Faced with an attack from her own doppelgänger, Nero didn't flinch. She shot out her razor-sharp claws, seizing the wrist of the fake's slashing blade while countering with a slice at the hand choking her neck.
Glaring at the impostor, she snarled, "You're just a mindless knockoff—know your place!"
Forcing the fake to let go, Nero kicked her back and stabbed Yama through the air, tearing space for a sneak attack. The counterfeit Nero, controlled by Shoko Toyokawa, parried the blow with her own blade but didn't press the assault.
That's when Nero clocked the difference. This fake wasn't a perfect copy—it was a "memory of Nero" pulled from someone's head. In that memory, Nero hadn't yet unleashed Yama's true power, so the fake's blade was just a tough but hollow imitation.
The other memory-spawned monsters were likely the same. Their strength wasn't tied to reality but warped by the subjective lens of whoever's memory they came from.
Still, that didn't make them pushovers. Shoko's knockoff Nero had just unleashed a full-power strike in Pride Demon mode, meaning her peak hit was probably close to Nero's own. The Demon Pillar and Savior, also drawn from Nero's memories, had shown most of their strength too—likely not far off from the real deal.
With a new Pride Demon joining the fray, Nero's "Star of Supremacy" power was neutralized. Her enemies were all at full strength.
From atop the towering Savior, Shoko Toyokawa spoke down. "I'm giving you a chance, Miss Samiel."
"A chance?" Nero shot back, almost laughing. "You think you've got me cornered?"
"Don't I?"
Shoko directed the Savior, Demon Pillar, and fake Nero to form a triangular formation around the clearing, boxing Nero in while staying on guard. "Under this red moon, I'm the strongest demon."
Nero's eyes flicked between the fake creeping behind her and the Savior inching closer. "What's your pitch?"
"Work with me. Or at least stay out of my way." Shoko's voice dripped with condescension as she extended her offer. "Your real enemies aren't us. Accept the blood of the red moon, and you'll have power equal to mine."
"Real generous," Nero replied, her tone laced with mockery. She could guess what "red moon blood" was—demon blood from the creature that created this world. But whether it was nobler than Sparda's blood didn't matter.
If Shoko was bold enough to offer it, she was damn sure Nero wouldn't be a threat after drinking it.
Only an idiot would take that deal.
Shoko caught the subtext, her voice sharpening with irritation. "You think you can say no?"
"Let's find out."
Nero drew Yama, slashing through space to teleport right above the Savior's head.
A encirclement? Useless against her. When her Pride Demon sword broke earlier, she'd embedded its fragments into the Savior as a marker. With a thought, she could bypass any obstacle and land right in Shoko's face.
But she hit nothing. Shoko had pulled a Pope move, sinking into the Savior's core. Knowing your enemy too well had its downsides—now she was stealing Nero's tricks.
"So barbaric," Shoko's voice echoed from within the Savior. "And you call yourself a lady?"
"If you think a lady's just all talk and no action, you're dead wrong!"
Nero backflipped, dodging the toxic smog the Demon Pillar spewed along the Savior's surface. She hovered with a flap of her wings, conjuring another massive sword.
This time, she aimed for the Savior's crown.
The blade fired, but before it could connect, the fake Nero rocketed in, countering with an identical attack to cancel it out.
Looked like Nero couldn't win here—not against Shoko with the home-field advantage. Time to plan her exit.
She'd gotten enough out of this. These clashes had confirmed the power of Lust wasn't in the hands of the red moon's master. By process of elimination, that mysterious "Little Ace" controlling the girls to hunt demons was likely the true wielder.
Made sense. Why else would it only pick girls? Wielding demonic gear to fight demons sounds more like a guy's gig, right?
Nero recalled Runa's description—Little Ace looked like a rabbit. Fitting, since rabbits were often tied to lust. The other side, tied to the moon, was a natural target for Little Ace.
That chunk of demon flesh carrying both red moon and Lust powers suggested the two demons were already clashing, openly or not. The girls were just proxies on the surface.
And it seemed the red moon was losing ground—getting a piece of its flesh torn off was downright embarrassing. No need for Nero to keep hammering them. Why not let the red moon go after Little Ace for revenge, then swoop in to kick them while they're down? More bang for her buck.
As for getting out…
Nero swung Yama again, targeting a magical rose she'd left in her apartment. With it as a beacon, she could zip back home in a flash.
"What?!"
But as the blade cut, something went wrong. She couldn't lock onto the rose's magic. How? Even in the Demon World, the distance shouldn't have been enough to break her connection.
Nero snapped her head up, scanning the moonlit world.
"That's right. You're not escaping," Shoko said, reappearing with smug grace. "'Doloris' barrier has this city locked down. You can't break through."
Dammit, Nero had forgotten about their fifth member! She cursed her own arrogance, wondering if Pride's demonic aura had gotten to her again.
But that wasn't the issue now. How was she getting out?
The three memory monsters closed in again. Countless demons roared hungrily below, and the sky was sealed by Doloris' barrier.
Where could she go?
Was she really stuck taking Shoko's deal?
Nero's mind raced. But then, a shift.
Shoko's eyes widened, her voice a mix of shock and panic. "Wait… Lamp?!"