The powers proven to end the madness

Upon I, take it to end the savage

Another festival was in sight, and the citizens of Inazuma went upon their business. As the day before the festivities was reaching near its end, a hooded young man jumped from tree to tree, wearing a fabric as dark as the ocean's depths. Taking a giant leap off of a tree, the man quickly rolled onto the concrete floor to soften his landing, before unfurling his hood to reveal a familiar shade of white hair.

"Quiet as a mouse, sneaky as a fox" he congratulated himself, rubbing his nose with a finger. He wasn't sure why, but when the night slowly creeps in, the young heir always felt like he was at his best. Now before he go to do what he wanted to do for the evening, another voice spoke up, a feminine one that caused him to involuntarily shudder:

"My, 'sneaky as a fox?' Do tell" it spoke amusingly, Nero hoping that he was just hallucinating things. As he slowly turned around, the sight of pink hair told him his worst fears have been realized.

"O-oh! Auntie Yae! I didn't see you there!" Nero spoke in a forced amicable tone. "What brings you here in this part of the region?"

Yae, however, crossed her arms as she kept an amused look. "Well, it is my job as the head shrine maiden to tend to the Sacred Sakura. After all, this is the Grand Narukami Shrine..."

For once the young hybrid actually took a look at his surroundings, and lo and behold, he saw the giant sakura tree behind the kitsune. He somehow manage to miscalculate the length of his jump; so instead of the city like he originally planned, he somehow got to the top of Mt. Yougou. Honestly? He would've been amazed at this achievement of his, if it weren't for the fact that he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Oh!? So that's the Sacred Sakura!" Nero kept up his forced cheery tone, "you know, I actually wanted to see it up close myself and- please don't tell my mom I snuck out"

And with that, Nero cheery facade immediately faded and had found himself prostrating before the head shrine maiden. Who was he even kidding at this point? She was there when his mom brought him to see the large sakura tree when he was little, for goodness' sake!

He looked up slightly to see what her reaction is, and unfortunately for him, she still kept the same amused expression: back then, he had heard rumors here and there about the kitsune's more mischievous side, and how watching other people squirm had often amused her. It's a shame he discovered that the rumors were true the hard way.

Yeah sure, while her pranks were rather elaborate and long-winded for such a inconsequential thing, it was still harmless by the end of it...

...

...

...

"Harmless" my ass! Nero thought, his seething expression hidden from the shrine maiden. He still hasn't forgiven her for one of the earlier pranks she pulled on him, which may or may not have directly or indirectly involved squirrels. He immediately took a deep breath when he caught sight of his body trembling, he still needed a clear head if he wants to get out of this situation. Though the question is, how?

The young hybrid looked around for anything that could be helpful, but his eyes were distracted by the swaying pouch of mora strapped to his waist. As he listened to the coins clinking against each other from inside the small pouch, an idea suddenly popped up in his head: he remembered once overhearing a type of dish she enjoys. So if he could trade the meal for his mental well-being, he could walk out a free man!

Determined to keep himself from trembling further, Nero stood up and stared down the shrine maiden with a look of unwavering bravery. But before he could utter out a word, he had suddenly began developing a sense of... uneasiness for some reason. Deciding to brush it off, Nero shook his head before returning to face his honorary auntie.

And then he found himself in a pitch-black world.

His sense of uneasiness began resurfacing as his senses were now on high alert, he practically couldn't even tell which direction he was in. With his cloth-covered right arm crackling slightly, Nero kept his guard up as he kept a close eye on his surroundings, right until a sound caught him off guard:

A heartbeat

He could somehow hear it clearly, and it was not in synch with his own. If he thought that was weird, it wasn't until he could practically feel the beating heart's ripples vibrating through the air. As each beat grew stronger and stronger, the opposite was happening with Nero: sweat began to form on his head as he felt himself becoming nauseous, eventually losing his footing and causing him to kneel on one knee. Bile slowly rose in his throat as the air became unbreathable, throwing him into a coughing fit as he felt his consciousness slipping away.

As his coughing fit suddenly began to subside, a hand on his shoulder suddenly snapped him awake. Looking back up, the young hybrid noticed that the void surrounding him earlier had disappeared, with most of the aftermath of its effects still lingering within him.

"Are you okay?" A voice spoke in front of him, possibly the owner of the hand on his shoulder. Nero looked forward to see the shrine maiden from earlier, her amused expression now vanished and was replaced with a mix of confusion and concern. She was well-familiar with how the teenager squirms, and what just happened before her wasn't it.

Taking a deep breath, relieved that he was intaking normal air again, Nero regained some semblence of his composure as he got back up, albeit a little wobbly. As he was about to reply to her earlier question with a weak smile, his expression suddenly darkened as he shoved the older woman out of the way, the black fabric on his right arm torn as he used it to block the serrated blade of an incoming scythe.

Nero winced as the scythe scraped against his demonic arm, no wounds but he could practically feel it bruising. He ducked out of the way as two more scythes came from the sides, watching the sparks fly as the two scythes clashed against the first one. Upon closer look, these creatures were unlike anything here in Teyvat: they hold no skin, so they walk with their muscles visible save for their faces, which were wrapped around by a few bandages. All three of them shouted a guttural roar. And to the duo's surprise, the moon suddenly shifted into a blood-red color.

Instinctively, Nero brought his left hand behind his head, only to grimace later as he remembered he didn't bring his sword with him. As his demonic right arm glowed a white color, Nero curled both hands into a fist and slammed them together, creating an icy mist as Nero pulled out a thin, single-edged blade from his hand like a scabbard.

"You guys really need to cool it..." Nero mumbled, twirling his makeshift sword in such a fashion before pointing it at them. Before the young heir could strike, a violet, fox-like spirit suddenly flew past him, stunning the strange entity slightly before it shook the attack off and growled.

"Dear me, now you've got my attention" turning around, Nero saw his auntie again, wielding her gohei on one hand.

"You can fight?" Nero questioned. He was well aware of her duties as a shrine maiden, but was combat really apart of what she had to learn? Granted, he also has little combat experience also, for he's reduced to fighting nobushis and kairagis most of the time. And comparing them to... whatever those were was like comparing an ant to a large spider.

"Exorcise, but same difference" the older woman replied, snapping Nero out of his thoughts. Swinging his icy sword to his side, Nero dashed off to meet his enemies head-on under the scarlet moon...

Present Day

"So you've been traveling for over a year now?" Amber asked, watching as Nero tossed another broken mask into the campfire. After traveling to the direction of the city for quite some time, the two had set up camp somewhere when their surroundings grew darker.

"Yep, but the majority of that was me being lost at sea" Nero explained, "got bit by a really venomous fish once, and after five hours of agonizing pain, the fish died"

He didn't even need to look up to see that the girl across from him was bewildered. "Wasn't all that bad" Nero assured, "later on, I fought a storm and washed up here. Then the rest is history..."

The young hybrid went back to throwing more broken masks into the fire, noticing that it was slowly dying out. As the winds' nighttime melody sang through the air, the outrider spoke up:

"I don't mean to be rude, Nero, but..." she trailed off, examining him a lot more clearly. "For someone who's been traveling for a year, you look really unprepared"

Much to her surprise, the young man across from her chuckled at her comment: "well, I don't need much" he explained, "all I need is my sword, and this pouch full of mora"

As to further emphasize his point, he brought out a full pouch, shaking it with a grin as the coins clashed against each other. Although suddenly, Nero noticed a shift in the weight. "Huh, it feels a little lighter than usual- hey!"

Beside him was a green slime with flora blooming on its head, somehow holding the pouch belonging to Nero. The aforementioned man attempted to pounce on the slime, only for it to effortlessly dodge and jiggled tauntingly at him.

Amber tried calling out to him that she could help, but Nero was already in a fit of rage. He refused to listen to reason as he kept lunging at the ever-evasive slime, shouting something about not wanting to be as broke as his mom. The outrider was hesitant in using her bow given the likely chance the arrow will hit him instead. So in end, she was forced to watch this almost comical scene.

It went on for a few more hours before the slime finally decided to escape his sight. With a frustrated sigh, Nero shuffled back to the campfire, lying on his side as the fire slowly dimmed.

"Get some sleep, we'll be leaving after breakfast" he said, remembering that the outrider was still there. "If you think I'm going to do something to you while you're asleep, then you can just leave"

Amber copied his position as the fire died out, only this time, she was facing away from him. The nighttime breeze did nothing to ease the tension that had occured earlier. The outrider could only hope that things get better in the morning...

"Give us everything you have! No funny business!"

Apparently, things have gotten worse: Amber woke up surrounded by treasure hoarders, one of them putting a... shovel on her neck. She quickly turned to see if her companion was okay, only to see that he was still asleep.

"Hey, wake the other one up" one of them ordered, presumably their leader. One treasure hoarder gently rested his foot against Nero's head, before suddenly kicking him hard across the face. However, instead of grimacing in pain, Nero just stirred slightly before turning in his sleep, as if he was brushed by an uncomfortable breeze. Feeling rather insulted, the treasure hoarder kicked him again, only to get the same results.

Everyone else watched as the aggressor's ego came crashing down with each kick, slowly developing an insecurity as he now believed he has soyboy strength. While everyone was distracted, the girl in red slowly got out of shovelpoint, creeping towards her bow that she placed on the side of a tree.

Nocking an arrow, Amber aimed for the treasure hoarder that was currently attacking Nero, letting the arrow sail as it ignited into flames. The treasure hoarders were caught off-guard as an arrow combusted in the soyb- their colleague's chest, before two more arrows flew by and struck their targets. The remaining treasure hoarders quickly jumped to the opposite side when they noticed the outrider was armed and ready.

"Why didn't you stay on- forget it! Give me that knife!" The leader shouted, grabbing his subordinate's knife. Amber nearly threatened to let another arrow fly, but stopped herself shortly when she saw the treasure hoarder had a knife on Nero's neck. "Put down your weapon, or I'll slit his throat" he demanded. Once he got a better look at what's before him, he licked his lips hungrily. "Better yet, why not come with us as well? It's been a while since me and the boys had some fun"

Amber gritted her teeth as she heard some of them cheer. There had to be some other way out of this, right? The treasure hoarders had a knife around her companion's neck, one wrong move and his blood will be on her hands.

"Well? Are you gonna lower your weapon or not?" The leader asked, growing impatient. Sighing in defeat, she slowly began to lower her bow, until another factor came into play:

It must've gotten a little too chaotic around them, because Nero yawned as he sat up, rubbing the grogginess from his eyes: his hair looked disheveled, probably from either being kicked a lot or from constantly tossing and turning. As he looked at his surroundings to see what was going on, his eyes showed no signs of fear or alarm, just... mild irritation?

Actually wait, where his irises always red? Amber wondered, noticing something felt off about the white-haired man. As she tried to rack her brain about it, her thoughts were interrupted as Nero spoke up:

"A guy just can't get any sleep here, can he?" He grumbled aloud, before facing the group of treasure hoarders. "Hey, beat it! I'm not in the mood to deal with manchildren"

The leader, however, didn't falter. Instead he got all up on the young hybrid's face, brandishing the sharp knife near his cheek.

"I'm sorry, but which one of us here's armed again?" The older man smirked as he nicked Nero's cheek, letting a bit of blood flow out. "You can't fight, and your girlfriend over there can't do shit while I have you at a blade's length. So be a good little boy and keep your damn mouth shut, this is a man's battlefield"

Nero's eyes zeroed in on the older man's arrogant face, his mild irritation now at an extreme as his teeth slowly began to grind against each other.

"I won't tell you a third time..." Nero practically growled, "BEAT IT!"

With a voice like roaring thunder, Nero suddenly grabbed the older man by the shirt, slamming headfirst into his own face. Staggering back with his mouth covered, the man removed it when he felt something wet, only to find out that blood began trickling down his mouth and nose.

He wasn't even given time to recover as Nero jumped and slammed both feet onto the leader's face, sending him even further back. The others tried to step in and help, but they were repelled back by Amber's fiery arrows.

Recovering, the leader's eyes widened as he saw a terrifying display: Nero calmly walked towards him with a furrowed brow, with the fire from the arrows lighting up the ground behind him. But what caused him to stumble back was the cold, red glow of Nero's irises, giving off a new feeling of dread beyond anything he's ever felt.

"Wait, stop! Mercy please!" He begged, but Nero continued moving. "I just needed the money! Do you have any idea how difficult my life is!?"

"If you needed money..." Nero began, reeling back his right hand before curling it into a fist.

"Then get a damn job"

He then slammed his fist down onto the man's head, followed by a loud, sickening crack that was heard by everyone. Nero then looked to the former leader's subordinates, who took a couple steps back as they met his steely gaze and eventually took off without warning.

As peace finally returned, Nero slumped onto the ground, feeling somewhat winded after his adrenaline rage. Multiple footsteps can be heard from behind, Nero didn't even need to turn around to see who it was.

"Nero!" Amber hollered, eventually stopping beside him. "you alright?"

"Yeah, just... need to sit down for a bit" he replied, before eventually getting back up. He then began rummaging through the dead bodies, much to the outrider's surprise.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, only for him to pull out two pieces of bread from one of the cadavers.

"Breakfast, or lunch. I dunno, I lost track of time in the fight" he said, tossing one of the pieces of bread to her. He noticed her hesitant look as she examined the bread, so he tried to assure her: "It's still good, it just smells like ugly bastard"

That did not help to soothe her concerns, like at all. In fact, it just made her feel queasy and tossed the bread back to him.

After catching the loafy projectile, Nero raised an eyebrow at the girl in red. "You're not hungry?" He asked, only for her to shake her head.

"It's fine, I'll eat later" she replied, but Nero didn't seem to buy it.

"But you were in a fight earlier so-"

"I said I'll just eat later!" She hastily reassured, startling her white-haired companion slightly. She politely looked away as Nero began feasting on the cadaver-bread, her gaze now shifted to the dense growth of trees. She didn't want to admit it, but she did feel her stomach grumbling quietly after the fight. And as tempting as the corpse-bread can be when it wants to, there are still lines she can't cross.

As she heard the rustling of leaves in the forest, she suddenly had an idea.

"Nero?" She looked back to her traveling companion, who was just finished with eating his share. He raised an eyebrow, which prompted her to continue: "why don't you come with me for a second?"

"Hunting?"

"Yup!" She replied, with a noticeable spring in her step. The two had entered into the denser areas of the forest, where fauna is usually located. "I'm a pro at it too!"

"I see..." he muttered, he didn't seem impressed nor doubtful, though his deadpan tone caused her to pout slightly at him.

"Come on! How about I show you some of my skills? Oh! Or better yet..." she trailed off, before suddenly getting all up in his face. There was no hint of malice or arrogance in her eyes, just... childlike excitement? Okay, why does the option of running away now feel so tempting yet so harsh at the same time? "How about a competition?"

"A... competition?" He repeated, though still somewhat baffled at her sudden outburst of energy. "Isn't that a little... unfair since you have the advantage?"

Amber seemed a little confused, so he continued: "for example: your bow is versatile. Not only is it efficient in combat, but it's also an efficient tool in hunting multiple kinds of game" he explained, "my sword, on the other hand, is large and destructive, it's much more capable in striking down larger things"

The outrider seem to perk up at that last part, giving her an idea to put them both on equal footing: "well then, how about this?" She began, "whoever catches the biggest game wins. How's that sound?"

Nero just shrugged, signaling that the conditions are fine by him. "So, do we just meet back here?" He asked, only for the girl to nod. "Alright, guess I'll see ya then."

Amber quickly darted off in a random direction, whereas Nero just stood there for a bit. He then walked up to a tree and picked up a couple of dead branches, before coming back to the designated meeting spot and marking it.

"That should make things easier" he said to himself, before going off on his own direction. He swore to himself that he'll bag the biggest game, he'll win the competition for sure and- actually, now that he thought about it, why is he competing in the first place? Scratch that, WHY did he agree to this competition to begin with?

Though, that did remind him of something, specifically about back then: he remembered when he was little, he came across his parents competitively sparring, seemingly enjoying themselves as their blades clashed. He couldn't help but be enthralled by their spar, wanting to one-up one another but without such hostility. It looked like a lot of fun to do.

"Oh by the will of eternity, is competitiveness a genetic?" Nero groaned, realizing that it might as well run in the family. Sighing, he continued onwards in the path. Might as well make some effort and see this through the end. He guessed

The sounds of rustling leaves got his attention, causing him to crept quietly towards a nearby bush. Pushing away its branches, Nero caught sight of a large boar feeding on another bush, unaware that it is being stalked.

"This is too easy..." he said to himself, his voice but a whisper. He carefully drew the large blade on his back, and then threw it as it was sent flying onto the wild pig's head. The boar squealed loudly as the greatsword embedded itself on its forehead, before finally collapsing from bloodloss.

Hoisting his prize over his shoulder, Nero walked back to the designated meeting spot where he tossed the dead boar on the ground. He looked up to see the pristine-blue sky accompanied by the sun, before shifting his gaze to the direction where Amber ran off to.

She wouldn't mind if I just sleep for a bit, right? He wondered, feeling the warm rays of the sun making him drowsy. He sat down and leaned against the dead boar he hunted, before slowly drifting off into sleep...

His dreams were always weird, mostly because he finds in the same place every time: a black void. From nightmares to decent dreams, this was always the place that they occur in.

Though this time however, it was different: rather than the infinite abyss with no shape or design, Nero found himself standing on a rocky terrain, stretching for miles and miles under a blood-red sky.

"Well, this is new" he said to himself, walking forward with no destination. From writhing trees to a crimson waterfall, this bizarre world was unsettling, yet... comforting? Nero thought, as he continued walking.

He eventually came to a halt as he stopped in front of large, marble doors, belonging to a much larger glistening, white castle that stood out from the rest of the strange world. Nero then pushed the marble doors open, heading inside the castle without so much as a thought.

Walking through the large hall, Nero noticed the statues from the sides: one took the shape of a large spider poised to attack, with a stinger-like tail that complimented its aggressive appearance. Another was a bird whose head is made out of multiple upper jaws, its wings were outstretched as it displayed all of its majesty.

Different kinds of statues stood on both sides as Nero continued walking past them, but what caught his attention the most was the statue at the end of the hall: a bipedal, insectoid-like man stood with his wings outstretched, wielding a large, curved blade on one hand as he raised it over his head, as if he was victorious in a battle.

"I can see the same light in your eyes, just like your grandfather's" a voice spoke from behind the statue. For some reason, Nero didn't bother to see who own the voice. Instead, he just went with a curious expression.

"You... knew him?" He asked. Surprisingly, the voice chuckled.

"How can I not?" It laughed, although wryly. "He was the greatest general, stronger than the rest of the soldiers"

Its dry laughter suddenly stopped, then it spoke again: "you are an interesting variable in this game I play" it remarked, causing Nero to raise an eyebrow. "The blood of a demon and the blood of an insignificant race courses through your veins. And yet, there's another power clashing against them. Whether or not this will hinder your potential or strengthen it, I do not know. But..."

The building suddenly began shaking, causing the wall behind the statue to crack with each tremble. A silhouette of a man suddenly walked out from behind the statue with his arms folded behind his back, his steps in synch with the sudden quakes: facing towards Nero, the young hybrid saw three orbs embedded onto the silhouette's face, each glowing a crimson-red color.

"You can still be of use to me" it - he - finished, and then the wall finally crumbled down to reveal one last statue, larger than the rest: it revealed a man sitting on a marble throne, his majestic dignity rivaling that of gods. Suddenly, chains manifested themselves behind the grand statue, wrapping themselves around the unfortunate Nero.

A sharp tug from the chains caused Nero to jerk forward, causing him to yelp as he was pulled closer to the mysterious silhouette. "You should be honored that you will fight in my name" the silhouette said

"My Dark Angel"

Nero jolted upright with a startled scream, snapping awake from his nightmare. Taking a deep breath, Nero ran his hand through his hair as he took a look at his surroundings: the beautiful blue sky now turned to a calm orange, a warm breeze brushed gently against his skin. His companion wasn't here yet, presumably still looking for game.

What's taking her so long? He wondered, looking at the direction she ran off to. Deciding to see if she was okay, he headed towards her direction, leaving behind his captured game. As continued walking on the outrider's path, his mind wandered to events that transpired in the dream:

"You should be honored that you will fight in my name"

There was something about the strange entity that lingered in his mind, but no matter how much he tried to rack his brain for answers, nothing seems to come up. Was someone communicating with him through his dreams? If so, how does he know his grandfather?

The child of eternity snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the sounds of Amber struggling. Running towards the sounds of a struggle, he did see the outrider there, but struggling for a reason he wasn't thinking of: she was pushing against a dead boar twice her size, slightly bigger than the boar he had caught. She had managed to move it a couple of inches away from its original spot, though at this rate, it'll probably take her a few more days to bring it to the meeting place. Nero was already opting to help her, but not without having a little bit of fun first.

"You know? You won't be able to win until you get it to our meeting place" Nero commented, crossing his arms with a smirk.

"I... know!" She grunted, pushing the boar another couple of inches forward.

"Come on! You're nearly there!" He cheered her on, half being sincere and half being a prick. "just a dozen more hectometers and you'll make it!"

After a couple more inches, Amber eventually just slumped down onto the ground next to her game. As she was catching her breath, Nero sat down next to her, attempting to stifle a smile but to no avail.

"So, does this mean I win?" He asked, despite already knowing the answer. The outrider gave a tired smile in his direction before nodding, then facing back to the scenery in front of them. Then, much to her chagrin, her stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her why she decided to hunt in the first place.

Noticing her embarrassment, Nero chuckled. "Guess we'll camp here for a bit and have a quick dinner" he said as he got up, eying the large boar. "As much as I want to sleep early, I'd rather get to the city quickly at this point"

He gestured her to move out of the way so he could work, to which she complied. Pulling out his large blade, Nero began to skin the dead boar, careful as to not waste any perfectly good meat.

With the flesh and fur out of the way, Nero began cutting up the boar meat into smaller pieces. After making skewers from branches around him, the crackling of burning firewood can be heard behind him, signaling that his companion had already prepped the campfire.

Nero placed the meat skewers near the fire standing upright, allowing them to cook while they wait. Looking upwards at the golden sky, the young hybrid spoke up:

"While we wait, why don't you tell me a bit more about yourself?" He suggested, shifting his gaze from the sky to her. "It's unfair you know a little more about me than I do you"

"Oh? Sure" she seemed a little surprised when he said that, though was happy to comply. "What do you want to know first?"

After the quick dinner, the duo made their way back to the path, continuing onwards with their journey to the city as it was reaching nightfall. Amber was happily chatting as they walking down the road, whereas Nero was kinda listening with interest while simultaneously planning on not getting lost next time.

"Hold on. Wait, so you're telling me that you've had your license revoked multiple times" he said, trying not to let out a chuckle. "How does that even happen?"

"Um..." she scratched the back of her sheepishly, a little too embarrassed to explain. As she looked around while thinking of an excuse, a large silhouette caught her eye, causing her to become elated upon recognizing what it was. Nero traced her line of sight to what she was looking at, and eventually had an amused surprise on his face.

Remembering what her companion's goal was, she quickly had her back facing the large silhouette as she turned to face him. "We're finally here, Nero!" She exclaimed happily, before suddenly having her arms outstretched as wide as she could. "Welcome to the City of Freedom!"

AN: I might turned this into an M-rated fic, not only due to some implications in this chapter, but also due to going on a long rant about some really shitty things later. I'm worried if I keep my frustrations longer, I'll end up lashing out and hurting people I care about. You guys can just ignore my rant if you want, I just need to let off some steam.

Well, if you're at this part of my notes, well, read at your own risk.

If any of you saw my other fic "King Under The Mountain vs Legendary Dark Knight" it's easy and safe to assume that I'm a vs-scaler, basically people who scale fictional characters and pit them against others. While I do take part in researching characters (hell, I literally have a document dedicated to DMC research), I'm more intrigued in writing how the conflict plays out and write the story there.

Now reading the paragraph above, it doesn't so bad right? Well you're correct, my frustration involves my biggest mistake in joining the community of vs scaling in general. If you have a considerable amount of good luck, you'll find yourself around decent people. Unfortunately, I seem to have really shitty luck. Toxic manchildren is just the tip of iceberg. Imagine ten of the worst types of people, because chances are, I've met nine of them: harassers, backstabbers, pedophiles, fuck, even minors in possession of cp. I try to be hopeful that I'd find decent people, but I end up encountering more mental health problems than I do good folks.

So I left for good, I want nothing to do with that community and had never felt more happier.

Okay, that aside, let's go back to the topic of the story: during the writing process, I've that 2K words per chapter was beginning to feel small, so I'm increasing the word limit to how much I deem is necessary for each chapter. So, y'all alright with a 5K chapter?

Random trivia: upon the creation of "Devil's Impact: Dark Divinity" Nero is supposed to look like his DMC4 counterpart (with the exception of wearing his father's coat) while having a slightly less mellowed out DMC5 characterization of himself, at some point in the story, I might change his design later on.

One last thing: I was planning to create a "DMC x Kuroinu" fanfic where Nero gets isekai'd into the world of kuroinu. But after a while, it kinda became difficult to write a long story without Nero IMMEDIATELY wiping out Vult and his mercenaries with the premise that he gets to go back home to his world. Literally, this is how the story would go in a nutshell:

Nero: so you're telling me, I get to go back home once I kill this "Vult" guy and his gang of incels?

Alicia: of course

Nero: alright, so where can i find this bastard?

Alicia: according to our sources, the mercenary group should be heading this way.

*ten minutes of massacring later

Nero: can I go home now?