Nero swung Yamato downward, the slash forcing Credo's Durandal back. She stepped forward, pinning the tip of his blade under her boot, using leverage to finally overpower his weapon. Credo didn't back off to yank his sword free—instead, he charged with his shield raised, slamming it toward her.
Nero braced Yamato's blade to block the shield bash but staggered back a step from the force. Seizing his weapon, Credo leaped backward, slashing a wave of light across the ground to stop Nero's pursuit.
Instead of landing, he hovered in the air, voice heavy. "Stop getting in my way, Nero."
Nero raised Yamato, poised for a space-slicing strike. "No way I'm watching you march to your death."
"Me? Marching to my death?"
Credo let out a bitter laugh. "You, who just stumbled into this mess last night, think you know more about the Order's deeds than I do?"
Looked like it was time to drop a bombshell.
Nero steadied her breathing and said softly, "I'm sorry, Credo.
"But I know. It was the Order's experiments that killed Mom and Dad."
"…What did you say?"
Credo's breath caught, his mind rejecting the words' meaning.
Nero didn't repeat herself—she knew he'd heard her loud and clear.
"…Who told you that? Agnus?"
Nero shook her head. "I can't say."
"Gloria, then? No, she's too new to the Order to know…"
The deepest secret buried in his heart had been ripped open, plunging Credo into chaos. "Damn it, who? If Kyrie knows too—"
Nero cut him off. "Kyrie doesn't know, and I won't tell her."
Credo's racing pulse and spinning head snapped to her. Nero pressed on. "But I bet she suspects something. That demon—it's unlike anything in the Order's records.
"Credo, stop lying to yourself. All these sacrifices—what's the Order really after?"
"Of course it's… to create a perfect world without demons."
His voice lacked the iron conviction it once had.
"And the knights who went through the Ascension Ceremony?" Nero shot back. "You saying they all have to die too?"
Credo fell silent.
He could claim the Order's knights were angels, but they'd undeniably tapped into raw demonic power. Even if they survived the ceremony without losing their minds and turning into full-blown demons, who could guarantee they'd stay that way forever?
As Nero said, the only solution would be—
"The Order's knights don't fear sacrifice," Credo finally said, his voice hollow.
"And the Pope?" Nero countered. "Will he sacrifice himself?"
Credo had no answer.
No matter how much he'd trusted the Pope before, this whole mess had planted seeds of doubt.
"Credo, the Order's already…"
Nero was about to press her advantage when Credo interrupted. "Nero, enough."
She hesitated, eyeing him. "You…"
"No matter how much you try to sway me, my answer's the same."
He spread his wings, raising his longsword with a thunderous declaration. "I won't betray the Order, but I will purge the corruption festering within it. Even if the one betraying our faith is the Pope himself, I'll take his head.
"By this sword, I swear to our god, Sparda!"
With that, the golden light around Credo blazed brighter, like a miniature sun. His gaze dropped from the sky to Nero below. "Nero, you can't stop me. Step aside."
"You can't do it, Credo."
Her persuasion had failed again. Nero gritted her teeth, raising Yamato. "You can't beat the Pope, so I'm not letting you walk away."
"Fool!"
Credo vanished, reappearing above Nero and slamming his shield toward the ground. "Compared to me, your odds are even worse!"
Nero backflipped out of his landing zone, then kicked off a pulse of demonic energy in midair, lunging forward with a horizontal slash at the airborne Credo. "I'm stronger than you, and my odds are better!"
Credo parried with his sword, shifting his trajectory to crash behind her. He sprang up, readying his stance as Nero was still midair. "Still acting stupid? Their trap's waiting for you!"
"God will unleash wrathful punishment, and your bloodline will tremble in fear!"
As Credo thrust his sword forward, Nero used a burst of demonic energy to leave an afterimage, landing swiftly. Yamato plunged straight into the ground, blocking his charge at the last second.
Gripping the blade embedded in the earth, Nero's slender Yamato locked with Credo's sword tip, screeching with a teeth-grinding wail, sparks practically flying.
"Please, Credo, trust me. I'll…"
"Trust you to walk into their trap?!"
Neither budged. Nero, half-kneeling, panted heavily and gave her answer. "I'm not going alone."
"Who else could there be?"
Credo leaned in, pressing his longsword harder.
Good thing Yamato was a legendary weapon—any normal katana would've snapped under this clash.
Nero went quiet for a moment before finally spitting out the name.
"Dante. You know, that Dante."
"Dante?"
The pressure on her blade eased, and Nero thought Credo might be buying it. Then his confused voice hit her.
"Isn't he still across the sea, in that faithless country?"
"?!"
What?
Dante wasn't here?
The shocking news made Nero's grip on Yamato falter, just enough for Durandal and Yamato to slip ever so slightly. Unable to pull back, Credo's sword pierced through Nero's abdomen.
"Wait?! Nero?!"
Nero's Devil Trigger faded, her golden hair and blue eyes returning. Credo, panicking, reverted to human form but didn't dare pull the blade out, fearing he'd worsen the wound.
"Cough—I'm, cough, fine."
Nero waved him off, signaling not to freak out. A wound like this stung, sure, but with her resilience, it'd heal fast. The real problem was—why wasn't Dante here?
The story kicked off during Nero's sixteenth Demon Sword Festival, where Dante would show up to assassinate the Pope, while Trish had arrived earlier to scout intel.
So, how long until the festival?
Nero didn't need to ask Credo. After preparing for the festival for half a year, the answer flashed in her mind.
One month.
One month until Dante's first appearance in the game.
Support me by leaving a comment, voting and review