Dante vs. Bayonetta: The Witch Dances with the Devil Chapter 3

Suddenly, a shiny object flies through the air, aimed for the Assault Leader second from the woman’s right.  The large demon notices the sword after it had bored through its body.  The Assault Leader crumbles to dust.  The rest of the demons look towards a dark alley a few yards away that was the sword’s point of origin.  The woman looks as well.

“Now c’mon, I know you can do better than this,” a voice pipes up from the dark alley.  Heavy footsteps approach from the darkness.  They belong to the man who emerges from the alley.  The demons are taken aback by the man’s appearance.  An appearance that is all too familiar to them.  Wearing a lengthy red trench coat and carrying a massive sword that is as long as he is tall, Dante stands under the street light wearing a his trademark charismatic grin.  The light upon him casts an almost angelic glow, reflecting off his silver hair with a radiant shine.

“I take it you’re done with your mission,” the blonde woman said to Dante casually.

“Yep, just came to check on you.  Looks like you’re having a bit of trouble with these guys.  That’s not like you, Trish,” said Dante.

“I was doing just fine, thank you,” said the blonde woman named Trish.

“Oh yeah, I see how well you’re doing.  You got everything well in hand,” Dante retorted with his usual banter.

Trish, being his partner, has gotten used to Dante’s sarcasm.  Furthermore, she’s probably the only other person who can dish it back at him.  “Look, are you here to help out or just hear yourself talk?” she shot at him.

Just like she’s able to read him, Dante knows just how to push Trish’s buttons and which ones to push.  “I brought that didn’t I?” he says.

Trish looks at the sword Dante tossed.  It is a massive, nightmarish blade that pulsated with demonic power.  The sword’s size nearly dwarfed Dante’s blade.  Unlike Rebellion, Dante’s sword, which is double edged, this sword, Sword of Sparda, has a single edge that ran the weapon’s length down to its hilt.  Trish is tall herself but the Sword of Sparda’s hilt was still a bit above her head though it is jammed into the ground.  One would expect someone of great strength to wield the blade, but Trish plucks from the ground like a feather.

“Hey, you’re gonna need these, too,” Dante called to Trish.  He removes a pair of sunglasses from his coat pocket and, with a sharp flick of the wrist, tosses them to Trish, who plucks them out of the air and slides them on.

“Now that’s better,” Trish says with satisfaction.  What she was cursing herself for leaving behind was her sunglasses.  True, the Sword of Sparda helps, but her true fighting abilities come forth when she dons her shades.  With them on, her enemies can’t predict her movements by looking at her eyes.  Plus, they make her look good.  “Now if I can hurry this up I just might be able to squeeze in getting my hair washed,” Trish said, returning her attention to the demons around her.

“You mean that place you usually go to,” Dante says having eavesdropped on Trish.  “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.  They’re closed.”

“They close at ten,” Trish said back. 

“It’s about that right now,” Dante tells her.  “Looks like you’re gonna have to wash your hair yourself.  Plus you might want to go for another trim to straighten it out.”  Trish asks him what he meant.  “Looks like someone nicked it a little, bottom right,” said Dante.

Trish reaches for her golden locks where Dante told her the damage was.  There is a space where a few strands are missing.  Looking across the demons she spots the culprit.  Hanging from the claws of an Assault to the right were a few strands of Trish’s golden mane.  Trish maybe a demon created by the former Ruler of the Underworld, but she still has human qualities.  Like any average woman, she likes to pamper herself when she’s not hunting demons, especially when it comes to her hair.  Only two people are allowed to touch her hair—her hair dresser and herself.  “You cut my hair.  Only Alejandro is allowed to cut my hair,” Trish said, emphasizing each word.  She flips her severed locks back and aims the Sword of Sparda at the Assault who gave her the unwanted trim.  “I’m saving you for last,” Trish says, looking sharply at the lizard demon.

“Those guys are toast,” Dante says as he eases himself on the steps of the house next to him, propping his sword by his side.

The four large Assaults, the two smaller ones and the remaining dozen lesser demons have Trish surrounded on all sides, leaving her with no chance of escape.  However, that doesn’t matter.  The blonde haired devil hunter isn’t planning on running away.  She intends to eliminate each one.  The demons plan to do the same and then destroy Dante for defeating their master Mundus.

Dante vs Bayonetta: The Witch Dances with the Devil Ch. 1

Bullets rain down on a group of demons who have been terrorizing humans for sport.  Their bodies burst into ash, signaling their demise.  A small band of demons throw themselves at a beautiful blonde haired woman.  The blonde woman, wearing tight black clothing, casually dispatches her attackers with a few rounds of gunfire.  She slides to the side to avoid a set of claws threatening to cleave her back.  She then spins around and delivers a heavy boot to the demon’s head, sending it flying into its comrades.  A few more demons emerge from the shadows of the poorly lit street, larger ones this time.  This new set of demons is lizard-like in appearance with small shields attached to one forearm and helmets on their scaly heads.  Extending their claws and letting out a guttural battle cry, the lizard demons drop the visors of their helmets over their faces, ready to engage the blonde woman.  The blonde woman merely smiles coyly at them.

“You know I did have an appointment at the salon tonight.  Do you have any idea how long it took me book a manicure and a pedicure at the same time?” she says.  The lizard demons respond by hissing sharply.  The blonde woman shrugs her shoulders and sighs.  “You just better hope they have something available soon or I’m taking it out on your ass,” she says casually.

The lizard demons quickly converge on the blonde woman with incredible speed, covering ground very quickly.  The woman dodges the first swipe and three more afterward.  She then hops over the tail of one lizard demon to avoid being swept, and ducks under another tail swipe.  One lizard demon, several feet away, thrusts its claws forward.  The demon fires them like bullets at the woman.  The blonde woman boots away one lizard demon and gets rid of another with a spinning roundhouse kick.  She then quickly aims a gun and fires several shots.  The first few destroy the flying claws.  The rest head for the intended lizard demon, but it uses its shield to block the bullets.  Then the reptilian creature growls and regenerates its claws.

The blonde woman throws herself back to avoid being cleaved in two by the lizard demon’s rush attack.  The demon turns to come at her again. The woman deflects the scaly arm with one gun and kicks off its helmet revealing its iguana-like face.  She silences the demon’s hissing with a bullet to its head before lifting it up and tossing it.  The lizard demon’s body slams on the ground and crumbles like dirt.  The remaining lizard demons roar into the night sky.  They then go after the blonde woman to avenge their fallen kin.  The blonde woman dodges the first swipe, then ducks under a high strike and dives from the path of an overhead strike.  The attacking lizard demon smashes the ground instead.  Two other lizard demons attempt to blindside their golden haired adversary.  Nimbly, she avoids their claws with a back flip.  She uses another one to evade a fast tail swipe.  The blonde woman lands on top of one of the lizard demon and then shoots herself into the air with a sharp kick that also bowls her living perch over.  She unleashes a turret of gunfire upon the horde of reptilian creatures.  They use their unearthly speed and agility to avoid the deadly shower of bullets.  Some have resorted to using their shields to defend themselves.  Landing on top of a lamppost, the blonde woman continues to rain death down on her quarry.  However, her efforts are proving futile.

One lizard demon breaks from the pack and makes a mad dash for the lamppost.  With a couple well-placed sharp kicks, it ascends to the top.  The blonde woman, without turning around, leaps straight up just as the lizard demon lunges forward with its claws.  She kicks her attacker sharply in the back of the head, sending hurling to the street below while she lands safely back on the lamppost. Unfortunately, her safety is not assured as the lamppost begins to give way.  On the way up, the lizard demon had sliced through the steel structure. The blonde woman jumps from the pole to the street below.  When she lands, she scans the lizard demons surrounding her.  They have proven to be more intelligent than she had assumed, for they had corralled her in the middle of the group.

The blonde woman’s nerves are not rattled.  She flashes her opponents a smile.  “I have to hand it to you; you Assaults have definitely made an improvement.  Now,” she says.  An unearthly power begins to radiate from the woman.  Small streams of lightning flow around her hands and guns.  “Let’s see just see how much.”

Dante vs Bayonetta Chapter 4

An angel attempts to cleave the woman’s exposed back.  Its efforts are stopped with a bullet to its head.  With its halo shattered, the angel disappears in a bright flash of light.  The woman continues to effortlessly evade and attack her divine assailants.  She spins.  She twirls.  She flips.  She dances her way around the angels and their weapons with acrobatic grace and stylish flare, all the while firing both her hand guns and foot guns.  While its brethren kept the woman in black occupied, one angel decides to finish what they started and kill Dante.  The angel slowly creeps toward him.  During her furious fighting, the woman in black spots the lone angel.  She quickly dispatches a couple more of heaven’s helpers with stylistic flare before going after her next target.  The angel is close to Dante.  It raises its staff.  The others angels prevent the woman from stopping their comrade.  She mows them down as she continues toward Dante.  The angel draws its staff back and swings.

A loud clang rings out.  The angel looks on in shock.  Somehow Dante was able use his sword to stop the staff from carving into him even though he can’t see his attacker.  The man in red cracks a smile.  “Nice try.  You’re gonna have to wake up early to get me that easily.  Thing is,” he twirls the black gun and aims it over his right shoulder, “I don’t sleep much.”  Dante squeezes the trigger, aiming for what he believes the head would be.  The angel’s halo is destroyed along with its owner in a flash of light.  “Now let’s see who’s playing hide and seek,” Dante says nonchalantly.  He begins tapping into his demonic powers.  The same trick worked for him in the Underworld when he challenged and defeated the King of the Underworld.  Using just enough power, he can make out about a dozen or so figures.  Focusing his powers lets him see them a bit more clearly, to where he can make out the halos above their heads.  The images were blurry but a lot better than nothing.  “Angels, huh?  And who else do we have?” asks Dante.  Though he can’t see her clearly, he can tell that the last shape is unmistakably female.  He thought it might’ve been his partner but she’s off on another mission.  So who is the new girl? 

The woman stares at Dante.  If she was as surprised as the angels, she hid it well.  “He can see them?” she says.

“I don’t what you angels are doing down here, but I never asked you finish my job.  So if you think about taking me on I strongly wouldn’t recommend it.  You’re better off keeping watch over some kid and keeping them outta trouble,” Dante said.

Undaunted, the angels renew their efforts and attack Dante.  The woman tries to stop them.  She begins firing her guns as she chased them down.  A couple angels change course to return their attention to the woman.  She flips over them, squeezing out a few rounds as she corkscrews through the air.  Her feet touch the ground while the angels’ bodies slam into it.  The woman has successfully blasted off their wings and halos.  The bright flash of light signals their defeat.  She turns to help Dante, but stops short amazed by what she sees.  Though he can barely make them out, Dante is, nevertheless, fending off his would-be attackers.  He can feel their energies and just aims his guns where they feel strongest.  The angels’ numbers start to drop from Dante’s stylistic fighting.  He sways from the path of their swing staffs and casually blasts away their halos.  The woman in black watched the man acrobatically evade nigh-invisible attackers and eliminate them with stylish flare all the while wearing a brimming smile that exuberated confidence.  She was rather impressed his abilities—and with him.

Dante ducks under what he sensed is a midlevel strike and rolls forward when he feels something coming at him from above.  Popping back up, he holds his arms out to his sides and blasts away the two angels trying to flank him.  He throws one arm behind to take an angel going for a sneak attack, and then quickly clears out the two angels in front of him.  Sensing that all seemed to be clear, Dante gives his pistols a final twirl before returning them to their holsters.  As soon as he gets one gun in, he reaches over his left shoulder and catches something.  One last angel has its attack stopped casually by him.  Dante finds the angel’s legs with a kick and shoulder tosses it forward, slamming it on the ground in front him while keeping a grip on its weapon.  He presses one foot on the angel’s chest and aims his remaining gun at the glowing halo above its head.  “Just be glad I went easy on you this time,” Dante says wearing a cool grin.  “The next time you guys decide to get in my way, I’m gonna be thoroughly pissed.”  He casually blasts the halo and kicks the angel away.  It disappears in a bright flash a moment afterward as it slid across the ground.  “Now let’s see who our heroine is,” he says.  Dante tries to feel for the woman’s energy.  A couple moments pass.  No energy.  Deciding against searching for her, he places his hands in the pockets of his coat and strolls out of the alley with the familiar feeling of another job done.

Unknowing to Dante, the woman of his search has retreated to a nearby roof top.  Now completely visible, she watches him as he leaves the alley, taking in his identity.  The woman in black smiles with anticipation, hoping they will meet again someday.  As for Dante, whether he meets the woman again doesn’t matter to him.  He has no strong feeling either way.  If or when that day comes, he will greet it just like any other day—with a brimming smile and a cool strawberry sundae waiting for him when it’s over.

To be continued…

Dante vs. Bayonetta Chapter 3

Suddenly each demon bursts into a cloud of black ash with Dante watching.  He doesn’t know what to make of the scene.  The sudden elimination of his quarry doesn’t surprise him, but it does make him curious.  Dante waits to see if he can get a glimpse of whom or whatever took out the remaining six demons at once.  So far only he and one other person are able to defeat several demons at once.  Dante wanted see the person or persons, not to issue handshakes, but to let them know who he is.  Unfortunately, the newcomers remain hidden.  But if Dante were able to see them, he would see that the heavenly creatures have him surrounded.  They slowly move in with their staffs ready to strike him down.
“Now aren’t we being a bit rude?” said a woman’s voice.

The heavenly creatures look toward the beginning of the alley.  A statuesque woman approaches dressed in a shiny form fitting black outfit.  Long tassels, three on both arms, hung from straps just above her elbows.  They seem to look like strands of hair.  A gold talisman adorned the ends of them.  The woman’s hair was done up in a beehive-type style.  Red ribbons ran through the hair style with the ends flowing down the woman’s back.  An unknown inscription was written on the ribbons.  The woman stops next to Dante.  She looks at him.  To her, he appears to be transparent.  The same can be said for Dante if he were able to see the transparent figures around him.  The woman leans in close to Dante.  “He is rather handsome,” she says, and then she looks at the angels. “And you cheeky bastards were going to kill him before I had a chance to properly introduce myself.”  The woman steps away from the man.  The angels step with her.  Their focus is off of Dante and now on the woman.  The woman looks across the angels.  Then she strikes a sexy pose and crosses her arms out in front of her.  A pair of large handguns appears in her hands.  Another set of handguns appear on the heels of her high heel shoes.  The dark magenta guns are larger than Dante’s and more lavishly styled.  “Now then,” the woman pauses to use one of her guns to gently push up her glasses, “who’s ready for some…pillow talk.”
The angels quickly converge on the woman in black who leaps out the way to avoid their strikes.  After landing, she whips out a fast kick to the head of the angel closest to her.  She fires a shot from the gun attached to her heel as she followed through with her kick, striking an angel in the back.  She then stretches both out to her sides and fires a shot both guns, taking out another pair of angels.  More of heaven’s hosts drop down from above.  Several more appear on the ground in flashes of light.  The woman in black narrowly avoids a strike aimed for her head.  Then she throws herself into a barrel roll, avoiding a fast low strike.  As she twists her body, she squeezes off a few rounds disposing a few angels as she stood up.  Two angels rush the woman head-on while two more flank her from either side.  She leaps into a split over the angels attacking her from the front.  With her hand guns aimed down, she fires a shot at the angels passing below her while at the same time she uses the guns at her feet to take out the flanking angels.  The woman in black lands and strikes a sexy pose.  “Aw, what’s the matter?  Am I too much to handle?” she says with playful coy.  A couple angels show anxiety.  “Come on,” the woman beckons with one gun.  Twirling their staffs, the angels resume their assault.
Dante has been keeping track of the invisible battle around him.  Though he can’t see them, he can feel their energies moving about.  A couple times he could’ve sworn he saw something.  Dante assumed that it might’ve been the energy of whom or whatever’s around him.  He’s no stranger to this feeling.  He’s felt this when he entered the Underworld.  There were all kinds of energies flowing around him and, with a bit of concentration, he can hone in on them.  Of course that’s what he’s been doing all this time.

Dante vs. Bayonetta Chapter 3

Suddenly each demon bursts into a cloud of black ash with Dante watching. He doesn’t know what to make of the scene. The sudden elimination of his quarry doesn’t surprise him, but it does make him curious. Dante waits to see if he can get a glimpse of whom or whatever took out the remaining six demons at once. So far only he and one other person are able to defeat several demons at once. Dante wanted see the person or persons, not to issue handshakes, but to let them know who he is. Unfortunately, the newcomers remain hidden. But if Dante were able to see them, he would see that the heavenly creatures have him surrounded. They slowly move in with their staffs ready to strike him down.

“Now aren’t we being a bit rude?” said a woman’s voice.

The heavenly creatures look toward the beginning of the alley. A statuesque woman approaches dressed in a shiny form fitting black outfit. Long tassels, three on both arms, hung from straps just above her elbows. They seem to look like strands of hair. A gold talisman adorned the ends of them. The woman’s hair was done up in a beehive-type style. Red ribbons ran through the hair style with the ends flowing down the woman’s back. An unknown inscription was written on the ribbons. The woman stops next to Dante. She looks at him. To her, he appears to be transparent. The same can be said for Dante if he were able to see the transparent figures around him. The woman leans in close to Dante. “He is rather handsome,” she says, and then she looks at the angels. “And you cheeky bastards were going to kill him before I had a chance to properly introduce myself.” The woman steps away from the man. The angels step with her. Their focus is off of Dante and now on the woman. The woman looks across the angels. Then she strikes a sexy pose and crosses her arms out in front of her. A pair of large handguns appears in her hands. Another set of handguns appear on the heels of her high heel shoes. The dark magenta guns are larger than Dante’s and more lavishly styled. “Nowthen,” the woman pauses to use one of her guns to gently push up her glasses, “who’s ready for some…pillow talk.”

The angels quickly converge on the woman in black who leaps out the way to avoid their strikes. After landing, she whips out a fast kick to the head of the angel closest to her. She fires a shot from the gun attached to her heel as she followed through with her kick, striking an angel in the back. She then stretches both out to her sides and fires a shot both guns, taking out another pair of angels. More of heaven’s hosts drop down from above. Several more appear on the ground in flashes of light. The woman in black narrowly avoids a strike aimed for her head. Then she throws herself into a barrel roll, avoiding a fast low strike. As she twists her body, she squeezes off a few rounds disposing a few angels as she stood up. Two angels rush the woman head-on while two more flank her from either side. She leaps into a split over the angels attacking her from the front. With her hand guns aimed down, she fires a shot at the angels passing below her while at the same time she uses the guns at her feet to take out the flanking angels. The woman in black lands and strikes a sexy pose. “Aw, what’s the matter? Am I too much to handle?” she says with playful coy. A couple angels show anxiety. “Come on,” the woman beckons with one gun. Twirling their staffs, the angels resume their assault.

Dante vs Bayonetta Chapter 2

Three demons leap into the air with their claws aimed for his back. A couple well placed shots from his large clunky handguns reduces two of them to ash. Dante blocks the third demon’s claws with one gun, white in color, and blasts it away with the black gun. The demons quickly gang up on Dante in an attempt to overwhelm with a sheer numbers. Dante flips out the way to avoid the first strike and lands on top of another demon, stomping it firmly into the ground. He bends back to evade a swipe aimed for his face, and then he kicks the demon to his right and blasts it in the back. Its body crumbles to ash. More demons attack. Dante effortlessly dispatches them. He fires his guns with superhuman speed, taking out several demons in a hail of bullets. During his demonic extermination, Dante hears the rapid approaching of claws on cobblestone. Either the demons in the alleys were done with their first catch or they got hold of the woman who should’ve been already home by now. Dante, after dodging yet another strike, flips into the air, firing his guns as he went. Landing back at his sword, he decides to clear the area. He fires several shots in front of him, nails a couple demons behind him without looking, and crosses his arms to blast away the two demons attacking from either side. Dante tosses the guns high into the air and takes up his sword.

“Now it’s starting to get interesting,” he says with joy.

The silver haired man whirls around and cleaves his sword into the newcomer’s chest. The larger demon disintegrates to ash before Dante finishes slicing home. The second large demon swipes its claws. Dante nimbly avoids them. The beast attacks again. Dante blocks with the broad side of his sword and knocks the demon’s claws away, slicing them off as he did so. The large demon reels back in pain, but Dante silences it by running his sword through its body. With the two larger demons disposed, Dante focuses his attention on their smaller comrades. The demons roar unanimously and attack Dante en masse. Dante dodges several attacks before countering with a few of his own. He mixes acrobatic evasion with stylish melee, disposing demons in his wake. An upward slash takes out one demon. A downward swipe takes out another. A wide arcing swing clears several in a row. One would assume that a sword of that size would be difficult to swing, but Dante carves it through the air beautifully as if it weighed next to nothing. After casually dispatching a couple more demons, Dante leaps to the air to avoid a triple strike. The trio of demons who missed him quickly chase after the silver haired man for a second chance. Dante returns the sword to his back and catches his large pistols. With a brimming smile, he dispels the demons tailing him and several more as he drifts back to the ground. He remains kneeling after landing. Then he crosses his arms and flashes his coolest grin. Fear returns to the demons as they move away from the man who has effortlessly whittled their numbers down to mere few.

“I gotta say, you guys didn’t make this evening half bad, but I was touring this city and you kinda interrupted me so how about we wrap our little meeting,” Dante said.

The demons, fearful of Dante, crept further away from him. Their intentions to slay him have gone awry leaving them with their only other option—flee. However their escape is halted by another force. A white light descends on the alley, chasing away the darkness. Dante sees the light and stands up. If anything was going to happen, he wanted to ready for it. He watches the remaining demons. He sees the fear on their faces. More like terror, to be precise. Whatever is in the white light, it is making the demons want to seek death at the hands of Dante instead.

What Dante can’t see are the half dozen heavenly creatures descending to ground. Each one carried a long golden staff with blades at the end. The heavenly creatures wore simple but lavish outfits that were blue with gold trim. The creatures themselves were white with golden highlights. Upon landing, they looked down on the fearful demons. The black creatures stared at their heavenly white hosts, trembling like leaves in the wind. The heavenly figures, with their eyes fixed on the demons, raise their elegant staffs.

Dante vs. Bayonetta Chapter 1

Nighttime has fallen on a city in Europe. The lights of the city shine brightly amidst the darkness. Buildings and landmarks were all aglow for the citizens and numerous visitors to enjoy. The various taxis, buses and other vehicles aided the street lamps in illuminating the city streets. There are many people walking the streets either to go to dinner or tour the marvelous sites and other attractions. This is evening hustle and bustle, and it’s just as active as it is during the daytime. Every hotel was filled with visitors from across the globe as well as local residents. People entering the hotel are greeted with a pleasant smile and are promptly and properly serviced. The hotel’s restaurant, along with other restaurants, makes sure their customers are provided with excellent food and complimentary service. The European city was enjoying another entertaining evening that is one of many. However, there some places that are not quite as enchanting.

Clopping footsteps rapidly descended down an empty alley. A woman looks back for her pursuers with fearful eyes. Her high heels clacked loudly on the cobblestone street as she trotted through the narrow winding alleyway. Soon she reaches an intersecting alley and stops. The casually dressed woman frantically searches around, her dark hair whipped around wildly as she desperately tried to decide which way to go. Heavy footfalls rapidly approach from behind her. Driven by fear, the woman darts down the intersecting alleyway, hoping to lose who or whatever's chasing her. Her new path of escape is poorly lit and unlike the alley she just left, there were no twists and turns. But she didn't care. She just wanted to get away.

The woman soon stops suddenly. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at what barred her path. The alleyway was a dead end. Her mind was too racked with fear to process that she can go no further. The woman whirls around to return the way she came but she stops before she even starts. Two creatures stood just a few feet away from her. As they walk toward her, another pair of creatures emerges from the darkness. The woman slowly inches back, putting her arms in front of her as if to put up a wall between herself and the creatures. She shudders from the fear welling up inside her even more.

The creatures were gangly and grotesque with skin a black as night, shining red eyes and razor sharp teeth. Their bodies bulged with muscle despite their lanky appearance. Walking on all fours, the creatures slowly approach the woman, their claws scraping the cobblestone with each step. More creatures soon emerge from the darkness and methodically converge on the woman like hungry wolves.

The woman waited for her impending demise. Her once wonderful evening has turned into a horrific nightmare. It was just two hours ago when she met a nice gentleman at the hotel she was staying at. The man was young and handsome. He was a local who lived just outside the brightly lit city. After a short tour and a long, engaging dinner, the woman’s suave date invited her back to his house which she kindly accepted. She didn’t know that such an innocent gesture would turn into horrendous experience. The only solace the woman can take is that she is currently in far better shape than her date who was the creatures’ first victim, kicking off her adventurous romp thru dark alleys to escape the same grisly fate. She can feel the nearest creature’s hot breath caress her legs. She scans her wide frightened eyes across the dozen or so creatures. Then she closes them, waiting for her end.

“Now this isn’t fair,” a casual voice breaks the silence.

The creatures turn to look at the newcomer. The woman opens her eyes and looks towards the beginning of the alley. A man stepped out of the darkness. He had silver hair and wore a striking red trench coat. On his back, he had a massive sword that is as long as he is tall. The man in red coolly strolled up to the creatures. He shines his eyes across them. There is no fear in those eyes. “A dozen demons ganging up on one lady; you’re overwhelming the poor girl,” said the man in red. “I came across your handiwork back there. I bet you didn’t even get that guy’s name.” The demons step from the man in red’s path as he strolled up to the woman. They seem to revere this man. The demon closest to the woman hesitates, but a stern look from the man in red has it kindly step aside.

The woman was at odds. She didn’t know what to make of this mysterious stranger. The way the demons reacted made her believe that he has some sort of command over them. However, upon closer examination, she noticed a few of them seemingly to be cowering. Her suspicions are true. The man in red did have command over the demons, but it wasn’t out of reverence. It is fear. The demons feared this man.

“Hey, you were probably having a wonderful evening before all of this, weren’t you?” the man in red said casually. The woman didn’t know how to react let alone what to say. The man in red holds up a hand and says, “This is the part where you don’t ask questions. You’re just happy to see another handsome face and you want this to be all over. Don’t worry about them. Their bark is worse than their bite…sometimes.” The woman was not in the mood for comedy. She just wanted to get out the alley and forget this night ever happened. “I see you want outta here so all you got to do is stay to the right and you’ll be fine. Trust me, you don’t want to go to the left unless you have a really strong stomach,” said the man in red.

The woman allows her unorthodox savior to lead her past the group of demons. A couple of them snap at her but they are put into their place by a look the man in red gives them to quiet a barking dog. Once she safely past, the woman heads down the alley staying to right as the man in red instructed. She dare not go to the left, for fear of finding what exactly the demons did to her date.

“When you get home just take a hot bath and relax, you’ll be fine,” the man in red called to the woman. When the woman was out of sight, he turns his attention to the demons. By now, their number has doubled. They start to lose their fear and begin converging on the man in red. He just flashes a cheeky grin. “So you called in reinforcements, eh? You obviously forgot who you’re dealing with,” the man in red says as he draws the massive sword from his back and jams the tip into the ground. He removes two pistols from their holster strapped to his thighs and crosses his arms with his legs spread apart. He casts a steely gaze over the hilt of his sword. The demons look at the man’s imposing stance with familiarity. “Now you know don’cha? Go on, who’s your daddy?”

Soon, amidst the growling and other animalistic noise, a name slowly began to emerge from the crowd. “DAAAANNNNTEE.”

The demons voices begin to overlap as they seem to be delivering a message to the man in red.

“SOOONNN OF SPAAARRRDAA.”

“TRRRAAAAITOOORRROOUS BLLOOOD.”

“KIILLLLL.”

“KIIILLLL THHHEE TRRAAAIIITORR.”

“KIIILLL DAAANNNTEEE, SSOOONNN OF SPAAARRRDAA!”

“Jackpot,” says Dante.