09-17-2015, 12:48 PM
Quote:Round 1 begins.Zangetsu seemed all too coy. Something of a violent chessmaster, a spirit who wanted his own way only and would twist any rule, any person, to his own gains. And if they didn't cooperate... well, he had a big sword.
Dante was privy to the working of people like this, but not exactly bearing Zangetsu's attitude. But the Son of Sparda had an advantage yet, with Zangetsu having injected his own understanding and being into Dante. He knew that the sword spirit was a being of instinct, deriving strength from the instilling and empowerment of base emotions. However, Zangetsu himself was simultaneously something more wicked than simply that, having his own mentality and agenda. Cunning, violent, and otherwise unpredictable.
As Zangetsu asked his piercing question, Dante reflected the question upon himself in a more proper manner: did he even want this sword? Certainly not now, but in the first place? Strictly speaking, he wanted power. All the power he had lost-
It hit Dante like a motorcycle to the face. He was turning into his brother, driven cold and obsessed with reclaiming all the might and magic he rightfully deserved. Dante had proved his loyalty to living swords before, and defeated devils many times larger than himself for a weapon made from their undying soul. But that was different, because he wasn't doing it for the weapon; he was simply trying to go about his business, and their business happened to get in his way.
Now, he was just trying to get a strong weapon. A weapon, Dante discovered, who was alive, had its own motivations, and was actually something of a rebel in his own right. Devil Arms were spirit and instinct too, but Zangetsu was far more than that, and far more dangerous, therefore.
The pale being was already starting to walk away into the like-colored world when Dante let out a laugh of his own: a lighter echo of Zangetsu's that gave off the chill, yet ticked-off tone the red-coat used earlier. "Pretty stupid choice, if you ask me. Do I need your help? Do I need your 'help'?" The rebellious Son of Sparda hailed to Zangetsu, the devil hunter already slacking his shoulders and adopting a more carefree poise, even with Rebellion still dangling from his right hand. "Oh, but I guess you still don't know everything about me... so why don't I give you a little education?"
The devil hunter stepped forward, shooting an accusing finger at the bleached figure. "Listen good: I don't need help, certainly not from you. When I pick up a sword, it's to try something different. When I win a Devil Arm from a slain devil, it's because I killed them with my skills, and not some particular magic weapon. And when I pick a fight with that devil in the first place, it's because it's my job - my duty - to kick their ass."
Dante finally hoisted Rebellion to his shoulder, taking his left hand from a point into a mocking "come here" gesture. "So come on, then. I'd hate to see you go down without a fight," the devil hunter mocked in challenge, in prompt for Zangetsu to draw his sword and face him down. And as he did, Dante made the first move.
Using his side-facing posture, Dante leaned forward and plunged himself into a sprint, dropping Rebellion from his shoulder to let the tip of the blade drag across the surface of the milky void. As he neared Zangetsu's form, the devil hunter twisted his arm to flip the blade from the ground and wind up for an upward swing from his right side, striking diagonally at his hip across his torso. He would pour much of his forward momentum into the attack, but if Dante could help it, he would only inject a major fraction, leaving enough to move ahead yet but not so much as to be uncontrollable. The intent was to follow through with the one-handed leading strike to transition into a stronger two-handed grip, a staple of Dante's basic swordplay.