Archive of Our Own ^beta

Compiler: XXXX

Words to readers:

The aim of this text is to provide a general view of the rule and conquests of the Demon King Vergil and his twin brother Dante, the sons of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda and his human wife, Eva. It consists mainly of first-hand sources and materials, such as journals, audio records and memoirs from important humans and demons at the time. It is worth noticing that historians, especially those from the Demon World, consider the beginning of Vergil's rule to be much earlier than his official announcement to claim the position as the Demon King. It is acknowledged by most demon scholars that the authority of the Demon King passes naturally from Urizen to him after the former's fusion with the severed human part of Vergil. This text shall go with this argument, for the purpose of providing a more complete record of Vergil's life after the Battle of the Qliphoth.

Purgatorio

Recorder: Vergil

Source: written journal

At last, the netherworld continues to be my home, even though the human side of me is restored. It is his experience, what V had seen and heard and felt, that made me realize I have lost the right to return to my mother's world. I turned away from her when I discarded my humanity; perhaps even in that frenzy, I had felt shame. I recalled the mummified bodies of humans scattered on the streets, and although I still struggle to understand the meaning of crime and guilt, I know now that this was not what father would wish to see, nor is committing such things what made him the most powerful demon ever lived.

It is time to pick up Sparda's true legacy, though it is a bit late. I choose to remain in the Underworld, to rein in the demons' ambitions and boundless desire for death and blood, as my father and my brother did. Dante didn't stop me when he heard of my decision; indeed this time I, Urizen, had went too far, and prices have to be paid. Why, there was even grief in his eyes; could it be that he still loves and pities me, after his twin brother became the thing he lives to battle against, the very opposite of both our father and mother?

What disturbs me the most is his decision to stay with me. Even a month as V was insufficient to teach me the morals of humans, though I have learned remorse; but if this is Dante's choice, then I know what it is to commit a crime. My brother, who has always stayed true to our father's spirit, whose deeds deserve to be praised in legends, and indeed has become a legend, doomed to spend what might be the rest of his long years sharing my sentence in hell. The mere thought of it had made me shudder, the fact that he is to forsake the warmth of the sun and the tenderness of the wind and the bonds he forged with his companions on the surface, for me and no one else; but they were the shudders of joy as much as they were the shudders of fear.

We returned to the surface before embarking on our journey. First to Fortuna, where my son Nero and his companions live. He looked at me with eyes that searched, for his once mysterious companion called V, whom he had built a strange friendship with, not this father who didn't even know his existence. In truth, I too see Nero as a strange friend of mine, even if I hardly know what friendship is, and this bond of blood Dante revealed to me in the heat of battle had took me unawares. I missed being V whenever I was with Nero, despite all the fear and weakness I suffered through as a human; I tried hard to remember what it was like to talk to him so casually, to be so frank with my suppressed emotions, to receive support and trust without holding back. Come to think of it, even Urizen had been more honest than me, when it comes to Dante at least; he had managed to say "come to me, brother" out loud.

Dante mentioned to me about grandchildren, and I see the reason why he said it in Fortuna. It dawned on me how long I was absent from the life of mine own kin, now that even my son has found a woman he loves and decides to spend his life with. Kyrie is her name, a human, with not a drop of demon blood in her. I wonder if she truly knows what it is to fall in love with a descendent of Sparda, how she would face the truth that Nero will remain unaged while her body and spirit wither away as time flows. But I suppose I should not focus on such tragic aspects of this union, for this love seems true, judging from the little experience I gain from the memory of my parents.

Then we went to Dante's shop, Devil May Cry, to visit his fellow huntresses; Trish, and Arkham's daughter, whom I vaguely remember bears the name of Mary, but Dante addresses as Lady. He officially entrusted the establishment to them, though it was apparent that they had taken better care of the place during this month than he ever had. Their interaction spoke of years of comradeship, during which I was barely clinging onto life. I must confess that this made me more uneasy than their identity as a human and a creation of Mundus, how they shared mutual aquaintances, how they talked and behaved as if they could read each other's thoughts and moves. Once more I was reminded of the passage of time; I have been absent for so long that Dante had managed to build such bond with another, several others. I must write no more of this, or I'll stray too far from the narrative.

After that we went back to the Demon World. My first task was to build a sanctuary for me and my brother; it was much easier than my past experiences of constructions, since I have the power to summon the sinners of hell to serve as my dominions. The authority has passed from Urizen to me, and no doubt it shall provide convenience for my, our, future quests. I built it in the throne room within the leftover trunk of the Qliphoth, so the demons nearby would know the master of this place and avoid it. It ended up being too much like our old home, but again, it had been the inerasable habit every time I built a sanctuary for myself, even alone.

But now I am not. These clumsy and subconscious attempts to recreate our home are fated to end in futility, but it had never been a desire to return to a place, no; it was the urge to return to my flesh and blood, and now he is with me, what more can I possibly ask for? My brother has always chosen human, yet I robbed him from our mother's world to keep at my side so selfishly, while in truth I should be left to drift alone, to pay for my sins. Have I made the right choice? Have I done the right thing? Do I still have the right to have my brother, even after everything?

This is one of earliest written records of Vergil after the Battle of the Qliphoth. The importance of this passage lies in its explanation of Vergil's reason and motive to remain in the Underworld and begin his early conquests. It is not hard to see that at this point, he still viewed his missions in the Demon World as a form of atonement for the damage he inflicted as Urizen upon the human cities, and he was yet to have the notion of acknowledging himself as the Demon King, wielding his already present authority only as a tool.

This passage is also vital for the research of demon psychology, as it is filled with Vergil's confessions of regret for the deeds of himself as Urizen, and his feelings for his brother and son. It is the target of debate for many different schools of demon psychology, arguing whether demons are born with empathy or is it the result of human influence, whether through genes or exterior guidance. For further information, see Soul of the Devil and Desire for Strength: The Driving Force of Demon Evolution.

A short poem is written in the right corner of the same page of the journal:

O prince of hell, come through my door

My flesh and blood, my heart adore

I made our bed with leaves of death

With lips of sin you took my breath

Our wings in joy like branches wind

Our limbs in bliss as roots entwine

The brands of fire we gladly bear

Escape not from this loving lair

Poems depicting erotic intimacies such as this could be found throughout Vergil's private journal. Although in most of them the partner remains anonymous, both human and demon scholars agree upon the identity of the partner to be Dante, Vergil's twin brother. For human readers, incestuous and homosexual relationships are not considered taboo among demons, since different species of demons have different methods of reproduction, and most of them have no reliance on genes. These poems are collected in The Amulet of Sparda.

Bael

Recorder: Dante

Source: audio record

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Devil May Cry channel! I'm your old fella Dante, here to inform you of the latest news in the Underworld, from territorial conflicts to romantic gossips! Just kidding, please don't cut this part out, Vergil. Usually this is his job, but big bro is having a heart-warming reunion with his pets, so here I am to do the recording. Warning, remembering demon names is not my habit, so I'll be reading from a lot of notes. And here we go.

So basically there are these titles in the Underworld that has similar function like those on the surface, lords, counts, earls and so on, and the demons that take those titles have control over a certain amount of demon underlings. These titles grant no control over territories, and that is why this place is still a mess. The first one we took on has the title of... Bael. Honestly I have no idea how to pronounce it, so just in case I'll spell it out: B-A-E-L. Vergil's gonna mock me for days.

Anyway, this King Bael was planning an invasion to the Human World. I was wondering how's he gonna cross to the other side without Yamato, but surprise, he didn't need to. Apparently this demon is the Boogeyman himself; he's born out of human nightmares, and he could just lead his army of big cats and frog princes to invade people's dreams, and cause kids to wake up screaming in bed at night and adults to jump from buildings out of depression. Doesn't sound like that big a deal, right, compared to the fiery or icy or flashy ones? But remember, he could do that to humans even without going to the Human World himself. Imagine what would happen if you face him in person? Turns out you might literally shatter in fear.

Apart from being the Boogeyman, this guy's also some kind of elder demon of all the nightmare creatures, which means this fight brings back memories. He could turn into an oversized Shadow or Nightmare, and sometimes a big-ass frog... no blue birdy, for some reason. Guess the bird's special even among his own kind. Seriously, what kind of nightmare talks that much?

King Boogeyman lives in the far, far east, a place where the landscape is literally an enormous blob that changes every single second. The first minute after we went in, it was the Bermuda; the second minute, the Serengeti; third minute, the Himalayas. And it changes colors, and its fluorescent. Literally a nightmare land. My eyes hurt just by recalling that view. The nightmare cats and golems and all the other things went straight at us the moment we step in. You can't expect dreams to know what a fair fight is, but luckily Vergil's the super boss, so we got a whole army of skeleton footsoldiers and wizards to fight them while we took on Boogeyman. Quite a view, that was, a real war... does that make me a commander or general or something?

Anyway, I got to say, this king is a creepy demon, though he's not very tough. Apart from the scary illusion attacks, he shot beams from a huge eyeball just like good old Nightmare, and transforms at will like Shadow, but he's much bigger, more flexible and, how do I put it, more imaginative? He certainly knows how to turn into things that creeps the shit out of you. But in our case, he's just damn infuriating. Tried to freak us out by showing the fire of our old house... well, no need to say what that earned him. Vergil pinned him down with his phantom swords, and I punched him with Balrog for a few minutes. Wonderful experience. Thorough stress relief.

Actually, no, we didn't kill him; we'd very much like to, but we just couldn't. His kind is born out of human nightmares, and there's no living or dying for bad dreams. So Vergil decided to seal him away; he had no choice but to accept it, but before it happened he made a bargain with my brother: he gives back Vergil's familiars, in exchange for fewer years of sealing. The bargain was struck, and now they're back, all three of them! Bet you can hear the damn bird bickering even from here.

(Voice of Griffon) Hey, gimme the microphone! You beat the shit out of me, and now I deserve to express some opinions!

Well, chicken, if you want the chance, you got to take it!

(Voice of Vergil) Give it to him, Dante.

What the hell, Verge?

(Voice of Griffon) Alright, first of all, yup, I'm back! Don't hold back the cheers, I don't mind. God that hurt, I mean, Bael sticking us back together from particles. But it's all passed, and now I'm feelin' just fine, no itchy nose, no broken bones, no feathers missing. Well, elder demons certainly got something. Big poet's back to the charged mode, excellent! I know you missed me, Blake, now's the time for some romantic poetry about touching reunions... what, no? Anyway, you two are surely a surprise for still living, I thought this time is definitely the Armageddon. And you said Nero's the deadweight! Turns out he's the only reliable man in the family, huh? What, he fought Vergil? And it's even? Hahahahaha... wait, V, I mean, Vergil, boss, I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it!!!

When it comes to interpreting the records left by Dante, one must remember not to be deceived by his casual manner and tone of narrative, and consider the battles he mentioned to be easy or unimportant. In truth, the battle with the nightmare demons is considered to be one of the greatest battles the brothers fought during their early conquest, and their fight with Bael, the self-styled king of the Land of Nightmares, lasted for days, and its destruction was felt by all nearby regions. Bael is a powerful elder demon, and although his strength could not compare to the sons of Sparda, he was cunning, experienced and without sense of honor, unlike some famous warriors of the Underworld. He fled several times during the fight, made thorough use of the special landscape, and his techniques in illusions annoyed the brothers greatly.

Eventually, Bael was sentenced a five-hundred-year sealing, and although the instance caused a tense relationship between Vergil and the nightmare demons, it would be soothed with the three familiars acting as intermediate agents, and later the tribe would become a relatively docile part of Vergil's subjects. For more information about the history of the familiars of Vergil, see The Discarded and The Retrieved.

The nightmare demons that are commonly addressed as Griffon (the hawk), Shadow (the panther) and Nightmare (the golem) would continue to serve as Vergil's subordinates throughout his reign. After his official ascent to the throne, they were also sent individually to different regions to settle minor conflicts, acting as the representatives of the Demon King. Griffon, the nightmare demon that takes the shape of an avian, would later become one of Vergil's marks, due to his frequent appearance at the side of the Demon King and his rare linguistic ability among usually mute nightmare demons.

It is worth noticing and mentioning that despite Vergil's own remarkable power, deterrence at the early stages of their conquest came mainly from Dante. This is because Vergil had kept a low profile in his early years, and was later missing for at least two decades, therefore he was less well-known in the Underworld than his brother Dante, who had built a reputation as the Legendary Devil Hunter. This is one of the reasons why Bael begged for mercy from Vergil instead of Dante.

For the same reason, the presence of Dante would later result in much discontent among the demons under Vergil's rule. In truth, Dante rarely had any objection towards Vergil's judgement for domestic affairs in the Underworld; his aggressiveness was only shown to demons that have ill intentions toward humans, or threaten the safety of him and his brother. Despite the discontent, Vergil never once sent his brother away from him.

In this record the difference in personality between the brothers is apparent. However, it is undeniable that the brothers were very close, despite years of separation and a long history of competition, and neither were emotionally safe or stable without the other, even though they had independent opinions and decisions.

Agares

Recorder: Vergil

Source: written journal

It had come earlier than I predicted, but I've forseen its coming nonetheless. The authority of the Demon King still resides within me, and it is a certainty that ambitious demons will try to take it by devouring my flesh. No doubt more challenges will come in the future, but I must confess, I am pleased that the first one to try and take the power has enough guts to propose a fair fight. Griffon encountered him, Agares, when he was out scouting one day, and the Duke allowed my familiar to return to me unharmed and convey his message. The duel was to take place on the bank of Acheron, the river of pain.

We arrived early, Dante and I, the convenience of Yamato. A great number of Behemoths were gathered in and on both sides of the river, unusually docile in their shackles, staying in their places as if waiting for someone's arrival -- Agares, no doubt, for he is their ruler, the strongest among them, and they were there to witness his triumph, though in the end it did not belong to him.

The river is a straight, broad sword, cutting through a valley covered with flesh-eating ferns and flowering trees of dark, uncanny colors, the purple water bubbling with fatal poison that will lead lesser demons to their painful deaths. Yamato could not take us to the other side, since the river itself serves as a border of space. There was no Charon to ferry us, so we crossed the river on foot, the poison not near enough to harm us. It was the first time Dante had seen the river, and I led him across it as my namesake did his, cutting down the Behemoths that dared to approach him before they even touched the hem of my brother's jacket, like Virgil defending Dante from the suffering souls in Acheron. Dante -- my brother, not the poet -- laughed without mockery at my protectiveness, surprised that I have such romantic sentiments in me; the joy this little drama brought me diminished the inconveniences of that treacherous land.

Agares appeared as soon as we stepped on solid ground. He certainly is a powerful demon, since he came to us in the form of a man, the proof of his might and experience. One can hardly imagine the most ferocious Behemoth hides behind that mild appearance; I suppose father left a similar impression on humans in ancient times. The atmposphere was made even more classically chivalric by his silent but spotless manners; Dante quipped about giving us some background music if he still had his Nevan. I recall the elegant devil arm he used to possess, how the instrument rested in his embrace like a flash of violet lightning, the bats dancing around us during our fights in Temen-ni-gru, and I must confess that I quite miss her, since she fit with my brother so perfectly; nevertheless, I've learned in this year that his taste in music is as bad as twenty years ago, so of course I refused.

Not many words were exchanged between me and Agares before the fight began; I would later know that his silence, contradictory to the usual savage impression of Behemoths, is exactly the result of his self-control, which enables him to remain calm even without shackles and perform proper techniques instead of going on a simple, mindless rampage. But in battle he knows when to unleash the savagery in his blood. He is agile for his size after transforming back into his true form, and his leathery hide would've protect him well, if its opponent wasn't Yamato. He has remarkable endurance for pain and regenerated fast. By the time it was over, we had destroyed several hundred hills, and Acheron was stained green by his blood. I had to slice him into several pieces with a Judgement Cut to prevent him from regenerating again.

I was ready to finish him with a final blow when he turned into a human again and humbled before me on his knees. At first I thought he was going to beg for mercy, and felt scorn towards him, but he showed no fear in his defeat, offering up his allegiance instead. I asked him if he wanted to bargain for his life, and he denied it, saying that it was only proper to acknowledge the true Demon King blessed by the gift of the Qliphoth, and he would accept his fate, whatever it might be.

Perhaps he thought his life mattered nothing for me, but in truth his oath of allegiance made it impossible for me to kill him. Dante was at my side when he did this, and I saw in his eyes that he knew what was going on. The Behemoths are a violent species, recognizing no friend or foe. Their size prevent them from crossing to the Human World through the small portals that open occasionally in port cities, but every full demon has the ability to possess, and those possessed by a Behemoth would become a cannibalistic madman for the rest of their lives. Agares displayed incomparable self-control in the fight, and if someone like him could keep his unreasonbale kind in check, it would be most welcomed.

But I was hesitant to accept his allegiance. I'm not here to become another Mundus, no; although I acknowledge myself as a member of the Underworld as well, my interest lies only in demonic powers, not worldly powers. Dante, surprisingly, encouraged me to accept, saying that it would save us trouble, and I did, sparing Agares' life and acknowledging him as an ally, but still it hadn't felt entirely right.

For the first time after the Qliphoth, I started to think about this authority that resides within me and how should I treat it. I have no intention on letting others take it, since the only way to do so is to take my life. But after Agares, I realized that nor could I simply do nothing about it. I can wield it only as a tool, as I've done so far, and there's the other choice that hardly counts as a choice: when a demon craves for authority, it is only to satisfy one's vanity and desire to invade the Human World. The former is my enemy, while the latter simply does not exist in me.

I asked for my brother's opinion, something I never thought I'd ever need, but I suppose many things had changed after the Qliphoth. At first he read my mind like he truly is the other half of my soul, and told me I'd never become Mundus whatever I choose. This wasn't the truth, since Urizen had already become another Mundus, but it soothed me nonetheless; after all, it is the sole reason why Dante is here with me, to keep an eye on me. Then he asked me a question instead of answering mine: what's the difference between a Demon King and a Human King, he asked.

I got no answers from him, but his question inspired me, and I have so many thoughts, ideas, opinions. Nevertheless, I will not think about it today, or Dante is going to complain about me not sleeping again.

We can see clearly in this passage that it was after this fight that Vergil started to consider the possibility of becoming the actual king of the Underworld. The attitude of his brother Dante is also interesting; according to various records, Dante had never objected the idea of Vergil taking the power as the Demon King, even showing support on several occassions. The reason why Dante did this has been the debate of many scholars, since it seemed contradictory to Dante's experience as a devil hunter. Some argued that he did this only because it would be convenient for them to restrain the demons with Vergil as king. Others argued against this opinion, since the same objective was possible to achieve even without authority as King, as the brothers had already become the most powerful beings in the Underworld.

Another insight on this matter has been provided, however, by a close acquaintance of the brothers. The devil huntress Beatrice, more widely known as Trish, who used to be Dante's colleague and would later become an honorary advisor of Vergil, stated that Dante's support was solely for the good of Vergil himself. Her exact words are as follows, an excerpt in her personal memoir Devil Never Cry:

It's not about protecting mankind anymore, because they're always gonna do it, no matter what happens. That's not a job for them anymore, it's faith. It's about Vergil, about helping him find a direction again. He just forsook the path he'd been sticking to since eight, and he was at a loss. But he won't be like that forever, not when his brother's there with him. He'll find a meaning of his life again and do something great; that's the fate of a son of Sparda. Dante knew how different they are, so he knew Vergil won't end up doing the exact same thing as he did. It's gonna be something that's... well, Vergil, I guess. Dante was just trying to help him find it.

Scholars have argued over Trish's words as well. Those who disagree on whether demons could understand human emotions focus on her credibility; others view her opinions on the brothers as too objective, considering her close relationship with them.

A short poem is written on the same page of Vergil's journal:

Love resides within human, warm as the smile of the mother

Evil resides within human, cold as the heart of the jester

Hatred is in demon blood, like the rivalry of the brothers

Goodness is in demon blood, like the legacy of the father

Vassago

Recorder: Beatrice "Trish"

Source: memoir

It was about a little more than a year after Dante and Vergil went down to the other side, and one day Morrison came to us saying he had a job. Usually that meant it's something real, something serious; you see, Devil May Cry was doing fine when Lady and I were in charge, and most of the time we got enough jobs just from the phone calls. If Morrison felt there was the need to come to us in person, then we knew it was no small deal.

He told us there was a demon appearing from a spot near Mallet Island and moving around in random cities; the demon seemed to have destroyed some public property and some people were hurt, but no one was killed. He said that lighting was witnessed, as well as fire and some small storms. At first I was concerned, since Mallet Island was mentioned, but then I heard the description, and I realized it must be one of the prisoners breaking out from the seal. After Sparda went missing a few decades ago, Mundus had many of the demons that were loyal to him sealed near the island, and now that Mundus himself has lost power, these seals were becoming loose, and that demon might be one of them breaking out.

I had wanted Lady to stay in the shop and leave the job to me; even a demon loyal to Sparda is a demon, not to mention that was only my assumption, and by that time her prime was already behind her. In a word, it could be dangerous or too much for her, but as always she insisted on coming. Settling down at a place wasn't enough to settle her heart; she never stopped, never rested, as if something was at her heels chasing her all the time. Some memory. I should've realized that earlier.

Anyway, we went on that mission together. We found the broken seal, which confirmed my assumption, and we followed that demon's trace, and guess what, all the way back to Devil May Cry. It seemed that he had a clear goal, and after finishing some business he went straight towards his destination. When we made our way back to the shop, he was there waiting for us, and not a single piece of furniture was broken. So we talked, as he seemed to have many questions.

The demon looked like a ghost, literally, like one of those Halloween costumes with white face and black mantle. Apparently he's the head of the Deaths, Death Scissors and Death Scythes and all that. He talked with us through telepathy, since he had no mouth. His name's Vassago, and he used to be a scout in Sparda's inssurection forces against Mundus; he's a perfect tracker, with his ability to melt into walls. He was here, as expected, to find Sparda's sons. This demon could do some incredible information gathering; he managed to figure out everything about Dante and Devil May Cry within a few weeks, and even heard from some lesser demons that Vergil's now the Demon King, though he hadn't declared himself as one yet. Vassago asked me to take him to them, so that he could serve the sons of Sparda, after he failed to serve Sparda himself.

Well, what else could I do? Before we went down, Lady bought an ipod and downloaded a bunch of heavy metal, told me to give it to Dante. He probably need some time something so new; Dante has always been a little old-fashioned in tastes. I had wanted to buy some pizzas and strawberry sundaes, but I couldn't store it on the journey, so I settled with some useful things for weapon maintaining, oil and mechanical parts and all that. I bet Dante could find substitutes in the Underworld, but most of his firearms were crafted by humans, so it wouldn't be the wrong choice.

Lady stayed in the shop, and I led Vassago through a portal near the Mallet Island to enter into the Underworld. The space of that region was still unstable after years. He was so excited be back home again. We talked on the road, and he told me how happy he was to know that Sparda's sons still lived and had defeated Mundus. He even told me how's he gonna make Vergil and Dante accept him: turned out the lightning and fire and storms Morrison talked about weren't his work, but the work of the things he was looking for. Dante's old devil arms: Nevan, Agni and Rudra. He was planning to offer them to Dante as a token of his loyalty. Buyers bought them from Enzo's shop a long time ago, but according to Vassago, they clearly weren't taken care of properly, which was why he ended up having small conflicts with the devil arms before they finally agreed to be held by him temporarily.

The brothers weren't difficult to find at all. I knew they lived under the Qliphoth, and the tree was still as tall as the Babel even after it was cut down, easy to see everywhere. Nor was it difficult to guess what they were doing. Fighting, as usual, or should I say having fun? It's not that clear for them. In fact we had to take cover for a brief moment before approaching, because they were fighting in Sin Devil Trigger mode. Many of the lesser demons were nearby as well, some just curious, some went all the way from their land to that place to watch the brothers' fight, hoping to find some sort of inspiration.

We waited for a few minutes for the fire to die down, another few minutes for the ground to cool, before finally going to see them. They were still locked in a wrestle by the time we got close, Dante pinning Vergil with his horns and Vergil strangling Dante with his tail. Tell me about a school fight for Sparda's boys.

I guess they still had enough manners in them to welcome their guest, because they stopped when they saw me. Dante looked happy, clean and fit. You could even say he got younger, and it wouldn't be unreasonable, since the air of the Demon World could indeed nourish him. He got new clothes, bright red coat made from the leathery wings of Hellbats and white shirt woven from the pale grass of the Underworld. He wasn't clean-shaven, but the thin layer of beard on his jaw was well-trimmed, so was his hair falling over his shoulders. Someone else must've kept him this pretty, he could never do this on his own. No need to say who that someone was.

I stayed there for a few days while Vassago talked to them. Dante was overjoyed when he saw Nevan, but his face literally crumpled when he saw Agni and Rudra; I remember him practically giving away the swords to Enzo because he thought they were too noisy. He took the guitar, but let Vassago kept the swords. Vergil was still hesitating about the kingship, but they were just in need of someone like Vassago to watch over all the Sins and Deaths in Hell (they're so many), so he accepted his oath.

I took a few pictures of them before I left, to give to the kid Nero when I had the chance. Vergil wasn't used to cameras, but he complied after hearing Nero's name. They promised they'll come visit Devil May Cry and Fortuna as soon as they had the time.

Although the devil arm Nevan was returned to Dante, he would later release the lightning witch and allow her to return to the realm of the vampires where she came from. Nevan built her own castle in the region, but more often she preferred to roam the land freely, looking for prey or demons that piqued her interest.

The devil huntress Lady was Trish's partner as well as her lover. They first met each other through Dante, and quickly grew close due to their mutual career, hobby and personality. After Dante entrusted Devil May Cry to them, they ran the shop together and became successful devil hunters. Originally named Mary Ann Arkham, she abandoned the name after her father transformed himself into a demon and sacrificed her mother.

Although a mere huntress instead of a scholar, the notes and journals left by Lady has become vital in the Human World to make interspecies communication possible; as the best human devil hunter, she provided many insights on strategies against different kinds of demons that are enforceable for human soldiers. It is thanks to her information that humans, though much weaker in body than most demons, do not have to be entirely vulnerable in front of them. Her precious notes are collected in Journal of the Siegfried: the Hunting Notes of Lady the Great Devil Huntress. For more information about Lady's life, see The Artemis, the Oedipus and the Juliet.

Trish's memoir is one of the most important sources that provides us with a record of the life of the sons of Sparda. As a demon, she has the ability to recall the details of many major events that took place in the past, and her close relationship with the brothers, especially Dante, makes her insights about the brothers' many actions reliable. Many of her actions later would even influence the decisions of the brothers. Apart from being a devil huntress herself, she would also become an important explorer and adventurer that dedicated herself in digging into the history of human-demon interaction throughout the ages.

Recorder: Dante

Source: audio record

What is this called, traveling journal? Anyway, I'll just call it that. Honestly, I could never understand diaries, it's just outright boring; but you know what, it's been a memorable day, so I don't mind doing something unusual. Guess Vergil's journal writing finally got to me. By the way, keep on with the sexy poetry, brother!

We went on a diplomatic mission today to the Timeless Field. You heard that right, no fighting, no violent actions, pure diplomatic mission. The nice Marquise sent us an invitation to watch a game in her colosseum, and told us all the existing Geryons would probably come to race. Well, how can we possibly miss something like that? It's been a long time since we last had some fun. The Underworld surely has some old-fashioned entertainment; I guess it's just like a football match kind of thing? Timeless Field, what a proper name; I might as well have traveled through time to the Roman Empire.

The place is just as nice as the Marquise Samigina herself; in the demon way, at least. It's an enormous area with white grass just reaching your knees, and blue, green ghost fires were floating everywhere in the air. The colosseum is huge, no walls, no roof, just the tracks. Samigina is an excellent magician, and she had the auditorium floating in the air so that the contestants won't be limited in a small part of space. Vergil and I got our own box, and I swear to God, I have never seen so many demons in one place in my entire life. What a spectacle it was! Vergil said it's like a once-a-few-hundred-years thing, so I guess it's really important.

We placed bets on horses, Vergil on the one with the scales and I on the one with the skeletons. Spoiler alert, he won. Now I owe him a thousand golden drachmas -- seriously, coins? Bit behind the time for a world that got the technology to make something like Artemis, don't you think? I have to figure out a way to get that many coins... can't believe I'm thinking about getting a job in the Underworld. Perhaps Vergil could be kind to his little brother and just forget about this whole thing? Nah, I don't think so...

Back to the game. Unfortunately we had no popcorn or beer, but I probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on the race if I really have them; it's been a long time since I last had some satisfying unhealthy human diet. The game has three rounds: the first two rounds are the race for the Geryons, the first was the free race, the second was the chariot race; the third round is for the audience to claim the Geryon they took an interest in as their stead, that is, if they could manage to tame them. Not many can, trust me.

Vergil was like an open book all through the night; you could just see on his face how much he liked the one he placed his bet on. Indeed, that was a fine Geryon, even finer than the one I've seen in Temen-ni-gru. It's like a part dragon part horse, with horns and teeth like razors, and all that blue fire burning on the back and the hooves. Just gorgeous. He -- we later got to know that it's a he -- he won the first round like it's a piece of cake. Time manipulation was forbidden in the first round, so it was a pure speed race. Seeing all those ghost horses running across a field of white grass was just pure pleasure for the eyes. The second round was a bit difficult for him, looked like he wasn't that used to pulling chariots, but he's got the best time manipulation among the contestants, so he won in the end despite some accidents.

And of course, Vergil participated in the third round. Only four demons had the courage to drop down in the colosseum -- most of them knew the consequence of facing a Geryon and chose to give up -- and Vergil was the only one to succeed. The whole auditorium was buzzing like a fly when he walked right towards the champion.

Vergil handed me the Yamato before he dropped down -- he wasn't going to the kill the creature, so he didn't need her. You could tell he was super motivated, his demonic power was shimmering all over him, just like the Geryon. He grabbed onto those scales, and the horse started galloping around like a hurricane. He tried to shake Vergil off his back while running around the colosseum, and he even succeeded, twice, but Vergil was quick to get back on him again. It took about half an hour for the creature to finally stop. Vergil got off and stood in front of him, and he reared a few times and tried to kick him, but Vergil grabbed his horns and he struggled a little before going still. And it was done, he's officially Vergil's now. The crowd was cheering louder than Griffon's bickering.

Samigina came to see us after the game was over. She herself is a Geryon as well, but she could transform into a pretty lady with grey hair. I guess she's not that familiar with what real humans look like, because her eyes were on fire. But anyway, she congratulated by brother and entrusted the creature to him. I said she's nice, but actually not quite, because, well, she's still a demon, although she has good manners. She's a big fan of colosseum games. Apart from horse racing, occasionally she had souls of sinners fight each other and even demons, just for entertainment and coins. Well, they're sinners, so probably some of them deserve it, but still, that lady's a bit chilling.

For the first time after we got down here, we didn't use the Yamato to travel. Vergil looked like he could keep on riding on his Geryon for days, and I don't mind the distance at all, 'cause I do miss riding on my Cavaliere. We rode though the grassfield, leaving trails of fire behind us, and the wind felt so good. Just like the Ghost Riders! I didn't know what to say, I just kept laughing and laughing. We kept laughing. That was one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life.

That's it for today. Now, I gotta go check on Vergil's journal, see if he wrote a poem about what we did in the grass when we stopped on the road.

A large portion of the records left by the brothers themselves are about warfare, but occassionally there are passages that talk about times of relative peace. These passages, though few and short, are important sources for scholars of Underworld geography and cultural customs. Of course, there are plenty of records that detail on the customs of demons, but most of them were wrote by demons and are heavily biased. Through looking at the brothers' -- especially Dante's -- narration about these important events, we are able to look at them from a human perspective, and thus get a more complete picture of these customs. For more information about geographical studies of the Underworld, see Up Side Down. For more information about cultural studies of the Underworld, see Civilizations of the Demon World.

Marbas

Recorder: Vergil

Source: written journal

The war is over, finally. Finally me and my brother don't have to burn our own lungs with demonic fire every time we draw breath, to kill the parasites we inhaled into our body. It's been quite some time since I last picked up a pen or a book. Dante slept like a log after we returned to our sanctuary; we barely had the time to rest.

We received a message from Trish a few months ago about a strange disease spreading in the Human World. Objects, small creatures and even some humans were possessed by demons and became spreaders, and it was happening in many different places instead of just one. Soon we discovered that it was the work of Infestants, and although this species is prone to act in groups, such a large-scale operation was clearly organized by some kind of leader.

Thus the war began. We were alone, Dante and I; we couldn't bring any soldiers, because the Infestants could merge with and control them. Months of endless, dreary killing, searching for the demon behind this disaster in futile: these insectoid demons communicate with each other in ways that are hard to investigate or trace. Hormones, sounds, or even genetic instincts. The only hope we had was to draw out the demon behind all this after we spoiled his plan by killing too many of his dominions. A difficult task, even for us, since these creatures reproduce so quickly.

First we journeyed through the Machiavellias, cities in which the artisans of the Underworld worked on their weapons -- abandoned ones, of course. They left many of their failed pieces of work there, making those cities a perfect hotbed for the Infestants. Dante was rejoiced to see these cities, even though they were mere ruins; the architecture there bore a resemblance to the glass and metal skycrapers in the Human World. We would race on the roads after clearing the Infestants, fight our battles while running up or down the vertical walls of the towers. His fiery demonic power would melt into the background of those cities of rust. During the peace in between our little spars, I would show him the labyrinthine halls of the devil crasftmen, the forges of the blacksmiths and the workshops of the gunsmiths and the factories of the mechanics. He used what was left there to make a few changes to his guns; for the first time in decades I felt once more the dark metal of Ebony, the black key of my brother's piano of fire, and it was like reliving the past, the better days.

Then there were the Mirkwoods, where the Infestants built their nests underground and merged with other demons that inhabit those foul forests. Those were vicious places, but even in that situation Dante had been able to make the fights... colorful, in his own ways. He would drove the pests out of their lairs with a strike on the ground with the fire staff of his King Cerberus, stun them with the lightning, and leave them vulnerable for both of us to eliminate easily. When we took breaks we would rest or walk on the gnarled branches of the trees to avoid being ambushed by attacks from underground. It was like our little games in mother's yard when we were young. We always fought for the chance to play the hero, and mother would tell me to be nice to my little brother and give the chance to him. When I recounted those incidents to Dante, he laughed and said he would be glad to play the villain and let me chase him if I wanted to. A spoiled brat, as always. I did. Chase him. Through several forests and valleys, in fact, until finally I pinned him down on a forest clearing with my phantom swords. He laughed again, so I added a few more to his chest.

Eventually our plan-that-could-hardly-be-called-a-plan succeeded, drawing out the demon behind all this to strike. We were ambushed the night we shacked up in a ruined industrial town; we later got to know that it was a place where scientists of the Demon World used to develop materials for vessels that store demonic power, so the infrustructure of this city was built with such materials that could block out one's perception of demonic power. They approached through the sewers, the tunnels and the underground transportation, and we sensed their coming only when they emerged. Their leader created a field in the city, in which the very air was filled with small parasites that we were forced to remain in our Sin Devil Trigger form all the time to incinerate those we inhaled into our bodies.

We were surrounded by waves of Infestants; Dante said it was just like the zombie movies. He proposed that I leave the lesser ones to him and go search for their leader, since I was the one between us with the better perception. I knew those insects wouldn't pose a threat to him, so I accepted his proposal. Whoever commanded so many demons to attack as a whole could not be far away, so it didn't take me long to find him, Marbas, hiding inside a cave of moss among the ruins of a guildhall.

The lion's den was truly the very concept of disease materialized. Even in my Devil Trigger form I could feel the itching pain gnawing at my innards, disgusting like the feel of Mundus' corruption that nibbled away my life for decades. Yamato didn't work on him, no matter how sharp she is -- Marbas might appear in the form of a lion, but still he was the lord of the Infestants, so the only thing he needed to do to avoid the slashes of a blade was to divide himself into more bugs. But Beowulf worked on him, perfectly, for pests that relied on darkness to live have a natural fear for light. I burned him until all that was left of him were particles, and the war was over, at last, and we could finally have some time to rest and breathe freely.

It's been more than two years now. Dante complained about a demon's life only in the subtlest of ways, but as always, the upper limit of his subtlety is low, low enough for me to sense it every single time. He talked about Nero, about Trish and Lady, and mentioned other names that are foreign to me. I wonder if those kinds of friendship were what drew father to the Human World and kept him there. My brother's presence at my side, his overwhelming humanity, always reminds me how little regret I have for what I've done with the Qliphoth; I should've come down on my own if I truly wish to pay for those humans' lives, yet I let him follow, and now even tedious, bitter times like these past few months had felt alive, happy.

Perhaps I'm no human, after all, but if I'm not, what is this joy I feel from a brother's company? The boundary between demon and human has somehow started to blur these days. But if... if in the end I will stray from the path of atonement nonetheless... maybe I should accept this kingship. Make it easier, as Dante said. Maybe I should have faith in Sparda's legacy, and believe that I'm not destined to become another Mundus. If there is a chance to make my son proud of his father as I've been proud of mine...

It's been some time since we last saw Nero.

For human readers, some clarifications: firstly, the notion of a Machievellia. In the Demon World there are cities built by different schools of weaponsmiths that are commonly named Machievellia, after the most well-known gunsmith of the Underworld Machiavelli. One of his materpieces was Artemis, owned by no other than the devil huntress Lady, but unfortunately was destroyed during the Battle of the Qliphoth. However, in later years the human weapon craftswoman Nicoletta Goldstein would manage to recreate it and even made improvements to make it more suitable for human gunners.

Here we caught another glimpse of the relationship between Vergil and his son, Nero. A younger devil hunter that belongs to a branch of Devil May Cry, Nero is more often compared to his uncle Dante, with many considering him as Dante's de facto successor in the career. Because of Nero's identity as a quarter-demon (his mother, according to various investigations and speculations, was widely believed by both humans and demons to be human), many of Vergil's future enemies would consider him weeker and attempt to use him against his father in several ways, but most of these conspirators were defeated by Nero himself, thus ending the rumors about him being weeker in power than his father and uncle. However, there were indeed several major events during Vergil's reign that concerned Nero, his family and his identity, which will be addressed in later passages.

A short poem is written on the same page of the passage:

Hephaestion! Dearest of confidants

Leave not from this tent tonight

The Persians are crushed, and victory is ours

Now put your head on my thighs

And let me banish the pain of battle

From your flesh and your mind

I shall whisper to you the glory of Babylon

Which is ours alone, won with might

Sleep, Hephaestion, rest your fiery soul

For I shall be with you, brother mine

Valefor

Recorder: Nicoletta "Nico" Goldstein

Source: memoir

Dante called from Devil May Cry before they came visiting, asking if it would be convenient for us. You should really see Nero's face when he heard Dante's voice from the phone; it was like he got banged on the head by a Goliath. Took him like half a minute to say the word "sure." He stood there with his hands hanging in front of his chest for another few minutes after hanging up the phone, like some puppet that stopped working when his maker forgot to wind him up.

It's not like we didn't know they were alive and well -- Trish told us long before that -- but, you know, things get complicated when you get a dad like Nero's old man. On one hand he literally grew back his lost arm and turned into a flying demon boxer in order to stop his dad and uncle from killing each other, but on the other hand he spent a month listening to news about cities of humans being sucked dry by the gigantic demon tree his old man -- well, part of his old man -- planted. When Trish told him they were staying in the Underworld, Nero knew that Vergil kinda deserved it, but at the same time he couldn't know more about his newfound dad anymore. It's hard to tell what Nero felt about them coming over a couple years after all that madness.

Dante said they'd be coming in three days, but Nero started making preparations in the house right after he sobered from all the shock of the call. By that time we were doing good in Fortuna; Kyrie's back on stage after the theater reopened, and the people in town were starting to accept electronics, so the mechanic business Nero and I put up was going well too; not that he didn't have demon hunting jobs, but it's not near enough since they've got kids to support, and it's a good start for my weapon business too. With the money they saved, they moved to a bigger apartment with more space and a yard for the kids to play in. A decent place that's taken proper care of by them both, but still Nero kept adjusting things and scratching off the first spot of dust or dirt he saw, as if Dante and Vergil were gonna come knocking on the door any second.

The day they came, Nero made sure that poetry book was safe on his shelf, for at least twenty times. He even read it to the kids a few times, though you can see he knew absolutely nothing about what those poems were talkin' about. He told me Vergil's gonna come back and collect it, so he's really careful about that book.

And so the legendary brothers arrived. Vergil didn't change much, but Dante looked much neater than he was before he went down to the Underworld with his brother. Nero looked like he didn't belong in his own home, but luckily Kyrie was there to help him out, so the reunion didn't become the definition of awkwardness. Dante asked about our business, and talked about their stories down in the Underworld -- some stories those were. I was taking notes all the time while they talked, and I was so glad they let me. Then Dante proposed that he see if he could be of help to Kyrie and left Vergil on his own. I wasn't stupid enough to think that I was included in the father-son talk, so I efficiently pissed off, although I was a little worried about Nero. From what I observed, neither of them were fit for such talks, but I guess they needed it, so I thought I should have some faith in Nero, even though he's got some temper.

And boy was I wrong. The last time he's left alone for two minutes, he got his arm ripped off. This time he made it to five, but still, he didn't make it to the end. He barged into our office when I was typing the notes I took into the computer, and started flipping through the bookshelf like his life depended on it. I asked him what happened, and he told me the poetry book was gone. Disappeared from his shelf like a puff of smoke. I said how's that possible, he checked so many times, and he said he didn't know either, it was just gone.

He was literally sweating when he realized the book wasn't in the apartment. Back when they fixed the demon tree thing, he almost took on all the demons left in Red Grave City by himself to relieve the stress, and even then there wasn't a drop of sweat on his head. His papa's book was gone, he was panicking like a kid that couldn't find his home. He said he couldn't return to that living room without that book, Vergil had asked about it so he got to show it to him. I said it was probably taken by some kid, but even I didn't believe it myself; Julio once took it and read it with his friends, but they found it so boring they gave it back like five minutes later, and not a single kid had taken it ever since. Then I said it might be stolen, but why didn't the thief steal the other good stuffs in the house and instead went for that one particular book? But anyway, that was the only plausible explanation, so we went to his room again and checked every corner for a clue.

Turned out some demon might have been there when Nero was out talking to his old man. There was not a single trace, but I guess he sensed something he didn't sense when he was panicking about the book. What did I say about his temper? He mumbled "son of a bitch," grabbed his sword and pistol and just jumped out of the window. What was I supposed to do, face Vergil for him? Not a chance. Better face some other demon than facing Vergil alone, so I followed him out and tried to keep up. Boy he was running like a rabbit. He would've Triggered and started to fly if I didn't remind him to keep it low.

But that turned out to be of no use, 'cause we ended up running through half of the streets in Fortuna, and it took us for what felt like an hour. Then, only then, did he realize from his experience as a demon hunter that we were being fooled. Normally he would've discovered that much faster, but he was pissed that his book's missing, so I get it. Doesn't mean I forgave him, though, for forcing me to jog for an hour. I exercise, don't get me wrong, but not like that.

Anyway, after that he started actually tracking the demon instead of just blindly following the scent. I thought we were finally slowing down and I could take a breath, but nope, he started climbing walls and walking on roofs, and yes, my legs could rest, but my neck and my eyes had to do double the labor. In the end, guess what, we went all the way back home! Yup, home, from where it all started.

We almost broke into the door like cops, and there it was, the goddamn William Blake poetry collection that started all this, in the hands of Vergil. Nero went BSOD right there, and to be honest, so did I. Until Kyrie and Dante told us to come over to eat before the food got cold, and that was when we saw some donkey-like creature crouching at Vergil's feet, and judging from Nero's face, that's the little thief that fooled us around.

Long story short, the demon's name is Valefor, and he's actually a professional burglar demon or something. He smelled that the book had Vergil's scent, so he wanted to win Vergil's favor by stealing the book and returning it to him, just like those mafia movies, you know, the boys trying to impress the boss. Nero looked like he wanted to keeping on swearing for a few hours, but he couldn't, so all those words just clogged in his neck. But Vergil thanked him for taking good care of the book, so he wasn't that pissed afterwards. He still wanted to give the demon some solid punches though, so he wasn't happy with Vergil sending the demon away to the Underworld without letting him do that first.

Miraculously, things stopped being that embarrassing after that little drama. Nero started talking to his old man, and for a pair of father and son that actually talked to each for the first time, it went smooth enough. Dante talked a lot about he and Vergil when they were kids, about how much Vergil loved these poems that no other kids his age even know about. Kyrie told them about Nero in return, about how he was the kind of boy that had a "little adult" face and didn't play with other boys much but was always the one kids thought cool and sought out when they were in trouble, and how Nero would always help them, despite looking scary and grim. After lunch Nero went out with his dad and uncle to the outskirts of the town to do some sparring, and as much as I wanted to see it, I was totally exhausted that day.

They said they didn't wanna trouble us for too long, but Nero managed to convince them to stay for Kyrie's performance on Sunday morning. They left a day after, and Nero found that Vergil didn't take the book with him. Guess he had in mind for future visits. As for me, I sincerely hoped that next time wouldn't have that much trouble.

In future years, Nicoletta Goldstein would proceed in her career and become the most well-known demonic weapon artist. Her partnership with Nero was a life-long cooperation, and she was the designer of most of his weapons. Her famous works include the mechanic arms called Devil Breakers that were the typical weapons of Nero, Dr. Faust that was used by Dante, and later a pair of pistols named Inferno & Paradiso, which would later become the weapons of a young demon huntress.

Kyrie, a priestess and songstress of Fortuna, as well the owner of an orphanage, would later become Nero's wife. Her family adopted Nero when he was young, and the pair grew up together along with Kyrie's older brother, Credo, who passed away during the downfall of the Order of the Sword in Fortuna. For information about the Order, see The Cults of Sparda: Demon or God. Nero, Kyrie and their children would all play important roles during Vergil's time of rulership, due to their unique identity.

Amon

Recorder: Lucia

Source: memoir

The night Amon came, he appeared as a giant raven with flaming feathers and hovered above Vie de Marli for the whole evening. I have seen many grandiose demons who love to make a show of their slaughter, but he didn't come down even once and never hurt a single person, so I knew he wasn't showing off his power. He was making sure the people saw him, or to be precise, I saw him.

When dawn came, he landed right where Dante fought that fire demon called Balrog, so I had guessed he came for something about that fight. Matier assured me that she would calm down the people, and that I didn't need to worry and should just go meet him. It's true that I didn't sense any more demons, so I went, though with as much caution as possible. Even after a few years that place was still unfit for any plant or animal to grow or inhabit, because of the demonic power of Balrog lingering in the earth and air. Amon rested on top of a ruined industrial tower, and he was as big as one of the airplanes Arius used to own. The fire on him had died down a little, but sparks kept falling from the edges of his black feathers. Even now I'd say he's prettier than most demons I've seen.

Amon was very stern, but courteous. Knowing that I'm a Protector, he didn't go as far as to see me as a friend, but he made clear that he only wanted information and would leave the island in peace as soon as he got what he wanted. He said he was a general that served Balrog, the King of the Fire Hell, and he came to Vie de Marli following his liege's trace. He asked me if I knew where the king went, and whether he was still alive.

At first I was hesitant to tell him the truth. Powerful demons like him are usually very dignified, and I feared that he would go on a rampage on the island if he learned that his king was defeated by Dante and became his Devil Arm. Although I had become much stronger, Amon looked like a very agile demon and our fight may accidentally damage the towns. But it was as if he read my mind, he promised me that he only wanted a true answer, and would not damage the island whatever it was.

For a moment I didn't know what to say. It wasn't that I believe that demons could not have souls; to believe that is to believe that I myself is a souless monster. But it was also true that throughout the years, rarely did I find any demon that has a soul, that understood heart and feelings other than bloodlust. Amon was in no way kind or friendly, but in him I saw a genuine fear and loyalty for his liege; I could sense that he was sincerely hoping to hear news of his lord's well-being, not just hoping for his death and waiting for the chance to seize his own power.

I recounted to him the entire story, from Balrog's appearance on Vie de Marli to Dante's arrival, and at last to the outcome of that battle. He thanked me for the information, and told me that he would seek Dante out in his residence in the Demon World... and that was when I learned that Dante was not in Devil May Cry anymore, but in Hell. I was shocked and worried -- I thought he was trapped in the Demon World without a gateway for him to return -- but then I realized that Amon used the word "residence." I asked him what happened to Dante, and he told me, in return for the information I provided, that Dante was living in Hell with his brother. After that Amon left Vie de Marli, in peace as he promised.

Dante told me he had a brother when he came to fight Balrog; when he destroyed that shard of steel that enabled the demon to pass to the Human World, he told me that the sword to which that shard belonged to was his brother's sword. I knew nothing else of his brother, not even his name, but I remember Dante's expression when he mentioned him, grim, melancholy, almost like when we first met. I had guessed that his brother had passed away, but later when I called Devil May Cry, Dante's partners confirmed that both of them were alive and well.

A few weeks later, Amon suddenly came back to Vie de Marli and landed on that same building, but this time he didn't make himself known, and I only noticed him with my senses. I went to him and found that he had actually came to sulk, so I asked him what happened. He told me that Balrog refused to return to the Fire Hell and perform his duty as the king, but instead chose to remain with Dante in order to fight more strong foes and gain more power. He started complaining to me, about how Balrog was an honorable warrior but never a good commander, how tired he was throughout the millennias serving such a lord. It was strange to comfort a demon, but that was what I did, and he tried several more times with Balrog, but every time he failed. We formed a strange friendship during his visits, and sometimes he would even help me chase away the lesser demons from the island. Amon was not particularly funny, but he was reasonable and a good listener, and he never made any judgement about my identity as a demon made by a human. I like him.

And that was why I could not simply stand aside when he informed me of his plan. He told me that he would claim the throne of Fire Hell for himself and lure Balrog to challenge him to a duel, and he would let his lord kill him in the battle so that Balrog would return and remain in Fire Hell as its king should. I could not let that happen. For decades I held onto the belief that demons have souls with no other evidence except for myself, now that I found a friend, a demon friend, I would not simply watch him die.

I followed him to the Underworld secretly through a portal. He soon started to enforce his plan, claimed the throne and sent out the message to Balrog. And of course Balrog came; despite him not wanting to rule, powerful demons of the Underworld do not easily give up their positions. Dante and his brother came as well, only as witnesses. It was him that defeated Balrog a few years before, and to be honest I did not know whether I was strong enough to do the same, but nonetheless, I must do it.

Before the battle begun, I appeared on the field, and declared to Balrog that I would fight him in Amon's stead. Amon tried to stop me, and so did Dante. He told me it was a duel, meaning I must face him alone, but I already knew that. Dante's brother, Vergil, told me that as the king of the Fire Hell, Amon must not flee from this fair fight, but I told them that it was not a fair fight, since Amon didn't have the will to fight at all. Balrog questioned Amon if it was true, and Amon, out of loyalty and shame, admitted it. And so I took his place as the champion, and challenged the strongest demon of the Fire Hell.

Strangely, although I was facing such a powerful demon, not a single thought of death had passed my mind. In truth, I must live, so that Amon would not need to face him next. I still have the duty of guarding Vie de Marli. Dante was watching, and as his partner, I must show him how much I've grown these years.

The battle was every bit as difficult and desperate as I imagined. The only strategy I had against Balrog's heat and flames was to endure it, and use as much power I have to heal myself. One by one my weapons melted in his flames or shattered against his hard scales, and at last I only had my own claws and feathers to stand against him. In my vision twisted by the searing heat, I saw Dante trying to run towards me, but his brother stopped him. I'm glad he did. Balrog's fists struck like meteors, and I could take none, so I kept dodging and dodging like a bird lost in the storm. Once he caught me in his enormous hands and tore down one of my wings, and I heard Amon begging me to stop. I didn't.

In fact, that had been my chance. With the distance closed, I threw a dart towards him and it struck right into his eye. He released me in pain, and from that point on the balance started to change. I was barely holding onto life at that point, but even in that pathetic state I kept on attacking, because I knew there would be no other chance. I blinded him, climbed onto him and pierced every piece of tender flesh I found until he was bloody all over. Once I opened wounds on him, my abilities as a demon was good at keeping him bleeding. In the end we were struggling with each other with hardly any life and strength within us, and Dante and Amon tore us apart before we both bled to death. I lost conscious after that.

I woke in some tree house in a giant, pale tree. There were demons that looked like flies and ants of human size around me, and I recognized the healing liquid on my wounds to be from those green ones. Dante came to see me after I woke, and told me that Vergil commanded the Empusas to save my life. I asked about Amon and Balrog, and he said that Balrog still didn't want to return to the Fire Hell, but he admitted that his fight with me was an even one, and he gave up his power as the king completely to Amon. Amon had accepted it, although a little reluctantly, and agreed to become Dante and Vergil's ally.

Dante said I was mad; I laughed, and told him to take a look at himself first. We laughed together, and I said that I'm glad he got his brother back.

Lucia, a member of the Protectors on the island Vie de Marli, is a good friend and ally of Dante, once cooperating with him to bring down the Uroboros, a large international company associated with research about demons, and Argosax the Chaos, a powerful king of the Demon World. The complete story of Lucia is recorded in Guardian Angel at the Edge of the World. Her battle with Balrog and her friendship with Amon would become a well-known tale in the Underworld, and unlike the marriage of Sparda and Eva, which was considered to be treasonous by most demons, their relationship, strangely, was considered novel and interesting if not entirely praiseworthy. Human scholars argued that it was because of her identity as a demon herself, although artificial, while demon scholars argued that it was because she demonstrated great power and resolution, qualities that are respected in the Underworld. Her battle with Balrog became the inspiration of Moria, an epic written by a young poet, who is well-known for his works that depict relationships between humans and demons.

Barbatos

Recorder: Vergil

Source: written journal

Any demon in the Underworld would laugh at the notion of having to negotiate with a Cerberus to make them guard over places -- it should've been in their very nature, their inborn impulse, and any kind of bargain shouldn't be needed when you make the request. But that was what we've been doing for the past few weeks, negotiating with the tribe of Cerberus to convince them to guard over the seal I placed in the Underworld -- they've become too many at this point -- because my valiant, demon-hunting brother killed their king and wields the Devil Arm formed from his soul as a juggler would toss and catch the balls.

I must confess that neither of us were good at negotiating; my brother's former job wasn't convincing demons to return to the Underworld, and as for me, reason was rarely needed in our father's home, where might is everything. It would've gone bloody if we didn't have help, and that wasn't our goal. Our assistant, Barbatos, is indeed as eloquent as he claimed, and he managed to persuade the Cerberus to comply to our request. We encountered a few difficulties -- mostly because Dante couldn't keep his mouth shut about his heroic deed of killing King Cerberus -- but we went through it in the end.

Barbatos has joined us for about a year now, and lived in the forest beneath the remnants of the Qliphoth. The blood in the tree had seeped into the ground nearby, nurturing all kinds of demonic creatures, and the once barren field had transformed into the very opposite. The humans might merely call it a forest, but for demons it is a city already. Dante would peak out of the window at night and observe the demons building their lairs and nests and homes. Reminds me of us watching the natural discovery channels when we were young. Most of the creatures attracted here were lesser demons, but occasionally more powerful ones would also approach; some would leave after lingering a few days, and some would stay after gaining our permission. Barbatos was one of them, and he became our ally and translator.

Dante didn't particularly like him; Barbatos talks a bit much, and he talks with skill, and Dante always said that Griffon is enough. Nor does Barbatos like Dante; well-informed as he is, he naturally knows about Dante's notoriety, and always does his best to stay away from him. Yet at the same time, Barbatos has great admiration for him, and he sometimes would complain to me about Dante's demonic power being too wild and fiery for him to dare to approach him. The situation for Dante in the Underworld is a complicated one; all demons fear him, but some are mad for him, while others despise him. Almost all the elder demons would express how Dante resembles our father: similar personality, similar fighting style, carries the sword that bears his own name. I figured that is why opinions concerning him are divided, because demons in the Underworld are divided as well, into those loyal to Sparda and those loyal to Mundus.

Barbatos talked about my situation as well, and it seems not so different from Dante's, though the level is different; worse or better, I cannot say. For common demons, he said, it is only natural to bow to the Demon King made by the Qliphoth. For those loyal to Mundus, Dante is a traitor, but I, I am a usurper. The Qliphoth is the holy tree of the Underworld, and the Demon King who ate its fruit is considered most rightful. That is why Argosax was addressed as hegemon or conqueror instead of king, since in the eyes of demons, he was powerful and worthy yet unrecognized by the divine force. Dante has only a reputation, it is possible for the demons to stay away from him out of fear, but I possess the authority that justified Mundus' claim. Those that recognize me will obey my command, while those who do not will never cease to attempt to take my place. Unless I put them in their place.

Hesitation is defeat. It is not a solution to leave a problem unsolved. I must make my decision, quick, or this will drag on forever. Perhaps gaining this worldly power had not been my initial goal, but this talk of the sons of a traitor will end. My atonement means nothing to these demons, and it is not to them that I should show guilt for what I've done. This authority, it has happened to me, and to run from it is of no use.

Is this what father would want? Perhaps not. Most likely, nothing we did after eight was what father and mother planned for us. We're still here, that's enough. What would Nero think? I've hinted something about this to him when I visited Fortuna. He was a little confused by my wording -- I wasn't sure how to say it either -- but he was not completely ignorant. He said that I'm Urizen as well as V, and no matter how much that bothers everyone, it is unchangeable. And Dante? "See, I already said this is never gonna end. But you're my brother, so I'll give you a discount for the 'beating sense into your head the next time you plan an apocalypse' service."

Very funny, little brother. Very funny. Come to think of it, it is a bit strange to call you a Demon Prince outside of bed -- or to hear anyone other than me call you thus -- but I have a feeling that it will suit you well.

It is through this passage that scholars manage to date the exact time when Vergil finally made up his mind about claiming kingship over the Underworld. A number of things are worth noticing in this passage, other than its importance in historical reference. First of all, although Vergil was well aware of the rules and ethics of the Demon World, it is apparent that he considered his ascent to the throne as a solution, not as a beginning, meaning that he knew little by then of what it means to be a Demon King other than being the strongest demon. Understandable, since for a demon he was in fact quite young, and also because there weren't many different types of rulers in the Underworld before him to serve as reference and alarm him about the possible difficulties that lay ahead. His rulership in the Underworld would be a short, perilous but vital one, and some scholars would say that it was from him, not his successor, that the two worlds started to reconnect after millenias.

Another thing worth noticing is again, his relationship with his brother Dante. Though subtle, the potential distrust between the brothers is hinted in Dante's statement to Vergil in response to his decision to claim kingship. Both brothers have mentioned in the records they left that Dante had chosen to remain in the Underworld with Vergil as a supervisor, exactly because Dante feared that his brother would once again be of harm to the Human World. Because Vergil had threatened the safety of mankind many times before their descent into the Underworld, this distrust would continue for decades before it ended. For detailed analysis for their relationship over the years, see The Demonic Comedy: History of the Sons of Sparda. In future years, those who sought to challenge Vergil's rulership would attempt to use their potential distrust to weaken them by seperation.

Paimon

Recorder: Paimon

Source: official record of important event

I, Paimon, King of the Fallen, vassal of the Demon King, hereby record the coronation of Vergil, firstborn son of Sparda. The coronation followed the traditional sequence of claiming public power in the Underworld, consisting of three parts: the challenge, the summon, and the declaration. As His Majesty's loyal servant, I am in charge of organizing the ritual and carrying out His Majesty's orders. Here is the complete process of the coronation.

The first step of a traditional coronation of the Underworld is challenge. The Demon King will send out the message of his decision to claim power to all the lords of the Underworld, and express his willingness to face any challenger who would not admit him as king. I sent out my tribe to carry the message to every realm to convey His Majesty's will. Then the gate to the palace within the divine tree was opened; only one was allowed to enter at a time, and His Majesty would wait in the throne room and face his challengers there. Those who refused to obey the rules were put to the sword by His Majesty's brother outside the palace gate. The number of challengers His Majesty felled is 666. The challenge lasted three months, and the ritual proceeded.

The second step is the summon, during which the Demon King will send out another message to call for those who are willing to serve him to come and swear fealty. Those who attempted assassination during this stage would be shown no mercy, unlike in the previous step. This step for His Majesty was different than the tradition, since many who came expressed their willingness to serve him, but were unwilling to bow down to his brother, and demanded that he be killed or banished from the Underworld as the condition of their loyalty. His Majesty refused all such demands, and declared that all who wished his brother dead or gone must do the deed themselves. Therefore this step is the summon for His Majesty as well as the challenge for his brother. The number of challengers he felled is 666 -- he deliberately matched the number with His Majesty's. Some expressed discontent towards his pride, considering him challenging the Demon King's authority, but His Majesty showed no anger towards his brother. The summon lasted three months, and the ritual proceeded.

The third and last step of the coronation is the declaration, during which the Demon King will officially claim dominance of the entire Underworld, and declare war upon those who did not come to the coronation, either as challenger or vassal. Every vassal must offer up a sigil of their tribe or status to be hung on the branches of the divine tree, as a symbol of being the subject of the Demon King. Then the Demon King led his subjects to partake in the communion, during which the demons ate the bark of the divine tree Qliphoth and drank the water in the six rivers of the Underworld, as substitutes of human flesh and blood. Then the Seven Sins, archpriests of the Fallen, performed the ritual to transform the palace into the place where all demonic energy converge. The palace was then given the name Nero Ariel by His Majesty, and made capital of the Underworld. After the ritual, the Fallen chanted demonic hymns for 6 days and nights. Little is known about His Majesty, therefore at his request we sang the deeds of Sparda instead.

Such is the coronation of Vergil, son of Sparda. Long and glorious may he reign.

Here Paimon, the high priest of the Underworld and the king of the Fallen, also called the Fallen Angels by human scholars, gave a detailed account of Vergil's coronation. Through his record we could learn more about the customs of the Demon World considering their monarchy. Demon Kings of the Underworld have no items to symbolize their power, such as crowns or scepters; for them the only symbol of power is the strength of the demon himself. What is worth noticing in this passage is the communion. Paimon used the word "substitutes" instead of "symbols" of human flesh and blood when describing the ritual of eating the bark of the Qliphoth and drinking the water from the rivers. This indicates that communions in ancient times, when the Demon World and the Human World weren't seperated, may use real human flesh and blood. As for the name of the palace, whether or not Vergil named his seat of power after his son is debated; again, human scholars hold this opinion while demon ones consider this view as merely petty sentiments.

Although Vergil had in mind to make his brother Prince, but as we can see in this account, Dante is not addressed with a royal title. This is because Dante refused to become Vergil's subject and be obligated to serve his will, as he considered himself his brother's supervisor instead of servant. Their equal and sometimes competitive relationship would cause much confusion in the Underworld, since the concept of sibling love is foreign. It is because of the same reason that Dante was even considered a threat by those who were loyal to Vergil, due to him being a potential usurper. It would take many years for demons of the Underworld to (start to) realize Dante's loyalty for his brother and stop seeing him as a foreigner. Although not considered a Demon Prince, Dante would later be dubbed the "Dark Knight" like his father Sparda.

Now that Vergil was finally crowned, we can officially start to talk about his legendary reign in the next part.