Judge the Fallen II (The World of Devil May Cry)

Lucifer's body begins to bulk up tearing the black vest underneath his over coat off causing it to fall to the ground. His skin becomes a faded blue color and his hair shifts to an ashen white hue. The whites of his eyes fade to blade while the irises shimmer like gold. Two giant, silver wings spring from his back spreading out just like the angel he is while his aura is engulfed in dark crimson hellfire. The red fragment is grafted into his chest as a result and the mere presence of his existence shakes the entirety of the universe that they stood in. The souls of the damned begin to pour in from all corners of the dimensional space flooding in to fill the demon lord with even more power greater than Obsidian and Dante could have possibly fathomed.

"Now then, let's what the both of you can do while I'm like this!" he said bringing about his silver blade engulfed with hellfire. In that next moment, he disappeared before one could even snap their fingers or blink immediately rushing both Obsidian and Dante with a single swing of his sword. Fortunately the armored assassin instinctively blocked but the devil hunter was almost slow to the draw as he felt the sting of hellfire scorching the surface of his jacket thus exposing his flesh to be burned. As the two men were pushed back in just the first attack, Lucifer quickly dashed away from them both. Without words spoken between them, Obsidian and Dante stood guarded back to waiting for the next assault.

Both men gripped their blades tightly steadying their breathing. Dante covered his wound for a second to check to see how bad the damage was but merely flexed his muscle to shake what little bit of pain he managed to feel. As for Obsidian, he was calm. Dealing with a speed type opponent was something he was accustomed to. After all, he was a speedster in his own right but to what degree was his opponent's speed? Going by what he felt he knew Lucifer has the power to create a universe and probably destroy at the same time. This realm was of his own meaning he and his devil hunting companion would have to play by his rules. However, surely the demon god wouldn't do anything that would rob him of that advantage.

Interrupting the quiet, Lucifer appeared once again going for the hooded the warrior before disappearing and attacking Dante. It was then that the man repeatedly attacked from what felt like was an all-sided assault as the demon was traveling massively faster than light. Regardless of the speed of his onslaught, every strike was powerful. In fact, a planet would crumble with ease under the might of the man's attacks so thankfully they weren't tasked with fighting on Earth. Although this is obviously just the demon god warming up some more in his new form, it would mean that even more vigorous attacks would follow suit. Regardless, Obsidian was able to keep pace but Dante was seemingly stumbling. Taking a moment to peek at the man behind him, the wound that was inflicted by the hellfire earlier seemed to boil and fester.

"Dante, be careful!" Obsidian called out but Lucifer batted Rebellion out of the man's hands and stabbed him through the stomach.

"Come now Son of Sparda, surely you're not going to make it this easy for me," the devious fallen angel taunted before pushing the blade straight through and pulling it out.

"Dante!" Obsidian yelled out before rushing in.

"Wait your turn Son of Mercer," the winged devil spoke before using one of those silver wings to slap the man aside and unleash hellfire projectiles that detonated on impact with enough force to make a star go supernova. The explosive force sent the armored assassin flying back to the other side of the city crashing through several buildings as a result.

Focusing his attention on the weakened Son of Sparda, Lucifer began to carve Dante up like a meat dish for a family dinner leaving blistering burns upon his skin easily ripping apart the man's clothing. Countless strikes assailed Dante but that was only the beginning of the attacks. The devil kicked the half-demon across the area before swinging his blade one time. The wind generated from that attack cut through space and opened up as miniature rifts all around the crimson warrior. It was then that a rush of attacks went sweeping in from every direction as that one strike was multiplied a hundred fold. Blood splattered everywhere across the ground forcing the professional mercenary to his knees.

"Is this really all that you've got for me? For someone who has been giving me so much grief for years, it's hard to believe that you are so weak," Lucifer sighed flinging the blood off his blade my swinging his weapon swiftly to the side.

"Actually," Dante began before rising up off of the ground slowly while wiping the blood from his face, his wounds gradually healing, "I was just about to say the same thing to you. I mean for all this power you're supposed to be boasting, you're not really giving me a challenge. Do I really have to make you get serious?"

"I see that cockiness of yours never fails."

"Much like your arrogance you know; it amazes me how you still aspire to be some sort of god when you'll always be nothing more than a fallen angel."

"….."

"Ah, so now you choose to go silent? Come on now, you can't be that insecure. After all, you're the 'Great Lucifer' right? The man who rules Hell…well actually that would be Satan but you don't like that name either do you?"

"Dante, you should really learn when to shut your mouth."

"What's the matter; did I hurt the demon god's feelings? Wait, you still have emotions right?"

In that next moment, Lucifer lunged forward towards his foe faster than the eye could catch pouring an immense amount concentrated hellfire into his blade. For the smallest moment, he lost all sense of caring for Pandemonium as he sought to wipe his opponent from existence. That being said the fallen angel brought his blade to bear and swung his weapon with enough force to shatter the universe and all of space-time but his enemy only cracked a small smile.

Dante lifted Rebellion and took a guarding stance. When the attack hit, a loud clang echoed out as the Son of Sparda tanked the strike without any real visible difficulty. He stood there fixed in his position like a royal guard absorbing that devastating attack while his attitude seemed to change a bit. He never really fought seriously so his full capabilities were largely unknown but that just might change with this battle. Lucifer found himself locking eyes with the man as his golden eyes radiated intensely with disdain towards the half-demon before him.

"My, you really are full of surprises. You'll have to forgive me, I let my temper slip there for a moment," the demon god spoke with a wicked grin on his face.

"It's not a problem. In fact, I want you to unleash your full fury just so I can take satisfaction in beating your ass. However, you have seemed to forget that I'm not alone in this fight," Dante noted as he felt his partner approaching.

"Man, I get pushed away for a second and it feels like I was just completely disregarded," Obsidian sighed as he recovered easily from his earlier mishap dusting off his robes and armor completely unscathed in terms of physical harm from that slap earlier.

"Hey Lucifer, I must say that your sense of hospitality could use some work. I mean, who destroys their own property while having a party then just booting out guests for no reason. Would it kill you not to be a moody little bitch?" the masked assassin chastised with a condescending and indifferent tone stretching his arm out while still holding his blade.

"I thought I told you I would deal with you in a moment Son of Mercer…" the demon spoke with frustration gritting his teeth.

"Yeah I heard you but here's the thing, I don't care. All of this could easily be avoided if you just handed me the fragment but since you're being selfish, well I don't mind taking it from you by force."

"Hey Obsidian, I was just telling him that I'm not alone in this fight but he doesn't seem to get it. I hope you don't mind if I take things up a notch," Dante shouted aloud.

"Ah not one bit, I was thinking of getting serious myself."

"Good, but let me get dressed for the occasion."

"By all means, you have the floor."

Lucifer could only tilt his head for a second as he was caught pondering the meaning of the conversation that his foes were having. It was then that he sensed an immediate spike in pressure emanating from Dante's position. By instinct, he backed off by about ten paces as a spiraling white aura gathered around the man. The ground began to shake once more as the leftover buildings rattled from the growing energy gathering in one position. The ground underneath Dante slowly sunk in creating a crater before the area around him blanked out in white space.

The light then conformed to Dante's silhouette but would soon fade to reveal the man in new light. The Son of Sparda had taken on a demonic form in which his body was covered in a hard red shell that mimicked his red coat like before but more contorted to his body. His legs became a dark blue while similarly colored bat-like wings emerged from his back. His face morphed as well dyed in a dark blue while his white hair was spiked all over his head. His jawline was covered with a crimson armor of sorts protecting his face and six barrels protruded from underneath his wrists on either side like a pair of Gatling guns. The metamorphosis that the devil hunter undergone was known as Devil Trigger in which the might of his demon power awakened.

"Oh my, now this is quite the change in pace. You should have released this power sooner Dante. Now it'll be a shame to kill you unless this form of yours disappoints me," Lucifer smiled sinisterly as his aura began to grow once more.

"Like I said before, I'm not alone in this fight," Dante replied in a deeper tone of voice thanks to his change. He pointed in Obsidian's direction which led to the Lord of Pandemonium turning his head to watch but he felt unamused.

"You must be joking…" Lucifer was about to say but the atmosphere around the mysteriously cloaked male changed.

A dark cloud hovered overhead spiraling around the male's precise location and flashes of lightning raged about. The clapping of thunder ensued causing glass to shatter all around them once more. Buildings crumbled atop of their foundation as more structures began to call in the distance. There was a sudden stillness that ran throughout all of the hell verse that Lucifer ruled over as if everything just stopped when the phenomenon occurring around the assassin began. Bolts of electricity crackled down around the youth as the blinding light gathered a royal purple hue. It was then that the armor on the male began to change. The bronze areas turned to a dark amethyst shade glossing with a unique shine as the red sash as well as the pattern on the mask shifted to the same purple as the electricity that began to spiral around him. He flexed his arms once as a pillar of light exploded from his body thus revealing the effects of the change to his enemy.

"So this is what Heart of the Storm is like in this armor," he spoke to himself observing the changes through the visor of his mask. If the armor was not on, he knew for a fact that his hair would have changed and highlights would be placed upon his face among other key attribute changes. With the Janus Armor activated, the protecting coating seemed to change as well. Despite unleashing his transformation, he still felt like there was more to what he could do. He felt his strength increase but he was nowhere near the full potential contained within him. In fact, this wasn't even the mastered state of this form.

"Now then Lucifer," Obsidian spoke pointing his blade at him, "It's time we get serious."

Before the demon god even had a chance to respond to that, Dante and Obsidian immediately rushed him. With Rebellion, the Son of Sparda swung his blade coming in from the right side; with Vajra, the Son of Mercer swung his blade from the left side. Instantly the pair cut across the fallen angel's chest drawing blood but they did not stop there. While Lucifer stumbled back from the pain of being slashed from the two opponents, they did not let up their assault as they began to blitz around him landing cuts all over his body from their blades. They unleashed strike after strike both moving faster than Lucifer was moving upon his initial burst in power dancing all over the demon god in perfect harmony.

The two swordsmen continued their onslaught rushing Lucifer once more. They unleashed furious slashing patterns and combinations that overwhelmed the fallen angel's senses for a few moments. Dante thrust his blade directly from the front which sent Lucifer soaring through the air across the cityscape but the devil's flight trajectory was immediately cut off when Obsidian intercepted him and sent him high up into the air. The demon slayer took flight with his wings gliding after Lucifer before meeting him in the air and slapping him back down towards the ground with a solitary punch to the gut. As the deity's body was sent hurdling downward, he was met by a cut from Obsidian's blade, however after a 3 second delay; Lucifer was actually cut over a hundred times.

Bleeding from almost every orifice of his body, Lucifer now found himself collapsed onto the ground in the midst of his own crimson pools of liquid. Dante landed next to the hooded assassin both of them still holding their swords ready for the next round. The match wasn't over but at least they managed to put a severe beating on the devil. However, the battle wasn't over yet.

"You bastards…" Lucifer bellowed out in an angered tone of voice as his aura raged around his body. Waves of spirits from all over Pandemonium poured in and spiraled around the demon god healing him as a result. The potency of his power grew once more as rage filled his eyes.

"Now I'm truly pissed off," he uttered in a foreboding tone.

"About damn time," Dante spoke casually.

"Anyone ever tell you the bigger they are, the harder they fall?" Obsidian added.

The quips soon came to an end as Lucifer's wings spread once more. Rifts in space were torn open as the hellfire imbued feathers were discharged into the portals causing them to disappear. Suddenly the space around the pair of warriors distorted opening up into what seemed like a stadium of fire. Instantly thousands upon thousands of hellfire feathers rained down upon them like meteors falling from the cosmos.

"I'll unleash the power capable of destroying clusters of the cosmos itself if I have to!" Lucifer yelled out as it created a rainstorm of the demonic fire. Each projectile wasn't any joke or downplay of the words he just spoke because with each detonation of the projectiles, entire galaxies contained in a universe could be destroyed. In fact, the barrage of feathers would gradually break apart the universe causing space to die in a slow and grueling manner.

Dante and Obsidian were back to back once again deflecting the projectiles or just tanking them casually. Another person caught in this situation may have panicked under the pressure but these seasoned fighters knew what they were getting themselves into. A few minutes passed before the rain of inferno ended leaving only smoky ground to remain but the two males stood proudly in the midst. Lucifer observing this spread his wings once again and with a strong flap, he rushed forward.

From that point it was yet another dance of blades. Lucifer was clashing with both Obsidian and Dante at the same time as the trio flew all over the city of Pandemonium at insane speeds with their combat. The demon would swing his blade with one had favoring wide angles as he fought off Obsidian but the dark assassin merely batted away the strikes and parried accordingly breaking in close. Meanwhile Dante focused his sword strokes from up high batting at Lucifer with every chance he could manage but the demon had reacting in between strikes towards the assassin to block as best he could.

Eventually Obsidian broke through seizing a small window of opportunity. He ducked low and pierced Lucifer through his abdomen channeling sacred water mixed with electricity inside the wound holding him in place. Giving Dante a nod, Obsidian ducked his head allowing the devil hunter to open fire with his wrist guns unleashing a volley of red bullets onto the large target. Each shot had some could level mountains with ease thus reshaping geography if uncontrolled. Holding Dante's demonic aura also allowed the specially enhanced rounds to target Lucifer's divine attributes acting as a counteragent against him. Adding onto this, Obsidian placed a single hand against the opponent's lower abdominal region and discharged a spread of electrical energy before kicking the dark deity away from him.

The fallen angel fell down once more towards the ground. Obsidian sheathed his blade for a moment spreading his arms out charging crimson energy to his palms. He was going to annihilate this foe just like he did Bael in the Sins universe and end this fight for good.

"Crimson Ruin!" he shouted out discharging the beamlike attack of concentrated electricity upon his foe. The universe-shattering move barreled in fast but it wasn't fast enough.

Lucifer saw the attack coming and felt that it would be fatal if he didn't do something quick. In a split second decision, he tore a rift in space to allow his body to pass through and doing so he would manage to escape but not without taking some damage. Just as he passed through, the energy wave grazed the lower end of his wings erasing significant portions of them on sight. He felt this pain the moment he came out of another rift evading the blast entirely though his universe suffered a significant crack in space.

Dante and Obsidian floated in the air for a moment allowing them to catch their breath before dropping back down on the ground. This fight was unexpectedly tough but not one that neither of them could handle. It was actually significantly easier to handle since they were working together but their foe was surprisingly resilient. Neither one of them had suffered any major injuries…well Dante's injuries healed but they were still fine for the large part. Unfortunately though, this fight was going to drag on yet again.

"Useless, useless, useless, so very useless yet so very interesting you two are for enemies," Lucifer called out from a top a collapsed skyscraper overlooking the two. He held his hand over the wound where Obsidian impaled him while blood oozed out of the bullet holes and poured like waterfalls from his scorched wings. The sound of his booming voice caused the pair to look up giving him their undivided attention.

"I admire your tenacity gentlemen; however all the power you exert is for naught. Did you forget that you are in my universe, my glorious city of Pandemonium? In here I am the king; this land shall never let me die! But I have to admit, you managed to deal some significant damage to me. My wings are severely damaged and these bullet holes are slow to heal. Impressive!" he shouted with delight.

"You're lucky you managed to evade that attack. You almost died like your friend, Bael. Those wings won't heal since my attack erased your flesh on the subatomic level," Obsidian chuckled.

"And I'm sure you realized that my bullets were imbued with a power that's a perfect counter to your breed," Dante stated.

"Indeed but you both underestimate how powerful the shard of the Arcana Crystal is and what Pandemonium can do for me!"

The souls bound to this vast universe encompassing not even five percent of Inferno, if that, gathered around Lucifer once again rapidly healing the body of the man coupled with the pulsing force from the red gem ingratiated in his chest. Of course, the wings did not heal but the fallen angel could only smile. It was then that the insidious demonic deity did something unexpected. He took his blade and swung it around in one swift motion cutting off the damaged appendages cauterizing the wounds with hellfire. The gem glowed brilliantly as a new pair took the original's place. The rebellious angel took a deep breath of delight as he was completely healed.

"Ready for the next round boys?" he spoke confidently.

"Tch…this bastard is really persistent," Dante sighed while gripping Rebellion harder than before.

"Yeah…this damn home field advantage is really pissing me off but I have an idea. You're going to have to stay close to me for a bit though, I need a little time," Obsidian explained.

"Fair enough, I can do that," the Son of Sparda agreed.

"I hope you've made your last rites because here I come!" Lucifer screamed aloud flying forward with that blinding speed again headed straight for Obsidian but Dante stepped in the way blocking him by tanking the attack.

"Do your thing, Obsidian. I'll handle this son of a bitch," Dante boasted.

"Got it," the Son of Mercer responded.

Dante and Lucifer then began to fight in a one on one battle. The battle between demons began once more. Lucifer was unrelenting with his swift attacks as he switched from quick and violent slashes to fencing style thrusts with his blade. As for Dante, he weaved around the sweeping arcs swinging his great sword about in unpredictable motions ranging from direct counter-thrusts to sweeping arcs that came from underneath via a backhand swing. The two jumped high into the sky as the sight of sparks from their visible collisions with their blades filled the skies. They were dashing all over the place trying to take advantage of the other. Lucifer would slap Dante away into a building thus chasing after him before the demon hunter reciprocated the same action chasing his target into another building. The dust and clamor of steel and concrete collapsing about filled the air giving Obsidian a chance to turn the tide.

"Alright," the armored Stormbringer spoke before taking a deep breath. He exhaled calmly slowing his heart rate as his aura radiated around him. Damn…how did this go? It's been too long. Fuck it; I'm doing it live so might as well just say what comes to mind. With that, he began to chant:

"I am the one destined to split the heavens,

Thunder resonates in my soul,

Lightning courses through my blood,

With resolute and unbreakable will, I transcend my foes,

Unaware of limitations, nor aware of doubt;

My chains of fear shall be broken,

I cast myself to be free in this second Absolute Blade Trance,

And so I summon thee,

Cosmic Foundry!"

An amethyst beam of energy shot from Obsidian's position straight into the sky causing Dante and Lucifer to become distracted. Feeling the change in atmosphere, the Demon God bursts from his location to try and attack the man he left unchecked. The devilish crimson mercenary immediately gave chase but it wasn't like his partner was in danger. As they approached, the light spread absorbing them both into something that neither would be expecting. Their eyesight was rendered useless for a brief moment but as that instance passed, they would both find themselves in something else entirely.

"What…is this…?" Lucifer questioned in a mumble.

"Well this was unexpected…" Dante noted while peering around.

The city as well as the hellish location they were battling in had completely disappeared. The entire area as far as the eye could see was covered in blades glowing myriads of blues and purples like fields of flowers only with weapons. Loud metallic banging and hammering sounds littered the air alongside claps of thunder as sparks of lightning flew about striking the ground impaling more blades into the ground. A thin veil of clouds covered the sky albeit they were scattered about but visibly the two demons could note the stars. However, those stars took on the shapes of giant blades as well moving in the distance while constellations formed other weapons shaped like blades of varying design. Finally a voice called out emerging from the luminous form of Obsidian walking towards them.

"Welcome to Cosmic Foundry," he began with a proud tone of voice.

"Cosmic…what? What the hell did you do Son of Mercer?!" Lucifer growled in anger aiming his sword at the man. Meanwhile Dante was just looking around joining his partner's side.

"Oh I just made a little change in scenery. You see, you really should learn when to keep your mouth shut and stop bragging because I caught on to something you were doing. I was wondering why you kept boasting about Pandemonium and such. I mean I understand that it was your territory and that you wanted to have a fight on your own turf but the way you talked about it was just annoying. Then I realized you were drawing power from that Hell the entire time. Yes you have power, and yes you have a boost with the Arcana Crystal fragment but being able to survive all those attacks we dealt to you and heal so fast? Something wasn't right. That's when I realized that Pandemonium basically boosted a lot of your powers in itself such as using the souls of the damned or other demons to heal your body and boost your strength, as well as manipulating space and breaking the laws of reality to transport your attacks or mitigate damage. Quite impressive but stupid to let your enemy catch on," Obsidian lectured.

"Heh, so I used the power of my own universe to give me a little boost in strength. It's my home and I take it everywhere I go. I'm sure you know the phrase, 'home is where the heart is' so it should not be that big of a deal. But do you really think you'll be able to defeat me here? I still have the fragment within me plus my own power that I have yet to unleash fully upon you," Lucifer stated boldly before laughing at the end.

"This asshole really loves to hear himself talk," Dante said while shaking his head.

"Eh, that's most generic villains in a nutshell. You get used to it albeit a tiring experience," Obsidian replied. On that note, Dante couldn't help but to chuckle. The Crimson Harbinger then directed his attention to Lucifer once again.

"You don't have to bluff anymore Lucifer. I'm pretty sure you are approaching a limit. Sure you may be getting a power boost from that crystal but since it is incomplete then it must be draining trying to keep it under control. Pandemonium was basically serving as your anchor to keep your power in check. You were probably pushing off excess energy onto your universe so the energy could be recycled at your will while fighting this battle. Maybe this is just a theory but after fighting two of your kind and realizing how quick they were to using big moves, you're only getting a temporary fix. Face it Lucifer, this fight is over. Give up the fragment, last chance."

"You're such a fool. This is why you Primordials need to be tossed away. Your arrogance blinds you from facing the reality that the 'good guys' don't always win!"

"Hey man really? I could challenge your blatant fallacy and call you out on your bullshit all day but I got like 3 other universes to get to. I'm trying to be nice and wrap this up okay cupcake? Now look, you're in my universe…well actually. Huh? Oh yeah that's right, I got stronger…forgot about that. Hold up a second," Obsidian was rambling before disappearing in a flash but not even a fraction of a second later he was back which astonished both parties present.

"Sorry about that, I had to check something. Anyways, what I meant to say was this. You're in my multiverse now and…well I don't like labels so I'll just say pretty much you lose right now. I mean I can be anywhere at any time in this universe so I'm probably infinitely faster than you at this point. These blades you see are not only my weapons but they're also places I can travel to instantaneously. So you mind giving up now?"

"You vile bastard…you dare insult me?! Who the hell do you think I am?!" Lucifer yelled as his immense aura burst from his body. Obsidian turned to Dante for a second but the devil hunter just shook his head and waved like he didn't care at the moment. It was then that the lightning user blinked away and popped up right next to the Demon God.

"First of all, you're stealing catchphrases now? Dick move man, I'm about to thoroughly embarrass you. Secondly, to answer your question…quite frankly I don't give a damn. You're just another damn obstacle in my way and a pathetic, egotistical and sorry motherfucker that seriously needs to get damn grip. That being said, why don't you take flight for me?"

In an unseen motion, Obsidian backhanded Lucifer high into the air without further delay. While the demon was indeed sent flying not by his own volition, the hooded warrior teleported to Dante's side and tapped him on the shoulder for a second to ask him a question.

"So you mind if I take over from here? I feel like I haven't pulled my weight during this fight and all. I mean you fought against this guy one on one like twice now right?" the masked man asked.

"Hey, your multiverse, your rules so by all means you can be my guest. I'm going to be able to watch though right?" Dante asked with an interested tone.

"Oh yeah, just hang out here and watch the swords in the sky and stuff. In fact, here," Obsidian said opening a small rift which acted like a monitor, "You should be able to watch everything with that. It's like you have one of those um…damn what were they called again?"

"A television."

"Yeah there you go. Just sit back and relax. Don't worry; you won't be struck by lightning or anything. I got this."

"Alright, sounds good to me. Though we finish him off together okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Have fun."

Obsidian then disappeared once again and reappeared above Lucifer just as a strike of lightning when flying past his face. Not giving the demonic deity a chance to fight back, the robed warrior began hacking away at the listless body of the fallen angel playing a game of ping pong as it were. He sent him hurdling all over the place in the air striking him thousands of times over the course of a fraction of a second using the boost in speed. However, Obsidian made sure to cut him in just a way that the wounds were not deep or fatal.

Turning Vajra around in his hand, he struck Lucifer again and again before delivering a kick that just broke through time and space to launch the deity into the bladed cosmos. As the body of the fragment holder flew through the outskirts of the universe they all initially started in, Obsidian launched waves of blades at his target that detonated like tiny supernovas with every single attack. Eventually the armored male ducked down and delivered a planet shattering knee straight into the angel's spine forcing him outside of the universe and its timeline launching him into a different one at that point. As the seconds passed, the fight continued much like the same as Obsidian just blasted Lucifer relentlessly with an endless wave of blades. Though at one point, he changed things up.

Obsidian tossed his foe outside of yet another universe but before the body would travel to another dimensional territory, the Son of Mercer did something different. Between two separate universes, the Stormbringer grabbed the one that he just 'tore up' with a singular hand. Yes, he grabbed the entire universe and its own independent space-time continuum with one hand then he lifted it and threw it directly at his foe before unleashing a Ruin Unyielding attack that carried the potential to detonate the projectile and all of the encompassing makeshift celestial matter contained within.

This was just a brutal one-sided slaughter that would make anyone with a heart want to feel bad but considering the nature of this creature that the Stormbringer had found himself fighting against, who could honestly care? Obsidian chased after the man with ease delivering more devastating attacks varying in potency that would just completely level the creative space that humanity thrived in. However, the man was not even unleashing all of his might still to this very instant in time. The speedster felt apathetic towards his foe right now yet he felt like he had to end this soon or else he'd get bored so it was time to wrap things up.

During the slightest moment of being caught up in his thoughts, Obsidian lost track of how many universes they crossed. The fight, if one could even call it that at this point, only ticked on for a few seconds but in the back of the lighting user's mind…it dragged on long enough. He grabbed Lucifer by his throat looking at his battered and beaten body. Eying the fragment in his chest, he could see the veins pulsate as the gem overclocked with infusing power necessary to keep the Demon God alive.

"What I've done to you just now would probably be considered torture or inhumane but for some reason; I can't find myself caring about that with you. Your kind is nothing but the sort who prey on the weak and seeing your 'Hell' lets me further know just what kind of torment you would bring on the innocent. Those souls you devoured while fighting us, they weren't wicked at all. I could feel it. No, somehow you found a way to steal souls that deserve to rest in paradise down to your lands just so you could feed off of their pure life energy. I guess that angel part of you still required some sort of holy energy to keep a balance with the part of you that became a demon. I gave you one last chance to surrender but you blew it," he uttered.

Lucifer could not even voice protest at this point as his battered body was at its limit but the crystal tried its best to heal its host. Seeing this, Obsidian tucked Vajra in the Gemini sheathe for a moment. It was then that his mind began to flash visions through his consciousness as he saw Vesta doing something to her enemies when she finished them off in a brutal fashion. He knew he had a promise with Dante to keep so he'd probably have to dial it back but the idea was still pleasing to follow through with.

With one free hand, Obsidian's palm began to vibrate causing the appendage to look like a blurry object or something but it was actually like a drill. He aimed his hand towards his foe's center mass and drove it through grabbing the red fragment and pulling it out without causing grievous injury but still delivering the pain of such an attack. Lucifer convulsed from the sudden pain. As the robed warrior held the crystal, he teleported with the man's body and appeared before Dante.

"Damn man, that was fast and…really savage," the devil hunter commented. As he gazed at Lucifer's weary form, he figured the deity was dead.

"So much for that team move eh?" he chuckled.

"Oh he's still alive, just barely. So what did you have in mind?" Obsidian asked.

"Something stylish."

"Really? I have just the idea then. Come on, let's leave him here."

Obsidian grabbed Dante's shoulder then dragged him outside of the reality marble. When the Son of Sparda saw the dark purple dome not even occupying a city block while standing inside Pandemonium, he just looked at the caped swordsman like he was crazy.

"Hey, you ready to blow this thing to kingdom come?" asked the masked man. Dante just nodded and took aim with his guns. Obsidian aimed one singular hand at the dome.

"Ready Obsidian?"

"Yep, let's do this."

At that point, the minds of the two men seemingly synchronized by coincidence as a single word escaped both their lips at the same time.

""Jackpot.""

Uttering that, both men fired as their energy projectiles hitting the target in front of them. The entire multiverse contained within the space cracked then imploded with Lucifer inside erasing the demon god for good without any chance of his revival. As the fallen angel met his demise, the universe that the two men stood within began to crumble apart. Since Pandemonium was Lucifer's creation, the entire space was at risk of falling apart since the master of the dimension was eliminated. The lands contained within began to dissipate fading back to the location where it originally belonged threatening to take the two men with it. Thinking fast, Obsidian grabbed Dante and took off as fast as he could to escape the dimensional aberration before it could implode. Using his speed, the Son of Mercer was able to cart himself and the Son of Sparda to safety.

On a country side in what was actually Florence, Italy in modern day times, Obsidian and Dante popped up in the middle of a large green field away from any pedestrians or locals. Blue skies and the warm sun greeted them as the pair reverted back to their base states. Breathing heavily, both men seem were a little tired after the long fight they had to endure. Looking at each other they began to laugh.

"That was something else," Dante said while shaking his head getting to his feet and sheathing his blade on his back. Checking to make sure he had both pistols on him, he just dusted himself off before reaching down to help his masked friend up.

"Yeah, it was definitely interesting to say the least," Obsidian responded taking the devil hunter's hand and standing up before dusting himself off. He patted himself a bit looking for something but saw the item in question shimmering on the ground. Picking it up, he found himself holding onto the red fragment of the Arcana Crystal.

"So that's what you were after?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, it's a part of a six piece set that forms some old relic that apparently held great power during an old war in the history of where I come from."

"Heh, well I'm glad you were able to get what you needed. Too bad you had to deal with a pain in the ass to get it but hey, all's well that ends well right?"

"That's true. Plus we did technically destroy Hell…well a part of it at least so hope that counts for something with you."

"Heh, that it does I guess. Though I never thought I'd ever get to see the blue sky again."

"No place like home right?"

"True but I have to get home first. I may be back on Earth but I haven't been home in who knows how long? I got a lot of catching up to do especially with some old allies of mine, assuming they are all still around."

"You said before your goal was to destroy every demon you could and possibly take down Hell itself but…if what Lucifer said was true then what now?"

"I don't know. Honestly I had hoped that this world would not have to face darkness again from demon kind if I cast myself into Hell and fought everything that threatened the safety of mortals but…it seems like I was a little far-fetched with that. Now I just have to get myself prepared for whatever is to come. However like I said before, I have a lot of catching up to do."

"I understand, Dante. Hopefully I'll be able to get home myself one day but until then, my journey isn't over. Three down, three to go," Obsidian said as he tucked the third gem away in a pocket space.

"I wish you luck on your journey Obsidian. Who knows, maybe we'll run into each other again and we'll fight side by side. Or we could relax and I can show you around wherever I end up. Either way, it was a hell of a ride but I managed to find one hell of a partner," Dante nodded with a smile extending his hand out to shake.

"Thanks and I'll take you up on that should I find myself in your world again. It was an honor to meet you Dante," Obsidian spoke conveying a positive tone reciprocating the handshake.

"Be careful out there and kick some serious ass like you did with Lucifer."

But the farewell was then interrupted as a small rift in space tore open. Something that felt like the aura belonging to the demon that they fought before was coming through. Dante and Obsidian reflexively grabbed their weapons readying for another fight. However, what came through was a ball of energy that remained even after the rift closed. It was then that this ball of energy morphed into a J-shaped object before materializing in the world.

Out from it sprung a scythe that was at least five feet in length then the blade. It was of golden, black and white design but it was different from what Obsidian was familiar with when thinking about another signature weapon of his. The weapon itself had the scythe shape but was merged with a musical instrument that was known as the guitar. The butt of the scythe was where the headstock took shape in the form of a crescent moon shape with nobs for tuning seven strings. Along the handling was the fretboard sculpted in a way where someone could still handle it like a weapon. The body was where the blade protruded from in a violent hook signature to scythe nature although a winged maiden was ingrained where the neck met the body and blade and twin bladed wings popped from the back side. Carrying the power of music as well as other untold abilities, this weapon materialized from the very essence of Lucifer's power and conceptualized arsenal of abilities seeking a master to wield it.

"What the hell is that thing?" Obsidian asked approaching it slowly while looking over the mysterious yet somehow entrancing and beautiful weapon.

"That is what is known as a 'Devil Arm'. In my journey, certain demons that are slain have their souls and all of their encompassing powers reincarnated as weapons that become subservient to the person who slayed them. Some have their souls still alive but I don't sense anything of Lucifer's personality in this thing. It's just his power or what he could do but failed to use. I think it's more angelic than demonic," Dante explained.

"I see," Obsidian began before turning away, "Well I'll leave that to you. I should be getting ready to leave."

It was then that the weapon rose up and zipped right in front of the man floating in place before him. The Stormbringer was confused for a second unsure as to why this weapon was acting this way but then he heard the chuckling of the Son of Sparda as he walked up and patted him on the shoulder.

"I do believe this weapon just chose you to be its master, Obsidian. Looks like you'll have a little memento of your time spent here. You should take it."

"Right…but I have no idea how to even use it. I mean as a scythe I know but the strings confuse me."

"You never heard of a guitar? Man what year is it where you come from?"

"1026."

"Oh…well then, that explains a lot. Well look all you have to do is something like this," Dante said as he posed like he was holding the guitar and began doing an air motion like he was playing.

"That…looks ridiculous."

"Well it's the idea that counts but basically that's how you play music."

Sighing a bit, Obsidian reluctantly took hold of the scythe as he felt a rush of energy flow into him. He felt something awaken within him as he instinctively assumed the position that Dante was demonstrating before and played a brief melody on instinct that sounded like some sort of instrumental from a heavy genre of music. It was then that he heard some angelic voice whisper into his ear that came from the weapon.

My name is Nirvana.

"Nirvana?" Obsidian asked incredulously while looking at the scythe.

"Oh so it told you its name eh? I'm glad it's not called the Lucifer then. I actually had a weapon named that and trust me, it was completely different," Dante said while folding his arms.

"That's rather amusing. Well, I guess I'll be getting to know this beauty during my journey," the male said before putting it on his back but it disappeared instantly like it was in a realm of its own much like his other weapon, Morana.

"Hopefully it serves you well. But again, be careful out there. I pray that you find your way home soon."

"Yeah, and same goes to you Dante."

Nodding in affirmation, the man in red waved Obsidian off. Doing the same, the Harbinger took off to the stars once more in a flash. Leaving behind that world, the youth felt like he learned something from Dante even though it was from a short time of being around the man. He felt like the Son of Sparda was like a selfless, unsung hero that gave up his place that he earned on Earth to protect humanity despite of being someone inhuman to begin with.

When someone has something they cherish in high enough regard, giving their lives is sometimes the least they can do…and maybe that's what truly makes us human.