Devil Tail

by Shocknawe 425

Nero had gone through a lot since Fortuna, but he never could have been ready for when he entered a world of magic and Wizards. Meeting some wizards and joining tne Fairy Tail Guild, can they handle the Demon Hunter? And will Nero find something truly unexpected? (Inspired by Ultimate10’s Ultimate Fairy). NeroXErza

14. Chapter 14 Face The Music

And here we are, chapter 14 of Devil Tail. For this chapter, we'll be diverging away from Canon to focus more on the Demon aspect of the story, and the long-awaited time for Nero to expand his arsenal. Yes. Nero is getting his Devil Arm, not to be confused with Devil Bringer, but you know what I mean. Also, looking back, I'm sorry about the way I handled the Devil Trigger, I agree that I could've made it a bit more flashy and powerful as Triggers are known for, but taking into account the punishment Nero's gone through, exhaustion, and generally low on power and strength, it makes sense that Nero wouldn't be able to hold it for long. But rest assured, I have no intention of doing that again. Future Triggers will be way more flashy, flamboyant, powerful, and whatever else you would associate with Devil Triggers.

It will be similar to when Dante got his Devil Arm, Nevan, but I'll be adding more abilities to it, and unlike the last chapter, I'll make a flashback of Nero explaining to everyone his true nature. Also, kudos to lolrus555 for giving me the idea to give Nero a Devil Arm and writing the flashback. Really appreciate the work, buddy.

And in case you are wondering, the demon's voice I have in mind is Peri Gilpin, though for some, you might know her as Roz Doyle from Fraiser.

Also, there will be a song that I'm sure 90% of people reading this story are familiar with. Some might call me a fanboy for doing it, and a little meta, but that's their opinions. I find the song, at least this version of it, to be perfect for Nero and can actually see him playing it on a guitar. This isn't a stretch because Nero does have a taunt that involves him playing the air guitar.

Also, there will be a moment when history is explained. If there are some parts that don't make sense with the history of Devil May Cry, let me know. I wanna make this story as close to the canon of DMC as possible.

Going back to the poll. The new results are:

Nero: 22

Erza: 2

Draw: 3

Nero is still heavily favored. And I got a reason as to why. That reason being provided by xNightShroudx, (thanks by the way), that Nero outclasses Erza in terms of pain tolerance, and I agree to an extent. While Nero's healing factor might not be as strong as say Dante's or Vergil's, it's still worth noting that he was able to take being impaled several times before getting right back into the fight. However, Erza has plenty of advantages over him, so if you have a more detailed answer other than he can take more punishment than Erza, I would really appreciate it.

To make it easier, I found a part of Fandom that looks into the abilities of fictional characters and their stats. I found Nero and Erza's stats. I wanna say that Nero has an edge in durability and total power, physical and demonic, but Erza looks to be stronger and more versatile. But I'll leave who will win up to you. Just look at the two and compare what you see.

Also, a minor fluff scene between Nero and the demon that is appearing. It wouldn't really be a Devil May Cry without at least one sexy demon scene, and if you guys think I'm breaking away from Nero's character. Keep in mind, he's hung out with Dante, so...yeah. Also, I'm the author, I do what I want. Don't tell me how to live my life!

Okay, I'm digressing a little, onto the story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, Capcom owns DMC and whoever owns Fairy Tail does.

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Devil Tail

Chapter 14: Face The Music

3 weeks later...

Ever since the Phantom Lord incident, quite a bit has happened after the battle. Shortly following said battle, everyone had gathered around the wrecked Guild Hall, Nero even offered to fix it again, but Makarov declined, though did appreciate the offer. However, the old master said that 'it was time for a change.'

Fairy Tail had begun reconstruction practically right after the battle had been finished, eager to rebuild a new Guild Hall; nonetheless, nearly three or four days after they started, the Rune Knights showed up. The Rune Knights were the army of the Magic Council, and the wizards of Fairy Tail knew that they would show up eventually. Natsu and Happy had tried to escape but were easily captured.

The Rune Knights interrogated everyone; however, the longest person they questioned was Fairy Tail's own powerful Demon, Nero. The Knights had heard reports of a blinding blue wave slicing into Phantom Lord. Coupled in with the fact that Nero didn't exist in this world, they didn't know anything beyond that he was a new member of the guild and claimed to be a powerful Demon Slayer Mage.

Makarov had made the suggestion that Nero shouldn't lie to Knights, but would be fine if he told half-truths and perhaps stretched things a bit. After Nero heard that, he decided to play nice, well about as nice as he normally was to officials; telling them the same story as he had told everyone else when they first met. But the fact that he was part demon was completely off the table.

When he was questioned about where he was from, Nero said that he was from an island called Fortuna, and explained that it was very isolationistic, which is why no one has really heard of it. When the subject about his powers came into play, the Demon Hunter told them that he had abilities unique among Demon Slayer's and never before seen, but preferred using his sword and revolver, which surprised them, to say the least. When the reason why he joined Fairy Tail, he simply stated that he wanted to start helping people, keep the world somewhat safe, though internally, he also wanted to honor the memory of her.

None of the answers he gave the Knight were necessarily lies, Nero just didn't say that he was from a different plane of existence and his demonic powers could be viewed as magic. Besides, even if he did tell them that he was part demon, there was a high chance they might try to kill him.

Anyways, when the week of interrogation ended, Fairy Tail was called to Era, the headquarters of the Magic Council, to await trial. The level of anxiety everyone was experiencing was high. With just one order, the Magic Council could easily disband Fairy Tail.

Fortunately, in the end, Phantom Lord was deemed guilty and disbanded, and Master Jose was stripped of his rank as one of the Ten Wizard Saints. The Council announced that Fairy Tail's punishment would be decided at a later date, but that still didn't diminish everyone's excitement. After all, the evidence pointed straight to Phantom so no one really believed that the Council would punish Fairy Tail too severely.

A day after their trial, the Guild got back to work on constructing a new Guild Hall. However, for Team Sparda, something unexpected pulled their attention away from construction; Lucy's sudden disappearance. Nero, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Happy had all gone to her apartment house when they found out, but when they got there, the only thing they found was a note.

On the note, written in Lucy's handwriting was: 'I will go home'. Signed by the mage herself

Not much debate was needed as the team hopped on a train immediately and went after her. Lucy was their friend, a member of their team. It just wouldn't be right without her. Nero could attest to that. It felt weird, without the blonde beauty yelling at either Natsu, Gray, and Happy, or a combination of the three for their idiocy, and Nero to an extent, though mainly for his sassy and snarky responses.

When they finally arrived at her father's estate, they found her standing by the grave of her mother, who had passed away years prior. The Celestial wizard had explained to them that she only came back home to warn her father to never mess with her friends or Fairy Tail ever again, or he would regret it.

Nero felt proud for her; hearing the mage aggressively tell her father off. He was rubbing off on the girl.

But he was just completely blown away by how rich the guy really was. His private estate was nearly bigger than the entire City of Magnolia! Patty was rich, after inheriting her father's wealth, but this guy was loaded!

'Looking back, when she ran away, she sure left a LOT behind,' thought Nero to himself.

As they got back to the guild, Nero now realized something pretty important, he didn't have any place to live and stay. The Guild Hall had been a substitute home, but it couldn't do that anymore now that it was just rubble and ruins. Plus, while Nero did have some jewels, he didn't have nearly enough to buy a home. Also, during the interrogation process, he slept in a tent. But Gray had bailed out the hunter by offering his place to stay, letting Nero crash in the guest room.

Out of all his teammates, Gray is likely the best bet. Lucy didn't have a guest room, plus he'd probably shoot Natsu and Happy if they annoyed him enough with breaking into her place. Besides, she had enough headaches as is. Didn't need to bring a sassy and rude Demon Hunter under her roof. Erza was basically out of the question due to living in a dormitory, Fairy Hills. Sounds nice, but only for girls. Natsu and Happy were two to consider, but Nero figured the Dragon Slayer would challenge him all the time if he stayed at his place.

A day later, Team Sparda was now participating in the construction effort. The wreckage of the former Guild Hall had been carried off and huge supplies of lumber and stone had been brought in. It was obvious this new hall would be bigger than the previous one.

Currently, all the wizards were present to aid in constructing the new building. So far, sections of stone wall had already been built around the perimeter as well as the wooden infrastructure inside.

Natsu Dragneel let out a triumphant cry as he lifted a load of heavy wooden beams over his head. But Natsu couldn't bear the weight of the heavy load; as a result, his knees buckled as he fell forward, the lumber collapsing on top of him.

Mirajane and Happy, who were standing close by, only sweatdropped at the scene.

"Oh Natsu," Mirajane sighed, exasperated.

"Saw that one coming," joked Nero as he went over to the Fire mage and summoned Spectral Bringer, Devil Bringer lighting up brightly. The ethereal hand appeared and grew in size as Nero pushed a little more power into it. Once he was satisfied with its size, he used the giant hand to gather up all the timber in one hand and carry it off. As Natsu got up, he crossed his arms and huffed at Nero.

"Show-off," he muttered.

"It's what I do," snarked Nero with a chuckle, causing Natsu to shot the Demon Hunter with a half hearted glare, knowing he was just pushing his buttons for fun.

Gray walked by, heaving a single beam over his shoulder, "That's what you get for carrying too much yah moron."

"WHAT YOU'D CALL ME?!" Natsu yelled; his anger flaring up as flames shrouded his body.

"You got a problem?" Gray seethed, getting in Natsu's face as icy energy covered his form. The duo's fire and ice clashed as they got in one another's face.

"Yeah, I gotta problem with your face!" the Dragon Slayer remarked.

Lucy, who was sitting at the finished bar counter taking a short break, sighed in annoyance, "They're at it again, huh."

"Aye," Happy muffled through the fish in his mouth.

Hiding behind a stone wall, a girl with blue hair curled at the base and wearing a navy blue coat had hearts in her eyes as she ogled Gray. Juvia squealed girlishly as she cried, "Oh Gray my love! I wish you'd carry me too!"

Suddenly, before a fight could break out, a beam of timber smashed into Natsu and Gray's heads, which buried their bodies into the ground. Erza stood above them, wearing a pair of baggy brown pants, a brown shirt, and a yellow hardhat. The lumber she used to hit them was resting on her shoulder.

"Enough! No more lollygagging!" She ordered sternly, "We have a lot of work to do!"

Natsu and Gray both had big, red bumps on their heads. "Aye," they groaned in pain.

"I wouldn't want to work for Erza," Wakaba commented.

"Did she re-quip into that outfit?" wondered Macao.

As they were talking, Nero made his way to Makarov, the master having increased his height to about twenty-five to thirty feet. He was wearing the same attire as Erza. He was putting together the wooden infrastructure of the building, and instead of using a hammer, he used his fists. Nero set the logs down just beside the old man, Makarov looked down at Nero and gave the hunter a smile.

"Thank you, Nero. Say…could you help me put together this framework?" Makarov inquired, "It'll make this go a lot faster."

"No problem," answered Nero as he hoped up to the beam Makarov was working on and grabbed some nails. Looking around, the hunter spotted a hammer laying on the ground a few feet away. Swinging Devil Bringer at it, Spectral Bringer shot out and grabbed the handle of the hammer and pulled it towards him. With the hammer, he began to hammer in some nails, working on the opposite side of Makarov, nailing down a girder in a level position that was supported by two posts. After hammering the last nail in, Nero hoped down and grabbed another pile of lumber with Spectral Bringer and followed Makarov to the next section of the building.

"Geez," Wakaba staggered back in surprise from the power Nero held, "Master's not the only one hard at work."

"Except Nero's working in a more dramatic way," Macao agreed.

"Still," interjected Cana, "it's surprising to know that Nero is the grandson of a demon."

---

Flashback

Fairy Tail Ruins, Magnolia

In wake of Fairy Tail's triumphant victory against Phantom Lord, and after such a long and arduous battle, one would imagine that the recuperating guild's first priority would be to celebrate their victory and lick their wounds simultaneously.

But no. Instead of being filled to the brim with the sounds of partying which had already been done earlier. The hall, or where it used to be, was completely silent and its atmosphere was one of thick awkwardness and anticipation, and at the center of all this was Nero. Who was currently sitting on one of the guild hall's barstools which had survived the crumbling guild with a heavily thoughtful look on his face while every other one of his guildmates looked at him with great curiosity.

'...I knew this was gonna happen the moment I showed my powers off in front of everyone, and I accepted that I'd have to clear things up once the excitement wore down, but God damn, how the hell do I explain all this shit!?' Nero thought irritably as he took a moment to look down at his demonic appendage before readopting his thoughtful expression.

To put things into context, Nero had quite simply been put on the spot in front of everyone by Gray, Elfman, and Mira regarding his demonic abilities. Of course, since this was being said in front of the guild and since they all bore witness to Nero using his Devil Trigger to deflect that shot from the Jupiter cannon, the descendant of Sparda couldn't exactly just talk his way out of this situation and he did promise to explain everything.

And so, Nero had been requested by pretty much everyone in Fairy Tail to explain what exactly the circumstances surrounding his demonic nature was. The white-haired young man was admittedly reluctant to do so, but he also had a gut feeling that he was gonna be sticking around with Fairy Tail for a while, so it was probably for the best that he lay all his cards on the table now.

That being said, it had been ten minutes since Nero had agreed to start explaining and he still hadn't said a peep since then, merely sitting at the bar looking rather thoughtful while everyone looked on with varying levels of impatience. It was really only a few minutes of waiting, but the anticipation made it seem more like an hour.

After another moment of unbearably long anticipation, Nero's eyes suddenly widened and he began to open his mouth…

Only to close it and shake his head slightly before readopting his 'thinking' expression, causing everyone present to fall over in a comical manner.

"AHHHHH! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! SAY SOMETHING, PLEASE! THIS ANTICIPATION IS KILLING US!" Happy exclaimed with a desperate expression on his face, flying in front of Nero as the silence was finally broken.

"Look, this isn't exactly an easy topic to go into, alright? You all probably already realized this, but my family history's kind of a total clusterfuck… and an atrocity on family values too. Anyway," stated Nero, pushing the blue cat back, mainly to give him some room, "Just give me a second to get my thoughts in order, will you?"

Everyone groaned, knowing that Nero had a lot to explain, but still, the anticipation was killing them. In fact, they much rather be fighting Phantom Lord again.

"Alright!" stated Nero as he got himself ready, "Feel like I can actually explain this shit now!"

"Nothing like a little liquid courage to help drive you forward," Cana added in nonchalantly, taking a chug from her own large frothy mug.

"...Alright, if I'm gonna be explaining this to you guys, I guess the best place to start is gonna be at the beginning," Nero began, crossing his arms as he began, "About a couple thousand years ago, to be exact."

"Hey, I told you guys this shit wasn't gonna be easy to explain," Nero drawled out nonchalantly, noting the expressions given to him by a few wizards, "Back in my own world, about several thousand years ago, there was some kind of big, apocalyptic war between humans and, you guessed it, demons. Led by the Prince of Darkness, Mundus, who somehow managed to open up the gap between my world and hell and launched a crusade on the human world to conquer it."

In response to hearing that familiar name be brought up, Makarov's eyes widened just ever so slightly.

'That monster really was everywhere, it seems…' The guild master thought seriously, recalling what he was told by Nero sometime back after Galuna Island. However, he remained silent as Nero continued to relay his tale.

"They did this because they're demons, it's in their nature, most of the time," that last bit was mainly about Sparda, but also about Trish, Modeus, and Lucia, whom Nero met a few times, "And the humans fought back against them because the spawns of hell aren't exactly the most benevolent world leaders you could ask for."

"No really?" asked Natsu sarcastically.

"Anyway, from what I've heard, humanity was losing badly for a while before a game changer came around in the form of my grandfather, a demon by the name of Sparda," explained the hunter, Erza catching the name quickly as it was Nero's last name.

"So Sparda is not your last name, but the name of your grandfather," surmised Erza.

"Yeah," nodded Nero, glancing at the Fairy Queen for a moment, "Sparda was unlike a lot of other demons since he had a little something called a conscience, and it was towards the climax of this war that he decided to 'wake up to justice' and defend the humans from his demonic kin. From there, he single-handedly slaughtered his way through the demonic legions of hell before personally confronting Mundus. He couldn't kill him, but he was able to defeat him, which gave him enough time to separate the human world from hell. Of course, since Sparda was a demon himself, doing this didn't come without a pretty hefty price."

"I see… you're saying that even if it meant being stuck in a very literal hell filled with a population of vengeful demons, he was still willing to seal the bridge between worlds away," Makarov summarised, stating the conclusion everyone else present was coming to as they listened to Nero's tale, "Even though he was a demon, Sparda truly did have the heart of a man. And a heroic and honorable one at that."

It was an understandable conclusion to come to, all things considered. The tragic tale of a demon that woke up to justice, making the ultimate sacrifice after turning against his demonic brethren to ensure the safety of humanity.

"So did he die?" asked Natsu.

"If Sparda died, then how is Nero here?" demanded Gray, "think for a change flame breath."

"You wanna go, ice stripper!" demanded Natsu, a tick mark forming on his head as he glared at Gray.

"NATSU! GRAY!" shouted Erza, causing both mentioned mages to immediately cower in fear, "NERO IS SPEAKING!"

"Sorry!" Natsu and Gray apologized at the same time.

"Thank you for that," sweatdropped Nero, shaking his head, "Sparda was fine and still in the human world after sealing the way to hell closed; he just lost all if not, most of his power," Nero corrected with a deadpan tone, raising a single brow as the rest of the guild face-faulted in a rather comical manner, their initial expectations having been brutally shot down, "As for why Sparda lost his power upon sealing the gateway, that's a bit hard to answer. I've heard from some sources that it was just the natural consequence of cutting off the way to his old home, but I've also heard that Sparda deliberately sealed his power away because he felt he was growing too strong. It's honestly hard to tell what's true and what's not. As you can probably guess, the details surrounding events that went down several thousand years ago are kinda hazy."

Shaking his head, the hunter shrugged in a not caring fashion, "Either way, the end result was Sparda's most trusted sword, the Force Edge, being left at the edge of the demon world with all the power he used to drive back the demonic legions and Mundus stored within."

"Was that really a good idea?" Levy began, gaining Nero's attention, "Sounds to me like this Sparda guy had his heart in the right place, but if that power he had was enough to let him single-handedly win a war against the forces of hell, what's stopping any intelligent demon from trying to take that power for themselves? Seems to me like he didn't think too far ahead."

"That'd be where you're wrong. Sparda was apparently smart enough to keep his power under some hefty locks when he was sealing it away. Using two amulets, that when linked together, could be used to reopen the door to hell, he somehow managed to link the means of unlocking his power to those amulets. When connected and brought to the Force Edge, all of Sparda's power within that sword becomes available for anyone to take. And considering that the Force Edge was stuck in hell while the amulet pieces were in the human world, it ensured that any opportunistic jackass trying to get his hands on that power would have to go through some serious hoops to get it."

"All things considered, seems like Sparda was quite infamous among the hellish crowd. It'd definitely explain why Deliora said his name when he saw you…" commented Gray, recalling that Deliora had called Nero 'Sparda' during the Galuna Island quest.

"Yeaaah, from what I've seen, demons have pretty sharp noses and Sparda's blood carries a pretty strong goddamn scent," confessed the hunter, "But I digress. After taking care of the immediate problem of demons flooding in through a gate to hell and slaughtering everyone in sight, Sparda apparently just spent the next millennia just… well… no one's really sure on what exactly he was doing between then and now. No one's even sure if he's dead or not even now," Nero admitted when he realized. It was convenient though. It wasn't really important and he didn't exactly want to spend his afternoon trying to explain several thousand years worth of history to everyone present.

"But none of that's really important to what I'm trying to say here. What IS important is that a few decades before I was born, Sparda met a human woman by the name of Eva, who he eventually fell in love with and married. Not long after this little union, Eva soon gave birth to two sons."

However, before any mage could say anything, the hunter beat them to it, "And before any of you chucklefucks say a word, Sparda apparently had a human form he used to live among humans and it was… anatomically correct to boot. So get your minds out of the gutter and focus on the actual important parts of this story, got it?"

"I'd uh… I'd be lying if I wasn't a bit curious after seeing what that Scarecrow looked like. Hehe…," Lucy couldn't help but chuckle sheepishly.

"Actually, we did," interjected Happy, "remember when we went off to do a job and Nero went off to do his own thing?"

"Oh yeah," said Natsu, remembering that run in, "thing was just creepy."

Erza remembered that event, having learned a valuable lesson from Nero that day: never turn your back on a demon.

"To get back on topic, Sparda and Eva had two sons, twins, as a matter of fact, that were half demon and half human. The best of both worlds, essentially. One of them was my uncle, Dante, who ran that whole devil slaying business I've mentioned before, and the other was my 'dear old dad', Vergil," The way Nero spat out those last few words implied a lot of very mixed feelings regarding his father.

"It was not long after Dante and Vergil being born that Sparda just dropped off the face of the Earth. Like I said before, no one is really sure just what happened to him. He could be dead, he could be alive… shit, who knows? Maybe he's off skulking around in this world somehow. Point is, no one really knows what happened other than the fact that Eva was left to raise her two sons by herself… which leads us to another important subject in this little history lesson..."

Nero hesitated for a minute, wondering if he should tell them about Dante's past, but knew that it was really his place to say.

"Alright, look. I'm just gonna skip over this next part cause frankly, it's not really my place to go off talking about it," decided the hunter, "As you can all probably guess, Mundus held one hell of a grudge against Sparda for crossing him, stopping his plans, and humiliating him in every sense of the word … you all see what I'm getting at here?"

"Dante and Vergil managed to get out of there alive, but events, really tragic ones, they can do things to a man," stated Nero ominously, "Dante coped by opening up Devil May Cry, a demon hunting business that I was a recent addition to before I ended up here, and Vergil… he… didn't take what happened nearly as well."

"What did happen?" asked Lucy, in curiosity.

"Don't ask me that, Lucy," requested Nero sharply, "because if you ask, I'm gonna have to tell. So please to don't ask that. It's not my place to say."

Lucy nodded, seeing that what happened was a sensitive topic. Nero shook his head, taking in a deep breath before letting it out through his nose.

"Look, even though the guy was my father, I never personally knew him," stated the hunter, "Everything I know about him is stuff I heard from Dante and one other person that met him. Everything I heard about the guy paints him as a power-hungry 'might makes right' kinda guy."

"From what Dante told me, after what happened, their relationship became a lot more vitriolic… and by vitriolic, I mean they tried to kill each other whenever they met. Heh, shit… Dante even told me he managed to run a sword through him a few times like that iron bastard did to me," snorted Nero in grim humor, "Guess it runs in the family…"

Everyone openly gaped at that. Nero's father and uncle tried to kill each other! And Vergil actually impaled Dante!

"Anyway, this sibling rivalry between the two of them continued for years, and came to a head when my 'dear old dad' decided to reopen the gate to hell my gramps sealed up."

"Are you for real!? Why the hell would he do something like that!?" demanded Natsu.

"A couple of reasons," replied Nero evenly, "If what Dante told me about him was true, my dad's whole 'might makes right' philosophy stemmed from him deciding to embrace his demonic heritage more than his human heritage. Not only that, but I was also told that he admired Sparda to the point of wanting to emulate him and the great power he had… so when he eventually found out that the Force Edge and all that literally ungodly power was just sitting on the other end of that doorway to the demon world. If I had to guess, then he probably considered that sword and the power inside it his birthright."

"But Nero, didn't you say yourself that reopening that gate and claiming Sparda's power was an extremely difficult task? How exactly did he accomplish these things, like finding out just what and where exactly this gate was, or acquiring the amulets to unlock the sword's power?" Mira questioned; her expression one of both morbid curiosity and concern.

"Well, that's actually a funny thing for you to bring up regarding those amulets. Turns out, finding these amulet pieces was going to be no problem for Vergil, considering he already had one of them long before he knew about the Temen-Ni-Gru and he already knew were the other was," he explained, gaining a lot of attention, which one wizard immediately picked up on.

"H-Hold on for a second here, Nero! You're jumping forward way too many steps! How did he already have one of the amulet pieces if he only knew about what they did after the fact!? And what's a 'Temen Ni Gru' for that matter!?" Levy quickly asked, she and everyone else taken aback and off track by the quick succession of revelations they just heard.

"Yeah, I forgot to mention that, didn't I?" Nero admitted, scratching the side of his head, "To simplify things, the Temen-Ni-Gru was a demonic tower that was supposed to act as a medium before the human world and the demon world. I can only assume it was what Mundus used to send his forces through during that big war before Sparda put a stop to all that. As for how Vergil found out about it and everything, I'm not too sure myself; Dante only told me the bare essentials… along with all the parts where he apparently did something cool. I don't care what he says, I'm still calling bullshit on riding a rocket-powered motorcycle up a gigantic fucking tower while using said motorcycle to bludgeon demons to death," the last part of that explanation was more of an annoyed mutter to skepticism… which everyone in the guild hall still heard quickly, only furthering their bewilderment and intrigue with this tale along with making everyone present (Elfman especially) want to meet Dante in person.

"As for the amulets, Vergil already had one because both halves of the amulet were given to him and Dante by Eva. It was something they both treasured after that… 'incident' I brought up, and when pops found out about its true purpose, there was no way in hell he was gonna let Dante keep the other half."

"After all that and two decade's worth of making a career out of killing hellspawn, Dante's job eventually led him to Fortuna Island, where I was born and raised."

"Oh yeah! You mentioned this place back when we first met you, right?" recalled Lucy, "You said it was pretty cut off from society if I'm remembering correctly…"

"You'd be remembering right then," nodded Nero, before continuing, "and since we're on the subject, I should probably make sure you all know the community living on that island had a religion centered around worshiping Sparda."

"They worshipped your gramps?" Natsu asked, eyes slightly wide at this reveal.

"Yup. They probably all knew about how he saved humanity's ass and everything. If I had to guess, then Vergil probably made his way there hoping to maybe find out more about Sparda, and before he took his leave he… uh… okay, do I really need to spell this out for you people!?"

"Huh… Oh! So if these guys had an entire religion centered around your grandpa, you must've been living the good life growing up there, huh Nero?" Macaco began, eyes lighting up in realization as he heard this, "They probably treated you like a king while you lived there!"

"...Think less 'king' and more 'social pariah' and you'll be right on the money, man," Was Nero's deadpan response, his expression bored as he hopped off the stool and stood back up.

"B-But didn't you just say you were the grandson of their religion's subject of worship!?" asked Lucy incredulously, wondering just why someone of Sparda's bloodline was treated so badly when the Order worshipped the demon he was related to.

"Eh, it's stupid, and really not important, either. Besides, I'm trying to explain the clusterfuck that's my family's history to you guys, not wail on about my oh-so-tragic past," Nero dismissed with a wave, the last part of that statement dripping with sarcasm.

"Anyway, a few years back, I decided to join up with the Order's knights, partly because they specialized in hunting demons lurking around Fortuna and I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Credo," continued Nero.

"Wait, who's Credo?" asked Gray, raising an eyebrow.

"Forgot to mention I was an orphan found on a doorstep," recalled the demon hunter, remembering his other family, "See, once 'dear old dad' left, mom couldn't take care of me and left me on the doorstep of a family that took me in. The family was part of the Order so I was brought up in the whole thing. You see, they had two children of their own: Credo and Kyrie."

Nero paused, his right hand subconsciously going to rest on Kyrie's necklace. He shook off the moment of pause and continued, "Credo was part of the Order and was looking to be a good knight, defending Fortuna and his family. I wanted to do the same thing," elaborated the Demon Hunter, "After a few years, Credo was made Captain of the Holy Knight. You'd think the half-brother of the Captain would be a little more liked, but the entire order hated my guts, and the feeling was entirely mutual. I never really saw eye to eye with authority back home and The Order was about as uptight and domineering as you could imagine... which uh... in retrospect, sounds kinda familiar," Nero admitted, scratching his chin as his gaze scanned the many members of the Rebellious Fairy Tail guild all around him.

"Even though they hated everything about me though, the order's knights really couldn't afford to get rid of me since I was one of the few guys that actually got results. So fast forward a few years, I'm tasked with capturing 'Uncle Dante' when he bursts in through a stained glass window during the weekly service and... well... pops a cap in the church head's ass," Nero explained after a brief moment's hesitation, pulling out Blue Rose for the sole purpose to mimic firing to really get his point across.

"What?!" everyone practically shouted in shock, causing Nero to wince a little, "Why would he do that?!"

"Uh... yeah," chuckled Nero awkwardly while everyone just stared at him in shock, "Turns out the Order was actually dealing with some seriously shady shit behind the scenes in all the years I was growing up there. And I mean really shady. Like... 'megalomaniac wants to conquer the world' kind of crazy, which was why Dante came to the island and why he splattered Sanctus's brains all over the place. Just so we're clear, he was the old bastard in charge of the order."

"Oh, well, okay then," shrugged Natsu calmly, getting over his shock rather quickly.

"SO, YOU JUST GET OVER YOUR SHOCK LIKE THAT!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Sure, he just explained why he did it, and it worked for me," Natsu explained evenly.

"Yeah, didn't really shed any tears over the old fuck apparently getting his just desserts, he was a fucking asshole even before this mess, but considering I was an active knight at the time, that pretty much required me to hunt Dante down and capture him," explained Nero as he holstered Blue Rose, though mentally he added 'Which is easier said than fucking done.'

"Yeah, Dante and I didn't really meet under the best of circumstances, but by the end of it all, and after saving my ass, we managed to get things straight between us. Then, not long after that, I end up joining up with Devil May Cry, taking the job that whisked me over to Earth Land and the rest, as they say, is history."

"Man, you weren't kidding when you said that your story was crazy," commented Gray, shaking his head.

"It's also probably worth noting that during that whole mess was when I got my hands on Yamato and this big old bastard behind me," As Nero said this, his voice took on a more distorted tone and his irises once again went from icy blue to a malevolent red before the same armored entity from before faded into existence behind him after a small burst of blue aura. All of Fairy Tail flinched slightly at the appearance. They could feel the power rolling off Nero now. It was somewhat, dark, consuming, and powerful, but also, despite the appearance, gave some sort of sense of relief.

"That phantom again...!" Erza muttered to herself, taken aback by the air of intimidation and power the blue specter behind Nero exuded before readopting her usual calm, "What exactly is that specter behind you, Nero? I understand that it's demonic in nature, but how exactly does it serve you?"

"It's called a 'Devil Trigger.' Apparently, any demon can use this ability to release the full extent of their power. Of course, since Dante and I aren't full demons, only hybrids, it works a bit differently for the both of us...," Nero explained further, his distorted a demonic voice causing a few mages to shudder slightly, before taking a moment to examine the flawless steel of Yamato's blade... oblivious to how his phantom craned its armored head to look at it as well, while mimicking his movements, "To actually make use of it, I gotta be hanging on to a demonic weapon called a devil arm. Since I'm using it as a medium to manifest this thing, the big guy behind me would probably look different if I was wielding something other than this sword Apparently, these rules applied to Dante back when he was younger too, but from what I've seen, he's only got one consistent form, and it sure as shit doesn't look like he needs a devil arm to activate them either, so maybe it just gets easier to do with age and experience."

"And I'm guessing the weapon you're using to manifest it is that katana, correct?" Makarov noted, his gaze planted on Yamato resting firmly in Nero's demonic hand.

"You'd be guessing right. It's called Yamato, one of the three swords Sparda wielded before he passed them down. It was originally my father's before I got my hands on it, although it's probably worth noting that I found it in the Order Of The Sword's labs with the blade snapped in half. How exactly a sword this powerful ended up in the hands of the order's shady bastards haunts me to this day...," Nero contemplated aloud, the image of Yamato's shattered form floating in Agnus's lab still clear in his head, "Either way, regardless of my daddy issues, I've been making sure to take good care of it ever since Dante entrusted it to me." And with that said, Nero let his Devil Trigger fade away in a small burst of blue aura and allowed Yamato to dematerialize back into the devil bringer, "So, any other questions?"

"I actually got one. So uh... if you're like quarter demon and got that big scaley demon arm because of it, does that mean your dad and uncle are demonic from the waist up then?" Natsu couldn't help but ask, a rather confused and oblivious tone apparent in his voice while every other member of the guild tried (with varying degrees of success) to repress a groan at such a question.

Nero, on the other hand, couldn't help but burst out laughing, keeling over slightly in his seat as he tried to repress his laughter, much to everyone else's surprise. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was just because it was a long day and he was at his limits mentally, but such a stupid and simple question just struck a cord with the descendant of Sparda. After he managed to contain his amusement, he answered the Dragon Slayer.

"Good- Snirk-! Uh, not a bad question, all things considered. Pretty valid one too, now that I think of it...!" Nero managed between snickers, an amused smirk on his face, "To give you an answer though, that'd be a no. Honestly, with this damn thing in mind, the two of them probably look more human than me. Although that all kinda changes when Dante uses his Devil Trigger. Unlike me, Dante doesn't get some demonic phantom copying him and instead just straight-up turns into a fucking demon," As he explained this, Nero couldn't help but scowl in mild annoyance as he thought back to the first time he was Dante's demonic form. The power and terror the son of Sparda radiated in such a form could be felt just from being near him... and as though the form's appearance itself and Dante's heavily distorted voice didn't already do that. As it turned out, Dante was actually quite prone to using his Devil Trigger against gruntier demons and any targets that he was out to kill, mainly just to add that extra bit of flair to the battle since it wasn't like the son of Sparda actually needed to use his DT to win most fights.

When Nero proceeded to question why Dante didn't use his Devil Trigger when they fought back in the Order's headquarters, the elder demon hunter just ruffled his hair like he was a goddamn little kid and told him that his 'pop would've tried to kill me again if he comes back one day and finds out I scarred his pretty boy son's face!'

...After the truth about his heritage came out, Dante really seemed to come into the role of acting as Nero's 'Crazy uncle Dante,' and he still wasn't sure how to feel about this...

The expression on Nero's face just then made the rest of the guild members all the more curious as to what Dante was like in person and what his demon form looked like... either that or they were unnerved at the thought of getting an answer to such a question.

"As far as I can tell, this thing's unique to me," Nero explained, looking down at the palm of the Devil Bringer and it's lightly glowing blue tissue before shrugging, "Then again, I don't exactly know any other quarter demons, so what the hell do I know?"

"Anyway, a few years before I met Dante and all that shit went down, I got into a bit of an accident while on the hunt for some demons. A pretty nasty arm injury. At first, it just looked like my arm had some gross-looking infection, but as time went on, it looked less and less like a rash and more and more like... well... a demonic arm," explained Nero, gripping the wrist of Devil Bringer tightly, "I'll be the first to admit the damn thing drove me crazy, especially considering the entire society I lived in wasn't exactly very excepting of Devils that weren't named 'Sparda,' but by the end of Dante's little business trip to Fortuna, I realized that having it around wasn't so bad. It certainly comes in handy, even if it's a major pain in the ass having to cover it up all the damn time."

Silence soon followed after, each wizard taking it a slightly different way. Natsu was in slight awe, hearing about how badass Nero's family was. True, the demon hunter was a badass in his own right, but after hearing just how awesome his grandfather was, he couldn't wait to meet Dante. But above all, he was gonna challenge Nero at every chance he got to a fight.

For Gray, this was a real game changer. Sure he figured that the guy was strong and had to be if what he heard about Demon Slayers were true, even if he was from another world. But hearing that a Demon, a creature from the netherworld, willingly turned on its own, took on the armies of hell, and fought the Princess of Darkness and won, all for the sake of humanity! If he heard the tale beforehand he would've told the person telling it, they were crazy.

Erza had a slightly different view and was slightly cautious about Nero now. Sure, she wouldn't judge a person by their appearance or the past without first getting to know the person, but hearing about his past, it changed her view of Nero, but just slightly. She was still curious about what else he might be hiding, and very interested in Yamato.

While the Wizards reflected on what was told, Makarov bowed his head and began to think. At first glance, he suspected that Nero was hiding something from them. He was suspicious about the platinum blonde during his fight with Natsu the first day they meet. He could sense the power Nero projected was otherworldly, and it was unlike anything he felt before.

"So, that's it," finished Nero, getting everyone's attention, "That's my life story."

"You weren't kidding when you said that your history is messed up," said Lucy, looking at the hunter with a bit of sympathy, having lost a good deal on top of being sent to another plane of existence.

"Kinda a running thing to anyone who is related to Sparda," stated Nero grimly as he looked at the gathered mages, "Part demon or not, everyone is a little suspicious of you."

End Flashback...

---

It was true, ever since Nero revealed he was part demon, a few were a little wary of him. But after learning about where he got his demonic heritage from, other wizards were quick to forgive the hunter. Those among his team, which had been renamed to The Devil's Hand, a sort of joke at the expense of Nero.

However, at the moment, a few others were more concerned with themselves. I.E., Natsu and Gray who were pulling themselves out of the ground, still in pain from the hit that was delivered by Erza.

"OW!" the two complained almost at the exact same time, "That really hurt, Erza!"

Happy flew over to them, and asked, "You guys playing whack-a-mole?"

As Macao and Wakaba began to observe the construction site, they noticed something peculiar.

"Hate to say it, but…," Wakaba trailed off.

"It looks a little too big," Macao finished.

"We figured we might as well expand the place. I got the plans right here," Mirajane explained, holding up a big piece of paper.

"Oh yeah," said Macao.

"I wanna see," Wakaba requested.

"I liked it just the way it was!" Natsu chided.

"What's it gonna look like now?" Gray asked.

Mirajane showed them the "designs". It was a crude picture of the soon-to-be Guild Hall drawn in crayon, and it had flowers, bunnies, and fish doodled around it too. The four mages sweatdropped.

"What the?" Macao commented.

"Wow…that looks…great," Wakaba forced; a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Natsu looked at the "blueprints" blankly, "Uh…which way is up?"

Unlike the other three, Gray had no problem saying his honest opinion on the picture. "Man, these are the worst plans ever. What idiot came up with these?"

Mira smiled for a moment until she instantly turned away and started crying. Gray waved his hands in a placating manner, trying to calm her, "Mira! I…I didn't know it was you!" he said desperately.

"You made her cry," Natsu, Macao, and Wakaba deadpanned.

"That's Gray for yah," Happy noted.

Meanwhile, behind a wall, Juvia was smiling mischievously at the scene, 'My dearest Gray is so cold to other women, yet so warm to me.'

A half hour later, Master Makarov left for home to take care of some paperwork for the Magic Council, leaving Nero to finish up putting the building's framework together. The Demon Hunter easily finished the job with a little flare of flamboyancy and showboating. He did so with a few other parts of the framing before the hunter decided to clock in when he felt himself get a little hungry.

Dusting his hands off, Nero made his way over to Natsu, Gray, and Happy to a little-secluded area within the construction site. Nero sat on top of a wooden crate, one foot hanging off the side while he lied back. Gray took his seat on a stack of stones that would be used to make up the foundation, while Natsu and Happy stood close by.

"Man," Gray mumbled, "I'm starving."

"I wouldn't say starving, but I definitely go for something," agreed Nero, swinging his leg down as he sat up, "could go for some pizza right now."

At that moment, Natsu, Gray, and Happy all looked at the Demon-Hunter in confusion, before uttering the word, "Huh?"

"You guy's never heard of pizza?" questioned Nero, glancing at them, earning himself a few shaking heads, telling him no. Initially, he was a little confused, but he quickly remembered that this world didn't have the comforts as his world did, so things like pizza and strawberry sundaes didn't exist. But he would be damned if he didn't find a way to fix that problem.

"Right," sighed the Demon Hunter as he got off the crate, "what a pizza is, is a thin or semi-thick disc of bread, with a sauce made from tomatoes, and topped with cheese and whatever else you want."

"Never heard of anything like that before," commented Gray, blinking in confusion.

"Sounds really tasty though," added Natsu, a bit of drool falling out of the corner of his mouth. Happy agreed with his signature 'aye'.

However, the brief moment of peace and rest was interrupted when a jet of water struck Natsu before hitting Gray. But, when it stopped, the ice mage found a pink lunch box in his lap.

"Certainly one way of delivering a box," quipped Nero.

"I'm soaked," Natsu remarked; his clothes were completely drenched.

"Look!" Happy pointed at the pink box, "A lunch box!"

"Where'd it come from?" Gray wondered.

"Not sure I really care as long as there's something edible in it," stated Nero as he folded his arms.

The onyx haired teen opened the box and was shocked at its contents. There was an assortment of many vegetables, fruit, and meat arranged in the shape of hearts and Gray's face. Gray's eyes bulged open as he stuttered incoherently. The others, however, reacted in the opposite fashion.

"Wow! That looks pretty tasty!" Natsu admired.

"Looks like you've got an admirer, Gray," joked Nero, but his tone switched rather quickly, "but I'll admit, this is kinda weird."

"That's so cool! Your face is totally edible." Happy added.

"I can't eat this! It's just too weird!" Gray responded nervously. "I think there's some green stuff oozing out from the side."

True enough, there was a line of green substance oozing out from the side of the pink box. That still didn't deter a certain Demon Hunter and Dragon Slayer from wanting something to eat. After a lot of work, Nero was hungry and wanted something to eat and didn't really care if the food was shaped like Gray's face. Food was food, and he needed to eat something.

"I'll eat it for you," offered Natsu rather quickly.

"No point in it going to waste," added Nero, wanting to eat something.

Behind a stone wall, Juvia was about to break into tears, 'This is heartbreaking! I spent three whole days making that lunch for him,' She thought.

Out of nowhere, Erza popped up with an angry look on her face, "WHO SAID YOU COULD TAKE A LUNCH BREAK?!" She yelled, startling the three mages while Nero just sighed and looked back.

"No one said we couldn't," answered Nero casually.

Erza was about to retort, but suddenly and quickly, returned to normal when she noticed the contents of the lunch box, "Hey, is that supposed to be your face made out of veggies?"

She pulled out a fork and stabbed it into the veggies that formed Gray's face, prompting Gray to cry out in horror. The ice mage watched with his jaw dropped as Erza chewed on the piece.

"Your opinion, chef Erza?" asked Nero.

"Mmm…it's good," Titania replied, "I could eat the whole thing."

"If you eat the whole thing, I'm gonna be pissed," cautioned Nero.

With that said, Gray calmed down, and conceded, "I guess I should try it too."

Juvia, meanwhile, was watching the scene with tears welling up as a vision of Gray proposing to her entered her mind.

However, unknown to, well, everyone in Fairy Tail Guild, someone, or rather, something else was watching them.

---

Northern Mountain Range

The East River cut through the Northern Mountains, which were all situated just outside of Magnolia. Cut into the side of one mountain was the mouth to a large cave. Some moss and vegetation was growing around the opening, but if one looked carefully, they could see faint burn marks on the ground and walls of the cave.

Caves were known to be frequent places monsters and creatures make their homes in. It provides shelter, a place to sleep and escape the elements, and a place to lure in victims. However, this cave was much different. By which, trails of fire crossed the ground, while torches hung from the walls. From the ceiling, a few stalactites hung down.

The cave was about the size of a concert football field, while at one end, was a stone ledge, rising up off the floor about seven feet. The ledge was about the size of a concert stage. Columns of fire flanked both sides of the stage, while at the center, a stone throne emerged. It appeared to be made from a stalagmite but looked to be smoothed to be similar to marble.

Seated in the stone throne was a figure. The figure appeared to a woman if the curves were anything to go by. She was leaning to the side, resting her head in her right hand as she stared forward right towards a swirling ring of fire, but in the center was an image of Fairy Tail, the mages heard at work, but her focus was on one in particular.

The image changed, focusing on a patch of platinum blond hair, the owner wearing a blue coat, and had his right sleeve, revealing a demonic appendage. Nero.

"What do we have here?" spoke the figure to herself as she adjusted herself in the throne, crossing on leg over her other as she leaned forward with interest, "one of Sparda's boys had a kid."

Her voice was so painfully smooth. Holding an oldfashioned tone, not like that of a noir movie, but a sensual, almost romantic.

Orange eyes flickered with interest when the figure saw Nero's face, "And definitely took after his father's looks."

The figure shifted in her throne to tip her chin in interest. A part of her wanted some revenge, for what his uncle did, but another part was also curious about the hybrid. She wasn't like most demons or demonesses, she took pleasure in watching her prey squirm a little, and it was no secret among demons that the son of Vergil could get a little flustered around beautiful women. And it was common knowledge that Demons, even lesser demons were very social, often working together, never completely alone, so it was safe to say that a part of her wanted to familiarize herself with the grandson of Sparda.

"Now, if only there were a way to bring you to me," said the demoness as she reclined in her throne, however, her eyes flashed when she sensed some wizards approaching the construction site.

They were a few Fairy Tail Wizards. But the fact that they were returning from a quest gave her an opening to make herself known.

"Hello," purred the figure as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she folded her hands and rested her chin on the entangle fingers, a grin forming on her face, "guess fate's feeling generous today."

From the shadows, several creatures emerged, about thirty in total They were humanoid, at least somewhat, but they were hunched over, black cloaks and bandages covered their frail, thin bodies, even as blades pierced them in multiple areas. Gripped in their hands was a rusty scythe. Each one letting out a haunting groan as they looked up at the being. These creatures were known as Hell Prides. In the Netherworld, these demons are jailers in charge of judging and punishing the souls of those who committed the sin of pride, hence the name.

However, among the gathered a much larger figure appeared. It rose to about twice the size of the Hell Prides. It had glowing blue eyes, a murky glow coming from the mouth while black robes, almost like darkness itself cloaked the body. In its boney white hands was a massive scythe, but unlike the Hell Pride's own scythes, this one had a dark violet blade, pulsing powerfully. This demon was known as the Hell Vanguard, otherwise known as the god of death and is responsible for managing the souls of the dead. It is feared by other demons for its sadistic personality and combat tactics, including the abilities to teleport and fly.

"Bring me the descendant of Sparda," ordered the woman, leaning back in her throne, maintaining her gaze on the portal, the image changing back to Nero, "If this boy is anything like his uncle, then getting him here, is just a matter of leverage."

The Hells all bowed before vanishing in either puffs of sand, or in the Vanguard's case, in a swirl of darkness. Once they were gone, the woman looked at the image in the portal,

---

Fairy Tail Construction Site

About ten minutes had passed and it was now lunch, meaning that most of Fairy Tails wizards and mages had left to get lunch in Magnolia at one of its many restaurants. Only a handful of wizards, including the Devil's Hand Team, remained at the Guild Hall work site. Erza had insisted they work a little longer before they got something to eat after that lunch box. Currently, Nero was using Spectral Bringer to dig a hole for a new post that would act as the new infrastructure. Erza was standing by surveying his work whilst Natsu and Gray were holding said post, one on either side.

Stepping back and shaking the dirt off Devil Bringer, Nero felt that the hole was now deep enough for the post, "Right, that should deep enough," stated Nero before he nodded to Erza, "ready when you are."

The redhead smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Nero," She turned her gaze to the fire and ice mage, "Natsu, Gray, get the post in the hole."

The pink haired wizard put his end inside the hole, pushing it deeper into the earth. Gray was having difficulty on his end though. The deeper Natsu pushed the timber in, the higher his end got in the air. Soon it was far out of Gray's reach. However, the ice-make mage smirked when he came up with an idea.

"Ice Make: Lift!" Gray chanted.

After a small outburst of frosty air, a crank lift used to lift cars to replacing tires appeared, only it was made of solid ice. He pulled the lever a few times; making the left extend higher and higher until finally, the post fell into place. Erza slid over a bucket of concrete and poured it in the hole while Nero held it in place with Spectral Bringer.

"Smart thinking, Gray," commented Nero.

Natsu huffed, crossing his arms in an indignant manner, "Pft, whatever."

"Hey guys!" a cheery feminine voice called, "We're back!"

The group turned around to see Levy, Droy, and Jet. The trio had made a smooth recovery and their casts had been removed, though they still had some bandages on their arms and legs. Nevertheless, they didn't appear to be in pain anymore.

The Devil's Hand Team, Mirajane, Elfman, Macao, and Wakaba came to greet Levy's team. After their major injuries had healed up, the trio had set out on a mission. Though the master was wary, they had convinced him that they were able enough to go.

"Levy, you're back!" Lucy said happily.

"Glad to see you guys make it back," greeted Nero as he folded his arms, "take it the job went well?"

Levy smiled brightly, "It went great!"

"Yeah, those giant plant monsters were no match for us," Droy boasted confidently.

The blue haired girl smirked, "By 'giant' do you mean little five-foot-tall rose plants that's only power were to cut people with thorns."

Droy and Jet both shrunk.

"It…it…it was still scary!" Jet inserted, "I got cut quite a bit."

"Yeah, there had to be at least a thousand of them!" Droy added desperately.

Levy sighed, "There were only like twenty of them, guys."

Droy and Jet moaned in defeat, "Still, gotta give them points for creativity," quipped Nero, while the others simply laughed in amusement, even Erza giggled a little.

"Ooh…killer little roses!" Natsu mocked, "How scary."

"Why would someone put out a job request for something like that?" Gray asked.

"Believe it or not, those little suckers were tougher than they sound," Levy replied. The smart wizard then switched topics, "Anyways, we got a decent reward out of it, but we also got this."

Levy held up her bag and pulled out a trinket. It was in the form of a five inch long, golden trident with pointed ends. Etched into the trident were different types of silver runes. The relic was attached to a golden chain, meant to go around a person's neck. The wizards and demon hunter looked at the knickknack curiously.

Lucy came forward to inspect it closely, "What is it, Levy?"

Surprisingly, the blue haired mage shrugged, and admitted, "I don't know. I figured it was just some kind of trinket. But those symbols on the ornament resemble ancient magical runes I saw in a book once. I was hoping the master would know what it could be."

"The master is not here at the moment," Erza informed, "He left for his home to fill out some paperwork for the Magic Council."

"Okay, no biggie," Levy responded, "I'll just take it to storage for the time being until he gets back."

She made her way to the basement door with Droy and Jet behind her. However, when she passed Nero, Devil Bringer pulsed for a second, glowing. Nobody noticed the glow as Nero had his arms folded, or the small electric bolt jump from the object and wash over the demonic limb, but the Demon Hunter felt it. Glancing down at the appendage, noting the tingling sensation in his arm.

'The hell?' thought Nero, but was interrupted from his musings when his stomach grumbled loudly. His stomach wasn't the only one that was running on empty, splitting the lunch box amongst the group hadn't left much for any of them. The rest of his team's stomachs began to growl as well.

"Ugh…Erza, can we go to lunch now?" Natsu whined, "I'm starving."

"Me too," Gray agreed, "I think we've done enough this afternoon, and I can't work on an empty stomach."

The redhead sighed, and conceded, "Very well; besides, I am very hungry as well."

"Aye," Happy moaned, "I need fish in my belly right now!"

"Always going on about fish," Lucy muttered.

The wizards and hunter were getting ready to leave, but Nero suddenly stopped. A pulse ran up and through his right arm. It was rigid but somewhat soothing. The glowing skin underneath the reptilian scales pulsed brightly, "Huh?" he questioned almost dumbly, but the feeling was strong. Very strong. The only times he got these feelings were when Demons were close by.

"Nero, you alright?" asked Lucy, noticing that the hunter frozen in his tracks.

However, before the hunter could answer, he was leaping to the side, just as a shadowy figure burst out of seemingly nowhere with a shower of glass shards. The Wizards all spun around to see the demon hunter roll to the side before spinning around in the air to avoid another attacker that also appeared out of nowhere.

Landing on his feet, Nero had a good look at his attackers and narrowed his eyes at what he saw. Two Grim reaper-like figures groaning as their beady red eyes locked onto Nero. In their hands was a large, rusty scythe.

"Demons," growled the hunter as he now understood the reason for the pulsing.

Erza growled in ire, a sword appearing in her hand as she stretched it out in the direction of the uninvited guests, "How dare you attack our Guild!"

The demons only groaned as they flipped their scythes around.

"They don't care, Erza," interrupted Nero as he draw Blue Rose, "they're demons."

"Demons!?" cried Lucy, "QWhy would they attack us!? In broad daylight!?"

"Demons aren't picky about who, what, or when they attack. Just as long as they spill blood," informed Nero as he adjusted his stance, "though gotta admit, didn't think I'd run into some Hell Prides."

"Huh?" everyone presently in Fairy Tail said in unison

"What are 'Hell Prides'?" asked Natsu.

"Essentially the jailers and punishers for the dead in hell," answered Nero, leveling Blue Rose at the demons, "basically, Hell Prides specialize in punishing people who have committed the sin of Pride."

"I don't care what they are!" snapped Natsu as he gritted his teeth while igniting his fists with fire and charged right towards them, "I'm gonna blow them away!"

"Natsu wait!" shouted Nero, as he tried to stop the Dragon Slayer.

Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" roared the pink haired mage as he lunged right at the demonic beings.

Natsu's punch collided with one of the Hell Pride's jaw, sending it sliding back, but remained standing. Its head was knocked back, but remained somewhat standing. Natsu cocked an eyebrow before the demon looked back, its neck letting out a series of sickening pops and cracks as the creature groaned and set its neck back into place.

"That is just-GAH!" cried out Natsu as the second Hell Pride swung the butt of its scythe right into his stomach. The blow had enough strength to send him careening back where he smashed into an unfinished wall.

"NATSU!" Mirajane cried.

"What the heck was that?" Cana yelled, stunned like everyone else.

"Natsu landed a full blow, but it looked like it barely did anything to it," gaped Levy, her eyes wide with surprise.

"That's because most demons are relatively immune to magic," explained Nero, causing everyone to look at him.

Before anyone could say anything, the heard more shattering noises. The wizards all looked around to see Hell Prides breaking through reality and appearing. Each one letting out a moan as they held their scythes.

"There are more of these things!?" cried out Lucy, in fear as dozens of demons surrounded them.

"Demons are naturally social creatures, especially lesser demons," stated Nero as he gripped Blue Rose. Fixating an angry glare at the monsters attacking their home. If these things thought they could just waltz in here, tear the place apart, and attack his friends, they had another thing coming, "there's never just one."

But before anyone else could say anything, the sky seemed to darken as the shadows grew. All the mages felt a shiver run down their spines, while Nero felt Devil Bringer pulse. Very strong this time.

Narrowing his eyes, he turned to his right to see a swirling mass of shadows, almost like a mist. The mages all tensed when the mass of shadows suddenly pulsed a dark violet before vanishing. On top of a beam, the shadowy mass appeared before vanishing again. This mass teleported a few more times before appearing directly before Fairy Tail. Nero leveling Blue Rose as he recognized the appearance from one of Dante's stories.

The mass let out a terrifying shriek, similar to a banshee, startling the wizards, causing Lucy and Happy to let out a cry of fear at what they saw. The mass took the form of the Hell Vanguard. Clutched in its bony claws was its oversized scythe.

"Just what we needed," groaned Nero, "the Hell Vanguard."

"W-what's a Hell Vanguard?" asked Lucy, her voice shaking slightly.

"Think of it as the god of death, the one in charge for managing the souls of the dead," replied Nero evenly.

"Wait, this thing is a god?!" repeated Gray, looking at the monster before them.

"Of death, yeah," nodded Nero as he kept his focus fixated on the demon before them, "funny thing is, it's supposed to be dead. Killed by my old man when it failed him. Thing tried begging for forgiveness, but the only forgiveness it was given was a quick death."

Erza and the mages all stared at Nero in shock and bafflement. Their eyes were wide and their jaws had dropped. Was Nero suggesting that his father, Vergil, was so dangerous and feared that even the demon god of death was afraid of him?! They remembered how Nero said that his father was dangerous, earning his name as the Darkslayer, but seriously?! How was that possible?!

The Hell Vanguard groaned as it hefted its massive scythe. The monster let out a howl as it suddenly vanished in a puff of shadows before appearing right in front of Lucy and Happy, the scythe raised right above its head. Nero, reacting completely on instinct, darted right towards the two just as they let out a scream of fear and raised Devil Bringer. The Hell Vanguard brought the energy scythe down, but the tip connected with the side of the demon hunter's arm, letting out a sudden flash of energy.

Nero grunted as he held off the sharp point, thankful that the only thing capable of puncturing Devil Bringer was Yamato.

The Vanguard growled as it withdrew the scythe and swung again, Nero blocking the attack like last time. The Hunter glanced over his shoulder, "Lucy! Happy! Get out of here!" ordered the demon hunter as he aimed Blue Rose at the Vanguard's head and fired. But the demon vanished at the last possible second, teleporting away.

The demon god of death reappeared on top of the framing for the new guild hall for Fairy Tail. Nero growled in anger as the mages formed up. Natsu, having regained consciousness and dug himself out of the rubble of the wall shook his head as he looked around.

"What'd I miss?" asked the Dragon Slayer, looking around seeing dozens of demons surrounding them.

"Demons attacking, you tried to fight them, got knocked on your ass, then the demon god of death showed up," summarized Nero as he aimed Blue Rose at the monsters surrounding them.

"Glad the fight's not-wait what?! God of Death!?" demanded Natsu incredulously, turning his back to one Hell Pride.

The Hell Pride took that as an opening and rushed right towards the Dragon Slayer, scythe raised.

"NATSU!" Erza shouted as she rammed into Natsu, knocking them both to the ground just in time to avoid the sharp, rusted edge of the scythe. Nero spun around and fired right at the Demon, nailing it between the eyes. The Demon let out a shriek as its body exploded into sand.

The Hell Vanguard growled as it raised its scythe into the air, howling into the sky. The Hell Prides doing the same. The demons all took fighting stances, each one lowering their bodies to get a better center of gravity. The wizards of Fairy Tail did the same.

"Okay, so how do we beat them if magic isn't gonna work?" asked Gray, feeling very vulnerable when he heard that magic isn't that effective against demons.

"I wouldn't worry too much," stated Nero as he twirled Blue Rose on his finger, before reaching into his pocket and dug out his headset and hung it around his neck, "Besides, this is an opportunity for you guys to see just what kind of job I had before I met any of you."

"Is that supposed to make us feel better!?" demanded Lucy incredulously, looking at the platinum blonde with a bit of aggravation.

"Don't really care what it makes you feel. But it feels good to get back into something I'm familiar with," smirked the Hunter as he turned his phone on and began scrolling through his songs. His phone would've lost power days ago if he didn't find out that Lacrima crystal energy could be used to power batteries, "But let's get down to business."

Once Nero found the song he wanted, he walked away from the ground, "This parties getting crazy!" announced Nero, swinging out his arms, holding his phone in his right hand with Blue Rose in his left, "Let's rock!" With that he pressed play.

*DMC3 Dante's Office 7 Hells Battle Soundtrack*

The headphones suddenly began playing a rock song that Dante had introduced him to a while back. The Hell Prides all growled as they began to converge onto Nero, all the while the Demon Hunter was tapping his foot. One Pride tried to slash at him with its scythe but was stopped Nero caught the blade with Devil Bringer. Maneuvering around the blade, he sent a powerful kick to the demon's stomach, sending it flying back where it smashed into a wall and exploded into sand.

Still holding the scythe blade, he swung the handle into the faces of two Prides that tried to attack him from behind. The handle shattered when it collided with the second Hell Pride, both demon's knocked back. Using the broken blade, Nero grasped the remaining handle and used it a sort of sickle and began to slice up the attacking demons, even cleaving a handle in two.

The mages watched in awe as Nero was going to town on the demons, Erza noting that his fighting style was very raw and savage.

Nero ducked under a few more demons before leaning to the right to avoid a slash from a pride before spinning around in the air to dodged another attack from another demon.

"Give us what our mistress demands!" hissed the Hell Vanguard, catching the attention of Erza.

"We don't know what it is you want, monster!" retorted Erza, pointing her sword at the monster before she re-quipped into her Flame Empress armor and engaged the Hell Vanguard. She let out a cry as she reared back her sword, preparing to bring it down on her opponent. The Hell Vanguard easily blocked the attack, like so easily that it didn't even budge in the slightest. This Erza's surprised greatly and this opening allowed the Hell Vanguard to suddenly shove her back and vanish into shadows.

The Vanguard suddenly appeared a few yeards away, but let out a powerful howl as it flew right towards Erza, swinging its blade wildly as it slashed at everything in its path, which unfortunately was Erza. The Fairy Queen was knocked back, letting out a cry of pain as he armor was sliced open.

"Erza!" Gray shouted.

He glared at the demon god and got into a fighting stance, placing his right fist over his open left palm, "Ice Make: Lance!"

Gray fired a barrage of icy lances at the Vanguard, but the demon simply spun its scythe around in a circle in front of it. The Lances was siced into pieces, coming out as only snow that didn't even harm the demon.

The ice wizard's eyes widened further, not even expecting a demon to have such sharp reflexes.

"Give us what our mistress demands!" repeated the Vanguard flying right towards the Ice Mage, who, in instinct, jumped out of the way as the scythe blade sliced through the ground like better.

Across the construction site, Elfman was facing off against three Hell Prides, the demons all standing together as the groaned and hissed at the mage. Elfman glared at the demons.

"Look here, there might be more of you than there are of me, but that doesn't make you manlier than me!" stated Elfman in a heated anger. Cocking back on fist, he swung it right towards the center demon. Hell Pride raised its scythe to block the attack but was sent flying back where it crashed into a wall and exploded into sand.

Despite this small victory, there were still two more Hell Prides which attacked when Elfman had his guard down. Their blades sliced Elfman's back and arm.

"Attacking when my back is turned!? What are you, a bunch of weaklings?!" demanded the giant in a fit of anger. The Hell Prides only let out a groan as another Pride joined the two, bringing it back up to three-on-one.

Lucy hid behind a table turned on its side with Levy. She was too scared to fight those demons. Despite having a bunch of keys to help her, they were almost completely magic based and her spirits were formed from magic which was basically useless against demons.

"OH…I'M SO SCARED! WHAT DO I DO? I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!" screamed Lucy in fear.

"Lucy, calm down!" Levy exclaimed, "You're not useless."

"Well what am I supposed to do?" asked Lucy sardonically, "My spirits are made of magic and from what Nero told us, magic isn't effective against demons."

"Quit griping, Lucy," interjected Nero as he flipped over a Hell Pride and shot it in the head, "you're not useless. Just figure out something that works for you. Had a friend back home that didn't have any magic or special tricks, and she could kick demon ass with no problems."

"Well, what do you suggest?" she asked, looking at Nero demandingly. But before the demon hunter could answer, the Hell Vanguard suddenly appeared and used the blunt end of its scythe to bat Nero away. It then turned to both girls who were looking up at it in terror.

The Vanguard lot out a groan as it reached right towards Lucy and grabbed her by the waist.

"NO! LET ME GO!" shouted Lucy as she feebly tried to escape the demon's clutches.

"Lucy!" shouted Natsu as he saw his friend in trouble, "let her go!"

The Vanguard turned to the dragon slayer and raised its scythe with one hand, easily blocking the incoming flaming fist aimed to its head. The demon then flicked its wrist and sent Natsu flying back. Floating into the air, the Vanguard let out a howl, the Prides all turned to the god of death and began backing away from the wizards and demon hunter.

"Give us what our mistress wants!" hissed the Hell Vanguard as it gripped Lucy.

Erza, who had just recovered from taking a powerful blow from the mystic scythe, stood up from a shallow crater, her flaming sword held up. The Fairy Queen winced as she inspected the slash and her eyes widened when she saw a clear-cut right in her armor. Letting it go for the moment, she quickly spotted Lucy in the grasp of the Hell Vanguard.

"Release her this instant!" Erza commanded angrily, pointing her sword at the Vanguard.

"The mistress demands the presence of one hissed the Vanguard, maintaining its hold on Lucy, "Mistress wants to understand it. Comune with it. Explore it."

"And just what the hell is 'it'," demanded Nero as he aimed Blue Rose right at the Vanguard, his anger at its peak right now.

The demon god of death turned to face the demon hunter, its empty eye sockets didn't even faze the hunter. It could sense the power within. The stench. The essence of Sparda. The demon raised its scythe, but only to point directly at him.

"YYYYYOOOOOUUUUU," hissed the monster, causing everyone to look at Nero, who adopted a look of confusion.

"What?" demanded the hunter, "Why the hell does your boss want me?"

"To understand," growled the Vanguard, Nero could hear that it wasn't exactly pleased with the prospect of him coming, "Interact. To familiarize herself with you."

"If your boss wanted to see me so bad, she could've just come right to me, as most demons did with Dante," countered Nero sardonically, "If she just wants me, then she can have me. Release Lucy first."

"No," snapped the Vanguard, causing Lucy to whimper in pain, "Insurance that you come on her terms. To her domain in the Northern Mountains to reclaim the girl. Fail to come by midnight, then she will be no use to us."

Erza had had enough as she leaped over the lava trench with her sword cocked back to its zenith. Nero joined in as he leaped right towards the Vanguard, Spectral Bringer appearing as he let out an enraged cry. Erza did the same as she held her sword above her head. However, before either warrior could get close, the Vanguard and all the Hell Prides suddenly vanished. Leaving Erza and Nero to strike the Earth.

"WHAT!?" roared Nero as he looked around wildly.

The redhead's eyes immediately widened from surprise; the Hell Vanguard appeared to possess teleportation magic, which would explain how it appeared and how it and the Hell Pride's vanished. She looked around and there were no signs of the Vanguard or Prides, or more importantly, Lucy.

Titania glanced back at her friends with a frown. The situation was not good at all.

As for Nero, well, he didn't take it well at all as he punched the ground in rage, letting a scream of anger.

---

Northern Mountain Range

Things had gone much better than what she had hoped, however, the loss of a few Hell Prides was still fresh, but lesser demons were expendable. And they served their purpose for giving the blood of Sparda a reason to come after her.

The demoness sat in her throne, dismissing a window she was using to survey the battle. So far, she was not surprised that Fairy Tail struggled to battle the Hell Prides. Demons had a natural resistance to magic. As for Devils, well, you might have more luck killing them with a stick than magic.

The demon lady glanced up when she saw a collection of shadows, as well as cracks in reality. She smirked as she saw that the Vanguard had returned as did the remaining Hell Prides.

"Let me go!" demanded the little girl, caught in the Vanguard's clutches. However, she let out a startled yelp when she was dropped by the Vanguard.

"The bait has been brought, mistress," said the demon god as it bowed respectfully, the Prides doing the same.

"Well done," purred the demoness. Lucy froze as she turned around to see a figure seated in a throne. Seated there was a shadowy figure, the demoness that controlled the Hell Vanguard and Hell Prides.

"Who are you? What do you want?" asked Lucy, mustering up some courage but faltered when the figure just chuckled.

"Trying to be brave and show some backbone?" taunted the demoness as her red eyes locked onto Lucy, the Celestial Mage wanting to shrink back under the intense look, "But to humor one of your questions, I don't want you. I want the one you know as Nero."

"If you wanted Nero, why did you take me?" asked the blonde as she got to her feet. She knew she couldn't run anywhere but that didn't mean she had to stay on the hard ground.

"To give him an incentive to come to me," replied the demoness casually as she adjusted herself in her throne, "by making him come here, he will have to adhere to my rules."

Lucy smirked, "I wouldn't be too sure of yourself. If there's one thing you don't wanna do, it's to underestimate Fairy Tail."

"A Guild of Mages who fights with and, essentially, only magic," reminded the demon mockingly, causing Lucy's previous confidence to fade even more, "But I will admit, the redhead might actually be a problem."

As the demoness said that, she created a window, peering in to see the remainder of Fairy Tail, still at the construction site. Each one talking, however, the focus of the window was on one individual. Nero.

"But it's the grandson of Sparda that is the goal," purred the demoness. Lucy's expression changed to incredulous as she saw the demon's look. The demon noticed this and waved her hand right at the Blonde wizard. From the ground, stone tendrils grabbed her by her wrists and pulled her down.

"HEY!" yelled Lucy as she was forced to her knees.

"Keep an eye on her," ordered the demon to two Hell Prides as the ground around Lucy cracked before lifting up and floating in the air. The Prides then used their scythes to pierce the stone beneath Lucy and guided the struggling Celestial Mage away.

Once Lucy was out of sight, the demon directed her attention back to the window, focusing on Nero, "While I keep mine on the prize."

---

Fairy Tail Guild, Construction Site, Magnolia

Back at the unfinished Fairy Tail Guild Hall, most of the present mages were beginning to panic. Why shouldn't they? Several dozen demons attacked, along with the demon god of death. Not to mention, Lucy had been kidnapped and, apparently, the one behind it wanted Nero and they didn't really know what happens to their friend if they refused.

"Oh no!" panicked Levy, "This is bad!"

"Bad? BAD?! This is horrible!" Natsu shouted indignantly, really sore about getting blindsided so badly.

"We got our asses handed to us by those... those... THINGS!" Added Gray, equally pissed off.

"Not to mention, they've got Lucy," added Happy, "and we just got her back!"

"Real men finish their fights!" growled Elfman, extremely angry that the demons abandoned them, "And they don't take hostages!"

Natsu growled as he clenched his fists, smoking coming off them as his anger increased, "I'm gonna make those demons pay for what they did!" snapped the Dragon Slayer angrily, "They think they can just trash out Guild Hall and steal our friend and get away with it?!"

"And what you do about it? Throw fire at them?" mocked Gray condescendingly, "In case you've forgotten, magic doesn't work on them."

"Pretty big talk from a guy who can't keep his clothes on for more than a minute," retorted the pink haired Dragon Slayer. Gray immediately freaked out when he realized his pants were gone. Before the two could argue further, another timber post slammed into their heads, courtesy of Erza. The blow knocked Gray and Natsu to the ground, both groaning in pain.

"ENOUGH!" she yelled, her eyes blazing with fury, "We don't have time for this, you two." Erza let go of the lumber and swiftly re-quipped into her Heart Kreuz armor and got everyone's attention.

"Everyone, calm down," Erza commanded loudly, "panicking is not going to solve anything!"

Nero, who had left for the group for a minute returned with Red Queen, resting on his shoulder. The Demon Hunter had been thinking about what happened and what might happen. However, that wasn't saying much as his anger was peaked at the moment, and right now, he was done sitting around.

The Demon Hunter snorted as he turned away from the group, "If you guys plan on sitting around with your thumbs up your asses, count me out," stated Nero as he sheathed Red Queen across his back and turned away from the group and started walking away.

"Nero, where are you going?" demanded Erza, noticing the platinum blonde leaving and intercepted him.

"What's it look like?" asked the hunter sarcastically, looking the Fairy Queen dead in the eye, "getting Lucy back."

"We need to work together as a team," stated the redhead.

"As it worked so well the first time," snorted Nero in disdain, "in case it has failed your notice, that didn't work, and if you were listening, you'd know that demons are immune to magic and last I checked all of your armors are magic based. So, how about you let a professional do his job and get out of my way."

Everyone in Fairy Tail sweat dropped at Nero's ballsy statement. Erza just starred at the demon hunter in front of her. It was no surprise that Nero would back-talk her, but still, she was taken aback by the harsh order.

"What did you say?" Erza growled, her anger steadily rising.

"What's going on here?" an elderly voice asked.

The Guild turned to see Master Makarov standing at the unfinished entrance of the building. He was wearing a white shirt, orange pants, and jacket, and an orange/blue stripped jester-like hat. He glanced around at the damage done from the fight between the Hell Prides/Vanguard and Fairy Tail, frowning.

The dwarf-sized master then noticed that Lucy was missing from the group. It didn't take him long to deduce that Lucy might have been taken hostage by the damage of the area. Lucy getting kidnapped was something he hoped wouldn't become a regular thing.

"Master," the Fairy Tail mages yelled together as they ran toward Makarov, Nero remained rooted where he was as his team headed the pack.

"Hmm...," hummed the old master as he looked at those gathered, "I take it that Lucy was abducted...again."

"Yes," nodded Gray as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Makarov's expression then became serious, "What happened here?" He asked evenly.

Erza then began to explain everything in chronological order from how the Guild was suddenly attacked by demons, discovering that magic wasn't effective against demons Nero fought regularly, and lastly Lucy getting taken hostage and held until Nero agreed to meet the demon's mistress. Nero would on occasion add his own input, usually from the edge of the group.

"And these demons are immune to magic?" repeated Makarov looking right at Nero. The master's eyes widening ever so slightly at the prospect of creatures being immune to magic.

"More like they have a high resistance to, which is the reason why magic isn't normally used against them," corrected the demon hunter, "the resistance can vary depending on which magic is used against them. But when it comes to Devils, magic is practically worthless."

"Huh?" everyone remarked simultaneously.

"What's the difference between a demon and a devil?" inquired Gray curiously.

"A demon; or lesser demon is more instinct based, like the Hell Prides," elaborated Nero, knowing that he had to clear things up a bit, "Devils are more powerful demons, usually taking on names for themselves, and are far crueler and just more evil than demons."

"But something doesn't add up," said Levy, "why would a devil want you?"

"Demons and devils have a severe dislike of Sparda when he betrayed them for humanity," he answered, "many of them swore revenge and to destroy any trace of him."

"That still doesn't explain why they took Lucy," reminded Macao.

"Because whoever this Devil is, knows that it can't take me on up front," clarified Nero as he closed his eyes before looking to the entire team, "It's my job to kill demons and that means taking on things much more powerful than me. My uncle should know because he's been a demon hunter for much longer than me and from what he's said about the job, only the best do it."

The remainder left Fairy Tail in a moment of silence. Nero on a few occasions that he talked about his life in his home world, would state how dangerous it was hunting demons, how it was a seldom job not for the faint of heart or squeamish. It was kill-or-be-killed, and mercy had to be forgotten in order to survive an encounter with a demon because more often than not, a demon knew no mercy.

"Then it is settled," glowered Erza, as she turned back to Nero, "we will rescue Lucy and end the threat of these demons."

"How? It's kinda hard since their immune to magic, and all we use is magic!" pointed out Gray, bringing up a valid point.

"Yeah, demons might be resistant to magic, or the kind of magic being used, but all demons share a common weakness," interjected Nero, gaining their attention, "that weakness is steel."

"Wouldn't that mean that Erza could go because she uses a ton of swords?" asked Happy, glancing at the Fairy Queen.

"Yes," nodded Erza, "my swords are made of steel. If we're going to rescue Lucy, then I must limit the use of my magic to basic swords."

"Wait, 'we'?" caught the demon hunter as he looked at Erza, "I don't recall there being a 'we' in this."

"There is now," she stated as the mage stood in front of Nero, "I'm not sitting by while my teammate is being held captive and is in danger."

"Demons always work at an angle, Erza," countered Nero as he met Erza's intense stare, "Even though it wasn't specifically stated, I'm guessing that Lucy might not be in the best of health if you're caught with me."

The Queen of the Fairies huffed lightly as she replied, "Don't worry. I have a plan; besides, I have to go with you. It seems this demon has an innate interest in you and is likely preparing for you. You would need my aide."

Nero let out a long sigh as he runs the fingers of Devil Bringer through his hair. Thinking back to when Trish or Lady would butt in on a job of his once in a while. While he didn't mind the concern, what he did mind was people trying to help him when he could handle things like this himself. But if he knew Erza, and he did for a while now, she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"You're coming with me whether I like it or not?" deadpanned Nero, giving the mage a pointed look.

"Yes," stated Erza firmly.

"Fine," huffed Nero as turned on his heel and began to leave, "try to keep up."

---

Northern Mountain Range, Magnolia

Several hours had passed and night time was drawing close. The stars were twinkling while a waxing gibbous moon glowed brightly in the dark sky. Nero was walking beside Erza, the two had left the others behind as their only real means of doing damage involved magic, which was a bit useless in this situation. Even then, Natsu still tried to go, stating that he wasn't going to miss out on a rematch. But a glare from Erza was all that was needed to make the Dragon Slayer change his mind.

Following a worn trail through the forest, the two were headed right for the large cave entrance specified by the Hell Vanguard. But they were about a few more minutes away from their destination. It had taken much longer than previously thought to get to the cave and on the way, they ran into a few lesser demons, mainly Hell Prides.

"You got a plan on getting in without being seen?" asked Nero suddenly.

"Not quite," answered Erza, who didn't really like to admit she didn't have a full thought out plan.

"'Not quite' as in you have a plan but haven't worked out the kinks yet or 'not quite' like you haven't a clue?" asked Nero sardonically giving Erza a skeptical look.

Erza shot Nero a glare, telling him to be silent, but the demon hunter just scoffed, "I'll take it's the second one."

Before Erza could retort, the trail the two were following led to a thick patch of buses. She gave Nero a hand signal, telling him to be quiet as Titania peeked through the leaves and spotted the mouth to the cave. It was about a few hundred meters away from where they were.

"The cave is just ahead," whispered Erza, before glancing back, "there appears to be some Hell Prides guarding the entrance."

"Figures," snorted Nero as he took out Blue Rose and opened the cylinder. Checking that all the chambers had a bullet and finding that they are, snapped the gun shut, "Well, time to introduce myself."

"Stop!" ordered Erza, as she put herself in front of the platinum blonde narrowing her eyes, "We need a plan."

"I have a plan," reassured Nero with a confident grin as he folded his arms.

"What exactly is that plan?" she demanded, lightly growling that he didn't seem to be taking the situation seriously at all.

Nero just chuckled as he shook his head, "My plan is simple: wing it."

Before she could even respond Nero dashed right by her and headed for the cave. Erza was about to give chase when noticed a sheet of paper fluttering down right in front of her. Grabbing it out of the air, she looked down at the paper and just narrowed her eyes.

On the paper, it said: wait for a little before making an entrance.

---

Inside the cave, the demon lady was waiting patiently, knowing that the son of the Darkslayer was on his way. It was so cute, the descendants of Sparda going out of their way to protect humanity. In the last few hours, she had prepared for their meeting, getting a few more Hell Prides under her control thanks to the Hell Vanguard.

The Hell Vanguard wasn't killed, contrary to what one might think, being sliced to pieces by the Yamato, courtesy of Vergil during his quest for power. She had found the injured lesser demon and took it in, as her servant of course. For years, she had been thinking of going after Dante for what he did to her sister, but when the opportunity to hurt him through his nephew and only biological family came up. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.

That being said, she wanted to prepare for his arrival, sending a few Prides to track his movements. However, that was hours ago so she could only assume that Nero had dealt with them. But to little consequence.

Around the cave, nearly a thirty Hell Prides waited patiently for her order. By her side was the Hell Vanguard, floating menacingly but still differed to her. The Demon God of Death timidly turned to her, "Perhaps the spawn of the Darkslayer is not coming."

"No," responded the demon lady as she glanced over her shoulder at the demon, the Vanguard shrinking back. The orange glow from her eyes was unnerving, "He will come. It's not in his nature to leave behind his allies."

As if one cue, footsteps could be heard echoing through the cave. A few groans fluttered through the air as six Hell Prides escorted Nero into the cave. The Demon Hunter sized up the situation, chalking up the situation to about 'not great, but not terrible'.

"Well, well, look who has arrived?" queried the demoness as her focus locked right on to Nero, "The prodigal son."

"Skip the formalities lady," snapped Nero as he felt his left-hand twitch, itching to grab Red Queen and just go off on these monsters, "I'm here like you wanted. Where's Lucy?"

The demoness didn't answer Nero but instead waved her hand, "Minions, would you please...?"

Two Hell Prides marched forward, Lucy held in place the entire time. As soon as she was brought forward, the stone crumbled into rubble and Lucy fell to the ground, "Hey! Give someone a little warning!" The Celestial mage glared at the demoness before she saw her demon hunter friend standing before her, "Nero?"

"You know, you getting abducted all the time is getting kinda stale, Lucy," teased Nero playfully.

"What are you doing here?!" she demanded, seeing that the Hell Prides were closing in around Nero.

"Saving your ass that's what," answered the hunter as he gave the blonde a reassuring smirk, before turning his attention to the demon lady, "I'm here like you wanted."

"That you are," smirked the demon, as she stood from her throne, "I always imagined that you would be smarter than this. Then Dante, coming alone."

"I did want to go alone," interjected Nero as his smirk grew as the roof of the cave suddenly collapsed, "but then again, my friends don't exactly listen to me."

Through the smoke, Erza flew into the cave, attired in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Without warning, she reared back the sword in her hand and threw it. The Spear flew right for demon lady but was swatted aside by the Hell Vanguard.

"What?!" snapped the demon lady as she shot up from her throne.

"Erza, Lucy: take on the Prides and Vanguard," ordered Nero as his left hand went right towards Red Queen and grabbed the handle, "I got this."

Erza nodded as she faced the Hell Prides. The Hell Vanguard let out a howl as it flew right towards the redhead. It's blade clashing with Erza's swords as it shoved her to the ground, the Fairy Queen holding herself even as her heels dug a small trench. Lucy rushed over to her friend for protection.

This left Nero alone to deal with a few dozen Hell Prides that stayed with their mistress to protect her while the others assisted the Vanguard. The Prides that remained surrounded Nero but the demon hunter only smirked as he unsheathed Red Queen. Using powerful sword, he deflected a scythe from one Pride before countering by decapitating it, the lesser demon letting out a howl as its body collapsed into dust.

Ducking to the left, he dodged another swing from a Hell Pride before leaping into the air, using the back of another demon as a springboard to increase his height. Spinning around in the air, he drew Blue Rose with Devil Bringer and fired at three Hell Prides. The Thorns tore through the monsters as they exploded into dust.

The demoness watched with growing anger. She was so close! How could she underestimate this abomination so greatly?! However, that didn't matter, what mattered now was her revenge. Damn getting to know this brat.

The Demoness raised her hands, orbs of fire erupting in the palms. She let out a scream of anger as she pointed her hands at Nero and blasted a massive stream of fire at the demon hunter. Nero just having dealt with a Hell Pride was barely able to leap out of the way to let the stream of fire strike the ground just in front of him. The stream exploded in a massive fireball that shook the cave, causing some cracks to form along the ceiling and ground.

"Nice trick," complimented Nero mockingly as he rolled to his feet to take a look at the aftermath before turning back to the demoness. Once he did, he squinted his eyes when he saw the demoness's face. She looked incredibly human. Wearing a tight leather vest with a large hole located right at her midriff, showing off a generous amount of cleavage. She also had two dark red straps wrapped around her biceps while her hands had red gloves. The demon also wore tight, form-fitting dark red, leather pants that didn't hide any of her curves. But what stood out most, besides the obvious pyrokinesis was the long, fiery red hair that reached all the way down past her waist and to her shins. The hair almost flickered like fire, but her face caught his attention. She had absolutely no blemishes, round cheeks, full lips topped with black lipstick, and amber eyes. It was the face that gave Nero the hint about who this was.

"Hey," realized Nero as he sheathed Red Queen for a second, completely forgoing the fight to make a small comment, about who he was fighting, "are you related to Nevan?"

"Smart boy," snapped the demon lady, "Yes, Nevan is my sister. I am Volcana: The Fire Witch."

"So that's why you looked so familiar," said the demon hunter as he smacked his forehead, he should've recognized the way she talked. Dante had told him about the gatekeepers he fought in Temen-ni-gru years ago. He ran into the demoness or the correct term, Dearg-dul (this is an actual thing, look it up), a Vampire that originates from Irish myth who seduces humans down the dark path to Hell, "You looking to get some payback for Nevan, cause last I heard, she was doing pretty good."

Instead of answering Volcana blasted another stream of fire at Nero, forcing the demon hunter to retreat. Meanwhile, Erza and Lucy were in a bind as the redhead constantly had to keep her guard up as Hell Prides kept attacking while the Vanguard would occasionally attack in a wild rush. Erza was easily able to outmaneuver his attacks by flying around in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Lucy, however, just kept her attention up and avoided the attacks by dodging.

The Hell Vanguard let out a howl as it swung its scythe at Erza, the glowing blade sliced right into the ground when it missed Titania who dodged it by flying into the air. While in the air, Erza retaliated by quickly summoned a few dozen swords around her. "Dance, my blades!" The blades around her began to spin rapidly. "Circle Sword!"

The sword took a disk formation and launched straight at the Vanguard and a few Hell Prides: however, the Vanguard was ready and spun its scythe around so fast it was a blur and the instant Erza's blades struck the spinning weapon, they shattered into pieces. However, the Hell Prides weren't so lucky as six were impaled and exploded into sand. Despite taking out the Prides, Erza was shocked to see her blades break so easily when contending with the Vanguard.

'The Vanguard is more powerful than I realized,' thought the Fairy Queen, 'However, Nero did say that steel was a demon's weakness.'

In short, her best bet to beat the Vanguard was to be smart and treat it like she would a human opponent: counter its scythe, dodge its attacks and keep Lucy safe. Easy.

Nero dodged another blast of fire from Volcana, sliding across the stone floor on his knees while he leaned back and cranned his head back as the stream of fire surged just over him. Jumping up, Nero performed a corkscrew in the air to avoid the scythe of a Hell Pride. Whilst still in the air, the demon hunter swung Red Queen around and sliced another Hell Pride in half.

Landing back down on the ground, Nero sheathed Red Queen and whipped out Blue Rose. He sprinted towards a Hell Pride, ducking under one that tried to slice him in half along the way and shot the demon in the shoulder. The monster let out a howl of pain before Nero grabbed its arm with Devil Bringer and flipped around using the Hell Pride as leverage. Nero aimed Blue Rose at the previous Hell Pride, the one that tried to slice him in two and shot it right in the head.

Maneuvering himself around, he wrapped his legs around the Hell Pride's throat and flipped himself and the demon around and fired another round at a second Hell Pride, also shooting it in the head. Seeing that he had tortured the poor demon enough, Nero swung the Hell Pride he had been using as leverage and threw it into the air. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he shot the demon mid-air before he was forced to backflip away from a stream of fire.

"Impressive reactions time," complimented Volcana as she focused her attention on Nero, "perhaps you are worth taking."

"Yeah, not into the dominating type," quipped Nero as he steadied himself, "besides, I doubt my friends would like you too much."

Nero suddenly shot towards Volcana, Red Queen raised, however, the demoness was ready as she raised both her hands and slammed them into the floor. A result fireball erupted around her, however, Nero saw it at the last second and used Devil Bringer's claw to latch on the ceiling and pull himself away just as the flames licked his boots. Perched on the ceiling, Nero shot back down when the flames subsided and collided with Volcana, smashing himself in her chest with his shoulder, knocking them both down to the ground where a large crater was formed.

Volcana let out a pained cry as Nero flipped off and landed back on his feet. Narrowing her eyes, she got back to her feet in time to dodge Nero who dashed towards and brought Red Queen down, smashing the stone again. Nero spun around to slash at the demoness again but hit nothing. Looking around, he noticed that his opponent had vanished. He knew better than to assume she retreated, due to how eager she had appeared when she first saw him. Looking around while keeping the Hell Prides that were after Erza and Lucy, along with the Vanguard, Nero tensed as he felt something coming.

Almost an instant later, Volcana appeared through a blast of fire and pressed both her palms to his chest. A stream of fire blasted Nero away, the flames doing more damage at point blank range. Nero tumbled across the ground, but managed to right himself and come into a crouch, resting Devil Bringer on the ground for support.

"Dammit," he growled as the demon hunter glared at Volcana. The hunter than had to quickly jump to the right as to avoid a large flaming boulder that was sent right at him.

The boulder crashed down, casting up a large cloud of dust and smoke. The demoness studied the smoke, thinking that she had crushed the son of the Darkslayer, however, was quickly disproved when Nero shot out of the dust cloud with Devil Bringer outstretched, Spectral Bringer just ahead of it.

The spectral appendage slammed into Volcana's face catching her by surprise before she was suddenly pulled right towards Nero. She stumbled forward slightly into Nero where he grabbed her shoulders and slammed his knee into her stomach, causing her to let out a cry and doubled over onto his knee; but Nero wasn't letting up as he released his hands from her shoulders and wrapped them around her waist and lifted her up into the air. While in the air, he slammed the demon lady down in a move not dissimilar to a wrestling move aptly named the powerbomb.

Volcana growled as she get back to her feet just in time to avoid Red Queen from Nero. The sword collided with the ground where she previously lay. When she was back on her feet, Volcana let out a scream of fury, her body erupted in a massive fireball that blasted Nero back. The demon hunter's boots slid across the stone floor while he used Devil Bringer to slow himself.

Smoke came off the hunter's coat while a few burns covered his face and left arm were already healing. Glancing up, Nero glanced up to see Volcana glaring right at him. Her body had flames coming off it as she panted, not in exhaustion, but anger.

"I'm done playing around!" shouted Volcana as the flames around her exploded. Nero had to shield his eyes for a second as the flames became brighter and more intense.

When he looked back, the Demon Hunter cocked an eyebrow. Volcana's skin was previously a light tan, but still caucasian. Now, it had turned red, her hair had turned into flames while her eyes were completely glowing red. The flames around her body burned brighter and hotter. So much so that the stone floor was actually melting under the intense heat.

"Guess you got a trigger too, huh?" quipped Nero as he stood up and brushed some soot off, "I better step my game up."

Energy coursed around Nero's body before erupting in a bright flash. The demon hunter thrust Devil Bringer into the air while the Specter appeared behind him. The Specter mimicked his movements as Yamato appeared in his hand.

"Let's dance!" shouted Nero as he flourished Yamato, the Specter mimicking his motions before dashing towards Volcana. The Demoness rocketed towards him by blasting streams of fire from her heels.

Nero raised Yamato, the Specter copying him as he swung down just as Volcana sent a right uppercut. The two opposing forces of power collided, which exploded out in a conflagration of flames and Azure energy, at the center, the two warriors were pushing against each other. Nero suddenly pushed Volcana back, causing the demon to stumble back while he sent a sudden wave at her. Volcana just managed to dodge by blasting streams of fire from her hands that sent her rocketing up, leaving the wave to slice through a Hell Pride that was at the wrong place and wrong time and was blown to pieces when the wave collided and exploded.

Volcana spun around in the air and sent two streams of fire at Nero. The demon hunter dodged the attack by dashing to the right, his image a slight blur. While still in the air, Volcana raised her hands and a large boulder erupted from the ground. The boulder then ignited in flames as the demon lady let out a yell and sent the flaming rock right at Nero. Nero didn't look worried, in fact, he looked excited. Quickly dismissing Yamato, the Specter sheathing its own blade in the organic sheath attached to its left arm before resuming in mimicking Nero's movements.

Pulling Devil Bringer back, the appendage started glowing brightly as Nero channeled power into it. The Specter did the same as its own fist started glowing brightly. With a powerful yell, the hunter and specter sent a powerful blow right towards the incoming boulder. As a result, when the Specter's fist connected, cracks shot across the surface of the boulder while a cyan glow shined through the cracks before the boulder exploded into rubble.

As the pieces of debris fell, the attack was actually just a distraction as Volcana shot through the dust and landed a full blast right towards Nero's chest. The Demon Hunter was blasted back because of the force of the fire but was hardly fazed.

Growling in anger, Nero sent Spectral Bringer at Volcana, hoping to catch the demon, but the ethereal appendage missed her as the demoness suddenly vanished in a burst of flames. Looking around, Nero was taken off guard when she suddenly reappeared directly over him, floating in the air thanks to the jets of fire from her heels and threw down a large fireball. The ball of flames slammed down right in front of the hunter but missed as he leaped into the air right towards Volcana.

His eyes glowed bright red as the Specter unsheathed Yamato while Nero resummoned the magical sword. With nowhere to go and unable to dodge in time, Volcana took the full on blow of the demon hunter smashing his shoulder into her abdomen. While they were still suspended in the air, Nero swung Yamato viciously at the demoness, the blade slashed into her skin causing her to cry out.

However, he was far from done as the hunter slashed back down, the force of the blow, coupled with the power from the Specter sent Volcana back to the stone floor where she collided with the ground. The Demon was back on her feet but wasn't allowed any breathing room as Nero was on the offensive again. He landed a quick one-two punch to her jaw, causing her to stumble back. Pushing forward, the platinum blonde swung in a downward left diagonal slash before following up with a quick upward cut. He spun around, swinging Yamato down again, the blade leaving a purple streak as it went by. Raising the blade one more time, the sharp edge glowing brightly with energy, Nero let out a powerful yell, his Devil Trigger making it sound like a monsters roar as he swung Yamato as hard as he could.

The result was staggering as when the blade was brought down it's sound was something otherworldly. Normally when a sword is swung, there is a small whistling sound as the blade cuts through the air. However, when Yamato was swung, the whistle was replaced with a soul ripping metallic clang as a deep purple slash was left in its wake.

Volcana was knocked back several yards as she cried out in pain, demonic blood dripping from her cuts but remained standing if only briefly. Nero saw that she was about to fall and against his better judgment, rushed over to her, his devil trigger fading as he used Devil Bringer to catch her as she leaned back.

Volcana's own Devil Trigger vanishing as her skin turned back to its original tan color while her hair returned to normal. The Demoness let out a gasp as she struggled to lean up and saw Nero supporting her.

"Charmer, just like your uncle," complimented Volcana as she rested her left hand on his right shoulder. A sultry smile forming on her lips as she saw a reflection of Dante, not Vergil. Either way, it wasn't going to save him. Volcana suddenly shot up. A hiss escaping her as she bared her teeth. But like his uncle, Dante, it was a tactic that Nero saw coming as well. Whipping out Blue Rose from his holster, he jammed the muzzle right into her stomach and fired.

Volcana let out a gasp as she fell back limp in his arm. Nero shook his head, "Somethings are more alike than you realize," he quipped before his expression hardened as he remembered Erza and Lucy, "now call off your dogs before I empty another one into yah."

"They were never my minions, they only referred to me as 'mistress' because they're lesser demons," gasped Volcana as she steadied herself, but maintained her hold on Nero, "It was a partnership between us. Now that I'm defeated they'll kill me too."

"Well that's just great," muttered Nero as he was about to let go of the demon and help Erza and Lucy, but was stopped when he felt a hand on his cheek. Looking back, he saw Volcana looking at him, a smile on her face.

"But I have a good feeling about you," stated the demoness, causing Nero to raise an eyebrow, "which is why I'll help you."

"That right?" questioned Nero sarcastically, however, was taken by surprise when Volcana stood up fully and wrapped both arms around his neck. For a second, he almost shoved Volcana off, but a part of him was telling him not to. And it was that part that won out as he holstered Blue Rose.

"Of course," swore Volcana as she rested her hand on one of his cheeks and pressed herself against him. Letting out the faintest of moans as she felt how firm his body was, "and if you've been around Dante long enough, then you know what you get when you prove yourself to a devil."

Nero blushed slightly as he felt Volcana's 'assets' pressing against his chest, "Mmmm, such a gentleman," cooed the demoness as she ran her fingers through his hair, "your grandfather was a handsome devil, and your father was no slouch either."

"So what does that make me?" asked Nero dumbly and mentally berated himself for asking a question like that. Especially when Volcana raised up her left leg and wrapped it around his right and pushed her core into his pelvis. Nero's face blushed brightly, especially when she leaned in and their noses were almost touching, a lustful look in her eyes while she gave him a coy grin.

"A charming, cute young man," whispered Volcana, "one that deserves a kiss from a beautiful woman."

Before Nero could even register what she had said, the demoness's eyes shut as she pressed her lips against his, catching the Demon Hunter completely off guard. The hunter had no real experience with women, the only one being Kyrie but she was different as in he knew what she was like and how to talk to her before they became a couple. And most women in the Order avoided him, either because he was rude or because he didn't know how to approach them. So this demon lady completely took him by surprise with this action.

Volcana deeply enjoyed this decision. Sure she was giving up her soul to her target, but it wouldn't matter. She had her fun and he proved himself to be a worthy master. It also wasn't a problem that she felt a massive rush from kissing him that took her breath away.

The Demon Hunter, while still taken by surprise managed to regain himself enough to try to push Volcana off, but the demon wasn't going to have it. She hopped up and wrapped her legs around his waist causing him to stumble back while she managed to pry his mouth open with her tongue and started to explore his mouth.

"I...said...you'd...get...my...soul," said Volcana, between kisses, smiling deviously and mentally laughing at Nero's bright red face. She turned his head to the side and began a long sensual lick that started at the base of his neck right up to his brow before taking his lips with hers once more, "never...said...how!"

She did make good on her promise as he body began to light up in flames. Even as the flames consumed Volcana's body, the demon lady never let up on her passionate and rather aggressive make out session. The flames from her body washed onto Nero's, Devil Bringer lighting up as it began to absorb her power and soul. The azure blue skin of the demonic appendage started to change color, becoming a fiery orange. Even as this was going on, Volcana never stopped with her oral examination of Nero's mouth.

The demon hunter felt a little violated but pretty glad that Erza and Lucy were too busy with the Hell Vanguard and Prides to notice the demon lady frenching him. Also, a tiny part of him, the unprofessional part that was likely a product of hanging out with Dante too much sort of like this. And he didn't get the vibe that Volcana was taking him for a runaround. So if she was going to surrender herself this way, fine. He moved his hands to her rear and gave her cheeks a firm squeeze, a gesture that caused Volcana to moan into the kiss.

"Guess you're a player after all," quipped the demonic woman as she broke the kiss, "I hope you'll think of me. Especially on those cold, lonely nights." As she said that, her body began turning into fire but maintained it's firmness though it was fading quickly.

"You ever cool down?" shot back Nero, a smirk forming.

"No," stated the demon lady in a husky tone as she leaned in for one last kiss, moaning as she slipped her tongue back into his mouth while her eyes fluttered shut. Slowly, but surely, her body transformed more into fire while the flames danced across their bodies, growing more intense by the second. Breaking the kiss, Volcana leaned down to nip at his neck, planting kisses and little love bites before going right back to making out. The fire that made up the demoness started to swirl around them, creating a small vortex of flames.

Erza and Lucy were backed into a corner as the Hell Vanguard and Prides closed in.

"This is it!" cried Lucy in fear, "We're gonna die!"

Erza said nothing as she put herself between the demons and her friend.

"On that, we can agree," hissed the Vanguard as it raised its scythe, "Prepare to die!"

However, before it could swing down, the demon heard the roar of a fire, prompting it to turn around. Erza glanced behind it to see a swirling vortex of fire, and what appeared to be a figure in the center of the inferno.

"What is that?" asked Lucy, noticing the churning blaze.

Erza's eyes widened as a startling thought entered her brain. Nero had the ability to absorb magic and demonic energy with Devil Bringer. Was he taking the demon's power?

The Fairy Queen quickly got her answer as the conflagration suddenly expanded and shot out, sending flames everywhere. The Hell Prides braced themselves while the Vanguard remained unmoved even as the flames passed over. Erza shielded Lucy just as she saw the fire coming.

This continued for several moments. The released wall of fire from the vortex swept across the floor, ceiling, and walls of the cave. Finally, the fire died away, leaving a small cloud of smoke while everything else was covered in a layer of soot. However, Erza ignored it and scooped up Lucy and flew towards Nero. The Demon Hunter was mostly obscured by the smoke, his head was bowed while he appeared to by cradling something. When she got to his side, she shook his shoulder slightly.

"Nero! Are you alright?" asked Erza, concerned.

"Never better," answered Nero, after a second before standing up, "just..."

The Hunter trailed off as he a felt a weight in his arms. Looking down, his eyes widened while a smirk formed. Guess she did make good on her promise.

In his arms was a guitar. But not a normal, hell no; something from another world. The instrument was black, that much was certain, it was about 25 to 30 inches in length. It had jagged edges, one such side looked more like the blade of an ax while the head of the instrument looked similar to that of a spear. But despite the demonic look of the guitar, the simple appearance wasn't what drew the most attention, it was the fact that the strings were made of fire!

"Where did you get a guitar!?" demanded Lucy, not even understanding how or why Nero has an instrument, "and where's the devil!?"

In the midst of all this, the Vanguard glowered at the spawn of the darkslayer. Not only had he defeated his mistress, but had taken her as a devil arm. But all was not lost. There was still one thing to lose, the demon hunter's life.

"You've defeated my mistress," hissed the Vanguard as it floated towards three, Hell Prides flanking the demon god.

Nero smirked as he adjusted his grip on the guitar, "Yeah, its what I do."

"No matter," growled the monster, "You will die by my blade!"

"Is that right?" mocked Nero as he shifted the instrument into a ready position, the flames that made up the strings licked his skin, but he felt no pain, "A lot of demons said that in the past, and all of them wound back up in hell. Only difference is when I beat take you guys down, it'll be a lot more fun."

"DESTROY THEM!" Howled the Hell Vanguard as it raised its scythe and pointed at the three.

"Erza, get Lucy out of here," ordered Nero as he stepped towards the approaching demons. The redhead looked at Nero incredulously.

"Why?" she demanded.

"On second thought, stick around," joked Nero, as he glanced over his shoulder at her, "just means I'll have an audience."

Without any more words, Nero strummed the strings of the guitar and the instrument let out the first note of a song that would be remembered by a lot of demons later on.

(Devil May Cry 5 - Devil Trigger - Little V)(Made changes, but I like his version regardless)

As soon as the first not was made, the guitar sent out streams of fire. The streams shot right towards the Hell Prides, sending them flying back while the demons let out howls of pain as the demonic fire. Nero had learned to play the guitar back in Fortuna, back when he was ignoring his studies and didn't bother to go to a sermon. And it was paying off pretty well. But it wasn't just playing the guitar he learned to do.

"The darkest of night falls around my soul,

And the hunter within loses control.

Gotta let it out, gotta let it out!

Gotta let it out, gotta let it out!

This demon inside has a hold of me,

Clenching its power, drives me to break free.

Gotta let it out, gotta let it out!

Gotta let it out, gotta let it out!

Move fast baby, don't be slow,

Step aside, reload, time to go;

I can't seem to control

All this rage that's inside me!

Hold it fast, they've been dancing on this;

Braided by fire on the abyss

Red hot temper, I just can't resist;

All this vengeance inside me!"

To say that Erza and Lucy were shocked that Nero could play an instrument, much less sing would be an understatement. Just like it would be an understatement in saying that the Hell Prides were completely outclassed when fighting Nero now that he had a Devil Arm in his possession. An extremely powerful one at that. Flames shot throughout the cave while the Hunter stood on the elevated platform where he had been fighting Volcana, a wild grin on his face as he played the guitar. It was fitting, that Nevan's sister would also become a Devil Arm similar to a guitar. But thoughts like those had to wait; the performance must go on!

"All of these thoughts running through my head

I'm on fire, face burning red

Frustration is getting bigger!

Bang, bang, bang;

Pull my Devil Trigger!

Embrace the darkness that's within me;

No hiding in the shadows anymore!

When this wickedness consumes me;

Nothing can save you,

And there's no way out!

I'm a wildfire you won't tame;

Not even my temper can put out the flame;

There's no way to contain,

This storm swelling inside me!

I'm a bomb you can't defuse;

I would just accept you're going to lose!

Can't turn down, I refuse

To hold back anymore!

All of these voices inside of my head;

Blinding my sight in a curtain of red!

Frustration is getting bigger!

Bang, bang, bang;

Pull my Devil Trigger!

When on I dance it's not over;

Wave right through to get closer!

Like a silver bullet piercing through;

I throw myself into you!"

At this point, Nero stopped as he bowed his head. Throughout the song, he had been getting into the music, bobbing his head with the beat while the flames from the guitar seared the demons around him. He was still in control as he didn't once hurt Lucy or Erza. However, he felt inclined to ramp things up a little. As he started to play a slower beat, he activated his Devil Trigger once more, however, when he does, there is always an azure energy that accompanies it. Not this time. Rather as he did, the energy had turned a fiery red while his arm glowed the same. The Specter started to form slowly, but it was also changed like the color of the power. Instead of an organic sheath on the left arm, both arms had a large spike attached to them. The asymmetrical horns on the phantoms shoulders had changed and were now the same while two new horns came up from the back and rose up, flanking the head.

Nero began getting really into the song. The Specter mimicking his movements until one part of the song picked up. The Specter suddenly stopped mimicking Nero as he walked to the edge of the platform, the ethereal being started swinging its hands, as if ushering on an invisible crowd. Nero kept going, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the Hell Vanguard growled in fury and tried rushing right towards Nero. This decision would be its downfall because flames started collecting at the head of the guitar while the Demon Hunter prepared for the final act.

"All of these voices inside of my head,

Blinding my sight in a curtain of red!

Frustration is getting bigger!

Bang, bang, bang;

Pull my Devil Trigger!"

On that final note, Nero unleashed a massive stream of fire right towards the devil-god of death. The monster didn't stand much of a chance as it was instantly vaporized while flames continued to shot out striking the few remaining demons. Erza and Lucy watched in awe as Nero completely annihilated the last of the demons before strumming the guitar a few more times before ending his performance on one powerful note that sent a massive wave across the cave and vaporized the last of the demons.

Nero came to his knees as he held out his hands and guitar, the Specter doing the same before vanishing. A moment passed before Nero just laughed almost drunkenly as he fell back. Erza and Lucy came over to his sides worried that he overexerted himself but when they saw the wide grin they knew he was fine.

"I love this job," grinned Nero.

---

An hour later, the three exited the cave and were heading back to Fairy Tail. They decided to inform some Rune Knights that arrived on the scene when some citizens reported strange music coming from the cave. Nero made it clear to the Knights to be extremely careful because if a Demon holed itself in that cave, then a portal couldn't be that far.

The Rune Knights had also paid the group, much to their surprise, a grand total of seventy-five thousand jewels. Turns out that the demons had been here a lot longer and had attacked a few other villages before going after Nero, under the orders of Volcana. The Magic Council offered anyone who put an end to these devils would receive the aforementioned amount of jewels as payment. No one argued against and were now heading back to Magnolia.

The three were currently walking down a dirt road, one that would lead right towards Magnolia. Along the way, Lucy asked Nero about what happened to Volcana. So the demon hunter explained the situation.

"So you're basically her master now?" guessed the blonde celestial mage.

"Sort, but wouldn't really use the term 'master'," corrected Nero, having explained that when a Devil is bested by another Devil, the defeated would surrender its soul to the victor for what purpose they had in mind, "It's kinda like you with your spirits."

"So her soul manifested itself into a weapon once you defeated her," surmised Erza, "a devil arm, I believe you called it."

"Yeah, kinda like Yamato," explained Nero as he glanced down at Devil Bringer. He could feel Volcana's presence within his soul. Shortly after defeating the demons, Nero dismissed the Devil Arm, the magical weapon vanishing into Devil Bringer, which makes storage very easy. However, this brought up a concern of his. How much power would he get before too much was too much?

Suddenly, Nero's line of thought was interrupted when a car drove up and stopped by the trio. This was a shock to Nero since he didn't know that this world had cars. It looked like an old 1920s brown Model-T. The man in the driver's seat up front had a strange gauntlet-like coupling on his left wrist.

"You people are from Fairy Tail, aren't yah?" the man asked.

Erza nodded, "Yes, we are."

The man smiled, "I'm a big fan of your Guild. Would you all like a ride back to town? It's no trouble at all."

"Sure beats walking," quipped Nero as he got into the passenger compartment, quickly followed by Erza and Lucy, the redhead sitting right next to him.

"I agree. I'm tired and I can't walk anymore. Besides," she turned to the platinum blonde and grinned, "this gives us a better opportunity to discuss your little 'performance.'"

Nero rolled his eyes, knowing that he should've seen this coming.

"Yeah," agreed Lucy, "what kind of singing was that and since when could you play an instrument?"

"Right," sighed Nero, just as the car shifted into drive and accelerated forward down the old dirt road, "to answer your second question, remember when I said I wasn't that well liked in Fortuna?"

"Yeah," nodded Lucy.

"Well to pass the time, decided to learn to play to entertain myself and to answer your first question: it's just a style of music from my world," answered the demon hunter.

"And with your talent, you could apply it in combat as you did against the Hell Vanguard and Hell Prides," finished Erza.

"Yep," confirmed Nero as he looked at Erza, a little impressed, "you a mindreader or something?"

The redhead turned to the Demon Hunter, and smirked, "Call it woman's intuition."

On the way back, Lucy decided to ask another question, "Hey, Nero?" asked the blonde, "Do you know why Volcana was so interested in you?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "a while back, when Dante first started being a demon hunter, he ran into a demon lady like Volcana named Nevan. He beat her fairly and she surrendered her soul to him and became a devil arm like Volcana. But, turns out that Nevan had a sister who wanted to get back at him by going after me."

"But one thing still confuses me," continued Lucy, "Why did you do all that just to beat the demons?"

Nero smirked, "It's part of my charm; if you're gonna do something or save someone, why not do it with style. And style, I've got plenty of," he replied confidently, maybe a little arrogantly, but not so much so like Laxus.

Erza smiled. It seemed Nero was just as boisterous as Natsu, only he had a bigger brain than her hot-headed guildmate did.

Half an hour later, the three finally made it back to Magnolia and thanked the man who had given them the ride. Usually they would all head back home to get some needed rest, but Master Makarov was expecting them back at the Guild. However, what happens next is for another time.

To Be Continued...

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A/N And done! Longest chapter of Devil Tail to date! Sorry, it took so long to update. But just to give a heads up, don't expect an update anytime soon. Gonna take a break but will return. But in all curiosity, what'd you guys think?

I feel a little bad about not adding more to the Devil Trigger fight, but didn't want to make the chapter too long and I couldn't really find a way to make it longer than I already have it.

Also, I hope those references to the first game and DC wasn't too bad. Also, if you're wondering about Volcana, she might make another appearance, or appear as a regular character if you want.

But what'd you think of the devil arm? While I might not have showcased it in this chapter, Volcana (which is what I'm calling the Devil Arm) does possess minor geokinesis alongside pyrokinesis. I will include it in the Nero vs Erza chapter which is the chapter after the next.

Also, if you guys dislike me for how I had Volcana get intimate with Nero, I did say at the beginning there was going to be a fluff! And I wrote in the chapter that Volcana wanted to 'get to know' Nero! But I will never be sorry for giving Nero what essentially is his theme song. (Also, seriously, go check out Little V's version of Devil Trigger if you haven't!) But I did take the time to make the corrections to the song, which some of you have pointed out to me and I thank you for that.

Random question, what do you think Nero's title name should be? Like, Natsu is called Salamander, Erza is called Titania, Queen of the Fairies, hell, even his own dad is called The Darkslayer. So what do you think his title should be?

Backing up a little, massive thanks to "lolrus555" for helping out with the flashback. Couldn't have done it without you bud!

Okay, I'm done.

Review, like, and follow!