Welome back, my friends. Now, let us turn back the clock a bit, and see what happened last chapter. After Dante and Raptor slayed the demons that crashed the concert, they rushed back to Morrigan's Castle, to find a legendary demon, battered and bruised, but what really surprised everyone, is that Dante knew this demon! This was Marcus, Warrior of the Crescent, and Sparda's old ally, who was saved in time to tell why he was so badly beaten. Listen well, to this.

THIS IS MARCUS NARRATING.

This is normal story speak.

Enjoy!

It all began when I had felt the energy of the Blood Lord rising. I had thought that Sparda and I had banished him to the Devil World and stripped him of his powers, but it appears that even a barrier can't keep him from this world for long. I had to travel miles of hills and mountains to find the bastard. Finally, I had located him, in a palace of blood near what the humans call, the Bermuda Triangle. I had cornered him, and suffice to say, he was not pleased finding me here.

Marcus had just burst in, after blowing down the door with a powerful invisible energy blast (Psychic Pulse), and just as he had entered, he could not believe what he was seeing. The Blood Lord, Jedah Dohma in all of his terrifying glory, was busy fighting a Shaolin Monk like person, wielding a very large sword, and with one reptilian eye. The battle was amazing! It seemed that both were evenly matched, until Jedah began to laugh insanely, and said, "Why do you fight me, Donovan? It's already over! In 14 days, the ancient tower will arise, where the demonic soul was first destroyed, and I shall rule over ALL!" Donovan, always the serious one, simply said, "I fight to preserve the life of those who would oppose you, Dark One. For even if I fall, one will rise in my stead, and destroy you once and for all." Jedah then frowned at this. "Donovan, there is no one else. Now join all the others that dared oppose my power! PROVA DEL CERVO!"

I could only watch in horror as Donovan was grabbed by the blood claw that the Blood Lord had conjured, was slammed three times into the ground, had his face ground like a stamp, and as he took his last breath, Donovan said, "Forgive me, Anita." And with that, he was slammed into a giant scroll, a Hell's Contract. Then, I saw the Blood Lord open his coat and absorb Donovan, absorb him into that black abyss of his heart. The dreaded Servant's Proof. At this point I could not care less if I was seen or not. I prepared myself for battle.

As soon as Jedah had absorbed Donovan, he heard a furious scream! Turning his head, he saw Marcus, engulfed in a blue/purplish energy flame, which was a mix of pure demonic energy and psyonic powers, his hands were alight with emerald flames, and his sandals were changed into black weighted fighting boots. "Well, it seems that I have more unwanted guests, and as if history were prepared to repeat itself, it is one of the same people that imprisoned me, the Demon of the Crescent, Marcus. To what do I owe the honor of this unpleasant visit?" Marcus, in a rage, said, "You haven't changed, Blood Lord. You're still picking on creatures weaker than yourself." "Oh, silence, please! One week out of my imprisonment, I'm already listening to one of your lectures. You're worse than Sparda, that pompous, blustering windbag!"

As you can tell, that got me very upset. I can handle a lot of things, but slandering my friend's good name? That was, as mortals would aptly put it, the straw that broke the camel's back!

"HOW DARE YOU!" Marcus then summoned a sword to his hand, a katana with one side smooth and pure as light, while the reverse side was serrated and black as the darkness. The handle was a demon's hand, holding a white orb. This was the legendary Twilight Blade, the Sword That Cuts Through The Darkness. "FOR DISGRACING MY FRIEND'S NAME, I WILL TEAR YOU CLEAN APART!" Jedah merely laughed at this. "Oh, I'm quivering! But as long as we're talking off tearing things apart, WHY DON'T I TAKE A TRY!?"

And then, before I could gather what was happening, the Blood Lord made the first strike, by executing Dio Cega, or God's Saw, a grisly attack that involved him tearing a part of his wing and throwing it, turning it into a deadly saw blade. Luckily, I was able to dodge the blade, and counter with a little attack of my own.

"Try this, fool!" And with that, Marcus dodges the Dio Cega, and dashed towards Jedah, claw bared, shouting, "DEMONIC CLAW!" Marcus' claw was covered in black demonic chi and with one swift motion, he slashed right across Jedah's chest, and as soon as he cut through, a soul was released, and hit the ground, restoring it, both body and form. Jedah, however, was bleeding profusely, screaming. "First Blood, Dohma. First Blood." But, Jedah's screaming stopped suddenly, as he regained his calm face. Marcus wondered why he stopped. Then, the cut he had delivered upon Jedah just vanished! "You little fool.," Jedah chided. "Do you honestly think that a meager attack like that can harm me? All you've done..." As he spoke, Jedah pointed across the now blood-stained floor, and finished, "is give me an incredible advantage! Now watch as I implement another of my skills!"

The Blood Lord then rose his clawed hand, and suddenly, the pools of blood around me began to move, and rise. Eventually they began to take form. One took the form of a martial artist, wearing a karate gi and a headband, with the stance of the Shotokan arts. Another was in a sort of ninja outfit, wearing a sort of high tech headband, and wielding a powerful photon sword. The next one was a ninja wielding a sword and wearing a red handkerchief. The final one was none other than Donovan. The one unifying factor of them, they had no faces. These were Sangue Marionetas, Blood Puppets.

"Attack!" Jedah had ordered his puppets to attack. The martial artist began the assault with a punishing uppercut, which flew into the air. The two ninjas then jumped and slashed at Marcus, and Donovan summoned the Fire Spirit to slash Marcus across the chest (Flame Sword.). However, Marcus was not so easily fallen. Using his psychokinetic powers, he lifted his sword and struck the martial artist, and destroyed it. Then, while the sword attacked the others with deadly precision, Marcus charged in to strike Jedah again. This time, his feet were engulfed in the same flames that covered his hands. "INFERNAL KICK!" Upon saying this, Marcus executed a flying kick that would more or less knock Jedah's head clean off! However, Jedah unsheathed his long claws, and shouted, "NERO FAUTICA!" As soon as Marcus was in range, Jedah slashed, encasing Marcus in a bubble of blood. Then, with a slash, a scythe kick, and finally, using his wings as a Reaper Scythe, the bubble popped, and revealed Marcus, battered and bloody, cut three times across the chest, gashed in the back, and struck across the face. "HA! The Demon of the Crescent, so easily fallen? You've let yourself slip, fool." Marcus, never one to give up, began to stand, but as he had lost a lot of blood, he was finding it hard to keep himself awake. "Oh, my, Marcus, are you still trying to win? Just give up. It will be much easier.," Jedah snickered. Then, Marcus moved his hands in a sort of zen motion, and concentrated his energy.

I had no other choice. This was an all or nothing moment. I summoned the last of my strength, and executed one of my most devastating techniques, the Shadow Impulse. With this, I concentrated the remainder of my chi into a powerful blast, so powerful that I can barely control it. I did devastating damage to the Blood Lord, but caused more harm to myself. Then, I was hurled back, and was right next to the soul I had released. At this point, the Blood Lord was looming ever closer, clothes torn, face bruised. He was not very pleased with me.

"You actually hurt me! No one hurts Jedah Dohma!" Jedah's eyes were redder than they had ever been. He rose his hand and shouted, "Now I am going to show you a new universe, full of pain! All sorts of new pains, and new senses to feel them with!" Marcus knew that in his current state, he could never win against Jedah. So, he grabbed the person he had released from it's confinement, and whispered, "Twilight Gate." With that, just seconds before Jedah could stab him, Marcus vanished beneath a black seal.

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"And that's what happened. The Blood Lord has grown stronger than I am right now. I don't know what he's planning, but I won't allow it to pass." Marcus had finished his little narration. Dante was, for the first time in his life, worried. "Whoa. I knew the Blood Lord was strong, but I didn't know he was that powerful." Anita, however was saddened at the news that Donovan was defeated by this vile creature. "Donovan...is gone?" For the first time in many years, Anita slowly, but surely began to weep. Marcus, hating to see a woman in such distress, reached out to comfort her. "It's all right," he said, now holding Anita in a warm embrace, like a father to a daughter, "I will make sure that Donovan is saved from his imprisonment, if it's the last thing I do in this mortal plane!" Anita felt the warmth again, knowing this time for certain that she really was in love with this man, this Crescent Demon, this Marcus, not only for his looks, or his strength, but because he, in many way, reminded her of Donovan. Grateful, Anita whispered softly in Marcus' ear, "Thank you." At this point, Marcus began to feel the warmth, and blushed. Just hearing Anita's voice stirred feelings that he had never felt before!

Then, Dante crashed the moment. "Hey, Marc, I have a question. What happened to that other soul you released?" Marcus smiled, "He is in the upstairs bedroom, resting. I wouldn't try to wake him though, he needs his strength."

Meanwhile in the Palace of Blood, Jedah paced back and forth, furious that he let Marcus get away! "I must kill him, before he is able to stop me from achieving my goals!" He thought and thought, but then, his pale blue face lit up in a sinister smile. "I know the perfect way to kill him now." Raising his hand, a pool of blood rose and took the form of a pedestal, with a phone attached, and as he dialed the number, he smiled again. The phone rang, and then it was answered by a sort of young girl's voice, "Start talkin', pal, it's your dollar." Jedah then said in a sinister tone, "I have a job for you, my dear. The usual pay, and I will be sure to pay you half in advance." "Okay, pal. Who's the target?" "Marcus, the Demon of the Crescent."

Uh, oh! Looks like Jedah's ready to hire some help to kill Marcus, and anyone who stands in the way of him! Who is it, and why is Jedah so confident? By the way, who do you think the new teammate the Troop of Demon Fighters should be? Tell me, and the name who gets the most vote will be in my next chapter! Until then, sweet dreams...