Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether

by Aetherveil

Following after the events of the Volume 3 Arc, Dante, and his partner Inuba travel across Remnant to make their way to Haven, searching for clues that will lead them to the real mastermind behind the attack on Vale 6 months prior. They will meet allies, both old and new, and face challenging new enemies on their journey. Secrets will be revealed. Continuation of Hero of Remnant.

80. Chapter 80: Azure Illusion

Hi guys!

I'm just gonna skip the usual and pretty much just get straight to it.

Aside from IRL obligations, this took a while to write because I had to think really hard about a lot of things here and there, etc.

But we're all smiles and ice cream. So enjoy.

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Chapter 80: Azure Illusion

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- Nearly two years ago -

After a rather stressful afternoon, both Anya and Dante eventually made it home, both of them sitting on the sofa while letting the tv play in the background.

"The Felrôkâ Twins?" Dante asked.

"Yes. They're a newer pair that became Lords within the last five years." Satanya answered, "For three decades they existed as Knight Class of the highest caliber, and their violence towards humans has always been… rather extreme."

"Any particular reason?"

"That's something nobody knows. All that I've ever heard of them is that they enjoyed slaughtering humans, relished it even. They've also been known to break off from engagements simply because a human was scampering about."

"So their attention span is kind of shit then if you were to put a human in front of them…"

"Er… Yes, I suppose that's the simplest way to put it."

"Good thing we managed to put them down for good…" Dante exhaled, tilting his head a moment after as he remembered something from the fight, "You know, now that I think about it, when Blanc and I were fighting either of them one on one, they weren't all too tough."

"That's because the twins together were essentially of Lord Class power. Separating them a good enough distance not only greatly weakened their total power, but also threw a huge, proverbial wrench in their flow, since their attacks and their overwhelming strength were heavily reliant on them being in close proximity to the other."

"Kind of like stretching out plastic wrap; the further it's stretched, the weaker it gets and the messier it becomes."

"More or less, yes." The queen sighed as she sank further into the couch, "Even with the twins gone, I'm afraid we're only going to suffer more attacks in the future."

"Then we'll kick whoever's ass comes next."

"We will eventually be standing against my father."

"Then we'll kick his ass too."

She smirked at his declaration, locking arms with Dante and leaning into him, resting her head against his arm.

"You should know… He's stronger than I am. Stronger than anything you might have possibly faced by now."

"I beg to differ."

She looked up at him with a curious stare.

"This whole time, we've never once seen his ugly face. All he's done is send us the dripping wet shits from his ass after us, and each time we've flushed 'em down the drain. You on the other hand? Like in your speech from today, you were at the forefront each time. Never cowering in fear, never backing away, and always meeting them head on." Dante briefly summarized, "So if you ask me, you're the stronger one by far. He's just a shitty nightmare, one that'll be gone soon enough. Thank goodness you have me though. Otherwise taking him down would be a lot tougher."

There it was. The brief flash of playful, joking arrogance she liked seeing everyone now and then.

"Whatever would I do without my sweet devil?"

"Eat a lot of donuts maybe?" He smirked.

She squeezed his arm rather tightly, making him wince a little.

"I am scared to face him… I know I told you the twins hated humans more than anything, but I don't know which of them hate humans more. My father? Or the twins?"

"There a difference? Regardless of his circumstances, it doesn't change the fact he wants to hurt the people of this World. People we care about. So no matter what, we'll get in his way, no matter how tough it'll be."

"That's a given." The queen said, nuzzling her cheek against his arm, "I just hope that we'll stop whatever it is he's planning in secret. And after that… I'm hoping everything we worked so hard for will still hold together."

"It'll hold. If anything, once we kick your dad's ass, it'll only reinforce what we've worked toward. All we've got to worry about is what comes after."

"Right… Our futures… I think in my case it'll be simple enough as to what I'll be doing."

"Love after world domination?"

"Oh, shut up!" She said, playfully kicking him in the shin, "I think I might make my identity public afterwards. Just be done with all the secrecy and move on with my duties as Queen. What about you? What are your intentions after we graduate?"

"Get my college degree in a week and work with Darwin in tech making highly advanced prosthetics, defense networks, things like that."

"Despite acting like a buffoon most of the time, you do have a rather spectacular mind for that sort of work." Anya complimented, "If you didn't devote nearly as much energy and brainpower to silly things like you normally do, I'll bet anything you'd be one of the few people to unravel the mysteries of this World and beyond."

"Eh, too much trouble. You forget, I'm a simple guy with simple desires."

"Indeed."

"Goddamn… Hitting me with the medieval era burns like that…"

They laughed together rather hysterically for a few moments before they went silent, their eyes drifting to news coverage on tv about today's events. If it was her father's plan to further drive a wedge between humanity and Dark Entities that strove for harmony, his plan practically backfired. Public opinion concerning Anya and her faction only increased, and rather spectacularly to boot. Things were starting to go well.

If that's the case… then…

He was hesitating. It wasn't because he was unsure of his decision, but more so that he was afraid of the answer. That and… he had never done this kind of thing before, nor did he ever imagine himself ever to be at a point he would do something like this.

With what memory he had, the devil only ever saw himself fighting for who knows how long, never a moment of genuine peace. How could he ever be at peace when he was always demanded to fight?

But that had steadily been changing in these recent months.

Dante never saw Anya as a tool to break free of "their" grasp, though he couldn't forget that the potential was there with her help. Maybe one day they could take a stand together. But that was for then. Now though…

"I uh… I have given a lot of thought to the future, aside from work and all that…" He said, reaching into his pocket, "It was tough to think about since… well, I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd ever get to think about it…"

He grasped it tightly in his palm, hiding it away from the intrigued Satanya.

"Aside from making me believe in a cause or something for once… you made me believe more in myself." He explained, "To say I literally went to hell and back wouldn't even begin to describe it, but… Thinking about how you'd smile about this stupid little adventure of mine made it all the more worth it."

He brought out his hand and slowly unclenched his fingers, and what Anya saw resting in his hand made her gasp as her heart trembled with joy.

A ring, where the entirety of the band was completely composed of white crystal that had a faint glow to it, and very subtly leaked white wisps of energy. The design of the band looked as though it was a branch with small petals lining the sides. Before the branches met in the center, they flared out into five smaller branches and joined together in the center, like a pair of hands interlocking with one another. At the center was a black diamond that had some translucency, where deep within the gem glowed faint traces of white energy.

"Where did you..?"

"Like I said, I went to hell for a week. Literally."

The queen looked between him and the ring, still having dozens of questions.

"I uh… asked Belîa which Circle you guys came from, and after much prying, she finally told me you guys came from the 8th Circle, just before the final 9th Circle. Trust me, my little trek was anything but a brisk jaunt. I literally thought I was gonna fucking die a few times…"

"As one would normally feel if they venture into the Nine Circles of the Dark Realm so arrogantly…" Anya chuckled.

"I also remembered a certain flower you mentioned that only grows in the 8th Circle, and after literally getting chewed on a few hundred times and losing who knows how many gallons of blood, I finally found one of said flower. The Moonlit Tear." The devil explained, "After a painstaking process that literally melted my hands and fingers down to the bone a few times, I turned it into this ring and put a little of me in it too. Now all it needs… is a little of you to be complete. Just like how I need you."

The Queen looked up from the ring resting in his hands, staring deeply into eager, loving eyes.

"I'm probably the most unworthy bastard in the whole universe, but… Would you do me the immense honor of allowing me to be your personal manservant for eternity?"

She laughed at his intentionally botched proposal, holding back tears all the while.

"To be honest… Despite being a Queen, I'm the one who's unworthy. I was afraid of you at first. Afraid of what you would do if ever you found out who or what I truly was. But I was truly foolish." She said as she wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes, sniffling briefly, "Even when you suspected what I was, your feelings never changed for a moment. If anything… you would be doing me the honor of blessing me with your kind heart and bountiful love for eternity. That's why… would you do me the gracious honor of being my husband?"

"Wait wait wait, did you just reverse Uno me?"

"In a way, I suppose I have." She giggled.

"Honestly… Of all the people I've known, you've really been hard to keep up with…"

"And? Hasn't it been without its abundant share of joy and thrill?"

"Never a dull moment. Truly." Dante spoke honestly, "I think you had me from the start when you said 'Be mine!', and all that."

"Goodness!" The girl squealed in embarrassment, "I can't believe I said something so embarrassing without realizing the implications!"

"It definitely was surprising. I don't think anyone has ever outright said something like that to me." He shrugged, "That being said…"

He raised up the ring once again, holding it in front of her.

"Will you do me the honor of being my badass, Demon Queen wife?"

"I will. But… I have a question for you in turn." She said, extending her hand.

A flash of white light, and something appeared in her palm. When he saw what was in her hand, he was taken aback.

"Whaaaaaat?" He said looking down, and picking up the ring in her hand.

It was rather simple in design; the band was obsidian black, having a lustrous, glossy shine to it. Four compass point-like stars lined the band like a cross, each star four pointed and made of a brilliantly shining white diamond that glowed with white energy.

Looking closer, the edges of the band were lined with etched patterns resembling Dante's torrents of Soul Energy whenever he unleashed his Wave attacks, his signature technique. Each wave was jagged, yet contained a sort of smooth elegance in the pattern.

"I thought to myself, 'Since he likes hand-making rather spectacular gifts, I should do the same'. Thus, I came up with this ring as I thought about you." She pointed out, "A person who is rough and wild most of the time, but has a gentle, noble heart beneath it all. Someone who has a great deal of compassion, and isn't afraid to stand up and do what's right."

"How the heck did you make this..?"

"I may not have gone to the Dark World, but… I can safely say I went to an extreme of my own." Anya explained, rubbing her left horn that had grown back within a few hours of cutting it.

"You didn't…"

"Honestly, it didn't hurt at all." The Queen affirmed, "I truly couldn't think of a more personal gift than this… Is it… strange that I used one of my horns?"

"I mean, a normal person might think so, but I'm pretty screwed up in the head as is. So no, it isn't strange. It's meaningful if anything, which makes it all the more special." He smiled rather joyously, "I'm mostly worried about if it hurt or not…"

"I told you, it didn't. It was no different than cutting minerals to fashion a gem." She explained, clearing her throat, "A-Anyway, enough about how I did it. Do you truly like it?"

"I do." He nodded, looking the ring over once more, "I guess we might be the only pair of weirdos to propose to each other, huh?"

"I suppose so…" The girl said, looking over her own ring, "Should we..?"

"No, let's keep it to ourselves for the time being. Otherwise we'll constantly be hounded by everyone else for who knows how long…"

"But when should we start planning? And-?"

"Let's graduate first so we actually look like a pair of responsible young adults."

"A-Agreed… I'm sorry, I got a little carried away. I've never…"

"Me neither."

"Will you truly be alright with me..?"

"You kidding? You're like 100/10 in every category for me. Besides, who else would love a crazy weirdo like me?"

"Plenty of people love you as you are, my sweet devil."

"And plenty of people hate me because of how I am. Guess that balances out the scales a bit, huh?"

The girl smirked slightly as hugged the young man tightly, burying her face in his chest.

"I truly am glad to have met you, Dante. And…" She looked up, locking eyes with him, "I truly am happy to spend my life with you."

He squinted his eyes on her before reaching up and gently pinching her cheeks.

"Here I am trying to be the fanciest guy in the room and you one up me. I swear… It's criminal being this cute and getting away with it…" He complained amidst her silent squeaking, "N-No take backs, alright? You're stuck with me from now on."

She giggled, "I promise, no take backs."

---

"This is clearly a trap."

"Without question." Dante added to Weiss' statement, "Question now is for who exactly, what he means to do, and why now? Why not a while ago when tensions were higher?"

After the rather alarming invitation from Jacques Schnee, Qrow, RWBY, JNR, Oscar, Blaire, Inuba and the Aetherveil's, minus Athyra, had all gathered together.

"Well, seeing as good old James and you were invited, I'm guessing he's after the two of you. He did a bang up job damaging Ironwood and Hill's reputation, so now he might be going in for the kill." Qrow theorized, then looking to the young devil, "Seeing as you've been steadily earning a rep as 'a man of the people', you're no doubt on the shit list of a lot of high profile people. Jacques in particular, since I reckon you've been interfering with some of his operations lately."

"I… may or may not have talked to some people, dipped my finger here and there…" The devil shrugged.

"Well, I can tell you it's been effective with what I've been hearing. I never thought I'd see the day, but a lot of my father's… shall we say, more 'underground' dealings, have been heavily sabotaged as of late." Weiss explained.

"Oops." Dante innocently shrugged, making the once heiress smirk as she continued.

"Needless to say, mr. Branwen is right about my father trying to turn public opinion against Ironwood and Robyn Hill. If he can't at first clash with them face-to-face, he always tries to tarnish a person's reputation with whatever information he can get his grimy hands on from the backline. Then, when he's certain he has them right where he wants them, he tries to broker a deal in the form of a compromise that benefits both parties, when really, only he benefits."

"So the short of it is that your father thinks he has Hill and Ironwood right where he wants them…" Jaune said, "Wait, if he invited Dante, do you think-?"

"Not likely, as we've been very careful concerning our excursions out in public." Inuba stated immediately, "If he tried to tarnish his reputation, the only thing he would have is pure conjecture and nothing else. That being said…" she turned to look at the devil, "What sort of counterattack are we to plan?"

"Well, if it's gonna be a battle of information and misinformation, I suppose we'll have to start gathering some info ourselves…" Dante raised a hand to his chin, "When is the date of the dinner? Six days from now?"

"Seven." Dawn corrected.

"Right then… Considering this is more or less my area of expertise, I'll handle this bit with Weiss, since it's her father and her knowledge of Jacques' dealings will help gather information quicker. You good with that?" He asked the once heiress.

"Indeed I am." The girl replied.

"Okay." Dante nodded, looking to RWBY and JNR, "Any recent murders down in Mantle?"

"Surprisingly, no." Blake said, "There's been a few attempted robberies, some vandalism, some brawls, but nothing too extreme. The AK's and the Atlesian Military have been doing fairly well in suppressing any illegal activities that could blow up."

"The problem though is Robyn." Yang added, "She's been hitting supply depots randomly, and with everything the military is dealing with, they haven't been able to pin her down. Blake and I are getting hot on her heels, so we'll catch her soon enough."

"Keep on her then." The devil then turned his head towards JNR, "Anything unusual happen with you guys?"

"Well, we've been asking around, but-"

"Nothing spooky going on in Mantle! Really a let down…" Nora interrupted Jaune, "You said we'd find some spooky things!"

"I said maybe you'd find spooky things. But I guess it's good that you guys found nothing. Just be careful. If you guys encounter anything… well, 'obvious', don't go for it right away. Call Inuba, Dawn or Blaire to back you up."

"We can handle ourselves." Ren said.

"I know you guys can, but we're in this for the long game. Taking risks now and then is a good thing, but we've got to be smart about it. I meant it when I said we'll be doing our damnedest 'together' so we lose nobody else." Dante firmly said, "If we're gonna win, we need to keep cool heads, work together efficiently like we have been, and know when to retreat if things are too dicey. There's nothing wrong with living to fight another day."

"But how much longer do we run?" Ren quickly replied, "We've all fought hard and won sometimes, but there have also been times when we've lost when it mattered most. Isn't it time for us to start fighting back harder so we can win more consistently?"

"By all means, fight even harder and wear yourself out before you get around to the final stretch." Blaire spoke up with a raised hand, leaning against a wall, "The problem is that before now, you guys have been all over the place. Sure, there's strength in numbers, but were you all able to coordinate effectively? Were you able to plan and get ahead of your enemies? Have you grown strong enough as individuals to keep fighting, despite the despair you'll eventually come face to face with?"

They were silent, Yang and Ren wanting to say something, but quickly enough decided to say nothing given the quick self-reflection they underwent.

"Don't get me wrong guys, all of you are some pretty strong kids, in more than a few ways. But there's still room for improvement. There will always be room for improvement, no matter how powerful you are or how smart you might be." The red haired woman spoke to them, like a teacher would to her students, "Life is a series of events with a seemingly limitless amount of opportunities to grow, but those opportunities will only come so long as you have the will to keep moving forward."

She pushed herself off the wall, looking across all the young men and women in the room with an almost toothy smile.

"Be strong, but don't take on every burden by yourself. Be brave, but never be so reckless as to easily throw your life away. Be cautious, but never come to a standstill because something might be scary. Be smart, but never be so arrogant as to assume you know everything." The woman said, crossing her arms, "Continue to struggle, and grow from each outcome, regardless of whether you win or lose. From what I've heard, you've all come a very long way, and you've been through a lot. Wanting to get there quicker, wanting to win and keep winning… I get that all too well. But don't be so quick to leave some important things behind, okay?"

The sudden gloom of Ren's question was replaced with… hope. Some lingering doubts and conflicted feelings were erased with Blaire's moving words, placing smiles on the faces of everyone in the room.

For Dante and Inuba, these words were all too familiar. Both of them had heard the same speech when they entered the CGA so many years ago at their respective times, and in both instances, they were moved. Now, hearing that rousing speech yet again stirred their souls, cementing in their hearts what they needed to accomplish.

Dante cleared his throat before speaking, "I… I guess on that note, we're done for now. Uh, remember our rotations for patrols and to do any other missions that come up. As always, stay safe out there and be on the lookout, everyone."

With the meeting coming to an end, everyone began filtering out of the room steadily, conversing amongst themselves until it was only Blaire, Inuba and Dante.

"I still got it… Don't you two agree?"

"Yes." Inuba nodded with a polite bow, "As always, you manage to stir the passions of our allies to motivate them to greater heights."

"Right?" The woman smiled with a slight tilt of her head, "So then… I assume you want to hear about recent patrols I did with you sister?" She directed her question to Dante.

"Well, did you find anything?"

"Nope." Blaire immediately replied, "If you ask me, I don't think they're gonna try to slip anyone else in or just wait right outside the city walls. I'm more certain they're gonna pop in using spacial magic. Question is, who's Ogrânix got on his side that's a Lord?"

"Honestly? Anyone's guess at this point." Dante shrugged, "Back then, we killed about six Lords throughout the course of that whole scandal, none of which had their souls destroyed."

"Perhaps he opted to Resurrect the most powerful one?" Inuba put forward.

"Could be that's what he's expecting you to think. Instead of thinking which of the stronger ones he might have brought back, think about the trickier ones instead." Blaire pointed out, "Which of them was more difficult to deal with? Not necessarily with how strong they were, but how smart they were, how much longer it took you to defeat them?"

The young devil raised a hand to his chin, going through his proverbial "archive" of memories. He took into consideration each of the six Lords' abilities, their individual weaknesses, and the amount of time it took to kill them. Using the relevant data he remembered, he managed to narrow it down to two potential Lords.

"Seems like you have some suspects now."

"I can't be totally certain until I see one or the other, but… Yeah, I narrowed it down a bit." He mentioned the two likely suspects and explained his reasoning, making the kitsune and redhead quirk their eyebrows in ponderous thought, "I'm not so sure about the first one though."

"You may be correct. From what I recall of the first, he was… quite aggressive." Inuba said.

"But so was the other mention. More so if you think about it carefully enough." The woman sighed, "I guess we'll need more clues first before we come to a definitive answer. Hey, if we're lucky enough, you might run into them soon."

"Maybe…" Dante sighed, lowering his arms, "In any case, I don't think you and Ciel need to patrol the outer walls anymore. Like you said, if he's not coming in, then we're just gonna have to be prepared for when he hits us. Speaking of…"

He turned his head to Inuba, who took a moment to realize what he wanted to ask.

"It took some time since I had to cover the whole of Mantle and Atlas, not to mention running out of Paper Charms frequently, but I managed it in the end. Regardless of when or how, none of the Lesser Entities or those below Knight Class will be able to enter." The kitsune confirmed, "That being said, the risk of Ogrânix breaking through is still possible if he were to make a direct attack."

"Which is why when that happens, whatever you're doing at the time needs to end. As in finish whatever fight you might be having and rush straight over." Blaire said, then looking to Inuba, "That means you too. Aside from myself, the two of you and Ciel are our heaviest hitters. While I may be super powerful, it'll be best for me to remain within the Kingdom's boundaries to burn away the trash that crawls out and to help organize forces as I move along, since I have more experience with that. But seeing as we may clean them up quicker than usual with my help, I might just be able to join up with you all in the end."

"Sounds good." Dante nodded, "Any sightings of Kung Fu girl?"

"Nothing. And with what you've told me, Atlas has next-to-no blindspots in terms of surveillance. Seeing as you spent a lot of free time in Atlas, we should've picked her up by now, but…" The red-haired woman shrugged, huffing with frustration.

"That would mean she knows this and has only made attempts to tail you whenever you were in Mantle or outside Kingdom walls." Inuba pointed out, "Have there been any other attempts?"

"None. I've been bringing Ross along whenever I went on outings with the guys or typically would go somewhere on my own, so I haven't encountered her at all."

Inuba raised a hand to her chin, "Remind me again… She blocked or parried all of your Aura based attacks, yes? And she couldn't completely neutralize Rosswal's attacks?"

"Right?" Dante quirked a brow, eager to hear what she had to say.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but Rosswal's abilities are infusion based, yes? Less elemental or magical, and more… physical?"

"He uses his blood as a medium and magic to keep it together or to transform it." Dante explained, "Even if I figure out how to circumvent this, there's still the issue of her ability as a martial artist, which frankly is as scary as when Kiana burps."

"I-Is… Is that a joke, or..?" Blaire asked.

"Oh no, it was a rather terrifying experience. She burped, and with it came a sort of… beam…" Inuba spoke.

"A beam?"

"Yeah, like Godzilla, but a short burst. Put a hole through a whole mountain. I could literally see the other end of the area through that hole." The young devil cleared his throat, "Cute kid stories aside, I meant it when I said her ability for hand-to-hand combat is some of the best I've seen in all my time fighting, since she was able to parry most of my sword attacks."

"Then go at it solo." Blaire said.

"Uh, maybe you missed the part where she was after my ass whenever I went out on my own."

"Shut up and let me finish." The red haired woman said, "Go out in Mantle solo. But… have someone stay leagues behind you."

"A sort of sharpshooter?" Inuba said, "Then perhaps I can fulfill this role, since our goal is to capture her."

"Right… You still have her bow, don't you?"

"I do. I just… haven't mastered it yet. But, using my talismans, I can replicate it at half power at best."

"We don't need to obliterate her, Inuba." Blaire shook her head, "Can you use the replica to stun her?"

"With thunder arrows? Absolutely. But I may have to fire outside the Kingdom so the security cameras don't catch me and force me to break my cover."

"Can you cloak the arrow until impact?" Dante asked.

"I've never tried, but… I suppose I can do as much."

"Then that oughta be enough. Tomorrow night we'll get to it. Pick a spot outside the Kingdom walls Inuba and we'll post up… say, midnight. Will that be enough time?"

"It is."

"Alright then. Let's hope it works."

---

"That was totally unfair and you assholes know it." Dante complained, cheeks a little flushed from all the drinking he had been doing with Jaune, Ren, William and Rosswal.

The five of them decided to have their "guys night out" in Atlas by starting with arcade games before doing some bowling. Then, after having their fun, they settled down at a bar that served fruity drinks, both in taste and appearance, wherein Ross decided to play a rather unfair game. This then led the five misfits to another bar where a speed dating event was being held, leading to a high stakes wager that cost Dante 40,000 Lien.

Essentially, the challenge for everyone else was to try and be "smooth like Dante", as Ross put it. The devil's challenge was to be more like the vampire, "only a bit douchier". This was done to prove Rosswal's counterclaim to Dante's argument, where the vampire made it clear that he believed looks mattered more. And so the challenge began, leading to Dante losing by winning. In the end, he acquired 20 phone numbers from some strikingly beautiful women, with Rosswal gaining one number from an elderly woman, Ren with four, William with ten, and Jaune Arc with an impressive 14 numbers.

Either he became smoother, or his haircut was working some sort of strange magic.

"You didn't believe me but I told you so! If anything, the situation was unfair! You were making an ass of yourself and you still made off like a bandit, you rascal!" The vampire drunkenly wagged his finger about, "You could have gone home with one of the six ravishingly beautiful young mothers, or 'MILFS', as you children of the current generation call them, and had an excellent night of love making!"

Dante shook his head, unsure of whether he was more upset about Ross' words or that he lost so much Lien for something so stupid.

"It is rather… spectacular that you've… managed such a feat…" William said between hiccups, rubbing his forehead between his gloved thumb and index finger, "Is this… the norm..?"

"In many cases, yes…" Ren answered, head bowed low with his eyes shut, "Though I suppose… he helps in my case…"

"Forget about me and my good looks…" Dante spoke, pausing briefly to stifle a burp as he waved his hand, "Let's talk about the real man of the hour, the true ladies man, Jaune the Arc!"

A few muffled cheers and gentle slapping of the table was offered in praise of their blonde comrade. But Jaune was a little less than joyous.

"Hey… Whatsa matter?" The devil asked.

"I mean… It's flattering, but…"

"But..?"

"Are any of them going to be anything than more than… just some fling?"

"Well…" Rosswal shrugged.

"That depends really… Chances are… three of them could be serious about you." Dante rationalized, "What's… What's with the gloom all of a sudden?"

"It's just… Ren has Nora, you… Well, you're you…" Jaune spoke, making Dante nod briefly, "And Will has that cool blonde girl."

"M-Mòrai?!" The young soldier stuttered, his head shooting up as he innocently waved his hands, "W-We aren't like that!"

"But here's the million dollar question, as you fancy kids these days say…" Ross spoke up, gulping briefly as he blinked a few times, "Do you want to be like that with her?"

That indeed was a very interesting question, for the four young men leaned in closer to William, curious to hear his answer.

"She's… She's taken really good care of me… S-So… It's hard to not like her or respect her after everything… but…"

"If you say you guys can't have a thing because she's a Blade and you're a human, I'm actually gonna kick your ass." The devil slammed his hand on the rectangular table, making it and the glasses on the table jump briefly, all of them luckily landing safely, "Shit…" He brushed his hand on the table, apologetically patting it three times, "Where was I… Oh yeah… Does that shit really matter?"

"He raises a fair point. Does it really matter all that much?" The vampire pointed out, "What matters most are the feelings, right?"

"Oh now you agree with me, you fucking donut."

"Shshshsh!" Rosswal waved Dante off, "My turn to speaky!" He then looked to William again, almost spinning out of the both until he grabbed the edge of the table, reorienting himself, "Listen, I have an eye for these sort of things, okay?" The vampire pointed a thumb towards his eye, jabbing himself with it, "Ow. Uh… It would seem you've certainly grown to have feelings for her, given how your eyes are wandering…"

"N-No…"

The boys looked at William with questioning eyes.

"Yes…" The young soldier replied.

"Eyyyyyy!" They all cheered for their friend's admittance of guilt.

"But I don't think she…"

"Oh dude, she totally likes you." Dante assured, "She wouldn't have taken care of you like she has, or kicked your ass as much as she has if she didn't care for you. At this point, I'm betting she's waiting for you to come around."

"Since she is the type to be aggressive… perhaps you should be as well." Ren advised with closed eyes, bobbing side-to-to slowly, "Go on the attack..."

"That might be difficult… She's very… forceful…"

"You got this man." Dante waved his hand confidently as he slung an arm around William's shoulder, "Be firm, but steady. Ease into it."

The others nodded and mumbled in agreement.

"Right… Jaune…" The devil spun around, almost missing the blonde, "Shit, uh… Right, so here's the deal. I think… I have a solution to the situation you find yourself in currently."

"L-Look, Rosswal said he'd pay a night for me and I already said-"

"Nah nah nah man, listen… Listen… I know somebody who's been asking about you..."

"Who is she..?"

"She is an absolute cutie and would like the pleasure of your company on Saturday. Blind date, see how it goes, etc."

"Er… I guess?"

"You guess? Dude, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! You gonna just let it slip by?"

"I…"

"You want a shot at something real, right? Well here you go." Dante spread his arms out.

"I agree. You should take this opportunity." Ren added.

Jaune narrowed his eyes, "You guys are messing with me."

A collective of various "no's" rose up from the table, trying to dissuade Jaune from such a contemptible and cruel notion.

"No dude, I'm serious! Papa Aetherveil has your back!" The devil patted the blonde knight on the back, "Jaune, you without a question deserve to have someone good in your life. You've earned it. So… I've been doing a little research here and there, and bam! I finally narrowed it down."

"He's good like that." Rosswal quirked his eyebrows a few times.

"So… After we finish our shifts on Saturday, you go and have yourself a nice date." Dante added.

"But what if we get more work or something?"

"I'll cover your shifts or find someone else, yeah? Relax. Enjoy yourself for once. You've been working like a fucking beast, man."

"You've been… very productive lately, mr. Arc…" William hiccupped.

"So in short, get your merry ass on a date. Alright?"

"A-Alright."

"Alright?!" Dante raised his voice to encourage his friend, being mindful not to shout too loudly.

"Alright!" The blonde said more confidently.

A few more friendly pats on the back, and the devil raised up his gallon tankard, finishing the rest of his pear flavored ale. The sweet and sour flavors blended together perfectly, which made him like the drink more. He checked the time on his HoloScroll, squinting a little to make sure he saw the time correctly.

"Shit… Right boys, its almost 11, and we've got work tomorrow, so you guys bounce."

There were collective groans at first, but the boys soon realized that they were wiped and seriously inebriated to the point that the only energy they had was to get home. So they staggeringly spilled out of their booth, all of the young men having a little bit of trouble walking straight, save for the devil and the vampire.

Eventually, they all managed to stumble outside of the bar, flagging down a transport shuttle that they all steadily filtered into, save for Dante and Rosswal.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"You stay and she won't come after me."

"That eager to get rid of me?"

"You know it's not like that."

"Relax. I'm messing with you." Rosswal patted the devil's shoulder, "I'll leave when this business with Ogrânix is concluded."

"You've been gone a while, Ross…"

The vampire dropped his usual sly smile, fixing Dante a narrowed stare.

"Last time you fought that filth, I saw something I never thought in my life that I would see." The vampire said, patting his friend's shoulder but keeping a firm, supportive grip, "You were… beyond devastated. And I'm by no means implying that it will happen again, now that collectively we are stronger."

"But..?"

"I think I speak for many of our old friends when I say that… we were equally devastated, if not furious with how that chapter ended. So… on behalf of our old troupe, I will stay here with you until the end, and help exact vengeance for those of us that miss her too."

"How the hell were you two close?" Dante asked, mildly curious.

"Did you know I almost gave up on trying to find my one true love?"

"No."

"Well… She saw how… distraught I was a short time after you proposed to each other. I was jealous you see, not of you, but of what the two of you had." The vampire said, eyes trailing to the ground, "Seeing the two of you so blissfully in love constantly reminded me of what I didn't have."

"Ross…"

"You aren't the only one adept at hiding their emotions, old friend." Rosswal smiled wryly for a brief moment, "She told me that she once thought a future with you would be impossible because of the very different lives each of you had. She was a Dark Entity, and you were… well, not like her. And yet after many trials and struggles, the two of you came together in the end against all odds. What was seemingly impossible was very much possible after all. Hearing her story made me hope once more that I too will find that special someone. Eventually."

"Yeah…"

"Therefore I will help you all the way to the end."

Rosswal raised up his hand, and Dante clasped it tightly, the duo having a firm hold of the other in silent appreciation and respect.

"Are you sure you can handle it by yourself?" The vampire asked.

"I'm prepared this time, Ross." The devil smirked in response, "You should know by now I never lose the second fight."

Rosswal smirked with a nod and let go, entering into the automated transport and shutting the door. Dante watched it zoom away quickly, sighing as he crossed his arms and looked up at the shattered moon. No matter how many times he looked up at it, it never grew tiresome. It was truly a rather spectacular sight, even after knowing how it became shattered.

He lowered his eyes upon the rooftops of Mantle, carefully scanning them to see if he could catch a glimpse of the one that had attacked him recently. Now though, he was waiting for Inuba's message to confirm she was in position. Once she was, he would start roaming and go somewhere isolated.

Dante brushed up on a great deal of his hand-to-hand combat skills, having Inuba teach him more of her family's SunFlare Fist style. Initially, it's a style focused on intense power meant to rupture foes in single strikes. He saw Tenma, Inuba's father, strike a gargantuan beast once and made its entire body explode in a spectacular, bloody mess, like a water balloon. While Inuba knew SunFlare very well, she wasn't a fan of using it for that very reason. Still, as a type of martial art, it was very useful when unarmed. The only way he could fight this opponent was with martial arts.

Though this trick with Inuba would level the playing field more.

"What are we supposed to be staring at?"

It was a familiar voice, one that was soft, gentle, and full of an almost childish curiosity. It was also a voice that sent a shiver down his spine. He turned around slowly like a creaky machine, looking down to see someone he didn't expect to see there.

The top of her head reached to just below the base of Dante's neck, putting her at a height of 5'3. Her chin length hair was black and slightly messy, with neatly cut bangs framing her face and blueish-silver eyes full of curiosity and wonder.

Her attire was rather simple and not very flashy like some of her kind that he encountered. She wore white dress pants that hugged her rather curvaceous form, the ends feeding into her heeled, white knee high boots. Her white, button down dress shirt was neatly tucked into her pants, hugging the entirety of her slim figure rather nicely, but also consequently making her rather ample chest stick out. The edges of her shirt were trimmed in gold, where a golden line also ran down the center of her shirt where the buttons were, and lined the edges of her lapels. Her hands were covered with white gloves that were fitted perfectly, where in one hand she held a rather simple notepad, and a black fountain ink pen with a silver tip.

If there was one thing that stuck out the most… it had to be the halo of pure, white light floating two inches above her head.

"Right… I'm still drunk because of the patch…" The devil said, reaching for his back to find it.

The girl shifted her fountain pen to her other hand, placing her free one on his back, humming curiously.

"Goodness! Now this is a first! You do seem to be rather heavily inebriated!" As if a lightbulb went off in her head, she gasped, then took up her pen again, quickly set herself to scribbling down notes, "Capable of inebriation under special circumstances…"

It's her alright…

If it wasn't the touch that tipped him off to her presence here being real, it was definitely her habit of noting down happenings or topics she deemed fascinating or interesting.

"Belîa didn't say much, but I should have figured from the start it was you that tagged along with her… Arkiel." Dante said as he finally peeled away enough of the patch to rip it clean off, "But that still doesn't explain why you tagged along in the first place."

"Well, to see you again, of course!" She said rather cheerfully with her hands behind her back for a brief moment, "But, also as part of my current project."

The devil looked at the smaller angel curiously.

"After what happened with Aultus… I quite literally had nothing to do." She shrugged, clasping her hands together behind her back once more, "After the peace treaties were established with Queen Satanya, I was sent to keep an eye on the both of you and make reports, since you very forcefully and explicitly went through with the treaty, despite the wishes of The Plane. I never mentioned this before, but I was also given another task at that time. To be your chronicler."

"No, you mentioned the bit about the chronicler, but you at the time said it was out of personal interest, not a task." Dante pointed out.

"Well, it was a bit of both. I mean really, your story and your accomplishments were far too fascinating to not chronicle. So you must imagine how excited I was to officially be given the task."

"Who even gave you the task?"

"Aultus himself, strangely enough."

The devil narrowed his eyes on Arkiel.

"What did you say..?"

"He agreed with me on the idea of your tale being particularly interesting. And… given my own circumstances at the time, it was something suited to my talents, so I agreed."

So he put her with us back then…

"Strangely enough, I always handed my reports in to H rather than Aultus."

"I see…" Dante slowly nodded, still pondering a few ideas, "So your current project?"

"Uh… Yes… Before I get into the particulars though…"

The angel cleared her throat before closing her eyes and bowing her head low.

"I'm truly sorry."

The devil took a step back, bewildered by the sudden apology as he gave Arkiel a confused look.

"Because of my actions… Because I didn't dare to step out of line, I'm afraid it was because of me that you didn't receive support during The Fourth King's incursion. And ultimately… because I didn't speak up to correct the misinterpretations of my reports-"

"Shut it, will you?" Dante interrupted, crossing his arms, "The Council does as it always does. They shit on others and remain indifferent to the struggles and feelings of people they believe beneath them. Not to mention… They put you in too difficult a position. I don't blame you in the slightest. And… I don't think she would either. So cut the 'sorry' crap, alright? You've got nothing to apologize for."

She opened her eyes, still keeping them on the ground as she let out a staggered exhale, steadily standing up straight with narrowed eyes.

It was almost as if she was trying to maintain her composure and not cry.

…

…

Arkiel was always an oddity compared to the rest of her kind. Her curiosity was… profound and child-like in the sense that just about anything and everything could catch her interest. Once she was interested in something, she devoted herself to studying and understanding it in its entirety, often at risk to herself and her reputation, given the dangerous or questionable nature of some of her studies. Regardless, her studies have gleaned a great deal of insights, either by adding more to current knowledge or discovering completely new material that would have continued to be missed by many.

Her talents as a Scribe-type were indeed extraordinary compared to her fellow Angels in the same Class. Yet… aside from her incredible talent, her being a Scribe was a rather strange case. Even the lowest Class of Angel was stronger than the vast majority of magical and supernatural beings, but Scribes were not warriors, or all too powerful. And yet… Dante had seen Arkiel perform some rather extraordinary feats.

It troubled him though, what she just told him. Why did Aultus place her as a scribe for the devil way back then? And from the way she worded it, it seemed as though he didn't put her there to spy on him, since she reported to H rather than the one that gave her the task. If anything, Arkiel wasn't a liar. It was as if it was hard-coded in her very being to be adverse to lying, evidenced by how she grimaced whenever she did try to tell a lie.

If she said she came here of her own volition for a project, then she was telling the truth.

The Angel still kept her eyes towards the ground, but shut her eyes when she saw Dante raise up his hand. He slipped his hand beneath her halo of white light, gently patting her head.

"You were just doing your job, and you didn't know any better. Not to mention, you were lied to on many accounts. So I'll never blame you for something you had no part in. Alright?"

"Yes…" She spoke softly

Dante huffed briefly, placing his hands on his hips. He had to remember that not all Angels were… cruel and condescending to other beings not like them.

But the devil saw many terrible things two years ago during those gruesome three days he battled Aultus. He'd seen his fair share of death, but he never witnessed such cold-hearted slaughter of innocent people, people that those Heavenly beings were supposed to protect and teach. Those three days alone filled him with enough hatred for Angels to last a lifetime.

Those three days… he killed enough Angels to make them fear him for eternity.

He shook his head to shrug off the terrible memories of that battle and looked down at Arkiel.

"So your personal project…"

"Ah, yes… It was something I started soon after your departure… I knew no matter what I said or wrote, it would never convince my peers… but it would certainly convince others who knew you and appreciated your efforts, often at your expense." Arkiel said, finally lifting her head with a rather unusual fierceness in her eyes, "That's why… I've begun the Work of Truth."

"Weird name, but go on."

"Essentially, some of your exploits were twisted into lies and propaganda to make those less open minded in The Plane of Angels despise you. Especially the particulars concerning Autlus…"

"No surprise there…"

"So I not only went over past works to correct all the dubious amounts of misinformation, but I also am continuing my previous duties as your chronicler, your Scribe. I plan to detail your newest series of exploits to provide a true and factual accounting of current events, and to get your side of the story, as well as detailed accounts from others, like ms. Kitsukami."

Dante sighed as he crossed his arms again, "You do realize I have no intention of going back, right?"

"Regardless, as the mortals say, the truth must out! People should know the truth of the matter!"Arkiel raised her head, pointing a finger in the air, "Besides, let's say by some extraordinary circumstances you are pulled back to Primordial…"

"Unlikely."

"Should there be a situation like that… It would help if people weren't against you."

"Whatever. You do you." The devil shrugged.

After he said that, he felt a small vibration on the collar of his shirt, and flicked two of his fingers outwards slightly, bringing up his holographic screen.

Just the message I was waiting for…

"Arkiel, do you have any limiters active?" Dante asked.

"Technically yes, but I can break them at any time in case of emergency. Why do you ask?"

"Since you're acting as Scribe, keep yourself invisible and erase your presence. But if things go bad…"

"I should smite them!"

The fact she said that with such a sweet voice and such a serious look scared him a little.

"N-No… Just… incapacitate her…"

"Her?"

"We're up against some crazy, ballet-jiu jitsu, kung fu master that can redirect Aura or just flat out destroy it. Oh yeah, and coming at her with weapons is kind of a shit idea unless they're infused with an actual element."

"I suppose your best course of action would be to catch her off guard from a distance…" The angel raised a hand to her chin, "But if she's an expert in martial arts to the degree you described, that plan would fail, given that she was able to take you on evenly. Then again, were you truly trying?"

"I mean…"

"I think we both know if you set your mind to ending her life, you would have done so one way or another. Which would mean you're attempting to capture her alive." She postulated, eyes trailing the ground, "That's why you're attempting a plan that involves long distance. But if her reflexes are superb, it doesn't matter how far a distance you intend to take aim from. Therefore… You'll cloak the projectile right until the moment of impact."

"Impressive as always."

"Well, I have been in your company for a long time." She smiled as she leaned in closely, "You are known for having brutishly simple plans, downright insane plans, or harebrained ideas that are seemingly ridiculous but actually quite effective."

"You think so?"

"You once engaged in combat with a seemingly immortal being for three days and nights. After you repeatedly killed it within that time, you caused it enough pain and torment that it ripped its own core out of its body and offered it to you so that you could end its misery."

"Well if you cause anyone enough pain without actually killing them, they would want to die at some point, so I just kinda applied the concept there." The devil smirked, fondly remembering his rather brilliant idea before shaking his head, "We can reminisce about my brilliant genius another time. Just follow after me. Stay invisible and erase your presence. Come out only if I'm in trouble, alright? Other than that, make sure you take notes."

"Aye sir!"

---

^What are we to do if this plan of yours fails, young Aetherveil?^

It'll work.

~I'm with the busty spearwoman on this one. If she's some crazy fucking kung fu girl, she might see this shit coming from a mile away.~

*Her perceptive abilities were indeed quite sharp to deflect and dodge your attacks, and it is clear her battle sense is strong. No doubt, she is one who has experienced many battles.*

Dante continued walking throughout the streets of Mantle with a destination in mind, keeping his eyes forward instead of up to make sure he wasn't being too obvious. It helped though that his Blades kept him company inside his head, otherwise he would have been bored by now. Though Sêrythîl did raise a valid point.

If the kung fu girl predicts this plan, then what?

I'm physically stronger than her, but given her skill, she might slip around me or figure out some way to flip me like a freaking hamburger… Maybe I can armor up so she can't do anything like that, but… Eclypse, Sêrythîl, if she's about to toss me like a pancake, I'm gonna need you two to help me restrain her until Inuba hits her with the stunning shot.

~Got it.~

^Understood.^

Watch my back with Threat Tracer, Navâra. If she's coming at me from behind, or if we have any special guest referees, I'd like to not get stabbed in the back and lose our chance.

*Worry not, good Dante! With my eyes and perception, any acts of cowardice will not go unnoticed!*

Glad to hear it.

He smirked as he heard Navâra's confident voice in his head, but soon enough dropped it so he could maintain his focus. The devil was pushing his Aura Sensing to its limit, and with recent training from Inuba that eventually led to some frisky business, he learned how to filter out the life force and Aura's of others to focus specifically on stronger presences. Then again, who's to say she can't erase her presence? Martial Artists have been known to possess such abilities.

The only thing he could do now was subtly move to a secluded area of Mantle away from any passerbys. That way if things got more destructive, the damage would be contained at the very least. Earlier, he very audibly announced that he was moving to a site after placing a "fake" call, and had steadily been on the move since.

Now, he had reached his destination.

Checking his Scroll quickly, he now saw that the time was 11:58, and patiently stood still for the last two minutes, until finally…

A subtle breeze of wind in the otherwise quiet section of the empty lot, and faint crunching of sand. Turning his head only slightly, he saw dim, purple lights and smiled slightly.

"Look at that, you really did show up in the end. I guess you're just as eager as I am to end this little game of hide and seek."

He turned around fully to see her standing there, arms at her sides as she kept her left foot forward a little.

"Only difference this time is that you're not running away."

Dante slammed his hand on the ground as a circular pulse of white flame quickly fanned out through the area. A translucent barrier soon formed into a dome-like in a very large radius, the light armored girl looking around to see she was very much trapped inside. The devil stood back up, revealing a black paper talisman with glowing white writing on it.

"My badass, kitsune partner made this nifty little thing. As of now, I'm the only one that can get in or out. You might be able to force your way out eventually, but you won't have the time with me breathing down your neck. So…"

Dante slid his foot back and raised up his hands to take a stance, prompting the girl to do the same as she kept one fist reared back near her hip and one held up. There were ten meters between them, so they walked forward quickly until there was about only two meters. They circled one another slowly, almost studying each other from the subtle movements of their hands down to their footwork.

The devil was no amateur, but now that he had a chance to observe her, he could see his opponent was truly a master. Everything from her footwork to her breathing was flawless and smooth.

They came to a pause, and after a few moments, the masked girl made the first move with a punch to his face. He moved his head out of the way just in time, but still got a cut on his cheek. More startling however was the sheer speed and power of the punch, which created a strong gust of wind that went past his head.

This brief exchange ended with the two backing away, and the girl humming with an impressed tone.

I almost didn't see it..! She's slightly faster than me..!

Not having time to think further, the devil found himself in what could only be described as a merciless onslaught. The girl's terrifying speed, coupled with her brutish unnatural strength made it extremely difficult to challenge her bare handed. With a weapon, she would be forced to take more evasive measures, but she countered him a lot more easily with a weapon in hand. That's why it was necessary to beat her at her own game.

However better a chance he stood, the girl was still absolutely monstrous. Punches that would split skulls, kicks that would shatter bones, this deadly mix of power and speed was truly testing the durability of Dante's body as she brutalized it with her incredible counters. While it didn't hurt terribly, it still felt uncomfortable feeling his muscle fibers split apart down to his bones each time he failed to counter her amazingly precise and fluid strikes. While he did manage to get a few hits in now and then, they weren't enough to stop her fully as she continued her assault.

But the point wasn't to defeat her.

If he were to push further, it would result in her eventual death. Since the point was to capture her, that wasn't exactly an option. Besides, it was fun to test his limits with handicaps now and then.

Four, single-toned beeps in quick succession rang out in his ear, the signal that he needed. With that in mind, he began to step up his game and push the girl harder, hearing some rather frustrated grunts from her as she kept hitting him but wouldn't go down. Her frustration would prove to be her mistake, for on one of her final punches, she left her arm sticking out once she dealt a swift and heavy blow to his head.

This left her open, thus allowing Dante to grab hold of her forearm and grip it firmly. Despite the numerous kicks to his ribs and the fierce punches to his head, the devil did not slack his grip in the slightest, and eventually caught her other arm. The fierce opposing pulls started to split apart the ground between them, given how deeply rooted in place they were.

Now!

In the next moment, two bursts of platinum Aura emerged at the sides of the girl, and from them materialized both Sêrythîl and Eclypse, who grabbed the girl's upper arms and locked their legs around hers to stop her from moving. The barrier fell, and shortly after a bolt of white appeared right behind the girl and struck her in the back, crackles of white flame flickering across her body as she cried out, her resistance steadily fading as the Blades let go.

Dante still kept a firm grasp on the girl, but freed one hand to grab a pair of Suppressor Cuffs and bound her hands together before she tossed another pair to Eclypse, who bound the girl's ankles together.

The young devil rubbed the corners of his mouth as well as his lips to wipe away the blood, swirling his tongue around his mouth before spitting some additional blood out.

"Damn she hits way too hard…" He complained, rubbing his sides, "How the hell could she do so much damage..?"

"Like you said Master, they 'specialize in this shit'." Eclypse said, raising both hands up and making quotation signs, "Since she's a master, amplifying her force with that small body of hers shouldn't be an issue."

"The biggest question yet is how she is able to repel or even destroy Aura based attacks…"Sêrythîl raised a hand to her chin, "No doubt, if you tried to obliterate her you would have been able to kill her, or at the very least severely damage her." She said, sighing soon after, "Which is one of the reasons I don't particularly enjoy fighting in populated areas, or at least ones so heavily populated…"

"Not surprising." Eclypse scoffed.

"Says the youngster with the least restraint." The spear master fired back.

"Alright guys, you can fight it out later in the training room. Let's just regroup with Inuba and get her somewhere discrete where we can inter-"

Before Dante could finish his sentence, he noticed a small glow of light and turned his head to his right shoulder, watching a glowing, azure blue feather gently float down and touch his shoulder. Once he felt the rush of Aura emerging from it, it was already too late, as he was blinded and engulfed in white light.

---

The ringing in his ears was steadily dying down, as he could hear muffled, rustling noises, like metal clinking together. His vision slowly returned, finally able to peek through his fingers as his hearing also normalized, taking in the sounds of rustling wind. Then, he saw something totally unbelievable.

Dark skies, snow and ash gently flooding skies, tall buildings destroyed or still burning, roads demolished and completely abandoned… It was as if the apocalypse had swept through this town. When the young devil looked up and saw a familiar street sign, his blood ran cold.

His right eye twitched a few times before he looked down to his hands, seeing them gauntleted in pitch black, segmented armor, where the armor on his left arm reached all the way to his shoulder. Black coat, black segmented grieves and a gray undershirt… This was his old battle attire. And this street… This was Holdtshire Street, where plenty of high schoolers came after school to visit the many food stalls, bakeries, and restaurants that spanned the long road.

Now, it was in ruins, as was the rest of the town as far as he could see.

He took a few steps back, his heels bumping into something soft as he immediately spun around, eyes widening at the sight of the fresh corpse. When he looked further along the street, he began to see more bodies and more blood, along with weapons scattered about or planted in the corpses, some of which held on to each other in attempts to shield the other.

He tried calling Eclypse to his hand, then Navâra and Sêrythîl, all to no avail. Instead, what came to his hand was the pitch black longsword he used so long ago.

"There's no fucking way…" He started softly, holding a hand to his head before shouting "THERE'S NO FUCKING WAY THAT WAS JUST A D-!"

He smacked the side of his head harshly until he bled, sure that this was just some sick illusion. But no matter how much he confirmed this in his mind, no matter how much he physically harmed himself, the sight was the still same.

"There's just no way it was all…"

He shook his head, spinning around to note he was shorter now at his old height of 5'8, and his face had different smears of blood on it, his having a few bloody blotches as well. If the order of events was as he remembered it, this was day 3, the final day. More specifically, this was two hours after they breached the barrier defending the civilian populace and started killing everyone. He was in the skies, then he was shot down and briefly knocked out.

"What the fuck is going on…"

He heard booming sounds in the distance, and immediately took off, trying his hardest to not catch glimpses of the corpses littering the ground as he rushed around the corner. The explosions that reached the skies made it easier to navigate the streets and eventually find the source, East Square.

Then, a more chilling sight welcomed him.

More corpses than before, numbering well over a hundred or so from a quick glance. Some were impaled rather brutally, their wounds glowing with faint traces of white energy. Some had weapons in their hands and fought back, others were burned severely, a result of smiting. Families and friends were murdered ruthlessly while fleeing. Yōkai and other magical beings were cut apart and burnt to ash fighting to their last breath defending the fleeing civilians. The traces of pitch black ash was a sign that those that were Dark Entities took their stand but inevitably failed all the same.

{Nier Replicant - Snow in Summer (Quiet + Battle ver. mix)}

For the first time in his life, he was brought low to his knees at such a horrifying sight. He had fought many battles, took part in small-scale wars and had seen his fair share of death. But he had never bore witness to such barbaric, ruthless murdering of so many innocent people. Especially since the ones that killed them were supposed to protect them.

His eyes snapped to the distance, seeing the light of the "holy hosts", their white robes and silver armor shining spectacularly, even under the dark skies as they used their holy spears to finish off someone pleading for their life. There were others, groaning and too weak to fight back, much less speak up against the holy agents that had come to kill them. Despite their pleas, the two angels continued to slaughter the survivors, not so much as batting an eye, even scoffing at their weakness.

Blood that ran like an ice cold river became like magma in just a few short moments. His thoughts became heavily muddied, but one phrase rang clear throughout his mind like a maddening mantra.

Kill them all.

(1:24)

He darted forward with immense speed, yelling like a madman as he approached the two startled angels.

"Alert the garrison! The Black Devil is still alive!" One shouted as he moved to intercept Dante, the other pulling out a silver horn and blowing into it almost melodically.

The angel swiped at the devil, only to have his spear cut in half. He shouted fearfully, but then screamed in bloody gurgles once his lower jaw was clawed clean off. The young devil then made a mess off him by cutting off his arms swiftly, then his head before kicking him into his partner causing him to crash into the brick wall and shatter part of it. He tried to flee, scratching at dirt and screaming in terror before a sword found its way into his back, dragging him back towards Dante.

He screamed louder once the Black Devil tore one of his legs off with a brutal sweeping kick, then felt the cold steel of his hands wrap around his head, slowly squeezing it like a fruit as red blood that glowed white spurted from the cracks. His agony steadily ended when the devil harshly twisted his head back and forth a few times and ripped it clean off with some of his spine still intact.

Dozens of other angels arrived, witnessing this rather gruesome sight and recoiling from the sheer brutality. Before he gave them a chance to gather their wits, he flung the head into the face of another angel and cut them in half before moving on to the other on his right. He wanted to put sheer terror into their hearts like they did with the innocent people they killed, so for every angel, he purposefully cut their weapons apart first before surgically cutting them apart in swift strokes. Some he killed brutally, causing as much pain as his currently twisted imagination could come up with. Crushing arms and legs either by stomping on them or squeezing them in his palm, bashing skulls into concrete like a toddler abusing a plastic doll, ripping limbs off and using them to beat the original owners to death.

It was an absolute bloody massacre. Nobody could halt him for a moment as he plowed through them like a freight train, relentlessly hacking them to bits as their body parts flew about like a bloody tornado. Their cries of terror only fueled him further, for he imagined the screams of their victims and thus inflicted terror unto the angels on a grand scale, paying back them with the fury of their victims that had become the devil's own fury.

More and more of them kept filtering in, either from the streets or the skies above. But it mattered little to the devil, for he simply kept eviscerating as they came without mercy, and even took the liberty to start plucking their wings, either by hand or with his sword. A lucky few managed to get in between the deaths of their allies and pierced the screaming Dante with their spears, flying with him in the sky. The devil began to break their spears and started using the fragments embedded into him to stab the angels, picking them off one by one until he began to fall again.

Bolts of white light came from hundreds of angels on the ground and on the rooftops, piercing the young devil's body from all directions and burning his body, all while he continued to cut them to bloody ribbons. His rage boiled over, evidenced by the black Aura that oozed out of his body in a defensive manner before rapidly firing off like bolts, peppering the angels with bolts of his own that slowly burned away the afflicted's bodies.

They screamed terribly as their holy flesh melted with their bones, prompting some of the remaining few to attempt escape. But before they could, Dante crashed into streets like a roaring meteor, his black Aura viciously branching out into expanding thorns that pierced the flesh of the few hundred angels that had gathered in the square, their screams so loud that one could likely hear them on the other side of the world.

As the devil rose from the crater, he outstretched his arms and loosed a maddening cry that overtook the screaming of the angels, his Aura reacting to his fury as it rapidly shot out dozens thorns from inside the bodies of those already pierced. They grew almost instantly with his roar, exploding the bodies of the heavenly hosts as their holy blood literally painted the town square.

A rare few had been unscathed, but many had been skewered and viciously cut apart, screaming either from these wounds or burning Aura eating away at them. Those that were still able tried to haul off their comrades, only to have deathly torrents of black Aura find them and eviscerate them in fashion so horrifying it was as if they were being eaten.

Screams still flooded the plaza, but the Darkness quickly fanned out to devour their noise, silencing the heavenly beings in the streets below. The ones in the sky tried to retaliate, only to be devoured swiftly by torrents of black Aura that shot up into the sky after them, their horrid screams fading into the Dark. Some were fortunate to die from the initial attack, while others were tortured by having their limbs or wings severed from their person before they were killed. Either way, the massacre of the Angels continued unhindered, and stretched onwards throughout the ruined city.

(6:30)

Soon, the cries of the angels steadily died down to an eerie silence as the Darkness began to recede to its center. Bodies were slowly disintegrating, either from Dante's burning Aura, or from the aftereffects of an angel's death, their bodies turning into silvery particles of light. What was certain though before they faded, was that the thousand or so angels that terrorized the city had been utterly and viciously annihilated in a matter of minutes, just as they had done in turn.

What remained of the denizens of the city had seen this bloody massacre, either up close and unharmed by the Darkness that devoured the angels, or from afar, where the battle could be witnessed. They bore witness to him from the distance, or watched the projections of events unfold in safe zones due to a crafty meddler that remained unseen. Some had been initially horrified by the sheer brutality, but what remained true for everyone in the aftermath was that in their hearts, they were all relieved and thankful that their savior had both defended them and avenged those that were killed.

Every holy being in the Plane of Angels watched in horror, stunned into complete silence at the epically biblical massacre of their kin in such a short time by one man, a man who many of them hated or sneered at. Now, they feared to utter his name or his moniker, much less think of them. A very select few watched with heavy hearts in silent support of the Black Devil.

One Scribe in particular had watched and rooted for him in secret, her efforts to hold back her tears failing as the pain in the devil's heart was palpable to her, a hollow pit forming where her heart was.

All that had witnessed him this day, despite their individual beliefs about the young devil, came to a singular, silent agreement.

This was the day that Dante tore the skies between Heaven and Earth apart, bloodily ripping the Angels from the Heavens and forever bringing them low.

This was the day that all had come to fear the Black Devil, his wrath… and the Darkness that would consume all that aspired to evil deeds.

(End Song)

The rest of the day would go by like a blur, some moments where he was more lucid, other moments where he was awake to focus on one, singular goal.

Killing the Grand First, Aultus.

Losing someone he loved very dearly, watching her die in his arms and fade away.

A legendary battle amongst the stars ending with the death of the perpetrator, where he would divulge a startling secret to the young devil. Whether it was to taunt him or not was something that to this day he never knew the truth of. However, armed with this secret, he knew what he would do next, but he couldn't predict what would happen afterwards.

An argument with a friend he once considered a brother, ending with a punch to his face, an angry voice following the usually calm and collected young man.

"We are here in this situation precisely because you cannot! Simply! Let it go!" Blanc roared angrily, pointing repeatedly between his words at Dante, "You are just incapable of understanding the fact that these actions of yours have dire consequences that affect not just you, but all of us!"

"You trying to pin this on me..?! You?! You, who ran like a little bitch to his side when he made that Ultimatum?!" Dante fired back.

"It wasn't just the ultimatum, you damned fool! It's been the culmination of the last month! You have continuously changed things to your liking simply because you couldn't accept the harsh reality of what has transpired. This?! All of this spectacular mess?!" The young prince turned around, facing the ruined city with outstretched hands before he spun on his heels to face the devil once more, "The effects of your latest scheme!"

"Why?! Because I refused to let those people die?! Because I held them up to their sworn duty?!"

"We are here because you could not resist breaking the rules! If you continuously keep doing these things, it essentially sends a message to everyone else that they might have a shot at it as well!" Blanc pointed out, "So tell me, Dante… Tell me if this latest crackpot scheme of yours to resurrect all the fallen in the last three days is definitely something sound of mind!"

"It is their duty! It's part of their contract! They didn't refuse because it's impossible, they refused because they wanted to screw us over! So if they're not going to do it… I am."

"You are going against the rules! Order and structure regarding matters like these exist for a reason! None of us have the right!"

"It becomes our right and our duty when they fail to hold up their end of the deal and we have the power to do it!"

"Oh please, this has nothing to do with duty! This is you simply trying to erase your most recent failures!" Blanc pointed to Dante as he almost came face-to-face with him, "What else will your childish pettiness cost the rest of us next? It's already cost us quite a bit. And it cost you Inuba."

"The fuck did you say?"

"I think you heard me."

"Friends, please-" Rosswal stepped up to get in between the two of them.

"Stay out of this!" Blanc shouted at the vampire, a commanding presence in his voice forcing him to a stop before he steadily walked backwards.

The young prince faced Dante, clenching his fists tightly.

"I won't let your arrogance cost us anything else. Stand down."

"And I'm not gonna let you stop me. I'm gonna set things back to how they're supposed to be. I'm bringing everyone back. So get the hell out of my way."

The young prince scoffed silently, shaking his head as he took a few steps back and outstretched his left hand, summoning his white saber. Dante outstretched his right hand and summoned his black longsword, keeping his weapon lowered. They stared each other down for what seemed like eternity before Blanc rushed in first and swung, the two clashing on their first hit as time seemingly slowed around them.

The prince forced their blades down towards the ground, making sure the flat side of Dante's blade was facing him before he stepped on it to keep it locked in place. He took a stab to the young devil's head, but he moved his face out of the way to only receive a small cut to his cheek. Having overextended his stab, Blanc was open to a grab by Dante and thrown over his shoulder, but instead of flying away, he took the moment to press an attack with a vertical slice upside down. The devil had already grabbed hold of his blade again and swung back to counter. Because the prince swung first, the devil's counter was imperfect, thus resulting in a cut to his shoulder and a small cut to Blanc's forehead. The young prince twisted his body around and landed safely, but was immediately set upon by the young devil with a crushing slash, dodging out of the way to avoid the attack but leap back in for a slash of his own.

Dante managed to twirl his sword upside down into a backhand position and blocked the powerful cut with the pommel, delivering a powerful kick to Blanc's stomach that made him guffaw. Instead of backing down, in that split second, the prince removed his sheath from his belt using his right hand and harshly swung it up into Dante's chin, knocking him back.

Immediately after, they rushed one another angrily, their attacks making shockwaves through the area until finally they loosed torrents of their Aura at one another. White and black violently clashed with one another until they created a quick burst explosion that blanketed the area with dust and ruble.

Blanc forced his way through the dust cloud and clashed with the devil, getting close enough to deliver a brutal punch to Dante's face, sending him on his back. Not letting up, the young prince leapt up and tried for a diving stab attack, his white blade going through his opponent's forearm as the young devil's black sword pierced through the prince's left shoulder. They remained like that for a seconds until Dante managed to bring up his leg and kick Blanc off him, both of the young men remaining still on the ground for a few moments.

Dante was the first to get up and moved his way over to Blanc, the blessed prince finally rising to his feet. Both were slightly disoriented, so when they took a swing at each other, they couldn't hold a tight enough grip on their weapons, which resulted in their sword flying out of their hands. The devil wasted no time and delivered a crushing punch to the prince's face, returning the favor from before.

After knocking Blanc on his ass, Dante took a moment to breathe, the cuts on his body struggling to heal due to the light magic burning away at him. Unlike the devil, the prince could feel the tremendous pain from the devil's blows and slashes, which after healing enough to allow him to fight, still ached a great deal. Despite this, he was resolute, and so rose back up to meet the devil.

The two let out bellowing roars as they rushed each other once again, this time delivering shattering blows to each other's faces simultaneously and forcing each other back after this brutal exchange. Dante used the momentum from his push back to spin around and deliver a piercing sidekick into Blanc's stomach, sending him on his back once again as he coughed up blood. The young prince's fury allowed him to push through the pain, quickly seeing that the young devil had yet to set his foot down, and thus swept his leg.

The devil harshly crashed into the ground, cracking it with the back of his head before it was buried deeper into the street with a punch from the prince, shattering the ground a few dozen meters around them. Then, Blanc continued to brutalize Dante by punching him in the face repeatedly, roaring madly each time as his glove broke apart entirely after a dozen or so punches. The devil regained his senses shortly, moving his head out of the way of a punch so he could headbutt the prince. Now that he was stunned, the young devil twisted his body around and delivered another solid kick to the young prince's face, knocking him off of him.

Once more, they rose to their feet, their Aura's enveloping them entirely as their swords returned to their hands. The transformations patched them up enough to continue the fight as they zipped around with blinding speed, their violent Aura's ripping through the terrain and buildings fiercely. Minutes would go by until they simultaneously blasted each other with heavy torrents of their individual Aura's, both of the young men plummeting from the sky like comets, and crashing into the streets below, leveling a great deal of the surrounding buildings.

Once more they arose from the ruble, climbing out of their craters tattered, heavily cut up and burnt. And yet, they gripped their swords tightly for what likely was their final series of attacks. With what strength they had, once more they rushed each other screaming like madmen, their blades clashing violently and unleashing another powerful shockwave through the area.

Only this time, Blanc's sword cut through Dante's blade, the white sword cutting deep into his waist.

Normally, one would have been cleaved through with this attack, but the prince, too caught up with the battle and his fury forgot one crucial detail. The devil's bones were indestructible. So instead of cutting him in half, Blanc's sword stopped at the lower half of Dante's spine, trapping him in place. The devil twirled his broken sword into backhand position and stabbed it deep into the prince's right shoulder, making his arm go limp.

The prince refused to surrender, and so twisted his sword that was still in the devil and quickly retracted it, setting himself up for a spin as he struck Dante in the side of his head with an inwards swing of his pommel, stunning him briefly. Knowing him well, this wouldn't be enough to disorient him for long, but with how he struck with the pommel and positioned his sword afterwards, it made it all too easy to flow into a stabbing attack.

Dante predicted as much.

Yet again a last second dodge saved him the trouble of taking a stab to his head, wherein the devil immediately retaliated by grabbing the wrist of Blanc's swordhand and used his other arm to loop around the rest of the prince's arm. Locked in place, the young prince was subsequently disarmed, Dante's hand sweeping over Blanc's hand to grab his sword out of the air, spin around and plunge it deep into Blanc's chest.

The prince gasped as he coughed up blood, but he was still determined to not surrender and thus grabbed the blade to stop it from going in any deeper. Dante pushed hard until the young prince found himself stumbling on his feet, eventually regaining a strong enough footing to bring the two of them to a complete halt. The devil, however, shared his tenacity to not surrender, and swept Blanc's legs out from under him with a strong kick. Now in the air, Blanc was then forced into the ground with a harsh crash, further cracking the ground as the blade was plunged even deeper into his heart.

He tried desperately to pull the sword out, but Dante kept it locked in place, unmoving.

A part of the devil was tempted to push further and end it all there and then. But… he couldn't simply forget years of friendship. The battles they both went through. The struggles they waded through to come as far as they did together.

The happy, brotherly moments they shared together…

…

…

Dante let out a long exhale to calm himself down. Immediately, the tattered and ragged prince tried to weakly rise back up, only for the devil to gently push him back down.

"I just stabbed you through the heart, you idiot. If you get up and try to follow me, you will bleed out and you will die. If you sit here and focus your power, you'll heal enough to avoid death." The devil explained, soon drawing back the sword he impaled Blanc with, "Consider it my final courtesy."

He then plunged the sword into the ground mere centimeters away from the prince's head, letting out a long exhale before he turned around and headed off to a more isolated zone.

"You're no… Protector!" Blanc struggled to get out, using an elbow to prop himself up, "You're a… selfish bastard..! With no regard of… consequences and… how they affect others..! You don't deserve… that title!"

Dante staggered to a stop, rolling his eyes as he removed what remained of his black coat. The entire bottom half had been cut apart and burned away by searing light along with a great deal of the sleeves, but enough material remained to cover his back. He turned it around in his hands, eyeing the silvery, shield-like medal on the right side of the chest. The devil softly rubbed his thumb over the engraved, encompassing wings on the shield, a plethora of memories filling his mind of the last few years and the incredible journeys he had been on with his friends. All of them. Even…

…

…

Without a second thought, he tossed his damaged coat behind him, which landed in Blanc's lap. He was shouting again, but Dante had already tuned him out. He had one last duty to perform. An oval-shaped black rift appeared a few feet ahead of him, and as the devil walked the streets, he looked up into the sky at the rising sun a final time before he entered inside.

And so he quickly walked the spanning darkness, heading to his final destination before he would be caught and prevented from performing his final act.

…

…

That's what he would have done.

Instead, he stopped in his tracks suddenly and immediately spun around, summoning a longsword of his Aura and keeping it trained close to his follower's neck. As soon as the blade stopped at her neck, she immediately knelt down, almost in apologetic reverence.

"I gotta admit… you had me seriously fucking confused at the start. My eyes are able to break any illusions cast on me so long as I'm logically convinced it is an illusion. But no matter what I tried, nothing worked, so you had me convinced for a while something freaky happened." Dante explained, "But after your slip up near the end, you only managed to confirm something even more startling. Your illusions don't simply affect the senses like most types of illusion based abilities, but they directly affect the mind." The devil tapped the side of his head, "Even more frightening, I'm assuming your illusions could essentially kill a person while under the influence, thus if they die while under the effects of your illusions, they practically suffer brain death. Am I wrong?"

The bluish haired girl bowed her, remaining silent briefly before she spoke.

"As expected, your deductions are incredible. What gave it away?"

"Your ability to create illusions is probably the most powerful I've ever seen, but it has one fatal flaw. When I was fighting the angels before, I was too lost in the memory to notice it. During the final fight though, that's when I finally was able to rationally confirm I was under the effects of an illusion for one simple reason."

The young devil placed his hand back on his hip, smiling faintly.

"Blanc Angelford was not that weak."

She raised her head in surprise, looking directly into his eyes through her mask.

"You worked off of my memories almost flawlessly, except for when it came to our aerial battle. His attacks… were much weaker than what I remembered them to be. And believe me… even if I'm highly insensitive to pain, there's no way I could forget exactly what kind of power went into those attacks. Once I noticed this subtle detail, it became more and more obvious I was under an illusion, since the damage to the terrain was greatly reduced compared to the real battle that happened years ago." The devil explained further, shrugging, "So… if I had to guess, your illusions are weaker if your opponent is stronger or extremely competent. Other than that, anyone and everything else is at your mercy. However… judging by your heavier breathing and the faint beads of sweat where I can see some skin, your illusion ability, however frightening it is, takes a great deal out of you, so it's only ever used as a last resort."

"You postulated that much from simple details?"

"In all of our other battles, you never broke a sweat fighting, which pissed me off pretty badly now that I think about it…" He chuckled, "Of course I'd remember such a trivial detail."

"So it would seem…"

"I'm tempted to kill you. After all, you made me relive one of the shittiest days of my life."

"I apologize. My set parameters were too broad, seeing as I set them to utilizing bad memories instead of creating a totally new illusion."

The illusion began to fall apart like mist, Dante taking in the sight of the isolated site once more before he set his eyes back on the kneeling girl.

"You never wanted to kill me from the get go. You said something about testing my worth, right? So? What's your measure of me? Impressive, right?"

She smiled faintly under her faceplate mask, "You're brash, but still very much competent. Arrogant, but mostly in order to be humorous. Your strength is without doubt impressive, and as a warrior, you are immensely capable of analyzing the situation at hand and coming up with solutions to win your fights. Indeed, as an individual, your powers are incredible, but your hand-to-hand combat skills are lacking." The girl spoke with a more serious tone, "Not to mention, you were unable to counter me with Aura. For now, anyway."

"For now..?"

Dante narrowed his eyes on the girl, focusing his senses to get a feel for her Aura Signature, but… it was shockingly low. For her to have such an incredible output in strength despite her rather small stature, he assumed she must have been using some sort of Semblance to dramatically boost her physical capabilities. Not once did he feel her Aura spike or flare up to signify any sort of activation of her Semblance. The only logical explanation… was that in terms of her physicality, she was simply that powerful. But… could that explain how she managed to deflect and nullify his Aura based attacks?

There was something else odd about her Aura though. Hers was different compared to a Human's or a Faunus' Aura. It was sharper, more free-flowing… almost like…

"You're an Aegis Blade…" Dante said with mild surprise in his tone.

"Indeed, I am." She said.

The girl stood up, and the devil tilted his head a little in a questioning manner, raising up his Aura Sword slightly.

"I no longer have any intention to fight you. True as it may be that my counters to your Aura were very much effective, had you pushed yourself further, you very well could have overwhelmed my ability. Not to mention… You managed to analyze my illusion ability and completely understand it with virtually no information other than what you observed. In a true fight to the death, I have no doubt you'd emerge the victor."

Her hand reached up to her faceplate, her fingertips grasping the edges as she pulled it off to reveal her face. Now that he had a good look at her, judging from her young and elegant facial features, she had to be seventeen years old like he was. Aside from her blue hair that had a purplish hue, her eyes were a light blue, almost matching the devil's own light sky-blue eyes.

The girl stood up straight, bringing her hands up and close to her average chest in a slightly triangular fashion. Her left hand remained open and her right fist was pressed into her palm, her thumb slightly bent. Shortly after taking this position, she bowed slightly.

If he remembered his etiquette lessons correctly, as well as all of the old martial arts movies he previously watched, the young devil believed she was respectfully greeting him.

"I am Xīn Huá. I apologize for my earlier actions, but it was necessary to test you. You... who would be my Wielder."

---

Dante received a message on his HoloScroll about his wellbeing from Inuba, to which he simply replied he was alright and that the mission was a success.

"You can head back. I won't be too long."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. We've… come to an arrangement. So there's no longer any threat to be posed from her."

"Understood. I'll see you when you get back."

The young devil sighed as he closed the window, leaning back in his booth seat as he glanced at the girl who identified herself as Xīn Huá. Before leaving the isolated site, he had asked her if she had a change of clothes to swap into, seeing as it would be slightly awkward if she walked around town in her combat attire. After responding yes, like Eclypse, her combat attire was dematerialized into a sort of casual wear.

Seemingly staying true to her martial artist aesthetic, her normal attire consisted of a dark blue qipao that had white lining, black rectangular glasses, navy blue tights beneath the qipao that had a slight glossy shine and almost reached up to the underside of her bust, as well as black leather boots that almost reached her knees.

Her qipao was what caught his attention the most though, since it wasn't like any kind he had seen before. For starters, it had long sleeves with white cuffs, and almost resembled a crop-top, given how the top layer of the qipao stopped an inch or so beneath her chest.

Not to mention, the front had an additional thin, rectangular layer of dark blue cloth lined in white that started at the base of her neck, covering most of the center of her chest as it reached down to her thighs, close to her knees. Four white buttons perfectly lined the top half of the added extension of cloth in the form of a square on her chest, with two white tassels connecting the corners of the fabric to two white buttons on each shoulder. Then, there was also the sort of thin, black leather belt connected to two buttons on the edges of the extra line of fabric, wrapping around her waist just a little above where he guessed her belly button to be, likely to keep it from flapping about frantically.

Now came the final part that was also fairly interesting about her qipao. There seemed to be a thin, white under-layer beneath the main layer, with two diamond-shaped gap patterns on each of her sides and the sides of her hips, which was how he determined her navy blue tights reached up to underneath her bust. The white cloth itself was lined with dark blue fabric that split at the joints of her hips, one flap covering the entirety of her rear, while the other reached down to just above the center of her thighs.

It was difficult to deny that her slender form was beautiful, particularly with how finely wide and curvaceous her hips were, as well as her long and slightly thick legs, which were borderline perfection in terms of ratio. Not to mention…

…

…

He was getting distracted, and thus closed his eyes briefly before he looked up at her face. Her young looking features were indeed beautifully shaped, like a wise and elegant noble lady of the east, almost like Inuba.

"Yes?" Xīn Huá asked, her light blue eyes looking up from the table and staring into Dante's eyes in a calm manner.

"N-Nothing… Was lost in thought for a bit…" Dante said before he leaned forward, "So tell me… how much of my questions are you able to answer?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't think you were doing this alone. No matter what methods I used to peek through surveillance footage to get even a glimpse of you, you never showed up anywhere at any time." The devil explained, "You're incredibly adept at stealth, but nobody is that perfect, not even me. That could only mean you had the help of someone with extreme technical prowess that could aid in entirely erasing any trace of you on footage, as well as pointing out any surveillance blindspots. So… my question is who are you working with? Or rather… who are you working for?"

The girl chuckled lightly as she bowed her head slightly, furrowing her brows a bit, "You're quite blunt."

"Sorry, but I'd rather not skirt around things, especially with what you said at the site."

Xīn Huá exhaled quickly, folding her hands atop the table as she looked Dante directly in the eyes.

"I am indeed working with someone, or rather, was working with him. And by his instruction, I did indeed attack you in order to take your measure. As he said… the rest would be my decision."

"And you decided to stick with me."

"Yes."

"Then allow me to be frank… We have someone running around town hacking into shit. You wouldn't happen to have been working for the enemy now, would you?"

"No. We never went so far as to attempt any malicious tactics involving technology. Only enough to cover my trail."

"That's good to hear then." Dante said as he leaned forward, resting his chin in his palm, "So who was your friend?"

She growled slightly before she raised her head up further, tugging on the collar of her qipao that covered most of her neck to show a thin black line just above the base of her neck, a black diamond mark at the center.

"As per the conditions of his assistance, he forced me to take up a curse that would prevent me from directly identifying him, his abilities, or revealing his intentions. Part of his twisted games, I'm afraid."

"Okay… Is it someone I've come across before? Or my siblings?"

"Your younger brother, I believe."

Leonard? Who could he possibly have..?

Dante widened his eyes briefly as a chilling thought occurred to him, narrowing his eyes on the martial artist.

"He's dead."

"Unfortunately, that isn't the case." She said with some disdain in her tone.

"Wow, you must really hate the guy."

"Usually I am not one for such intense emotions, but… Yes, I do indeed have an intense dislike of both his character and his methods. Contrary to what you may believe now, this is not how I intended for us to meet." Xīn Huá explained earnestly, reaching her hand up to fix the position of her glasses, "I'm afraid that I had to play his abhorrent game in order to contact you at last."

The devil fixed her a questioning stare, "How long have you known about me exactly?"

"Since your arrival in this world two years ago."

"Two years ago..?!"

"As per his instructions, I was forced to remain on standby either until you became strong enough or until you reached Atlas."

"I'm guessing I didn't exactly fulfill the first condition until after Mistral, right?" Dante leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms.

"Not to offend you, but yes, that was the case. Seeing as you and your allies were on course to Atlas, instead of sending me out to meet you, the final decision was to wait for you to arrive. And so… here we are now."

"I see…"

She furrowed her brow, biting her lip slightly before she sighed and gathered her courage.

"Before… When you asked me how long I have known about you… I didn't tell you the whole truth of the matter."

Dante felt a steadily building uneasiness welling up inside him. Strangely… it wasn't his.

"The truth is… that I have known of your existence for a decade now."

"A decade..?"

Xīn Huá nodded slowly, "Yes. Originally… I was one of two slated to be your Aegis Blade, but… Complications arose shortly after she came into existence through your latent powers." The girl pointed to Dante's chest.

Did you know about this..?

~I swear, I didn't… I only ever managed to remember people were after us, and that after we were caught, I had my existence stripped away from me. Other than that… I was never able to remember a face or a voice… But… I guess I now know why seeing that four eyes was pissing me off on some instinctual level…~

Dante narrowed his eyes on the martial artist, trying to steel himself for the question he was about to ask.

"Ten years ago when Eclypse was taken from me, and she was stripped of her existence… Were you there?"

"I wasn't. I only ever heard of the Aegis Blade you miraculously forged using a fragment of your soul, and how she was dangerous because of how she could influence you. However, the observational data I went through at the time suggested otherwise." Xīn Huá calmly explained to the young devil, "That's why on the planned day, I attempted to thwart their efforts, and was subsequently imprisoned afterwards. I was released two years ago by the man I was recently working with, and since then, have only worked with him in order to join your service."

"Oh? So what exactly drew your attention? My mildly solid intelligence? My dashing good looks?" The devil jokingly struck a sort of super model pose.

She cracked a small smile, "At first, it was because I was simply told to. As it was explained to me ten years ago, I was the most suitable choice in terms of protecting you, educating you, and nurturing your talents and abilities."

Dante hummed faintly as he looked the martial artist over once more, "Yeah, I guess I can see that… You definitely seem like the honest, caring and nurturing type." He shrugged before leaning back into his booth seat, "You mentioned one of two Blades. You know anything about the other?"

"I was only ever told about the existence of the other Blade, not their identity or where they might be located."

"Hrmmm…" He uncrossed his arms, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table, slightly biting his lip, "Alright, final question then for now."

Xīn Huá nodded quickly, adjusting her glasses once again as she listened attentively.

"Why should I accept your service?"

"P-Pardon?"

"Why should I take you in as my Blade? What can you bring to the team?"

She was slightly taken aback by the sudden question, but cleared her throat to fix him a serious stare.

"I'm diligent and efficient with my work. I understand various cultures across Remnant and can quickly pick up languages in foreign terrain in order to translate and mediate. As you no doubt witnessed for yourself, utilizing my innate ability to negate or deflect Aura would presumably be of great benefit to you, especially against enemies that heavily focus on the usage of Aura abilities." Xīn Huá explained, all of which were good points given how Dante nodded, "And if I may be so bold, young Master, your hand-to-hand skills, while still impressive, could be improved upon. You have the capability, so with time I could teach you what I know. Unless of course, you are opposed to a Blade teaching you."

"Huh? Why would I refuse to learn something from you just because you're an Aegis Blade?"

"Well… You are the Master…"

"First off, I'm no 'master' and you're no slave. If we work together, we do so as allies with mutual goals in mind and mutual respect." Dante firmly explained, "And secondly, if you have something valuable to teach me that isn't bullshit, then I'll gladly listen and learn, regardless of who you are or where you come from. Simple."

The girl was… frankly shocked by his words. A good deal of people would be arrogant or complacent if ever they had the power of an Aegis Blade in their hands, let alone if someone was extraordinarily fortunate enough to be able to wield three of them. Yes, he was in many ways brash, perhaps somewhat arrogant but… he didn't seem like a fool, or a tyrant. If the data that was previously gathered on him didn't fully convince her then, it was these last few minutes alone that managed to sway her. Thus, the martial artist was now entirely confident she was where she was supposed to be.

"I suppose you have a point… Well then, I suppose the last notes worth mentioning is that if taught properly, I can perform the duties of a personal assistant to the letter."

~Well isn't she Little Miss Perfect…~

Jealousy gets you nowhere.

~Funny… Seems to get me everywhere.~

Dante smirked and shook his head at his Blade's comment.

"Xīn Huá… If I'm not mistaken, your name is written as 'Renewed Grace', right?"

She hummed briefly, half amused and half impressed, "I'm surprised you knew that."

"I know I may seem stupid sometimes, but I am fairly well educated you know?"

"I know. I meant no insult to your intelligence."

"I'm messing with you, relax." The young devil assured, "Well Xīn Huá, I guess we can form the contract later in private. Right now we'll return home for the night. I'm… fairly wiped. But first… some food to celebrate and a few well needed drinks. That alright with you?"

"I suppose I have worked up a decent appetite by now… Why not?"

"Alrighty. It's on me, so get what you want and how much you want."

"A-Are you certain? Perhaps I should stick to just an appetizer…"

"Nah nah nah, get what you want and how much of it you want. Be shameless tonight."

"If you say so…"

…

…

Perhaps this partnership would indeed be good for her after all, just as he said it would be.

---

As above, I'm just gonna skip my usual complaints about life and its many trials.

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