous and kind, and Cú Chulainn had seen how he protected the mortals here. The Son of Sparda would have made a good king, and a far better caretaker for this world than the Twins. Needless to say, the two would-be deities did not like their position taken from them, so they wished him to slay their enemy for them.
Pathetic worms.
He had no intention of helping them.
He had been planning to fight Dante all along.
And now, finally, the time was right.
He hefted his spear tightly.
"It is time, friend of mine."
He leapt into the air.
Such was the force from his legs, Vale settlements miles away felt tremors.
In the sky, he prepared to summon his demonic energy to form a platform to leap forwards off of. Before he could do so, however, he sensed a presence, fast approaching.
Forming a platform in the opposite direction, he reoriented himself in mid-air, thrusting his spear forward.
It clashed against a golden blade.
Crimson energies blasted outwards, utterly obliterating the fields and hills around them for a mile in every direction. Clouds were blown away like wisps of smoke.
Cú Chulainn descended gracefully to the ground, landing lightly and effortlessly.
He looked up at the one he had clashed weapons with, having recognized her immediately.
"Valkyrie. Well, well. It's been a while. Ah, and I suppose you're here too, Snake."
The Queen of Berserkers looked down at the former Irish King. It was impossible to live in the underworld and not know of him. The two of them had met once before in the Demon World, and clashed blades, but both of them had had other pressing concerns at the moment, causing them to cut their battle short.
"Cú Chulainn. It is unexpected to see you here."
"The Mad Hound," sighed Malevar. "Why do I run into brutes wherever I go?"
Cú Chulainn ignored him.
"As charming as this little meeting is, it will have to be the same as the last time we met. I have business with someone else at the moment", he said.
"Oh?" said Valkyrie. While she would dearly have loved to battle the Irish demigod again, she too had a mission that could not be ignored. Thus, she was relieved to learn that he did not intend to press for a fight here and now. "Out of curiosity, who are you looking for?"
A smile of childlike excitement appeared on Cú Chulainn's face.
"Why, the strongest, of course! No offence to you, my lady, but there is only one who can be called that right now, and that is the Legendary Dark Knight, Dante!"
His eyes barely had time to widen before a golden blade slammed into the ground where he had been standing an instant ago.
Valkyrie descended to the ground, gripping the weapon she had thrown, and pulling it out of the ground.
"I had intended to let you go here. But if your intention is to raise your weapon against Dante… then as his loyal warrior, my task is to end your life."
Cú Chulainn's smile was practically splitting his face.
The prospect of one great fight was already mouth-watering. But two in a row?
He was in heaven.
Spinning his spear in circles, he held it outward, pointing towards the demoness.
"Then come show me what the Ruler of the Hall of the Dead can do!"
Author's note: Demon vs. Demon fight. Would I think not many of you expected that?
So, Cú Chulainn is one of my favourite mythological characters. He is the definition of a badass. If some of you want to go and read up on him before we have the fight in the next chapter, go right ahead! Some of you already know this, but he famously appears as Lancer in Fate/Stay Night, Unlimited Blade Works, Heaven's Feel, and several other stories in the Fate franchise. However, the version that appears here is not Lancer. I've taken the original mythological version of him, and worked with that.
And I suppose that also answers questions some of you might have had about which powerful demons will be appearing for Dante and the rest of the crew to fight. Some of you wondered if they would be previous Demon Kings from the DMC series, but really, I'm not a fan of re-doing boss battles that have already been done, not when there's so much untapped potential for new and crazy fights.
This should be abundantly clear in the story so far, but demonic and divine power are essentially the same thing in this 'verse, meaning a lot of powerful figures you can think of from myth and legend may very well show up. Who do you see coming out? Let me know in the reviews! Who do you see winning Valkyrie vs. Cú Chulainn? Again, let me know in the reviews!
