ATTENTION: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OF DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA OR DEVIL MAY CRY. ALL CREDIT BELONGS TO THE AUTHORS, CREATORS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING PARTNERS!
A Demon's Cry
[(3)]
"It's a cat."
Of all the forms demons could take, Giyu was most surprised by this one.
Dante's sour mood soon revived at the discovery. Collecting Ivory back from Giyu, Dante approached the demon with his hand out. "Pspspspspspspspspspspspsss! Here kitty kitty kitty kitty! It's time for some nasty dinner~!"
"Water-breathing-" Not waiting to stand around and find out, Giyu vanished from the demon's sudden charge.
The beast revealed its sneering expression, believing it had cut the Hashira off from using his technique. Wait. Where was the other one with him? The half-blood.
"Up here kitty kitty kitty!" Dante waved, handing onto a ceiling beam with one arm. On the other? Giyu.
"-Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!"
STAB!
"UUUAAAAAARAAAAAAAAUGHHH!"
Using his strength to swing Giyu, Dante threw his comrade right into the giant eye of the cat demon. Once the blade was buried into the bleeding organ, Giyu propelled himself and the demon through the ballroom wall, into the courtyard. In one last attempt to take Giyu with him, it used its blood demon art. Erupting in an explosion, the giant demon's blood turned to needles, rushing right toward him.
"Heads up!" Dante grabbed his fellow Hashira, pulling him out from certain death.
"I guess you want your 'thank you' now?" Giyu croaked.
"Maybe. Or you can mail it in an envelope with a little kiss on the cover." Dante sarcastically grinned.
Spotting the white rabbit floating in front of them, the Hashira aimed their respective weapons right at the supposed demon's head.
At Ease.
The audacity of this thing had to keep talking to them. "Your job here is done. There is no need for you two to be here any longer. Please go back."
"Well, I'm afraid I can't do that, snuggles. Ya see I'm here to bring back a runaway girl. Can't go back without her." He scratched his head with the slide of Ivory. "Even so, I don't think my friend here will be letting you off the hook that easily. So go back to eating grass and maybe he will make the kill a little less painful."
Giyu tightened his grip on the sword.
"You don't understand. You Hashira are bound by the will of your crows calling you to duty. I was the one who reported this demonic presence." The rabbit smiled.
Giyu squinted, "You were the one who called in the demon report?"
"Yes. Though, you were far from expected to show up. I personally just wanted a look at Sparda's descendant." Despite being fully entranced by Dante, the rabbit couldn't help but notice Giyu's uncertainty in his eyes. It wasn't directed at him, but rather at his fellow Hashira. How interesting.
"If my pops owes you money, then tell him that yourself. I'll be at a loss if this is all about my father." Dante raised Ebony towards the rabbit.
Rather, the rabbit extended his arm, making hand motions like a puppet master. Dancing beside him, bound by the strings was none other than Alice. "Your father owes me money? Oh no, not at all. This is a great inheritance. However, humans became fascinated with demons and thus, didn't die out. They began to seek out demons, yearning for their power and even becoming them. As a result, they built a great tower. This tower connects the demon world with the human world. To become a demon, those fascinated climbed the tower."
Alice's body began to float up in the air. Demonic tendrils and serpents started to wrap around her body, tossing her and strangling her with pressure. Her screams became louder, sparking a response from the Hashira.
"Do you think her parents will ever come looking for her? No. Her parents won't even look at her. She isn't beautiful or strong. Just a naive child. That's Alice. She is powerless." He ignored Alice's cries for him to stop. "Even if I try to be interested in her, there is no such way. She is always nonresistant and has never had any power. I feel sorry for her."
"Water Breathing. Fourth Form: Striking Tide! Dante!" Giyu sliced all the tendrils, freeing Alice from the monstrous demon and the rabbit's antics.
Dante quickly caught her, landing on the ground with the unconscious child. A small vein popped on the side of his neck, eyes shading towards the rabbit. "Let me tell you something… don't you talk about demons in front of me."
"Another step and it's your head." Giyu would have typically destroyed this demon by now. But there was something he had to confirm first. He was getting more information out of him than he ever could from anyone.
"They are much more honest than humans. Power is everything. That is the demon's unwritten law." The rabbit hummed.
"Thanks for the lecture." Dante hissed.
"Perhaps if you had more power, you could have saved your mother."
…
Just as Dante aimed his guns at the rabbit, Alice's arms drifted up to his wrists, pulling the guns down. She was no longer a child, but a tall and beautiful woman. Her foreign appearance and new assets would make her a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment district. For now, they were all for Dante.
"You saved me?" Alice glimpsed at Dante and Giyu. "I- I'm so happy. Look at me. My soft, full breasts. My legs are long, aren't they? What do you think? Do I look captivating as an adult?"
Giyu remained hushed, his weapon trained to defend the three of them. Though, his focus never left Dante for a second. He watched Alice embrace the white-haired demon hunter, pressing their bodies close together.
"I wonder. I bet you'd eat me up from the bottom if I gave you a nod." Alice swooned.
"I won't do that." Dante firmly projected his outlook.
Alice nestled herself, looking at Giyu with soft eyes. "I didn't like it when people wouldn't look at me. I've always wanted to grow up fast. It literally felt like a dream when Rabby came to me. I always believed that a prince would come for me. But you're both quite the tattered princes, aren't you?"
"We're sorry to disappoint you." Dante shrugged. "My buddy there wears makeup to look so young all the time."
"I do not." Giyu snorted.
"He's just shy about it." He kept the gag as long as his half-blood humor could.
"I'll overlook it since I've been waiting a long time." Her hands crawled up Dante's face, holding it while she gazed down at his sight.
"I believe this is a sort of nightmare. If it's a dream then you should wake up soon." Tomioka recommended. Little did he know how his words cost him the integrity of Dante.
Giyu couldn't stop Alice. Her fanged demonic teeth sank into Dante's neck like a starving beast. Even if he could strike her down, he risked cutting Dante so badly he couldn't recover.
"BUT I DON'T WANT TO!" Alice declared before her ambush.
"Dante!" Giyu raised his weapon.
CLANG!
Rebellion was drawn, swift as ever, and stopped the sword before it could harm him or Alice. Dante's eyes remained hidden by his hair. He didn't resist. Why was he letting this demon drink his blood?! "You better stop. It's no use."
"No…" Alice closed her eyes in euphoria, even moaning through the process. "This tastes too good!"
"Keep going and you won't be able to go back."
"Go back? There's no way I'd go back! This is so… wonderful…" Alice's body was combusted with demonic energy. Her skin scorched into flames and the souls of seemingly endless victims coursed through the demonic smoke. Right as she started to lose form, she felt Dante grab the back of her head, keeping her pinned to his body. "Eh?! Let me go! W-What are you doing?! N-NO!"
"Dante." Giyu by then had retreated to the nearby window sill. What he saw before him was no longer his comrade. Like Alice, Dante lost his form as well, stretched across a demonic hide like black goo. Giyu noted the two giant horns on each side of his head, the markings of a true demon. The disfigured black essence held Alice's naked body in its grasp, delivering her out of sight. Before leaving the room, the giant demon looked Giyu straight in the eye. Tomioka defiantly gazed back, giving the beast no due respect.
He couldn't just let this go. This was Dante. A demon hunter. He truly was a demon.
Giyu eventually followed, catching up to Dante who had returned to his normal form; long red trench coat, demon slayer uniform under it, open enough to reveal his chest. He roamed like a drunk who had just left a bar, panting with each breath.
"Dante." Giyu called.
Sitting down on a nearby couch, Dante let his head roll in the direction of the Water Hashira. "What."
Giyu saw this as a near opportunity. A demon weakened with its neck perfectly defenseless. A quick strike and he would send Dante's head flying off, right? A swift and precise swing would kill another demon. Yet, Giyu didn't draw his sword. "That's how you treat your comrade who's giving you time to explain yourself instead of lopping off your head?"
"Can I just get the damn payment and leave already?" Dante pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Dante!" Tomika was ready to start spitting fire from his breath. Lowering his voice, each word was sharpened to pierce through the half-blood's ego and get through that thick skull of his. "I can't keep covering for you, Dante."
"Oh, great. And what are you gonna do, tell on me? How mature." Leaning back on the couch, Dante kicked his foot up over his knee. "You won't even get the chance."
"And why is that?" Giyu grimaced, clearly picking up on Dante's challenge. In reality, he grew tired at the thought. "It's one thing for us to keep a secret from the master and everyone else, but you're getting sloppy. I'm doing you a favor by keeping my mouth shut because-"
"Because I didn't burn up in the sun and feast on any human flesh like other demons," Dante remarked. "So, you had your panties in a twist not knowing what to say because even if you did have some sort of proof, everyone else would think you're crazy. Am I in the ballpark here, Giyu?"
"Unfortunately you are," Tomioka conceded. "But, if you're a demon slayer, I want you to start acting like one. The stunt you just pulled? That was the sloppiest thing I ever saw you do. Had another demon slayer or even a bystander witnessed that, then you'd-"
"Quit. I would quit. Simple as. I've already gone private. So what would quitting the corps really do? Make you look bad?" Dante fired back. "It would just give me more time to rake in the dough."
The white-haired miracle made a vein bulge out the side of his head.
"Giyu, it's been a long day. Now I know you don't have the guts to turn me in. Cause if you do, then it's your ass for keeping it a secret. Heh. You know, I just had a funny thought. If you hadn't known me, would you have killed the little demon girl back in the mountains? In front of her brother as well?" Curiosity overtook Dante, using the time to slowly recover back to his feet.
"I can't say." Tomioka ended the conversation faster than Dante's butt could leave the couch. He swiftly drew his blade, holding it next to the white rabbit. It seemed that the demon materialized before them in complete silence.
"Hey, rabbit. Can I get my damn payment and get out?" Dante blabbed.
"It's been sent to your agent." The white rabbit concluded.
Giyu faced the demon, "How much for this gig?"
"Oh, just four million United States smackeroos." He wanted to smirk, secretly amused by Giyu's sudden pale expression.
Over 80 million Yen just went into the pocket of the gone-totting half-breed miracle. Giyu refused to admit the envy that sat in his gut, but there was still more honor in slaying demons and saving humanity from these creatures. Following Dante towards the door, Giyu kept his weapon out, unsure whether or not to slay this rabbit.
"Dante." It called out. "Wait a minute Dante."
"Business is over. We're leaving." The hunter declared.
"I have one more request for you before you go." The rabbit began to follow them. "May you hand over your amulet please?"
SLICE!
Giyu sheathed the blade faster than the rabbit's head hit the floor. Quite the odd distraction. Nevertheless, the life of demon hunting never stopped. While the moonlight illuminated the Inn's ballroom, Dante and Giyu used the halls to find their way back toward the main street. Not a word was said, no slack given or even a compliment. Silence.
Was Giyu being too hard on Dante? The hunter believed he wasn't being hard enough. With a secret that big, it required immense effort to keep it under wraps. Dante going into his purest form and acting like a demon spat in Giyu's face. It spat in their companionship, comradery, jobs, and even lives. Should the Water Hashira ever be tried for withholding this information or, even worse, be responsible for something atrocious happening because of Dante, he might as well commit seppuku right then and there.
Both demon slayers remained too deep in their thoughts to notice a shadow pass between them, walking nonchalantly. For a second Giyu saw the golden outline of a blue trench coat. By the time he turned around, they were gone. But, Dante had turned around a moment before Giyu.
"I assume we saw the same thing?" Giyu asked.
Shaking his head, Dante audibly sighed. He continued his walk into the street, accompanied by his fellow slayer in arms.
"Dante."
"Hmm?"
"Promise me you'll be on your game from now on."
A disheveled and mentally beaten hunter just shrugged. "Whatever, I guess."
[1 month ago]
Muzan paced himself around the shelf, keeping himself at arm's length of the young man. He knew exactly who he was talking to in this town's library. Not many people venture into this building. Not many stay after dark either. Sharing a delight for literature, Muzan decided to plug into his knowledge to swoon the Son of Sparda.
"The Legendary Dark Knight Sparda…" For some reason, Muzan struggled to say the name. Quickly clearing his throat, he let his concise words redeem himself. "After awakening his empathetic nature, even though he harbors no ill will towards his own kind, gains control of the other demons and even defeats his own god, the demon lord. Detesting himself and fearing that the power he has will one day cause more destruction, he seals off the demon world and his weapons; in particular his sword with it. It's a beautiful legend."
Vergil's eyes locked on Muzan.
Sensing the superior devil's attention, Muzan continued. "This one demon lived his later life as a human with a woman. And finally, as a human, he died in this world. His demonic soul succumbed to his love for a human. He turned into good and the evil spirits are sealed forever. Beautiful. The legend of Sparda is unequaled."
"That's not what I'm looking for." Vergil scowled, "Leave me."
"Then what are you looking for?" Muzan ceased his pacing, now facing the white-haired vagabond. "A demon who impregnates a woman and then bears two sons. That's the story, isn't it?"
Vergil drew the Yamato, holding out in front of Muzan's face. The tip of the blade barely touched his nose, a steady and fair final warning. "Leave me. I won't tell you a third time."
"There are reasons forbidden books are forbidden." Kibutsuji persisted. "People inheritably fear evil. People who are more powerful… people with higher status… against threats given by demons? They desire more knowledge. Humans desire knowledge. It's because they are afraid. They cannot bear looking at a demon. They feel fear just thinking about one. It's natural for humans to fear the natural existence of demons. However, occasionally a person might become seduced by evil."
Vergil returned the Yamato to its sheath. "What are you getting at?"
"Please share with me… the story of Sparda."
[Present Day]
"That's right, the seal is Temen Ni Gru." The White Rabbit informed Vergil.
"Temen Ni Gru," he repeated back.
"To activate Temen Ni Gru, we have to break the seal at four different locations. This is Sparda's seal, but with his son, it could be broken easily. Next, we will release the second seal in the tower. Unlike the first seal, this one cannot be broken with mere force. Only those who have the key to the demon world can pass. Their key to the demon world was divided up into… three."
"Three?" That didn't sound right. Even to Vergil.
"Does the OLD legend say two? Well then. It seems the old man was more secretive than you could have imagined. Sparda divided the amulet into three. Two for each of his sons. One for-"
"His beloved?" Vergil guessed.
Amused at the son of Sparda's naivety, he was gifted with an answer he didn't quite expect. "Not quite. His brother. Three people were supposed to be one, just like that key. Because you were born as two, everything was divided up into two. But Sparda knew that two wasn't enough. While Sparda's power would be divided into two, his sons with the same face and same powers, he trusted the last piece of the amulet to his brother… your uncle."
"Sparda never possessed a brother. I have no uncle." This talk about extended family sure grew tiresome.
"He knew that dividing his power into two would be too risky, so as a failsafe, he kept the last piece with someone the underworld dared not cross." The white rabbit strutted past Vergil. "Three equal divisions of power."
SLICE!
The rabbit's ear fell to the floor. Vergil sheathed his Yamato with a discontent face.
"Are you trying to say that I am only a third as strong?"
Rather than lash out or retaliate, the white rabbit remained calm in perhaps his final moments. "I should perhaps be as kind as to warn you as to who I am before you act more rashly." Unbuttoning his butler's vest, one at a time, the white rabbit revealed a large eyeball on its chest. Marked on it…
Lower Moon Six
"Now if you let me finish, three of you are needed to break the seal. Three amulets. Three keys. If the three of you do not gather, the path to the demon world will not open." Those were the rabbit's last words before Vergil sliced him into 8 different pieces.
Vergil's boot crushed the glasses of the former Lower Moon Six, "A cotton doll. What a cowardly approach."
Out of nowhere, Alice threw herself to the floor, holding the decapitated head of her rabbit plushie to her chest. "Rabby!" She bawled.
Her Rabby didn't respond.
While Alice cried, the white-haired swordsman scoffed. Acting so emotional and pathetic over a 'pet?' What would the other moons think of this?
"Love Garden?" Giyu read the hanging sign with a bit of disgust.
"Yeah. This is where he is. I'm getting my money and heading to the nearest Wisteria outpost. You couldn't wait for me there?" Dante groaned.
Giyu just gave Dante a silent glance, answering the question with only a look alone.
Stepping inside the entertainment lounge, the hunters gave witness to the courtesans around them, gathered. A few of them were moving around and heading to tend to the next available customer. A lump sum remained gathered together, all surrounding a heavy-set foreigner. With large lips and darkened skin, Enzo drunkenly pulled in each courtesan with his arms and gave them kisses all along the neck and cheek.
"Come on! Drink more!" He yelled out.
A courtesan next to him translated his sentence to the girls before gathering their responses. "Are you sure?"
"Hell yeah! How much do ya think I earned this time?! 4 million dollars! 4 million dollars!" Enzo smooched the courtesan to his right before erupting into laughter. The other girls around him remained unsure of how to act until they received the official translation of their customer's wealth.
"KYAAAAH~!" They cheered, climbing onto Enzo with wandering hands.
"HAHA! I'll still have change even if I manage to finish all the booze in this place! Gah! I love Japanese girls! You're the best!"
"The best- Enzo-samaaa~!" The courtesans replied in their best English.
Enzo's hardy laugh concealed the footsteps of his worker. He was too busy hoisting up a courtesan into his lap for a kiss, to even notice the glaring demon slayers. It wasn't until Enzo displayed an expensive bottle, that his attention was commanded.
BLAM!
The bottle shattered, liquor spilling everywhere. The courtesans scrambled off Enzo in a fear-frenzy.
"ENZO!" Dante thundered, smoke coming out of Ivory's barrel.
"W-What?! Gaaaah!" The drunk fell back over the couch, surrounded by concerned, panicking girls.
"Don't tell me you're using my share of the money…"
"D-Dante! Of course not! I-I can't even finish that money if I drink for the rest of my life!" Enzo got off the bench and bowed in front of Dante with an apologetic pose.
The Miracle wasn't having it, "Really? Lie again and I'll increase the number of holes in your body."
"So- who's this?" The fixer asked, pointing to Giyu.
"Don't worry about it." Dante spat, short and sweet. He lowered his pistol and holstered it. "Alice is still in Wonderland."
Enzo turned pale as a ghost, "EEEH?!"
So this was what the life of a private hunter was like? Any hope that Giyu had to hold out for Dante slowly diminished. This is what he wanted to leave the Demon Slayer corps for? Drunkards, booze, money, and escorts? "Really nice, Dante." Giyu mocked. "This is what you want to go private for?"
"Well, it pays! So I think you, Giyu, should kindly shut your trap." Dante stepped over the glass, not wanting to ruin his boots.
"But I already used the money," Enzo spoke up.
The room became eerily silent once both demon slayers froze dead in their tracks. If Giyu's annoyed aura wasn't enough, Dante started to reek of death. "We got the money." He rattled, unsure of what was going to come next.
"W-Without completing the request-"
Before Enzo finished his sentence, Dante pressed the muzzle of Ebony into his forehead. Using enough pressure to pin him to the floor, Dante rested his finger on the trigger.
"LIKE I'D KNOW!" The half-blood hollered. "Ask the damn client yourself, or just stay obedient like a damn dog!"
"Da- Da- Dante! P-Please, wait! Aren't we partners?!" Enzo put his hands up in the air. The courtesan screaming only made the situation worse. He expected Dante's 'friend' to stop or calm him down. Yet, Giyu remained still.
"PARTNERS?!" Dante spat.
"Figure of speech!" Enzo corrected himself. "Haven't I been finding jobs for you?!" Once Dante holstered his handgun, a breath of life came from the Italian fixer. "Phew."
"Listen to this! Don't ever take a job from that guy again! I won't do it!" With that, Dante stormed off.
One of the courtesans emerged from behind a wall, cowering with her fellow girls. "He's in such a mood." Her broken English directed itself to Enzo.
Giyu on the other hand looked back at the fixer, glaring. "Have you used up all of Dante's money or are you trying to see if he will follow through on his threat?"
"W-What do you mean?" Enzo dusted himself off, suddenly backed into a corner by Giyu. "Whoa! L-Look buddy, I owe debts! A lot! I had to pay a lot of people, pay for expenses, and-"
"Did you spend all of the money…?" Tomioka whispered.
"I- I- I-" Hearing the demon slayer's lowered tone sent a chill down Enzo's spine. At any moment he felt this man could break him. The question was: would he? "I just don't have it!"
Giyu suddenly grabbed Enzo by his shirt and yanked him up to his eye level. Each passing second drove the poor fixer deeper into his hollow shell of a heart. Just when it looked like the slayer was about to strike this man, he shook his head. Giyu let go of him, watching Enzo fall on his butt. It wasn't worth it. Not for this kind of scum. Was this really the business Dante wanted to get into so badly? Not only did it make him look bad, but the rest of the demon slayer corps as well. Regardless, Giyu knew he couldn't do much. It was just a rush of blood to the head.
[Later That Night]
"We appear, as if by magic, at any place and anytime. Even our forms are mutable; demons. Our existence to humans appears miraculous. While the Twelve Kizuki reigns under my wing, these seals are more… out of my control. If they were truly free, would man and demon be able to do anything against them? That is like a human looking at infinity." Muzan stated, lighting a candle.
"That isn't it," Vergil added. "The ones who require an intermediary are inferior. Because they have no bodies of their own, they seem infinite. Like ants in this world, their freedom is no more than the power they possess."
Vergil confirming the difference was a bit of a relief to Muzan. He well knew that the seven seals possessed power, but another demon confirming his suspicions of their weakness was truly gratifying. "Do they also have other restrictions?" Muzan wanted to see what else Vergil knew.
"They are living. That is their reality. I've killed them with my own hands countless times. Demons, that is." Vergil corrected.
"I see. Living. An apt word for it, Vergil." The well-dressed demon complimented. Opening a gate and leading Vergil down the steps of the tomb, the demons passed through multiple skeletal structures and patterns. Human skulls lined the walls and ceiling. Breaking their temporary silence, Vergil glanced at the stairs guiding their descent. "A catacomb?"
Muzan nodded, "While that is technically a name for it since the atmosphere is similar, it is more beautiful than just a gravesite. The stones used in building it are from a far older era than the one those buried here lived in. Ignorant humans have been merely borrowing it for less than three hundred years. They are not the true masters of this place."
Leading Vergil deeper throughout the underground dungeon, the two cleared a hallway, taking them into a far larger space. It was larger than any room or palace that humans could have built. How this was all underground was beyond any human's knowledge. Yet, Muzan kept clear tabs on all of these locations. In the middle of the room was a work of art. "These are the masters."
Vergil glanced up at the statue before them. Appearing as if carved by a famous sculptor, the work of art stood at least five stories tall. Wearing a cloth as pants, both of its hands rested on two respective pillars. The other miracle had no idea why Muzan brought him to this unknown place. Why were they in front of a statue? Without waiting a single moment longer, Vergil broke their silence.
"These are demons." He declared.
"Correct. Humanity would misinterpret them as Angels." Muzan agreed.
"Foolish," Vergil added. "That is a fact. Such is their power." Leaving the side of the well-dressed demon, he approached the bottom of the statue. One of its feet had a giant nail through it, keeping the statue pinned to the foundation. "This is the seal to the demon world."
Muzan paced across, "Did you not think there would be beauty among demons as well? Even a human could see that it was a resting place. Only a small number of humans know what this place truly is. They-" Muzan's eyes widened once he saw Vergil run his hand across a wall of sacred texts. "Don't touch that!"
Vergil halted.
"It is written that an archivist once touched that same text. His body was burned from the inside out. They lived like pathetic dolls until taking their own life years later. The ancient texts are complicated. Those who watch over it preserved a simple lesson: "Do not believe what you can see." Muzan approached Vergil with a trace of haste in his step.
On the other hand, Vergil remained skeptical, "Your point being…"
"We've united to serve our common interests, so we should work more carefully… Vergil." Staring his ally dead in the face, he watched the swordsman hand draw his sword and point it at him. Restraining himself for the sake of the alliance, Muzan remained still.
"I see, so I must concern myself with your life too? In that case, I have one thing to tell you: Don't use the word 'we'. Is that understood?"
SLICE!
Behind Muzan, there was a slash mark on the wall above his head. The wall started to crack before collapsing entirely. A single swing from the Yamato devastated a sound concrete structure. What could it do to another demon? More importantly, what could that weapon do to Muzan?
The well-dressed Demon stared at the Yamato with malice. If it wasn't for that weapon, things would be very different, "Very well." It didn't help to hold this grudge. Time will tell if he can separate Vergil and his Yamato. "At one time one could easily return to the demon world, and countless times great wakes were released in the overworld. During the birth of the overworld and the underworld, in the instability that followed, countless times pandemonium spilled across that border. The meek humans couldn't do anything whenever the wrath of the underworld spilled out from below their feet. We claimed countless amounts of lives from them. Two thousand years ago, the world that Sparda saved was still unstable. With his hands, Sparda wrought the seal to the path into the demon world, using mighty demons as binding seals. At that time, several of the demons 'whose names were stricken' were described in the demon sword texts."
"Names were…" Vergil waited for the demon lord to provide him with the information.
Muzan shook his head, holding a book. "That is it. Their names were erased. Of course, as this fact is written, the image is insufficient. During one of the many times the demon world flooded the overworld, A black-horned demon god appeared. Twice he struck the earth with an enormous spear and did not rend it. However, this spear was stolen from him. He bound the thief to an unending existence as the eternal seal. To them, a name is 'truth' as they see it, even more than the forms that they take. They say the name of a demon is closer to its true substance. Like heirs to a family, they model themselves after the name they were given."
Vergil remained surprised. This was the first he was hearing any of this. Never once had someone told him the true capabilities of his father. Muzan's information sounded like it was a first-hand experience. "To strike out a name. Sparda was capable of that?"
"Sparda was an almighty demon of unrivaled power. To him, the various demons assembled before him were like infants. Unlike a common demon, he had great intellect. Perhaps that's why he betrayed them." Muzan had a bad taste in his mouth after saying it, staring like he was ready to kill someone.
Looking back at Muzan, Vergil glanced up at the large demon statue, studying its expression. He looked at its completion, face, and eyes. Their eyes looked out to the wall, soon staring back at him. 'T-They moved!' Vergil felt a chill develop in his lower back.
"Those eyes are always watching the visitors." A chuckle came from the other demon. "Always simply watching… for two thousand years. What they might be thinking is beyond our imagination."
The statue started to smile, revealing its fangs to the two. Fangs that started to leak blood down its body. Once the droplets hit the floor, they expanded in a sudden outward explosion.
Vergil flinched, taking a step back. Once he opened his eyes again, the half-demon shuttered. For a moment he was back in that cemetery years ago, nothing but darkness consuming his senses. Only for a moment. Just that one moment reminded Vergil what it was like to be weak. 'W-What was that?'
Slightly noticing Vergil's pale expression, Muzan elaborated on the phenomenon, "Have you heard what the demons think of the contracts that bind them using their name? Well, a contract is perhaps too much of a human concept; a mortal's way of thinking. But nameless demons cannot move as they wish. Like enemies seized in a battle, they would not use their power to carry out our wishes. Sparda's bindings are truly troublesome."
'What was that just now?' Vergil internally demanded. He was no longer calmly thinking. Seeing that place again; why that place?! There was only one solution. "I should defeat them. If we have time to speak of things like this, it's simply a matter of trying. Such a trifling display, these things you call wisdom." More importantly, Vergil noticed something.
'Muzan hasn't changed. In that case- no. This feeling… is fear.'
Vergil looked around the abysmal cemetery. He was back there. Back to that age, back to that place. A young Vergil stood naked, stumbling across the battered graveyard from that day, the last thing he saw was that statue's smile.
BEWARE! THIS IS THE UNBREAKABLE BOLT ON THE GATE OF FEAR! THIS DEEP DARKNESS SHALL CONSUME YOU AND BRING FORTH UNENDING CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION!
Disturbed by the monstrous voice, Vergil quickly sought out his weapon. There it was. A few feet away from him, buried in the dirt, Yamato waited.
Cracks formed across the ground, parting their way in front of each grave. Reaching out of the coffins, were white boney claws of skeletal demons. One by one they started to rise, taking up spears and melee arms. Their eyes? Their bloodlust? Their target? Vergil.
Vergil grabbed the Yamato as the horde of skeleton demons rushed him. 'Why am I seeing this?'
SLASH!
'What am I doing here?'
A decapitated demon skull lunged at Vergil, sinking its teeth into his forearm and clamping down. The young boy shrieked as he fell on his back. The demon showed no mercy, refusing to let go of his bleeding forearm. The other skeletons took this as a signal to move in, closing in on young Vergil.
But this was no place to die. He couldn't die. If he remembers... He didn't die. Yamato left its sheath swinging itself around into the horde. Once it returned to Vergil's hand, he slashed through a demon's skull! Another demon was slashed perfectly down the middle. Skeletons fell like dominoes, one's death leading to the next. Then it was done. The horde was no more.
"Gaaaaugh!" A fallen demon threw its sword into the stomach of a distracted Vergil. The force knocked him back, separating him from the Yamato. Piercing his core, Vergil's body became a hot mess of blood, sweat, and tears. Where was Dante? Where was his mother? Where was Sparda to come and save them?!
The boy violently coughed up blood, another spear going through his chest and pinning him to a tombstone marked: VERGIL. Yamato was too far away for him to reach. The demons only drew closer. The only thing he could do was helplessly pant, watching a fire burn in the distance. Wait- a fire? No, how could that be?! The only thing that was in that direction was- "D-Daaante!"
His home. His brother. His mother…
'Burning… I know this.' Vergil glanced up at the demons that surrounded him. Each one wore a predatory expression more demented than the last. What was it doing? The demon had the Yamato in its hand. Vergil quaked, seeing his own blade raised over him. 'This was the time I-'
STAB!
With a head hanging low, blood leaking from his mouth and two blades in his chest, anyone would have pronounced the little boy dead. No. He remained alive. Alive and breathing agony into his lungs. In the moonlight, a large skeletal demon spread its wings in front of the boy.
DO YOU WISH FOR MORE FEAR?
So that's where this was coming from. "What is it you want me to understand by showing me this?" Young Vergil whimpered.
Smaller demons started to crawl out of the larger one by the hundreds, armed with melee weapons.
REPENTANCE. LAMENTATION. DESPAIR. GREAT DOUBT. WRATH. CONFUSION. ALL OF THOSE ARE OUR PLEASURES.
"Pleasures?" Vergil barely finished as a dozen more blades pierced his body, burying him deeper into the tombstone.
INSECTS WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND. SOMETHING INSIGNIFICANT AS THIS WORLD WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND OUR REASONS. IN THAT CASE…
…RUN AWAY.
Run away? Come on. Anyone could have thought of a better warning. Once young Vergil grabbed the hilt of the Yamato, it was over. The graveyard was swept clean, overcrowding the graves with fresh deceased demons. Vergil stood with his newfound power, reborn as an unstoppable force.
SLICE!
Vergil sliced off the head of the statue. The giant rock fell to the ground, splattering blood upon impact. Awoken from the flashback with a new sense of ferocity, Vergil wasn't taking anything more from this demon. "Your warnings are futile."
"Perhaps, it is well. We would like to receive our names, child of Sparda." The statue spoke. Despite being decapitated, it bore a euphoric smile on its fanged face.
"I don't know your names." Vergil declared.
"It's been two thousand years since our names were lost."
This was truly a living example of Sparda's power. While Vergil knew not their names, he gave them the blessing to receive them. "If you want names, think of them yourselves."
VERY WELL
Rising back to its neck position, the head of the demon smiled throughout the transformation. The stone cracked and withered away, blood seeping through the gaps into new skin. Wings, claws, and talons protrude from its once-bounded feet. "My name is Pride. When all seven names are gathered, our fear shall reach upon the underworld!"
WHEN THE SEVEN BELLS HAVE TOLLED, WE SHALL IMPART OUT BLESSINGS. THE TERROR OF ANCIENT TIMES SHALL COME ONCE MORE. WHEN THE DEMON KING OF THE REALM CASTS HIS GAZE UPON US… WE WAIT FOR THAT DAY.
To
Be
Continued...
And Chapter 3 is up! I hope you all have been enjoying this so far. I love how well this is received. Out of all the Demon Slayer fics and/or crossovers out there of this genre it seems to be doing pretty well. I enjoy writing this a lot as my muse for Demon Slayer and DMC has been through the roof. Especially with the drop of the new Demon Slayer Season. Can't believe we are almost at the end of the manga. But yes! Chapter 3!
Following Dante and Giyu 2 years before the main events of the Demon Slayer series, they are setting up the main events which will drive forward the plot of the main timeline. The two year skip is coming soon, but not after this small little introduction arc is finished. Important things need to be set up as well as characters introduced before we move to the main Demon Slayer series we know and love. It will also explain the relationship between Dante and the Demon Slayer corps and how that will effect everyone two years down the line.
Be sure to enjoy and have fun! Favorite, Follow and review! I love reading them all and you guys put a smile on my face, motivating me to write more. Enjoy chapter 3! I will see you all on the next one!