~Couple Hours Prior~
" 'Sure Morrison gave us the right directions?"
For once, I'm starting to think Nico might actually be right. Nero thought as they continued to drive through the dense forest.
It's been 4 months since Nero last saw Dante and Vergil leave for the underworld to cut down the Qliphoth. Months since they've been trapped in the Demon World and still no sign of them.
After the fall of the Qliphoth, he, alongside Lady and Trish, took it upon themselves to clear out any surviving demons that didn't return back to the Demon World. And while lesser demons like Empusas and Sin Scissors weren't too much of a big issue, it was the angelo variants that proved to be troublesome. Even with the fall of their leader, the angelos continued their duty of slaughtering anyone in their path to collect blood. Fortunately, their numbers had been dwindling the last couple months.
That was, until the previous night.
Morrison, Dante's Info Broker, had recently contacted them about an odd job near the outskirts of Redgrave City. Various campers and the like claimed to have seen a large dark figure roaming the ruins of an abandoned steel mill facility. The real kicker was the description of said 'large dark figure': a towering horned knight covered in black bulky armor wielding a giant sword. Nero was quick to accept the job even before Morrison talked about payment.
The Angelos normally kept themselves in the city to collect blood from the populace. Trish explained that since the opening of the Qliphoth, the veil between the Human and Demon World would be weaker in Red Grave City, allowing higher level demons to be able to create passages to cross and make the city a farming ground to grow demonic power. However, even in a weakened state, no powerful demon would be able to cross the veil without usage of a Hell Gate. This is where the Angelos come in, becoming puppets and delivery boys for whatever demon lurks at the otherside of the veil. So to have a couple of them be sighted out of the city, it was worth looking into.
After receiving the directions to the Mill and explaining everything to Kyrie and the kids, he and an exhausted Nico had set off for the outskirts of Redgrave city at the crack of dawn.
That was hours ago. And since then, they have made no progress on finding the abandoned mill that Morrison was talking about. It also didn't help that the directions given were based on numerous contradicting reports. Had this been any other case, he would've joked that the mill was capable of moving on its own. But after hearing the stories of Mallet Island from Trish, he hoped that this wasn't the same case.
"Ya know," Nico started, taking a drag from her cigarette while she continued to drive. "Startin' think this place ain't actually real."
With the smell of cigarette smoke reeking the front of the van, Nero coughed and heaved as he opened a window for some fresh air, "Morrison did say it would take us a while before we found the place. Just keep going, it's gotta be somewhere around here."
Nico rolled her eyes and snorted at his latter comment. "Look, all I'm sayin' is- Whoa!"
Her sudden interjection confused Nero before being thrusted forward then getting his head bashed against the headrest when the van came to a sudden halt.
Nero, of course, was furious. "What the hell Nico!? Ever heard of slowing down!?"
Nico, on the other hand, gave no indication of listening and only gestured towards what's in front of them.
Shifting his attention, the Devil Hunter was surprised to see that they stopped right dab at the entrance of the abandoned mill. "Well, I'll be damned."
With their arrival at the mill, it was time to get to work. Both were quick to exit their seats and went straight to the back of the van. While Nero readied himself by going over his inventory and signature weapons, Nico kept busy within her corner workshop in the van. Once he was sure that Red Queen was sharpened and had enough ammo for Blue Rose, the devil hunter checked in with his mechanic, who was still rummaging below her counter.
"Alright, 'got some good news for ya,'' Nico said as she popped back up and laid many different, but familiar devil breakers on the counter. "Unlike the old ones, these things aren't as delicate and were made to last more than a couple hits. But don't be thinkin' that it gives ya the right to start smashing these babies whenever ya feel like. I've seen how you change between them!"
Nero's eyes rolled at her comment while he attached Overture and stored the rest of the Devil Breakers to his side.
"Since I won't always be available for a refill, I made sure that these versions can handle whatever ya throw at 'em. Just remember that they need to cool down between uses."
Strapping Blue Rose to his back holster and Red Queen on his back, Nero did one final flex of his fingers to make sure Overture was prepped and ready. Perfect. He was armed and ready. Kicking open the van door, much to Nico's anger, the Devil Hunter made his way towards what remained of the abandoned mill.
"Hey! Save the kicks for the demons!"
The place was a ghost town; a heavy mist fogged the entire area; foliage covered the walls and other areas; rust corroded the stairs and support beams; and numerous equipment laid abandoned in random places of the mill. It would've been considered creepy and off-putting had it not been for his line of work. And speaking of, while walking around the barren property, the Devil Hunter did feel a low presence of demonic energy. At least he was in the right place.
Entering one of the buildings, he had no success in finding any signs of life. Like the outside, the interior too was being retaken by nature, with different foliage and branches creeping through and whatever metal left being rusted by time. However, as he continued to tread through the inside, the demonic presence grew in strength. He was getting closer.
That was when he finally felt it; the breeze of wind; the slow soft whir; and the surge of demonic energy. Creeping through the hallways, Nero followed wherever the presence grew. The closer he drew, everything around him started to change; the walls grew more and more rotten; the temperature of the hallway fell to an icy cold; and soon enough, did he start hearing the sounds of metal boots. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for: the only glowing doorway in an otherwise dark hall.
Peeking inside, the whole room looked to have been corrupted by the large rift-like portal in the middle. The walls were covered in a dark, pulsating, flesh-like material and the air was completely cold, still, and silent, with the only noise being the soft whir from the portal. A lone Proto Angelo stood there waiting in front of the portal.
Nero would've assumed the demon was waiting for other lesser demons to come through and help harvest more human blood in the city. But being this far out from the city and how well this place had been hidden, there had to have been something else going on.
Right on cue, the portal had suddenly burned brighter and whirred to life as something walked through it. What came through looked to be another Angelo variant, only it wasn't like any of the ones they'd been hunting for the last couple months. This one was far larger, almost as big as the Cavaliere Angelo that Nico had been talking about in her reports. Its helm and armor was different as well, with the latter looking more scaly red than metallic blue and its horns now being that of a downward-facing ram. In fact, the more he looked at it, the more the Demon looked like a rip-off of the Dark Knight Sparda and the original Black Angel, Nelo Angelo (Thanks for filling that blank, Trish).
Whoever he is, he must be the big cheese of this whole shindig.
The Proto Angelo dropped down and kneeled before the bigger demon. But its gesture proved useless as the larger angelo grabbed the Proto by the neck and lifted it to the air.
"First you fail to protect the Demon Lord," The new Angelo spoke, much to Nero's surprise, "Next you fail to capture either sons of Sparda, and now you fail the simplest task of collecting blood because of mere humans!?"
As much as the Proto screeched and clawed at the demon's hand, his grip only tightened even more. But before the bigger demon could snap its neck, the portal whirred once more, with faint whispers coming through. Whatever was said, it got him to drop the Proto Angelo to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
The larger demon laughed as it turned back to the portal, "At last. No more hiding." Just as it was about to leave, he spoke once more to the Proto. "Deal with the intruder, then come to me with his remains."
Shit.
Nero wasted no time to run at the bigger demon before he made his escape to the portal. However, he was stopped when the Proto Angelo stood in his way.
"Sorry pal, but I got an appointment with your boss." Nero pulled Red Queen from his back and stabbed it to the ground. He revved the blade, flames bursting from its exhaust, to emphasize his point. "So how about stepping aside?"
The demon didn't move from its spot and shifted into a combat pose in protection of the portal.
Alright then.
Before Nero could start the attack, he suddenly felt multiple presences surrounding him. Out from the shadows, multiple Scudo Angelos jumped at him. Quick on his feet, the Demon Hunter leaped into the air and spun with the flaming Red Queen, knocking back the Angelos across the room.
Once back on the ground, he heard the scrapping of a metal sword approaching behind him and narrowly sidestepped the Proto Angelo's upward swing. When the Angelo swung the blade back down, Nero side-dashed behind it and retaliated with a hit from Overture 2.0, but was surprised when the electric burst sent the Demon flying across the room.
"Damn Nico," Nero said, amazed as he looked over the improved Devil Breaker, "Talk about an upgrade!"
As much as he wanted to get a better look over his new gadget, the sounds of metal and unearthly groans that surrounded him indicated that the Scudos were getting back up.
There was one behind him, fast approaching with its shield and sword at the ready. Before it could bash him with its shield, Nero turned and slammed Red Queen into it, shattering the demon's only protection, before beheading the demon where it stood.
While its body dissipated, two more Scudos ran at him from his sides. He waited until they were close enough before discharging Overture 2.0 into the ground and shocking those around him with an electric burst. Once they were stunned, Nero summoned his spectral arms to lift them both up and smashed them into one another to kill them.
The last Scudo Angelo alive didn't dare to try and attack the Demon Hunter and opted to stay on the defensive. Nero couldn't care less and sheathed his sword for Blue Rose. Imbuing some of his energy into his revolver, his first shot was first used to stagger the demon before unloading the rest to break its shield. Before it could react, Nero leaped and smashed the demon into the ground with Red Queen. But he didn't stop there. He then repeatedly slammed his sword into the demon, occasionally igniting the blade into flames, before stabbing what remains and slicing upwards.
With no more Scudos remaining, Nero took it as an opportunity to catch a light breather. He looked around to their dissolving remains, "Well, that's them taken care of. Now where's-?"
The Devil Hunter failed to realize in time the Proto Angelo until he saw it swipe at him with its sword. Instinctively, he raised his arms to protect himself before being smacked hard to the side.
As Nero slowly regained his senses, he looked down and saw his human arm where the Devil Breaker was supposed to be. Not far from him did he notice what remains of Overture 2.0.
"Damn it, already?!" Nero grumbled aloud while he got back to his feet, "I'm not gonna hear the end of it from Nico."
The metallic footsteps and scraping of the Proto Angelo's sword forced Nero to shift back his focus and ready Red Queen for a fight.
It took a couple steps forward before stopping entirely, much to the Devil Hunter's confusion. The demon shifted its focus from him to the nearby portal, immediately readying its blade while the portal began whirring back to life once more.
And that's when Nero felt it; the presence; the power; the familiarity of it all. The fact that he could feel it all before his arrival meant that someone must've really pissed him off. He then saw a silhouette coming through the portal and very well knew who it was.
About damn time.
Walking out from the portal was a man Nero easily recognized; the long dark coat; the slicked back white hair; the white handle katana; and that signature calm and annoying look of superiority. Of course the Angelo paid the Devil Hunter no mind: Vergil had arrived.
Vergil paid no mind to the guarded Proto Angelo and simply looked over his surroundings. The moment he saw Nero, he unconsciously let out a soft sigh of relief as he realized where he was.
The Proto Angelo wasted no time to rush at the Dark Slayer, lifting the blade overhead for a downward slash. But faster than it could react, Vergil had unsheathed Yamato with his thumb and dashed right past the armored Demon Knight. While the half-demon slowly sheathed his blade, the demon behind him dropped its blade before slowly falling to the ground into different dissolving parts.
Honestly, Nero shouldn't have been surprised by this. He's seen the capabilities of the Yamato and had even wielded it before against Sanctus. But actually seeing the blade used in the hands of someone who's most experienced with it, it was pretty damn awesome.
Standing back upright, Vergil stiffly turned to the only other person in the room. He gripped the yamato and only said one thing, "Nero."
Right. The last time they met, Nero had beaten the crap out of him before being backfisted in the face to stop him from following. He also remembered the man promising to not lose next time they fought.
Nero didn't let his anxiousness show as he narrowed his eyes back at him, "Vergil."
There was an awkward silence between them as they both looked each other down to anticipate the other's next move. But the fact that neither of them had drawn their weapons was a good sign.
"How long has it been?" Vergil asked.
"4 months since you and Dante ditched us for the Underworld."
"Is he here?"
That confused the Devil Hunter. Last he checked, he and Dante left together. "What?"
"Dante. Has he arrived here before me?"
Now he was starting to worry Nero, "No."
Vergil's reaction was subtle, but his frustration was shown by the slight crunching of his face and how hard he gripped the Yamato. Something had happened in the underworld; something involving Dante. And if Nero was to help, he needed to know what.
Before he could ask, Vergil had already turned back to the portal and started making his way for it.
But Nero wasn't going to let him go so easily and grabbed the sleeve of his coat, "Hold on a goddamn second, what the hell happened to you guys? Where's Dante?"
Vergil didn't even turn, but he saw his other hand slowly reach for the Yamato, "Release me, Nero."
"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on."
"We're wasting time!"
In quick succession, both father and son unsheathed their weapons and aimed them at the other; the Yamato's blade held against Nero's throat while Blue Rose aimed directly in Vergil's face. Neither of them faltered and waited for the other to make their move.
They held their stances for a long while before Nero felt the Yamato slowly be lowered, but that wasn't all. Vergil's stance gradually went slack before the half-demon suddenly dropped to his knees.
"Whoa!" Nero called out in shock before dropping down to check on Vergil. Never had he actually seen the man collapse in such a way, and he's seen him keep going after a battle-to-the-death fight with Dante. "Are you alright?"
"No…not now…" He heard Vergil bitterly whispered to himself.
Now that Nero actually got a good look at him, he looked like he'd been through the grinder; there were heavy bags under his eyes; his body was shaking and looked to have trouble breathing; there were some small cuts that weren't healing around his face; his long coat looked tattered and ripped apart; and his clothes were battered and covered in a mixture of grime and demon blood. He was a mess and must've been running on fumes until the moment he got here.
What the hell happened down there?
"Let me go," Vergil barely breathed out, "Dante is weakened. I need to find him."
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Nero thought, but disregarded it for now, "What YOU NEED is a breather. You can barely stand on your own two feet."
"Dante is out there and-"
"Can handle himself all just fine, weakened or not. You, on the other hand, are about to collapse from exhaustion. No good in finding Dante if you can barely stand on your feet. So how about we head back to the van, take a break, and you can stop the cryptic bullshit and actually fill me in on what the hell is going on. Capisce?"
Vergil could do nothing, but glare at him while he contemplated his choices.
It took a bit more coaxing, but Nero was able to convince Vergil to head back to the van for some rest.
Nico, of course, was not happy when they arrived. But not because of Vergil's presence, in fact, she seemed ecstatic and had multiple questions to ask him about the Yamato and his ability to summon spectral swords. No, she was more pissed by the fact that Nero had already broken the brand new and improved Devil Breaker not even a couple hours later. "I put in a lot of work in making these! And here you are findin' new ways to break them 'fore the day even ends!"
It took even longer to calm down the artisan mechanic.
"What do you know about the Demon King, Mundus?" Vergil asked while he rested on the couch. While Nero sat across from his father, Nico opted to stay in the driver seat.
Nero squinted at the mention of the Demon King, trying to remember off the top of his head, "Ruler of the Underworld, the Demon that Sparda betrayed and sealed away. What about him?"
"Ever since Sparda's betrayal, his goal has been nothing but to try to destroy everything that Sparda holds near and dear. And he almost succeeded when he burned down our home and killed our mother, your grandmother."
"Jesus…" was all Nero could say.
"Years later, I would encounter him myself after falling into the Demon Realm. I was foolish enough to think that if our father could defeat him, then so could I." Vergil paused, unable to look at him,"...I was wrong. Instead, he enslaved me for the next 10 years, and would've been more had it not been for Dante's intervention on Mallet Island. Has he mentioned this to you?"
"It was actually Trish who filled me in on some details," Nero grumbled, "He saved her and banished the Demon King back to hell. The old man was always tight lipped about the incident though."
Vergil sighed and shook his head, "I would not blame him. It's the same day where he thought that he killed me."
Hearing that got Nero to initially pause out of shock, "...What?"
"What do you know about…Nelo Angelo?"
The dots were starting to connect in the Devil Hunter's mind, and he didn't like what it led to. There was so much that he wanted to say, but was unable to string a full sentence, "...Holy shi…so you're saying…Fuck…" This was a lot of information to process. It was no wonder Mallet island was such a touchy subject, and why Dante didn't tell him about his parentage. Although, that still didn't give him the right to keep it all from him.
Nero was going to have to stow this all in the meantime. They were getting off topic, "While I've got so many questions about this, what does this have to do with Dante being missing? What do you mean that 'he's weakened'?"
"...Right," Vergil regained whatever composure he had and further explained, "A long while after Dante and I sealed ourselves in the underworld, we were attacked by another version of Mundus' twisted experiments. He calls himself 'Vero Angelo', his true magnum opus to combat the Sons of Sparda."
"So, Mundus created a Demon to specifically fight you and Dante? How'd he even do that? I thought Trish said both of you were stronger than him since the Qlipoth."
"She'd have been correct, and that was what worried us. When we encountered Vero, he didn't seem any stronger than the other Angelos that we've faced. However, we both knew something hadn't been right. It was only because of Dante's foolishness to attack without thinking did we find out what made this one special: he'd been carrying a shard of the Yamato."
Nero's posture now turned stiff as he sat up straighter than before. The situation had changed from worrisome to downright concerning. He had a feeling where this was going, but was hoping he was wrong.
Unfortunately, given Vergil's current tired and frantic state, it's exactly what happened.
"Everything had gone far too fast; Vero stabbed Dante and separated him from both Rebellion and the Sparda; I reacted far too late and only broke the fragment once he threw Dante and the blades aside; and it was only after Vero retreated did I realize a rift had appeared where Dante and the blades were. Once again, I was too slow to reach it before it closed. Since then, I've spent every waking moment scouring through the Demon Realm, hoping to even get a whisper of Dante's whereabouts."
As the story came to a close, Vergil couldn't help but grit his teeth and scratch the edges of the couch at the recollection. It all could've been prevented had they taken the Angelo variant more seriously, had Dante not been too rash and underestimate the demon, had Vergil been fast enough to protect his brother from it.
Nero had heard enough and immediately stood up to grab Red Queen. Nico had also gotten the message and was already making her way to her workshop at the back of the van.
"What's the meaning of this?" Vergil asked.
"What do you think? 'Gettin Dante." Nero answered, loading as many bullets for Blue Rose as he can carry, "I overheard that big demon mention about someone 'hiding no more', and I am willing to bet that's him."
Vergil immediately tried to stand, "I'm coming with you-" But was stopped by Nero pushing him back onto the couch.
"You are not going anywhere." The Devil Hunter insisted while catching a couple more Devil Breakers from Nico, "You're exhausted and in no shape to help."
"I can still fight!" Vergil asserted.
"And if we encounter that Angelo again? How about then? You really want the Angelo to serve you on a plate to its master?" Nero brought up, catching his father off guard. It was a low blow, but whatever kept the half-demon from following him.
Vergil had no retort, besides silence and glaring at his own son's words. He didn't even make an effort to try and stop the Devil Hunter from restocking. It wasn't until he was already about to leave did the Devil Slayer finally call out, "Nero!"
Nero stopped in his tracks and turned back to Vergil, only for him to immediately catch something thrown at him. His eyes grew large upon realizing that it was the Yamato.
"The reason I returned here was because the veil between worlds was far weaker on this side. And if what you say is true, then Demons may have already found their way to Dante, meaning they already have a passage to wherever he is. All you have to do is find a way to commandeer it."
Looking back at the Yamato, Nero was starting to follow what he was saying. He initially smirked at the idea of hijacking a demonic portal, but dropped once he thought about it. There was just one problem: he wasn't as proficient in using the Yamato. Even with his fight with Sanctus, his efficiency with it was not up to par to the likes of Dante destroying a Hellgate or Vergil slicing open reality. How was he going to do this? Can he even do this?
His worries must've been evident because he then felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking over, he was shocked to see Vergil's spectral doppelganger trying to comfort him.
"Believe yourself, Nero." He heard Vergil say, "Using the Yamato isn't simply about proficiency, but your own will and mind. Clear your mind, think of what is needed, then will it."
As the spectral doppelganger disappeared, Nero looked back to Vergil and found that he had finally fallen unconscious.
"Looks like he wasn't kiddin' about not restin'," Nico finally spoke before draping a large blanket over the Dark Slayer, "Go on 'head. I'll watch 'im while you go get Dante. Just make sure you come back'in one piece."
Nero sighed, giving one last look at his exhausted father, and exited the van. He was on his own now.
On the walk about to the portal, Nero did his best to try and stow his building anxiety. Dante was in trouble and needed help. With Vergil out for the count, his uncle would be relying on him to come and help his stubborn ass. He had to do this. He needed to do this. Wasn't long until he was before the portal, and by then his nerves had gotten more under control.
Readying himself into the pose that he's seen Dante and Vergil in, Nero closed his eyes and began clearing his mind, his focus purely on his slow breathing. He breathed in, then out. In, then out. In, out.
His hand hovered over the handle of the Yamato. His thoughts were now onto Dante; focus on him; the first time they met; every time Dante saved his ass; the son of Sparda; the legendary Devil Hunter; his uncle; family. Yes, that's it.
Lead me to my family.
In one swift motion, Nero quickly drew the Yamato and slashed at the portal before dragging the blade across its sheath and fully sheathing it.
When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see the portal had changed. It was now glowing and radiating blue, with its orbit spinning counter clockwise. Through the portal, instead of the murky landscape of hell, it showed a green forest with a town nearby.
Well, I'd be damned. It worked.
Nero couldn't help but laugh in sheer joy at his accomplishment. And here he was doubting his own ability to do this. His first try too.
But now wasn't the time to stroke his own ego, this was the easy part. Now was the hard part: finding Dante.
Absorbing the Yamato into himself, like he did when he still had his Devil Bringer, Nero took one long breath before leaping through the portal.
Dante, wherever you are, I'm dragging your lazy ass back home.
Look who got back to finishing Chapter 2! You can thank Netflix's DMC series for that.
I do not own any of the characters. All characters an names used are owned by either Viz Media or Capcom Japan.