Devil May Cry - Volume 2 - Chapter 4.4

Phase 4 
Part 4 

Beryl watched everything through the shattered door.

Rage burned in her eyes, but the inflamed scar kept her at bay.

The pain of moving forward even a millimeter seared so badly that it broke her concentration.

Not again! Beryl had sat idly by while Dante took on the King of the Underworld in the demon realm.

She had been unable to move in the void, crippled by the pain of her scar.

And here she was, replaying the same scene with Chen.

Beryl was determined not to leave Dante alone to fight the Beastheads.

I am a Devil Hunter! Her heart pounded with life.

"Gah!" Beryl squealed with pain as she extended her right arm.

 
The standoff between Dante and Chen intensified.

Chen looked the same after eating the Beastheads, but something was clearly occurring deep within him.

"I see.

Devils are uplifted by this kind of feeling." Chen nodded as if confirming something he had always suspected.

Dante could sense a change in the other man's aura.

He was no longer purely human, but not a demon either.

Chen emitted a powerful magic that lacked the wicked blackness of the Underworld.

His aura was green with immeasurable lust for power and knowledge.

I want to know.

I want to know it all.

The reason for everything.

I want infinite knowledge.

From the moment of creation to the final death rattle of the universe.

I want to explore the limit of knowledge.

I want to go to the end! 
"You're certainly an eager student-I'll give you that much." Dante had somehow heard Chen's psychic rant.

It implied a degree of power that troubled him.

"Ho ho! I surprise even myself.

And to think I once considered just living an interesting life.

This craving for knowledge will transform me into a god!" 
Strange energy danced around the room, colliding in on itself in a magical storm-Dante and Chen stood calmly in the eye.

Their light banter hid a steely undercurrent.

Both men knew Chen was now Dante's equal...and possibly his superior.

"How would you prefer to go, my friend? I would prefer to kill you in a way that preserved you as a specimen for my collection, but you've earned the privilege of choice." 
"These bad jokes are ruining the mood," Dante quipped.

In the span of a second, he had sliced Rebellion across Chen's side, drawing blood.

"You sure are a violent person.

The sword has always been a boring method of attack.

Physical strength is so overrated." 
Chen vanished.

Dante looked around frantically.

Suddenly, he sensed an attack from behind.

He threw himself to one side just as a massive sword cut through the place where he'd been standing.

"Not bad!" Dante said.

"Ho ho! I suppose I should respond on your level.

Infinite knowledge includes the use of a blade, of course."Chen sprung at Dante with frightening speed.

Dante narrowly brushed aside the attack, but failed to evade the kick that followed it.

He fell to the ground, but used the momentum to roll forward and grab Chen's leg.

He crushed the limb into a useless pulp without hesitation.

But the opportunity was merely a ploy.

Chen grabbed Dante's exposed arm and broke it in two places.

Dante howled in anguish.

"Most impressive," Chen marveled, displaying no sign of pain.

"Although between us, I'm surprised to see you sacrifice your left arm merely to disable my movements." 
"You're no amateur.

Those reactions are faster tha nerve reflexes.

It takes a lifetime of training to make those moves.

Who did you steal them from?" 
Chen claimed to be seventy percent demon now.

Dante knew he must have given himself other attributes as well.

Surgically.

He was a patchwork man, made up of other people's skill and experience.

"Do you really not recognize your father's skills?" 
Dante's veins turned to ice.

"Think of it as a showdown between father and son," Chen continued.

"It's a reunion that wouldn't have been possible even if you wished for it.

Ho ho! And now, Dante, you will taste the sword of the hero who saved mankind." 
Chen closed the gap between them with great speed, ignoring his broken leg.

He had somehow obtained the valiant weapon of Dante's father, the Dark Knight Sparda.

However it was accomplished, Chen attacked with the same moves and skill that Dante had been beaten with when young.

Dante knew he wouldn't be able to last long against his father's skills-especially not with just one good arm.

Rebellion would be of little use now.

He whipped out Ebony and spat out a line of fire.

The volley missed Chen but made him abort to attack.

Dante realized the power of the Beastheads meant that his adversary could foresee every mode of attack before Dante even knew he would make it.

He was screwed.

Chen saw the revelation dawn on Dante's face.

"And now you understand.

But it comes too late!" He slashed at Dante, who only barely managed to deflect the blow with his pistol.

The blade impacted with a clanging noise that left Dante in no doubt that Ebony was ruined.

"You're really beginning to annoy me," Dante grumbled.

His mind flashed back to his battles with Nelo Angelo.

Both brothers had inherited their father's swordsmanship.

Dante had ultimately defeated him, but it had not been easy.

Chen's movements were superficially similar, but lacked soul.

Somehow, that enraged Dante all the more.

He wasn't sentimental about his father's sword.

Whether it was real or a replica made no difference to him.

But appropriating the family swordsmanship was something else.

Dante felt an emotion bubble up inside of him, a feeling he had thrown away the day he cast off his name and chose to live as a human mercenary.

It was an emotion that powered his sarcastic mask.

"Time to show you the terror of a real demon sword." 
 
The clashing auras raged throughout the room.

Each warrior's magical energy crashed and thundered, demolishing walls and throwing furniture into the air.

The entire building creaked amid the fury, exhibiting a quality inanimate objects were not supposed to possess.

Absolute fear.

By now, even Chen's most loyal employees had decided the time was ripe for running.

Nobody knew what was happening, but every last man and woman instinctively understood it was time to flee.

 
Beryl crawled toward Chen's quarters one inch at a time.

Her breathing was erratic and raspy, but something deep inside pushed her past the pain.

Dante had set off all the traps in the foyer, although the fresh destruction wrought by the current battle posed new threats.

Slabs of ceiling and wall crashed around her, and the floor randomly opened up at intervals.

Beryl was determined to put an end to these events herself.

She had come this far and was determined to see it through.

But the Beastheads interfered with her scar, sending out almost physical waves to repel her.

She used her beloved rifle as a crutch and hauled herself to her feet.

It was a battle of demons, but Beryl knew she had to show them both the power of a human.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally made it to the threshold.

"A little late," she wheezed, "but I'm here now." She flung herself into the room, pushing past the Beastheads energy.

 
"Die, Chen!" 
Dante felt it needed to be said.

He slammed Rebellion into Chen's sword.

The weapons clacked back and forth a few times before the rising energy pushed both men apart.

"You're certainly tenacious," Chen offered.

"But you seem to have forgotten I have the Beastheads in my belly." 
"If you can read all of my moves, how come you haven't won yet?" 
"That isn't the limit of my power now." Chen fended off another blow and then thrust out his left hand.

A beam of intense light shot out from his palm and punched Dante into the air.

The silver-haired warrior responded with a blast from Ivory, but Chen easily evaded the barrage.

"When I had demon tissue transplanted into my body, I had the rewarding experience of painstakingly selecting the transplant sources.

I journeyed to the ruins of every temple in the world, gathering the articles left behind by Sparda two thousand years ago." Chen's eyes lost focus.

Dante stood panting on the far side of the room.

"It would have been nice to have found Sparda's grave, but then the legends never said whether he was buried.

It was sheer good fortune to find a genetic sample on his own 
blade." Chen smiled, baiting Dante with his casual demeanor.

"And so you cloned my father like a rat in your lab.

You must have spent a great deal of time and money, Chen." 
"To live forever.

To satisfy my curiosity.

One cannot place a value on these things," Chen demurred.

"But the body of a devil held special appeal.

And now thanks to your father, I've gained the power to remove an obstacle such as yourself." 
Chen stepped toward Dante.

His broken leg had already healed.

"What's wrong? Your breath is heavy, and your arm seems to be taking its toll." 
Physical injuries rarely impacted Dante's sarcasm.

It had a power source all its own.

"I'd just feel guilty if I didn't give you a handicap." 
"A magnificent bluff! But this game grows tiring.

Let us end it now!" Chen dissolved into a blur, launching into a sprint faster than the human eye could follow.

I wanted to make you into a fine specimen for experimentation.

But you seem a little too weak to survive my tests for long.

Just like poor Ducas.

Poor Dante.

Pitiful Dante.

You don't even reach the bottom of your father's feet.

Your fate is here and now.

Dante.

The name of a weakling.

Dante was scarcely able to keep track of Chen, who rushed here and there in bewildering streaks to deliver his insults.

 
 
 
Dante closed his eyes and waited intently.

Poor Dante.

Pitiful Dante.

Let's end it now, shall we? 
Farewell.

The blurred vision of Chen grabbed his sword and waved it high in the air.

This is goodbye, Dante! 
"I've had enough of your crap, Chen." Dante hurled Rebellion into the center of Chen's forehead.

Chen burbled in response, spitting blood from his mouth.

Dante tugged on the hilt of his sword and split Chen's head in two.

At that same moment, his adversary's sword plunged into Dante's right arm.

"I must be tired to open myself up to that," Dante remarked.

Chen just gurgled.

Dante's new wound meant both his arms were now useless.

Neither sword nor gun was an option now.

"I guess I'll just have to kick you to death." 
But Chen didn't seem interested in dying.

His body boiled unnaturally, pulling his head down into his chest and replacing it with three canine snouts.

A huge lump on his back exploded into black wings.

Chen's body contorted as the Beastheads fought to save itself.

"You're such a bad loser!" Dante struck out, trying to kick Chen's body, but the creature dodged the blows.

It still grasped its sword in one hand, and now it turned the blade's attention to Dante once more.

Dante wasn't sure he liked his odds.

The strength given to him by the Beastheads was gone now.

His arms were virtually useless, although Dante reckoned he could use momentum and body weight to his advantage and pull off a single stabbing.

He would have to make his blow worth it.

He feebly wrapped his bloodied right hand around Rebellion.

I'm already a dead man, Dante reasoned.

Might as well try to take him with me.

Chen's body had almost entirely transformed into the Beastheads.

The creature lashed out blindly at Dante, but didn't present an opening.

Dante knew it would attack him with full force once the transformation was complete.

"Dante! Move!" 
The shout saved Dante from doing something impetuous.

"Beryl?!" 
Dante ran towards the Beastheads as fast as he could, weakly holding Rebellion in front of him like a bayonet.

A single bullet whizzed through the air above his head.

"Auuuooohhh!" The demon roared as the enchanted bullet punched through its chest.

The impact created a large hole that began to swallow magical energy in a powerful vortex.

A moment later, Dante arrived in front of the Beastheads and drove Rebellion into the hole.

The impact destroyed the statue in a blinding crackle of energy.

Chen's body crumbled into ash.

It was over almost before Dante's sword finished sliding home.

Dante collapsed with exhaustion.

"Jackpot."