Devil May Cry - Volume 1 - Chapter 2.4

Phase 2.4

Tony felt the presence of a pursuer right after he left Bobby's Cellar. 
The tracker had masked himself well, but not enough to escape Tony's killer instinct. It was a mistake common to those who entered the underworld, either because they were used to battle, or they were overconfident in their ability. 
Tony raced through his options, betraying no sign that he was on to his pursuer. He could stop and quickly turn, attacking his second shadow with a lethal blow to the throat. He could crush the guy's head, preventing a tiring fight. 
Tony continued on his way.
 
He needed time to strike at the Oz Club and take out its leaders before they could organize and return the favor. It was an unprecedented course of action, and Tony knew his enemies were unlikely to expect him to go on the offensive. But unlike an actual club, his adversaries had no headquarters or public face. He would have to run into a knowledgeable foe and beat the information out of him. I might as well start with the closest clue, he thought. 

Tony quickened his pace. Suddenly, he whirled around, catching his follower unawares. The first thing he noticed was that this person wasn't alone. The second thing he noticed was that both stalkers were barely out of childhood. 
“I've got something that I want to ask you,” he announced. 
The two boys yelped and pulled their triggers. But they were too inexperienced to hit their target even from that close range. Tony lashed out, sprawling one to the pavement with a kick that sent teeth flying. The other youth emptied the rest of his clip, but he wasn't quick enough to tag Tony. 
The boy ran out of bullets. A stream of bile trickled down his chin as Tony kicked him hard in the stomach. 
“Didn't you hear me? I just want you to answer a question,” Tony said. He looked down at his prey with a smile. “I might look cool, but I'm actually really clumsy. I can't promise not to break your spine if I kick you again.” 

The wind kicked up the tails of his new coat, which licked the air like red flame. Tony knew the boy would see him as a bloodstained devil. He might even wet his pants. 
“Who ordered you to hunt me down?” 
The youth answered with a quivering voice, telling Tony the name of his superior. 
 
A few hours, Tony stood on a downtown corner. 
He had worked his way through another score of would-be assassins before discovering where the Oz Club had last assembled. He found himself in an upscale business district, staring at a marble bank. It was the middle of the night and the streets were empty. Tony had left Bobby's Cellar six hours previously. 
The bank looked normal. But Tony could smell the unmistakable scents of blood, smoke, and metal. Nothing could mask the stench of death. 
But there was something more. A dark, unnatural presence tingled along Tony's nervous system. The rotten atmosphere had no earthly origin, but Tony sense it all the same. He unsheathed his sword. 
He yearned for his guns. But he hadn't time to stop by Nell's shop to fill his empty holsters. Tony closed his eyes and focused his senses. 
“Strange place to meet,” he said lightheartedly, trying to draw out anyone lurking in the darkness. It was then that he heard the voice. 
“DAAANNNTEEE!” 
It was the same voice he'd heard before. It scratched across his mind like nails on a chalkboard. Tony kicked off the ground and shot into the air. He twisted around and smashed through the locked entrance to the bank with a single blow. 
“DAAANNNTEEE!” 
The voice followed him deeper into the bank. Tony ran forward, sword raised. He didn't spare a moment to examine his surroundings. 
“DAAANNNTEEE!” 
The voice got louder. Tony felt the darkness around him grow more oppressive with each heartbeat. His keen eyes were playing tricks on him, revealing sinister faces in the darkness. The air grew increasingly viscous, as though he were wading in caramel. It became harder and harder to move. 
Tony sensed that he was no longer in the bank... or at least that the bank was no longer in the realm of humanity. Every shadow became harsh and demonic. 
Tony felt his breath grow heavier. His strength ebbed., The escalator stretched out in front of him; it looked like it would go on forever. 

Suddenly, he found himself at the top, facing a simple fire exit. He sensed that he upper echelon of the Oz Club waited behind the door. 

The smell of fresh blood spilled from the door, which radiated a dark aura. 

Tony summoned the strength to kick open the door and began windmilling his sword. He struck out blindly, hoping to hit something, anything. He heard an unearthly voice cry out and knew he had made contact. 

But it wasn't a person. 

Tony realized he was facing an animated shadow, a creature so dark that light seemed to fall into it. He sensed it had been watching him climb the escalator. 
“You don't belong here, you demon bastards!” Tony growled. 
The shadow swooped toward Tony, brandishing a scythe. It was wrapped in darkness like a phantom. The creature attacked with a blistering fury.
 
Tony sidestepped the attacked and smashed the shadow's face with a right hook. “Too slow!” He swung a knee into the creature's belly and followed up with a roundhouse kick. 

Although the demon appeared incorporeal, its face portrayed agony. The other shadows in the room suddenly froze, as if astonished that Tony's attack had proven effective. 

“That's all you've got, is it? Bring it on!” Tony gestured for the remaining shadows to attack him. He might have the shape of a mere man, but his cold strength rivaled any demon's. “What's the matter? Scared? Fine. I'll come to you!” 

Tony danced around the room with blinding footwork, dicing his way through the blackness. One by one, the shadows fell, driven back to the netherworld. Tony moved so quickly that the creatures had no time to flee or even counter. They returned to oblivion with unearthly wails.

“Hate him!” 
“The family of the night defeated so easily!” 
“Help us!”
 
“Good, scream!” Tony shrieked. “Scream some more! Scream louder! Cry, you bastards!” He continued is savage attack, felling the demons like trees. He was so enraged that he failed to notice the carpet of human corpses beneath him. In a calmer mood, he might have recognized the bodies as prominent members of the Oz Club.

If he had noticed, the obvious question of who had murdered them might have crossed his mind. But thoughts of his mission had been completely subsumed by fury.

Something is wrong.

The animated corpses he had encountered with Grue... 
The shapeless black shadows that had appeared with Denvers' body... 
And now, fully formed enemies that had transformed the bank into a demon world... 
Something is beginning to consume the human world. 
Tony was too far gone to feel fear. Instead, something inside him seemed to revel in the vile observation. He lashed out in ecstasy, killing several demons with a single right kick. 

“I'm not finished yet!” 

Tony spun in midair, stabbing his hell into a number of demons simultaneously. They evaporated into black dust. He repeated the strategy throughout the room, obliterating his opponents. 

In the end, Tony stood alone, breathing heavily. The shadows that had threatened to overcome him were gone 

Less than a minute had passed since Tony entered the bank... 
 
Tony stood immobile for what seemed like hours. 

“Magnificent.” 

He snapped out of his trance at the sound of the voice. 

“Who is it?” He whirled to face the newcomer, and recognized the telltale bandages instantly. “What are you doing here, newbie?” 

“Work,” Gilver said. “Don't worry about me.” He was as elegant and formal as before; his sword was coated in fresh blood. 

He had moved so quietly that even Tony hadn't detected his presence. “Enzo hired me to look into the Oz Club. It seems he was going to ask you to do it.” 
“And you took it on because I was their target?” 
“You were the one who asked me to. Don't you remember?” 
Tony found Gilver's confidence disconcerting. The stranger had proven his skill in Bobby's Cellar, but it was somehow more than tat. There was something else backing his self-assurance. 

“Maybe. I don't have much confidence in my memory.” Tony finally relaxed enough to scan the room. The lifeless bodies of a number of old men littered the floor.
 
The death toll totaled thirteen. 

“This doesn't look like demon activity,” Tony said, rolling one of the corpses on its back. A red cavity had been dug where its heart should have been. “But it's too macabre to be a human's.” 

“Indeed.” Gilver observed the room without saying anything else. 

“What a sadistic way to kill. Tearing out their hearts.” Tony's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Gilver's blood-caked sword. “This was you.” 

Gilver shrugged off Tony's accusing stare. “I wasn't hired to do this. You've got the wrong man.” 

“Really,” murmured Tony, shaking his head. The deaths were brutal, but at least nobody was after him anymore. Things have a way of working out in the end. But the shadows troubled him. 

“How much did you see?” Tony let the question crawl out, giving Gilver time to digest every word. Did he witness the battle? Does he know about the demons? How much of the skirmish was in my head? 

“All of it,” Gilver replied evenly. 
“Even me kicking demon ass?” 
“If they really were demons. Yes.” 
“And you weren't scared? You must have balls of steel.” Tony went quiet, staring at Gilver as if daring the man to challenge him. They traded cold looks. 
Finally, Tony broke away. “I admire your guts, newbie,” he said. “Even Grue wet his pants when those guys first showed up. But you kept your cool. That's something.” 
“It doesn't mean I didn't feel any fear,” Gilver conceded. “The right amount of fear means life. Too much fear means death. Am I wrong?” 
“You're exactly right.” Tony patted Gilver on the back. It was a rare display of friendship, especially for another mercenary. “Come on, newbie. Let's unwind with some drinks.” 
“If you're drinking vodka again, I'll pass. I still have a headache from the last time. 
Tony laughed.