A/N: Thanks to all who are still reading Perspective, who follow and favourite it. Special thanks to all who reviewed (and will review if I'm lucky). This is the last chapter but most certainly not my last work.
Status: not beta-ed again (Sorry, that I was unable to find one during all those weeks.); part 6 of 6
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of DmC.
Note: Since Vergil's downfall is released I should tell you that I wrote most of this story much earlier, so Vergil's recent events are ignored in Perspective.
6. Vergil makes his appearance
It had gotten dark until they were ready to leave. The full moon was bright at the cloudless sky, illuminating the devastated city. Dante had a bad feeling. For some reason he remembered the verbal pictures the demons had given him at Paradise: Rivers of blood and a blood red moon, a writhing pile of bodies. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, telling himself that every bad horror movie delivered such impressions. It was probably just the time of day. Usually he wouldn't go out for a fight bringing Kat with him at his time in the middle of the night. But the guys had somehow urged her to get to the stadium asap. That was another reason for bad feelings: three of the men were with them now. Trevor, the jeans- clad guy from the bar, drove the car. It probably belonged to him. It was bigger than Kat's, a family car, offering a bit more space. She sat next to him, sunken in her own thoughts it seemed. The first row of backseats was occupied by Shaun and Mike. Phineas and Dante sat behind them. The latter disliked the situation more and more the longer this trip took. Human devil hunters, he thought with distaste. Someone surely would die tonight. Small wonder his mind was infested with such images.
Finally they saw the stadium. It was nothing more than a dark silhouette in front of the dark sky at first but the closer they came the more people appeared on the road. They seemed like zombies. Something drew them to the 'Hellgate'. When the group reached the parking lot they found the reason. A truck with Virility advertisement stood close to the entrance.
"Virility sponsored the stadium", Mike explained, "just like they sponsored Raptor News Network."
"It seems like they are still selling it in there", Kat said.
"I don't think 'selling' is the right word", Shaun stated when they left the car. Around the truck people actually tried to kill each other. It was a silent agreement that the hunters group would take a look at what was going on. Or at least that one of them would.
"I'll go in. You wait", Dante said.
"I wouldn't bet on it", Shaun retorted. Trevor had opened the car trunk which seemed to contain the whole arsenal of the group. Shaun picked up a katana and an AK. He swung the gun over his shoulder and holstered his sword around his waist. Mike and Trevor got armed with guns and other stuff as well.
"They'll make me responsible for your deaths so I repeat myself: I'll go in. You wait." Dante said. He couldn't believe they still thought they had a chance.
"They are human. What are you afraid of?", Shaun asked motioning towards the crowd. Without hesitation he approached the truck. The other two men followed him. Kat and Phineas stayed at the car with Dante who had a few very unpleasant speculations what could happen next.
"Shouldn't we follow them?", Kat asked carefully.
"I can't protect all 5 of you. If they want to get killed I'm afraid we have to let them do just that." Dante could tell that Kat felt very uncomfortable about the situation. She shuffled and tensed whenever they heard a shot. After a while Dante felt her eyes upon him. "I can't", he repeated. Of course she was worried for her friends but right now the idiots were not only getting themselves into trouble but they also shot at other human beings.
"There!" Kat announced. Mike had separated from the crowd and waved over to them.
"The truck is empty but for a few crates of Virility. We go inside the stadium now!", he shouted over to them.
"Stupid idea!", Dante answered. He kept his position, leaning against the car with his arms crossed in front of his chest, to demonstrate what he thought about their doing. It didn't matter to them though. Kat got nervous again as they watched the guys fighting their way to the entrance. The people there were more aggressive, Dante could tell even from this distance. More shots fell, some people came to their minds and run away but most of them urged into the building themselves. People killing people, there was nothing more to it and nothing less. It was a bit like war. Nothing Dante wanted to be involved with. There was no chance Vergil would be in there anyway. They better tried the aircraft factory but Dante knew that Phineas was probably the only one to agree with him about that.
"We can't let them die", the medium finally said, after they had lost the guys from sight again, and run to catch up with the other humans. Dante exhaled and looked over to Phineas. The demon had turned his head towards the direction Sky Ryders was in. At least he was clever enough to avoid this chaos, Dante thought.
"Will you wait here?", the hunter asked.
"There are demons inside", Phineas informed him, "They are both, human and demonic. You have to make a choice. Will you kill human beings?"
"I will kill the demons." More shots came from the stadium. Dante couldn't see Kat anymore but again a lot of people left the building. "They'll do the killing of humans", the hunter said bitterly.
"I wait here. You don't need me anyway." Phineas sat down next to the locked car. He drew some paper and a pen out of his robe.
"You're prepared this time", Dante remarked. He went over to the car trunk and took the flash light he had seen when the others had armed themselves.
The hunter hadn't even reached the entrance when the first man attacked him with an iron bar. He dodged, then counter attacked, knocking the man out. More people attacked then. Even women were fighting fiercely. While the hunter did his best to not kill anyone he heard shots from the inside. Again. He couldn't concentrate on defending himself, he had to get in there to make sure Kat was OK. His human opponents tried to follow him, reaching out to catch him or throwing improvised weapons at his back. This was like running the gantlet. He could barely fight back and got hit over and over again. Luckily they didn't cause much damage. When Dante reached the ranks he got his first glance upon the dead bodies. This place was going to become a mass grave. Blood was already everywhere on the ground. He noticed CCTV cameras along the ceiling. Their eyes were mostly fixed on him but a few seemed to gesture into special directions. Who controlled them since Raptor News was offline? Anyway Dante used them to move above the heads of people. It took him some time until he found Trevor trying to destroy a stall of Virility with a baseball bat. The hunter used the momentum, swinging from a camera, drawing Arbiter and smashing the stall with one fatal blow. Virility splashed into all directions and hit a few humans. They screamed loudly. Trevor stumbled back staring at the scene unbelievingly.
"That was -", he tried but got interrupted by a men throwing a chair at him. He dodged it in the nick of time. Some of the humans changed their appearance. More limbs grew out of their bodies. Since they seemed to turn into demons Dante decapitated them with his axe. A woman had gotten a second head in quick evolution but the hunter cut that off, too.
"I know", Dante stated as soon as they had a moment of peace. "Where are the others?"
"I don't know. I lost them. There are too many people around."
"Try to hide. I'll try to find a way to clear the place."
Trevor nodded and run off. Dante watched him until he couldn't see him anymore then he looked up at a camera. It pointed him down the ranks. At least it seemed like it did. It was just an eye after all. Since Dante had no other plans he followed the advice and fought his way down. There were still normal people between the transforming demons but their number quickly decreased. A glance up the ranks woke the terrible image of a pile of dead and still writhing bodies and rivers of blood flowing down. And all the time there were shots indicating more deaths. He had to hurry. Just a few minutes later he had found Mike fighting a man with a vendors tray. The seller had grown himself some extra arms so Dante decided he was demonic enough to be shot. Ivory's bullet hit the man right between the eyes.
"Dante, there you are. I lost Kat only minutes ago. She has to be close!" Mike seemed worried although it was hard to tell. Dante watched him fighting back a really fat guy. Unlike Trevor Mike seemed to count only on his fists and fast movements barely using his gun. He had an advantage in this fight but he would miserably fail against an armored or shield- equipped demon. It was pure luck that he was still alive. Suddenly the fat man screamed. A skeleton tore apart his chest and stomach and climbed out of the body. Dante greeted it with a shot of the Revenant to its head. Then he destroyed the cans of Virility which had fallen from the vendors tray with a few bullets of Ivory.
"Trevor must be hiding somewhere upstairs. Try to find him", he commanded. Mike nodded and run the stairs up. Dante looked around and found another CCTV camera. It was focused on something to the left side. The hunter went that direction. For some reason the cameras filmed the fighters. Who was watching them? Dante came across another stall. The people around this one had already turned to extra- limbed demons. Some of them were still drinking Virility which had an instant effect on their bodies. They grew fat and more aggressive until the demons inside tore their bodies apart. Those were equipped with swords and shields. They attacked immediately but stopped as a sudden flash of light illuminated the stadium. The headlights and the big screen had been switched on. The first seemed to be blood stained for the light was partly red. The demons tried to avoid the light, some of them got burned by it. Now, it was easier than expected to fight them back and to destroy the stall. Then there were shots again. Dante looked to the screen. It displayed Kat shooting with Ebony at several demons, dodging attacks and shooting again. Considering her surroundings the hunter could tell she was on the lawn in the center.
"Not far away, eh?", he mocked and started to fight his way to her. The place had gotten far lesser crowded since the headlights were on. Dante had to climb over a lot of bodies. When he looked up to check the cameras he notices that the headlights threw a red shade across the moon which barely shone through the clouds now. Finally Dante arrived at the center where Kat was fighting back to back with Shaun. The man showed a lot of expertise with his weapons. He could change swiftly and didn't miss any attack at him or Kat. But if he was here than who had switched on the lights, the screen and who the fuck controlled the cameras? Just as Dante intended to join in, the floodlights switched on as well. The whole stadium was illuminated now. Every demon around screamed and disintegrated. Apparently the higher concentrated Virility made also light sensitive. The speakers made a static sound. All humans who were left looked to the screen - as did Dante.
"Holy shit", Shaun commented the moment the pictures appeared on the screen. The first had been taken by a camera in the night club. It showed Dante who parted a beautiful woman into two halves. The angle was so that the succubus' wings were out of the picture and she had her red eyes closed, but everyone could see the hunter's devilish face. The next picture was taken at the Raptor News tower. It showed Dante who pierced Rebellion through the chest of a child. There was no hint to the illusion the hunter had seen at that time. It was just poor Andy surrounded by a bit of light in the dark room. The third picture showed Dante kicking at a helpless man who was already lying on the ground, taken in the Virility factory. Then the screen showed the actual situation, with no demons left but countless dead people all over the ranks while blood streamed down the steps. And then the cameras focused on Dante who stared at the screen unbelievingly.
"Well done, Dante. You destroyed every can of Virility in this stadium it seems. Are you proud of yourself?", Vergil's voice was to hear through the speakers. "You also found human friends to participate in your slaughter. What a pretty scene. Do you think you can clear the world off demons now? A Nephilim and some humans against billions of demons. That's the stuff heroes are made of, I guess. Problem is just that people will try to kill you when they see those little snapshots. Who will believe you're fighting for mankind then? But see the upside, too. You're no longer bound to that stupid goal of yours. I freed you of your self made image of a protector of mankind. I am inclined to smooth over our past differences, brother. Meet me at Sky Ryders. And you better come alone. We wouldn't like to hurt your new friends. I send a few demons for their entertainment." Then the screen and all lights went off and darkness fell upon the 'Hellgate'.
Mike and Trevor joined the group.
"You saw that?", Trevor asked excitedly.
"Was that a T-O-N sign in the corner?", Dante asked.
"The Order Network", Kat breathed. "He'll use The Order to infuriate people because they already know the group. He'll spread the pictures via the Internet."
"First he tells us to support you, now he tells us you're the root of all evil? He's destroying The Order's credibility. He wouldn't ... I mean, it's his own creation. He'll make himself untrustworthy", Mike tried to reason.
"Who knows his face? Give him another mask, another voice changer and he'll tell you The Order tried to hide those pictures from the public. He can set up as many fake organizations as he likes", Dante stated and turned to leave.
"Better we stop him", Trevor said. The humans caught up with the Nephilim.
"I will stop him. You have to get back to HQ. He said he send some demons and I have no doubts he also knows where to send them to." Thoughts were running wild inside Dante's head. There was no chance that all what had happened had been set up. Vergil surely found the records with his hacking skills. Maybe he wanted revenge. Destroy my life because I destroyed yours - something like this. But that wouldn't fit to him saying he wanted to smooth over past differences.
"At least we found him", Shaun stated when they left the stadium. That was what reminded Dante that Kat had seen all that, too. He cursed himself for forgetting her while thinking about Vergil. As he looked around he noticed that she had fallen behind, following the group of men only slowly with her head low and her steps unsteady. Again Vergil had hurt her. She must feel terrible.
"You need to take her with you", he said in a low voice to Mike who went next to him. "She's in no condition to fight and I surely can't let her come with me."
The other man looked over his shoulder to her and nodded. "Sure thing."
Kat didn't put up much of a fight when Dante told her to get back with the others. She had brought her friends to the apartment block, thinking that it was a safer place. Now it was going to be attacked. She probably blamed herself for putting them into danger.
"Sky Ryders aircraft works?", Phineas asked once the car was out of sight.
Dante nodded. They stole a car from the parking lot when the rain started.
"What do you know about that Statius guy? What are his motives?", the hunter asked while driving. Sky Ryders' was pretty far away from the stadium so he had the time to listen to the demon's story.
Phineas told him that Statius had been a close 'friend' to Sparda and Mundus. When Sparda betrayed the demons Statius had hesitated to decide for a side. Mundus had reacted immediately and send him to the prison which later became the Raptor News tower. But Phineas had never met him there so he thought Statius had found a way out very soon after his capture. He must have hid well for Mundus probably never knew his former ally had escaped. Since Mundus betrayal was more direct Statius probably was now planning on getting Sparda out of hell. Demons never used to make friends but the old ones stuck to some own kind of codex which demanded loyalty.
"How could he get him out?", Dante asked. This was a topic he was very involved with. If there was a way to get his father out of his punishment he should know about it.
"Only by opening another hell gate to get there himself. That would inevitably result in more demons escaping into this world."
"How many?"
"Does it matter? Let it be one of the oldest ones and you'll have mankind enslaved forever."
Dante nodded. This was too much of a risk. But he could see why Vergil agreed into this plan.
"Is there some trick to it? Why would the plan require my help?"
Phineas didn't answer right away. When he did he sounded clueless himself. "Maybe some sort of sentimentalism to Sparda."
Sky Ryders had bought a lot of buildings all over the world. Still the biggest was right here. Dante stood in front of the giant advertisement which was decorated with Kyle Ryder's face. It was a little bit nostalgic. The Nephilim had barely ever been prepared with information before a fight but this time he was. He knew Phineas was on his way in with the CD Dante had given him. He also knew that there weren't any humans in danger unless somebody had been stupid enough to stay in there. And best of all he got informed about that Statius guy. Phineas offered to help in this matter. He said he knew a way to seal the other demon's power from safe distance. If anything went wrong he would find a way to warn Dante, he promised. He wouldn't let Statius surprise him. So all Dante needed to do was concentrating on Vergil, keep him distracted, maybe convince him to change sides or knock him out.
Yet the hunter wondered why Phineas wanted to fight. He wouldn't complain though. Fighting Vergil would need all his concentration especially if he got another chance to defeat his twin. There was no doubt his devil would go for the kill again.
The rain was still pouring when Dante passed the advertisement. He send a dart of little Kablooey to Ryder's aka Mundus' face. When he was far enough away he let it detonate. He hadn't thought it was possible but this brightened his mood a little bit. He was grinning while the first burning, now smoking paper rained down along with the water.
The complex of buildings was copious and filled with demons but soon Dante noticed the system.
"You left a trail of demonic breadcrumbs. Now, that's sweet." And that trail led him to a giant hall. Usually there would be airplanes in here but it was empty now. There was no one to be seen.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Dante shouted into the empty hall.
"You seem to enjoy the game. Are you sure you want it to end? I have plenty more demons ready for you", the speakers answered with Vergil's voice.
"Cut the crap, Vergil. I'm here to stop you and your new demon lover!"
"Look who's talking. I've seen your little demon on the screens. He's a bit too old for you, wouldn't you agree?" Vergil appeared on the scaffold through one of his portals. He leaned forward, resting his arms crossed on the handrail. "But I was wondering what happened to Kat."
"Why is that? Are you missing her?"
"You should know me better by now. Tell me, how did you find me at Paradise in such a short time? We had barely left when the cameras already showed you on the driveway."
"You have your tricks, I have mine. Now come down here and fight!"
"You're always so aggressive, brother. Kat would certainly want you trying to convince me how wrong I am." Vergil straightened and started pacing. "I told you I'd forget about our differences and that you almost killed me. It's not your fault at all, is it? I've been born with a devil myself. I know how demanding it can be."
"So what now?" Dante watched his brother closely. He could tell by the sound of his voice that there was more to it. "You want me at your side again, ruling over mankind? Do we really have to go over this topic again?"
"I found a much more challenging task. You certainly remember what I told you about our father. That he's still alive. What would you say if I found a way to free him?" Vergil stopped his pacing and looked at his brother expectantly.
"You want to open a gate and literally go to hell. You know what? That's bullshit. You open the gate and more demons come out. I will not help you." So Phineas had been right. It was about Sparda now.
"I'm surprised. Who told you about that?"
"I heard it through the grapevine. Will you come down and fight now? Or do I have to get up there?"
Vergil exhaled audibly. "I guess I have to cool your temper down before we can really talk. Just keep in mind that I can destroy your life by simply uploading the images. You better kill me. If you can." Then he disappeared from the scaffold and reappeared a few feet to the left of his brother. "But that should be easy now. There is no Kat around to stop you from becoming who you really are. A lesser demon. A mindless killing machine. I could use you so easily to fight my battles. But I couldn't foresee that you would fall in love with Kat."
"This is your way to cool my temper down?", Dante asked, ignoring the meaning of what Vergil had said. Feelings and battle. Two different things. Yet there was one feeling he couldn't deny: something was very wrong.
"Attack then, brother", Vergil said, placing a hand at Yamato's hilt.
Dante did as he was told to. He expected Vergil to parry so he decided to use Arbiter. But his brother just disappeared again only to come down like an eagle upon its prey but with a force like a meteor hitting earth. Arbiter absorbed most of the incoming power but it still was a painful impact as Yamato hit the axe.
"Try again", Vergil teased, backing away and resuming his fighting stance.
Maybe it was better to stay agile so Dante tried Aquila. He wasn't badly surprised to see Vergil deflecting the blades. Before the last blade hit Yamato the hunter rushed forward with Osiris in his hands. But he was forced to stop his attack as Illusion swords appeared in the air, descending quickly. He could evade them but the moment he thought he had another chance to attack four of them appeared circling around him. A well timed jump had him escaping them but the moment he was in the air he was face to face with his brother who brought down Yamato onto his head with brutal force. The sword had been sheathed but the attack send Dante to the ground nevertheless. He got to his feet again quickly and saw Vergil attacking through his blurred vision. Rebellion was the first to come to his mind so he used the broad sword to block.
"Help me, brother. You would let our father suffer for eternity because of what reason?" And again Vergil backed away, disappeared before Dante could launch another attack at him and reappeared on the scaffold. He paced up and down there watching his twin attentively. Dante drew Kablooey and aimed it at Vergil, who laughed in return. "Turning my own weapons against me, aren't we? But that's the right weapon. Keep it in mind."
"What?", Dante asked but more Illusion Swords distracted him. Again he evaded and when he looked up his brother was gone again, only to attack from his right. For a moment Dante wondered why Vergil didn't hit him in the back but he would most certainly not ask. He rolled out of Yamato's reach and send a dart of his weapon to his brother. It only hit the blade and recoiled towards himself. He let the dart explode before it came too close. The fight continued like this, with Dante changing through his weapons and Vergil every now and then reappearing on the scaffold to take the time for talking. It was a very single- sided dialog for Dante had rarely the time or the mood to answer. He was rather observing instead, noticing that Vergil timed most of his fatal attacks after one of his little speeches or questions. The force his brother used was surprising as well. The concrete ground broke when Yamato's sheath hit it. But Vergil would never use the blade for such attacks. It was much smaller than Rebellion so Dante thought he maybe feared that it would break. Then again, could a Nephilim weapon break at all? He had the feeling Vergil was not really aiming for victory although he teased Dante and surprised him with some attacks. Time passed and at some point the devil hunter remembered Phineas. As on cue the sound of Heavy Metal music coming from the speakers interrupted the fight. That was the CD he had given to Phineas and it meant something had gone wrong. The hunter knew he had to be prepared for Statius now.
"What is that?", Vergil asked, looking as surprised as upset.
Suddenly a wall burst and the music died down. Debris flew through the hall. Dante dodged them while keeping an eye out for Phineas. One big piece of concrete smashed the scaffold Vergil was standing on. He evaded it by jumping down, landing only a few feet away from his brother. One of his hands was already lying on Yamato's hilt but he visibly relaxed when he saw Statius approaching through the dust.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience but I didn't know another way to stop that noise", the demon said.
"That was culture, you bastard!" Dante shouted. So the CD had gotten blown to pieces. Did that happen to Phineas, too? The demon was nowhere to be seen.
"Don't mind me", Statius said apparently addressing Vergil.
At first Dante didn't trust Statius to stay out of this but soon he noticed that he had no other choice. Vergil's way of fighting had changed drastically. He attacked with more force and an always unsheathed sword. Now he was going for the victory and Dante found himself in defense. His brother was quick and precise. He could avoid his attacks rather than parry and counter attack. It got even worse when his twin used his devil trigger but Dante didn't dare to unleash his devil himself. The moment inevitably came when Vergil won the upper hand and the devil hunter found himself on the ground, his body aching from the exertion of the fight and his inner devil scraping at the door of his mind. Vergil towered over him and then leaned in close, resting his weight on Yamato which pierced the ground next to Dante's head.
"You did well", he whispered, "but now you have to do even better. Give in and fight Statius." His voice was barely audible but the time he took seemed to unsettle said demon.
"What are you doing? Convince him or kill him", the demon demanded.
"Well then, Dante. This is your last chance. We can save our father or die trying. Or you die right here. You have nothing to lose. I have your reputation and life in my hands", Vergil announced, drawing Yamato out of the ground, lifting it, ready to pierce his brother's chest this time.
There was no other choice. Dante couldn't rely on his twin to not kill him although his behavior was strange. So he let lose of his devil who refilled his beaten body with new power. As Yamato came down he caught the blade between his palms and pushed it to the side, causing Vergil to let go of his weapon. Dante then delivered a kick to his brother's stomach which send him staggering backwards. He jumped to his feet and attacked the unarmed Nephilim but Rebellion hit a giant axe instead.
"Get your sword, son of Sparda", the demon told Vergil who obeyed. Dante put his full force and weight behind Rebellion but the axe didn't move at all. Statius pushed him back and swiftly attacked. Dante greeted the axe with his own. He made it to parry and counter attack but Arbiter didn't harm the armor of the demon. That was when he remembered Kablooey and Vergil's words. The right weapon to keep in mind. He gave it a try and shot a dart which got stuck at the armor. The demon roared in anger as it exploded, breaking a great part of Statius' defense.
"You're as dishonorable as you're brother had been. But I'll show you what it will get you." Suddenly the giant axe caught fire. The demon rushed forward. Dante tried to roll out of the way but Statius was more agile than expected. The demon barely hit its opponent but the hunter lost his balance though. Dante caught himself and threw an Enyx fist at the knight, who parried with his own. Whatever metal the armor was made of it made Dante feel like he had just hit a concrete wall with his bare hand. Normally the impact would have flaked the skin off his knuckles but Enyx could endure the pressure. He hit Statius helmet with his other fist but that couldn't harm him as well. The power of the armor and that of Enyx seemed to be dead even. Dante backed away, drew Kablooey once more. But even before he could think about pulling the trigger the burning axe hit his arm. He lost the grip of his weapon and backed further away from Statius. But the demon came after him, sending more violent blows with its axe towards Dante who could do nothing more than to evade until his back hit the wall of the building. With Enyx he blocked a few punches but while he felt his own demon getting weaker Statius seemed to get even stronger. One strike eventually his his stomach hard enough to break the wall behind him. Luckily it had only been the hilt of the weapon but the next attack was clearly supposed to cut him apart. One last time Dante collected all his strength and pushed the knight away who lost his balance for a moment. The hunter attacked, piercing Rebellion through one of the cracks in the demons armor. Statius only hissed and send the hilt of the axe down onto Dante's shoulder. The Nephilim fell to his knees but the knight seemed injured as well. With one shoulder damaged, the pain radiating through his arm, he had trouble to hold up his axe. That was probably why he holstered the weapon and instead punched Dante with his armored fist. He hit the hunters jaw, sending him to ground completely, spitting blood while trying to reactivate his inner demon. It was gone though. He had no power left.
"You need a break, son of Sparda?", Statius asked, towering over him. "Since you are twins I guess you're willing to change your mind now."
"Fuck you", Dante spit out.
Statius laughed and lifted an armored foot. "Just - give - in - already!", he demanded while delivering forceful kicks with each word, shattering Dante's ribcage. The pain was almost unbearable and the hunter close to unconsciousness. He thought that was, why he suddenly heard Kat's voice, begging someone to do something. But as his head fell to the side he saw her standing at the entrance of the building, aiming Ebony at the demon. She pulled the trigger and draw the attention of Statius off of Dante. The knight slowly turned to look at her.
"And who are you?", he asked.
"She's not important. Her weapon cannot harm you nor me", Vergil said. Dante wondered where his twin had been all the time. Probably he stood on a part of the scaffold which was still intact. Strangely, his voice sounded somewhat strained.
"I'll get rid of her though", Statius said. With some trouble he draw his axe, trying to wield it single- handed.
Dante felt the splinters of his ribs pressing into his flesh and lungs like needles as he tried to move. There was no chance he could get up. He needed a break for his bones to heal and his power to recover. That was probably what Kat tried to do, playing out time. But she would get killed if he didn't move. Ebony wouldn't make any damage. He had to get Kablooey back but the weapon had fallen to the ground some feet away. Yet, as he looked around the Taser- like weapon was within reach. It was painful beyond description to reach out, grab it, lift the arm, pull the trigger and send another dart towards the back of the demon and let it explode. More of the armor fell to the ground, leaving the back of the demon almost bare.
"Just wait a moment. I'll be right back", Statius commented, not caring about his lost armor anymore. He didn't even look at Dante but instead started to run to Kat. Like some huge juggernaut the demon rushed over to her, unstoppable - until it stopped. There was a blueish light like of an Illusion Sword. Vergil had appeared behind the knight. Dante could barely see what had happened. He saw the stance and the hilt of Yamato concluding that his brother must have stabbed the demon. His twin was so close to Kat that Dante was afraid he had hit her, too. Her small body was out of sight.
"You got sacrificed for the greater good", Vergil said, placing a hand on the demon's shoulder to keep it in place when he removed his blade. He stepped to the side, pulling the demon back so it fell and pushed Yamato through the devil's body again, the small blade smoothly fitting through the damaged armor. Now Dante could see Kat. She was still standing and seemed unharmed. Yamato must have stopped only inches away from her body.
"You ... traitor", Statius hissed before he started to disintegrate.
"Like father like son", Vergil commented, sheathing his sword. Then he turned, approaching Dante. Kat went after him, Ebony still in her trembling hand.
"It's quite a different perspective being the one on the ground, isn't it?"
Dante forced a smile. He had no clue what had really happened. Slowly his body recovered but he knew if Vergil decided to kill him now he could not defend himself. Vergil knelt down and took Kablooey from his hand.
"It's mine and I badly missed it over the past days. You can keep the Revenant though. This is just my insurance." He straightened again, ignoring Kat who stood next to him. For a moment he only looked at his brother before he carefully nudged his devastated chest with his foot. That send another wave of pain through Dante's whole body.
"Fuck you, Vergil", the hunter growled while Kat went to his other side and knelt down next to him. "I'm fine", he then lied through gritted teeth in an attempt to comfort her.
Vergil turned around to leave. Dante wondered if he avoided to look at Kat or if he just had enough.
"Where are you going?", he asked instead.
"A victory against you wouldn't be satisfying considering your condition. There is a lot of work to be done to find and open the gate, so take your time to recover."
"I'll find you", the hunter promised.
"I'll make sure you do", Vergil said and opened another one of his portals. "See you soon." Then he left again. But this time there was no anger or disappointment in his voice. Dante cursed him though. Again his twin had ignored Kat completely. There was no goodbye to her nor even the hint that he had noticed her presence but for his comment about the weapon and the fact he hadn't stabbed her when he killed Statius. What the hell was going on inside that man's head?
Kat didn't understand the talking about the gate because Dante didn't tell her about Vergil's plans. It was something she probably couldn't understand and he didn't want her to look for his brother again. Vergil had promised to inform him before he would make his next step. That had to be enough. At least for Dante it was. And the medium was easily distracted when she got to know about Phineas. She spend a lot of time searching through the debris, while Dante recovered, but all she had found when she came back was Phineas' eye. The old guy had had no chance and Dante felt guilty that he had brought him here. He should have known better. Phineas hadn't been a fighter all along. Fuck safe distance. No distance had been large enough to avoid Statius attacks, let alone when you're old and slow. But Phineas must have known the danger. He had tried it though and that was something Dante really appreciated. Of course Kat started crying as soon as she realized the demon was dead. Dante hold her like he had at Silver Sacks towers.
"You're crying for a demon", he softly informed her. This surely was something new.
"He was a friend", she whispered in between sobs. She was right.
Outside the building the rain had stopped. Slowly Dante led the way to Kat's car with her still sobbing and clinging to him. The hunter wanted to know why she had come and why she hadn't at least brought some of the men with her. He didn't ask though. Apparently they had let her go alone. That was when he realized that Kat was the only friend he really had. It was the same situation like at Silver Sacks but this time he had changed perspective. She would always get herself in danger, he feared. And danger would always come after him. To keep her safe he would leave the town - alone. The demons would come after him and that would leave her secure and healthy. And if she was lucky she would finally forget Vergil and maybe never have to see him again. This was not the right time to tell her but in the end he would.