Hell yeah!
This is too damn good!
Nero swung Yamato with reckless abandon, unleashing raw power, barely holding back the urge to let out a wild laugh. Years of drilled-in "ladylike" restraint kept her in check, so all that slipped out was a playful giggle and a coy smile.
But for Echidna, that was plenty insulting.
Ever since Nero blew through her old man's coin stash in that pitch-black void, Yamato had naturally repaired itself within her. She'd also instinctively figured out how to channel her demonic energy through the blade.
When she seized the moment and slashed through the Demon World Gate, her power surged even more, pushing her into a "pseudo-Devil Trigger" state.
It was "pseudo" because her demon blood was only half-awakened. Fully awakened demons didn't show devilish traits unless they shifted into their true form. Whether it was the "ghost arm" from the games or the vertical eye now on Nero's chest, those were signs of an incomplete awakening. Only when she could control those traits at will would her demon blood be fully awake.
In her pseudo-Devil Trigger, Nero quickly noticed her hair changing color through the strands floating around her—same as her old man's human form, "V." Difference was, V hid his natural color somehow, while Nero's shift revealed the hue a demon like her was meant to have.
Beyond the looks, Nero instinctively knew she could weave a "hymn" with her demonic energy in this state, creating lingering energy phantoms during her attacks. When she sang what she felt was the "final verse," those phantoms would strike together.
It was kinda like the spectral shadow Nero inherited from her dad in the games, but not quite. Her gut told her this twist came from years of training to become a songstress for the Order's sword festival.
Whatever, didn't matter. Right now, Nero had one goal—
—kicking the ever-loving crap out of the demon in front of her.
A four-way slash carved a brutal "#" into Echidna's body. The demon lord flopped like a fish out of water, thrashing in a desperate, last-ditch rampage, wrecking everything nearby.
Nero left another energy phantom and leaped back. By her reckoning, it was about time to wrap this up.
She stood still, raising Yamato like a conductor lifting a baton.
"Now—Buoso crawls for me."
As she chanted, she swung the blade down from a distance. In that instant, the three phantoms she'd left seemed to gain a will of their own, surrounding Echidna from three angles, diving from sky to earth.
The phantoms vanished, and three slashes flared. But that wasn't all. Each slash split fourfold, just like her earlier strike, and lingered in place like the first. Together, they wove a massive cage of twelve interlocking slashes.
Nero tilted her head, eyeing Echidna—trapped, crisscrossed with wounds, and barely clinging to life. This wasn't quite the effect she'd pictured.
Guess she'd have to finish it herself.
The former demon lord cowered in the cage's center, trembling, too scared to move and risk shredding herself on the slashes.
As Nero stepped closer, Echidna flinched, shrinking back. She accidentally grazed a slash and let out a terrified shriek. The demon was visibly broken.
Nero winced at the piercing cry, covering one ear and shooting Echidna a glare. That one look silenced the ex-lord's wails, not even giving Nero a chance to scold her for being rude.
When Nero took another step, Echidna slithered flat to the ground, her human-like upper half kneeling and bowing frantically. She didn't dare meet Nero's eyes, pleading, "P-Please, spare me!"
Nero stepped closer, watching Echidna quake. She couldn't help but smirk. "I've already smashed the Demon World Gate. Where you gonna go if you live?"
"I'll serve you!" Echidna seized the chance, her voice desperate. "I—Echidna—can become a weapon for you to wield, forever loyal!"
Oh? Nero paused, recalling how Devil May Cry had demons that could be tamed into powerful weapons. The fourth and fifth games she'd played never showed that, though—Dante just killed the ones that turned into gear.
She didn't agree yet, taking another step. "Your voice is kinda annoying, though. Not a fan."
"I-I'll shut up!" Echidna's voice dropped to a whisper.
"And you seem kinda weak."
"I'll get stronger!"
"And you're not exactly easy on the eyes."
"I—"
Echidna was on the verge of tears—if demons could even cry. "Please!"
The slash cage had faded, but the terrified Echidna didn't dare move.
Finally, Nero sighed, letting Yamato dissolve into light. She shifted back to her blonde, blue-eyed self and extended her right hand. "Fine, turn into a weapon. Let's see it."
Truth was, she'd just been messing with Echidna. The moment the demon offered to become a weapon, Nero was sold. Her pseudo-Devil Trigger was tied to Yamato—drawing it meant transforming, and she didn't want to pop her big move on every random goon. She needed a new weapon.
"Thank—" Echidna's relief cut off as she turned into a glowing orb in Nero's hand. When the light faded, Nero held a coiled whip-sword.
Nero raised a brow, "Huh?" Then, remembering Echidna was a giant snake, it clicked. The whip-sword had a flower-like guard and a blade of azure scales strung like vines—pretty damn fancy.
"Guess I was wrong about the ugly part," Nero said with a grin, giving the whip a few swings.
She'd heard whips could backfire if you weren't careful, so she started light. After a couple of smooth swings, she got bolder, cracking the air with sharp whooshes.
Done testing the whip form, Nero wanted something new. "Can you turn into a straight sword?"
The flexible whip tightened instantly, its emerald scales stacking into a sleek longsword for slashing, all without a sound.
Looked like Echidna took Nero's words to heart.