DMC4: The-Devil's Arm

For You

Nero didn't waste any time; he couldn't. He took off sprinting into the entrance of headquarters. There was a small awning, then the last stretch of the Gran Album. Headquarters towered above him, a milky white building, void of design save for the Order of the Sword emblem on the front. The entire featureless building seemed to be a mask for the true evil beneath it. Nero couldn't help but curl his lip in disgust, realizing that he wore the same emblem on his clothes.

None of that mattered. He had to get to Kyrie, and he even had a decent idea where she would be. There was a restricted section inside of the building, a place where Nero didn't have high enough clearance to go. It was as good as any place to start looking.

He blew out of the awning, then skidded to a halt halfway down the last stretch of open bridge. It had widened out to much more manageable proportions, now the width of a freeway. At the far end, two white knights stood guard. When he approached, they locked into combat stances, shields up and lances raised. But they were not meant for Nero.

Two assault lizards silently leaped past him, rushing then engaging the knights. They battled back and forth, neither group able to land a heavy blow. The battle abruptly stopped when both sides caught sight of something descending down the face of headquarters.

It was another knight, but unlike the white ones, its armor was gold. The armor was almost identical in every way, except of course for its color. It hovered down on a pair of pointed metal wings The new knight was armed with an Order rapier. Nero recognized the exceed port on the back of the blade.

The knight touched down, its greaves clanking only the slightest as it came into contact with the stone. The wings on its back slid off its shoulders, then pressed together, forming the shield in its left hand. It boldly strode forward towards its comrades. The assault lizards bounded straight for the new opponent. With a single sweep of its sword and a tweak of exceed, the gold knight cut through both of them, not even breaking stride. It stood between the two white knights, all three taking up battle positions.

Nero growled and sprinted straight for them. The gold knight pointed his sword, and by some unheard command, the white knights launched themselves at Nero, their shields folding back into wings, lances outstretched in charge.

Nero gleaned off of their lances with Red Queen, going straight for the gold knight. It was ready to meet him with its sword. Their blades clanged off each other, the heat from the exceed gauges like an out of control furnace between them. The knight parried a blow from Nero with its shield, then skidded back. In an instant, the two white knights were in front of it, forming a phalanx with shields raised to protect their commander.

The shoved at Nero, then stabbed forward. He vaulted back to avoid impalement. A new order was given, and the white knights launched themselves at Nero again, first one, then the other. The second one blew past, knocked him off balance. The gold was right behind them, bringing its flaming rapier around in an arc.

Nero blocked the blow with the equally hot Red Queen, feeling the blow travel up his arm and the blast of heat into his face. He engaged in another quick skirmish with the gold knight before one of the whites came soaring back. The other took position opposite of it, pinching Nero in the middle. They hurtled towards him, trying to smash him between themselves.

Nero hopped out from between them, the turbulence from their passing ripping his coat about in loud flaps. He attacked the gold again, but once again, the whites formed their protective phalanx.

Nero retreated, prepping Red Queen for the maneuver that came to his head. It was the same one he'd pulled in the cathedral plaza. The knights launched, one at a time, just like he'd hoped. He ducked low, then razed Red Queen in a horizontal line, opening the exceed all the way. He felt his shoulder graze the first's lance, but he ignored the burst of pain. Queen connected, slicing cleanly through both shield and armor. The knight fell in half, the forward momentum sending it into a viscous spiral that hewed it apart further. Nero spun on the ball of his foot, maintaining his speed forward and ducking under the second lance. This time, Queen bit through from behind, cleaving the second's shield away. He nicked the gold knight's blade, sending it stumbling from the force.