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Arriving back at the tower, Lucia headed down into the basement, where a large gate resided with three openings set in it in a triangular positioning. She checked each orb, trying to remember their placing. Once she remembered, she smiled and set about placing them in their locks. However, someone was standing before her
"Care for a word?" Dante asked, not looking at her
"You never cease to amaze me, Dante," Lucia smiled
"Well, I try my best," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes
Then the smile faded
"You killed my two sister-in-laws and my brother-in-law. For that, I think I'll just have to kill you"
Lucia chuckled, then dumped the orbs aside, before drawing her cutlaseers
"You could try – argh!"
Yamato appeared out of her chest, as Vergil ripped it away and followed up with a Blitz kick – straight into Nero's Diablo Bringer, as he punched her across the room, where Celeste was waiting with her glaives. Lucia hit the ground, blood running from her injuries, as the Sparda siblings surrounded her
"You know we can't let you raise Mephistopheles," Vergil said
"It's not like you can stop me," Lucia said
"But it's not like we're easy to beat," Nero said
He shot his Dark Bringer forth, grabbing Lucia by the throat, attempting to drain her dark power. Lucia cried out, then started laughing, as she grabbed Nero by the wrist and tossed him aside easily
"Nice try, Nero, but you can't do it"
"I was able to do it to Beelzebub," Nero said, "What's the difference?"
"He was a godking. I'm a goddess. Major difference. I'm one up on him. Or maybe three up. Either way, I'm more powerful and therefore, harder to defeat"
"Guess we'll have to find another way," Dante said
"Well, best of luck then," Lucia said
Dante moved at her, but she kicked him in the stomach, then whirling around to block Vergil and slash him across the stomach, as Celeste slashed with Freyja. Parrying the blow, Lucia rammed her elbow into Celeste's ribs, then kicked her to the ground, as Nero slashed with the revved up White Queen. Lucia did a ducking spin under the blade, kicking Nero in the face with both feet and landing a split second later
Vergil ducked under Lucia's blades and swung his Blitz fist into her stomach. She spiralled through the air and landed on her feet, spinning around Dante and slashing him across the back, then deflecting Nero's Light Spear, as Celeste slashed with her Dragon Blades. Blocking blow for blow, Lucia locked Celeste's blades together and slammed her head into hers, then threw her across the room, as Vergil fired electrified phantom spears at her. Lucia spun around them, hitting Vergil with a blast of energy
Dante whipped out Ebony and Ivory, firing away at Lucia, as she danced around the bullets, before doing a cartwheel away from Nero's Blue Rose and grabbed the Heart Orb and threw it at Dante. As it bounced off his chest and sent him flying, Lucia leapt through the air, catching the orb and placing it into one of the locks. The area surrounding the orb lit up, as the orb sunk halfway down into the gate
"One down, two to go," she said
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"Sure is a lot of demons," Tristan said
He sliced two apart with the Devil Wings, before whirling around to slice a Goatling open, then moving onto a Tartarussian
"They must know that Mephistopheles is close," Lili suggested, killing a Sin Scythe
"Which means more fun for us," Jenny added, slicing open a Gbusmira
Several Scarecrows came barrelling into view, but Michael revved up the Blue Queen, before shooting forth with the Ex-Streak move, sending the Scarecrows all over the place. Catching a Blade with his telekinesis, Cameron then bounced the demon several times, before striking with the Flame Staff, twirling it around as flames swept from the staff, burning any nearby demons as he smacked a Shadow aside
Jenny unleashed her electrical powers onto a group of Marionettes and Bloody Maries, lightning leaping from one wooden puppet to the other, finally blasting them apart in a shower of wood and splinters. Smiling to herself, Jenny then summoned Kraken, shooting the blades forth into an Orangguerra and slamming it against the wall. Tristan had changed the Devil Wings for Anubis, cutting a bloody swath around him, enjoying the slaughter he was creating
Lili decapitated a Frost, smirking as it fell back, clutching at the space where its head had been. She then slashed wide, killing three Fetishes at once, then whirled around to slice a Hell Sloth in half. Kicking then Brontmancer nearby, Lili slashed it across the chest, then rammed Yitoma into the chest of a Blood Goatling. Blue energy gathered on the blade as Lili threw the Goatling overhead, throwing it off the blade, then whipping Yitoma upwards, as three bands of energy flew off, slicing into several Bloodgoyles and turning them to stone, as Michael smashed them apart
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"Give it up, kid, there's no way you can beat me," Maverick growled
"Oh, I'm sure I can find a way," James replied
They slammed blades together, as the fire and ice clashed against each other. The pair then Devil Triggered, sending out waves of energy. They held their ground, trying to overcome the other in a battle of power. The clashing of fire and ice started to grow, becoming more dangerous with each passing second
"Let's see how long you can hold this up for?" Maverick said, "I am over two thousand years old. You? I'd say at least thirty years. You won't make it"
"You underestimate the power running through my veins," James said, his voice distorted by his transformation, "I can keep this up for however long I need"
The intensity of the fire and ice around them grew to an extremely dangerous point, yet the pair still had their swords locks, still struggling for power and were ignorant of what was happening around them. The power grew too much and it folded in on itself, letting rip with a massive explosion that rocked the foundations and brought the Order Headquarters crashing down. By then, James and Maverick finally realized what was happening and tried to make it out, but were blocked off, as rocks tumbled around them, burying them hundreds of feet under the ground
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Lucia batted Celeste aside and picked up the Spirit Orb, before rolling it along the ground past Vergil and kicking him in the chest, before flipping over him and landing on the orb, pressing it into the lock. Seeing the final orb, Dante picked it up, but Lucia appeared before him and slammed her palm into his chest, throwing him across the room, and catching the orb, only to have it punched out of her hand by Nero. Vergil came in and booted the orb into the air, where Celeste caught it. Lucia leapt up and slashed, but Celeste threw the orb away, as Dante kicked it across the room. Lucia chased after the orb, getting impaled by several of Vergil's phantom spears, as Nero slashed her across the stomach with the White Queen
Dante caught the orb and pressed Ivory's barrel to it, charging up his demonic energy into it. An axe made of demonic energy sliced into his shoulder, making his shot go off away from the orb, as Lucia swept his legs out and caught the orb. Celeste and Nero came at her, but she kicked the orb away, before teleporting behind them and catching the orb over the lock. However, before she could plant it, Vergil appeared before her and stabbed her through the stomach
"Game over, Lucia," he said
"I don't think so"
She grabbed Yamato and drew it out of her body, before throwing Vergil aside and placing the final orb into the lock. The gate lit up, as a beam of orange energy shot up through the tower, coming out of the roof and reaching into the sky above, gathering black clouds around it, as Lucia smiled
"Now, it begins"
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