Hazbin Devils

Chapter 12 (Dante)

"Heard you got something to tell me," Dante said while taking a seat at the bar. "What's up?"

Husk stopped polishing a wineglass and tossed a newspaper on the counter. The demon hunter picked it up and read the front page. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the news and a large picture of his brother cutting down several demons with a smaller one at the bottom showing him saving a mother and son from a reptilian demon. Placing the newspaper down and tapping a finger on it, Dante looked at the winged demon.

"Alright, so Vergil made it to the frontpage. Is that so important?" Dante asked.

"Well, you bet your halfie ass it is," Husk said in his usual gruff and uninterested tone. However, he stopped polishing the wineglass and stared at the demon hunter. "Got a buddy working for Valentino, said he heard that your bro took out some seedy motel affiliated to him and big boy's out for blood."

Dante licked his dry lips and looked back at the newspaper. "Okay, so how's that related to this news at all?"

"I heard that the demons that attacked the highway to Imp City was his doing. Had help from some Azazel to bring in bigger demons. At least…that's what he told me before the line was cut," Husk answered with a frown.

The demon hunter blinked a few times before taking a deep breath and breathing out slowly. "Azazel may be hanging around with Valentino. If I must fight him, then I may have to go through Valentino and his lackeys. How hard can it be?"

"You got a fucking death wish, halfie? You won't be going up just against him. He's got two other overlords as companions, one of which is his boyfriend too. Not liking your odds," Husk replied. "If they're there with him."

"I've got odds stacked up against me before that's so high it'd make a skyscraper," Dante said with a chuckle. "Trust me, Husker, I'll be fine."

Husk frowned at him and he pointed a finger at Dante. "First of all, don't call me Husker. I hate it the same way I hate Al. Secondly, you're telling me you're just going in without a plan? I get it that you're some tough guy, halfie, but they'd rip you a new one."

"So, what'd you suggest I do then?"

At that moment, Husk seemed to hesitate. Dante had found that rather odd because he never had the impression that the winged demon would care much about other matters other than gambling and drinking. He was fidgeting and looking around as if looking for an answer that had gotten lost. While the demon hunter drummed his finger on the counter slowly, Husk eventually sighed and looked at him.

"Look, I'm gonna level with you, Dante. I seriously don't like any of this but I gotta check on that buddy of mine," Husk said softly.

Dante raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a crooked smile. "Well, I didn't know you actually cared for someone."

"Hey, don't get smart with me, halfie," said an annoyed Husk while poking a finger at Dante's chest. "I'm only caring cos he owes me 50 bucks in that last poker sessions we had before Al teleported me to this dump."

"Sure, but that's not exactly a plan, is it?" Dante asked. "Feels like you're just finding for someone to protect you while you come to claim a debt."

"Didn't say I wasn't an asshole," Husk said casually with a shrug. "Tell you what, if you help cover me while I look for my poker buddy, I'll help you fight as well."

"What, don't think I can handle myself?"

"Never know when you'll need the extra help," Husk answered while reaching under the counter to grab an assault rifle. "Always have a contingency plan, that's what I've been taught as a soldier. Also." He pointed at Cavaliere which was leaned against the wall near the entrance. "I need you to teach me how to tame that motherfucker."

\***/

Valentino stared at the ceiling, deep in thought while he moved the cigarette he was smoking from the left corner of his mouth to the right. Something unnerved him and it made his gut feel uncomfortable like it was being wrenched. He tried his best to keep a straight face but Vox had noticed the creases in his eyebrows. The TV demon turned on his side to face Valentino and traced a finger on his arm.

Val blinked and turned his head to look at him. "What is it?" he asked softly.

"You don't seem too happy about something," Vox replied. "Is it my performance in bed?"

Normally, Val would just push his face for asking a stupid question. However, this time, he just straightened his head and went back to looking at the ceiling. "Nah, you're fine. It's just that I've got this unexplainable bad feeling, the same thing I feel right before a purge."

"But we aren't due for a purge yet," Vox said as he sat up straight with the blanket falling from his chest.

"I know we aren't, dumbass. It's just that this is unchartered territory we're walking into. That thing we did yesterday…it certainly worked out quite well, didn't it?"

"You mean the summoning? Yeah, it did. Imagine that, an army at our beck and call, best part is we don't have to pay these fuckers."

"This son of Sparda…Vergil…he wiped out what we summoned," Valentino mused while removing the spent cigarette from his mouth. "Then the other son here…Dante…"

Vox cocked his head. "What're you getting at, Val? I haven't seen you like this before."

"I was just thinking. Up until now, we stand above the rest and in the big leagues of powerful demons. Now, we have a bunch of outsiders messing things up with the worst offender being Azazel dictating what we should do," Val commented angrily. He crushed the cigarette butt in his hand. "It pisses me off but at the same time." His voice softened and his hand opened to let the ashes fall onto the bed. "It confuses me. I still haven't figured out what he wants."

"Ah, feeling a little confused, are we?" Vox said with a smile while leaning up to his lover. "If I were to wager, I think Azazel has grand plans of his own. He's toying with the boys, possibly letting them cause a bit of ruckus here and there and when everyone's busy," the TV demon mouthed a silent 'boom' and opened a fist to simulate and explosion. "He swoops in, kicks everyone's asses, and takes over hell."

Val stared at Vox with an incredulous expression while the latter just smiled back and grinned. The moth demon pushed Vox's face and asked, "Where the fuck did you come up with that story?"

"It's just a random thought, Val," Vox said with a chuckle. However, his expression quickly hardened and he poked his partner's arm. "But seriously, take my advice and just ditch that bastard and kill those sons of Sparda. We can find our own ways in conquering hell."

The moth demon snorted dismissively but he nodded his head at the same time. "Yeah, maybe. He did give us the ability to summon demons after all. Seems pretty foolish to give away the bargaining chip like that," Val said while looking at the bell which sat on the end table next to the bed. His eyes narrowed. "Too convenient," he muttered.

Vox peered over and nodded his head slowly. "You're right, it does look that way. Think we should cut back on the summoning?" he asked while looking at his lover.

"Hm, I wouldn't say no to a free army. Maybe small fries like those ant things and those bats. Maybe that way, he wouldn't have any control over intelligent demons," Valentino mused.

"We should still exercise caution. I don't like 'em," Vox said. He laid back down and sighed. "So, what now?"

Valentino checked his watch and said, "There's something I need dear old Angel to do for me. If everything goes to plan, the fly will fall into the spider's trap. As for you my dear." Val gave Vox a kiss. "You go do your stuff, I'm gonna wait for our guest."

Husk gritted his teeth as he weaved Cavaliere between cars. So far, the demon weapon had been rather cooperative but he wondered if it was only because Dante was seated on it. The demon hunter snapped his finger, allowing Husk to experience stopped time. It felt unnerving yet at the same time, it brought along a sense of thrill. The sensation felt exactly the same that one night he first demonstrated that power.

Their destination was an apartment block situated not far from the clocktower. It was a high-class gated building that looked about as normal as it could get, minus the rows of man-eating plants that lined the walls and carpets painted with blood. They seemed to know who belonged there and would therefore ignore them, and anyone else unlucky enough to get close would get snatched into their jaws and eaten alive.

When they neared their destination, Husk tried to press the brakes but Cavaliere just kept going. Panicking, he pressed again but harder. This time, it stopped suddenly next to a parked taxi. Momentum propelled him and Dante off of the demon motorcycle but the demon hunter backflipped and landed gracefully onto the road while Husk was stopped by the backside of a parked car. The boot dented to his body shape and he fell unceremoniously onto the ground. Groaning, he picked himself up slowly and coughed a bit.

"Fuck…me," he muttered.

"You alright there, Husk?" asked a concerned Dante.

"What kind of question's that, halfie?" Husk asked back with a frown. "Help me get my rifle, will you?"

Dante went to Cavaliere and retrieved Husk's sniper that was strapped to the side of the motorcycle. He tossed it at him and the winged feline demon caught it with his right hand. "So, what's the plan here?"

"See the top floor of that apartment?" Husk pointed at the highest floor of the building. "That's where Valentino's penthouse is. My friend works for him as a servant and a personal fuck toy."

"A what now?" Dante asked with a scowl.

"Stress reliever, cum bucket, bottom bitch, whatever. Valentino drops by here quite often for who-knows-what reason, so I reckon if you wanna look for clues, this place is the best place to start," Husk replied. He dusted his wings and looked at Dante. "What exactly are you looking for anyway?"

"Azazel's whereabouts and if possible, the bell that he gave Valentino. Destroying both of them should save us a lot of trouble," Dante replied.

Husk gave him a look of disbelief. "Why a goddamn bell?"

"I overheard Valentino talking about a summoning bell the other day. If that's the cause of the invasion, then we have to destroy it."

"Fair enough," Husk said gruffly. He went to Cavaliere and touched it, and the demonic weapon disappeared into thin air with particles of energy left flitting about in the air. "We go in quickly and bug out. If my poker buddy's dead, so be it. You may be able to deal with overlords but I ain't putting my hide on the line." Husk opened his waist pouch and looked into it. "I've only got 3 spare magazines."

Dante examined the apartment and tapped his foot. "Front door?" he asked while gesturing at the entrance.

"Nah, don't wanna raise too much attention," Husk said with a dismissive wave of a hand. "We need to find another way, a back door or something."

Both settled their eyes at a nearby manhole that was situated beside of a hotel. The devil hunter looked at the winged feline demon with a raised eyebrow. "Well, what'd you think?" he asked.

Husk growled. "Do I look like some fat Italian plumber to you?"

"Don't have to be one to use the sewers. Unless you got a better idea."

Husk rubbed his chin and looked at the hotel. His gaze went to the top floor and alternated his gaze between that and the apartment's top floor. Turning to Dante, he asked "How far can Cavaliere jump?"

"Only one way to find out. Better let me ride this one."

At least nobody had asked them as to why they were headed for the roof, though they did receive quite a good number of stares from the staff. Of course, with weapons in hand, there were no arguments to be had. Given that the normal elevators did not go to the roof, the duo rode in the service elevator instead. The inside smelled of blood and rotting trash and there was even a rotting limb dangling from the ceiling vent. Husk held a hand in front of his mouth while Dante poked the limb with a finger.

When the doors opened, Husk quickly rushed out and vomited onto the floor while Dante just waved his hand in front of his face like it was nothing more than a minor stink. He waited for the winged demon to finish vomiting before following him to the edge that overlooked the apartment. Husk wiped his mouth and pointed towards the topmost floor of the apartment building.

"That's the penthouse. I reckon it's about…" he paused for a bit before saying, "75 feet or so from here."

Dante looked down at the streets and said, "Don't look too bad. I've jumped farther than this."

He stopped and squinted his eyes. There was movement in the penthouse and someone just stopped right in front of a window. It was the familiar figure of Azazel and it looked like he was talking to someone. Dante's eyes widened and his lips curved into a crooked smile. Returning back to his human form, he licked his lips and nodded his head in some anticipation for a fight. Husk saw the figure as well and his eyebrows bent into a frown.

"Judging by your looks and how you dropped your demon form, I'm guessing he's Azazel?" Husk asked grimly.

"The very one. He's got a lot of cojones showing up like this. If there ever is a chance to stop all this nonsense, now is the time," Dante said in equal grimness.

"He's talking to someone in there looks like. If it's Valentino or even Vox…I don't like our odds."

"You leave the fighting to me."

Husk nodded his head and summoned Cavaliere. Dante hopped onto it while the winged demon took his seat as the pillion rider. Revving up the demon bike, the devil hunter launched the bike like a speeding bullet off the edge. Dante drew his sword like a knight on a horse a whooped loudly as Cavaliere crashed through the window in a shower of glass and wood. He reached behind him and grabbed Husk and leapt of Cavaliere while allowing the bike to rush forward and crash into Azazel before disappearing back into Husk's inventory. Once they landed onto the floor, he let go of the winged demon.

Azazel, who was caught unawares, picked himself up from the floor so casually that it looked like he merely slipped. Not too far from where they were, Valentino was staring wide-eyed at the sudden intruders, unable to say a word at the brazen invasion into his penthouse. However, it took just a few seconds for hip to snap out of his daze and pull out a machine-pistol on them. Husk was hesitant to raise his weapon but Dante stepped in front of him and pointed his sword back at the moth demon.

"Dante," Valentino growled angrily.

"I see my reputation precedes me, or I think Azazel told you about me," Dante smirked while glaring at Azazel.

"Never took you for a person who asks someone to help you, son of Sparda," Azazel said.

"I didn't ask for help," Dante said tersely. He pulled out Ebony and pointed him. "I'm also not letting you get away this time. Gimme your weapon, now."

"And cut short the fun? It's only getting started, so don't be such a downer. If you want it back," Azazel said and teleported behind Husk. "Then you'll have to take it if you can."

Husk gasped and turned around quickly but the demon had just teleported to Valentino's side. Val scowled and moved a bit away from him while still keeping his gun trained on Dante. The devil hunter moved too, his sidesteps slow and deliberate and his aim never moving away from Azazel. Husk moved too, his steps mirroring Dante. His weapon still was not raised but his gaze was locked firmly at Valentino. The moth demon did not seem to notice he was the centre of his attention, but Husk was not about to let him know either way. For now, all focus was on the devil hunter in red.

"Husk, you do what you need to do," Dante whispered. "I'll distract them."

"So much for a bug out plan. You better not fucking die, halfie," Husk muttered.

With a quick smile, Dante opened fire at Azazel. The bullets went hit a pot as the demon teleported again. In response, Valentino pulled the trigger on his weapon. Dante raised his sword and swung it outwards, throwing a shockwave that deflected the stream of bullets while racing towards the moth demon. It did little to Val but the impact of the shockwave staggered him a little. It allowed Dante to dash forward in a blur of red towards him. Just before he reached the moth demon, Azazel appeared by Dante's side and swung his sword. Caught by surprise, the devil hunter was hit aside but he recovered quickly.

While the fight was going on, Husk had slipped into one of the side halls. Oddly enough, he encountered no resistance and the rooms and hall were empty. He thought Valentino would have at least a few guards in the place but it seemed like they were either evacuated or conveniently absent. However, he did find one of the foreign demons standing in front of a room door like it was guarding something. Husk rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Had Val started replacing his lackeys with them?

Shaking his head, the winged demon took aim with his assault rifle and peppered the guarding empusa with a hail of bullets. It fell over and struggled a bit before dissolving into a pile of red-coloured orbs. Husk looked over his shoulder as he heard Dante throwing taunts amidst a cacophony of gunfire. Good, he was still keeping them busy. He walked over to the orbs and picked one up, shuddering as he saw that the orb was nothing more than a carving of a grotesque-looking face. Dropping the orb, Husk opened the door that the demon was guarding and peeked into it. Much to his surprise, he saw Angel dropping the body of his poker buddy onto the floor. The sound of the door opening made him turn around quickly and the two locked eyes.

"Angel, what the fuck're you doing here?!" Husk exclaimed while lowering his rifle.

"I could ask you the same thing," Angel replied with a grim expression. "Val told me that he wanted me to settle some matters for him, a spy."

Husk looked at the dead body and back to the spider demon. "That's my poker buddy, Legs. He owed me money!"

Angel frowned. "Is that really all you cared about?"

"Well…I…y – no," Husk stuttered. He waved his arm dismissively. "Look, I…it's not…fuck," he muttered as he found himself at a loss for words. "Goddamn it, Angel, what're you on about?"

"I'm just curious, is all," Angel replied with a bitter smile. "You know, I've been trying rather hard to get in Val's good graces but…it's been hard, Husk. He knows everything that's going on."

"I thought you hated him," Husk countered.

"I do, but I can't escape him. I'm bound to him by a contract. I'm also trying to save the hotel."

"Save the hotel, from who?"

"Val, you idiot!" Angel shouted angrily. "He says he'll kill everyone there if I don't lead Dante here!"

Husk's eyes widened. "Explain."

"He knew your buddy was a spy, so he had me feed him some false information to lead Dante to the penthouse. Val said he would spare everyone if I helped get him killed. I didn't think you'd come along too."

"And you did it cos of what, wanting to suck up to your boss, hoping he'll give you a goodnight kiss one day? To think I'm starting to like you over these past couple of months," Husk spat in disgust.

"Hey, things would've turned out just fine if he and Vergil hadn't shown up."

"Oh, so now it's their fault? Call me an uncaring motherfucker, but even I can't buy that kind of reasoning. I seem to recall you being rather close to the halfie and now you're selling him out."

Their conversation was cut short when the wall on the opposite side of the hallway exploded into a cloud of dust with Dante flying through it and landing by the corpse of Husk's poker buddy. The devil hunter coughed in pain and got up quickly while wiping away a bit of blood that was trickling down the side of his mouth. He looked at a wide-eyed Husk before turning to look at an equally wide-eyed Angel Dust.

"Fancy seeing you here," Dante said casually.

"Dante, get the fuck out of here!" Husk shouted immediately while pointing his gun at Angel. "It's a trap!"

"Trap? What the hell are you talking about?" asked a confused Dante while looking quickly at a now guilt-ridden Angel.

They heard Valentino laughed and saw him standing at the hole. He had blood flowing from his lanky body but like Dante, he seemed unfazed by any sort of physical injuries sustained. "Well done, Angel, maybe I would forgive your debts to me after all. And look," he said and turned his attention to Husk. "Alastor's lackey even came along too."

"What'd you do?" Dante asked Angel darkly.

"Led a fly into the spider's web," Valentino answered in Angel's stead. He looked at the spider demon and said, "You know, Angel Cakes, I was beginning to think you've gone soft when this shithead came along. But seeing you betray him like that without even a whisper, you human sinners are really no different from demons. Fuck that dream of redemption." He then turned his attention to Dante. "I can assure you, son of Sparda, that there's nothing of great importance here for you to stop. Azazel being here is a coincidence and I hate him just as much as you do, but other than that, did you really think you can hope to stop me?"

"I gave you a beating, didn't I? Maybe it wasn't hard enough," Dante said with a grin as he summoned his gauntlets and greaves. He cracked his knuckles. "Dunno if this convoluted plan of yours is even a trap, but hey, since both of you are here, I may as well clean up this mess and get back Yamato's power."

"And you're just gonna ignore Angel?"

Dante paused and looked at Angel. By that point, he did not dare look up at any of them and he sat on the bed sullenly. The devil hunter wanted to say something to him but he just sighed and shook his head. "Nothing much to say about that except I trust Angel to have a conscience. Husk."

"What?"

"Get Angel out of here. This party's gonna get crazy."

Husk thought about questioning Dante but he kept quite and just nodded his head. The winged demon grabbed Angel by the wrist roughly and pulled, crashing through a window and carrying Angel in his arms before opening his wings as they descended to the streets below. Once they were out of sight, Dante ran at Valentino with an arm cocked back for a punch. The moth demon caught the swing with one hand but the devil hunter's momentum pushed him back into the hole and right back into the main hall. He returned the favour by crushing down on Dante's knuckle and flinging him sideways into a wall.

Azazel had disappeared at that point and that made Val's blood boil. He would deal with him later but for now, killing Dante would have to do. Within just that few distracted seconds, Dante had used his time-stop ability to close-in on the moth demon. He charged up a punch with his right gauntlet and when time resumed, Valentino was greeted with a very painful explosive uppercut to the stomach that knocked him into the ceiling. Dante had risen into the air with him and with Valentino out of balance, he did a dive kick and stomped him so hard into the marble floor that it created a hole in someone's ceiling one floor below.

The devil hunter flipped backwards as Valentino attempted to grab him. Failing to do so, he got back onto his feet and spat out a wad of blood. "You're starting to get on my nerve," he growled angrily.

"Your 'trap' didn't work out as planned, did it?" Dante smirked.

"I have to say, it was unnecessarily convoluted but it did bring you here in the end. Once I'm done with you, I'll murder Azazel and your fucking brother. I'm taking Yamato's power too. What'd ya think about that?"

"All the more reason to stop you."

Valentino flashed a grin. "You know, if you kill me, Angel's gonna die too."

Dante frowned. "What'd you mean by that?"

"His pathetic soul belongs to me, such a beautiful and pathetic thing he is. Without me, he's literally a nobody among a sea of sinners. I don't quite understand how you can forgive him for lying."

Much to the moth demon's surprise, Dante just chuckled. "Is he really that desperate?"

"Desperate enough to want to look good in my eyes and do my bidding. Funny how a few sweet words could convince him to turn on a dime, even though he doesn't like me at all. It's like he's…addicted. He'll never learn."

"Maybe," Dante said with a nod. "But I know of someone who was addicted to power. It led to his downfall, but I feel that he's learnt something good in the end. I think Angel can learn something valuable too, he just needs to find his way."

Valentino shook his head in frustration. "For a half demon, you're too much of a goody two-shoes, just like that bitch of a hell princess. If she wasn't Lucifer's kid, I would've murdered every one of you in that fucking hotel. But." Valentino flexed his neck and shoulders. "Soon enough, even the king of hell will be powerless."

Dante took a step back as he saw Valentino beginning to transform. He had a pair of grotesque and gory-looking moth wings sprout from his back. His entire body had morphed into something that resembled living darkness with feelers that looked like writhing black tentacles. The middle of his chest was a blackness darker than dark and it pulsated with shadowy energy that radiated outwards like a miasma. At that instant, the devil hunter had felt the room grow colder and darker but the light around him had grown brighter as if a spotlight was focusing on him.

"Good, I was hoping you'd put up a fight. Now we can get serious," Dante said and snapped his fingers, unleashing his demon form in a burst of red lightning.

"The balance is tipping soon, Dante, and it will be in my favour. By then, not even Lucifer can save you," Valentino said, his voice a harsh and echoey whisper in the encompassing darkness. "Even if you leave here alive, I will make sure hell kills you on sight."

"Uh…sir, aren't you scared?" Moxxie asked.

"Of V? Yeah, I'm totally terrified," Blitzo answered even though he sounded rather sarcastic about it. "I mean, have you seen how he murdered that lizard thing?"

"So, why'd you agree to help him again?"

"Because, my dear silly Moxx, at least he would spare our lives. After all, not everyone knows how to read the grimoire, and he can't kill us because he needs someone to translate it."

"Wow…" Moxxie said and paused. "That is actually the smartest thing you've ever said since you started I.M.P."

"Oh, don't patronise me. I'm full of brilliant ideas. Have you checked out this jewelled horse figurine I commissioned? Pretty brilliant isn't it," Blitzo said with a smirk. He pointed a finger at one of its hooves that was studded with some red diamonds. "That was my idea."

Moxxie looked unamused and he sighed softly. "I regret ever opening my mouth."

Vergil maintained his silence as he looked out of the window. He had been surveying the view for a while now and eavesdropping on Blitzo's conversation. As much as he hated to admit it, the imp was right. While he had not seen the grimoire itself, the blue demon was certain that such books had to be written in some language he did not understand. Vergil did not want to go to Stolas after hearing the things he said over the speaker and it still made him shudder at such profanities. As such, he definitely needed someone else to decipher the book for him.

While he slowly tuned out of Blitzo's talk about horses, he went back to surveying the surroundings. There was nothing out of the ordinary and much like Pentagram City, Imp City was equally bad and vulgar. There was an advertisement board not too far away that had featured a pair chumps named Loopty Goopty and Lyle Lipton selling machines of death. Vergil squinted his eyes as he saw a figure standing on the advertisement board. His eyebrows furrowed and he gritted his teeth.

"Azazel."

"What was that?" Blitzo asked.

He ignored the imp and reached for his phone. His attempts to call Dante were only met with a message telling him that his phone was out of service. Cursing silently, Vergil took a deep breath and slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Nothing," he answered.

"Oh, I almost forgot," the imp said, causing Vergil to look at him. "We uh…may have this little rivalry with some…uh…orphaned kids from heaven a few months ago."

"Cherubs, sir," Moxxie said.

"Whatever. See, they ain't too happy that they got kicked out of heaven for killing a guy because of us and um, they're definitely gonna make our job harder."

Vergil raised an eyebrow. "Cherubs? You mean cherubs from heaven?"

"Well, duh, demon cherubs don't exist, V. At least I think they don't," Blitzo mumbled thoughtfully.

"They must really hate you."

Blitzo laughed and wiped away a tear. "Hate is putting it lightly. They absolutely fucking despise us and they'll make sure we don't ever complete any contracts if they can help it. So yeah, have fun killing a baby, a sheep, and a deer while you're helping us out eh."

The blue demon shook his head slowly. "You're really despicable," he muttered.

"Call me whatever you like, V, but since you're a demon like the rest of us, you can be sure they will home in on you like a horndog looking for a bitch in heat to fuck. As your temporary boss, I'm doing you a favour with this heads-up."

"Do they hurt humans?"

"Not on purpose as far as I'm concerned. They protect them, and that makes me sick."

For once, Vergil smirked and held up Yamato. "I think I have a solution for that."

Yeah, I felt that the trap and plot was a little convoluted and most likely feeling rushed with plot holes, but hey, it's gonna escalate the fight. Also, apologies for not posting sooner. I had done multiple revisions on how Husk and Dante were to enter the apartment. Initially, I wanted them to go through the sewers, then fight through the man-eating plants before settling for the rooftop break-in idea. With this encounter with Val, Dante's gonna have a target painted on his back.

As for Vergil, I'm sure you know what's he going to try. You can bet he's definitely gonna feel conflicted after that.