Dmc5

C.3

**Chapter 3: Resurrection Roulette**

Hell wasn't exactly what Y/N had imagined. Sure, there were the usual trappings—fire, brimstone, endless hordes of demons eager to turn you into a stylish new hat—but there was also a surprising amount of real estate. Endless, desolate landscapes stretched out before them, filled with jagged cliffs and rivers of molten lava. It was like a post-apocalyptic playground for everything unholy, and right now, Y/N was stuck in the middle of it, slashing and dodging with his usual flair.

"I gotta say," Y/N called out over the chaos, his voice crackling through the comms in his mask, "this place is really living up to its reputation. You know, if it weren't for the sulfur and overwhelming sense of dread, I'd almost want to vacation here."

"Focus, Y/N!" Nero's voice snapped back, laced with urgency. The young demon hunter was battling a particularly nasty creature, its massive, scaly arms thrashing about with the power to level a building.

Nico was parked a safe distance away, fiddling with some new gadget she was testing out. "Less yappin', more slashin'! We gotta keep movin' or we'll be stuck down here forever."

"Forever?" Y/N gasped, sidestepping a demon's claw by a hair's breadth. "But I've got plans next week! Besides, I'm not exactly dressed for eternity. I was kinda hoping for something a little less... hellish."

Nero grunted as he drove his sword through a demon's skull. "I'm starting to think you're the one driving me to Hell."

"I'm flattered, really," Y/N quipped, spinning on his heel and slicing through another demon with a dramatic flourish. "But I think it's Hell that's driving me... insane!"

Before Nero could fire back, the ground beneath them began to tremble violently, fissures snaking through the scorched earth, glowing with an ominous red light. The demons seemed to be growing more frenzied, their numbers swelling by the second.

"Oh, that can't be good," Y/N muttered, looking around as the tremors intensified. "Hey, Nico, does this place come with an earthquake insurance plan? 'Cause I'm starting to think we might need it."

Nico, now fully focused on whatever device she was tinkering with, didn't respond. Nero was too busy fending off the increasingly aggressive wave of demons, his sword slashing through the air with deadly precision.

And then it happened.

One of the larger demons, a grotesque monstrosity with wings of tattered flesh and a maw filled with jagged teeth, broke through the front lines. Its blood-red eyes locked onto Y/N, and it charged, its roar echoing through the infernal landscape like a death knell.

"Uh, Nero? A little help here?" Y/N called out, his usual bravado slipping as the demon closed the distance with terrifying speed.

But Nero was too far away, swarmed by his own cluster of demons. Y/N's eyes widened as the massive creature barreled toward him, its claws outstretched, ready to rip him apart.

"Oh, crap," Y/N muttered, barely getting his katanas up in time. The impact was like getting hit by a freight train. The force of the blow sent him flying, his body flipping through the air before slamming into the jagged rocks of a nearby cliff. Pain exploded in his chest, his vision blurring as he struggled to focus.

"Y/N!" Nero's voice was faint, distant, like it was coming from the other end of a very long tunnel. But before Y/N could respond, darkness swallowed him whole.

***

When Y/N finally came to, he wasn't in Hell anymore. Well, not in the literal sense, anyway. Instead, he found himself in a dimly lit cave, the air cool and musty. The rough stone walls were lined with strange, glowing runes that pulsed softly in the darkness.