Author's note: It's been a while, but I'm back again. This isn't a very long chapter, and I feel it might be a little… plain. But bear with me. It's been a while like I said. I need to get back in the flow of writing this story. Some of you may be curious about what I've been doing all this time. Well, a lot has happened. In the past few years, I was able to grow a lot as an artist, and I look forward to growing even more. I connected with quite a few clients. Most recently, I got an opportunity that I wanted for a long time: I was hired to work on a comic series. So the last few months have been me working on the first chapter for that. It's been challenging, but also rewarding.

I also focused a lot more on writing and drawing original characters and stories. Some of you may know this, but my own ideas are very important to me. I was able to actually finish an (original) novel for the first time. Well, the first draft at any rate. I discovered plenty of stuff I want to change. So far, around a little less than half of the story is good. Suffice it to say, it's going to take a lot of time to complete that project, and I intend to do so. But rushing rarely obtains good results, and I have other ideas I want to work on too… including this fic! So a break is in order, in which time, there will probably be more updates here.

A lot of my time these days goes to my art, and working on the comic I mentioned. So updates might not be very frequent or big. Nevertheless, I'll put out what I can.

Chapter 34:

Dante looked around, taking in the sight.

"Huh. Well, this is a first," he commented. "Well, maybe a second," he amended. There was of course, the time Sparda had ruled the city of Fortuna back on Earth. But with the exception of that , he couldn't think of another case of demons peacefully coexisting with humans, until he had come here. He glanced at the people around, who were looking curiously at the new arrivals. None of them seemed disturbed in any way that said arrivals included three full-blooded demons. Four, if one included the little girl, but Dante wasn't sure what to make of her yet. What was even more surprising was that several of the people even greeted those very same demons, an action that seemed to suggest understanding and trust between them.

"If this is some kind of long game, I gotta hand it to you lot, you're putting on a hell of a performance."

"It is no performance, my lord," replied the towering, four-armed woman who was leading the group. She had introduced herself as Valkyrie. Dante's knowledge of the power of names told him that in some way or another, she must be connected to the death angels of the same name from Norse myths. However, the power he was sensing from her was different. He put that matter from his mind for the moment however.

"Yeah? What is it then?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"An attempt to build bridges, connections. For the world we seek to create, it is essential."

"And what world is that?"

"One where humans and demons can live together, in peace."

Dante examined those words carefully, searching for traces of deception. But he couldn't find any. Nor indeed had he truly expected to. Most demon lords were incredibly proud. Deception and lies were the weapons of the weak. To have to resort to them would be seen as an act of weakness, an insult to their pride. Valkyrie did not seem an exception to this rule. No, however strange it might be, it seemed that she was sincere in what she had just said.

But that was absurd. Dante could sense the power of these demons. The four-armed warrior, and the serpent walking around in humanoid form. They were both demon lords of the highest level, in no way inferior to those he had fought and defeated in the past.

"Why?" he asked. "You'll have to forgive me, but I thought lording it over others was kind of your shtick."

Valkyrie nodded.

"It is as you say, my lord. We demons are proud. Nothing matters to us more than strength. To be strong is to have the power to rule. It is the only true divine right, the right of the mighty. And that is why, we must submit to the one who holds that right. To you."

Dante frowned almost imperceptibly.

"So in the end, it's all about power. You're getting along with these people because I'll beat your heads in if you don't."

Valkyrie answered, but for the first time, she didn't sound like she was speaking words she had prepared herself to say for centuries.

"It is heresy to even think of… but perhaps not anymore. Humans are weak and pathetic… yet I cannot think of them as slaves anymore."

Dante glanced at her for a moment.

The silver-haired serpent, Malevar, who had been silent thus far, finally spoke.

"There is more to this matter than either of you are aware," he said. "Though that isn't through any fault of your own. The truth of humans, the truth of demons… it is connected. Our kinds are inseparably tied to together, and that destiny can no longer be ignored."

The Devil Hunter rolled his eyes. "Destiny this, destiny that. You really love throwing words around, huh? Although, I'll admit. This is different from what I've seen before. So I'll give you lot a chance to explain yourselves."

"That is all we ask for," said Malevar.

"Fair warning though. There's not going to be any more of this thrashing around, making a nuisance." Dante's eyes met Cu Chulainn's. For a brief moment, the Hound remembered that all of this had begun because he wanted a fight with the legendary devil hunter. Yet, as their gazes met, the famous god king of times long past realised it immediately: he had been misguided from the beginning. Even if they fought a hundred times, the result would always be the same. All of a sudden, everything that had occurred was put into perspective. He had endangered this world and all its people, for a fight that had no meaning.

He did not speak. Fittingly enough, Yang chose that moment to look up from her Scroll. "Connectivity's back. That earthquake really should have done a number on this continent. Impact Compensation Structures managed to resist a little, but there's no way those would have been enough to mitigate something like that. Yet, somehow… everything's fine."

Ruby looked around. The place was indeed unharmed. That was incredible. "How in the hell though…" she muttered.

Penny, of course, knew the answer to that.

"The Titan Who Holds the World," she said.

"The what?"

"Atlas," she replied simply. "He is one of the Five, is he not?"

"Who's Atlas?" asked Ruby.

Before Penny could say anything, the answer came into sight.

Standing some distance away, waiting for the group, were three demons. Of them, the one who was noticed first was a gigantic figure, easily twenty feet tall. His body was proportioned differently from that of a human, with short legs and long arms that hung down to his knees. He had no visible neck, and every last bit of him seemed to be made of solid stone. Set in the hemispherical rock that was his head were two orange orbs that followed the group as they approached.

"That," said Penny, "is Atlas."

The stone giant addressed his compatriots as they neared.

"It has been a while since I needed to stop an earthquake," he commented. "I trust there is a good explanation?"

"We encountered a mad dog," said Valkyrie simply.

"Wait, you stopped the earthquake?" all of RWBY asked in chorus.

"How is that even possible?" demanded Weiss.

"I press the ground with my finger," replied the giant. "That generally suffices."

A few moments passed during which the team of huntresses tried to process this statement, and grapple with the physics of it, which weren't really adding up.

"Don't bother trying to calculate his strength," said Penny. "Atlas is the Titan Who Holds the World. All of it. The entire universe. One planet is barely worth mentioning in his presence."

"I feel somewhere down the line, some ridiculous power escalation took place," muttered Yang. "Physics really is just a suggestion to you demons, isn't it?" Somewhere in the background, Weiss' brain had overheated from trying to run the calculations for all of this, and she was currently recovering. In the end, she decided to just accept it as is. Things were better that way.

Nevertheless, the sight of the Titan walking towards them, his each step shaking the ground, was extremely intimidating… to all of them except a certain red-clad man.

"Well met, Legendary Hunter," said Atlas.

"Nice to meet you too, I guess," replied Dante. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have known a chap named Hercules, would you?"

"He was called Heracles, and yes, we met a few times."

"Just checking."

The attention shifted to the other two demons, one of whom Dante knew quite well, of course.

"Nevan. I've been gathering bits and pieces, but there better be a really good explanation you've got waiting, to tie it all together."

The succubus bowed gracefully. "Of course."

Dante couldn't help but stare at her. Something was different. She'd changed somehow, though he couldn't quite tell what it was. Not at first glance anyway. She was certainly the last person he'd expect to get along with humans. Yet, here she was.

And that left only one member of the Five.

Penny took a step forward. There were no similarities in appearance between her and the dark-skinned, deer-antlered demoness in front of her. And she knew why that was. This wasn't Penny's natural body. When she had still been in the womb, her soul had been transferred to the artificial human shell created by Dr. Agnus. That was the form she now possessed. She was aware of all of this happening, even as an infant. She had never forgotten it. Somewhere inside, she had known there must be a reason her mother had given her away.

And as she had grown older, she had become more and more certain that her mother did not have long left to live.

Yet, now that she was standing before her, she did not know what to say.

The words wouldn't come. She couldn't find them.

From behind, Ruby gave her a slight push.

"Go on. This moment isn't going to come again, you know."

Penny stumbled forward awkwardly, looking at her mother's eyes. The words wouldn't come.

"Foolish child. You search for words," said Iris. Her tone was unreadable.

"Because there is something I have to say," said Penny. "If I cannot say it now, then I feel I'll never be able to do so."

"You forget. If you carry your truth in your heart, then no words are needed."

Penny's eyes widened. She stepped forward, on the ground, and in her heart. And then, once more.

Approaching her mother, she embraced her. For a split second, she wondered if the gesture would not be reciprocated. After all, despite being a demon, despite inheriting the memories of her race, she had been raised by humans. Somewhere along the way, she had developed these emotions. Emotions which had no place in the heart of a demon.

And then, Iris' arms wrapped around her as well.

It was the simplest thing in the world, the most obvious.

And yet, that didn't make it any less incredible.

How Ruby wished she had had a chance to see her mother one last time, just once. Perhaps that was a wish that would never come true. But perhaps because of that, she couldn't find the smallest bit of resentment or jealousy inside her. She knew just how much it meant, just how much it hurt to not have it. How, then, could she not feel happy for her friend?

She'd always thought Dante had chosen a bit of a strange name for his business.

Until that moment. That was when she knew exactly why it had been given that name.

Unexpectedly, she felt a hand on her head, ruffling her hair.

"Good job, kid."

Iris finally looked up, addressing the rest of the group.

"Well met, protectors of Remnant. There is much we need to discuss." She looked at Dante. "I am sure you have many questions, and they will all be answered. Though I suspect you have already had some of them answered by your companion."

The group's attention turned to the mysterious figure who had so far been silent. They had arrived with Dante, who had only said at the time that their identity would be revealed when the time was right. Their face was covered by a hood, and a cloak veiled their form.

"You could say that," replied Dante. "Well, since we're all here, we might as well get to it."

A few moments later, they found themselves gathered in the village field. For obvious reasons, this was not a meeting that could take place within any of the houses.

"So… I guess we're all here then," said Yang. "Huh. I kind of thought this would be a bigger deal."

"Were you expecting a grand hall and a long table?" deadpanned Blake.

"Maybe," Yang muttered. "Anyway, that's not the point."

"Right," said Ruby. "I guess we should get started then."

An awkward silence followed as she looked at the others. It was the single oddest gathering of people she had ever seen, and she had no idea how this was going to go.

Dante, as ever, was completely unfazed. If anything, his nonchalant demeanour seemed to get the ball rolling.

"Right. You lot better start with those explanations. The whole 'demon king' business, this arrangement you've got going on with the villagers, all of it."

"Ah, but that is the simplest part of the matter," said Nevan. "While it may sound hard to believe, we truly do want to co-exist with humans. Not all of us, mind you. There are plenty of demons around who wouldn't think twice about enslaving or destroying this world. But, there are those of us who want an alternative. So, we all came together, formed a group, and decided to start taking action."

"Uh huh," said Dante. As before, he couldn't sense any deception or falsehood. And that was precisely what made this so puzzling. "You know, normally, I'd be happy that demons got the memo and decided to stop messing around."

"But you did not expect it would truly happen," said Nevan. "And so, you wonder if this truce is merely out of fear. We would be lying if we said survival wasn't part of the reason.

You've become powerful, Dante. More powerful than all who came before you.

Mundus. Argosax. Urizen. Perhaps even Lucifer."

"Not sure about that last one," Dante muttered. "Besides, I'm not sure I like being compared to a bunch of holier-than-thou demon overlords."

"And yet, the point stands. The five of us knew that if any demons were to threaten this world, you would destroy them. But that is not the only reason we decided on this course of action. No, the truth goes back to long before you were born."

"Back to the time of your father," said Valkyrie. "The Dark Knight Sparda."

This would normally be the cue for Dante to roll his eyes, but he sensed that this was going to be different from previous times when his father had been brought up.

"A long time ago, as you know, Sparda rose up against the Demon King at the time, Mundus. But what you might not have known was that there were those willing to follow him into battle, those who would rather stand by him than Mundus."

Dante looked at the warrior.

"The five of you sided with my old man?"

"We did," Valkyrie replied. "But he refused to accept our help. It was shameful for us all. But in the end, Sparda fought the dark legion alone, and won. He single-handedly defeated the entire army of the Demon King, and then Mundus himself. It was an unheard-of feat, a display of power and skill beyond anything we had imagined possible. And whispers began to spread, among those who remembered, that perhaps the old power ran true in Sparda: the power of Lucifer himself."

Dante put this together with what he had gleaned from his meeting with said ancestor. So far, everything lined up.

"With Mundus dead," said Atlas, "the Underworld fell into chaos. Sparda had separated and sealed off our world from the humans' forever. And he had chosen to stay on the other side. Without the one we had chosen to follow, we were without purpose. So we did not involve ourselves in the wars of hell."

"Argosax, Mundus' old rival, took the throne. Hell has always been an inferno of violence and pain, and this new leader would not change anything," said Valkyrie. "So we bided our time."

"Some of us offered to help your father again," said Nevan.

"That was how you ended up sealed in the Temen-ni-gru," said Dante.

"Indeed. Sparda believed that humans and demons could coexist. The tower was meant to be a key, a gateway to bringing about this harmony. And so, it needed gatekeepers, guardians to keep the worlds separate, until they were ready to reunite."

"Huh. We all remember how that ended."

Nevan smirked.

"Indeed we do. Two brothers, both representing the union of devil and man. You fought, and you rejected each others' paths. At the time, neither of you were ready. And so, the tower collapsed, its power ruined, its portal closed off forever. But I was freed, Dante. You freed me from the tower. And so, Sparda's dream survived."

"I had a literal scheming electric guitar on my wall all this time."

Nevan's smirk grew.

"And then, of course, many things happened, and you found yourself here. I was soon to follow. Imagine my surprise though, when I discovered that the death of the Qliphoth had left tears in the veil between worlds. Tears big enough for my old colleagues to arrive here, in Remnant."

"The circumstances had aligned, and the lessons of eons were laid bare before us," said Atlas.

"And what lessons were those?" asked Dante.

"Every single Demon King, barring the first, was a tyrant," replied the Titan.

"A power-hungry, bloodthirsty fool," agreed Valkyrie.

"That is why the Demon World is a wasteland, Dante. Because it has been a land of ceaseless war, since its birth," said Atlas. "But it doesn't have to be."

"What do you mean?"

Iris stepped forward. Nevan introduced her.

"This is Iris, the Seer of the Underworld. Shortly before your father rose up against Mundus, she caught a glimpse of the future, and was able to capture it in prophecy."

Dante was sorely tempted to outright say he had no faith in fortune telling, but he knew that when demonic power was involved, nothing was impossible.

"Is that so? Well, what was this prophecy then?"

Iris nodded and recited it.

"The Devil's Sin, the Human's Sin

Mortality and Divinity shall meet
Infernal and Divine
All Shall be One, as One is All
From the Knight's Shadow, he will rise.

When the time comes
Trust in the Shadow.

The One who has inherited the Mantle
The Legendary Dark Knight."

"This was the prophecy we all heard, millennia ago. At the time, we concluded that someone who had inherited the legacy of Sparda would be crucial for the future of demons. That someone could be an apprentice… or his own blood. As the years passed, the answer to that question became clear," said Valkyrie.

"Not to put too fine a point on it," said Nevan, "we wanted answers. Had we simply followed Sparda because he was the strongest of us all? Or was there more to it? We needed to know. It was clear that demonkind's current mode of existence was not sustainable. If we do not end up destroying ourselves, we will more than likely be destroyed by one of Sparda's descendants. We needed to change. And the hint lay in Sparda's life itself."

Valkyrie raised her hand, and her sword appeared in it.

"We all knew it in our hearts to be true. Sparda had achieved a strength beyond any of us. He was also the only one of us to embrace humans."

"The path forward then, was clear," said Iris. "Learn to adapt to humanity. Learn to live with them, to learn from them. In doing so, in forsaking our savage instincts, we could finally live with ourselves, without being at war."

Nevan stepped forward.

"Understand, Dante. No matter how strong we appear to be, demons are not almighty. Our kind has been at war for longer than humans have even existed. We've been bred for suffering… and we've had enough."

Dante took a moment to take all this in.

"Is that why you all keep going with this 'lord' stuff? Because of some prophecy?"

"That's-"

"If you needed a place to live, all you needed to do was ask. I don't own this world. I'm an inhabitant. Nothing more, nothing less. If you needed permission, you should have asked the ones who've been living here all this time."

He gestured to team RWBY.

"As far as I'm concerned, you've done right by the people of this world so far. So long as you keep doing right, I've got nothing against you."

Nevan took another step forward. This had gone well so far. Dante had accepted the idea of them living with the humans. But he was brushing aside a crucial part of the plan.

"While I appreciate the faith you have in us, Dante, there's something you're missing. The role of Demon King isn't just for your sake. It's for everyone's. We aren't the only demons who are sick and tired of the way things have been. There are others too. Others looking for a way out. Others who have come here, will come here in the future.

Yet, when they arrive, they will need to adjust to the laws of this world. They will have to adjust with coexistence. They will need someone to guide them in that time. To keep them in line. To protect them from those who will inevitably harm them. Because let us be honest: when it comes to bloodthirstiness, humans are not too far behind demons."

"Isn't that the truth," muttered Yang.

"That is why we need a Demon King," said Iris. "And it must be someone who comes from both worlds, someone who belongs to both worlds. Human and Demon. It has to be you, Dante."

Dante clicked his teeth, irritated. It was the same thing Lucifer had said, simply more insistent. The whole Demon King business sounded like an annoyance of the highest order. In fact, people going out of their way to get him to do it only made him less interested (if that was even possible) in doing so. But what made it worse was that these demons actually made a good case. They had made valid points, and he still had not detected any kind of deception from them.

And on top of all of that, there was more.

"Tch. This just keeps getting more complicated," he said aloud. "Listen, you lot wanting to settle down here is between you and the humans. But there's more going on in this world than you know."

This got RWBY's attention.

"Did you find anything out?" Yang asked.

Dante turned to the hooded figure who had come with him.

"You might as well introduce yourself."

The figure seemed to hesitate for a moment, but ultimately took off their hood, revealing themselves to be a woman. Her face was beautiful, if slightly pale, and she had light gold hair.

"My name is Salem," she said, addressing them all, before turning to the team of huntresses. "And I am the one your schools have been training you to fight."