"Uh-huh." is his only reaction.
It takes a while for Dante, Trish, and Lady to realize that their client is merely a few yards away from them. It also takes a couple of moments for them to realize that they just nearly shot him. The first of the three to react is Lady. Lowering her Kalina Ann, she approaches the man in the distant with a strangely apologetic look. Dante and Trish on the other hand are left posing in place, still awkwardly raising their twin guns at Adrian.
"Hey, sorry about that." she steps in front of the client, scratching the back of her head awkwardly, while her other hand waves at the two to lower their weapons. "'got a little excited back there."
Adrian tilts his head slightly to look at the two demons. "Quite."
He watches as Dante walks toward him. Heavy black boots striking the street as his red coat flows, nearly touching the ground. Adrian locks eyes with the taller, white haired man before Dante moves forward and offers his hand for a handshake. Though reluctant, Adrian takes his hand and shakes it cautiously. He narrows his eyes, a little doubt creeping up inside him as Dante backs away slowly, his hands raised carelessly.
Adrian is well aware of Dante, the (in)famous Demon Hunter, a man well known for his exploits against demons. He's seen the guns, rumored to be called the 'Ebony and Ivory' just moments ago. Not only that, he was also given the honor to be fired at by them. The sword stabbed at his back must be the Rebellion, he thinks. Still, he considers it a little odd that Dante's acting so courteous. He expected Dante to be a little more impolite, based on the impressions some of his 'contacts' have given him.
"You may address me as Adrian." he starts. "That was quite an entrance."
Dante dusts his hands and looks at his shop. "Yeah, never really liked that door. The damn thing makes this annoying creaking noise whenever someone opens it."
Adrian raises an eyebrow. "Hm."
"By the way, I like the tall hat." he leans forward and whispers into Adrian's ear. "Really makes you look britishy."
"Excuse me, what?"
"Well-!"
Before Dante could reply, Lady's elbow is already stricken into his stomach, making him cough.
Adrian looks at himself. Is there anything wrong with his outfit? It's certainly better than Dante's red coat and general un-noble appearance.
He coughs before continuing. "I'd wanted to discuss the matter of our contract in the security of your… office…" he cringes as one of the doors lying on the ground breaks in half. "…but I see now that that isn't possible."
"Well you can always take us out to a fancy restaurant or something!" Dante smirks, "Maybe one that looks like a castle." However his smirk dies down once Lady strikes him with an irritated glare.
Rudeness, right. Adrian expected this somewhat, so it seems now that this man is indeed the man he's been looking for. He was afraid that the courtesy that Dante was exercising could have meant that Adrian's come to meet the wrong man. But for the matter of his question…
"My castle has long since fallen, Son of Sparda."
The smugness in Dante's eyes disappears for a moment. Many people know of his status as the son of the legendary dark knight. But it always came as a very slight surprise to him whenever someone would mention that title with an unworldly calm. The man said those words without an ounce of fear, and it almost sounded like he was disgusted by the words themselves. It was enough to intrigue him-
"Well that's too bad to hear." Dante looks at the ground sympathetically before raising his head with a smile. "So how's the Queen of England doing?"
"Dante!"
As Lady smacks Dante over the head with her rifle, Adrian sighs a deep sigh. This is going to be a long night.
Bayonetta May Cry
- Chapter 1: The Ashburn Dragons
Europe has always been a center for innovation and empires. It has always been a world away for not only Dante, but for every other person he knew. Though he travelled throughout the country on his many adventures, he never really went across the seas. Right now, this man, Adrian, offers him the opportunity to experience a whole new environment. It is not a world like Hell. He's been there for as many times as he's eaten a slice of pizza. The new world offered to him is a different country, with a different culture, and perhaps with a different species of Demon roaming about.
Yes, Dante never really cared about the history of civilizations. He always cared more about… pizza and magazines.
He could easily have dismissed this offer just because of that. Because of the lack of an offer regarding new food and reading material. But once the man began speaking of a world called Paradiso, his opinion changed.
"What the hell is a Paradiso?"
Dante's loud exclamation attracts the attention of the restaurant's other customers. The sophisticated crowd of businessmen and novelists, of company owners and religious leaders, stares at Dante and Adrian's table. The girls are at able away from them, happily eating their first-class meal, ignoring the attention that Dante attracted. It was their choice to sit there, a part of them expected something like this to happen.
"It is the realm where Angels preside." ignoring the stares, Adrian continues to speak. "It is a world of utter beauty, where the light of Jubileus shines for all eternity. It is a paradise untouched by human hands as all of those who live within are the purest of souls."
Dante takes a moment to digest the words… and the expensive escargot in his mouth.
"Jubileus?"
"Yes, Jubileus. Believers know her as Dea, or as the Creator. She is essentially God, a being who possesses the power to create entire universes in the blink of an eye."
"Okay…"
"Her religion is fairly popular throughout Europe. Believers of her cause are known as Lumen Sages. They have, however long since disappeared from the pages of history."
Dante stirs the wine in his glass. "What happened to them?"
"Extinction. Jubileus simply lost all her believers. The last Sage died not long ago, killed after launching a statue that possessed the soul of Jubileus into space."
Dante blinks twice at the notion of someone doing something as jacked up as that. "Hah! Wow! And here I was thinking 'old man Sanctus was crazy."
"Sanctus. Hmm… That was a priest who made a giant statue in the image of your father, right? He then proceeded to bring the massive automaton to life, am I correct?"
"Got that right. He was a little nutty, probably had a whole box of screws loose." Dante then downs the glass of wine and leans forward. "Which brings me to my point. I've seen a lot of guys like you. You know those guys who sound like crazy religious zealots? Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with believing in something that doesn't exist. But are you sure you're not planning to conquer the world with a giant Statue of Liberty?"
Adrian cocks his eyebrow. Did he just get drunk from his first glass? "Why would I want to do that?"
"Just thinking. I figured that you wanted to do something similar."
Adrian thinks about the implications of doing that for a second. Not only would that be the stupidest method of conquering the world, it would also be gravely impractical. Not to mention that it would cost valuable resources. A lot of valuable resources.
"Explain to me the whole deal with Vigrid City. You sound adamant that I go there." Dante says with a grin.
"That city holds an ancient artifact. Something that could very well assist you on this mission. If you are to assassinate…"
"Now hold it right there, buddy." Dante shakes his head and his glass. "I can't guarantee that I'll follow up on that. Unless you show me something that confirms that someone is a demon, then I'm going to have to pass."
In the background, Trish and Lady order another round of drinks.
"I understand." Adrian looks at his empty plate and plays with what's left of the chicken wing. "When you obtain the artifact, you will be able to easily recognize that your target does indeed possess the soul of a demon."
"That's nice." Dante leans back on his chair and kicks his feet up on the table, prompting more glares from the crowd and waiters. "Can you at least show me a picture of him?"
"Her." Adrian corrects Dante as he takes out a photograph.
Dante takes the photograph to take a look. What he sees prompts a raise of the eyebrow. "I like what I'm seeing." he says with a mischievous grin.
"Don't be taken in by her so-called charms. She is a witch, and a literal one at that. The woman before you is known by the name of Bayonetta, she is, by all means, an Umbran Witch."
"Umbra. Shadow." the demon hunter translates the words.
"Correct. The Umbran Witches have long since been the counterpart of the Lumen Sages. That woman is responsible for killing God." he leans forward. "I need you to kill her. Paradiso commands it."
The photograph is in grayscale but Dante is still able to appreciate her slender curves, and delicious lips. The sophistication of her glasses, and the air of confidence she carries in her pose in the photograph, makes her an interesting target for Dante's interpretative awesomeness… and maybe of his affection as well.
"Are you even listening to me?"
"Hmm? Yeah, of course I am. You were going on something about killing Paradise, right?"
"No. I was going on about the importance of Swiss Cheese in our everyday lives."
"You were?"
Adrian lowers his head. "I am beginning to have doubts."
Dante extends his hands outward. "Don't worry about it! I'm just messing with ya! I'll have this girl in my bedroom in a few days, don't worry about it."
"Bedroo-?"
"-I mean couch. My bed got torn up from a demon attack not long ago."
There is a brief awkward silence.
"So how much are you willing to pay us for this job?" Lady joins the conversation. She stands beside Dante while wiping her mouth with a white cloth. Lady is indeed acting like the proper lady.
"A full million dollars."
"…" Dante and Lady share the same expression of shock.
"Lady, lend me your motorcycle." Dante turns to her with a serious face.
"Hell no! You still owe me for the repairs on that thing!"
Dante tilts his head to look at his fellow demon. "Tri-"
"-No."
"Damn it!"
"You are very eager with this. I'm impressed, very much so." Adrian says with a satisfied smile. "I will be providing you transport. There's no need for haste, you're target is going nowhere. She now lives her life, wasted away in a bar, drinking for the most time. But take care. This target requires far more than your diligence and patience. She is very different from everything that you have once faced."
"What makes you think that?" Dante asks, propping his chin up on his fist.
"The last adversary worthy of your skill has been sealed ages ago. That was Mundus. Over the years, those you have faced in glorious battle are but shadows in that demon's presence." the mysterious man stops, allowing a moment for his words to seep in. "Bayonetta serves an equally high power. She serves the Queen of Hell, Sheba. Jubileus was the only one who stood any chance against this queen. And she is now dead."
An eerie silence fills the restaurant hall. Customers look on in sheer disbelief after hearing the man's strange words. Was he crazy? Insane? Mad? Psychotic? Delirious? Many wondered, none were given an answer.
"Paradiso is in ruins, its forces long since divided at the death of their leader. Did you know that aside from you, the only force capable of standing against the demons are the angels presiding in Paradiso? Well, now that they're gone. You are the only one that stands against them."
What meets the end of his speech is an ear to ear grin from Dante himself. "Well that's just perfect."
Every single piece of glass shatters as the earth shudders and quakes.
The ceiling explodes inward, sending glass and concrete crashing into the crowd below. Everyone scatters, some screaming, fearing for their lives. Dante raises his head to see the starry night sky. The light of the distant stars bathes the room in a blue light as a white circle is made manifest in the empty space. Then from the circle descends four beings of light, their wings spread apart as they land on the ground in perfect formation.
Dressed in white, armed with crossed halberds, and possessing wings of white and gold, the angels stand brave and tall. Yellow halos of a simple design hover above their heads. The light of the stars is soon replaced behind them by the purest light of heaven.
Affinity
Third Sphere
AFFINITY
Angels
As the souls of man descend into the heaven that is Paradiso, they ascend as these beings. Though they stand at the lowest circle in the army of Paradiso, the strength and will of these divine beings is enough to make any lesser demon tremble.
Dante stares at the four cloaked Angels, tilting his head the slightest.
"Interesting." Adrian says beside him. "Angels rarely leave the realm of Purgatorio to allow themselves to be seen by mere mortals. You should be honored; they're not hiding under their usual veil of invisibility."
"Nice." Dante snickers as the Angels start their charge.
An Affinity runs straight forward with its lance pointed straight down. As it nears Dante, it quickly thrusts its lance forward, aiming directly at the half-demon's vulnerable neck. But Dante steps a single step to the side. The Affinity stumbles slightly forward as it is taken by its own momentum. While it trips, Dante kicks its feet, causing the Affinity to fall and plant its face on the hard floor.
Another Affinity follows from above. The lance is swung straight down, but with a simple raise of his hand, Dante effortlessly catches the angelic blade. His free hand reaches into the holster of the Ivory and in the next minute, a thousand bullets are fired. The bullets strike endlessly against the Angel. Blood splatters, bones are shattered, and white feathers are ripped into pieces from the impact of the endless stream of bullets. The Angel rises slowly and slowly into the air, lifted only by the force of the bullets striking its body.
The remaining Affinities strike from the sides. Their only weapons are those of the spears they wield. They thrust their weapons at the same time, clumsily aimed at the center of Dante's body. But he is unperturbed. He reaches for the sword on his back with his right hand while his left maintains fire on the Angel in the air. He swings the Rebellion in a large arc, all around his body. The Rebellion cuts air and shattered glass without prejudice. The broadsword slices the Affinities in half effortlessly, like a hot knife through butter. Following the motion of his swing, Dante stops firing the Ivory. The Angel in the air descends lifelessly, it is nothing but a mindless mess now, a horrid shadow of its former angelic self. Even worst, it is not even given the honor of striking the ground. The sword is swung the moment it is mere inches from the ground, cutting the Angel at its very center.
Angel guts splatter and feathers fly everywhere, dirtying every inch of the high class restaurant.
"Close call, boy."
Humored, and having a little fun, Dante looks at the first downed Affinity with an inquisitive look. The Affinity slowly gets up, it almost appears like it's rubbing its face in embarrassment. Though they are unable to speak, the Affinity is embarrassed from what just happened. How could he have just tripped? It wondered as it raises its spear. No matter, it says to itself, all is for the glory of Jubileus the Creator.
It charges forward to show this filthy demon its rightful place at the bottom of this world. IT WILL SHOW THIS DEMON THE TRUE MEANING OF HELL. IT WILL BURN INTO THE MEMORY OF THE SON OF SPARDA THE GLORY OF JUBILEUS THE CREATO-
But that's impossible as a single bullet to the head causes the Affinity to keel over and die.
"Hm…"
"Hm…"
The two girls approach, both of which are rubbing their chins.
"What the hell is that?" Trish asks.
"A Demon." Lady answers.
"It's so white."
"It's obviously an albino."
The girls stare at the shuddering Affinity for a good three seconds before they simultaneously kick its head in.
"So that's an Angel…" Dante whistles impressively as he crosses his arms.
In the background, the restaurant owner, a sophisticated businessman with a tall hat, collapses on his knees and sobs. The man cries with all his heart after seeing his restaurant fall into ruin from the actions of that man. He can't do anything about it however. He knows who that person is, he's that crazy demon hunter the whole damn country is talking about. If he wants to blow his restaurant up, a man like him can't do anything about it! But a part of him still hopes that that's the last of the Demon attacks. Maybe he brought this on himself? From the bad things he's done, this is probably just some form of negative karma.
Or maybe that Dante fellow is attracting these demons in the first place.
"GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!" he shouts, middle finger pointed at the man in red. It's a gutsy move, but he's far too angry now to consider the possible consequences.
Lady and Trish frown, they haven't even started on their third round of dessert yet. But they can't do anything about it now, can they? Sure they can threaten the guy with their superior firepower or cleavage (or a combination of both) but that wouldn't be nice, would it? They pick up their weapons, and whatever food they had left on their plates as they make their way to the exit. Dante holsters his guns, shrugs, and follows after them.
"Let's go, boss!" Dante places special sarcasm on the word 'boss'.
"Well, I'm sorry about that." Adrian is left, and as he takes out a large wad of cash from his wallet, he bows apologetically to the owner of the restaurant. The owner doesn't even do as much as consider his apology however, and instead, continues to usher out the man with his raised finger.
Adrian steps outside, feeling a bit sorry for the restaurant and its crew. As he opens the door, he moves his head the slightest to avoid the flying spear. The spear shatters the door on impact and causes the subsequent wall above it to shatter and collapse. He joins Dante and the rest in looking up at the bright night sky.
"HERESY!" shouts the grotesque monster in a language that Dante does not recognize.
Its body is that of an upturned head. Protruding from the head are two dragons burning of green flame. Below those are a pair of long serpentine legs. A massive halo of many runes and symbols hovers above it, the light it emits turns the night into day. Jewels decorate the head and the armor of the massive Angel as a pair of feathery wings keeps it in the air. All around it are lesser Angels, the Affinities, hundreds of them, hovering, just hovering. It stares down at the infidels, swearing to itself as it sees the man in red.
Courage
Auditio
COURAGE
Angels
"Our numbers are dwindling. You really can't blame me for being so desperate." Adrian steps forward, his hands raised defensively.
"Pathetic. Simply pathetic. To lower yourself to the level of demons is unforgivable." again, the monster speaks in that strange language.
Dante looks up at the Angel, not particularly threatened because he's too busy picking his ear. For some reason, he thinks to himself, he understands the Angel's words. He doesn't know how to speak them himself, but he understands perfectly what he's talking about.
"If you have a problem with my approach against the Witch…" Adrian shrugs. "…then feel free to kill us."
It takes some time before the giant Angel can answer. Courage is but a shadow of its original, Fortitudo, so it knows that its power is far less than that of the Son of Sparda. But he cannot let this pass. He possesses the memories of Fortitudo. Those memories come with an unworldly anger for the demons. Though the man in red, and maybe his blonde companion, are considered half-demons, he feels the similar hatred deep within. Courage snickers, and hovers about, the massive wings at the back of its head flapping loudly, causing gusts of wind to blow so strong that cars parked nearby become thrown into the air.
"Dante." it says slowly in English, allowing Trish and Lady to finally understand. "Son of Sparda. Son of the Demon who sealed the Betrayer. We are thankful for that service…" it pauses, its wings stop moving. "…BUT YOU ARE A DEMON NONETHELESS."
And with that, a wordless message is sent to the hundred Affinities covering the sky. With that, the Angels descend upon the hundreds.
Dante shakes his head. He isn't exactly sure what the upturned head is talking about with the whole 'betrayer' thing, but it looks like, for some reason, he's pissed him off. So, Dante, has in fact, no choice, but to pull out his sword, ready his guns, and prepare to fight. Angels, Demons, they're probably the same thing in the end anyway. At least, they're the same thing in the end when they all end up becoming pools of unrecognizable blood once he's done with them.
Trish and Lady were just about to follow after him in fighting the 'Evil Albino Demons', when Adrian stops them with a thrust of his arm.
"No. He can handle this. We must head to Fortuna City."
"Fortuna?" Dante shouts as he performs a stinger through a few Affinities. "What the hell are you going back there for?"
A circle of Affinities fly in from above, intending to end Adrian's life. But Trish is already on them. Yellow lightning arcs forward, striking through each Affinity in the circle, frying their bodies instantly.
"You no longer possess the Yamato, do you not?" he takes a step back as a rocket is fired in front of his face and explodes into a clumped group of Affinities. "You will need a proper method of entering hell to deal with the witch. Striking specific demonic species is sure to weaken her."
Dante jumps on top of an Affinity and drives the Rebellion into its back. "Going to hell weakens her?" The Affinity lets out a bird-like caw as Dante throws it into the air, where a few dozen Affinities fly waiting.
"Trickster!" he snaps his fingers and disappears in a red flash. He reappears just above the impaled Affinity and lands on top of it, where he takes out the Ebony and Ivory in a spinning motion.
"Gunslinger!" as the Angel comes to a spinning descent, he fires at a rate that makes modern Gatling guns look like ancient muskets. Bullets and angel guts fill the air as Courage watches in the distance.
"You think of everything, don't you?" Dante says as he lands on the ground, crushing the poor Affinity beneath his feet. He hops off the Affinity and begins to walk casually toward more angels. "I don't know why, but this is really getting my blood pumping!"
Adrian understands the reason behind this. Angels and Demons hold a natural hatred towards each other. Over the years, Dante has fought nothing but demons. For him to face his father's rival species, must be something that is capable of letting out his more primal nature. Adrian feels no pain in seeing his brothers die. He feels no remorse. Their death will bring about a greater good. That greater good is the proper resurrection of Jubileus.
"You girls can go on ahead!" Dante says while grabbing an Affinity under his armpit. He then proceeds to shoot its face with demonic lead.
"Aw, hell no!" Trish shouts as she high kicks an Affinity into another Affinity. "I'm not letting you have all the fun!"
"Let's just get this over with." Lady stabs open an angel before firing at it with a rocket from the Kalina. "We're over half done, anyway!"
Adrian lowers his head and sighs. He spots a nearby lamppost and leans against it, lighting a cigarette, and crossing his arms. He has no choice but to wait, they seem adamant in clearing out these angels. There's almost a competitive nature in the things they do. His fears are no longer present, now he is well aware of the capabilities of the demon hunter and his associates. He need not worry.
"Now decide. Are you going to take the red shot, or the blue shot?" Rodin whispers, leaning forward.
Jeanne thinks about it for a while before downing both glasses of hard liquor. The large bartender just raises an eyebrow before returning to his business mixing some cocktails. Beside Jeanne is a bewildered Luka, a glass of German beer in his hands.
"I always wondered what would happen if you took both pills. I'd expect some crazy shit to happen, that's for sure." he raises the glass before downing a third of the beer.
Jeanne's makes a loud thud as her head strikes the wooden counter. She groans aloud, like a beached whale before getting back up while grabbing her head. "Jesus Christ, that wasn't too smart now, was it? Fuuuuuck…"
Luka takes out a document from his jacket while Jeanne staggers in trying to stand. "You should lie down or something. I'm not carrying your ass back to wherever the hell you live. Ugh- what the fuck!"
The documents fall on the other side of the counter because of Jeanne falling on top of him. She tries saying something to Luka's face, but the young journalist is instead met with the smell of hard-ass liquor. As he struggles with the red witch, Rodin approaches the document and picks it up. He doesn't really care about people's things because ever since he got kicked off of heaven, he's been walking around in the neutral side of things. But after giving the small paper file a small look see…
"What's this about kid?"
"Goddamnit Jeanne get off me! FUCK!"
"Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeex-!"
"Hey, boy!" Rodin's angry fist-driven shout silences the whole noisy bar. Luka pushes the weak and drunken Jeanne off his shoulder, causing her to fall flat on the floor. "Explain to me what you got here."
"Shit." he tries to grab the file but Rodin moves it back out of his reach. "Give that back!"
"Not until you answer my goddamn question."
"It's a book collection I'm working on, alright! I got that list from the royal library."
Rodin takes a glance at the titles listed down in the document. He lets out a huff of hot air as he shakes his head. "These are all about demons. You looking to be one with the dark like Bayonetta?"
The notion makes Jeanne hop back up to life behind Luka as the young journalist shakes his head defensively.
"No way! I'm not damning my soul to hell!" he grabs his beer and takes a sip. "With these two kicking God's ass, I have nothing better to do. I'm just, expanding my horizons, you know?"
Rodin doesn't say anything and instead stares at him with an evil cold.
"What're you angry about anyway? I just wanna know more about demons and shit, you know? I gotta do some biblical referencing to get myself back in the game." Luka shakes his head disapprovingly. He's spent too much time chasing the woman who, as it turns out didn't kill his father. He needs to find something to get back on his game, and journalism about paranormal shit is the only thing he knows to do.
"If you wanted to know more about demons, then you should have just asked me." Jeanne says, regaining her composure and sitting down. "Want me to summon a Gomorrah here so you can feed it a bone? Hahaha."
Rodin steps between them and drops the paper, pointing down the list of books.
"Most of these have shit to do with Sparda. What are you dragging on?" his voice almost comes on as a whisper.
"Well, yeah…" Luka begins whispering himself. "The guy's a legend, right? I wanna know if he's real, simple as that. Maybe I can go ahead and write a few famous articles of my own, just to get the money flowing-"
"NO!" a demonic voice booms and Luka falls off his chair. For the customers of the bar, they know that now's the time to scram. They scatter like mice, leaving only the three of them behind. "There are some things kid, that you do not do research on." and with that, Rodin sets the list on fire with his finger.
"How co-?"
"You just don't, Cheshire." Jeanne looks around the empty bar, airing soberness. "It's a dangerous world to be in. You'll get eaten up, chewed, and spat the fuck out if you take a wrong turn." she looks at Luka, cold eyes causing his skin to crawl. "Cereza and I won't be able to help you if you get too deep into the rabbit hole."
Luka tries to look at Rodin but the bartender avoids his gaze. Jeanne too looks away from him, now seemingly more interested on the football game in Rodin's newly purchased 40'' flat-screen TV. He says nothing for the rest of the night, merely content with ordering another round of beer. He's not going to give up though, if there's something about this Sparda that can cause Rodin and Jeanne to act like this, then really, he won't be able to stop himself. It's a journalist's drive to get this done.
Bayonetta isn't around, but maybe he should ask her too. Hopefully she won't be a bitch about it as well.
"Royal Guard!" Dante shouts while thrusting his hand forward.
The fireball crashes into him, devouring his body with a wide flame. But as the flames die down, he appears unscathed and shaking his head. All around him the angels are dead, Adrian is still smoking near a lamp post, while Trish and Lady are poking away at some stragglers. The only living angel that is left is the Courage, hovering at a set distance while spitting massive fireballs. It fires once again, a glimmer of irritation in its eyes.
The fireball spins through the air, leaving a trail of white fire. It crashes into Dante, but at the last second, he builds a barrier with his fist and punches the fireball out of the way. It explodes once again in a loud, encompassing explosion. And once again, Dante is unharmed and shrugging.
"Do a little better, you almost got me there."
"Your immature games are a waste of my time." the Courage gathers itself for a retreat.
There is no longer any point to this. The demon is playing games with him now. It is humiliating him. Though its desire to devour the little devil is far too encompassing, the Courage forces itself to believe in reason. He, along with the clones of the former Auditio are all that lead the remainders of Paradiso now, he cannot lose his life here. With that, the Courage leaps into the air and turns around as a white portal appears before him.
"This shall not go unnoticed. I shall inform my brothers of this treachery. Remember that, Mikchael." the Courage moves forward and enters the portal when-
"Mind if I come along?" -it hears a voice close by.
Courage feels the demon hunter hopping about on its back. It roars angrily as it spins its whole mass. Then as Dante is left suspended in the air, one of its dragon heads opens wide and devours him. It tries its hardest to close its jaw, so that its sharp teeth may crush the demon within. But Dante's strength proves far too much. It lifts the mouth open slowly while he grins. This is when the Courage realizes that the demon's sword is not on his back.
It then hears a loud demonic roar coming from behind. The free head turns to look at the source of the shout, which later reveals itself as a red glowing Rebellion. The demonic sword crashes into the Courage's second head, severing it straight off with a spin of its blade. At the same time, Dante kicks his feet with enough force to dislocate the dragon's jaw. It spins in the air and grabs the Rebellion as it makes its pass toward him.
The next flurry of attacks is too fast for even the cloned Auditio. Dante delivers blow after blow to the Courage's face in midair. When gravity begins to take over he disappears in a flash of light and reappears at an area behind the Auditio. It tries to defend itself from the attacks, but Dante's constant teleportation is so fast that afterimages are left in the air. The last attack comes in the form of a hard sword to the eye.
The Courage lets out a roar as it opens a new portal on the ground. It falls to the earth, its wings having been clipped, are no longer able to keep it afloat. Dante follows after the Angel with a mischievous grin, not really caring where the Angel's going to be taking him. They disappear into the portal as a whirlwind sucks them in.
What's left however are three slightly stunned people.
"Did he just leave us behind?" Trish says, blinking her blue eyes.
"Afraid so." Lady adds with a somewhat defeated sigh.
Adrian finishes his cigarette and walks forward. "That was quite a show, shall we get going now?"
Lady holsters her guns while tilting her head. "Why are you so eager to go?"
He replies by shrugging. "Your friend is probably already there. The angels have made that city into their refuge ever since that one event…"
"Where?"
"Fortuna."
Bayonetta May Cry
- Chapter 1 : The Ashburn Dragons
This has been re-uploaded with added content and 'improved' writing.