The form known as the "Great Sin Demon: Pride" is something Nero cooked up after getting a kick from the Pride demon's aura, absorbing and refining it into this slick new shape. It's a weakened demonic transformation, born under some outside meddling. Why weakened? Because this ain't Nero's true demon form—not by a long shot. It's not just an extension of the pseudo-demonization she pulls off with the Yamato blade's power. Nah, this is a whole new road she's blazing.
And that means her fighting style? It's gonna be a wild departure from what you're used to.
"Is that… Lady Nero's voice?"
Ritsuka picked out Nero's tone in a heartbeat, but Nero didn't clock her, cloaked as she was. This half-demon, who looked eerily like the demon lord Pavone, was soaring high in the sky, chugging down demonic energy like it was happy hour. She was chucking flaming black swords down below, each one hitting like a meteor.
"Supreme Star"—that's the name of the Great Sin Demon: Pride's special trick. It's got this knack for intimidating and suppressing anyone "beneath" Nero. Beneath? Yeah, it's a vague term. Could mean someone lower in status, weaker in a fight, or—get this—even shorter than her.
And guess what? Being at a lower altitude than Nero totally counts.
Lucky for her, this form's wings give her unlimited flight, letting her lord it over everyone from way up high, bombing her enemies with relentless attacks. It's the perfect setup for a power that weakens anyone who dares strike at her when she's got the high ground. Plus, in this mode, Nero's demonic energy goes into overdrive, surging and regenerating so fast it's like she's got an endless clip. Even Pavone was starting to feel the heat from her nonstop assault!
Under that pressure, Perseus saw his shot. In a sneaky ambush, he snagged Pavone with his scythe. The evil dragon's toxic flames hit her first, followed by Nero's blazing swords raining down from above.
At that moment, Nero felt it—the trial run for this transformation was about to time out. No holding back now. She wrapped every ounce of her demonic energy around herself, turning into a glowing Damocles' sword hanging right over Pavone's head.
Then, she plummeted like a falling star.
Pavone, burning with toxic flames, roared and broke free from her bindings, wrapped in a cocoon of solidified demonic energy. She looked like a pitch-black sun.
The two were about to collide.
"Let's hit the brakes here! Damn, you're gorgeous!"
Right at that critical moment—the absolute worst moment—
An uninvited guest crashed the party, belting out a melodious aria that stopped the clash dead in its tracks.
And that? That was fatal. The aria's final note shaved just a tiny bit off the clock for Nero's Pride Demon form.
But that tiny bit changed everything.
Midair, Pavone's claw tore through Nero's chest, blood staining her golden hair.
Before Ritsuka could even scream, the evil dragon perched on the pyramid seized its chance.
It stretched out its neck, jaws wide—and swallowed Nero, Pavone, and Mephistopheles, who was floating nearby, all in one gulp.
Meanwhile, Perseus, hovering far off on his winged sandals, realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opening. For this one moment—and only this moment—Pavone and the dragon were one, blind and deaf, making them a perfect target for his Noble Phantasm.
So, he didn't wait for Pavone to open her eyes or for his Master's orders. Hell, corrupted by demonic energy, he couldn't even hear orders anymore. Point is, Perseus unleashed his Noble Phantasm.
He raised the bright, translucent bronze shield gifted by Athena, tilting it toward the sky.
"Goddess! By our pact, let this shield reflect the gorgon's might!"
High above, a star in a constellation of the northern celestial sphere flared with an eerie glow.
That light pierced the bright, clear sky, outshining even the sun's flames. It shot straight down, bathing Perseus' shield in its radiance.
That star? It's a variable star, one that pulses with changing brightness—a "Demon Star." It sits in the constellation Perseus, representing the gorgon's head he carries. Its true name?
"Algol, the Star of Death Shining from Afar!"
In that instant, the gorgon's petrifying mystic eyes cast their gaze through the shield. The shield caught that gaze, reflecting it instantly toward Perseus' target.
"Come on, dragon! Look over here!"
The evil dragon, born from Kriemhild, seemed to sense something. After swallowing the trio, it slowly turned its head, locking eyes with Perseus floating in the air.
Its gaze met the gorgon's mystic eyes reflected in the shield's surface.
A deathly gray spread across the dragon's scales in an instant. Under the mystic eyes' power, the dragon began to petrify from its limbs outward, its movements slowing to a crawl. It roared, slashing with its claws and flapping its wings, but the gray tide was unstoppable.
Perseus gritted his teeth, shoving down his fear. Even as the dragon's fangs loomed close, he didn't stop channeling his Noble Phantasm.
The gorgon's petrifying eyes? They're top-tier among mystic eyes. In Perseus' legend, even her severed head could turn a mountain-sized sea monster like the Kraken to stone in a heartbeat. So, even a colossal dragon like this one—
—gradually turned into a silent statue before those eyes.
Pavone, swallowed inside it, met the same fate.
Perseus didn't lower his shield until the star in the sky dimmed again. Only then did he let out a shaky breath.
"Sen…pai…"
But what about Nero and Mephistopheles, swallowed along with her?
As the black demonic energy began to fade, Ritsuka couldn't help but worry. Mephistopheles? Eh, nobody'd cry if that creep bit the dust. But Nero? She's no Heroic Spirit—she's a living human. If she got petrified here…
A crackling voice, laced with static, broke through near Ritsuka. Looks like Pavone's grand barrier, "Anti-Prophecy," was finally down, and Chaldea had reconnected with her.
"Mash?" Ritsuka snapped to attention. "Report, now!"
"Yes! We've confirmed that Pavone's 'Anti-Prophecy' is no longer active, and her Spirit Origin signature has vanished!"
After a brief pause, Mash's voice came through clear, no static. But Ritsuka stared at the dragon's stone form, a nagging feeling telling her it wasn't that simple.
The Singularity was still here.
And in her senses—the demon she'd contracted with, Mephistopheles?
His signature was still kicking.