Good thing Nero was just drained, not out cold. Aine, closest to her, quickly propped her up and took the shield—pretty heavy for an ordinary high school girl.
Nero tore her gaze away from Hanaka, who'd been guarding the city, and looked toward Dante's battlefield. Nothing. That whole block was swallowed by an inky blackness, not a speck of light breaking through.
"We're not safe yet," Nero said, steadying herself with Aine's help. She turned to her, voice low. "Let's find somewhere to rest."
"Nero…" Aine started, then hesitated. After a moment, she nodded. "How about my place?"
Sousyo gently shot that down. "Aine, that's too far. No trains are running. Let's go to my place instead."
Nero gave her a complicated look. "If you all don't mind, my place is closer."
No one objected.
She couldn't transform into her devil form right now—too weak. Better to stick to familiar ground. Plus, with these girls… who knew if Little Ace was lurking in one of their homes?
Oh, and one more thing.
As they headed out, Nero pulled out her phone and shot a quick message to Rena, telling her to swing by her place. Rena had probably already noticed the city's chaos and might show up at Nero's door on her own, but the text was just to be safe.
They took the elevator to the top floor of Nero's apartment building. She unlocked the door, and Sousyo let out a surprised, "Didn't realize we lived so close."
"Yeah," Nero said, managing a weak smile as she turned to the three still lingering in the elevator. "Sorry, I've got nothing prepped here."
Aine snapped to attention like she was in boot camp. "Oh, uh, thanks for having us!"
The elevator doors started to close, the panel showing someone calling it from the first floor. Given the state of the city, Nero had a good guess who it was.
Aine and the others hurried out. Nero leaned against the doorframe, rubbing her temples. Her head was pounding.
Maybe it was the overtaxed devil trigger. But the real kicker? If you'd told her on her first day in this city—or even a week ago—that things would spiral this bad, she wouldn't have believed it. Dante probably felt the same. This city's peaceful facade was one hell of a lie.
That creep, Little Ace, hadn't even shown its face to her or Dante yet, but it had already pulled a fast one, reviving an ancient demon dead for millennia. And this demon? Total heavyweight. Who'd have thought it could swallow a whole city in a dream or yank a half-dead Demon Emperor out of Dante's past?
Dante had been right from the start: until its plan came together, Little Ace was the bigger threat. But now? Nanna was the monster they had to deal with yesterday.
The worst part for Nero? She wasn't fully awakened, so she didn't even have a shot at jumping into Dante's fight with Mundus. Thinking too hard was pointless—if Dante lost, there'd be no waiting for Trish or anyone else to swoop in. Game over for everyone.
"Excuse us," came a chorus of nervous voices.
The high school girls were still on edge, stepping into Nero's apartment like they were walking on eggshells. Nero flicked on the lights, drowning out the crimson moonlight seeping through the windows. It softened the room's grim vibe, if only a little.
Still, their eyes kept darting to the windows, like they expected Nanna to crash through any second.
"Alright, sit," Nero said, sighing at the group frozen by the door. "No point overthinking now. Let's just cool our heads."
She wasn't just talking to them—she was talking to herself.
The elevator dinged, and a head of white hair poked through the door. Nero nodded for Rena to come in, then headed to the kitchen. "Take a seat. I'll make tea."
But even as she said it, she couldn't stop worrying about Dante fighting Mundus.
"I want matcha," Rena called, peeking into the kitchen and snapping Nero out of her spiral.
Nero cracked a grin. "Got it." Her smile felt bitter, though.
Worrying wouldn't help. She lined up teacups, waiting for the water purifier to heat up, forcing herself to focus.
What could she do now?
She couldn't touch Dante's fight with Mundus, but that didn't mean she had to sit on her hands. If not Mundus, where else could she tip the scales?
Nero scooped tea leaves into a preheated pot with a silver spoon, pouring in hot water. Steam rose, carrying a faint, calming scent. She took a deep breath and finally felt her nerves settle.
Mundus, as he was now, had a weakness.
Nero started prepping Rena's matcha, locking in her realization.
This Mundus wasn't the real deal, broken free from his seal. His will and power were legit, but his body—the thing tying him here—was a fake.
Which brought her to Nanna, the one who'd conjured that body. How much juice did she have left?
Could Nero take her down?
Her strength wasn't back yet, but her resolve was steadying. If her hunch was right, she still had a shot to steer this mess.
Nero carried a tray out of the kitchen—five cups of black tea and one matcha—moving carefully.
Back in the living room, she had to stifle a laugh. Rena, with zero chill, had raided Dante's private sundae stash from the fridge and was digging in with a spoon.
"Nero…" Aine said, looking awkward. "Sorry, I couldn't stop her…"
"It's fine, Aine, don't sweat it," Nero replied with a soft smile, setting the cups on the table. Up close, she noticed Rena's sundae wasn't Dante's beloved strawberry—it was topped with a layer of vibrant matcha.
It hit her then: Dante had been curious about Rena's taste in flavors, tried it, hated it, and chucked the rest in the fridge. Well, if Rena wanted it, no harm done.
Dante wouldn't care—if he made it back in one piece.
(End of Chapter)