Vergil sprinted across the war-torn plains, his boots kicking up charred earth and loose ash. The distant sky rumbled as streaks of crimson lightning licked the clouds, echoing the chaos born from the opened gate. With Eleanor slumped against his back, her arms draped weakly around his shoulders, he gritted his teeth and pushed forward.
Her body was light, but the weight of the situation was crushing.
He slid down a steep incline, leapt over a broken root, and kept going. His sword and shield vanished into his inventory with a shimmer of dull light—he needed both hands free, and every ounce of speed he could muster.
"Hang on," he muttered through clenched teeth, his breath steaming in the early morning air.
"I am," Eleanor replied softly, though her voice trembled. "You're running like a madman."
"Stop complaining," Vergil snapped, eyes sharp. "I don't have time for this."
She didn't answer—only tightened her grip around his chest as the wind howled past them.
He scanned the terrain ahead. Smoke curled from the distant trees, faint roars echoed like a storm of beasts crawling from hell itself, and the overwhelming scent of scorched blood lingered in the air.
Primal Awareness activated.
"We've got company…" Vergil muttered.
Behind them, the sky near the temple had turned red, the echoes and screams of demons tearing through the air like sirens from another world.
Vergil gave a sharp nod. "We're not stopping—get a spell ready."
The air thickened as he surged forward again, pouring mana into his legs. The world blurred around him, each step crashing against the ruined terrain like thunder. His body strained under the pressure, veins pulsing as adrenaline and residual demonic energy fought for dominance inside him.
> Fucking demonic energy… it's clashing with my mana. Weakening the enhancement effect.
He could feel them—dozens, no, hundreds of demon signatures closing in from the far ridges and treeline. Their howls split the air, a cacophony of hunger and madness.
"You know what? Fuck it."
Vergil's eyes burned—one golden-brown, the other swirling faintly with black veins and crimson once more.
"Authority of Transformation."
Demonic energy erupted from his skin in a wave of black flame. Eleanor's arms tightened instinctively as his body twisted—bones snapping, flesh expanding. His muscles swelled grotesquely as his frame grew nearly two meters taller, his skin shifting to a deep violet hue.
Six arms burst from his sides. Two jagged horns curled from his forehead, long obsidian claws shimmered in the pale light. A thin tail lashed behind him, and his face contorted into a warped mockery of Morvax's snarling visage.
> So… the more complex the form, the more demonic energy it drains, Vergil thought, adjusting his breathing. Good to know.
Eleanor blinked in shock but steadied herself on his back. "You could've warned me!"
"No time," Vergil growled, his voice deep and layered with distortion. "You got Volt Lance ready?"
"Always."
Demons burst from the woods ahead—clawed, horned, twisted things with burning red eyes and maws dripping black saliva. They shrieked when they saw Morvax's form barreling toward them.
They didn't expect Eleanor.
"Volt Lance!" she shouted, thrusting her hand forward.
A searing bolt of lightning carved through the air, spearing through two demons at once. Their bodies exploded into cinders mid-leap, charred limbs flying as she conjured another lance without pause.
Vergil slammed his shoulder into a third demon, snapping its ribs like dry twigs. He swung a clawed arm, decapitating another. His lower arms grabbed two creatures by the throat and crushed them like rotten fruit.
"More are coming!" Eleanor shouted, firing another lance. "There's no end!"
"There doesn't need to be," Vergil growled, charging through the next wave. "We're making our own path!"
Demonic energy pulsed with every heartbeat, but he didn't care. He'd burn it all if it meant protecting her.
And getting to Vaelmont.
More demons dropped from the cliffside ahead, blocking the path with snarling glee.
"Tch… no time to deal with this."
His demonic body rippled—muscles flexing, bones shifting beneath violet skin.
"Authority of Transformation: Four-Legged Shift."
A sickening crack echoed out as two more legs erupted from his torso, contorting him into a quadrupedal beast. His stance widened, claws dug into the dirt, and his muscles coiled like compressed springs.
"Hold on tighter," Vergil warned.
Eleanor barely had time to respond before—
"Shadow Dash!"
With a boom of displaced air, Vergil vanished. A black blur shot forward, trailing ghostly shadows. The demons lunged—too slow. The earth cracked beneath him as his new legs thundered across the ground, quadrupling his speed. Trees and boulders became streaks of color. The howls of the horde faded behind.
Eleanor buried her face in his back, shielding herself from the rushing wind. "Are you trying to tear my face off!?"
"Not the time!" he snapped, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. The transformation didn't take much energy, but his mana was depleting fast.
He barreled through underbrush, leapt across gorges, and tore through shallow streams—unstoppable.
But deep inside, he felt it again.
That tug.
Something watching him.
The Eye, though hidden, twitched beneath the mask of golden brown he'd forced over it.
They had only minutes to spare.
---
> "To think the vessel is a human. His abilities are fascinating… but how annoying. Using Descent now might kill him,"
said the voice, amused and cold.
"It seems I must wait."
---
The dense trees finally began to thin.
An hour of non-stop sprinting had pushed Vergil to the brink—his demonic legs burned, muscles twitching beneath the strain. The outline of Vaelmont's wooden walls shimmered on the horizon, cloaked in afternoon mist and trails of smoke curling faintly into the air.
Eleanor, still clinging to his back, lifted her head weakly.
"Vergil… I see it," she whispered.
"Yeah," he growled, slowing down. "We're almost there."
He took one last powerful leap, landing with a heavy thud on the worn trail leading into the village outskirts. His claws dug into the earth—
Then—
"Authority of Transformation: Cancel."
His form convulsed. The monstrous frame shrank rapidly. Extra limbs folded into his body with sickening cracks. Blackened skin dulled, tightening until his original form emerged—muscles tense, soaked in sweat.
Eleanor slid down, her legs wobbling.
Vergil staggered once, then straightened.
"The pain from transforming is no joke. My body feels wrong. I think my spine broke."
> [Joke noted.]
"You think?" Eleanor said, brushing her hair back. "You seem alright to me."
Vergil nodded grimly, eyes turning toward the village.
There were no guards at the gate.
No one tending the fields.
The silence was wrong.
"…Something happened while we were gone," he murmured.
Eleanor's expression darkened. "Yeah. I feel it too."
A faint wind stirred, carrying with it the scent of smoke—and blood.
Vergil's eyes narrowed. "Let's move. Carefully."
---
Crunch.
Vergil's senses flared—Primal Awareness surged through his spine like a spike of lightning.
He turned toward a narrow alley just beyond the gates.
There, hunched over a blood-slicked corpse, a demon feasted—jagged claws tearing into the lifeless body of a small child. Flesh hung from its twisted jaws. Its eyes glowed with perverse delight.
Vergil didn't speak.
He just moved.
SHADOW DASH.
In a blink, he was behind it. His hand slammed into the back of the demon's skull, grinding it into the dirt. Fangs cracked against stone.
It shrieked, flailing.
Vergil hoisted it by the neck, eyes gleaming with something primal.
Something wrong.
"You like the taste of humans, huh?" he whispered, smiling—and the smile was all teeth.
"Y-you—!"
CHOMP.
Vergil bit into the demon's head, tearing away flesh in a single, horrifying bite. Black blood splattered across his lips.
"NO—STOP—"
He didn't.
He took another bite. Then another.
He devoured the creature alive as it wailed, clawing at him to escape.
But Vergil held firm.
He ate until only its skull remained.
Dark shadows hissed from his palm as Authority of Predation awakened—devouring the corpse.
It's only fair, Vergil thought, licking the blood from his lips.
[User has gained: Ravenous Flesh (E), Devour (D)]
Vergil licked his fingers clean.
"Fucking piece of shit."
Behind him, Eleanor stood still—silent. Disturbed.
"…You didn't have to eat it," she said quietly.
"Not your problem," Vergil replied, voice flat.
He turned toward the deeper part of the village.
"We're heading to Elvira."