Another four months had passed since Nero was first appointed as a knight of the Order. Things were a bit rough because of the clash of methods between Nero and the other knights. But overall, people respected him because of his strength and he did his best to help around.
And now...
"Oh crap, I'm late!"
Nero ran through the empty streets of Fortuna, obviously in a hurry. Today was an important mission, and he was running late. Blending in with the civilians while Kyrie performed Sanctus gave his sermon.
He had promised Credo and Kyrie that he'd be at Castle Town an hour before it began. But nooooo! Fate decided to screw him over and make him wake up an hour before the performance ended.
"If Credo isn't gonna kill me, then Kyrie will probably skin me alive." he mumbled to himself as he turned left to an alleyway, which would directly lead him to the opera house.
Nero skidded to a halt as numerous beings began to emerge from all sides - the floor, the walls, and even from the buildings. All of them were, in essence, a burlap sack that resembled a simple scarecrow, mismatched and stitched up. Except one of their arms was an executioner blade, with an odd one out having it on their leg instead. What's more, they had demon bugs crawling around their bodies.
The white haired teen groaned in annoyance, realizing that he'll be even more late. "Oh great. I don't have time for this nonsense!"
He pulled back his coat, revealing a holster with Blue Rose secured in it. He drew his gun and fired his first shot at the Scarecrow. The bullet pierced the demon and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, before it struck and killed two more.
Nero jumped onto the wall, avoiding the strikes of two of the Scarecrows, then kicked himself off, firing off another two-shot which disposed off another pair. He landed down before dodging two blades with a twisting flip. The knight used this opportunity and kicked them harshly into the wall, which was powerful enough to kill them.
Nero glared as another horde of Scarecrow appeared, helmed by one that had a blade leg. He holstered back his gun and made a come hither motion. The demon shrieked and jumped at him, spinning around like a disk. The teen grunted, but before he could catch the blade, a fellow Knight jumped in and struck back the demon. He looked over to the amnesiac and nodded at him.
"We'll take it from here, Nero. Go on ahead!" He grunted and struck the Scarecrow as more knights of the Order swarmed in, dealing with the burlap sacks.
Nero smirked and gave the man a two-finger salute. "Thanks, I owe you one, Vir!" He turned and ran, quickly picking up the pace, if only to hear the last part of Kyrie's opening song.
Unbeknownst to him, a man in red was watching from the roofs of the buildings, greatly amused by the fight. He looked at the opera house and chuckled, before making his way there as well.
In the nick of time, he got his wish. Nero sat down onto an unoccupied seat and made himself comfortable. His eyes locked onto Kyrie and smiled as he listened to her song, and safe to say, he was absolutely mesmerized. Even though there had already been numerous times when he had heard Kyrie sing, it still amazed him how beautiful her voice was.
He stood up with the rest of the watchers and clapped for the girl's stunning performance. The spotlight on Kyrie turned off, and allowed her to step off as her brother announced the arrival of Sanctus.
The Vicar of Sparda gave a gentle smile before starting off the sermon with the history on how Fortuna had began. While Nero idly listened to something he had already read about numerous times, Kyrie sat right besides him, giving him a lightly furious glare. Nero quickly noticed this and could do nothing but give her a sheepish smile.
"You're late. You missed most of my song."
"Sorry! I woke up just an hour ago... But, hey, at least I was here for the end, right? Better late than never?"
Kyrie could only roll her eyes and smile at his response. The sermon went on...until Nero realized that he was getting bored. In fact, he was starting to fall asleep. So, when Sanctus had asked for the others to join him in a prayer, they bowed their heads and clasped their hands, he stood to leave without any sort of fuss.
Kyrie stopped him for a moment, grabbing him by the wrist. "Nero, where are you going? The sermon isn't over yet."
"Guess me and religion really don't mix. It's better I leave than stay and make a scene. Wouldn't want to disrespect their faith."
Before he could even take another step forward, a figure burst through the ceiling and and landed in front of Sanctus. Before the Vicar could even react, the man aimed a gun at his face and pulled the trigger, shooting him straight in the forehead.
Everyone gasped and looked up as the assassin slowly stood up and turn around, facing the crowd. There stood Dante, with an uncharacteristically serious face splattered with blood, looking at the numerous citizens of Fortuna as the body of Sanctus fell down.
"Your Holiness!" cried out Credo in horror.
The crowd erupted into a massive uproar as they descended into a state of panic, trying to get out of the opera house. Nero quickly grabbed Kyrie and ushered the rest to evacuate the premises. Credo looked at his knights as they drew their swords and rushed off to face the assassin while he checked on Sanctus.
The knights' attempt were all but naught as they were effortlessly dispatched by Dante, whom only needed one blow to dispatch all of them.
Credo cradled Sanctus's corpse, in disbelief that their high priest had been killed in a place of worship. He silently mourned their leader's death, as his forces were all struck down. Dante slowly approached the General, gaining Kyrie's attention. She broke off from Nero, her worry for her brother overtaking her.
"Kyrie, no!" he shouted, reaching out in worry.
A knight tried to attack the assassin from behind, but had been anticipated, Dante decapitating him and sending his corpse to trip down the poor teen girl. Kyrie tried to push herself up but the fear inside her shot up as she found Dante standing over her, staring menacingly.
Nero quickly acted and rushed off to dropkick the man in the face, sending him flying towards Sparda's statue. The teen planted down his foot and drew out Blue Rose and fired off a shot. Dante sliced through the bullets planting the Rebellion into a statue to compose himself. He looked up, seeing come at him with a furious roar. Dante had tried to pull out his sword, but Nero had kicked it into Sparda's head and aimed his revolver while Dante challenged this with Ebony and Ivory.
"Nero!" cried out Kyrie in worry, only to be pushed back by Credo, his sword now drawn and pointed it at the assassin.
"Kyrie! Go with your brother and get out of here!"
Credo nodded gratefully at his subordinate as he prepared to retreat. "I will return with help. Try to stall him until then!"
With his order, Credo dragged off his sister while his remaining soldiers carried off Sanctus's corpse. Nero glared at the older man, whom merely smirked back.
Dante disappeared in a dash and sent a side kick. Nero blocked it then pushed him back, taking a shot. The half-devil grunted and merely swerved around it, firing off bullets of his own. The amnesiac slid over it and tried to do a leg takedown. Dante quickly saw this and jumped away, continuing to fire.
SON OF SPARDA
Dante
Nero rolled back and grabbed Rebellion, throwing it back at its owner. This served as a distraction as Dante caught it, not suspecting Nero would follow to strike him over the head. He grabbed him by the hem of his coat and tossed him over to the ruined stands.
The Knight jumped after and fired at the assassin. Dante smirked and kicked up the stands, blocking the shots and his view. Nero landed down and surveyed his surroundings. His eyes widened as the cambion emerged from the side, performing a Stinger attack. He could dodge in time and raised his right hand, causing the the whole room to erupt in a blue light as he caught the blade's tip.
For the first time today, Dante finally spoke, chuckling. "Finally. You pulled that trick up your sleeve."
Much to his surprise, Nero remained silent, and instead insisted on glaring at him. The teen pulled back and delivered a vicious straight, launching Dante back into the stands. Nero roared and materialized a spectral arm, using it to pry off the large sword the statue was holding, and tossed it at Dante.
The red-clad assassin craned his head, the sword narrowly missing him. Nero grunted, dusting off his hands as he approached his opponent.
"Gonna have to clean things up here before the cavalry arrives."
Dante merely laughed. He rushed off and went for an overhead strike, which was then caught by Nero. The teen pulled down the blade and delivered a butterfly kick to the older man's face, pushing him back. He wrestled Rebellion out of his hands and backhanded him into the seats.
Nero dropped down the sword and went for another dropkick. Dante grabbed him by the leg and harshly slammed him into the ground. He arched back, dodging the bullet that was shot. The amnesiac managed to surprise him and pushed him down to the ground.
With Dante at his mercy, he went ham and started rapidly pummeling him onto the ground, each blow, stronger than the last. It reached to the point that the flooring below them was now completely obliterated. And, for the coup de grace, he hoisted him up then threw him at the statue of Sparda, pinning him with his own sword. With one last breath, his arms fell limp as his eyes lost its life. Then, for good measure, Nero put a bullet in between his eyes.
No sooner did this happen, reinforcements arrived, led by Credo. All of them looked in awe as they saw Dante's body hang limp from the statue of their savior as Nero sat at the ruined center, catching his breath.
Credo approached the teen, whom looked back with a tired, yet proud smirk. "Guess I didn't need the help after all, huh?"
"I suppose so." he responded, giving his subordinate a smirk of his own.
The cries of their comrades got their attention as their bodies were sent flying. Before the two of them could react, a blast of red lightning struck, blinding them. When it died down, Dante was no longer pinned to the statue of his own father, not actually dead and managed to give them the slip.
Nero clicked his tongue in annoyance and kicked one of the benches out of frustration.
Credo paced back and forth, overseeing his men clear up all the broken rubble and carry out the corpses of their fallen comrades. Nero was leaning against the pillar, brooding, until he saw Kyrie approach them, dragging Red Queen with her. He jogged up to his friend, taking the weapon off of her.
"You didn't have to." he said. "I could have gotten it myself."
Kyrie shook her head, not at all minding. Nero smiled back as he secured Red Queen on his back and walked up to his superior officer, who had a fellow knight whisper something in his ear. Credo nodded and dismissed him, turning to face his sister and Nero.
"So, what's the sitrep, Credo?"
"That assassin, Dante, has been charged of high counts of murder and several acts of vandalism, and is to be captured immediately for due punishment. That will be your mission. The witnesses said that he was seen heading towards Ferrum Hills. Capture him. It is crucial that we get him alive."
Nero smirked and nodded. "Trust me, I'll get it done."
"I'm counting on it. If you'll excuse me, I need to head back to make a report at headquarters. With the death of His Holiness, the command structure will descend into chaos if something is not done."
Credo then left, leaving Kyrie and Nero all alone. The latter looked at the former, gently patting her head. "You should head back home. Things might get too messy."
"Alright. Be safe, Nero." said Kyrie, giving a small peck on the cheek.
He blushed at the action but gave her a smile as he ran out of the opera house to fulfill his mission.
Ferrum Hills
Nero ventured deep into the abandoned part of the mines, having dealt with numerous demons along the way. Nothing too troubling, just a bunch of mooks that weren't worth mentioning.
He had caught sight of his target go into here, making him wonder as to why he would he even bother going there, since there nothing noteworthy at the location. It wasn't until he arrived that he took notice of a long, black monolith-like item standing at the very end of the mines.
"A Hell Gate? Here?" he asked himself in surprise, and confusion.
He knew of the Hell Gate. It was the cultural monument situated at the very center at Castle Town of Fortuna. He had read how it, like its namesake suggested, was a portal to the underworld that Sparda had sealed off. However, the books stated that there was only one Hell Gate, so now it begged the question, where did the one he was staring at come from?
His arm started to glow, making him apprehensive. It only did that when a demon was nearby. The portal began to glow a fiery red, making him stand at attention. A surge of fiery blaze burst out from the gate and a towering figure emerged.
It was a huge, flaming centaur-like demon, carrying a large sword, which looked as if it was made out of molten materials. The demon walked around as it's very presence set aflame to the poor buildings, leaving burning hoof prints at its wake.
"The human world... It's been a while." it spoke in a deep, guttural voice.
Nero and the demon walked pass each other, the latter paying no mind to the former as it observed its surroundings. The teen smirked and slammed down Red Queen, swinging it in a 360 degree sweep, kicking up air and dust that put out the burning buildings.
"How curious." This little act gained the demon's attention. He turned around to get a better look at Nero.
"Sorry, but fire's bad for the complexion. I burn easily, never tan!" he snarked out.
"When I came to this world two thousand years ago, there was no human such as you."
"Is that right?" Nero cracked a smirk, hefting up Red Queen on his shoulder. "How about we make that another two thousands?"
The demon didn't find this amusing and let loose pillars of flames to intimidate him. "Insolent boy! You will suffer the wrath of Berial, the Conqueror of the Fire Hell!"
Berial roared and thrust his giant flaming sword. Nero grinned and met it with his own, managing to stop the attack in its tracks. The white-haired teen pushed him back, causing the large demon to stagger.
The Conqueror of Fire Hell growled and swung his sword overhead. Nero grunted, blocking it with the Devil Bringer. He pushed it away and leaped up to the demon's chest, sending quick strikes before shooting him straight in the head with Blue Rose.
Berial flicked him away, then slammed down his blade, summoning pillars of flame, following after Nero. The Knight cried out in surprise as he found himself juggled and scorched, repeatedly. Berial quickly charged and rammed him into the wall.
Nero pried himself off and rolled out of the way of another ramming charge. He slid under the centaur demon and struck his ankles, causing him to tremble and fall. Nero quickly revved up Red Queen into MAX-Act and battered the stunned demon with countless slashes before he could recover.
Berial roared and let loose another burst of flames, sending Nero back. The teen narrowed his eyes and shot a couple of bullets at the burning demon. However, the flames that coated him rendered the bullets ineffective, melting as soon as it made contact.
Berial marched forward, looking arrogant as he snorted. "Fighting me with fire? A pathetic endeavor."
Once more, he let out a demonic roar as the flames began to spread, turning the buildings around him to cinders. Nero ignored this, and instead tried again. This time, his Devil Bringer arm glowed brightly. He tightly gripped Blue Rose with both hands then pulled the trigger. The bullets that shot out were coated in blue energy, crackling with power.
Berial cried out in pain as the bullets pierced through his defenses, making him take a few steps back. He looked, completely shocked that he had been hit.
"W-What in the-? How is this possible?!"
Before he could react, Nero projected his phantom arm and grabbed him by the head. The white-haired teen slammed him into the ground, his flames being extinguished. Then, with great strength, he threw him into the air and sent him flying with a single punch, crashing through the remains of the buildings.
Berial grunted in pain, forcing himself to stand. He felt so much fury inside of him...yet at the same time, he felt fear. "You're arm… You are not human! You...are just like he was!"
This grabbed Nero's attention. "And who's 'he?'"
The King of Fire Hell paid him no heed, focused on retreating. "I must restore my powers..." And in a burst of flames, he went back into the Hell Gate, as what remained of the place became nothing but ash.
Nero sighed in frustration, muttering about how Berial got away. He tightly secured onto his back and went off to proceed to Lamia Peak. Unbeknownst to him, a certain red-clad, white-haired man was watching the entire spectacle from a cliff. He could have jumped in and help, but he instead preferred to stay back and watch.
Dante jumped down and approached the Hell Gate. He gazed at the glowing orb hovering silently besides it. The Son of Sparda called it to him. The orb disappeared in a flash and a backpack-like item in the shape of a skull materialized on Dante's back. He looked at the Devil Arm, a smirk finding its way on his lips as an idea came to mind.
Lamia Peak
Nero trudged through the snowy mountain, not at all bothered by the snow and cold. From what Credo had told him, the way to Fortuna Castle was mostly sunny, teeming with spring life and was the perfect spot for a walk. Yet, for some reason, a thick blanket of snow and a seemingly unending blizzard now plagued the area.
He blinked, taking notice that there was a large gap in between the cliff and the castle. He looked down and saw debris of the bridge, having probably been broken by the snowstorm. Nero grunted and jumped down the cliff and slid down the cliff side. He kicked himself off and dropped down on to the main bridge connected to the path that would take him to Fortuna Castle.
The teen blinked in confusion, seeing two lizard-like creatures covered in mechanical armor standing before him. The demons hissed and pounced, prompting Nero to draw Red Queen and swatted away them both away. However, the Frosts managed to redirect themselves and ended back where they were. The ice demons gathered energy in its hands and shot out multiple ice crystals at the young teen.
Nero's eyes widened and went on to the deflect the oncoming projectiles. He revved up Red Queen and used its Exceed system to melt whatever he could. Unfortunately, two stray shards managed to get him, freezing up his entire body. The ice lizards hissed in amusement and jumped on the frozen teen, swinging their claws in an arc.
Nero grunted in pain as he slid back, planting Red Queen before he could fall. He roared and grabbed the Frost before it could touch him. The Knight threw it into its fellow demon, the ice surrounding them shattering. Quickly, he ran up to them and impaled them as his blade remained ablaze. The Frosts roared in agonizing pain, as they both melted away under Red Queen's fire.
However, as the two had been disposed of, more demons dropped in. Nero sighed and hefted the large sword. His eyes narrowed into a glare, making a come hither motion. However, before any of them could make a move, they were quickly mowed down by numerous blades, raining down from the sky. A familiar figure then dropped in and quickly dispatched the demons that survived. Nero tilted his head, before drawing Blue Rose and taking a shot, killing the Frost that was about to attack her from behind.
"Gloria? The hell are you doing here?"
The Order Executive smiled and strutted up to the fourteen year old, who was now trying to avert his gaze. "It looked like you could have used some help. I just so happen to pass by when I spotted you fighting these Frosts."
Nero didn't really see anything wrong with that and holstered back his gun. He gazed at the fallen Frosts, curiosity coloring his face. "So, where exactly are these demons coming from? There's no way they've been here all along."
Gloria hummed in agreement, putting her weapons into stand-by mode. "It's strange. No matter the number you kill, more will come."
She then knelt down, placing away her blades behind her thigh, which also gave Nero quite the view of her cleavage. But, hormonal he may be, he still had the decency to look the other away. Gloria chuckled in amusement, standing up. Nero cleared his throat, wanting to move on.
"Then I guess I'll leave that chore to you. I have some personal slaying to take care of."
"Don't worry. I'll join with the others. We'll take care of them."
The two went their separate ways. Nero stopped for a moment, feeling his arm glow once again. He stared at the Devil Bringer before looking around in confusion, not seeing any sort of demon near the vicinity. With that, he proceeded to inside of the castle.
Nero fought his way through. Even inside, demons persisted, ranging from Scarecrows and Frosts. He came across a library and figured that some answers might lay there or Dante was hiding in said area.
The Knight looked through a book, skimming through it. He felt the hair on his back stand up, and he turned around, drawing Blue Rose. Standing before him was a man in full body armor, something he's never quite seen in the Order. From the looks of it, it looked too heavy for just anyone to wear it. Nonetheless, he bore the insignia of the Order, so he was an ally.
"You know, that's one way to get yourself shot." he remarked, before going back to reading the book.
The Armored Knight stepped forward and spoke with an echo. "Nero?"
"Yep. That's me. So, you here to help me capture Dante, or do you have another objective?"
"You are ordered to come with me." said the knight, with no trace of any sort of emotion of tone. Like a robot.
The amnesiac craned his head, smirking. "Hate to break it to ya, pal. But I only take orders from Credo, my commanding officer. So, unless you're somehow His Holiness, I can't help you with that."
"It was not a request."
The Armored Knight lunged forward and jabbed his lance at the teen. Nero quickly reacted and caught the tip with the book he was reading. "So much for friendly banter!"
It pulled back its lance at Nero, destroying the table and some shelves that were in its way. The white-haired teen dashed back and pulled out Red Queen.
"You wanna fight, huh? Fine then, come on!"
The Armored Knight swung down its lance, getting ready for battle. "By the order of the Chief Engineer, I, Bianco Angelo no. 626, shall force you to surrender."
The two charged at each other and clashed with their respective weapons. Nero pulled back and fired Blue Rose. The Bianco Angelo raised up its shield and blocked the shots. As it did this, it revved up its lance and surged forward, surprising the teen.
Nero raised his arm and blocked the attack, being pushed back by a considerable amount. He gritted his teeth before being pushed back by its surprising strength. The Bianco Angelo struck the teen four times, and sent out an upward slash that juggled him up.
Thrusters appeared form behind its armor and it used it to launch itself up to follow up on his attack. Nero defended against the strike and they traded a few more blows, sparks flying off their respective weapons. He managed to get the upper hand and slammed him down with an overhead slash.
Nero revved up his sword and roared, propelling himself downward for a drill-like attack. The attack hit the Angelo, managing to destroy its shield and stagger it. Noticing that he still had two charges of Exceed, he rushed in and spun around as he made contact, striking it twice.
He smirked as its armor broke open and fell in a heap. But before he could even think, another one appeared. The new Bianco Angelo didn't give Nero the time to react as it rushed forward and skewered him with its lance. Skidding to a stop, it slammed down the white-haired teen.
Growling in annoyance, he rolled out of the way at another lunging stab. As it tried out another attack, Nero countered it with a Buster. He grabbed a hold of its lance and jammed it inside of the Angelo, revving it up before harshly ripping it out and striking it down.
Two more appeared, and quickly sprung into battle. The amnesiac locked blades with them before pulling back and jumping out of their way as they slashed down the pillars. Seeing their backs exposed, he took the opportunity and fiercely attacked with a barrage of strikes.
They didn't take kindly to this and rebounded back his blade with their shields, staggering him enough for them to charge up their lances. The Angelos dashed forward and swung, spilling blood all over the floor.
Nero gritted his teeth and recovered, guarding himself against another joint attack. Roaring, he managed to push them back and Bustered the one to his left, grabbing a hold of its shield and threw it across its helmet, embedding it in and presumably stabbing the person inside.
He shifted his focus on the only left and just straight up punched it with all the he could, shattering the helmet and actually managing to kill it. Panting, he finally got the time to actually look around and was more than surprised to see husks of humans and a single Faunus, completely darkened and resembling that of a demon.
"The hell? These are people from the Order... They've been turned into demons?" he mumbled out. "...I need to find Dante quick, then get some answers from Credo."
"Didn't think you'd make such a huge mess."
Nero swiveled around and aimed Blue Rose at Dante, who was sitting cross-legged on the balcony. The white-haired teen grunted and fired off a shot. The Devil Hunter jumped up, caught off-guard by the sudden act of aggression. Before he could even make any sort of remarks, Nero continued on shooting at him.
This confused Dante to no end as he danced around the bullets with ease. "What the hell is going on? It's like he's an entirely different person." He landed on top of a pillar, then started jumping on to the others to resume dodging the attacks. A thought then came to mind, and it struck him like a splash of cold water. "Oh crap! Don't tell me that blow to the head gave him amnesia?!"
Dante slid across the floor, trying to explain himself. "Kid, wait!"
However, Nero paid him no heed as he dashed forward in a rushing sweep with Red Queen. Dante pulled out Rebellion and locked the attack in a stalemate. Seeing the opportunity, he quickly talked.
"Kid, listen to me. I'm not your enemy, I'm your uncle! And you're not Nero, you're Jaune! You're mother's name is Jeanne Arc, and you have five sisters! Remember it, kid!"
Nero ignored his pleas and pushed him back, quickly revving up his sword then launched Dante into the air, following after him. He simply projected his phantom arm and slammed him into a bookshelf. Dante pushed off the books on him and continued talking.
"Come on, stop joking around kid. Get serious. I need to talk to you about something. There's no one here. It's just you and me."
Nero craned his head, not wavering from his aim, making Dante grit his teeth in anger at himself.
Most distinct change I've made here is that, instead of it ending after JauNero and Dante meet again, I've extended it so he fights the Bianco Angelos and THEN he and Dante meet. Oh, and I also extended the beginning scene as well.