Vergil-Dark Slayer-Battle of the Ages

Dante dived back, meeting Sparda's bullets shot to show, taken aback by the "old man's" furiosity. Whatever spell had been weaved was affecting all of them, Dante could feel it demanding he use Rebellion to split is father's skull...it awakened a previously unfelt blood lust in all of them. This was the lust for destruction Demon's felt, he thought as Sparda lunged, a huge horizontal swipe, leaving a red fiery energy in his wake. Dante raised Rebellion, blocking the huge Sparda sword and reeling as the heavy blade crossed with Rebellion, Rebellion's eyes glowed angrily as its demonic power stopped the sword from breaking. Dante leapt, descended in a downward hack, his own sword coursing with crimson energy. All to no avail, Sparda merely smiled darkly and left dark purple smoke where the Dark Knight had stood previously, before reappearing behind Dante, Dante rolling and firing Ivory and Ebony, the demonic bullets fired and exploded against Sparda's form, before Sparda brought up the huge sword as a shield. Dante could tell his attack had caught his father of guard. Yet Sparda merely attacked with renewed force, slamming a huge Stinger 3 into Dante, forcing his youngest son back. Dante, despite the force and pain, grinned suddenly drawing Kalina Ann and launched its mini rockets, Sparda couldn't dodge it since Dante's demonic reflexes were as good as his own, they slammed into him and exploded, Sparda's eyes widened with suprise as the intense heat and energy flooded his senses.

"Guess that hurt you a little more than you expected Dad!"

Sparda snarled, the spell that he was under turned minor annoyance into murderous rage, flinging the scythed Sparda forward, Dante's laughter faded as he dodged its blade feeling the wind rush past his neck-anyone other than he, or maybe Vergil, would have found themselves neatly decapitated. Yet as he dodged Sparda's hand upraised, the sword followed Dante. Dante used Trickster to dodge, weave and teleport away from the blade but it felt futile, the blade simply followed him and sometimes came a little too close for Dante to feel confident that his demonic heritage would keep him alive. The blade came closer and closer, the sound it made in the air sounded like distant, mocking laughter that promised Dante there was no escape, yet escape was no longer Dante's plan. The Ifrit gauntlets flamed to life on Dante's arm, bathing him in demonic fire yet doing him no harm-Ifrit new better than to hurt the being that fed it and made it stronger. Dante was tense, he seemed to wait for an eternity as time seemed to stretch and melt becoming floundering and ponderous, the Sparda sword drew closer and Sparda was near enough...Dante leapt transforming into his Devil Trigger, jumping as high as his strength and magic allowed, before descending upon the ground with the force of a large meteor as demonic flame exploded forth, creating a mighty Inferno that first sent his father's blade flying and rattling into the nearest wall and reached Sparda, who attempted to shield himself, but even Sparda's might could not entirely protect him from Ifrit's mightiest attack. Sparda was down, his hands smoking and the flesh charred, time would tell whether Ifrits fury had brought the elder Dark Knight to his senses. Sparda was panting and more importantly was parted from his beloved blade. For a moment their battle ceased, their true enemy was temporarily focused upon Vergil and Nero's struggle.

"Old age catching up to you at last, old man?"

"You've grown my Son, your human blood gives you strength, but now you must face a challenge you've never had to face...you must destroy me."

"Dad?"

"Sometimes I really hate you know."

"Is that so?"

"All I've ever done is clean up your mess! The Tem-Ni-Gru, Mundus and every other demon that hated your guts. Our mother was killed because you weren't there to protect her! They came looking for you but you'd gone, so they took out their anger on her! Everything that's happened is your fault, you get credit for saving our world, but from what I see you're the one ultimately responsible for it all. You married a human. You had two Sons. I'm the one that's been finishing the job and Vergil hasn't always been helping! Yet where were you when we need you? Where were you when the world needed you to finish cleaning up your own mess?"

Years of repressed bitterness and anger rolled forth from Dante's lips, if he'd been cooler in his delivery he would have been a double of Vergil. Instead his anger was hot, loud but no less sincere. Sparda's eyes seemed to go dark for a moment, his skin somehow greyer as years-perhaps decades upon decades-of guilt weighed down upon him. He looked older, worn out and haggard, as though his demonic power had not allowed him to stay alive as such, it just allowed the body to keep breathing, the man behind the body looked like a ghost that had stopped truly living long ago. Was it a broken heart, was it the truth of Dante's words or was Sparda truly feeling every bit as old and worn as he shouldn't given his demonic blood, yet Dante saw he did feel it.

"I know...that's why I have to die Dante...all this...it must end. I loved your Mother...very much...but the guilt was too much-I knew you and Vergil and my wife would never be safe, I knew the life you would be forced to live...and I knew that the worlds expected you both to one day replace me. I never wanted any of this for any of you...I disappeared, without a trace, hoping that it would throw the Demons off your scent, that they would be searching for me. They took the bait at first, you were all kept safe for a time, yet Mundus knew I was still alive somewhere I think...he killed your Mother to see if I would reappear...only when I stayed away did he believe me truly dead. Yet...by killing your Mother, he sealed his own demise...your Mother's death was not in vain, I won't believe it was in vain my Son. I'm not trying to excuse myself, I'm just explaining myself."

"I have to stop this...even if it means killing you?"

"Do what you have to do my Son...as long as you stay true to yourself, to your Mother's sacrifice...I will always be with you...whether in blood, power or spirit...it matters not. Remember this, always. One day Dante...forgive me."

"That's enough...lets end this."

Sparda rose, his sword returning in a burst of red flame on his back. Dante charged, Sparda charged and the battle recommenced.

-Devil May Cry -

Vergil was not intimidated in the slightest, his Son had grown powerful yes, but no so powerful as to be a real threat. With years of experience, years of accumulated power Vergil wondered why Nero was even bothering. Yet at the same time, Nero's brutality did take Vergil aback, it was unnerving because it was so unlike Nero. Vergil on the other hand was cool, calm and collected. Yamato flashed quicker than the eye could see, blocking the Red Queen-yet Vergil made no counter attack, no furious retribution. The Dark Slayer's weakness in battle, his only weakness, was his love for his Son. Nero was snarling, almost screaming, pummelling Vergil with his blade-unleashing every possible attack and combination in an attempt to break his father's staunch defence. Vergil's own teeth only clenched when the woman's mysterious, sexually nuanced voice filled the room with hypnotic power, a half chuckle of amusement.

"Your Father isn't even fighting Nero...still you fail so miserably in besting him in combat."

Nero released a primal scream of frustration, triggering the sword and unleashing a small explosion that almost rattled Yamato from Vergil's grip, a summoned sword blocking Nero's follow up strike. The summoned sword did not break, it held Nero's blade at bay as though Vergil himself were physically wielding it. Vergil moved backwards, keeping well away for a moment, allowing his own stern, dark voice to fill the room in an attempt to reach Nero.

"You really believe you can defeat me Nero-the power of Sparda, Mundus, Chronos and many more gods surges within me...you have but a fragment of my might and the fire of a burnt out dragon...you have none of my experience, why do you attack me? Why do you refuse to acknowledge my power?"

The summoned sword had faded, The Red Queen hung at Nero's side for a moment.

"I'm not living in your shadow, I will take your power for myself! You think I don't know I'm a joke, the weakest branch on Sparda's family tree! Even my first Devil Trigger was just your Devil Arm reacting to our shared blood. If you are so powerful, stop me from taking it. If you are so powerful, prove it!"

The words were tainted with the woman's magic spell; they came out strangely distorted and warped as though it were not Vergil's beloved son at all speaking."

"Why do you refuse to have patience to gain power?"

"Why should I wait-like Father like Son!"

Vergil readied himself for a renewed assault, drawing Yamato once again from its saya but then something happened that neither the entranced Nero, nor the Dark Slayer Vergil, could ever have imagined.

-Devil May Cry-

Dante charged, Sparda charged. Dante gave a battle cry, Sparda responded in kind.

Both warriors had raised their weapons and now they rushed towards each other.

Dante's Rebellion swung in a wide horizontal arc leaving a trail of demonic blood.

Sparda's sword came down vertically, missing its mark. Sparda dropped his blade, stumbling away holding the wound, Dante returned Rebellion to its place on his back, his eyes cold and focused as though the enormity of the act had not yet sunk in. Maybe Dante was just used to fighting people he really loved by now.

"Once I'm gone the swords power will die too...but it flows within the veins of you and your brother-you have both held the sword and the complete amulet. Nobody else can have this Dante, it belongs to the Sons of Sparda and now...only you Dante, and Vergil, will ever possess it. Finally, it is all coming to an end-"

Sparda stopped suddenly; coughing a cloud of blood...it spattered leaving a vulgar stain of the Elder Demon's pale skin. Dante rushed forward, as Sparda slumped against the wall. Whatever the man's demonic blood it was clear, he was dying.

"Leave me and go, help your brother Dante, don't worry about me. My soul will find its way out of this accursed realm just fine...now isn't the time for grief Dante, finish all this once and for all." Sparda spoke in gasps, very word sapping his strength, coughing between pauses as death drew closer.

"Dad..?" Dante's voice came out as a strangled sob, the youngest Son of Sparda was holding back tears, watching his father die.

"Yes?"

"Are you really...going to die?" disbelief in Dante's voice, as though divorced from reality, as though they had just being sparing and not that, in a similar way to Vergil, he had too easily taken the finishing blow.

"It has to be this way Dante. Remember, like your Mother, your Father loves you...tell your brother, I loved you both...maybe I'll see your Mother again, at last...don't cry Dante, not yet, after all you know what they say, the humans, "All Good Things...Must Come To An End"...J-J...Jackpot."

The flames on the sword that bore his name waxed and waned, the blade crackled and faded-it reverted to the Force Edge, and then faded into nothing. Although the sword had held Sparda's immense power, it was not the key to using it. The key to the power of Sparda was blood and the strength of will to wield it-in Dante and Vergil, the power of their Father would never fade.

With that the story of Sparda, The Legendary Dark Knight, and the Demon who awoke to justice came to an end, the last words of the final chapter, and Sparda died smiling.