Redemption

Mundus held his eyes open against the sunlight. It was his first time on Mallet Island for over twenty-five years, but it didn't seem to matter until Koromos lost it in battle. Broken glass crunched under his feet as he circumnavigated the main hall. Clumps of giant marionettes were piled around the room. Mundus finally sat on the edge of the statue and pulled out a bong. In a few minutes, the room was filled with the smell of smoldering belladonna. All he did was smoke and wait.

(X)

Dante and Lilith kneeled over what was left of the glass roof. They could see Mundus below. "What is that smell?" Lilith asked softly.

"Belladonna, beautiful woman. It's a poisonous plant. He's getting high."

"He's a drug addict?"

"Uh huh." Dante leaned further over until he dropped into free fall. Lilith rolled and fell after him. They landed in total silence, but it didn't matter.

"I know you're back there," Mundus said without turning around. He blew a ring through his nose. "Brats of Sparda. I hear you've lost your Third God Vergil. What a shame." He took another hit from the bong. Dante unconsciously reached for his sword. "Don't bother attacking," Mundus said. "You won't get to me easily."

As if on cue, the limp piles of marionettes sat up. Thin strings attached to empty air pulled them to their feet. With a smile, Mundus rotated on his seat. His smile had a short life span. "What the hell?"

"What is it?" Dante asked. "See something you don't like?"

Mundus dropped the bong. It shattered upon impact. "Those swords. Where did you get them?"

"What do you think?" Dante held his own sword to his side. It was a large flaming red blade. "It was left by my father. Who else?"

"Impossible. Sparda is dead."

"That is the word on the street. Not that it makes any difference."

Lilith turned to the sound of wood scraping against wood. The giant dolls were on the move. She elbowed Dante in his ribs. "Dad. Dad. We're in trouble."

"I know." Dante watched Mundus run up the staircase. "Let's deal with them first. Stay by my side and watch where you swing."

The first thing Lilith did was disobey the first order. She ran headlong into the nearest horde of Bloody Puppets. Mundus kept his eye on her as she sent Marionettes flying in every direction. He gradually backed away from the staircase as Dante and Lilith shredded each Marionette two or three at a time. He had backed against the wall by the time the final puppet shattered on the extended tip of Sparda.

Lilith looked up to where Mundus was standing. She saw him with only half of his body sticking out of the wall above. Before she could say anything about it, Dante grabbed her arm and spun her to face him.

"What compels you to disobey me!"

Lilith's reaction was unusually stoic. "Stop yelling at me. You didn't even notice that Mundus disappeared." She pointed up to where Mundus had vanished.

Dante shoved her hand down and put a finger into her face. "You're going to stop being a smartass."

"I'm not a child." She was almost begging.

"You're not an adult either. Bitch about it when we get home. Until then, shut up and do as I say."

Lilith sighed with frustration. "Fine."

Dante walked away from her without saying a word. Lilith followed him through the castle. "Where are you going?" she called after him. He still said nothing. She stayed as close to him as possible as she became increasingly unaware of where they were going. She suddenly realized that she had no idea where he was leading her. Not once did Dante even look back to see if she were still behind him.

Part of the way through, she stopped to look back at where they'd come from. They were in a twisted hallway that seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat. She felt as if she were familiar with this horrid place, though she'd never seen it before. She didn't return to her senses until Dante called to her from farther down the hall.

She saw Dante standing on the other side of a weird puddle on the floor. "What is this place?" she asked.

Dante tugged on one of his gloves. "Are you familiar with it?"

Lilith shrugged. "I guess so, but I shouldn't be. I've never seen this part of the castle before."

"It's a genetic memory."

"And that means?"

"We're about to step into the Underworld. My homeland."

"Your . . .?" Lilith fell silent as she realized what he was telling her. "A hereditary disposition?"

"In a way. Step into the puddle." Not waiting for a response, he jumped forward into the puddle. Lilith watched in shock as he sank completely through the floor. She faltered for a moment until she felt something tugging at her mind. She could hear her father encouraging, and demanding, she jump into the puddle. She couldn't tell if it were real or imaginary.

"What the hell?" She took a deep breath and jumped in.

Below, Dante quickly stepped back before she landed on top of him. She stood up clutching her head. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"The voices. I can't think. There are screams in my head!"

At first, Dante didn't know what she was talking about. When he finally stopped to listen, he realized that there were indeed voices screaming in the background. As a child living in the Underworld, he didn't notice them, like a noise that no one was aware of until it fell silent. When his family escaped to Earth, the Upperworld did seem to be unnaturally calm. He pulled Lilith's hands from her head.

"You have to fight them back yourself."

"How?"

"Push them away. It's only background noise. Don't resist hearing it."

Lilith slowly began to relax. The sounds gradually faded until they were common to her. "How could you live like this?"

Dante realized he was squeezing her arms. He pried his fingers from her one at a time. "I didn't know any better at the time. Let's go, and don't lag behind. Mundus is waiting for us."

Dante turned to walk away. Lilith took only one step after him before two pairs of giant arms lifted from the floor around her. She didn't have time to scream. One hand covered her face while the other three lifted her from the floor. In a frantic attempt to signal for help, she shot a lightning bolt in Dante's direction, even at the risk of hitting him. The bolt blazed past his head and hit the pulsing wall. It breached the wall and caused fluid to leak to the floor. Dante grabbed Sparda and flung it towards her. A spinning red scythe severed all four arms from the floor. Lilith fell to the floor. She reached up to catch Sparda on its return flight. A second set of hands emerged and covered her. She melted with them into the floor as Sparda flew over her.

Dante caught Sparda as it spun to him. "Damn you, Mundus. If you harm my daughter, I'll kill you twice over." He heard something screech behind him. He turned to face a reptilian creature shaking its head at him. "You'll be the first to die."

(X)

Lilith waited until the sensation of being pushed through water passed. She awoke lying on the floor. The arms were still covering her. She looked straight up. She was under a night sky. She could see everything above as if she were on Earth.

"It's a chimera," Mundus said. "An illusion." Lilith couldn't move her head to search for him. She simply waited until he kneeled beside her. "There is no sky down here. We're actually indoors. I thought it would be the last thing you would want to see. If you scream, I'll at least attempt to kill you."

The hand covering her face moved to the side. Mundus shoved his index finger into her mouth. "Don't bother biting me. Your teeth are incapable of even breaking the skin."

Lilith was afraid to swallow, else she would risk giving him the wrong idea. In the end, it didn't matter. Mundus shoved his middle finger into her mouth. Her tongue protested. In response, Mundus pushed both fingers as far as he could into her throat. He pulled them back just a little when she began to gag.

"Did you know that Koromos was in love with you?" he asked when she'd calmed down. "He had this crazy idea that if we defeated your father and uncle, he could keep you as some sort of concubine. He wasn't very bright." He shoved his ring finger into her mouth. All the arms released Lilith. Mundus let her thrash about on the floor as he shoved all three fingers into her mouth. She flashed in and out of her devil form, but she still could not break free from his grip. When she finally calmed down, Mundus leaned over her.

"My son would not have succeeded. I, on the other hand, would not have been so foolish as to love you. That is unnecessary to fulfill my needs, and that you shall do. With Koromos dead, something must be done to fill his spot."

Simultaneously terrified and disgusted by his suggestion, Lilith seized his wrist and tried to push his hand away. He didn't budge at all. Lilith finally ceased all resistance. "It's about damn time," Mundus taunted. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

His attention was stolen by the sound of the double doors opening. Mundus scowled. Lilith saw a demon with long white hair and razor sharp wings fly across the room. He landed onto Mundus's back and plunged Sparda through it. The sword pinned Mundus to the floor. While Mundus was occupied pushing himself up off the sword, Dante grabbed Lilith's feet and dragged her away. When he was sure she was at a safe distance, he ran to Mundus, snatched the sword, and pulled it back out. He backtracked a bit to maintain distance.

"You're earlier than I hoped," Mundus said as he stood. "I was just about to make your daughter my new wife."

Dante returned to his human form. "Not in this universe. Not in any universe."

Lilith rolled over and sat up. "I'll kill him myself."

"No!" Dante held his arm out to her. "Let me do this alone."

Lilith smirked. "Not in this universe. Not in any universe." She jumped to his side with Yamato in hand.

Mundus wiped the side of his mouth with his thumb. "That's fine by me. I'll take you both on."

"Brave words for a druggie."

"Bitch."

Dante and Lilith separated to attack on opposite sides. Mundus swung his arm out towards Lilith. An energy blast knocked her back and several feet into the air. With his other hand, Mundus blocked Dante's swing with his forearm. Dante spun with the momentum and swung again. With each swing, Mundus blocked and parried with his arms.

Lilith stood in the distance. Rather than join the clash, she held her hand behind her back and created a fireball in her palm. She circled around to keep a good view of Mundus's back.

With a final parry, Mundus knocked Sparda from Dante's hand. Dante spun on his heel and kicked Mundus in the chest. Mundus sailed backwards. He landed on his hands and the balls of his feet. He pushed himself up to look at Dante.

"Very impressive," Mundus commented. "I've been underestimating you."

Dante didn't respond. When she was sure no one was expecting her to move, Lilith flipped through the air and landed feet first onto Mundus's back. Mundus pushed himself up and flipped onto his back. Lilith landed onto his abdomen. Streams of lightning and fire shot through her feet and ripped through Mundus's body. Dante jumped back as bolts of lightning and fire tore through the marble floor. Mundus screamed as the marble floor heaved and cracked. With the final scream, Mundus grabbed Lilith's ankles and pushed her over his head. She stumbled forward and dragged herself to a safe distance behind her father.

Mundus sat up and jumped back. He wiped drool from the side of his face. "How did you do that?"

"I can't answer that," Lilith and Dante answered simultaneously.

Mundus shook his head. Then he launched an energy sphere at Dante. Dante jumped up to dodge. When he was out of the way, Lilith held her hand up. The energy sphere exploded against an invisible shield and dispersed around her. Dante landed behind her. He gathered the escaping energy into his own hands. When Mundus finished his attack, Lilith rolled to the side just before Dante threw back the energy he'd caught. The beam shot through Mundus's body. His bones glowed through his skin. When Dante had used it all, Mundus dropped to the floor again. His bones were still glowing.

Lilith stared up at her father in awe. "How did you do that?"

"How did you do what you did?"

Mundus tried to push himself up. His bones felt as if they were going soft. "What did you do to me?" He coughed blood onto the floor.

"It was your power," Dante said. "In a way, you did it to yourself." He lifted his hand slowly. A fireball burst into life in his palm. "If you surrender, I'll kill you quickly."

Mundus tilted his head. His eyes seemed to be peering into a distance behind them. "Are you serious?"

"As a tax audit."

A low glottal laugh escaped from Mundus. He stopped laughing just long enough to cough up more blood. "Your family never ceases to be a source of amusement for me."

"We are not sources of amusement," Lilith said as she stood to her feet. She waited for Mundus to stand before she suddenly charged at him. With an unexpected surge of strength, Mundus reached out and grabbed her by her throat. He lifted her off the floor and held her over his head.

"You want this?" he asked Dante casually. Dante looked as if he were seriously contemplating the question. Lilith kicked out against Mundus's side, but he wouldn't budge. "Hurry up," Mundus urged. "I'm about to crush her throat."

In a moment of panic, Lilith let lightning surge through her body. The shock made Mundus drop her. She grabbed the Yamato and plunged it into his side. At the same time, Dante launched the fireball at him. The momentum forced him to fly backwards. The Yamato slid free. Lilith jumped after him and drove the Yamato into his forehead. She pushed it all the way into the floor.

"Heads up!" Lilith leapt over him. Dante came behind her and drove Sparda into Mundus's chest. He gave the sword a single twist before backing off.

Mundus seized the Yamato by the blade and tried to pull it out. Blood caused his hands to slip, in turn causing the blade to cut him even more. He reached for the hilt, but it was just barely out of his reach.

Lilith raised her arms as she hit her devil trigger. On the other side, Dante did the same. Mundus was too busy trying to pull himself off the swords to realize what they were doing. A beam of lightning burst to life between Lilith's hands. It grounded itself through the floor and into Mundus. His body wracked by pain, Mundus remained focused on getting free of the swords. He pushed himself up a bit to get a better grip on the Yamato's handle. Lilith lifted herself into the air to avoid the bursts of lightning breaking through the floor. A second beam of lightning from Dante's hands joined with the first.

Mundus screamed as he pushed his head further up on the sword. His grabbed the Yamato's hilt and pulled on it. Sparda still protruded from his chest. He stood in the middle of the lightning assault. With a wave of one of his arms, Dante and Lilith were thrown back to the floor by an invisible force. To everyone's surprise, the lightning continued to flash through the room.

Dante watched as Mundus stood. Both swords were still sticking from his body. "Do not think you can kill me," Mundus said. "You cannot defeat me. Not even with the swords of the First God."

Lilith stood as her hands burst into flame. She ran to Mundus and punched his back. Her hand broke through his skin and was sucked inside his chest. Lilith pulled her hand back, but she could not get it free.

"Can you see this?" Mundus asked Dante with a laugh. "If you intend to kill me, you'll have to take her too."

Lilith felt for the tip of Sparda in Mundus's chest. Risking her own hand, she seized the tip and tried to push against it. "I feel what you're trying to do," Mundus said. He squeezed the muscles in his chest. Lilith screamed as her hand was almost crushed from the pressure. Dante snatched Sparda and the Yamato and pulled them from Mundus's body. Lilith screamed again as the pain was transferred to her body.

"Do you hear your daughter's screams?" Mundus teased. "Anything you do against me will be placed onto her as well."

Dante threw the swords down. "You can't use fear to make me back off. Even at the cost of Lilith's welfare. Or even her life."

"Did you hear that?" Mundus asked Lilith. "He says he's going to sacrifice you."

Lilith heaved one last time against the wound. "Not if I sacrifice myself first." Lilith commanded her trapped hand to ignite again. Mundus ran backwards until Lilith smashed against the wall. The impact left a crater in the wall. Her arm pushed all the way through his chest. She stood perfectly still as he pressed his back against her.

"How about now?" Mundus suggested innocently.

As if to answer the question, Dante raised both of his hands. Arcs of lightning flashed through his fingers. "Watch this." He activated his devil trigger and held his arms up. He threw the bone shards in his elbows and wrists. Mundus stood perfectly still as each projectile pierced his body. Some of them went all the way through to pierce Lilith. She clamped her teeth to prevent herself from screaming. Dante's hair lifted and pointed forward as he charged at Mundus. Each individual strand hit a separate mark, but each one missed Lilith. Dante's fingers pushed into the wounds left by the swords and released lightning into Mundus's body. Mundus and Lilith screamed in pain at the same time.

"Do it now!" Dante commanded. Lilith hit her devil trigger and increased the intensity of her flame. Trapped between the two, Mundus felt his body ripped asunder from the inside. As if she'd run out of energy, Lilith killed the flame on her hand and reverted to human form. Dante increased the intensity of his own attack. A powerful burst of lightning blew all three of them into the air in different directions. When Mundus hit the floor again, he landed against a jagged piece of marble that had broken from the floor earlier. His left arm was sliced through and ripped from his shoulder by the impact. He watched with surprise as it rolled away from him.

Mundus pulled himself off the marble slab and crawled towards him arm. He was hit by another barrage of bone darts. Mundus continued crawling. Lilith hit her devil trigger as she picked herself off the floor and flew over him. She summoned as much power as she could as a fresh stream of blood fell from her eyes. She landed in front of him with lightning all around her. She hit the ground with as much force as she could muster. A drop of blood from her eye fell to the floor. When it landed, a large crack opened in the floor. With the strength of a moderate earthquake, the crack lengthened and widened into a deep crevice.

Mundus rolled out of the way as the crevice passed by him. He tried to stand, but he slipped in a puddle of his own blood. Dante jumped around him and delivered a kick. Mundus caught Dante's ankle with his one hand. Dante twisted around to kick Mundus with the back of his other foot. Mundus maintained his grip on Dante's ankle as the two fell into the crevice. Dante caught the edge of the crevice and reverted to human form.

Lilith jumped to where they'd fallen and reached down for Dante's arm. Dante shook his head. "Don't! Leave us here!"

Mundus held on to Dante's ankle. "Do you intend to let me hang here forever? I won't release you."

Dante thought about it for a moment. "If you say so." To Mundus and Lilith's shock, Dante released his grip. Lilith watched Mundus and Dante plummet towards the bottom. She stood there and waited. She tilted her head as if listening for the sound of their bodies hitting the bottom. Instead, she heard a metallic whistling from below. She stepped back as a small round object flew out from the crevice and landed at her feet. She bit back a scream of disgust when she realized it was Mundus's head. The metallic whistling grew louder as Dante flew from the crevice and landed in front of her.

With a sigh of relief, Lilith changed to her human form. Then she leaned forward as a painful shock suddenly burst through her body. Dante caught her as she fell forward and lowered her to the floor.

"What is it?" he asked. "What happened?"

"The darts." Lilith ran a hand across her belly and held up her hand. It was covered with blood.

Dante found three puncture wounds on her abdomen where she'd been hit by the bone darts. Without saying a single word, Dante commanded three locks of his hair to plunge into the wounds. Lilith clamped her teeth again as his hair quickly worked its way through until it forced the darts to pop out of the wounds. He pulled the darts and his hair from her body. Lilith sat up and leaned forward until the pain subsided.

"Come on," Dante said as he stood. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Is there a need to hurry?"

"Yes. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I've already spent too much of my life down here anyway." He offered his hand to her. She accepted it graciously and pulled herself up. He flashed into his human form while still holding her hand. Her hand stung from the energy release. She jerked her hand free and wiggled her fingers. Dante waved his head towards the doors. "Come on."

Lilith followed him towards the doors. She stopped long enough to take a final look at Mundus's head. As soon as she turned away from it, the eyes blinked and moved in her direction. Neither she nor Dante saw it. When the doors closed behind them, the head moaned before finally falling silently.