Final Cry

by Study in Elegant Death

The world no longer needed the Savior, she served her purpose of shepherding the souls of old to a New World and freeing them of the creed of Gods. Now all that had been left was trying her best to assimilate into a normal life. But fate had other plans for the Savior, and being 'normal' just didn't cut it. Especially when Yeul and a red-clad demon hunter get involved.

6. Chapter 6: Prima donna

Toolazy: He wasn't fighting seriously. Dante just wanted to test out her skills. One of the things I like about him, is that he rarely, if ever goes all out against people./Dante also decided to hold back once he saw how much Lightning freaked out when he cut her and she spilled blood. It gave her a sense of mortality that she hadn't felt in over a thousand years, and he picked up on that.

---

Chapter 7: Reality Check

A day had passed and her left arm was still shaking.

Maybe the Goddess was still smiling upon her, because as she was now Lightning would lose to anyone who came her way. At the very least, demons weren't hoarding around her. She didn't have the energy to expel them from her sight. Some successor she turned out to be. One cut and her divine blood spilled, her body went into spasms and she was confined to alleyways, trying to resolve the problem. What the hell did he do to her? He also walked off some of her most powerful attacks, as if they were nothing but child's play to him. How could he survive the blasts that the divine/holy spheres had brought down upon him? Last Resort was meant to bring evil down to its knees and purge any darkness in its midst- so how could a demon survive? Dante had said that their dominion lay in darkness, and implied he could have been the 'good' one in their fight- as if Lightning was the one in the wrong. Last Resort even killed humans on contact- Barthandelus had personally demonstrated this when he killed Colonel Nabaat and her men in front of the l'Cie in a bid to taunt them for the futile struggle with Gods. The ability just didn't give a damn on whether or not you believed yourself to be 'good' or 'evil'- it was meant to completely obliterate your target.

Lightning placed her hand over the bicep on the spot where Dante had cut her. The wound still stung just as bad as when she'd received it from him. Gritting her teeth and letting out a small exhale of pain, she balled her hand into a fist and attempted to steady her arm. When this seemingly failed, the enraged woman went over to the nearest wall and continually punched at it. The pain earned from this seemed minuscule compared to the damage he had done- did he poison her? Was that blade of his somehow still causing her harm? "Esuna!" Attempting to 'cure' away whatever status ailment the man in red may have afflicted unto her, she honestly had no idea what to do. If this didn't rid her of the pain/remove whatever he'd done, then would would this be it? Would her next clash with a demon be the very last thing she ever saw? He was one hell of a fighter, and honestly leagues different from the people she'd ever encountered. He cut me, and I bled. That thought was constantly in her head: blood. When the demon previous to him had fought her, there may have been a scratch, but nothing lasting. But when he sliced into her, Lightning felt something she hadn't in over a thousand years: Fear and her own mortality.

Was this just a one-off situation, or did it depend solely on what power level a demon was on? Glancing over, her left arm was still shaking. Feeling her heart rate accelerate, Lightning didn't know what could be done- demons were an entirely new species to her, and whatever he had done couldn't be undone because she had to be a dumbass and kill him. The one individual who would have been able to do something about it was now gone. Her head sunk forward and she leaned on the building try try and keep her balance. Lightning's vision was going blurry, hearing was going, knees felt weak, and she knew that this was either her about to pass out or die. All of the people who were counting on her would be disappointed.

"Not lookin so hot."

Glancing over at the owner of the voice, Lightning was doing her best to keep herself balanced. "W-who...?" No longer having the strength to formulate sentences, she scolded herself for being so weak. Furiously blinking her eyes, she squinted to try and focus them to better see the male. Though it was all splotchy and she couldn't say for certain, she swore she saw a man with a familiar hair color. "Hope?" No. There wasn't any way it could have been him, as that would be far too serendipitous and this man was older/taller than Hope should be at this point.

"Aw c'mon, Savior! You know who I am." Teasing her a bit, Dante walked forward. She didn't seem like she was in any condition to fight back, so he wasn't overly cautious. "What's gotten into you?" Showing her a bit of concern, he hadn't noticed how bad she was until he'd gotten this close. Lightning looked like absolute hell from head to toe. Her arm was shaking, her knees wobbled and her speech was basically non-existent.

"How...?" Lightning frowned a bit. Was this some kind of hallucination? He was gone...wasn't he?

"Save your strength." Dante scooped up Lightning with little to no effort, earning a shocked gasp from her. She was obviously surprised by him, and he just winked down at her. "What? Did you think you'd be getting rid of me so easily? I'm stubborn as hell, you know?" Her eyes were drooping, and Lightning obviously was doing everything she could to stay awake and talk with the man. Fighting off her body's natural response to the exertion she'd put herself under. Dante shook his head. Looks like he wasn't the only one who could reach this level of stubbornness.

Her lids were now heavier than that of a Long Gui's foot, and Lightning felt like an idiot being carried off to wherever he was taking her. "Do it already. Finish me." Slurring her words a bit, Lightning would rather he finish what he started as opposed to whatever he had in mind.

"I'm not gonna kill you. What made you think that?" Dante brushed off the without a second thought. She clearly had no idea who she was dealing with.

Touching her shaky left arm, Lightning could feel the call of sleep upon herself.

"I did this to you...?" Dante frowned a bit. Their skirmish had been fought over a day before, and to him it just didn't make sense. He wasn't even going all out against her. Maybe she was just weak when it came to demonic attacks? Thinking back on their fight, she'd been so surprised/scared by the fact that he cut her. Had no one been able to break her defenses, before, apparently and the sight of her own blood seemed to really freak her out and mess with her. When that look spread across her face, Dante couldn't help himself when it came to holding back. Lightning may have wanted them to fight to the death, but that's because she didn't know who she was picking a fight with- they were both supposed to save the world and not kill each other over stupid bullshit. She was so prideful on the battlefield and he was honestly only testing her abilities. Lightning was capable of powerful feats, and the creatures she summoned into battle were just dripping with power- he wondered just how many she had under our dominion. Had she defeated them on the battlefield, and that was why they were in crystal form? Why did she have to recite words in order to bring them out into the world? In any case, his only real concern was getting that Bahamut creature out of the way so that he and Lightning could have an actual talk. He never really imagined it would have nearly taken out a city block in order to get one individual. Having heard from Trish/Lady that Lightning didn't only have one of these creatures, as she had what they called 'Shiva'/'Twin Sisters' to battle, and the huge red one Lady had seen but none of them had caught the name of. Staring down at her, she seemed far more at peace and not so much of a hot-headed killing machine while sleeping. Maybe that was the problem- the 'Savior' never bothered to rest up, so she became impossible and a pain in the ass to deal with.

A thousand years. She'd said her struggles lasted that long. Did Lightning have the base power of any 'divine' individual- immortality? The specific 'stance' she'd gone in was called 'immortality' and she took no damage from him while he attempted to break her guard, so maybe it was more than just longevity when it came to her. Obviously not true immortality as she could very much bleed/die. Living this long must take a toll on an individual, so it wasn't exactly hard to fathom why she was so 'cold'. But no one wanted to be around someone who lashed out all the time, uttered threats and tried to kill those who only wished to help. Somehow...he was going to have to convince her that he wasn't some assailant out to kill her and didn't want what she had. He just wanted for the world to be okay.

Although this wasn't the way he'd planned to spend his night, Dante was carrying Lightning back to the Devil May Cry building. Lightning would end up being a pleasant 'surprise' for Trish/Lady. Whether or not the women were in the establishment didn't necessarily matter, but he wanted to be there to explain how/why he'd come across the woman and why she was in her current state. He did his best to carry her gently, but she didn't seem to stir in the slightest no matter how rigorous he'd been rounding corners, avoiding people on the street and avoiding obstructions. She really was out for the count. Staring at her injured arm, it seemed to twitch ever so slightly as opposed to the jerking motions it had made while Lightning was conscious. Maybe the sleep was actually doing her some good.

After a few minutes of his brisk walking, Dante turned his back to face the double doors and backed into them until they opened. Slowly turning as he made his way inside, Dante eventually left from his position that had been 'hugging' the doors. Looking up from the rose haired woman, he found himself staring at both Lady and Trish. Either woman didn't seem entirely pleased that he'd brought company, let alone her back to the Devil May Cry. "I know what you're thinking-" Dante spoke up first, pausing while addressing both women and looking between the pair. "-she did faint at my good looks." Grinning big at the women, he instinctively ducked whatever projectiles they managed to toss his way.

"I bet she fainted because you still smell like the inside of that demon." Trish lightly mocked him, pinching her nose. Folding her legs, the blonde woman stared at an unconscious Savior within Dante's arms. Just where had he gone that he found her? "I see that you evened the score this time. Good job." Taking on a more serious tone of voice, she wanted to prod further but Lady spoke up before she ever got the chance.

"Where'd you pick up the stray? Did she make the mistake of trying to jump you again?" Lady frowned a bit, leaning back and taking her shot at the pool table. Scratching the white ball, she cursed the distraction Dante had brought along.

"We didn't fight, if that's what you're implying. Though she didn't seem to be doing so good when I found her." Dante wondered if she had a scuffle or two before he did find her. "I found her in an alleyway, she looked just about to drop. I saw my chance, and I took it." Shrugging his shoulders, he didn't really have much else to explain. Maybe their new friend could explain once she woke up.

"What kind of sleazeball kidnaps a girl who's passing out?" Lady asked, scoffing and mocking him a bit. She knew he'd made the right choice, though his explanation could use a bit of work. At the very least, pink thunder over there wouldn't be trying to destroy the building with any of her bullshit. Was Dante really going to gamble on the possibility that she wouldn't wake up at some point and try to finish the job she'd started? He'd better think up some crafty way of detaining her, lest he end up in Lady's debt once more.

"The guy who just so happened to find the woman every demon seems to eager to get their claws on." Dante shot her sarcasm right back at her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lady who needs to be put to bed." Making his way to the stairs, he saw Trish and Lady go back to their game of pool and start arguing on the fact that there had been some 'nudging' of balls. Shaking his head, he made short work of the stairs and went to his room. Pushing open the door, he gently placed her on the bed. Lightning still didn't seem to stir, and he assumed she would be in the equivalent of a sleep coma for a little while, so he wouldn't bother her so much as periodically check on her until she woke up. Staring at her Blazefire Sabre, Dante decided removing the holster/confiscating the weapon would be two-fold: Lightning would be able to sleep comfortably, and she wouldn't wake up and try to kill everyone in the building. He also didn't want her to destroy the building. Carefully sliding the holster out from beneath her, he observed the weapon. Glancing at her, she still seemed out for the count, and couldn't protest him at least trying out the weapon.

Grasping it in his hand, the Blazefire Sabre came to life and crackled with a crimson electricity. "Whoa." Dante didn't necessarily know how to explain it- but the moment he picked up her weapon, it felt...good. Almost as if it belonged to him in some way. He knew there was absolutely no way such a thing could possibly be true, but the feeling never left him as it stayed in his hands. Slashing it through the air a few times, it made the desired sounds of a sword, and eventually turned into its secondary gunblade function. "I gotta get me one of these." First of all- it looked cool. Secondly, it was practical for both close and long range attacks/it was pretty lightweight for a more seasoned sword fighter, so it seemed to be a good weapon. Not to mention the fact that it seemed to 'like' him what with the little show of red lightning on it.

"You know, that's a recipe for disaster- and with you...that's a real concern." Giggling a bit and covering her lips with her gloved hand, the smartass, rose colored hair girl stared up at Lightning. Pacing around the vast space between them, she rather enjoyed these 'private' moments between her and well...her. Lightning didn't seem too pleased to see Lumina again, but the feeling was very much not mutual.

"Taking pokes at my cooking skills?" Lightning scoffed. "You're hitting me right where it hurts, you know that?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she observed the location she knew to be her mind. Etro's throne sat in the far distance while Lightning and Lumina stood upon remnants of her temple, the personal quarters of the Goddess herself.

"We never were very good in the kitchen." Lumina piped up, as if she were thinking aloud as opposed to speaking to Lightning. Her hand rested on her chin and she looked at nowhere in particular. "At least Serah was a good cook- she always did make up for our shortcomings."

"So, what's your point?" Folding her arms, Lightning stared down the younger version of herself.

"Oh...just that well, you know...you're screwing things up, and of all the people who could help you- you just keep on pushing her away." Taunting her a bit, Lumina rubbed her hands together. Seeing the scowl on Lightning's face, the younger girl giggled and disappeared within a void of Chaos until she stood directly behind Lightning herself. "I thought we learned this lesson last time, big sis- we can't win alone. Sazh, Fang, Vanille, Snow, Serah, Hope, Noel, Yeul- we need em all. If you just cast them aside as if they mean nothing to you, then maybe you deserve what's happening to you." Pausing for a moment, Lumina teleported and sat on the throne of Etro, neatly folding her legs and bouncing the one that rest on top of the other. "I mean, did you even see that fight between you and the guy in red? That was just...pathetic! You've really lost your touch, sis. Or, maybe...he's stronger than you." Knowing fully well that statement would piss off Lightning, Lumina giggled at her scowl. If she didn't like hearing the truth, then she needed to stop running and acting like some big hot shot who could do everything on her own.

"I know you're not even the real Lumina- but damned if you don't act just like her." Lightning's hand balled into a fist. "Last I checked- I won that fight." Waiting to hear Lumina's spin on that, she dared her to say otherwise.

"Of course you did! You cheated!" Lumina outright laughed away Lightning's claims of victory. "Oh, and as for if I'm the real deal or not...why does it matter?" Tilting her head to the side, the young girl shrugged her shoulders at Lightning's concerns. "I am you, Lightning- and you can't run away from me, because I know everything about you! I'm the one person who'll always tell you exactly what you need to hear!"

"So you're telling me that I need to go out there, get all my friends and family rounded up and then have them fight demons with me? Yeah, right. That's exactly what I need, all of them dying! Of course! Why didn't I think of that!?" Lightning snapped at Lumina, she wasn't in the mood for conversation, least of all with her. "How did I cheat?" Knowing fully well it would bite her in the ass to ask such a stupid question, Lightning still did it anyway.

"I think we'll start in reverse, okay?" Lumina teleported off the throne and slowly resumed walking around the circumference of the floor they stood upon. "Let's see...a fair one on one fight turns into you summoning an Eidolon. And not just any Eidolon, mind you- the most brutish, power filled one that just loves to be brought to the battlefield! Now what could be wrong with that...?" Tapping her chin, Lumina asked the rhetorical question. Her voice absolutely dripped with sarcasm while the girl glanced at Lightning through the corner of her eye. "Of course, it didn't really seem to matter, as he did force Bahamut's hand into leaving. But that's beside the point, really. You let your guard down, got a cut that wasn't even a mortal wound, freaked out, and did just about the cheapest thing you could dream up for a guaranteed victory. Now if that isn't the fairest thing I've ever heard of- well, I don't know what is." Bored of just standing on top of their typical platform, she began to walk in the abyss of nothing surrounding them. "I never said they had to go to battle with you- I just said you should fill them in on the situation. People hate to be dismissed and called 'useless' without so much as a second thought, Lightning. I mean, how would you like it if people started belittling you and spoke about 'Claire Farron' and how useless she could be?" Pausing to let her words seep in, Lumina's lips curled up into a mischievous smile. Deciding to continue on, she marched herself over to the taller woman. "The choice is yours to make, of course...but don't take too long! I think we both know pretty well what happens when Serah misses her big sis."

That last comment stung. Did Lumina say that Serah would get herself killed? As she was right now, Lightning wouldn't dare to gamble on Serah's life. Protecting her sister while she did foolish things like end up in her current state would solve nothing. Snow would make a much better line of defense than she- divine or not, he didn't need the powers of a l'Cie to keep those he cared about safe. Lightning honestly envied him for being so strong. "How am I supposed to get Serah involved? I'm doing the best job that I can manage, and if I'm screwing it up- then I have no idea what else to do! Look at me! I-"

"-can barely keep myself alive!" Speaking in tandem with Lightning, Lumina smiled and giggled once it seemed to shut up the eldest Farron sister.

"Right, right, right I've heard it all before! You don't like having to take care of people, because you're scared that you'll lose them. But with your track record, who's really surprised? It's probably one of the reasons why you were such a shoe in for the new Etro- I mean, everything 'good' you do just tends to backfire in ways you couldn't even begin to imagine." Folding both arms behind her back, Lumina clasped both of her hands together and held the smile on her face. Even if she didn't like or want to hear it, Lumina was going to make sure Lightning received the reality check she needed.

"If there's a chance that someone will die because of my inability to save them, then why should I risk their lives!? I, more than anyone should know the risks that come with gambling away someone's life- and I'm not willing to do it again." Lightning was in an extremely foul mood, and Lumina served to only make it worse.

"There was a Lightning, a long time ago who didn't care about those kinds of consequences. She knew that her sister would die at the end of her journey, yet she still sent her anyway...because she knew that saving the world wasn't a task that one could take on. Sure, she would lose the very last bit of family she had left, but surely there had to be a way to bring her back." Lightning bet on possibilities all the time, and now she was throwing in the towel? Had her times at the hands of the Goddess/Bhunivelze made her into a weary person? Of all things, Lightning should never forget that she was now of the divine.

"She was arrogant, stupid, destructive and naive." Lightning looked away from Lumina, shrugging off her comments. "Without Serah- the world went to hell. Snow...Hope, Noel, Mog, Sazh, Fang, Vanille...me. We all needed her, she was an anchor to our humanity, the only beacon of hope that kept us in line, and...I took her away!" Her fists clenched at her side as Lightning shouted what she believed to be the absolute truth to Lumina.

"Wrong." Lumina shot down that theory right then and there. "Sure, that may hold true for yourself and Snow...but that's because you lived your life for your sister. Always sacrificing so that she would never learn struggle. But that's not a life, Lightning. Your friends may have missed Serah, but they needed you more. Without you they lost all semblance of hope, for you were a champion who never stopped fighting ever since your encounter with the Pulse fal'Cie- and for 1000 years, you fought in Valhalla...resorted to crystal slumber because of a promise. They had no idea what happened to you, and some longed for the day that you'd come back and make things better- some more than others." A prime example of this would have been Hope Estheim. The young man and Lightning had a unique relationship dynamic that seemed to transcend the bonds she had with the rest of the original six champions of Pulse/Cocoon.

Shocked by her words, Lightning let out a small gasp. "I- even if I had stuck around, things wouldn't have changed- the world still would have been on its last legs, and everyone still would have gone their separate ways...they'd all still know I was to blame for the loss of Serah."

"You were a Goddess back then, you know?" Lumina spelled out the obvious, sitting on the throne of Etro once more. "With the last shards of her power, Etro had gifted you strength you longed for, and Noel the chance to repent.

"Caius called me that, centuries ago- Warrior Goddess. I thought he was just pulling my leg, because I was the first one he traded blows with who didn't fall beneath that sword." For someone who existed far longer, had nothing but time on their hands and a chance to hone the skills they already had, the immortal sure was lacking when it came to her.

"Nope." Lumina shook her head. "He was just calling things for as they were."

"That's why I know I can't protect them...I need to get stronger, so that I can cut down anything that gets in my way, because if I don't- then this world...my friends, family- everything I worked so hard to protect...will be gone." Lightning tried to reason with Lumina, but wasn't so sure she and the girl were on the same page.

"If you consider 'strength' to be brute force in order to strike down the opponent, then God sure had unmatched might. But if you know what true strength is, and you gain it from people; the willingness to protect, then you'd know what to do, Lightning." Lumina stated matter-of-factly the concept of being strong in the real way. Sacrificing others for the good of many was just a faulty creed that she wouldn't hear of. "You knew this when fighting Bhunivelze, what happened to that, Lightning? What made you feel so inept that you forced me out, once more?"

"I...I needed the old me. She was ruthless, and knew how to get things done. I need her more than I need the current me." Lightning began to explain, finding herself cut off by Lumina.

Narrowing her eyes, the young girl scoffed at her. "Oh, I see- because we weren't the type to just...kill whatever came across our way, of course we were 'wrong' for this trial!" Lumina teleported in front of Lightning, holding the glare on her face. "You're really something, you know that?" Walking away from the taller woman, Lumina began to fade away.

"Where are you going!?" Lightning wanted to know where the girl thought she could go.

"I think you need some alone time. I'll return when you're much more...talkative." Lumina waved her off, teleporting out.

"Wait!" Lightning called, reaching out for Lumina, but it was already too late. Willing herself to wake up, and be out of her mind- Lightning found no escape from the prison that now held her.

---

Smirking mischievously, the pink haired girl watched with delight as her creature devoured one demon after another- it was such a fulfilling sight. Affectionately stroking his head, the creature let out a grunt signifying he enjoyed the attention of his master. Although she had initially preferred to stand on his head, the girl opted to sit and kick her legs ever so slightly while watching the ensuing battle, though 'slaughter' would probably be a better form of terminology, as the lesser demons were getting devoured left and right, and the bigger ones - if they got too close - received a whip from his tail to keep them at bay. It was satisfying to know that her conjuring from the Chaos could more than handle its own in a fight with these divine entities. Of course, they were no Eidolons when it came to prowess, but Lumina could still buff them up to make them more than a match for beings such as these.

Gunshots rang out through the area, and one by one they all swiftly fell at the hands of a man with white hair and a peculiar arm.

Tilting her head to the side, Lumina watched then squealed with delight at seeing how quickly he could do away with mini hoards of demons. Seemingly caught off-guard by the sight of a young girl riding on top of a large creature, he turned all of his attention to her.

"Hey! That's dangerous! You should get down from there!" Frantically trying to get her attention, Nero shouted up to the young girl. All of his concern eventually drained away, when he saw how calm she was on the creature- even going so far as to use it as a spot to sit without any backlash whatsoever. Was she a demon? Squinting to get a better look, what immediately caught his eye was the pink hair. Lightning? Walking forward, he immediately stopped once the large creature she sat upon belted a ferocious battle cry.

"Really? Because, from where I'm sitting...you're the one in danger." Lumina pointed behind Nero, deciding to give him at least a fighting chance. Demons were creeping up on him, and since she distracted his attentions, Lumina decided it to be only right that she rectify the situation and give him a hint. Watching him easily avoid the attack and defeat the creature, Lumina wasn't at all surprised- the men with white hair seemed to have quite the skill set in this world. From what she heard, they were quite the big deal.

Frowning, Nero turned his attentions back to Lumina. "Why aren't they attacking you?"

Shrugging, Lumina dusted herself off and teleported. Standing directly in front of Nero, she neatly folded both arms behind her back and began to muse more to herself than to him. "Maybe it's because they know as you people from the New World would say: 'They wouldn't have a chance in hell'." Lumina openly welcomed the chance for one to come and attack her- they just knew better than to do so.

"And why's that? Is it because the Savior has a few tricks they haven't seen before?" Nero asked, waiting for any type of reaction from her in order to find out if she was the girl he'd been searching for. Dante, Trish and Lady had explained the fact that she did summon creatures to battle and they seemed completely under her control until they left at an undetermined time, and no other individual had met this description for him.

"Oh, plenty I'd say." Lumina nodded. "Excuse me, we're talking here...and you're being rude." Lifting her gloved arm, Lumina snapped her fingers and the demon behind Nero instantly found himself being tossed to her creature and devoured. Shaking her finger to the rest in the background, Lumina made a 'tsk, tsk' noise at the rest. It was a very effective warning to the rest of the demon hoard, as none dared to move forward at this point, they all seemed relatively afraid of the young girl. Even Nero noticed the fact that they didn't disobey her orders.

"You feed that...thing demons?" Nero honestly had no way to describe what he was seeing- the large monstrosity was pigmented colors of violet and the darkest of blacks, it had large rows of teeth and snake-like eyes that looked about ready to kill whatever the girl said to.

Frowning at his description of her creature, Lumina put her hands on her hips. "Don't call him that- you'll hurt his feelings!" Turning back to the creature, she spoke in a soothing, calming voice to it. "He didn't mean it, he just doesn't appreciate your beauty." Turning her attentions back to Nero, Lumina still held her frown. "Apologize, at once."

"Apologize to that...?" Nero raised a brow. "Does it even have feelings?" From what he could tell, it basically only had animalistic 'reactions' to the things that she did, so it stood to reason that it didn't have the sentience to 'feel' offended to his terminology. Glancing at the monstrosity from behind her, he wondered if the large, bestial creature would try something on him- from what he had heard, the Savior wasn't much for talking, so Nero was prepared for a fight.

Letting out a sigh, Lumina shook her head. "Go ahead." Teleporting out of the way, she sat on a nearby rooftop and folded her arms/legs. "Remember- I did give you a chance to make things right."

"What?" Initially confused, Nero caught on to what she had meant the moment her creature ran forward and attempted to scoop him up like a snack. Leaping out of the way, he was caught off-guard by its tail and thrown into a fruit stand. The amount of force at which he'd been thrown caused it to shatter and Nero barely had any time to recover before it attempted once more to eat him. Putting a little more effort into his jump - this time using his Devil's Jump ability - Nero cleared her abomination with little to no effort at all. Just like Dante had said- no provocation and an ensuing fight. Definitely Lightning. Pulling the Yamato/Blue Rose, he was ready to take on and defeat her creature, then deal with the Savior herself. Glancing up at Lumina, she smiled and wiggled the fingers of her gloved arm at him. Taking it as yet another 'warning', Nero narrowly evaded her creature yet again.

Getting fed up with it already, he unleashed a flurry of shots from the Blue Rose/did his best to hack at it with the Yamato. With each ensuing roar, he assumed himself to be doing quite the amount of damage. Infuriated, it appeared to be performing yet another tail whip at him. Somersaulting over its tail, Nero charged a Devil Shot and hit it square in the face. While the creature was distracted, he went for the coupe de grace and swiftly beheaded it. Panting after the confrontation had finished, he was surprised to hear/see clapping from Lumina.

"Nice work! I mean, that was almost inspiring." Lumina had enjoyed watching Nero's scuffle with her creature. She wasn't at all disappointed that he'd been able to best it in combat- maybe he was the kind of person she should - and was - talking to. In the back of her mind, she already knew just what to do with this person, he'd be quite the chess piece in her game with Lightning. As she was now, the Savior definitely wasn't anywhere near the woman who had saved humanity from the clutches of a defective God. But, with a little 'help' from Lumina things could get back on track.

"Glad I can be amusing." Nero bitterly glared up at her, pissed at the fact that she just sicked that creature on him.

"Oh, you're angry, aren't you?" Lumina asked, feigning a sense of apology toward the descendant of Sparda.

"Some 'Savior', all you do is run around trying to kill people who want to help- this is our world too, Lightning! And yeah, I'm pissed off!" Nero was ready to attack her right then and there.

"Ah ah ah." Lumina shook her pointer finger from side to side. "It would be a real shame if I had to destroy that pretty sword, you know?" Snapping her fingers, a crack began to form its way through the metal and bursts of energy seemed to escape. Seeing the surprise/horror on his face, Lumina couldn't suppress the giggle she felt at his reaction. Of course he was surprised by the gesture- he'd never met someone of the 'divine' like her. Clapping both hands together, Lumina smirked down at Nero. "What's the big deal? That sword doesn't belong to you, anyway. At least, not really." Waiting for some sort of retort, Lumina wouldn't destroy the sword dependent on his answer, as she had already made her point come across very clear: Nero was not in charge of their encounter, she was.

Clenching his jaw, it took patience akin to that of a monk for Nero to not leap up and attack the pink haired girl. She was pissing him off to the point that his arm was pulsating its cyan color. "It's a family heirloom. I know it doesn't belong to me- but I'm protecting it." Taking a defensive stance as if to shield the weapon from Lumina's influence, Nero continued to glare up at her.

Lumina tilted her head to the side. "Family heirloom." Testing out the term, she recalled the knife that Serah had given to Lightning for birthday- the very one that had nearly spilled Snow's blood at the behest of a vengeful Hope. Shutting her eyes for a moment, she let out a soft sigh and stared at Nero. Did he really think that would be enough to stop her? Disappearing into wisps of Chaos, she teleported behind him and stole the sword, then returned to her previous position on the building. "Make no mistake- if I wanted this sword, it would be mine." All the playfulness had drained away from her voice as Lumina took a very serious tone of voice with Nero. Lightly caressing the blade that had been through each generation of Sparda's family with careful reverence, the blade instantly came to life in her hands. Healing away the crack that she had placed within the blade of the sword, Lumina smiled down at the divine weapon. Lumina began to converse with it over Nero for a moment. "I needed to make a point, I hope you don't mind-" Lumina waited in silence and nodded as if the sword were capable of speaking back. Her turn to 'speak' seemingly back, Lumina took the opportunity. "-of course. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Drawing the Red Queen, Nero looked at her as if she was unstable. Speaking to the Yamato? 'Hurting' the sword? One way or another- he was getting that sword back from her. Just because it reacted to whatever energies the Savior emitted, didn't mean he was going to freely surrender it to anyone who wanted to take it. Preparing to leap at her, he stopped only when she turned her full attentions back to him.

"Oh, dear. It looks like you aren't going to behave yourself." Lumina let out a long, suffering sigh. Glancing at the demons who still didn't dare go against her wishes, she decided to let them play their part. "I'm not protecting him, I just wanted to talk...but he wants to fight. So you can go ahead. Go on!" Nodding her head and waving them slightly in Nero's direction, she was pleased once they started to show their former opponent aggression and begin to attack him once more. "This could have all been avoided, you know?"

"Like hell it could have been!" Nero scoffed and shouted up at her, even while fighting the demons. With the amount of anger he was feeling, these 'struggles' were nothing more than child's play to him. He wanted the Yamato back, and she wouldn't have it for very much longer. "You're just looking to pick fights! And if you want to fight, Lightning- then you've got it!"

"Oh, I'm not going to do any fighting." Lumina shook her head, correcting him. Giggling with the sword that was now nestled neatly in her lap, she glanced away from the battle, down to the divine weapon. "He is a fireball, isn't he? Though some people may not like 'loose cannons', I learned from Snow that they can be very...useful. Who knows? Maybe I'll be the one to teach him a little patience." Watching Nero sweep kick one of the primitive demons away, she enjoyed seeing the feats one of Sparda's blood could pull off. Hearing about them just wasn't the same as seeing.

"Yeah? We'll see about that when I get the Yamato back!" Nero snapped at her through gritted teeth.

"There you go, again uttering threats! You're just like...her." Lumina frowned a bit. Folding her arms, she bounced one leg on top of the other. "Sparda would have shown more respect."

"Well guess what? I'm. Not. Sparda!" Fed up with all of these comparisons to Sparda and mentions of his bloodline- Nero didn't care much for it at all. The Order of the Sword made it very apparent that people were crazy for those with even the tiniest drop of Sparda's blood, but he wasn't into their bullshit- not anymore.

"No, you're not. You're just a watered down 1/4 blood hybrid with poor impulse control and a mouth that's going to get you into trouble." Shooting from the hip, Lumina didn't care if her comments were making him angrier, even if he wanted to kill her- there was no feasible way for him to ever achieve that feat. She'd have him lost in the sea of Chaos before he could say 'oops'.

"Yeah, that's right- I'm a mutt. But I don't care about blood potency or Sparda's legacy- I just want to protect my home! And..." Trailing off, Nero thought of Kyrie.

"Of course you do!" Lumina smiled, genuinely down at him. Snapping her fingers, every single demon in their vicinity was instantly defeated/disappeared from sight. Teleporting off the ledge she sat upon, Lumina carefully held the Yamato until she stood directly opposite Nero. "Those who have something to protect are often stronger for it. And if you're tired of people giving you grief for Sparda, remember: We're just particles of dust, brushed off the palm of a God." Offering out the Yamato to him, Lumina figured he'd earned the sword back from her 'care'.

"That's...quite the theory." Nero had to admit he'd never heard that one before. Slowly inching his hand out- just in case Lumina may try to retract it and revoke her offer of giving him the Yamato, Nero eventually got close enough to almost snatch it. Grateful to have it back, some of his anger had faded away.

"Oh, it's not a theory." Lumina shook her head. "He made this world, the people, the plants, the animals...everything, really! Even a few...mistakes along the way." Though Lightning had killed even the strongest of God's monsters who may inherit the New World- their stain was still evident to someone who knew of the divine.

"So you're saying that 'God' is real?" Nero frowned. "What kind of God would want a world like this one?" Demons scattered about, trying to destroy his beloved creations at every step of the way- it was steeped in chaos.

"The very same one who believed that humanity was nothing but his toy that, at the end of the day he could just put back in its box should they ever dare to betray him. See, God did 'love' humans...in his own sick little twisted way- but he never understood these creations. I suppose he never would, as he was technically our 'Grandfather'- and we were just far too...different." Knowing her explanation would be coming very close to home, Lumina was betting on the possibility that this would earn her a bit of trust from Nero. Despite what he may have thought of her- all of this was spawned from good intentions.

"Sounds like a bastard, if you ask me. Where is he now, if this 'God' didn't like the way that we turned out?" Nero was curious. Her explanation of him had only left Nero with further questions.

"Oh, haven't you heard? The Savior, in all her wisdom had decided that God's way just didn't work. So she killed him." Glancing to the sky, Lumina looked in the direction of where the sun would be at this current time. Though it was still 'night', she could still more than pinpoint Bhunivelze's location. Lost within the reaches of the Unseen Realm, the God of Light's corpse was to stay there, for eternity.

"Killed God? Isn't that some sort of 'sin'?" Nero didn't disagree with her reasoning in killing him, as God seemed like he definitely had it coming.

Deciding it best to show and not so much tell the situation, Lumina produced an oracle drive and decided to show the events - albeit edited - between Lightning and Bhunivelze. For starters, each of Lightning's parts wouldn't show the Savior, save for a Chaos infusion, and her voice would be masked in order to hide her identity. Just because Nero appeared to know of the Savior, didn't mean he factually knew a single thing about her. This became apparent from him constantly calling her the Savior.

Bhunivelze: The new world, the souls of mankind. They shall burn in the flames of purification.

Lightning: And then you will create another world and remold humanity. You'll rob them of all memories, bonds and past.

Bhunivelze: Such is the true and worthy form of humanity in the new world. Pain and despair will be forgotten, and only pure bliss shall remain.

Lightning: They will no longer be human, nothing more than mindless dolls. Bhunivelze, for being so almighty, you can't understand humans.

Bhunivelze: Indeed, souls are invisible to the eyes of God. But because I acknowledge this, I chose this lowly human to be my vessel. I returned this body to its innocent form, transcribed it, remolded it, trained it... From this unclean body of flesh and blood, I have created a vessel worthy of harboring a God. Consider my love an honor. In order to understand and sympathize with mankind, I have descended to such a pitiful state. I have become a merciful God for your kind.

Lightning: Answer me one question. You took that body...but what did you do with his soul?

Bhunivelze: I do not know. Have you forgotten already? Souls are invisible to the eyes of God.

Lightning: Bhunivelze...I was a bit hesitant at first. If you truly were a God of Salvation, I didn't know if it was right to defeat you... But now I have no reason to hold back!

Bhunivelze: You dare challenge a God?

Lightning: An Angel of Death can easily destroy you! And it was you who gave me this power.

Bhunivelze: Very well, Savior. I bestowed upon you many trials in order to forge you into the new Goddess. You survived the test of time, now unleash your power and complete the final trial. Brilliant Pulse, come ye from the isolated beyond. Radiant Lindzei, come ye from the abstruse midst. Let us bless the new Goddess with the brilliant Light of God. As we sing praises to you with all our might, let me discipline you and eternally adore you!

Nero had intently watched the encounter- this 'Bhunivelze' really was a son of a bitch. Why the parts of the Savior had been muddled up, he had absolutely no idea- nor how someone had managed to record the encounter between the Savior - Apparent Goddess of Death - and God himself. Glancing over at Lumina, he now partially understood how she accomplished some of the feats that she'd been showing off to him. Demons were afraid of her, because she cut down God, and they knew better than to attempt her harm. Yet why did they come to this world, if they all wanted her like Dante had said? Were they prepared for a fight, but on seeing the Savior, abandoned this creed and decided to take on humans instead? Judging by the ease at which she'd defeated countless demons with only a snap of her fingers, couldn't she just destroy the gates and seal off the world from demons?

Once the oracle drive had finished its purpose, she banished it back to whence the object had come from. "Let's make a deal, descendant of Sparda-" Pausing for a few moments, Lumina let her words hang in the air. "-if you defeat my hydra, then I'll tell you whether or not I'm the Savior. Deal?" Offering out her hand, Lumina waited for confirmation from Nero.

Turning to completely face her, Nero wasn't sure if such a 'deal' was necessary- he was already convinced Lumina was the Savior. "Hydra?" Asking about the term she had used, her still shook her head.

Lumina nodded. "What did you think he was?" Shrugging behind Nero, she motioned to the corpse of her monster.

Looking behind him, Nero was expecting a ferocious creature just ready to devour him- but instead found the corpse. "A monster?"

Shaking her head, Lumina let out a wistful sigh. "And I thought we were past name calling."

"Come on! You gotta admit he doesn't look like anything I've seen before. At best, I could have called him a 'demon'." Nero tried reasoning with the pink haired girl, and why, he didn't exactly know. She seemed devoid of reason and ready to do just about anything she wanted all of the damned time. Just like that 'Bhunivelze' character, save for wanting to kill all of humanity it seemed.

Pursing her lips a bit, Lumina took his explanation into consideration. Nodding and releasing the displeased look on her face, she folded her hands neatly behind her back and smiled a bit at him. "Just so you know- I would never have one of those serve under me. They're impure creatures who lack any sort of reason and attack just about anything because they feel like it. My pets know better because they're all trained and house broken."

"That-" Falling short when he saw the hint of a frown, Nero decided to correct himself. "He is your pet!? Who has a pet hydra?"

Lumina raised her hand. "Me. I do! I raised him from a hatchling, you know?" Teleporting back to the rooftop, she awaited the struggle between hybrid demon and Chaos monster.

Confused on why she just up and left- Nero didn't have long to wonder. Turning his attention to the 'corpse' of Lumina's hydra - which was now not only regenerating its head - two heads grew, and it no longer seemed to be a quadruped. Standing up on its legs, the hydra sprouted a new tail and more armored spikes, yelling furiously into the night. It's crimson eyes settled upon Nero, narrowing as if to avenge the attempt on its life by the descendant of Sparda. Charging forward, the hydra was determined to please his mistress in taking down the white haired male. No matter what it took- it would kill Nero.

"Shit." Nero had to admit that the creature was fairly impressive, and it seemed pretty damned determined to kill him- but he had a world to try and help save. Running at the charging beast, he slid under it and fired rapidly from beneath the hydra. After seeing the minimal damage/bloodshed, he went for dual wielding the Red Queen/Yamato, Nero swiftly hacked away at the monstrosity. Narrowly avoiding one mouth after the other, he charged a Devil's Shot and put away the Red Queen in order to have full use of his arsenal. If need be, he'd Devil Trigger and show this hydra just who it was screwing with. The first head that tried to bite him received a mouthful of Yamato and seemed to hate the clang of metal on its teeth. The second head bit Nero's special arm and furiously attempted to bite into it. Grunting, Nero released the charged shot into the head of the hydra- instantly destroying it.

"Bravo!" Lumina hollered down from her rooftop, clapping for Nero. "But- you do know what a hydra is capable of, right? He is a true hydra, after all. I don't believe in defective pets, mind you." Hastening the regeneration of the hydra, her hand glowed with the essence of Chaos itself. Giggling at Nero's surprise to her apparent betrayal, Lumina rather enjoyed this descendant of Sparda. It was such a shame that fate had completely looked over this one, as he seemed very unpredictable- perhaps due to his young age.

The hydra, now sprouting another head in-between its two, also regenerated a new tail. All of the mouths opened at once, and Nero assumed it was just going to let out one of those inhuman noises once more- but that never came. Instead, a violet/crimson color produced and spheres from each mouth turned into a singular beam of violet headed right for him.

Lumina was absolutely serious; if he survived the encounter, then he'd find out the identity of the Savior- if the hydra didn't tear him to shreds. There wasn't enough time for him to escape the blast, but Nero knew of one way to counter what would otherwise be a coupe de grace- Yamato. Activating his Devil Trigger, the summoned demon took the brunt of the blast, shrugging it off as if it were nothing compared to its power. Staring up at Lumina, he addressed her directly. "Is this the best you can do? Petty little monsters who do all of the fighting for you, behind pathetic tactics that no one with honor would dare try?"

Amused by his complete change in demeanor, Lumina tilted her head to the side. "Can you really say that to me, when you give in to darkness at your earliest convenience? How long do you think you can go...before that sword consumes you? Magic...always comes at a price- even if you don't feel it eating away at you...gnawing away your humanity, it's still there, doing exactly that. Can you really give up that which you desperately cling on to- your humanity? Casting aside your demonic heritage out of embarrassment, yet using it in order to have an edge in your fights. But you're so quick to cut away parts of yourself, to act as if it's perfectly natural in order to sacrifice in order to gain, following a creed that many have tried and few succeed in- that's what makes you weak." The physical change that had overtaken Nero didn't at all surprise Lumina- she'd been expecting it from the start. Just as with Lightning: he went for what he assumed was an assured victory.

"If it means protecting those that I care about...then I'll give up anything and everything I have in order to save them!" Nero growled, irritated by her truths of him. How the hell could she act like she knew him, at all? Better yet- how did she know him so well? Leaping over the hydra, Nero and his Devil Trigger simultaneously landed blows on the creature, defeating a head that now appeared to not regenerate. Every so often, he'd steal a glance at Lumina in order to see what her reaction was, but the girl still seemed to be enjoying the fight.

"Yes, that gives you strength...but delusions and falsehoods only make you weak. You're reckless, to the point that you just rush into battle, without thinking at all." Lumina shrugged him off, even as another head fell. Knowing fully well she could heal the beast and allow it one last chance, she decided not to.

"If I win without needing a plan, then what does it matter?" Nero finished off the last head, and the creature fell. Glaring up at her, his Devil Trigger mirrored his actions, play-by-play. Pondering on whether or not he could/should attack her, Nero stood still.

"It's just an observation. And don't get any funny ideas." Lumina shook her finger at him, teleporting to her defeated hydra. "You served me well. Now go off, and be reborn." Touching its corpse, the monster dissipated into Chaos. Turning around to Nero, she smiled at him. "Just because you have a power upgrade, doesn't mean you can beat me. So how about you put your friend away...and we get back to talking?" Lumina made a mental note of never allowing Nero/Lightning in a room together. And then an idea formed, one that the false 'Savior' would rather enjoy.

Complying, Nero narrowed his eyes. "Are you or aren't you the Savior?"

"Yes." and no. Lumina omitted the whole truth, as it was more than likely to just confuse him, anyway.

"Why the hell couldn't you just say that, instead of making me fight your goddamn hydra!?" Lashing out at her, Nero didn't care if there would be any consequences or not.

"Because I had to see how well you'd do in a fight...with her." Lumina semi-explained.

"Her? Who's her?" Finding himself confused, Nero didn't like where this was going. "Why do I have to fight her? Why can't the big bad Savior take care of her?"

"Someone who claims to be a person she isn't- running around, calling herself the Savior and trying to make me look bad. She's hot headed and likes to fight just like you." Lumina would love to see their confrontation. As they both were, it would be quite the encounter. Lightning had lost a few elements of what made her at the core a near-unbeatable fighter, and Lumina was going to help her restore those tactics- one way or another.

"False Savior?" Nero let out a long suffering sigh. "It's not like we haven't had enough of those lingering around...even before it was a pink haired woman." He didn't have the time to deal with this, right now. "Would you mind following me somewhere?"

"You mean...walk?" Lumina seemed almost offended by the prospect of having to venture anywhere like a common human.

"Yeah, I mean we can't all just teleport wherever the hell we please." Nero stated the obvious.

Lumina pouted a bit- she didn't want to walk anywhere. Taking hold of Nero, she teleported to the exact location he wanted to go: His Devil May Cry. "Walking is too boring! I'd rather have better uses of my time!" Stating what she believed to be the obvious, Lumina walked round the main room until she found a chair of her liking.

Nero's stomach felt a bit uneasy after being teleported inside the Devil May Cry- but he was glad to be home. "Will you stay there while I make a call?" After Lumina nodded to him, Nero took out his phone and called Dante. A few rings later, the veteran demon hunter picked up. "Dante, you'll never guess who I found: The Savior."

"No. I found the Savior." Dante corrected his nephew, frowning at Nero's obviously being duped by someone else. How the hell could he fuck up finding a pink haired girl with strange powers?

"Huh? She's literally right here, with me." Nero seemed confused through the phone.

"Pink hair? Kinda...bitchy? Picks fights, talks a lot of trash talk, very hard to like?" Dante described Lightning as best he could from their first encounter.

"Yes! I'm telling you, she's right here!" Nero was very insistent that he had the real deal.

"Well, I'm confused. Where'd yours turn up from, what's her name, she got any crazy powers?" Dante decided to give him a bunch of questions that he should be able to answer.

"I found her on the street, with a big monster that decided to eat demons and-"

Nero was cut off, and Lumina could be heard in the background.

"You really outta work on your manners." Heaving a sigh, the pink haired girl took the phone. "Sorry to say, but you just have a pretty fake."

Dante frowned. This voice sounded like a...child. "Yeah? And I don't suppose your name is Lightning?"

"Yes and no. I mean, it's not my real name, but it did serve its purpose." Being the incarnation of a younger Lightning, Lumina wasn't exactly telling lies- she just stretched the truth a bit.

"Then who the hell do I have right here? She says her name is Lightning, too." Dante was getting more and more confused. He'd been told to find a woman, not a child.

"Oh, I assure you- she's not lying. But as she is now, she's anything but the Savior." Lumina was telling the absolute truth- Lightning needed to wake up and smell the roses. And she was just the individual to make her face the truth and stop lying to herself. Lightning felt weak? Lumina would make her stronger, whether she liked it or not.

"I was told there's only one of you." Dante frowned.

"There is." Lumina agreed.

"How does that make any sense, if there's two of you!?"

"You doubt my authenticity? Well, I doubt hers, as well." Lumina didn't care whether or not he believed her, she just needed to arrange what she wanted. "I mean, did you even see that fight she had with you? It was pathetic."

"You saw that?" Was this 'Savior' spying on him? Did she send this 'fake' after him?

"Of course I did! A match for all the ages, and you thought I'd miss it?"

"And you're going to help us, I take it? Or are you going to follow suit and come at me with some fancy sword/monsters?" Dante wanted to find out just what kind of individual he was now dealing with.

"Help you?" Lumina laughed a little bit. "You're beyond my help! You don't need me!"

"If you're the Savior, then dream girl said otherwise."

"Do me a favor, will you? Take care of her, wouldn't want any demons to show up and snatch away the worlds last hope." Bored of their conversation, Lumina hung up the phone and returned it to Nero.

"What the hell was all that about?" Nero frowned, staring down at the phone.

"Just setting the record straight. And when the 'Savior' wakes up, well...she'll be coming right here, looking for a fight! That's where you come in, of course!"

"What makes you think I wanna do your dirty work?" Nero scoffed. She really seemed to think highly of herself, if she thought she'd command and others would just obey.

"Because I need your help in teaching her a lesson. You're the only one who can knock her down a few pegs, and I'd be eternally grateful if you could help me. If the chance does come back my way, I'll help you in exchange. So, in short- it's a favor for a favor. Deal?" Lumina asked, offering her hand to Nero.

Reluctantly shaking her hand, Nero nodded. He'd seen the feats that she could pull off, and any 'favor' she could offer to him, he'd take it. "All I have to do is fight her?"

"Yep!" Lumina nodded as she shook his hand. "Do whatever you want outside of kill her, of course!"

"You're expecting an all out fight, aren't you?" Nero raised a brow. He didn't think Kyrie would care much for this kind of situation, and he'd probably get an earful if he was to get killed.

"Something like that." Lumina smiled cryptically at him.

A few days had passed after the agreement was reached, and everyone waited for Lightning to wake up. Lumina/Nero for the purpose of testing her might, Dante in order to interrogate her further. If she wasn't the actual Savior, but the 'Angel of Death' as she coined herself to be, then why call herself that term? Was it to confuse and obliterate demons, her natural enemy? There was so many questions, and the sleeping woman offered absolutely no answers.

In his downtime, Dante resolved to just watch over her. She stirred over the past few days, but never woke up. Even if her eyes gave those telltale signs of wanting to open, she was taking her damned time in doing so. False Savior. She seemed every bit the right person, so why/how was Nero convinced of this other girl? Sure, he'd said that she met all of the criteria for being the Savior, but how the hell could that be? There was only supposed to be one. Playing with her sword in his hands, he stared down at the divine weapon. It definitely didn't feel like something that could fall to the hands of just about anyone, and in his hands it felt like a whole new experience altogether.

Without any warning, Lightning's eyes shot open, and the woman instantly sat up. Drawing a sharp breath, she took in her surroundings.

Dante watched her, cautiously. When their eyes met he felt like speaking up, but didn't want her to do anything that they'd both come to regret later on.

"I must have...hit my head really hard." Lightning commented, blinking to clear the haze from her eyes. Last she remembered, she was in an alleyway, and trying to shake off pain that didn't seem to want to leave her.

"I take it you had dreams of me? Care to finish where they left off?" Dante asked, smirking as he teased her.

"I think we were just at the part where I hook you in the jaw and each time you get back up, I do it again." Lightning didn't care much for flirtation- it was a boring pass-time of people. Besides, what did he think she was- brain damaged?

"Serious time. Gotcha. Mind explaining to me why there's a girl calling herself a 'Savior' running around?" Dante asked, being completely serious with Lightning.

"What!?" Lightning was now at full alert. Another girl. "Where is she!?"

"Oh, so you know about her! Good, she seemed to know an awful lot about you, too. I'll tell you what you want to know when you tell me what I wanna know. Deal?" Dante could see that she was alarmed, but he kept his casual, cool demeanor.

"I don't have time for your questions, I need to find her. Where is she?" Draping her legs over the side of the bed, Lightning stood up, and stumbled due to her legs having not been used within the past few days. Feeling Dante's attempt to help her, she shoved his arms away and stood against the wall to try and steady herself.

"You think you're ready to just go out there? The way you are now, you're more than likely to get killed. Now, I was told to find a woman, so why does this 'Savior' sound like a child?" Dante began to ask questions, regardless of what Lightning had wanted.

"Because she's not the Savior! Whatever lies she's told you, you're better off not believing them! That's what she does, deludes you with logic and makes things sound like they should be true, when they're nothing more than deceit!" Lightning could think of quite a few situations where Lumina had done so. Anyone who believed her was an absolute fool.

"You two seem to have a history. Care to share?" Dante was in truth happy to see that her rage was aimed at someone else for a change of pace, and the two of them could finally talk. Lightning seemed to hate the 'other' Lightning with a burning passion, and he assumed there had to have been some reason for it.

"She tried to have me killed, manipulated my friends to the point of wanting to commit suicide and losing all hope- for centuries, she facilitated their descent into madness and despair...she's not a trustworthy person. Lumina switches sides before you can say 'oops'." Lumina did many despicable things to Sazh, Vanille, Fang, Snow, Noel, Hope and herself. Things that she wasn't ready to forgive and forget- even if they were in the name of the 'greater good' Lightning hated Lumina for doing so.

"Sounds like a Savior to me." Dante spoke up. In his experience, that seemed just like Light- "Did you say 'Lumina'?"

Ignoring his first remark, Lightning nodded. "Did she tell you a different name?"

"Called herself 'Lightning'." Seeing her eyes narrow, Lightning seemed furious.

"Where is she?" Lightning wouldn't ask him again. Wherever Lumina was, she needed to seek out the girl and put a stop to her nonsense. Whatever games she was playing, she could count them out.

"What's the hurry, she trouble?" Dante honestly couldn't share her worry about 'Lumina' in the slightest. He had no idea who the girl was, but she did seem a little 'off' in their phone call.

"Tell whoever is with her that they need to get as far away as possible. She-" Lightning turned to face him, and frowned when she saw her sword in his hands.

"This? I borrowed it. Thought you wouldn't miss it while you were sleeping, and I didn't want to risk you destroying my building." Dante shrugged, offering it back to her.

Lightning snatched it from his hand, giving him a look of disgust. "You robbed me while I was sleeping? You know what- it doesn't matter. Just tell me where Lumina is and I'll be on my way." Stabilizing herself, Lightning was now determined to hunt down Lumina. Bringing her to that place, the desecrated temple of the Goddess in order to speak, then abandoning her for days with the promise of returning. Lightning knew exactly what this was, and why they knew what they did: It was a challenge. Lumina was directly provoking her, knowing fully well what kind of personality she had. Even if it was some sort of trap, the other her needed to know she couldn't get away with the kind of crap she pulled on Nova Chrysalia.

"You'll find her with my nephew. His name's Nero. They're both at his Devil May Cry." Deciding to tag along, Dante wanted to see this girl. What kind of individual would she prove to be, if Lightning was this antagonistic to the mere mention of her? Grabbing the Rebellion, he strapped it to his back and followed her downstairs.

"You're not coming with me." Lightning shot that idea down right then and there. Making short work of the room they were in, she hastily went outside. Glancing around for signs of humans, she was relieved to find that it was later in the night, so no one dared to venture out.

"What makes you think you can stop me? I do know exactly where you're going, you know?" Dante stated the obvious, shrugging his shoulders and grinning at her, he wanted to see if she had anymore parlor tricks up her sleeve.

Letting out a sigh, Lightning rubbed her temples. "I don't have time for this." Producing two crystals, one violet and the other pink, she shot both and out came two summoning circles; a floral, pink one in the ground and a violet one in the sky, facilitated by indigo thunder. "Odin! Bahamut!" Summoning the Eidolons, she gratefully walked over to Odin once he fully summoned. Bahamut lagged behind for a moment or two, until he stood beside her and eagerly awaited their orders.

"You can bring out more than one?" Dante had to say he was a tad bit surprised. Was Lightning planning to use these two to keep him back?

Lightning chose to completely ignore Dante. Looking to Bahamut, she decided to address him first. "Take to the skies- we're looking for someone named Nero and a place other than this one called 'Devil May Cry'." Accepting his master's request, Bahamut unleashed a throaty roar and turned into his gestalt form and flew off into the sky at breakneck speed. "Hello, old friend." Lightning smiled at the Eidolon before her, Odin knelt before his true master, firmly planting his sword - Zantetsuken - into the pavement, the tip of his shield let out a small, metallic clang once it made contact with the pavement.

"We need to find Nero, because Lumina is with him. Bahamut has a head start, and we need to catch up." Lightning explained the basics of the situation they were in, and Odin readily accepted the information offered by her. Extending out his arm, the Eidolon surrendered his weapon to Lightning. Placing her Blazefire Sabre in its holster, Lightning gratefully took the weapon. On her acceptance, he transformed into his horse form and stood before her, waiting for Lightning to mount his back. Climbing aboard, Lightning grinned at the nostalgia. "Let's do this, Odin!"

Letting out a whinny, Odin took the sky, leaving only the sound of hooves as he galloped in an attempt to catch up with his brother in arms, Bahamut.

Watching the display, Dante was sure that he could now cross off flying, mystical horse from his bucket list. Letting out a sigh, he supposed he'd just have to find his own mode of transportation to get to Nero.

---

"She's coming~" Lumina chirped, giggling and kicking her legs on the railing from where she sat. Staring up at the sky, the girl could sense Bahamut on his way, followed by Lightning and Odin. Would she dismiss the Eidolons, or use them as a ploy to attack her? If Lightning decided to do so, then she'd be in for a big surprise.

"How do you know that?" Nero looked up in the direction Lumina had been staring, and he didn't notice a thing. Sure, a few clouds seemed to be in the distance- but that wasn't exactly 'strange'.

"Your humanity must really be dulling your senses..." Lumina sighed. Snapping her fingers, the clouds dissipated and Bahamut became visible, coming at an unnatural speed toward them.

"What the...hell is that?" Nero asked. Turning his head to look at Lumina, he demanded an explanation.

"That is a creature who'd get even more offended by you calling him 'that' than my hydra. You see, that was made by the preceding Goddess of Death, he's called an 'Eidolon'. And, if going by your terminology, then I suppose he'd be called an 'Angel' or 'Messenger of God'. They herald deaths release, which the Goddess Etro had viewed to be an act of mercy toward l'Cie, as it freed them of their curse and brought an end to their struggles. But if you managed to defeat one of these in combat, well, it would assist you until you completed your focus or turned to Cie'th." Excitedly awaiting Bahamut's return, she didn't dare take her eyes off the Eidolon who formerly belonged to Oerba Yun Fang and currently served Lightning Farron. Of course all of them folded when it came to her authority and their willingness to serve superseded any form of 'test' as their former Goddess had succumbed to the sands of time. She, who defeated Bhunivelze was crowned 'Goddess of Death' and therefore none of the Eidolons should have any objections to her rule.

"I'm not so sure that that could be considered a 'mercy'." Nero spoke up, staring at Bahamut. The creature came ever closer, until it stood before them and changed forms into an intimidating creature that belted an inhuman noise to the heavens. Covering his ears, Nero wasn't sure on why an 'Angel'/Eidolon would want to show up, but he'd defeat it if need be.

"That's because you don't know the fate of the l'Cie, the crystal curse, the Gods of old...those legends died with Bhunivelze, and it was the will of the usurper that they be tossed aside. The old world was broken, and this one is much more stable." Lumina stood up, and smiled at how much Bahamut hadn't changed. Wanting to run over and greet the Eidolon, she refrained from doing so, as Lightning would be joining them any second, and Lumina didn't want her other self to try anything.

"If this world is 'stable' then I don't think I care to know about the old one." Nero reasoned, being cautious of Bahamut while Lumina didn't seem the least bit weary of the creature. Of course she didn't- for all intensive purposes, she was a God or divine being of some sort.

"Nothing good would come of clinging to what was, let the crystal shards settle in the sea of Chaos, and be long forgotten in the rise of the new world. This world doesn't need to be poisoned with that which the Chaos itself cannot do away with." Speaking up, Lightning had overheard Nero's remarks about the former world. Gran Pulse, Cocoon, Nova Chrysalia- let them all fade into nothing and be discarded from the memories of humanity. This world would never have a fighting chance if everyone clung to what had been. Pulse, Lindzei, Etro, Bhunivelze- these names should all be forgotten by those of the New World.

Clapping at the words she spoke, Lumina sarcastically smiled at Lightning. "Bravo! I knew that our guest of honor would make a grand entrance!"

Narrowing her eyes at Lumina, Lightning felt like drawing her sword and firing multiple rounds at the girl, but she knew better. Turning her attention to Nero, Lightning wasn't going to play Lumina's games. "Whatever she's told you- it's a lie."

"Save it. She already told me all about you." Nero wasn't in the mood for chit-chat, even with Lightning's 'help' in the background. He had to defeat her, and Lumina had made it very clear on why.

"That's right- she's the enemy here." Lumina readily agreed with Nero, giggling at Lightning's obvious annoyance.

"Look, I don't want to fight y-" Nero shot at her when she advanced, and Lightning touched the little bit of blood from her cheek, and stared at the liquid on her fingertips. Her initial shock had worn off, and reality set in. "Things like this-" Her hand went over the wound, and she cast a cure spell quickly, the green aura rapidly healed her wound instantly. "-are nothing. If all you can do is land superficial wounds, then you've already lost. How about you stop wasting both of our time and get out of my way? I've got actual people to talk to." Lightning began to move, but stopped once he fired at her feet. Letting out a sigh, and shaking her head, she guessed she'd have to deal with him. "Fine. Have it your way." Casting shell and protect on herself, she dared him to try and shoot her, again. She knew it would be cheap for her to use these buffs in the fight, but Lightning was honestly just looking to defeat him quickly and move onward.

"Yeah, and how are you going to beat me? With those two?" Nero asked, shrugging to Odin and Bahamut from behind Lightning. Both seemed outraged at the attempt on their master, and stood closely beside her. Bahamut snarled at him, and Odin's blade came to life with electricity, daring for Nero to attempt another projectile.

"They won't be joining in the fight." Lumina shook her head. "Right, boys?" Her hand glowed with the aura of Chaos, and suddenly both Eidolons had been dismissed, turning to crystal form and returning to Lightning.

Letting out a sharp breath, Lightning was surprised by the fact that Lumina could remove Eidolons at her leisure. "I'm guessing you're on his side?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Lumina nodded. "This is to make sure you don't cheat, again. I want a fair fight, not a boring rerun of you cheating in a pinch."

"You're siding with her?" Lightning scoffed. "You have poor taste in allies. She's clearly using you, and I don't know what's worse: That she is using you, or that you allow it."

"She's not using me for anything. I'm just doing her a favor." Nero shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care what she decided to say, Lumina had told him a lot in the few days that she'd been with him, and Nero believed her over this newcomer. Everything she said had held to be true, and Lightning acted just the way that Lumina had said.

"Have it your way." Pulling out the Blazefire Saber, she ran her hand along the blade and buffed it with fire. Firing a few projectiles at him, Lightning closed the space between the pair and went for an overhead slash. Unaware of what Lumina would constitute as 'cheating', Lightning worked with what she had: being a good tactician due to her Guardian Corps days, the centuries of fighting Caius and even going so far as to usurp God- she wouldn't allow herself to be beaten by a naive warrior who was more than a hundred times her junior.

Distracted for a moment or two, Nero extinguished the little flames that were on his outfit and looked up in time to counter Lightning's attack. "Sneaky." He commented, attempting to break her block from the stalemate they were in.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Nero was dual-wielding just like Noel, and Lightning had an idea on how to be rid of him. Casting firestorm, her hand was imbued with the aura of ethereal flame and wind, bound together in a pact that only someone of the divine would be able to achieve. Pulling her arm back, she clenched her hand that cast the spell into a fist and uppercut Nero, causing an explosion that left him reeling. Somersaulting him while he was temporarily without a guard, Lightning launched Nero into a wall.

"So you do have some interesting tricks." Nero commented, standing up and brushing himself off. He had to admit, that had faintly hurt him- but it was nothing compared to his healing factor. "Good thing I do, too." Putting away the Red Queen, Nero produced his Devil Bringer arm. In his experience, it did fairly well in absorption of elemental attacks/showing his enemy just what he could be capable of.

Lightning scoffed at his arm. "You think some mutation's going to be enough to defeat me? I don't know what opponents you've fought here on the New World, but I'll assure you- they were nothing like me." using Icestorma she didn't give him an opportunity for what he'd probably believe to be a witty comeback. Running up on Nero, she followed up her magic projectile with Sparkstrike.

Seeing the blue sphere heading his way, Nero lifted his Devil Bringer arm and nullified her spell. Lightning seemed to love using two attacks for the price of one, considering it was an ice/wind sphere in contrast to her prior fire/wind. Blocking her second attack, Nero and she were at yet another stalemate. "Now you're sounding like God." Scoffing at her banter, Lightning seemed a tad bit surprised at the mention of 'God'. Was no one else supposed to know of the mighty Bhunivelze?

"What do you know of God?" Lightning demanded, glancing at Lumina in the background who merely waved and giggled at her fury. Just what was Lumina's game, spilling secrets of the old world, of God? Or, was this an entirely different deific entity she had yet to hear about?

"That, like most Gods- he didn't give a damn about humans." Nero and she eventually pushed off each other and jumped back, staring each other down. Nero panted a bit and still held his ground in case she decided to take a cheap blow on him.

"Which God?" Lightning wanted clarification on who Nero spoke of. Was it Bhunivelze, Lindzei, Pulse, Etro, Mwynn, or some other God?

"The God. Bhunivelze." As soon as the name escaped his lips, Lightning had heard enough.

"Whatever you think you know of Bhunivelze- it's nothing compared to the real thing. I don't know what she's showed you, or lies she's spoken to have you under her spell, but she's lying." Lightning tried once more to reason with him. He had to at some level realize that the girl with him wasn't all she appeared to be- Lumina was an entity born of Lightning/Chaos itself. A dangerous duality meant to be a container for Serah's soul, why she existed now, of all times- Lightning wanted to find out.

"So the Savior didn't strike down God?" Nero asked, scoffing a bit at her attempt to confuse him. Why didn't she just get a move on and attack him? What was the point in the two of them constantly taking breaks and trying to talk things out?

"She did. I did. But you're no Savior and I'm no Bhunivelze. To save this world, I sacrificed everything I had left. My humanity, friends, family...my soul." Gazing down at the ground while mentioning her soul, Lightning looked up and stared beyond Nero, at Lumina herself. Was this the point she was making, that Lightning without Lumina was absolutely useless? For over a thousand years, she'd existed just fine without indulging this part of herself, so why couldn't just a little bit longer be endurable?

"That's quite the story...but if you're really Lightning, the Savior- then why attack people who are trying to help you!? Dante was just trying to help you, Trish, Lady- everyone! What makes you think you're so big of a hotshot that you can do anything, alone?" Having heard/seen many clips of what the Savior had been through from Lumina, he felt skeptical on whether or not she could actually be the real Lightning.

"If I needed help..." Lightning spoke up, in a cold, monotone voice. "...I wouldn't be stupid enough, to gamble trust on people I barely know- who are demons or somehow have divine powers without explanation." Staring him directly in the eyes, Lightning wanted to make her point abundantly clear to the descendant of Sparda. "And if I was to choose a companion with your hair color, believe me, I already have just the guy lined up." The only person whom Lightning really felt like she could be herself around, the only individual who indulged her selfishness and knew her so well that he may know the real Lightning more than she did- Hope Estheim. On the day that Bhunivelze fell, Hope and Lightning had made a promise to one another before going to the New World: They'd find each other, again. Yes, if Lightning was to choose anyone to ever pick up the mantle of her 'partner' it would be Hope.

"Then let's finish this. Show me just how the true Savior won her fight against God." Nero was sick of talking to her, the arrogance coming off this woman was almost unfathomable. But if she truly was Lightning, and her track record of being defeated was only once then her disposition on him would more than likely be justified.

"You can't beat me. I'm not here for you, so stand aside and you won't have to get hurt." Lightning began to trek forward, to give him an out and let Nero be on his way, but he seemed adamant that they fight.

"I'm not giving up until one of us leaves this fight, lady. And I'm going to make sure it's me." Nero didn't care if she didn't think much of him- he was still holding back. Narrowly evading a few more of her spells, he charged up Blue Rose to its full potential, even when she continued to stalk forward and offered no defense to the attack. Smirking to himself, he knew it to be her mistake. Releasing the trigger, he fired on her and waited to see how much damage this one managed to do. A small cloud of smoke came off the explosion, and to his shock, Lightning was still coming toward him- with no visible damage. Had she counted on the fact that he'd be vulnerable upon trying that attack?

"Are you afraid?" Lightning tutted, "You could have just let me go- but you wanted this, remember?" No longer holding back in her assault, she began to furiously strike at him, letting loose some of her immense Savior strength. Nero seemed to falter a bit, and due to his openness couldn't defend himself for most of her attacks. Once he recovered, he did his best to deflect her attacks with Yamato. Noticing that his wounds near-instantly healed, she knew that cutting him wouldn't be enough to defeat him. Not with a healing factor that great. Unless...the realization hit her as Lightning began to debuff Nero. Using poison, deshell, defaith, debrave, slow and many of the other debuffs she had at her disposal, she found Nero to be susceptible to all of them. It usually took once or twice, but maybe magic wasn't his strong suit. Ironic, considering he was a demon. Using her Army of One ability, Lightning began a barrage of attacks that seemed to be dealing a great amount of damage to Nero. Finishing with an overhead slash, she sent him flying away from her. Thinking the fight was nearly over, Lightning didn't bother to finish him off. Instead, she began to walk away.

"Wait!" Lightning looked over her shoulder and stared at the spectacle behind her. Nero seemed absolutely furious, and holding another sword. He looked weak, but still wanted to continue the fight, apparently. He was in no shape to do so, especially after all of the debuffs she'd inflicted upon him. It wouldn't be a fair fight, and she wouldn't kill someone who couldn't defend themselves. She wasn't looking for an easy 'win' and even if he wanted to continue, there would be no point.

"Give up while you're ahead. There's no point in dragging this out any further." Lightning continued to walk, and stopped only when a blue sword flew by her head. Turning around, she stared at Nero and the monstrosity from behind him. What was that creature? Where did it come from? It seemed to be mirroring his movements, just on the opposite side of Nero. Giving off the appearance of a dual wield. His eyes also appeared to be a crimson red. Clearly, he had some sort of power the rest of the demons were lacking.

"I think that's where I come in." Lumina spoke up for the first time in a while. "Debuffs on him? Ouch. You really want to win." Pointing at Nero, Lumina used Chaos to absolve him of all status ailments. Creating a ribbon out of Chaos, it tied itself around his Devil Bringer arm in order to buff him 100% against any nerf she could toss his way.

"What's the matter?" Nero tilted his head to the side, an almost sadistic smile spreading across his face. "Scared of a challenge?" He'd had enough of this woman underestimating him. Clearly there was lots of holding back on either side, and he wasn't letting her leave. Lumina's help had made him feel better, whatever Lightning had done, clearly was undone due to her aid.

His voice sounded distorted- not even really human anymore. "I just didn't think anyone else around here could summon the divine to their aid." Lightning admitted, she didn't want to take any chances when it came to fighting the new and improved Nero, so she renewed her shell and protect buffs, even going so far as to add haste. Staring him down, she waited to see what his next move would be. Clearly he had been holding back before, not that Lightning had really believed his outrageous statement.

"Like I said, I was going easy." Nero ran forward, his sword drawn back and the creature from behind him followed suit, he swung at Lightning, Yamato clashed with Blazefire Saber, both divine weapons emitting a massive shockwave against each other on behalf of their masters. The demon from behind him hit her directly. Its sword instantly shattered her barriers, clearly surprising the woman. "I think I owe you some damage." He pulled back his arm and punched Lightning, the demon mirroring his movements perfectly. She flew back and hit the wall, letting out a cry of pain as she did so.

Wincing, Lightning cast curaja in order to rapidly and effectively heal herself, then stood up. "So you've got a trick or two up your sleeve...big deal." She played it down as much as she could, but that thing broke her defense with no trouble at all. It seemed to pack quite the punch, as well. Casting shellga and protectga, Lightning knew the stronger shields would likely withstand a few hits, and give her a better defense. The drawback was that the stronger the buff, the less time it stayed.

"Oh, come on, we both know you didn't have any idea this was coming." Nero mocked the woman, running forward with his sword pulled back. He slashed at her, and the demon continued to mirror all of his efforts.

Lightning barely had time to jump off the wall and out of the way. His 'friend' managed to nick her defenses, and crack them. Judging by how much damage it had done to the side of the building, she'd gotten lucky. She had to admit he clearly had one powerful summon at his disposal. The trouble was, Lightning had no idea how long he could sustain it for. Or where it even came from, as she didn't hear him call its name, or notice its presence. It was seeming more and more clear that an Eidolon would need to join her in the fight. "You're right. I didn't. Just like you had no idea I can make you weaker just by uttering a few words aloud. Or that I can make your projectiles useless." Stalling him while she thought of a battle strategy, Lightning stared at the demon from behind Nero. Something about it seemed 'strange'.

"In case you didn't notice- I'm not weakened anymore." Nero waived off her taunts of making him defenseless. While it had been true, Lumina had helped to remove those ailments. He'd never experienced anything like them before, but he didn't want to let her in on the fact that she'd actually done a pretty good job at nullifying his abilities. Especially with the way that her elemental abilities hit him in his air hike. But there was no time to spare- he had to take her out and bring that sword back to his uncle.

Lightning kept evading Nero and tossing the odd attack at him, trying to keep him at a distance. She had to keep restoring her 'ga' abilities, and she couldn't do so if that thing kept getting in her face. Nero was using those odd swords to try and close the distance between them. Thankful for her shellga absorbing the magic damage, she had to come up with a plan. Observing Nero and it for a little while longer, she concluded that it was wielding the same sword as Nero- and must have been the catalyst for the summon. So long as he held that sword, she wouldn't be able to defeat him. Even if there was the possibility of using chronostasis, she didn't want to risk the fact that, like Dante, he could somehow override her ability and use it to his advantage. Feeling her shellga and protectga fade, Lightning was caught off guard and knocked once more into a wall.

Looking to Lumina, the girl seemed to guess her thoughts. "He did summon."

Taking it as a 'go ahead' from the girl, she rolled under a heavy hit from Nero and evaded him, leaping up a fire escape in order to produce the crystal she desired; Hecatoncheir. His green crystal shimmered in her hands, and since it was his first summoning, the Eidolon would need to be brought forth by the inscriptions of the Goddess. Tossing his crystal, she shot it mid air and his hieratic text swirled around the sphere, but Lightning didn't have the time to read, let alone speak the words aloud- Nero was pressuring her.

"What's the matter, Lightning?" Nero tilted his head to the side, a sadistic smile spreading across his face while he stared down the alleged Savior. He had her on the ropes, and rather enjoyed seeing that arrogant attitude of hers fade away. Leaping after her, he attempted to finish the battle right then and there.

He was closing space far too much for her liking, and Lightning had had enough. Using Elementga, she tossing the combined sphere of every element at Nero in a bid to force him back. His Devil Bringer arm coupled with the demon from behind him seemed to take the brunt of the hit with little to no backlash. She needed Hecatoncheir. Further evading Nero, she decided to risk looking at the words and summoning him.

"By the grace of Etro, arise great and mighty giant. Come forth, thee who shoulders the sky.

A name in blood, a pact of strength. Hecatoncheir shall rise, his bond eternal and unyielding.

Impure hands purge arms that fortify weakness."

"Hecatoncheir!" Shouting his name, the sphere disappeared and Hecatoncheir's summon circle appeared from beneath Lightning, levitating her from the ground just in time to evade a few blows from Nero. One by one, hands sprouted from the ground and then disappeared, until a large creature that Nero had never seen before produced. Arms folded, Hecatoncheir stared down the opponent before him. Using his Looming Wrath ability before Lightning even had the chance to tell him to, Hecatoncheir forced back Nero and immediately followed up with Quake. Shattering the pavement, a powerful earthquake launched him into the sky.

"Thank you." Lightning looked back at Hecatoncheir, grateful for his summon.

Hecatoncheir nodded to Lightning and folded his arms once more. Keeping the pressure on Nero, Lightning and Hecatoncheir kept forcing him into the air and landing devastating combos until the Eidolon was to be dismissed. Using his Gaian Salvo ability, he caused so much destruction/devastation around them, that Nero was forced out of his Devil Trigger. Leaving the battlefield, Hecatoncheir retreated to his crystal and returned to the symbol of the Savior on Lightning's chest.

Having fallen to a kneeling position, Nero couldn't stop Lightning's advance.

"Stay out of my way." Lightning walked past her defeated opponent and over to Lumina- her intended target.

"A little anti-climactic toward the end." Lumina semi-congratulated Lightning in defeating Nero.

"What are you doing here, Lumina?" Lightning wasn't in the mood for niceties with the girl- she always had a hidden agenda that went too far plot-wise.

"Oh, you know me...a little this and that." Lumina shrugged her shoulders. "I can't give you all my plans, Lightning- that would ruin my fun!"

"This isn't about 'fun'. There's a world at stake, and no time for games!" Lightning's frustration with Lumina knew absolutely no bounds. Losing her patience with the girl, Lightning threw a swing her way. Lumina disappeared within a cloud of Chaos and Lightning's fist struck the wall before she could cancel the attack. Gritting her teeth, she heard a giggle from Lumina.

"There's always time for games! Especially when you're in a chess game as grand as this one!" Lumina completely disagreed with Lightning's sentiment. "You wanted to find me, and now that you have- what now? Do you think I'll go willingly?"

"I don't care what you want, Lumina. I just know that, of all things- I don't need you here adding to the chaos." Lightning really hated the idea of having to deal with her little doppelganger on top of the mess she was already dealing with.

"I'm not adding to the Chaos- I am the Chaos." Lumina corrected Lightning, smiling and shrugging her shoulders at the frown she was now met with. "Yeul told me a few things, Lightning- and what you're going to be up against...well, you don't stand a chance. You can reject me all you want- but you need me. You're not going to bring about any salvation without me."

"Yeul told me only what I need to know, so you teasing me with bits and pieces of information she may not have even given to you means nothing to me." Lightning didn't care. If it was absolutely important, Yeul would have fit it in to their meeting.

"Then why bother coming here at all, Lightning?" Lumina knew fully well that Lightning wasn't telling her the whole truth on the matter. Seeing through all of her lies and self-deceptions came absolutely easy to her other half. Lightning may have been able to delude herself into believing what she wished, but Lumina could cut down every bit of defense she put up. It was quite the fun little game they had going on.

"To see if it really was you. I needed vindication that I wasn't hallucinating. After that fight with Dante- I felt weak. And now I know why: because you left me." It wasn't due to stress, or Dante's wound inflicted on her- her condition was caused by Lumina.

"That's quite the theory." Lumina mused. "I'd love to stay and chat, Lightning, but I have to go! There's so many old friends I need to visit...things that need to be done- an order to set straight. You understand, right?" Clasping her hands together, Lumina smiled and began to disappear. Reaching out for her, Lightning was already too late: The girl left both her and the champion she'd chosen behind. Being left with a cryptic goodbye, Lightning chose to leave the area. There was nothing left for her here. Walking past Nero, he seemed to be unconscious. She could see his healing kicking in and decided to speed things up with a Curaga spell. It wasn't his fault that they'd had such a bland and meaningless encounter- Lumina and she were completely to blame for the destruction that had met this place. As such, she felt responsible and healing him was the least she could do. Placing her hand over the symbol of the Savior, she retrieved the appropriate amount of Eradia and crushed it in her hand. Uttering the words, the deific healing spell swept down upon her target and healed him up completely.

Hearing a groggy moan from him, Lightning decided to be on her way.

Old friends.

Sazh. Dahj. Fang. Vanille. Snow. Serah. Hope. Noel. Yeul. If Lumina thought she was going to screw with those closest to her- then she had a whole other thing coming.