The black sun fell behind the massive Gothic looking temple as the blood red sky rose above it. Broken bits of rock and ash covered the ground in the Courtyard of the Temple. Smoke rose from the fires raging around the area as the red sky became darker. In the middle of the courtyard lay a man.

A Hunter.

He was lying face down with one arm resting on his forehead and the other outstretched along the rocky temple floor. It looked as if he was reaching for something. There, a few feet in front of his hand, lay the sword he had wielded since the incident at Mallet Island: the sword known as 'Alastor.'

He had never thought it possible. Not in a million years could a threat so severe ever have shown its ugly face once again. Mundus, the dark angel of Hell stood towering over the bloodied body of his enemy-or what was left of him.

With one foot, Mundus kicked his defeated opponent over so he could look into his eyes.

The man's white hair fluttered lightly in the smoke and breeze that swept through the area once again as he grunted in agony. His dark red, almost black trench coat was ripped and torn in all places, revealing the fleshy red knobs of his exposed ribcage and various parts of his chest. His once perfect face was now littered with cuts and scrapes, each with their own individual stream of shiny red blood that ran down his face.

With great exertion, Dante Sparda reached for his sword with what little strength he had left. Mundus chuckled and kicked the sword far away from Dante's grasp. He crossed his bulging arms across his chest and looked down at his enemy.

"Look at me, Dante," he said. "Look into my eyes. I want you to see what you have created."

Dante gazed up at the horror that he had just done battle with. In all his glory, Mundus stood at full height. It looked like he was carved out of pure stone. He had long, curly stone hair, accompanied by a stone-carved beard that stopped at his massive chest. He was wearing a dark gray robe that just brushed the stony ground, revealing his reptilian-like feet. Each toe had a small thick nail protruding from it.

The worst sight about the towering Goliath were his eyes. They shone orange and red like the fires that accompanied the battleground. The reflection of the red sky and the fire reflected off of Mundus' stone figure, giving an orange glow to his appearance.

Dante blinked, then closed his eyes. He knew that Mundus had absolutely no intention of playing with his food before he killed it. Mundus shook the ground as he walked over to where Dante's sword lay. He grasped it from the ground with one massive hand and walked back to where his opponent lay.

Mundus once again gazed down at his enemy, looking deep into Dante's eyes.

"'Tis true that you defeated me once, Dante. Like your father Sparda before you. But now is where the plans of Mundus begin, and the fading trail of the bloodline from the Sparda family ends."

Mundus leaned over and tilted his head to the side. "Are you ready to return to the Underworld?"

With his last breath, Dante opened his eyes and looked the Demon in the face.

"Let's rock."

With those words, Mundus raised Alastor and prepared to plunge it into Dante's heart when suddenly an earth-shattering burst of orange and white filled the area, startling Mundus. He dropped the sword and shielded his stone-carved eyes from the intense light and heat.

As the smoke cleared, the red sky shone down on a silouhette. It was crouched down on a small tower perch. It was holding a giant sword and had a pair of massive demonic-structured wings that fluttered slightly.

"Lord Mundus, you and I have unfinished business."

Mundus was at a loss for words.

As he blinked to confirm that he was indeed not being tricked by some sort of spell, he spoke.

"No…it cannot be!?"

Dante blinked and shook his head from the ground through the clearing debris and smoke. He looked at the single figure atop the perch and squinted in disbelief.

"Father?"

--

Author's Note: I was up at like 3:00 in the morning the other night when I had this idea for a battle scene, so I just decided to type it out before I forgot it, which is how some of my stories eventually see fruition. I wasn't going to send it in, but I felt kind of obligated since I haven't updated my other story called 'Tears Of Blood' in so long. The only excuse I have right now is finals. They're a real bitch in Grade 11. I didn't know which direction I was heading in when I wrote this, and I really don't even know if I'll use is later on. Just thought I'd send it in and see what happens. I'll update my story soon.

-Chris