Ritsuki had thrown this question at Nero before, but back then, Nero just dodged it with a smirk. Honestly, for Nero, there was no point in even entertaining it. "Who knows? Maybe just some devil hunter passing through," he'd said, casual as ever.
Lame, right? Nero clearly wasn't on the demons' side, and he wasn't sticking around this city for long. So why would Ritsuki and her crew care to dig into his deal? They were just strangers crossing paths—did she really think she could grill him like some cop checking his ID?
Ritsuki gritted her teeth, her gaze flickering between Nero and her teammates battling demons in the distance. In the end, she had no choice but to drop the whole "who's this guy" obsession.
Smart move. It showed Ritsuki might get heated, but she wasn't clueless. Truth be told, she didn't really care about Nero's answer—she just wanted a vibe, a hint of where he stood. Too bad she didn't have the clout to make him spill. If she'd been sharper, cooler-headed, she'd have dropped the question ages ago, like Sousyo Nagasaki did.
Still, before diving back into the fight, Ritsuki shot Aine a sharp glare, a silent "get your act together and watch how the others move."
You couldn't blame Ritsuki for riding Aine so hard. As the team's support, Aine didn't have the pressure of direct combat with demons. She should've been keeping an eye on the big picture. But no—Aine was just reacting on instinct, throwing out barriers without a single thought about how her moves shifted the battle.
To Ritsuki, Aine wasn't taking the fight seriously. At all.
"This is a life-or-death battle. If you're not all in, don't even bother showing up," Ritsuki had told her before. But did Aine listen? Didn't seem like it.
Once the heat of the moment faded and Ritsuki cooled off, though, she knew her harsh words probably went in one ear and out the other. She'd need to sit Aine down later for a real talk—calm, no yelling.
A crimson moonlight pierced through the air, spilling in from some otherworldly city, growing brighter by the second. The demons must've noticed their plans were stalling, because they were gearing up to send in more muscle.
Sure enough, after a flash of red light, two figures appeared behind the demon ranks.
Kairin Yahata and another woman with purple hair.
"Ugh, another pain-in-the-ass job," the purple-haired one groaned, stepping forward with a pack of demonic beasts trailing her. Aine froze at the sound of her voice—it felt oddly familiar.
"Hey, focus!" Ritsuki snapped, then glanced at Touka, already charging up for a big attack.
Aine, knowing she'd screwed up, bit her lip and threw up another barrier to split the demons, easing the pressure on Sousyo and Touka. She locked her eyes on Ritsuki's movements, determined not to mess up again.
But then she realized—it didn't matter. Because Samael had entered the fray.
"Quit whining. Samael's here again," Kairin said coldly. "Sorrow won't be ready for a bit, so we've gotta hold her off."
"Hold me off?" Nero smirked, slinging his scythe over his shoulder. In a blink, he vanished.
When he reappeared, he was right in the middle of the demon horde. His massive scythe spun in a deadly arc, a flash of cold light slicing through the air. Demons dropped like flies.
Then Nero vanished again, his mocking chuckle carried on the wind. "Your boss got wrecked by me, and you small fries think you can slow me down?"
This time, he popped up right behind Kairin. His scythe came down hard, but Kairin grabbed her purple-haired buddy and sank into the shadows, slipping away.
Nero twirled his scythe, resting it on his shoulder as they fled. "Oh? So your idea of 'holding me off' is playing hide-and-seek? That'll kill some time, sure."
But even as he said it, a red glint flared in his eyes. "Thing is…"
He dove into the void, tracking Kairin and Myaomu as they reappeared. The moment they did, he drew Red Queen and slashed through the shadows at their feet.
A cold laugh echoed. "That only works if I'm in the mood to play."
Nero wasn't holding back today. With Dante on his way to steal the show at the concert, Nero wasn't about to let him hog the spotlight.
As Kairin froze, her shadow severed and escape cut off, Nero tapped his cane, pinning her jacket with a tiny phantom sword. Kairin yanked Myaomu back, diving for a new shadow to slip into.
"What's with that guy?!" Myaomu wailed from the darkness. "He's way too much!"
Kairin, teeth clenched, plunged deeper into the shadows, reaching for the phantom sword to pull it free. But the second her fingers grazed it, wild demonic energy exploded through the shadowed space.
Then came the relentless storm of blades. Nero, following the energy's trail, thrust Red Queen into the shadow world, unleashing a cross-dimensional slash.
Myaomu's screams grew even louder as Kairin was forced to bail, dragging them back to reality. The moment they surfaced, two glints of steel hovered at their throats.
Nero stood behind them, his scythe draped over Myaomu's shoulder, Red Queen held reverse-grip at Kairin's neck, pinning them both.
"Timorico, are we screwed?" Myaomu asked, sweating bullets but somehow still cracking a joke.
Kairin, fighting to keep her voice steady, was impressed by the nerve. "It's Timoris, not Timorico. You got it wrong."
"Timoris sounds so grim. Don't you think a name with a cute '-co' vibe is way better?"
The scythe at Myaomu's neck shifted slightly. Nero tapped her shoulder with the handle, a warning. "I don't think so," he said, ice in his tone.
"Aw, c'mon—"
Kairin, keeping her cool, cut in. "Miss Samael, you haven't finished us off. That means you want something, right?"
"Yeah."
Nero glanced over at the others, still tangled up fighting demonic cats, dogs, rabbits, and even chickens—pets turned nightmares. He turned back to his captives, his voice low and commanding.
"Spill it. Why're you kidnapping people? How're you picking your targets? Talk."