DEVIL MAY CRY

THE

BATTLEGROUND

CHAPTER XII

Author's Note: I was going to take a little more time with this Chapter, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting. Thank you so much for the awesome reviews and please keep 'em coming!

Dante prepared himself for whatever was to come. He was almost at the bottom of the staircase when he saw the massive amount of breath again. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Like a bolt of lightning, Dante somersaulted off of the end of the narrow staircase and in to the large, square room that followed. He aimed his gun in front of him as he held his sword behind his back.

The room was made up of large, dark gray stone bricks that were unevenly crunched together and held in place by thick patches of mud and a grassy substance. There were small puddles of water spread all over the floor.

He would soon figure out why.

Dante stood up from his crouched position. He could see absolutely nothing in the large room.

He looked to all corners of the room, then frowned in curiosity. "Where were the breaths coming from?" he thought to himself.

Then, it happened. Dante blinked heavily and slowly wiped away a small spot of water off of his face. It came from the roof. Slowly, he looked up.

It was not water, it was saliva. There, hanging off of the roof with its twisted claws was the beast that had made the breaths from the staircase. It had two large rows of uneven, beige teeth and a long, pink tongue that nearly touched the top of Dante's head. In the center of its face was one large, red cat-like eye. Its body was almost like a centipede's. Small, thin rows of legs jutted out from each separate section of its body.

The creature was not very small, but it seemed to move very fast along the roof. Dante followed each of its movements precisely because he knew that sooner or later, it would either attack or drop down.

Dante quickly rolled out of the way as the centipede creature dropped from the roof, almost on top of him. Dante tried to swipe with his sword, but it was too late. The creature latched around Alastor with its long, pink tongue and pulled it from Dante's grip.

"Well, this is going to be fun."

Kade was having some doubts of his own as he slowly approached the stony brick wall at the end of the room. As he reached it, each separate brick rotated twice and revealed a set of three giant glowing puzzle pieces. Each had a small handle at the bottom. The bottom row of bricks also made up something.

In a language only known to a certain set of Demons, a row of words were written along the bricks below the three puzzle pieces.

They read: "Arrange the puzzle pieces of Fallen Lords in order. You have three chances."

To the right of the room, a brick from the floor also rotated twice and revealed a large statue of a Demon Guard holding a large spear, which was pointed straight at Kade.

Kade read each puzzle piece. In the strange Demon language, the one to the left read "Lucifer." The one in the middle also read "Lucifer." The one to the right read "Mundus."

Kade took a moment to think. He knew that Lucifer had ruled over the Underworld long before Mundus. He made up his mind.

Using the small handles, he pulled out the first two giant bricks that each read "Lucifer" and pushed them back in. Next, he pulled out the right brick that read "Mundus" and pushed it back in place.

Nothing happened. Kade waited a moment, then quickly jumped as the spear from the statue in the corner shot out and almost stabbed Kade.

"Strike one," he thought to himself.

Kade looked back up at the wall and sighed. He tried pulling the Mundus brick out first, then the two Lucifer bricks.

Strike two.

The statue's spear shot out once more and came dangerously close to Kade's midsection. He tried to turn around and leave the room, but was prevented by a newly formed thin wall of red magic.

He sighed once more. If he were correct on his next choice, the puzzle would not make any sense. Slowly and curiously, Kade pulled out the first Lucifer brick, then the Mundus brick, and then the second Lucifer brick. Each brick now shone a bright yellow.

The Demon Statue's spear shot back into place and the thin red wall of magic dissolved.

The words at the bottom of the bricks changed. Kade read them.

"You have passed the trial. Return to the Entrance Chamber."

Kade smiled and turned to leave. He quickly turned back around when he heard the bricks move once again.

"Perhaps this puzzle is a sign of things to come…"

Kade was confused. Mundus still ruled over this Realm, not Lucifer.

The three giant puzzle pieces turned back into the small, individual bricks that they began as and the Demon Warrior was replaced by a brick.

Kade frowned. He wanted to pay close attention to the last words written on the bricks, but as far as he was concerned, there was much more to worry about at the moment.

He slowly walked to the doorway of the puzzle room.

Sparda and Nevan slowly approached the portal at the end of the stairs that connected to the bridge that branched off from the Sanctuary.

Before they stepped through, Sparda looked over to Nevan.

"Nevan, I want you to stay here. The Gatekeeper beyond this portal will surely try to kill me once I walk through. I cannot protect you and defend myself at the same time." Sparda did not wait for her response. He just walked through the portal.

As he did he heard a faint voice. "Be careful, Sparda."

The Gatekeeper's eyes quickly fixated onto Sparda as he appeared before him. Sparda took a moment to glance around, then stared into the gatekeeper's eyes.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

The Gatekeeper's stone mouth was still grinning. "Greetings, Legendary Dark Knight. It has been some time since we last met, has it not?"

Sparda shook his head. "That isn't what I asked you."

He took one step forward. "Where are they." The red orb in the Gatekeeper's left hand lit up.

"Apparently, one has already completed his mission."

Sparda took another step forward. "You knew damn well they wouldn't be sent to the Human World if they completed the missions."

"Yes, Sparda. But they did not. Soon, the other will complete the trial of strength…then it will be over."

Sparda gritted his teeth. "You set a trap. You knew Kade thought this place would act as a portal. But instead, it is a graveyard."

The Gatekeeper replied. "Do you remember what happened, Sparda, when you completed both trials? The same fate is in store for them. And there is nothing you can do to prevent it."

Dante struggled under the weight of his enemy. The centipede creature had wrapped itself around most of his body, and Alastor was just out of reach.

The creature hissed loudly and snapped forward, trying to detach Dante's head from his body. Dante quickly moved his head to the side as the creature's teeth crunched down on a brick of the floor.

Dante kicked wildly and managed to free himself from the centipede's grip. He backed up using his elbows and his feet.

Meanwhile, Sparda was trying desperately to figure out which of his companions would choose the strength trial over the knowledge trial.

Sparda heard a faint echo come from the right entranceway.

"Piece of Shit!"

He smiled as he recognized his son's voice. "Dante, stab it through its eye."

Dante heard the voice, but didn't know whom it belonged to. He somersaulted past the centipede and quickly grabbed Alastor from the ground.

He waited until the creature lunged at him again. Following instructions, Dante gripped his sword with both hands and drove it into the eye of the centipede.

It squealed harshly as a large amount of blood ran over the stony ground. Dante wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled the sword from the centipede's eye. It fell dead to the ground. He went to leave the room. He was curious as to who had given him the advice.

Before Dante left the room, he turned around and kicked the dead centipede.

"Fucking Bug."

The red orb in the Gatekeeper's right hand now lit up. He glanced at it as the room began to shake.

"Your time has run out, Sparda. You cannot save them."

Large flames began to rush over the base of the statue as the Gatekeeper's eyes turned to flame. Soon, the entire room would be engulfed in flames, along with the two entranceways.

Frustrated, Sparda ran up to the Gatekeeper.

He screamed as he brought his large sword down in the middle of the spike on its head. He didn't stop there.

Sparda drove his sword all the way through the Gatekeeper. The two large slabs of stone fell to the sides, nearly blocking both entranceways. They were still on fire.

Soon, Dante and Kade emerged from the two entranceways.

At first, Dante couldn't believe his eyes. Had his Father truly come to save him like he had promised?

Dante stepped over the large chunk of what was left of the Gatekeeper. He slowly walked up to Sparda.

The fire from the statue pieces reflected off of Sparda, illuminating his charcoal body and icy blue eyes.

Dante stopped in front of Sparda.

"Father…"

Dante and Sparda embraced each other in a show of love that they had both longed for. It had felt like a lifetime since Dante had been able to touch his Father. The last time he had laid eyes on Sparda besides the Temple was when he and Kade had left the Human World to battle Mundus' forces.

"Dante…"

Kade smiled as he stepped over the large chunk of the statue blocking his entranceway. He was glad to finally see the two reunited.

Sparda let go of Dante and shook Kade's hand. "Greetings, my old friend."

Kade smiled. "It has been days since we parted."

Sparda nodded. "I see you two have made it out all right on your own."

He looked Kade straight in the eyes. "Thank you for protecting him, Kade." Kade nodded.

Now that his emotions were in place, Dante decided to inform his Father of what had happened.

"Father, a scholar has risen from the dead. His name is Arkham. He has been possessed by Mundus' magic."

Sparda nodded. "I have learned Mundus' plans through Nevan. Do you remember the necklaces that your Mother gave to you and Vergil when you were children?"

Dante nodded.

"They were located within that Temple in the Sea. He wishes to take them and merge the Demon World with the Human World. We must stop him."

Dante and Kade both nodded. "How will we ever find a way out of here, Sparda?" Kade asked. He held up his hands and motioned them around the Gatekeeper's Tomb. "I thought for sure that this was the only way out of this Realm."

Sparda looked around. "Do not worry, Kade. Nevan will know how to get us out of this place. She has decided to join us in our journey."

The three companions slowly walked to exit the Tomb.

Dante stopped. "One thing is for certain."

"Mundus will pay."

He had used the portal once before, so he was sure it was safe to do it again. Mundus and Arkham both crossed the set of stairs that would lead them to the giant portal into the Human World. As they reached the top, Mundus looked down. They were very high up in the sky. The only things that held the bridge in place were large, well-placed pillars.

He took a moment to take in the sky. "Hell has blessed us with this sky tonight." Nothing can stop us now."

Mundus looked at Arkham.

"Let us end the Human World."

He had almost completed his ritual. As the starry night sky continued to watch over him, Bolverk finished his meditation. He rose off of his knees and walked over to his statue of armor.

Slowly, he began to equip the armor to his massive body. After he pulled down his chest plate, Bolverk walked over to the entranceway and stopped. He kneeled down to one knee and slowly stroked the fur of his companions with his giant hand.

"Both of you have been loyal to me for as long as I can remember."

Bolverk closed his eyes. "I wish Mundus could see the same loyalty that lies in me…"

Bolverk stood up. "Stay here until I return," he told his two wolves.

As he approached the entranceway to his Temple, Bolverk sighed and gripped his massive, tribal sword.

He would prove his loyalty to his Master…even if it meant killing Sparda in the process.

Author's Note: Well, another Chapter finished. Maybe the puzzle that Kade solved could possibly be some sort of foreshadowing…? Please R&R.