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

[(4)]

"Run Dante!"

Adrenaline coursing through his veins, the little boy refused to cease his running. He ignored the burning manor, splinters in his feet, and hot ash covering the ground. Every step through the thick smoke was a gamble. What lies next? A needle? Another splinter? Broken glass.

There was no time to think...

A burning sensation erupted behind his shoulder, followed by intense stinging. The skeleton demon removed the knife from Dante, pinning him to the ground.

"Gaaaaaaaaah!" He shrieked. The blade came down to puncture his heart.

"Off of my son! HRAAAUGH!"

SLICE!

The skeleton demon collapsed, falling next to Dante, lacking a head. Feeling the warm embrace of his mother, Dante regained strength to stand again.

"Dante!" Eva tossed the sword aside, holding Dante's face. Hugging her son had to wait, it still wasn't safe. Eva needed to hide him.

They were after him.

All of them.

Where was Vergil?

Dashing into the next room, her eyes locked on an armoire; doors open to greet the two. Though, there was only room for one of them. "Come here! You need to hide, Dante. No matter what happens, you mustn't leave! I need to find Vergil. I promise I'll be back!"

Silenced by terror, Dante leaped out to hug his mother.

She quickly caught him in her arms. "Dante… I know this is hard. You must listen to me. Be a big boy, a man. For me? If I don't return, you must run. By yourself, alone. You must change your name, forget your past, and start a new life as someone else. And if you can find _ then please!"

Eva closed the door, taking a talisman out of her dress. She placed it on the armoire chanting some words that sounded like gibberish until the item took effect.

Shortly after his mother left, calling out for Vergil, she let out a death-welcoming shriek.

Dante squealed. His hands quickly covered his own mouth, suppressing his cries at the sound of his mother's death. What was that she told him to find? He couldn't remember. Yet, his mind would never let him forget those demons searching for him in that room.

"They're dead!"

"Sparda's… human woman."

"All of them?"

"I killed all of them."

"Their flesh was- yummy!"

…

"Their flesh was- YUMMY!"

"Yummy!

"Yummy!"

…

"Yummy!"

Dante fired awake in cold sweats, staring up at the ceiling. What was that dream? Why did that memory come back? Vergil. Why was he thinking about him now? Was this real? Dante locked eyes with his own hand, giving himself a reality check.

"YUMMY!"

Dante wiped the sweat off his forehead before getting up from the couch. "You'll wake the devil himself up if you don't keep your damn voice down."

"You're awake!" Kyojuro faced his comrade. "You looked like you were having trouble sleeping! So I made you something!"

The scent of an herbal tea lured Dante's nose over to the table next to him. "Thanks." He wasn't expecting the Flame Hashira to be in this outpost. Was he nearby? Did he switch places with Sir Frownsalot? "Giyu spreading his doom and gloom elsewhere?"

"Giyu Tomioka is out on a mission! He got tired of waiting since you have been asleep for 19 hours!" Rengoku announced.

"19 hours?!" Dante nearly choked on his tea.

"Yes! 19 Hours!" Despite his comrade clearly distressed, Rengoku found the time to continue eating his bento box. There was another one next to the tea with Dante's name written on it in kanji.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" Dante barked.

"It would have been very rude!"

"Of course, it would have…" Burying his face in his hand, Dante let out a howl. Less concerned with Rengoku and more with his flashback, he let himself be engulfed by thought. Why did he have that memory resurface? Why was it haunting him? Perhaps that really was HIM they passed by. The only way to confirm would be to locate Giyu again.

Rengoku continued to consume the condiments while watching Dante gear up. He truly was something else. Compared to most Hashira who fought with swords and special weapons, Dante primarily relied on firearm contraptions. His model was based on the current sidearm used by armies around the world. But they were bigger, bulkier. "You aren't going to eat your bento box? Come! Sit with me and eat!"

"Another time, Kyojuro." Dante huffed. It was hard to resist that endless smile the Flame Hashira always sported. Regardless, there were other things to tend to. Dinner with Rengoku could wait. Right now, Dante just needs to cool off. "I'm going out. If you need me, I'll be-"

"Finished! I'm happy to accompany you, Dante!" Rengoku appeared in front of him.

"Whoa! How the- jeez, Rengoku, you're too damn fast sometimes. Slow it down."

"Ok!"

Leaving the outpost and heading back towards Tokyo, the Hashira remained close to one another while traveling down streets, alleyways, and all different kinds of nooks and crannies. If any building looked suspicious, Dante went to investigate with Rengoku. Similar to Giyu, Kyojuro got the white-haired demon hunter to begin questioning things.

"I don't get it. Why is it you're following me? I told Giyu the same thing. I don't need a babysitter." Dante informed Kyojuro.

The Flame Hashira simply nodded, "Of course! But there could be demons anywhere here. Giyu told me about the Inn you both cleared out. A threat like that doesn't come out of nowhere!"

"That is true. But I'm on my own. If I see a customer willing to pay a pretty penny, I don't want you scaring them off. No offense." A shrug came from Dante.

"None taken!" Rengoku reassured him.

Just as the two descended into a narrow alleyway, the shadows around them started to morph. Static shapes soon transformed, rising from the ground and towering walls. From every angle, the shadow creatures bore long scythes, sharp enough to cleaver through a mere man in a single swing.

Dante eyed the decaying faces of death while Rengoku remained ready in a taito stance. "What was that about you saying there could be demons anywhere?"

"This is exactly what I meant!" Kyojuro counted 10, 15, 20 of them. The fact that they all appeared in such large numbers meant that they were independent from the status quo. Demons never banded together. So perhaps this was a single demon spread across multiple avatars.

Dante cocked a smile. Maybe he should put that theory to the test. "Been seeing a lot of these things recently. Looks like a skeleton party. A bit of a picnic from the demon world, eh? I mean we're up in the middle of the night. Must be hella fun."

BLAM!

This place of rest he was granted was far from the average inn or shelter by any means. The walls and rooms were all traditional Japanese housing inside of a complex deemed endless. Inside this castle of infinity, Vergil granted himself a small room where he attempted to glance through a few books Muzan donated to him. Flipping through each page made the half-blood more and more confused.

'I can't read this book. So many ancient languages incorporate different language systems. Why? No. It has to be that these are mere concepts that cannot be expressed in words alone.'

The reliefs that symbolize the legend alone are here, but the hidden meanings run deep. Great knowledge becomes necessary to decipher them.

Muzan's words only threw Vergil deeper and deeper into confusion. 'Is it saying I must search all of those ruins? That I must look through all of the ancient texts? Muzan. What is he thinking? What is his goal?' Rising up from his chair, Vergil opened the door, further into the infinity castle.

On the other side was a small girl, sitting at his feet. She held an instrument in her hand at the ready, facing Vergil with covered eyes.

"What is it?" Vergil grimaced.

"Lord Muzan is ready to see you now." She informed him. Without waiting for Vergil to respond, she struck a singular chord, changing the entire layout and positioning of the castle's layout.

THOING!

No longer was he in that small room, but in a larger library.

Patiently flipping through pages, Kibutsuji suddenly gripped the book with the force of a thousand men. One could have sworn they heard him take a deep breath before greeting the white-haired swordsman. Softening his already emotionless expression, the demon lord approached Vergil with an inspecting gaze.

"About ten years ago, a human woman was murdered on the outskirts of Tokyo city. Her corpse had been altered all beyond recognition, house burned to the ground and the very cause of death unclear. There appeared to have been a struggle with some things…" Muzan paced around Vergil before revealing more of his library/laboratory. "Countless things and feather-like objects were found surrounding the area. On the same day, one volume of a forbidden text was found in the depths of a shrine."

In his hand was the forbidden text from his story. Muzan walked to an empty table and placed it there. The well-dressed demon tapped the cover a few times until he commanded Vergil's eyes to it.

"The forbidden volume was unlike anything I have ever seen before. It was left with a single librarian. Because he took such an interest, the librarian, well-versed in the forbidden texts, attempted the decryption contained here. Seems humans are more useful for some things than others. But on that day an extraordinary miracle appeared before his eyes. It was a human scholar that I kept under my other palm. He still bears the wounds from that day years ago. But what he believed to be a common demon was still something of immense demonic power. It caused him to believe in miracles."

"Miracles?" Vergil questioned. "And this would be your concept of… miracles?"

It was one thing to be miraculously brought to the library lab of a demon lord, but having it look utterly a mess was something else. Vergil spotted skulls filling shelves and drawers all along the wooden furniture. A closet was hanging, skeletons occupying every inch of space available. What put off Vergil the most was the demonic creatures in jars.

They remained deformed, dying, and utterly helpless.

Raising a brow, Muzan crossed his arms, "Not to your liking I suppose? Apologies…" His words nearly slapped Vergil in the face. "They are the products of my extensive research. With that in mind, let us cover a topic you so desire. The first seal had been undone. At first, there were four seals. Three should remain."

"However," Vergil interrupted. "Of those summoned by that first seal, there were seven. Seven deadly sins; Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Greed, Wrath."

"Correct. That seal called themselves Pride. One of seven. Perhaps, seven seals exist." Muzan grabbed a couple open books, organizing them into sections. "In my scholar's decryption, there are four seals. Perhaps there is something he overlooked. But it made me think that the four seals have another meaning to them."

Vergil was quick to ask, "Where are the seals?"

"I've found the sins, but I am not sure about the others. I'll press my scholar about it tonight. Surely he should have some information for me this time. His life depends on it." Muzan clarified.

Nodding, Vergil faced the demon lord, "That is for the best. Then I'll crush the four seals first. Once you press your scholar, we will reconvene."

"Sugoi…" Muzan couldn't help but smirk. "And what of your brother?"

"Dante?"

Muzan confirmed, "Lower Moon Six urged him to cooperate. He could not garner his acceptance and is no longer with us."

"I figured." Vergil sighed, "He has always been rebellious."

"Just like his father? Well, the opposite of you, I see." This was quite a little discovery. The more Muzan prodded and gained small incites towards HIS sons, it brought him a little more security into this world.

"If the truth does not change, he will go against it," Vergil warned.

Interesting. Oh, how very interesting indeed. "I see. In that case, his desire to change the truth can perhaps be the human side of him. Leave your brother to me."

"Dante?"

"Mhm."

"What do you plan to do?"

Muzan closed a book, placing it back on the shelf, "I intend to exhaust his courtesy with him as well. A fitting tactic, wouldn't you think, Vergil?"

(Devil May Cry 3 OST - Taste the Blood)

"Come on! Wimp!"

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Dante quickly gunned down a group of skeleton demons that rushed him. With each trigger pull, Ebony and Ivory's bullets tore through their bones. Content with his weapons grinding them to dust, Dante looked over his shoulder towards the Flame Hashira. Impressed as always by his skills, not a single adversary was able to even get near him.

Rengoku squatted, spinning in one singular motion, cutting off the heads of all skeleton demons near him. One swing. Seven down. Though, Dante and Rengoku should have finished clearing house by now. How long has it been? How come they were still battling these things? First, there were 20, but it seemed… endless. With every dead skeleton demon, another took its place.

"They seem to be endless, Dante!" Rengoku called out as he sliced a few more skeleton demons in half.

He did notice that as well. But something Dante did realize was that the count of demons never grew more than 20 at a time. That means that this hive mind was piggybacking off one another. "Yeah, I noticed. I'm starting to have a hunch about something. Just don't know how to go about it."

"Whatever it is, we shall do our best!" Rengoku declared.

Shoving the barrel of Ebony into a demon's mouth, Dante blew its head clean off, watching it fade away. Not too long after, it reformed in another position.

"I think if we kill them all at the same time, they won't have anything to piggyback on. Though, we have to coordinate." The young man himself closed his eyes and recited, 'Arms Breathing… Fourth Form: Rapid Fire.'

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!

With his breath, Dante felt his nerves and fingers tingle. With demonic power coursing through him, Ebony and Ivory briefly became automatic weapons! Wait- no. That doesn't sound right! Regardless, almost all of the skeleton demons suddenly dropped. Rengoku finished off the last one.

"Amazing Dante! Your form is still incredible!" As a Hashira, Rengoku was able to see beyond what a normal person would.

An outsider looking in could easily mistake Ebony and Ivory for going automatic. But someone who has been around Dante long enough knows that wasn't the case. Rengoku was able to see each end of every trigger pull through the breathing technique. It allowed him to easily evade Dante's line of fire.

Coordination was key. They needed to kill all of them simultaneously. Super duper easy, right?

Once the skeletons returned to the full number of 20, Dante and Rengoku looked at each other. Seemingly understanding one another from a head nod, they both split directions. Rengoku guided half the skeletons toward him while the others followed Dante across the alley. Using the buildings as leverage, Dante and Rengoku made sure to keep one another in sight while avoiding direct confrontation with the demons.

They leaped over ledges, and trash bins and even navigated into different sections of Tokyo's many alleyways.

"Come on! Are you guys really too slow?" Dante taunted, slipping around a corner.

Once the demons followed, they were face to face with their fellow demon horde. Where were both Hashira? Did they just vanish from sight?

"The eggs are in the basket! I repeat! The eggs are in the basket!" Dante called out, hanging off the window frame of a multi-story building. In his free hand, Rebellion.

"Flame Breathing First Form: Unknowing Fire!" Rengoku called out.

"Arms Breathing First Form: Dead Center!" Dante followed.

Both Hashira launched towards their groups at the same time. Rengoku's technique drove his sword into the horde's necks, a clean slice following through. Meanwhile, Dante's technique created immovable stability as he swung Rebellion across his line of sight. The tips of both swords touched, making a spark right in the middle. Such a spark signaled the end.

SLAAAASH!

A blink of an eye, a mere instant. No- it was too fast! Once the last word left their mouths, the whole horde dropped, disintegrating altogether. Not a single shadow demon returned to the mortal world.

(End OST)

"Hate a demon who makes me work on my time off! Had to step away from my vacation to handle you guys!" Dante spat.

Rengoku steadily sheathed his blade, approaching his white-haired companion. "Hashira are never on vacation! Every living day is a call of duty!"

"Yes. Hashira. Not me. I'm a part-timer as they say. The shop is closed for vacation." Dante shrugged. Placing Rebellion back on his back, he started to pace up and down the now quiet alleyway. "Let's see. I don't have any other important business. Besides, I wasn't invited to this little demon party. That's what I get for turning down the rabbit's tea party invite I guess."

"How unfortunate!" Rengoku added. "Fortunately, we seemed to have saved these two girls who were hiding!" Pulling away a curtain-like cloth, the Flame Hashira revealed two young girls holding each other in fear. Clearly, they witnessed those demons getting obliterated by both Hashira.

"Crazy, huh? In that case." Reaching into his pocket, Dante pulled out a large gold coin. Tossing it to the girls, he smirked. "Go get the loud-mouthed Italian for me, would you? Probably in the entertainment district. The only Italian in this place."

Both girls scurried off, one of them holding the coin closely

"If you're really looking to stick around, fine. Guess not much I can do. But I think you earned yourself a drink. How does that sound, Kyojuro?" Dante asked.

Rengoku just smiled, "Why thank you! But I would prefer to stay away from anything like sake!"

"Well, then you're in luck! Cause you get to try something really special." Guiding Rengoku out of the alleys and down the street, the two stumbled upon an Izakaya.

Why not? The night was young! Moon was up! Nothing could better set the mood than a nice relaxing drink at an Izakaya! Out of both Hashira, Dante knew this was going to be a good night when the Izakaya had a jukebox. Specifically? It was playing some music of that era. He had heard it in other countries, but it seemed to be making its way over to Japan.

"Nice tunes." He complimented, walking in with a trailing Rengoku. "And swords."

Hanging above the barstead were two oddly shaped blades, connected at the base by a pincer-like harness.

"It's called 'Blues' from the Americas. Unfortunately, at this time I can only allow you to stay if you plan to order food or drink." The bartender announced.

"Eh, I'm good." Dante shrugged, pulling up a stool and sitting at the bar.

Rengoku joined.

"Only ordering the music then?" The bartender asked sarcastically. Spotting the uniforms they wore, specifically the gold buttons over the black, the bartender smiled a bit. "Demon Slayers. In that case, you two are welcome. I have something really special for you two."

"Really?" Kyojuro perked up with excitement.

"Yes. This is a trade. When you're in the business long enough, you get a certain feel for each and every customer."

CRACK!

Kyojuro turned his head towards the sound of a three-ball billiards game being played in the corner. But he returned front-face and the bartender lowered his voice eerily.

"You heard what they are saying? There's a guy around these parts that just sliced people up like tomatoes." Twirling a blade between his fingers, one quick pass divided a tomato dish up into eight equal slices.

"Those are some fine slices!" Rengoku commented, "You should be in a shredding contest! Or maybe you were once a slayer yourself!"

"That punk sliced them up finer than that. Heh, I was. A long time ago. But I'm too old for that kind of work." What intrigued the Hashiras more than a well-mannered bartender, with an interesting personality, was that he wore a blindfold around his eyes. How was this man able to operate? "I know demon slayers aren't recognized by local authorities or government, but my business is letting people come to have a friendly drink with God. But, you're Dante… aren't you?"

Rengoku and Dante equally held their breath. Just what was this mysterious bartender up to? Both refused to say a word. Even Kyojuro's vocal nature knew when to hold its tongue.

"Enzo is an old acquaintance of mine. I try to make my pizza the real Italian way, like he does. I know two hungry Hashira can easily take down a pizza after a long day. You gentlemen like that?" Their blindfolded server asked.

"Sounds Yummy!" Rengoku cheered.

"Yeah." Dante nodded, "And some tomato juice."

"With guns, swords, and an attitude like that, the slicer guy would have been no problem for you two." The compliment was well received. Dante though, had other thoughts and opinions for their bartending acquaintance.

Dante grabbed a slice shortly before Kyojuro could eat one. "If it was work, yeah. Sounds like some crazy samurai."

"But that is part of your job, isn't it? That kind of service?" Even if it was a crazy samurai, it didn't make the bartender feel any less uncomfortable.

"Better head to the entertainment district to ask that question- get more out of it. I just borrowed a space there upstairs. Let the local authorities deal with the nutcase."

"Yummy!"

"Hey!" Dante watched the rest of the pizza pie swiped from him. Before he could even think about asking Kyojuro for his slice, the flame Hashira had just about finished. "Darn…"

Rengoku finished his slide, extending a thumbs up and a classic smile.

"That area in the entertainment district is sealed off. Heard it from the construction guys working on cleaning up." The bartender informed them, placing the pizza pie away from the Hashiras.

"Yeah, horrible incident that was," Dante muttered.

DA…NTE! DAAANTE!

THUMP!

Stumbling through the Izakaya door, hysterically drunk, Enzo face-planted in front of the three while holding his cheeks. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Who put sand all over the floor?!"

"You dope!" The bartender hissed.

"Greetings!" Rengoku faced the drunken slob known as Enzo.

Enzo looked up at the half-blood demon hunter, tears running down his face and snot covering his lips. "I thought you never copped out at the last second?!"

"Yo, Enzo." Dante smirked, "I'm sorry but that sign is clear as day. I won't be taking any jobs for a while."

"C'mon pleaaaase!" The Italian begged. "The client is a Chinese guy! He's gonna make sweet and sour pork outta me! There's no way I can send anyone out but you! No- You! With crazy hair! Please! Will you do it?"

Dante extended his arm, grabbing another slice of pizza. Rengoku followed suit. "I have to keep up my end of the deal with the Slayer Corps." He half-truthed. "Get someone else to do it."

"I'll do it!" Rengoku cheered.

"No, you won't." Dante quickly shut him down.

"Then I won't do it!" Seems the flame Hashira settled on this final decision as it was in the best interest of everyone.

Enzo leaped up, grabbing onto Rengoku's jacket. "W-Why not! You just said you would! You can't just go back like that! Please!"

"Hands off!" Dante quickly pried Enzo off his companion. "Listen, I wish you luck on your diet if you don't want to be turned into pork. And keep your hands to yourself. Not nice to get all touchy-feely. Hey, thanks for the pizza, but I think we're going to bounce."

"We?" Rengoku asked."

"SQUAA! A POWERFUL DEMON HAS EMERGED IN KOTA TOWN! KILL IT BEFORE IT GROWS STRONGER SQUAA!"

Everyone noticeably flinched at the Kasugai crows' sudden entrance. Dante instinctively swatted at it. "Man, I did not miss those things. But- seems you have a demon to take care of, Kyojuro."

"Dante." Kyojuro softly called, tilting his head. As if being called upon by the angelic voice of the Hashira made the difference, he visibly noticed Dante struggling with his words.

"Fine. WE have a demon to deal with. Happy?" Dante nodded, slowly pacing towards the door.

"Delighted!" Rengoku declared, following his comrade.

"DANTE?!" Enzo shouted. "How long should I wait?! You coming back?!"

Looking back and smirking at the panicking fixer, Dante waved sarcastically before stepping out with Rengoku.

All the air left Enzo's chest as he leaned against the bar; defeat written head to toe. The darkness around him felt like it could wrap its arms around his neck and start choking him from fear alone. Did he just watch his ace up his sleeve walk out and neglect the stakes?! Enzo couldn't help but let the hopelessness take over. "Should I just run?"

"Didn't the guy cancel the job?" The bartender stroked his chin.

"THEN WHEN WILL THERE EVER BE WORK?!" Enzo shouted.

While Enzo droned on about his secret fears over Dante, the older server watched the two female patrons who were playing three-ball billiards. One of them stumbled into a corner and slumped down, hugging her knees. The second female, a short-haired girl with a checkerboard skirt, made her way over to the two of them.

"Excuse me." She softly interjected. "My friend got a little too drunk. Could you let her sleep here for a while?"

"As long as the place is open, that's fine." The bartender announced. "But I am not liable in the event something does happen. Strange occurrences are happening around the city at night."

"I see. When do you close?" The black-haired girl asked.

"Hmn… probably when the sun comes up. She can use that blanket over there." He pointed to a shelf with tablecloths and blankets stored on it.

"Thank you. So if I heard correctly, a talking crow came in and said there is a demon attack in Kota town? That's the next village over." She added.

"Mhm. I can't help but feel bad. This world chooses not to believe in those kinds of evils or their dangers. As crazy as it sounds, these things happen." He sighed.

The young girl nodded, silently thinking to herself. "How unfortunate, but I believe I'll be going. I need to get home."

Smiling softly, the heterochromatic woman thanked the bartender. At least now her friend can have some warmth while going through her drunken morning. No matter how comfortable she could make the situation, nothing was going to save her from the wicked hangover yet to come.

Spotting Enzo laying his eyes on her, the bartender couldn't help but joke. "Scouting, are you?"

"For the entertainment district? No. They'll never accept her. She's a foreigner. Besides, she's too young. They'll grow up soon enough. The young ones have been in short supply these days." Enzo huffs.

SLAM!

"AND FIX UP MY ROOM FOR ME WILL YA?! I'M COUNTING ON YOU!"

Dante then slammed the window shut, disappearing around the corner.

"Ow…" Enzo stood up from the fallen barstool. Why did Dante have to come and scare the crap out of him like that?! Regardless, it was a living. It was money…

The wind rushed through their hair as both Hashira leaped over the patterned roof tiles of Tokyo city. This was a prime hour, better known in Western culture as the witching hour. The hour of three AM. Sliding down a rooftop, only to scale another, Dante appeared as a mere shadow to the untrained eye, crossing the sky faster than anyone has ever seen. Nearly invisible with his speed, Rengoku kept up fairly easily. Despite Dante's stubbornness, Kyojuro always found a way to turn that cold front into something flexible. Catching up to his partner, he flashed a smile towards Dante. Unable to help himself, he snickered at Rengoku, amused at the Flame Hashira's 'antics.'

Nudging his head in a lower direction, Dante signaled toward a courtyard covered with separate pools of blood. Each pool stemmed from an open sliding door. Descending instantly, Dante and Kyojuro split up between the multiple entrances.

Inside a dark room, a demon held the corpse of a young woman who helplessly laid limp in its grip. Ripping out a chunk of her arm, the creature's teeth tore into it; clearly starved and craving the flesh of a human. It chewed the bloody chunks into smaller bits until it was finally swallowed. Then it ripped off her forearm.

In the next room, a young girl tightly covered her little brother's mouth while they watched their mother being devoured. They could do nothing but watch. Her final action? Hiding both kids in the next room and giving them time to hide or run. But the fear latched onto them like chains, binding them to their place.

Despite how hard tears rushed out of their eyes, the eldest couldn't risk compromising them both. She tried to hold it in until she peeked around the corner. Only her mother's torn body greeted her vision.

~Gasp~!

The demon locked eyes with her, dropping the mother's corpse and unraveling its claws towards its next meal.

Squealing, the children slammed the door in the demon's face. Did they really think that a measly sliding door was going to stop a demon with HIS blood given to them?! Driven by his craving for fresh meat, this demon grabbed the door handle and whipped it open with a-

BLAM! BLAM!

Two blasts from Ivory gave no time to react once the barrel was shoved in its mouth.

"Occupied." Dante mumbled, "Hope a tasting can make up for the inconvenience."

The demon's head started to regenerate from both blasts. Seemed the angle of the bullets didn't kill it. Focused on Dante, the demon launched at him with claws ready to slice.

Dante kicked them in the gut before leaping in the air. He unleashed a heavy barrage of kicks into the demon's face, sending it through the wall of the home. Looking back at both children cowering in the corner, covering their ears, Dante started to feel the weight of his actions. Putting both Ebony and Ivory away, he cracked both knuckles.

"Too loud? Well, I guess I'll do things the old-fashioned way. None of us are going down easy." Dante faced the hole in the wall, the sounds of the demon drawing nearer. "Man of the house, now are you? I don't think so."

Dante confronted the demon's sudden charge, punching it in the chest. He ducked under its rash swing, grabbing the arm and flipping him over his shoulder.

The demon kicked Dante in family jewels, capitalizing off a cheap headbutt to follow.

"Ah… ooooh… that- oh that was just cheap. Oh no! My future family… oh nooo…" Dante Sarcastically squandered in pain. Slapping the demon across the face, the son of Sparda unballed his fists. The demon lunged at him!

Slap!

It swiped his shoulder!

Slap!

His adversary couldn't even get more than an inch before a slap knocked more and more life out of it. By the third slap, the demon was stumbling and bleeding from the face.

Slap!

"A grown man killing a poor defenseless woman and trying to eat her kids. I shouldn't even be calling you a man." Dante dodged a swipe and slapped the demon, breaking its nose. "You don't even deserve to be hit like a man."

SLAP!

Changing to a backhand, Dante cleanly knocked the head off the demon. The head bounced off a wall, rolled back to Dante's feet, and started to disintegrate along with its body.

"F-Father…?" One of the kids called out, peeking from the door.

Dante spotted the youngest boy, covering his mouth and sobbing at the sight of his mother… and father's corpse. Wrapping her arms around her brother, the little girl couldn't continue being the role model he looked up to. Her frozen demeanor faded, a unanimous sobbing filling the room. Their mother and now their father are gone. "MOTHER! FATHER!" She shrieked at what was left of them.

Silently, the demon hunter left the room with a bad taste in his mouth. Sheesh. Here he came in expecting a demon party to crash. Yet, it was quite the opposite. "Sheesh… What a buzzkill. Something tells me this was not the powerful demon they reported." A distant sound of thunder confirmed his speculations.

In the depths of this demon-infested town, Rengoku was on his own mission. His crow reported a powerful demon terrorizing the area, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Rengoku had never turned down a mission, especially when it meant protecting the lives of the innocent, but this particular demon piqued his interest.

Separated from Dante, Rengoku noticed an eerie silence in the streets. The usual cacophony of demons screeching and causing chaos was absent. It was as if they were all afraid of something. He followed the trail of destruction, moving swiftly and gracefully through the rubble-strewn streets until he reached an open square.

In the center of the square stood a massive 2 stories tall demon, its grotesque form covered in tattered, blood-soaked robes. Its red eyes glowed with malice, and its elongated fingers dripped with the blood of its victims. Kyojuro could sense the immense power emanating from this demon. It was unlike anything he had encountered before. Could this be a member of the Twelve Kizuki?

With his trademark confidence and determination, Rengoku approached the demon. "I see you're causing all this chaos," he remarked, resting his hand on his sword. "I'm afraid I must execute you now."

(Devil May Cry 3 OST - Divine Hate)

The demon let out a bone-chilling laugh, a sound that sent shivers down Kyojuro's spine. "You think you can defeat me, human? I am Kagen, the Lord of Desolation, and I feed on the despair of this town."

Rengoku's face remained unphased. "Despair, huh? Then let me liberate it with joy!"

Before the demon could react, Rengoku drew his Nichirin Katana and lunged at Kagen with incredible speed. Their ballad was intense and filled with acrobatic moves and flashy swordplay. Kyojuro's flame-breathing surged through him as he unleashed- "Flame Breathing Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!" An upward slash tore through Kagen's torso and collarbone.

But Kagen was no ordinary demon. He had the power to regenerate, and each time Rengoku wounded him, he healed rapidly. It was a battle of attrition, and Rengoku was starting to feel the strain. Each technique was slicing through and sending the demon into a frenzy, but not enough for them to drop dead. Their power made Rengoku question why he didn't see a kanji symbol in their eye. Was this just a lone demon who hadn't taken loyalty under Muzan? Nonsense. The demon lord would have possibly rid of him by then. But it was clear the skeleton demons in the alley were different from the more humanoid demons they deal with here on the surface.

"Flame Breathing First Form: Unknowing Fire!" Just as Rengoku was about to land a decisive blow, a sudden gust of wind swirled around them. In a flash of black and white, a masked figure appeared between them. It was a young woman in a long-sleeved black outfit adorned with some military gear, not anyone from the Demon Slayer Corps.

Regoku halted his attack and raised an eyebrow. "Who's this woman?"

The mercenary answered with an air of authority. "Seems you've gotten yourself in a little bit of a twist. I've been tracking this demon for days, and I can't let you take all the credit for defeating it. Name's Widower, part-time bounty hunter, and part-time odd jobs. I guess this kind of job is in a category all by itself."

Kyojuro chuckled. "Well, Widower, I guess we can work together on this one! I'm Kyojuro Rengoku of the Demon Slayer Corps!"

Widower nodded, a mix of fear and determination in her words. "Alright, Rengoku. Let's do this together."

With their combined strength, Rengoku and Widower launched a coordinated assault on Kagen. Widower's relentless attacks distracted the demon, while Rengoku's flame-breathing techniques added a fiery twist to the battle. Equipped with a standard issue 1911 handgun, Widower did her best to target the more sensitive areas of the demon; their face. When Kagen swung his claws at her, she quickly leaped, drew her machete, and sliced at the grotesque chunk. For force though sent her flipping and rolling across the rubble. Rengoku's attack slashed the arm that was going to grab her.

"Are you ok?" Rengoku lifted her back to her feet.

"Yeah, just a stinger." She groaned. Both fighters rolled out of the way of their enemies' next attack. Widower drew her 1911, reloaded, and took a few more shots at Kagen's ugly face; not that it was ever attractive in the first place.

The demon struggled to react fast enough to counter their relentless onslaught. More blows being taken were a result. As Kagen's regeneration slowed, Rengoku seized the opportunity and planned to unleash a devastating attack. Kagen picked up some corpses and threw them at the two.

Rengoku easily evaded.

Widower rolled under one before another struck her head-on. Tumbling across the ground, Widower regains her stance, running up a pile of debris, leading to some rooftops. "Hey! Rengoku! Pass!"

Smiling with Glee, Rengoku darted towards Kagen, locked on his chest. The demon roared and charged, throwing rubble at the hashira. Kyujuro evaded, securing an opening as he punched his katana into the chest of the demon; sending Kagen stumbling back into the buildings behind him.

"Hey, asshole!" The mercenary spat. Widower then leaped with her own machete and stabbed it into Kagen's right eye. Not even a second later, her free hand drew her handgun, unloading into Kagen's left eye.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGH!" He roared, instinctually punching at his own face.

She let go of the machete and fell right into the arms of the Flame Hashira.

BOOOOOM!

The disoriented and stunned demon fell right back into the town square, profusely bleeding from its face. Rengoku and Widower looked at their newly finished art project, proud of what they accomplished.

"That ought to put him out for a bit. Care to do the honors?" The Widower asked Rengoku.

"With pleasure!" He knew to expect something from the demon, Kagen. But regardless, he needed to be put down. "Flame Breathing First Form: Unknowing Fire!" Rengoku called out.

Lifting off his feet and propelling right towards the demon's neck, he saw its arm grip the giant statue in the town square. Cracking at the base, the steel and cement became a shield from its neck. If not careful, he could shatter his sword. No, that was most likely going to be the outcome!

"Arms Breathing First Form: Dead Center!"

SLICE!

Rebellion tore through the demon's arm before it could raise it any higher. The momentum welcomed Rengoku with a clear line of sight into Kagen's neck. Surging power and controlled breathing, the devastated slash carved a perfect parting between the head and neck. Limp and immobile, Kagen let out a deafening scream before disintegrating into ashes, leaving behind only the tattered remains of its robes.

(End OST)

"Well, that was something." Widower blinked, approaching the robes and reclaiming the machete that was inside the demon's disintegrated eye.

Koyjuro flung the blood off his blade before sheathing it once more. "Excellent work! Dante! Thank you! And Widower! Thank you!"

"Widower?" Dante Placed Rebellion back on his back. "Well, well. This is my kind of party."

"Wouldn't the party be over?!" Rengoku asked.

Dante nodded, "By the looks of it, he wasn't interested in an after-party."

"I'd call his RSVP declined," Widower added. "Shit. It's late. I best call it a night."

"I guess so. You best get going before the other big bad demons come out." Dante teased. "Or your parents ground you."

The Widower sighed and shook her head. "Very funny, Arms Hashira. Very funny."

"Well, it's funny. I don't go by that title anymore." Dante admitted.

Widower stopped.

"You don't?" Rengoku interrupted.

"Ok, I still do but-"

"But?" Widower squinted.

"Ok, you know what!" Dante put his hands out. "You, have a good night, mystery lady, and watch where you're swinging that machete thing. As for you, Kyojuro, I'm going to get out of here before that annoying crow of yours comes back and-"

"SQUAAAAAA! Demon Defeated! Independent Demon Defeated! SQUAAA! Continue on route to headquarters! SQUAAAA!"

"There it is." He groaned.

"Before you go, Son of Sparda." Her machete flicked upwards, slicing Dante's necklace in half. She caught the flying amulet with her foot before rolling back in a defensive stance. Aiming her 1911 pistol at the two, the Widower glanced down at the amulet with glee. Seems her ticket to a major payday was on the way. The amount Arkham was willing to pay for this was surely enough to get her through her education.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to steal?" Dante sarcastically put his hands up.

"Dante!" Rengoku stood beside him, a frown now plastered across his face. "Ma'am! Please give back my comrade's amulet! It doesn't belong to you."

Widower didn't budge, rather took a step back and trained her gun on Dante. "You may find it hard to believe, but it's nothing personal."

"It feels personal!" Rengoku shouted.

"Well then," Dante started to approach her. "I guess I can let you off with a warning since you did help us defeat that wannabe big shot."

She stepped back, gun still trained on Dante's head. "Step back." Her hand shook. Widower didn't like the fact that this was now a confrontation, but what choice did she have? She had to get this amulet to Arkham. Usually, she stuck to smaller gigs but this was almost too much! Money aside she couldn't fail! No! She wouldn't allow herself to fail.

"Dante be careful!" Kyojuro cried out.

"Relax," Dante smirked, holding the suddenly detached magazine from the pistol.

"I would still be careful!" Rengoku advised.

His white-haired comrade just snarked at him, "Heh… heh heh… ah. Believe me, She's not doing jack-"

BOOM!

Before his hand could make it to the steel frame, the crack of thunder rang his ears along with a briefly blinding muzzle flash. "Nice try little lady but you missed me. Now I think the rhyme goes now you gotta kiss-"

"Dante…" Rengoku whimpered, his ripped pant leg starting to fill with blood.

"Oh my god, wait." Widower stumbled back, dropping her gun. "I-" There was no time for doubt or the sudden unbarring weight of guilt. The Widower didn't look back. Her legs bolted, taking her as far away as possible from those two and the amulet in her possession.

THUMP!

"KYOJURO!" The sight of the Flame Hashira collapsing released a shriek he never even thought he was capable of. "Hey hey hey- Kyojuro. Kyojuro! You with me?!"

His right leg felt hot and runny, almost unable to move. He didn't think that contraption would go off. How quickly it sent the round through his thigh was unreal. One moment the Flame Hashira stood ready to engage a thief, another he was on the ground unable to move. But despite all the numbing pain through his shredded muscle, Rengoku pulled himself up to a kneel. Everything went blurry as his heart slowed and all went dark.

"Run… Dante…"

To

Be

Continued...

Hey guys! I hope you've been well. I can't say the same. I've been really taking it day by day between a sad slump. I want to write but life responsibilities are closing in faster than I could count. As a result I apologize for a shorter chapter. I know I want to continue Heaven's Shining Diamond, Unlimited Stand Works, The Other Side and Excommunicado Voyuer. Its a lot and career and hobbies do take up a ton of time. But I'm trying. We are in the final chapters of the prologue before we get to the timeskip for Demon Slayer and into the main meats of Devil May Cry 3! I hope you all have been well. Bless up and I'll see you all on the next one.