"So, I'm guessing there's no chance you wanna talk this out?" Dante asked, staring up at the large demon in front of him. He didn't know how long it'd take for this one to die, but he hoped that Trish and Lady would be able to stall Lightning until he made it to their very first encounter. The 'Savior' sure liked to bring about quite the amount of trouble. Maybe someone should consider changing her name to something a little more affiliated with death or at the very least destruction, considering quite the amount of bodies were starting to pile up just because of her presence. Though demons weren't necessarily 'united' on the front of claiming the Savior, the fact that they were all swarming and congregating in close windows of time made the ultimate little army and upped the pressure.
"Son of Sparda you are not the one I seek. Begone!" Baring its teeth the large demon swiped through the air at Dante, he wasn't in the mood to fight anyone other than the one he had come for - and potentially die - before his chance at claiming the prize so many hungered for. What was the Son of Sparda doing in such close proximity to the Savior? Were the two of them working together in a united front to stop what was to come? Better yet, did they believe they could stop the usurpation of Earth at the hands of demonkind?
"Well that's too bad- because you're the one I was hoping to find." Dante wasn't at all phased by the haughty show the demon had put on. Just because of his size, he was more than likely used to getting his way by scaring off lesser demons and even the odd human, but Dante was neither of those things. He couldn't be sent with his tail tucked between his legs just because you decided to act more animal than demon.
"You would protect the Savior?" Seemingly amused by this, the demon let out a throaty laugh/roar. The idea that the Savior needed a bodyguard so powerful just because she was either too weak to protect herself from demons or too naive and knew she'd fall on the battlefield was absolutely laughable. However, his amusement was finite for he knew that those of Sparda's bloodline loved to interfere with matters beyond their comprehension, and he wasn't about to let infinite power escape his grasp. Fighting Dante wasn't the most ideal of scenarios, but if he could injure or incapacitate him long enough then he'd be able to march right over to the Savior and crush her in the palm of his hands. There truly was no greater form of ecstasy than to feel the life of a victim slowly drain away, the fear in their eyes while they attempted to save themselves and ultimately fail in their struggles. Fueled with new purpose and hunger to reach the Savior, he was ready to take on Sparda's progeny, if he truly was the only thing standing in the way- then so be it.
"It's in the job description- so I'd say yeah." Dante nodded, shrugging his shoulders. "Why, you got somewhere else to be, better yet- you think you can take her on when you're shaking in your boots just by standing in front of me?" Taunting the demon would likely change its tune on wanting to bolt solely so it could try and fight Lightning. It probably had an ego to match its size, and Dante knew all too well on how to keep such a stupid, proud opponent right where he wanted him. Though he had yet to draw his sword, Dante was tempted to brandish rebellion just in case his tactics ended up backfiring. Ebony and Ivory would also leave quite the calling card that Dante wasn't going to back down.
"Such a pathetic creed! Protecting those who don't even know your name! And those who do, only betray! Humans are not deserving of your pity! Sparda never should have stooped so low as to save lesser beings! I fear nothing, son of Sparda! I only seek out what I came for, you are none of my concern. There shall be a new order, and not even you will stand in our way." Laughing at Dante, the demon showed him absolutely no signs of fear. The first one to devour the Savior would be the new ruler of not only his kind, but the Earth as well. Having humans bow complacently beneath a demon was nothing new, but having all of their kind follow suit to the lesser beings? That was something only Mundus or Sparda would have been capable of.
"See this is where we can agree to disagree, because I don't protect anyone for glory. I don't need recognition for the things that I've done. I just need to make sure I keep you where you belong." Dante pulled Rebellion off his back and scoffed at the callous arrogance of the demon standing opposite him. "That's quite the tall order, considering you seem to be all talk. How am I supposed to take these threats seriously if you're just trying to cut and run? Show me some of this unyielding strength you apparently have going on." Stepping forward, Dante was just about finished with their banter. How courteous of demons to just give up their plans without so much as a care in the world.
"You may act indignant- but you have the arrogance of our kind. Your self-confidence will be your undoing." It was comical how much both apparently hated the other, but Dante evidently had so much to gain from his mixed heritage. The power he had was never earned, he was simply born into it.
"It's never failed me up to this point." Dante shrugged. "Now come on, let's fight. I have a new toy I want to try out." Wielding the flame whip in one hand and the Rebellion in the other, he was finished with their chat. Cracking the whip, he sent a line of flame the demons way. While that seemed to distract it, he ran up and impaled it through the calf. Hearing cries of agony, Dante knew he'd done at least some form of damage to the demon and that was all he aimed to do. Their struggle wasn't likely going to be a lengthy one, and that was likely for the best. Dante wanted the struggle to be over and done with so that he could hurry up and regroup with the others.
Already irritated by facing Dante, the anger of being attacked first sent the demon over the edge. "You little bastard!" Swiping at Dante, he was ready tear his head off.
Dodging his attacks with minimal effort, Dante ducked or inched just enough that the 'wind' from his attacks would cause his clothes to ruffle a little bit. Noticing a slash meant to deck out his legs, he somersaulted backwards and managed to land a few more hits with both the whip and his sword. "Technically speaking- my parents were married." Knowing fully well what he meant to convey, Dante still wanted to set the record straight. He wouldn't argue that he could be an antagonistic 'bastard' to the vast majority of his opponents, but that didn't mean they could get away with saying things that just weren't true.
"It matters not!" Charging forward, he slashed through the air attempting to harm Dante in any way that he possibly could.
"Then why'd you bring it up?" Dante effortlessly jumped over his assailant and shot him with both Ebony and Ivory, satisfied when they drew blood. "It's just common sense, really. You're probably just mad because you're losing." Stating what he found to be the obvious, Dante enjoyed toying with this demon. He was honestly just making it so easy to screw with him.
"I'll say this right now-" Pausing for a moment, she looked between both women and narrowed her eyes, putting on a far more serious look. "-there's no way the two of you can beat me."
"Cocky aren't we?" Trish asked, folding her arms and smirking at the Savior standing in front of both she and Lady. Glancing over at her partner, Trish scoffed a bit. "Did you hear that? We may as well just throw in the towel."
"I don't know about you, but I'm just shaking in my boots." Lady agreed with Trish, following suit with her mocking demeanor. If Lightning wanted to play hard ball and fight them with little to no provocation, then so be it. They were just going to stall until Dante finally decided to show up and put her in her place. Drawing the Kalina-Ann she sized up Lightning and her weapons. Had any of the women been not too busy in their confrontation, they likely would have noticed the fact that there was absolutely no noise in the background. Not a single animal dared to call out into the night, nor cars or any signs that people were in the vicinity. The perfect setting for the arrival of demons.
Wind blew as the amused Savior let out a small chuckle at their mocking. Ordinarily such a thing would have pissed off the stoic woman, but Lightning had no time to entertain delusional individuals. "Right." Reaching back for her gunblade, her hand grasped the hilt as she slowly drew it out of the holster. "Then let's see what you can do!" Producing her weapon, the rose haired woman was more than prepared for a battle.
"Now that's quite the weapon. You sure you can handle that?" Trish asked, hoping to see at least some form of the Savior's power. Whomever said she and Dante could even remotely be in the same league may have some form of bias toward the warrior woman standing before she and Lady, and she wanted to make absolutely sure this heroin was all she'd been cracked up to be.
Smirking at the challenge, Lightning transformed the blazefire sabre into its secondary function and fired off a few rounds at Trish. The woman leapt out of the way just as Lightning had expected, and her discharged bullets hit her true intended target; demons. "This is no place for humans. You should get out while you still can. I don't have to time to baby you, and you're honestly in the way." Having been chased down by several more feral demons and even a few of the larger, sentient creatures, Lightning wanted to focus on protecting only herself and not two other busybodies who wanted to play hero. If she wanted Snow, then she would have outright gotten him to join the fight.
"What makes you so sure that I'm a human?" Trish asked, smirking right back at Lightning when her pistols crackled with electricity. Firing a few rounds at Lightning, her bullets hit the beast demons lingering behind the Savior. Landing on the statue of Sparda itself, she supposed their little squabble would have to continue once this distraction was dealt with.
"And what's so wrong with being a human, anyway?" Lady asked, frowning when she killed a few of her own that had been coming her way. Just because she didn't have a fancy arsenal of powers didn't mean she was some damsel in distress who couldn't take down almost anything that came her way.
"It gets you killed." Lightning stated the obvious. Seeing the legions of demons coming their way, she noticed a few familiar ones - the assault - running along buildings and on the streets and making their way over. A few larger ones that seemed to be like Ranna were coming her way, and she knew that it was time to summon Eidolons.
"Just what are you that you can look down on humans with such little thought? What is a 'Savior'?" Trish asked, noticing the incoming threat, she felt like they weren't going to have much to speak about while fighting so now seemed like as good a time as any.
"It depends on who you ask and who's asking." Lightning said flatly. Why did she have to explain herself to complete strangers? They had no idea who or what she was, and that was just fine by her. Just because they knew that at one point she wielded the title of 'Savior' didn't mean a damned thing. Obviously they fought demons for some apparent reason, and it was probably more than likely why they knew that term. Simply put, Lightning was a 'Goddess' but she preferred the term 'Angel of Death'. The former title just didn't seem to suit her, and she didn't believe herself worthy of picking up the torch of 'Goddess' just because Etro had faded away into her eternal slumber. Glancing over at the women, Lightning studied them carefully. She had no idea why that woman could wield electricity, and she stated herself to not be a human which was likely a nod to the fact that this world had those who were Human+ like l'Cie had been. But for what purpose did they wield magic? Were some specifically chosen to fight demons? Despite the fact that she killed a few demons didn't mean Lightning was going to believe she was on the 'good' team. Noticing how much closer the brood of demons was coming, Lightning had no more time to mess around- it was time to show these individuals just who they were screwing with. Shutting her eyes, Lightning placed her hand over the symbol of the Savior, and Nyx/Stiria's crystal produced. Opening her eyes, she tossed it up into the air and leapt after it, slashing the crystal through the center with her gunblade. As with Bynhildr, the words of Etro flashed across the sphere, waiting to be recited by their summoner. The demons were still stalking toward the trio, but momentarily stopped once they saw the perplexing sight. Just what had appeared before them? Lady and Trish were both intrigued by the sphere as well. Scoffing a bit, Lightning - rightfully - assumed that no one here had ever seen an Eidolon before.
"By the grace of Etro, twin rulers arise from your icy thrones. Come forth, sisters of Winter wastes.
A name in blood, a pact of ice. Shiva shall rise, her bond eternal and unyielding.
Aurora Borealis
Aurora Australis."
Having spoken the words, they disappeared with every syllable uttered by Lightning herself. The forbidden texts of the Goddess reacted to the powers that the Savior still seemingly possessed, and the righteous creatures contained from within seemed to stir with their primal power- the sphere froze entirely solid and began to crack. "Twin Sisters- Shiva! Come forth!" Lightning raised her hand above her head, aiming it at the center of the sphere containing both female Eidolons, waiting for them to join in the struggles. Graciously accepting their master's request, the twin sisters shattered the sphere that contained them and stood side-by-side with Lightning. Awaiting their orders, both female Eidolons took in their surroundings and deemed the creatures within their presence to be evil in nature. Cocking her head to the side, Nix almost felt inclined to toss her weapon in the direction that quite a few eyes were trained upon herself. Stiria apparently shared this opinion, as she too seemed on edge at being amongst so many abominations. Both sisters' palms glowed with the very essence of ice magic itself. Seeing their eagerness to march into battle, Lightning wasn't going to hold them back. "Kill them."
Nix and Stiria gratefully accepted the order and instantly set about defeating the offending creatures before them. Nix smirked confidently when showing down with an opponent. The fault of pyromancer against cryromancer is that depending on elemental strength, those who had affinity for flame or ice would either cancel each other out or the more powerful elemental would completely obliterate the opponent. This appeared to be the case with her, as her Wheel Grind and Pirouette abilities were more than enough to extinguish the flames of those who dared oppose her. An added bonus for both Eidolons was that if one had a resistance to even their most potent of ice magics, their mistress would simply buff them an affinity for new elements. Large explosions of ice soon became fire, earth, wind and even the odd combination of two elements combined into a flurry of devastation. Every so often the second sister Stiria would micromanage her summoner and make sure that Lightning didn't require any healing. It wasn't so much that she expected her master to fall in battle, but that she was a medic and the safety/well-being of her master always came first. Even if she and Nix had to sacrifice their physical forms in order to protect Lightning, they'd do it in a heartbeat.
After a few minutes of struggles, Nix and Stiria transformed into their Shiva gestalt form and allowed Lightning to ride them. Lightning revved the engine a few times and smirked at the remaining demons. Performing the Spin Freeze, she managed to knock a few into the sky. Using Wheelie she took on one of the larger demons just to keep the pressure on the enemy going. Following up with Icicle Drift/Ice Ramp she encased a few more in ice and herded the remaining demons all into a fixed radius. Deciding it was time to finish them all in one go, Lightning used the most powerful of Shiva's abilities: Diamond Dust. Ensnaring every single demon within a ring of ice, she continued riding at a blinding speed until the sisters' creation shattered and and eliminated the demon hoard. Defusing, Nix and Stiria each became their own being and each one stared down both Lady and Trish. Placing her hands over her mouth, Nix blew a frost laced kiss in the direction of Lady while Stiria perfectly mirrored the gesture to Trish.
"What. The fuck. Was that?" Lady couldn't help pulling down her sunglasses at the display. She'd honestly never seen something like those two beings Lightning had somehow brought into the fight. 'Shiva'? As in the God? Could Lightning draw Gods into battle with her?
Trish had to admit that she too was fascinated by that display. "Just what are you, Savior?"
"Like I said- that answer varies. And I'm not the Savior." Lightning placed her blazefire sabre back into its holster and decided to indulge the women as they didn't seem like they were just going to move out of her way. They fought demons, so if anymore decided to show up, then they'd obviously be useful in a fight as Lightning was a novice at this and maybe she could find out what the shining object one had left behind was.
"You can't bullshit us, Lightning." Lady frowned. "Just what do you take us for, idiots? There aren't many pink haired women running around with swords and creatures coming out of nowhere. They also don't have demons flooding from all over to try and kill them, so forgive my skepticism here that you aren't the one we're after."
"Savior is a term coined by the old God and his former worshipers- she's seen as a symbol of death, destruction and the coming of the end of the world. Her purpose is to shepherd the souls of a dying world beyond salvation and to be a beacon of hope that the dead may follow and rejoice in a second chance at the survival of their species. The perfect lure for God and his twisted version of a demented world, I am not the Savior." Pausing for a moment or two, Lightning wanted her works to sink in to the women as it was clear at this point that she had some explaining to do. "I'm not the pawn of a dead God, not anymore." Etro and Bhunivelze no longer dictated her actions, and Lightning wasn't going to be seen as anyone's slave. Being called 'Savior' time and again was only a reminder of the sins that she had done unto her own kind under a master who deceived her into evils. 'God needed a net, a fisher of souls- a Savior to rake in those to a new age.' Hearing the words uttered by Hope/Bhunivelze, she shuddered right then and there. Regaining her composure, she stared down both Trish and Lady, narrowing her eyes a bit. "I'm the Angel of Death." Though God revered her as the 'Goddess of Death' Lightning rejected that title. Addressing herself as the Angel of Death seemed like a much less callous title.
"Damn. I hate it when they eat me." Dante sighed, using the rebellion to simply cut his way out of the demon who decided he was a snack. To be fair- Dante hadn't bothered to try and dodge the attack. But the bastard didn't have to physically put him in his mouth and try to swallow. Emerging through a pool of blood, Dante decided to shoot and hack the demon to oblivion and after a few minutes when he was sure he had died, he decided to find the others. Looking down at his clothes, he sighed and thought a shower at the end of all this would honestly do him some good. After a few minutes of wandering around and trying to make himself at least a bit less slimy, he finally stumbled upon the statue of Sparda, Lightning, Trish and Lady. I'm the Angel of Death. Wiping off his eyes, Dante's curiosity was piqued by the words he'd just heard. "Well. That's quite the title. Never thought I'd meet an angel. Let alone one saying it outright." Finding himself met with a surprised, then steely gaze, Dante just grinned at her. Maybe his ego was way up there, but he assumed she just found him attractive. Not that he could really blame her.
Unaware that he was matted in blood and bits that made him seem like a psychopath who butchered a bunch of humans, coupled with the fact that he had an abnormally large sword and a whip immersed in flame in his hands, and he was smirking at her- it seemed like a challenge. His sarcastic, playful demeanor didn't seem to bode over well, as her sword transformed in the blink of an eye and fired off a few bullets his way, followed almost instantly by a ball of flame. Rather than feeling hurt by the assault, Dante was more-so surprised she could hurl fire at people. Spitting out the bullets, the Son of Sparda tried to fix the misunderstanding. "Look, I'm not the enemy here-"
Firing again, Lightning didn't seem the least bit impressed. "Really? Because from where I'm standing there's a big, bulky man dripping with blood, holding a sword and a whip that both don't look like they belong in the hands of any human." Making it clear she wasn't going to be reasoned with, Lightning was going to kill him. Was he a demon? Did they come in human form? Glancing over at Trish, she had to wonder if that was the woman's origin.
"While that all may be true-" Finding himself cut off by more shots, Dante's eye twitched. "Fine. Just remember one thing: You wanted this." Dashing forward, he decided to test her strength. If the big bad 'Angel of Death'/Savior wanted a fight- she'd have one. Landing an overhead slash, both his and Lightning's swords collided causing sparks to fly in two directions. The clash of metals and feats of strength behind both blades seemed about matched. Lightning's arms shook, and Dante continued to smirk at her. "You know, I've never met someone out of my family who wasn't a demon and was able to hold up a sword against me."
"Is that supposed to make me feel special?" Lightning scoffed. "Or is that just your ego talking because you've never had a real challenge?"
Dante scoffed right back at her and even laughed a little. "If you actually knew the fights I've been through, you wouldn't be so arrogant as to dismiss so easily." Did she seriously think that one little clash of swords was enough to determine power level, let alone skill?
"Ditto." Lightning changed her sword into the gunblade function and ducked then sweep kicked and fired at his torso. Following up from her low sweep kick was a high one, aimed just in case her shot didn't have any effect. At least then she'd get herself some space from the stranger. He was strong- so strong that he was able to make her knees feel like they'd give in. From the way that he literally spat out bullets and his unnatural strength, she assumed him to be a demon who had somehow acquired a human form.
A bit surprised, Dante now knew why she called herself Lightning: she was fast. "That's quite the weapon." Cracking the whip, he took out Ebony and charged a shot dead on at Lightning. Releasing it once he decided it was at a decent - and not it's most powerful interval - Dante waited to see if she could counter him in the same way. From the small bits of a fight that they were having, Dante noted the fact that she fought in a completely different manner from himself- she was calculated, precise and seemed to have everything planned from start to finish. While he, who wasn't exactly a loose cannon decided to wing his strategy from start to finish. She seemed like quite the grumpy person, maybe it was just him, but she was scowling and glaring a lot. Pleasantly surprised when she destroyed the flame with her own version of ice, he was even more surprised when a green hexagonal barrier had protected her against his bullet. It seemed to crack from the damage, and Dante took that as a 'hack away' kind of deal.
"So. Do all demons share weapons and tactics? Because at the rate that you're going, there's no way I'm going to lose." Lightning wasn't at all impressed that Dante held the very same whip Ranna had in her hands. He seemed to have about the same proficiency if not better than the demoness and Lightning wasn't happy that there was no excuse this time on why she was struggling- she had her weapon, she had battle-ready clothes and though she was fighting a new foe, she should have easily been able to take him down. He wasn't a friend or a human, and she usually had no patience for people who didn't fall under either category. Maybe the Savior was just rusty. Yeah, that had to be it.
"Not really." Dante shook his head. "They do technically share 'power' and as for weapons...well, if you just so happen to impress them when you defeat them, then they drop these bad boys." Showing off the whip, Dante hadn't exactly 'earned' the weapon, but Lightning left it behind and so anyone could have it. Better he than anyone else who just so happened to stumble upon it. "So you picked up on the fact that I'm not just a human, after all?"
"Hard to miss." Lightning shrugged her shoulders. "This must be some kind of sick joke- angel vs demon. I think we all know how this one ends." Sure that she would win, Lightning didn't mind throwing a few insults right back at the Son of Sparda.
"Oh. Look who knows her way around detective work. I'm guessing you're one of those people who believe in 'good' triumphing over 'evil'? I'd think the 'Angel' who struggled with Gods and even fought the big man himself would know better than that. 'Light' doesn't always mean good just as much as 'Dark' doesn't always mean evil, which is why I wouldn't mind plucking the wings off an angel." Dante wanted to test the strength of her protective barriers. Using a higher form of devil shot, he fired it in-between two fiery slashes he sent her way. While the Savior had been distracted, he leapt into the air and went for an overhead slash. Lightning didn't seem to notice his movements, and while she did her best to block and counter every single one of his attacks, she had failed. The hexagonal barrier had shattered in the blink an eye, and the Rebellion tasted her divine blood. Seeing the shock and literal fear in her eyes, Dante felt strange. Why was Lightning so scared? Hadn't she wanted a fight with him? What had happened to all that spirit she had a moment ago?
Lightning's hand which hadn't been holding the blazefire sabre was shaking. She frantically attempted to land a blow on Dante- uttering the word 'Bravery' she punched and kicked at him until the man slid away from her, giving some space. Bangs covering her eyes, she touched the fresh wound dripping her divine blood. He cut me, and I'm bleeding. Yes, the initial cut had surprised her, it even hurt- but she didn't expect blood. Lightning had absolutely underestimated her opponent. "Curaja." Uttering the word in a mere whisper, she placed her hand over the exposed wound and a green aura glowed through her entire body for a moment. Feeling the injury instantly close up, she placed her hand over the symbol of the Savior and retrieved a violet crystal. Tossing it into the sky, the clouds above howled with sounds of thunder. A violet sphere shone through the grey clouds, and Lightning didn't even look at the words.
"Dante! Watch out!" Trish didn't underestimate his skills, but Dante had never dealt with whatever it was Lightning brought to the battlefield.
"Attack her now!" Lady shouted, cupping her hands on either side of her mouth. If Lightning was summoning what she believed to be literal Gods to the fight- Dante needed to take her down right now.
Dante wasn't sure why either one insisted he attack her, but he wouldn't disregard the advice as both seemed absolutely serious. Charging toward Lightning, he saw 8 spheres of white appear almost out of nowhere above her raised hand. They spun and rotated until they were in a small circle, and Dante didn't want to take the chance on whatever it was she was doing. Not about to go for the coupe de grace, he just wanted to make sure she stopped her attack. Jumping to close the distance, he was surprised when she pulled back her arm and tossed all of them at once. Four seemed to instantly come his way, and the rest went for Trish/Lady. Attempting to roll rather than slash like he intended, Dante was hit out of the sky by the very first sphere. Feeling an intense amount of pain, he swore his vision turned blurry for a second. Opting to not be hit by the next three, he did his best to evade their pursuit of him. Running up a wall and flipping off, he was hit by the second in a blinding explosion of white. Lightning didn't screw around when she said 'Angel'. No demon had ever hurt him like this. Worrying about Trish and Lady, he hoped they fared better in their struggles.
Trish had leapt over the very first ball, but they were working in tandem to hit her. No much how much she worked to evade, they weren't going to stop until she was hit. Judging from how much they affected Dante, she definitely shouldn't be hit by them. Seeing Lady's own struggles, Trish ran along the wall. "Take my hand!" Reaching out, Lady gratefully accepted. Trish tossed the huntress on a roof, and all four collided instantly with her, exploding and knocking her so hard against the wall that she shattered the bricks. Having a blinding migraine and her vision turn white for a few seconds, she blinked until all that remained were colorful spots and remnants of a headache. What the hell was that?
"You okay!?" Lady hollered down at Trish. Judging from her condition and lack of movement, Trish had taken quite the damage.
"I-I'll be fine!" Trish called up, tilting her head all the way up. "Tell me what's happening!"
"Okay!" Lady looked over at Lightning, and up at the sky. "She's bringing another one of those...those things!" Dante was still trying to evade the spheres, but they eventually caught up and exploded on him. Damn. She hadn't known anything to produce something that took down a devil like this.
"Any chance you can take her down?" Trish wasn't about killing the Savior, but she wouldn't mind making her unconscious for a little while.
"Not from here- I don't have a proper shot!" The Kalina-Ann was too bulky for this job. She'd just have to figure something out.
"By the grace of Etro emerge from the midnight void. Come forth, master of the rift.
A name in blood, a pact of ruin. Bahamut shall rise, his bond eternal and unyielding.
Shoulder the sky. Enfold the earth."
Although Lightning would have no logical explanation on how she knew the words, she still recited every last one perfectly to summon the Eidolon. The sphere crackled with violet electricity as an ear deafening roar erupted from the sky. "Bahamut!" Yelling his name to the sky, the wyvern Eidolon crashed through several summoning circles to make it to his mistress. Slashing his claws through the air, he belted another throaty battle cry. Eager for Lightning to give him a command, the Eidolon was sure to pack a punch to any of his opponents. Used to himself being summoned only in times of grave need and to cut down powerful enemies, Bahamut wanted to size up their opponents. Being the size that they were, all of the Eidolons dwarfed their opponents. None so much as Alexander, but all of them were still far taller than ordinary humans. "Take him down." Her voice was devoid of anger, fear or any visible emotion the Savior could convey- she just wanted the fight to be over with.
Dante got up from his kneeling position and cleared the haze from his eyes. Staring down Bahamut, he wasn't sure what the creature was- it didn't seem to be demonic in origin, yet he felt it was divine. Had this thing really come from a crystal that was somehow concealed in Lightnings chest? Cautiously standing his ground, he saw the beast float its way over to him and roar once more. "Alright. Let's do this!" Gritting his teeth, he fired at Bahamut and attempted to catch the Eidolon off guard. Surprised when his projectiles were blocked by the same hexagonal sphere that had enveloped Lightning, he gazed beyond the Eidolon to see her mumbling words and her hands glowing with many different auras- green, violet, red, and a flurry of colors. Leaping at Bahamut, he'd have to try and take this thing down.
Bahamut watched with vague fascination at what Dante was trying to do. The Eidolon easily countered his assault with Dragon Claws- slashing him at a breakneck speed and strength due to the gifts his summoner had bestowed upon him. Once that had been completed, he followed up instantly with whirlwind, spinning in a blinding flurry of claws and wind that appeared to suck his victim into the attack. Using Inferno, he caused Dante to hit the ground so hard that he bounced, and instantly performed the Umbral Vise ability to slam him back into the ground. Daring Dante to get back up, Bahamut would enjoy toying with his victim. If he wanted to even remotely get near his master- he had to defeat him.
"Damn. I'll have to admit- that kinda stung." Dante pulled himself out of the crater that Bahamut had created and jumped back a bit. Staring at Lightning as opposed to the beast that she summoned, he addressed her directly. "Is this how the mighty Savior wins her fights? She gets scared, so she cuts and runs then gets a big guy to do all her dirty work?
"Who's running away?" Lightning asked, staring him down. Her hand still held the spot of which she had been wounded by him earlier. Even though it had faded away through her healing, she still felt the bitter sting of pain from the injury. "I'm going to kill you."
"You are, actually. I get one cut on you and then you instantly go on the defensive. Using those funny parlor tricks and now...what was its name, again? Bahamut?" Musing to himself, Dante rolled out of the way when Bahamut attempted to get him while he traded a few words with his master. "Kill me? Well. That's quite the tall order. See, I've had many people actually try to do that...and they've all failed. Mind you, none of them called themselves a 'Savior' or an 'Angel of Death' or whatever title you'd like to call yourself these days, but they were powerful individuals. Mundus. Abigail. My own brother- the list goes on, really. But I assure you that I'm not going to die here, no matter what punches you pull. Even if you pump up this guy with your same abilities." Feeling himself get slightly annoyed, maybe Dante would actually start trying in this fight. See how cocky a Savior/Angel was when she dealt with him in his Devil form.
"I've been tangling with the 'divine' longer than you've been alive. I'm over a thousand years old, and I haven't fallen to anyone, not even God himself could take me down. So what makes you think that you're any different? I robbed Orphan's Cradle, killed every last fal'Cie on Eden, protected the Goddess of Death at the shores of her own domain for centuries on end against the only man I've ever lost to on the battlefield and that was because he cheated and I later avenged this loss. But in the struggle for this world, my life, my sister's soul and those of my friends, family, and even those I've never personally met but sent to the Chaos itself: I struck down the God of Light. You're no Bhunivelze though you may be just as underhanded and cocky as he was, but I don't care what you say or think of me- I won't lose to you on this day." Further narrowing her eyes and showing off her anger, Lightning's patience for him had absolutely come to its end. Bahamut was the perfect summon for this situation, as if anyone could bring the battle to a finish, it would be him.
"Wow. A thousand years. Bravo." Dante sarcastically praised her, even clapping his hands in a taunt while Bahamut continued his assault. "Gotta say those fights must have given you one hell of an ego. Just because you only lost once doesn't mean you can't fall here. I don't know what 'fal'Cie' are, but I guess they used to be a pretty big damn deal. But this isn't your world, Savior- it's mine and damned if you're gonna threaten me on my turf." Gripping his sword tightly, Dante leapt over Bahamut and went for a blow that wouldn't be necessarily be fatal - but a green glow and show of hocus pocus wouldn't be able to heal it either - he went for the direct hit.
"Drown in Chaos!" Lightning felt like that line suited the mood best. She made no move to avoid his attack. This time, she'd show him exactly who he was messing with. Firmly grasping the blazefire sabre, she held the hilt in both hands, twirled her sword 90 degrees until it was exactly aligned with the ground, and impaled it with her sword.
Unsure of why she left herself open - maybe she just didn't have good defense, or had seemingly given up - Dante still went for his attack. Slashing at her, his sword hit Lightning but didn't go through her. No matter what he tried, it didn't cut at all. Distracted by Lightning, he didn't hear nor see Bahamut come up behind him until it was too late and he performed his Ignis attack. Ordinarily he never would have attempted something that may have harmed his master, but as she was Lightning wouldn't feel even the brunt of this attack let alone the explosion or the aftershock.
Coming out out of her stance, Lightning saw the surprise etched onto Dante's face. He didn't look pleased at all. Maybe she'd knocked down that cocky, borderline Snow personality a few pegs. "I just wanted to check out a theory. You confirmed it for me. Congratulations." It seemed that though he could destroy her defensive buffs, Dante couldn't break her Immortality stance. Though she hadn't been brave enough to test out Steelguard, Vendetta, Mediguard or Heavyguard, she was glad her best form of defense wasn't penetrated by him.
"You're welcome for the help." Dante let his annoyance show off. If these two were going to keep up with their nonsense, then it was about time he change forms.
"Are you pouting?" Lightning taunted him. "For your information- no one has broken me out of that stance, not even the man who defeated me. Don't feel too bad. Looks like Demons just can't keep up with Angels."
"You wanna see a demon?" Dante asked, tilting his head to the side. "You've got it." His demonic aura seeped out, and bit by bit the armor plating of a demon came out, his sword shining with new life at the hidden potential of his master. Once the transformation ended, Dante no longer decided to speak and just show off what exactly he was capable of. Glancing at Lightning, the woman had definitely been surprised by his show of what his demonic side could do. Glad that he could still make her feel uneasy, he attacked Bahamut. The Eidolon attempted to counter in the same manner it first hard, and Dante shattered its defensive buffs and actually hurt the creature - though Bahamut seemed more outraged than actually hurting - he took it as a sign to keep going.
Seeing him now go toe-to-toe with Bahamut, Lightning wasn't so sure on whether or not he could break her Immortality stance. It also was apparent that she wasn't the only one with a few tricks up her sleeve. "Now you decide to show your true form?" Scoffing, she played it off as no big deal- even if she was impressed, Lightning wouldn't let Dante know. If the enemy believed for a moment that you were on the ropes, he'd just keep coming until you eventually folded and lost the struggle/died. There was far too much at stake, and pulling out most if not all the stops was absolutely necessary. Even if he was just one of many, there was only one of her fighting an entirely alien species, so excuse her for being cautious. Casting Elementga - her most powerful form of the elements all bound together in a fusion of divine wrath - Lightning tossed the mass of mystical energy at Dante. Firing her blazefire sabre, she ran forward and fell short when she noticed gunfire coming her way. Looking up at the rooftops- Trish and Lady had joined in the struggle. Her barriers of Protect/Shell shone in their purple/green hues as each bullet hit the respective buff.
It only seemed to mildly stun Dante, as it slid him back a bit as opposed to hurt him. He sent a shot her way, and despite her attempts to block it- her buffs instantly shattered and the shot only 'missed' due to the fact that her weapon had blocked and sliced the bullet in half. Flipping forward, she did her best to avoid projectiles. "Bahamut!" Calling out his name, the Eidolon seemed to understand and entered his gestalt form- that of a true dragon and waited for her. Lightning jumped on top of the Eidolon and he rose to a safe distance for Lightning to think. Every so often he'd have to move and do his best to avoid attacks sent directly by Dante who was doing his damnedest to ensure the Eidolon would be dismissed.
The moment Dante jumped with killing intent for Bahamut, he used his Hunting Dive to catch him mid air. Wanting to keep the pressure on, he used the Aerial Loop to catch him right as he attempted to recover/get up. While Bahamut was attacking, Lightning returned the fire sent by Trish and Lady. Perplexed by the situation, Lightning was surprised how well Dante was doing with the most brute force of the Eidolons- nothing really seemed to stand up to his might until now. Bahamut used Obliterating Breath for pressure and shot Dante off the wall he'd been scaling. Swooping from side to side, the Eidolon dodged a few attacks, but still ended up getting hit by Dante who used his Devil Jump ability to get to them. No longer having the energy to sustain his physical form, Bahamut had no choice but to use his finishing attack. Drifting up to the sky, he condensed down a powerful amount of magic into a dark sphere the same hue as himself. Once the gargantuan sphere became minuscule compared to its original size, the Eidolon hurled it beneath him where it exploded akin to that of a nuke. Lightning never once saw Dante retreat from the blast- maybe he figured it wouldn't hurt him that badly so he decided to endure through it. If this second form of his had damage absorption akin to her Immortality then she'd be in trouble. As the dust settled and the energy faded away, Bahamut took her to the ground where scattered debris of the Sparda statue/bits of the street lay. Thankfully, it seemed no bits of houses or buildings had been harmed.
Looking around, she didn't see Dante anywhere. Turning her attention to the Eidolon, she smiled at Bahamut in his true form. "Thank you, dear friend."
Roaring at her, Bahamut accepted the sentiment and reverted to his crystal form, going back to her symbol of the Savior.
"Dante!" Looking at the owner of the voice, she recognized Lady running out to where she now stood. Trish followed after her, both women frantically looking for their friend.
Noticing the stare of Lightning, Trish angrily raised her pistols. "I think I owe you for that earlier attack." Firing off multiple rounds of her pistols, the electric charged bullets scattered in a flurry at the pink haired woman. 'Savior'/'Angel' or not- she didn't care for her right now.
Lightning didn't even so much as flinch at Trish's attacks. She easily deflected them with her sword and scoffed. "The only one out of the three of you who stood a chance to beat me is now gone. Demon or not- what makes you think you're as good as him? Because you can make bullets charged with lightning? It's a nice little parlor trick- but I've seen better. Your champion lost- now stay out of my way." Haughtily making her point, Lightning wanted to make absolutely sure they leave her alone. She didn't care if they were friends with the man whom she apparently killed- Lightning had a world to save, and if humans decided to join the side of evil, then she'd have to make it absolutely clear that though she felt no inclinations to kill them- she still wouldn't put up with any rebellion from those she was trying to protect, either. Not giving them a chance to respond, she jumped onto the nearest rooftop and kept going until she was out of sight. With no particular destination in mind, Lightning wasn't sure where she'd go, but wherever it was, demons were guaranteed to follow.
"God dammit!" Lady punched the ground with a gloved hand, her annoyance/frustration/fear for Dante all combined into bitter tears fighting to fall. Before she knew it, they were sliding down her cheeks. "How the hell did she do that!? Where the hell is he!? DANTE!" Screaming out his name, she received no answer.
"I have no idea." Trish looked down at the display, and was absolutely surprised at how vulnerable her longtime friend seemed. Of all the years that they'd known each other, she'd never seen this side of Lady. "He's hanging around somewhere- he has to be. If you're hiding and not coming out then I'm going to pummel you!" Yelling out playful threats through cupped hands, even she felt disheartened when she didn't get a response. If he actually died and the world was dependent on he and this unstable woman to save it- then that would be really shitty of him. Just when he was needed most, to go MIA.
"Glad to know you girls actually care." Dante commented, seeing their reactions to his apparent 'death'. It was actually touching how wound up Lady had become and even how Trish had played it off coolly though he knew his partner better than that. Wearing his usual smartass smile, the devil hunter hoped they wouldn't be too mad at him- he hadn't purposefully been hiding himself from there or trying to scare them on whether or not he'd been killed, but that blast sent him back quite a ways. It even forced him out of his Devil Trigger. Nothing really hurt aside from his pride- but that could be rectified the very next time they met on the battlefield. Now that he knew Lightning was willing to do absolutely whatever it took to win a fight, he was ready for the reunion.
Looking over, Trish and Lady equally seemed surprised/relieved to find themselves face to face with the only remaining Son of Sparda. "You're a sight for sore eyes- literally." Trish was the first to speak up. Smiling at him, she folded her arms and glanced at Lady through the corner of her eyes. The best part of sunglasses was that you could steal glances at people and they'd have no idea.
"And leave you two to save the world? C'mon, you girls know me better than that! Besides, who was going to take the role of Sparda's Bloodline, Nero?" Joking with them both, he hoped to offer a bit of relief and make the situation seem less grim. Clapping his hands together, he walked over to Lady and knelt down to her height. "You alright?"
Looking away and drying her tears with the back of her sleeve, the proud huntress turned back to him once she finished and punched him square in the jaw. Letting out a small laugh, she sighed. "Dumbass." Getting up, she composed herself and acted as if nothing had happened.
Grinning a bit, Dante rubbed his jaw. "Alright, I deserved that one. And that dies here, guys. Seriously. I don't want to have to fight my nephew just because you took a joke out of context." He knew very well that Nero would more than likely challenge him to a squabble to prove he could match up to his uncle if it factually came down to it. It wasn't that Dante necessarily thought Nero couldn't do the job, more-so that he was literally told by a prophetess that there would be no substitutions in the equation to save the world: Himself and Lightning. One way or another he had to win her over and let Lightning know that despite their differences; the two of them were on the same side. Even if he had to tie the woman down and force her to listen to his every word- he'd do it.
"I don't know- I think I'd like to see how well that little fireball could do in a fight against you. Though, knowing you- you'd just let him win to boost up his ego." Trish was fascinated by the idea, but Dante just throwing Nero a bone each encounter wouldn't solve anything.
Scoffing a bit, Lady had to agree. "Tch. Have you just met him? He's an asshole- he just screws with you from one moment to the next."
"Such kind words. I have great friends, don't I?" Wrapping his arms around either woman's shoulder, he felt like they should probably leave the area. The Savior was gone, demons were all defeated- and there was plenty of damage. Knowing his bad luck to be the cream of the crop, he didn't want to stick around and be on the receiving end for one hell of a bill. 'Gratitude' for saving the city didn't extend to destruction caused as a byproduct of his hunts, apparently. "How about we get out of here? I don't know about you two- but I feel like getting a pizza."
"You always want pizza." Trish frowned. "Why can't we just get something else?"
"You're welcome to get whatever you want- I'm just not saying I'll eat it." Dante shrugged.
Pulling his arm off her shoulder, Lady sighed. "I'd love to, but can't. I've got a job elsewhere, and I really wanna track down that arrogant bitch." If she was being absolutely honest, a bullet in her head wouldn't be much of a stretch.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Trish asked, smiling playfully at their companion.
"Bite me." Lady rolled her eyes. "I'm off." Walking forward, she went to find her motorcycle.
"See ya!" Dante waved her off, not that she could see it.
Raising her hand, she waved at him and didn't bother with a verbal reply. Walking off until either one could no longer see her, both Trish and Dante wondered just when their next encounter with Lightning would occur. For Trish, any time soon was too soon. Dante was the complete opposite, as he had a destiny to fulfill and a world to save. It would help if they could be on the same page, but Lightning obviously had her own opinion on things. "Ugh! Dante!" Trish covered her nose and pinched the nostrils to keep the putrid odor combined of Dante's sweat/Demonic saliva/Blood out of her nose. It wasn't working and she hated every second that she inhaled the putrid odor.
"What? Don't tell me I stink!" Dante smelled himself. He must have been immune to the stench, as he found nothing wrong. But the liquids from that demon could have seeped into his clothes and left a smell that he'd only be able to grasp once out of them. It would suck if that were the case, but washing it and hoping for the best seemed like a viable option.
"You smell foul!" Smelling her shoulder, Trish wretched. "Now I smell like you!" She'd have to have a shower now. Narrowing her eyes at Dante, she'd probably end up buying a new outfit now and charging it to him just for the fact that he made her smell worse than a landfill.
"Alright! Point taken! I'll take a shower, geez!" Dante raised his hands in surrender. It wasn't as if they were far from the Devil May Cry building, anyway. They conveniently seemed right around the corner, and he wouldn't be in his outfit for much longer so there wasn't much of a reason to gripe about it.
"The world will celebrate you showering!" Trish was adamant that he at the very least burn the outfit.
Shrugging, Dante opened the door to Devil May Cry. Trish walked in before him and he went directly upstairs. Sighing to himself, he grabbed a new outfit and walked to the bathroom. Stripping his outfit, he sighed and went into the shower. "Lightning...I'm going to find you." Thinking aloud, he made a promise- no matter where the Savior lingered in the world, he'd hunt her down. To someone who was like him who had nothing but time on his hands and a quest to save the world- there was no point in running. He couldn't rely on the mystery dream girl for hints all the time, and he hoped Lady would be able to find some leads. He'd also get Nero in on the situation so that there was no way Lightning could cut and run to leave the world in limbo. Organizing his thoughts, Dante turned off and climbed out of the shower. Quickly drying himself off and getting himself dressed, he scooped up his former outfit and had to admit- they smelled terrible. How the hell had he not smelled it before? Trish was right.
Leaving the bathroom, he tossed them into his room and made his way downstairs. "Should I order, or do you want to?" Right as he finished the question, he saw his desk covered in his three favorite things: Pizza. Beer. Strawberry Sundaes. Raising a brow, he found it to be an intriguing sight. Trish usually fought him every step of the way when he wanted any or all of these things - which was always -. But if he had to guess 'why' she got them, it was because of what had happened earlier. Obviously she had worried about him.
"No need." Trish shrugged her shoulders, already eating a slice.
"You didn't wait for me?" Dante asked, teasing her a bit.
"Nope." Trish again shrugged her shoulders. "I ran out to get the meal, you were busy cleaning yourself which seemed like a bigger priority, and it's only fair I get the first slice."
"I guess you've got me there." Dante sat down at his desk and grabbed a slice, cracking open a beer. He swore that there was no better sound than the 'tss' noise when you broke the seal on the cans. Making short work of his first slice, he moved on to the second one before Trish even finished her first. She didn't make any criticisms on his eating habits, and he was grateful to not be lectured by her for once.
Glancing over at Dante, Trish was just glad that he seemed okay. She'd thought that 'Bahamut' creature did a number on him, but he seemed like the usual Dante. Maybe she was stupid to have worried about him, but surely even Dante had his limits. Even if he could take that much damage, it was best that he not always let the people he fought get in those good hits.