The Legendary Harem Knight

A Nephalem's Wish

One second the sun was setting, casting coppery rays over the city. The next, a sudden darkness had fallen upon the world.

Black wings came out in an explosion of feathers, floating down onto the ground.

The schoolboy fell on his butt and his eyes widened with shock.

"I had fun, for a while," the woman said, a black-haired beauty, scantily clad and with wings sprouting from her back. "I will treasure what you've bought for me." Her mocking smile betrayed her words, raising an arm with a rosy bracelet clinging to her wrist.

The boy held up a trembling arm. "Yuuma-chan…"

"Please, die." Yuuma said, flashing a wicked grin. Motes of gathering light pooled in her hands and a crimson spear of light solidified in her clenched fingers.

Neither of them was aware of the figure watching from the side, sitting at the bench, his leg bent over the other nonchalantly.

"Oh, baby, that was gorgeous!" he called out, extending his arm and resting it over the bench's headrest. "I'll pay to see that again."

The winged woman whipped toward the figure, the spear still poised to penetrate the defenseless boy. Her eyes scrunched up in a scowl. Boobs bounced and the booty flashed. Otherworldly beauty, that's what it was.

"Want me to say that again? Sorry, I'm new here. Gotta practice the language, no?" His voice oozed with confidence. The man checked on his fingernails; morsels of pizza had a way of ending up in unexpected places.

"This is none of your concern. Scamper back to your burrow or I'll squash you like the bug you are," her smile was back, sweet, sexy and evil. Just the way he liked it.

"Bugs can be dangerous, you know," the man slapped his thigh. That Gigapede had been testament to that. Of course, that didn't stop him from squashing the gigantic millipede. "They bug me out, those sons of bitches. Go on, squash them, I'll even help you."

The woman laughed, bitter and shrill. "Let's start with you, shall we?"

"But," the man held up a finger, his tone dropping its carefree playfulness. "That boy is no bug. Surely, you can tell the difference."

"That's exactly why. All humans are weak. They deserve to suffer. They must know their place as the inferior beings they are!"

"Didn't know big birds had taken to preying on humans!" He knew the teasing had done its job. With his superhuman reflexes, he dashed aside. The spear hissed in the air and burned through the bench.

"That was hot! Now, behave. And I'll ask you for a date, too," he stood inches behind the woman. He leaned in and whispered. "I'll let you in on a little secret: you just might be my type."

The Fallen Angel whipped around, slashing empty air with a newly made weapon of light. When she turned, the man lay on the ground next to her victim, striking a sunbathing pose.

"Name's Dante," the man flashed a quick smile. His long, crimson, two-tailed coat sprawled on the grass. He reached out his hand and the boy shook it. "The hot ones tend to be dangerous. If a girl asks you out, chances are there's a catch. Tell me boy, what do you like the most in a woman?"

Ah, the discomfort in his eyes. He could make it go away. "Wh-what's with you?" the boy asked, in a state akin to speechlessness.

"Look out!" In a blur, both Dante and the boy were gone from their previous spot. A spear of light exploded on the ground a split second later, charring the gravel and leaving black marks of ash.

The Fallen Angel looked around frantically, in search of her victims that had suddenly vanished from sight. She spotted them sitting at another bench. The boy trembled from head to toes. Dante had his arm curled around the boy's shoulders. His long, white bangs of hair fell neatly next to his eyes.

"Oppai, huh?" Dante whistled in appreciation. "That means boobs, right?" He raised his arm toward the sky in a rather ceremonious fashion. The boy followed its trail as it made an arc over his head. "Mighty monuments of the flesh, nurturers of humankind, the milk of life! The world would be somber place without teats for us, guys, to feast on!"

"What are you doing?" The Fallen Angel's lips trembled with fury. "Come here and face me! I don't know what you are, but human, you are not."

"I'm just giving the talk, to our friend here." Dante turned back to the boy. "Tell me, how many boobs have you fondled?"

"N-none, yet."

"None?! That's outrageous! And you were hoping to do that tonight?" Dante made a dramatic gesture toward the Fallen Angel. "You evil woman! How could you?! Dashing the dreams of such a promising young man! You're heartless!"

The Fallen Angel shuddered with visible fury. Her nostrils flared and her abundant bosom heaved up and down.

"But we can fix that!" Dante's gleeful tone came back. He pulled out his leather wallet and held a yen bill between his fingers. "You want this for your thong?"

"DIE!" Yuuma screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes frenzy with madness.

"Oops," Dante seized the boy by the wrist. "Here we go again!"

The spear of light utterly obliterated the wooden bench into a jumbled mess of sizzling remains.

"Every show's gotta come to end, right?" Dante whipped out a pair of sister handguns and aimed at the Fallen Angel. "Ebony, Ivory, time to get to work!"

Yuuma let out a screeching, raucous laugh. "You really are more stupid than you look! If you think that's going to kill me, do the world a favor and shoot yourself instead!"

"These babies aren't for killing the likes of you." Dante cocked his head to the side, flashing a mischievous smile. "But they hurt like hell! Cover your ears, boy!"

The teenager had been staring at the guns with something akin to awe. He only managed to cover his ears at the last moment before the first ringing bang exploded, resulting in a series of flashes emitting from the guns' muzzles, recoiling toward the wielder with every shot, the bullet casks raining down from their chambers as they were used and discarded, making room for the next projectile to spark and impact on the Fallen Angel.

Yuuma shrieked, covering her eyes. Her black, eagle-like wings flung out before her, partly shielding her from the storm of metal relentlessly striking her body, and though the bullets bounded off and clinked on the ground, her pained expression was proof enough they were damaging.

Dante ceased fire, and flipped and spun the black-and-white guns about his fingers like a fabled gunslinger. He brought each of them delicately to his lips and blew on the muzzles, the smoke wafting away in the air.

"She's… she's still alive!" the boy exclaimed, flinching back. Dante rolled his eyes. Well, duh. Explanations would come later. Maybe some coin, too, for the trouble.

Yuuma gingerly lowered her wings from her face, taking a sweeping look from the wide-eyed boy, to Dante, his red coat rippling down to his lower legs. Her lips twitched into a sour smile.

"You can keep doing that, but it won't stop me. You're bound to run out of bullets some time, right?" her mocking smile returned. "I will cause you the pain you caused me, tenfold!"

"Eh, actually," Dante held up his guns, turning them to show their sides, gleaming, the words 'Ebony' and 'Ivory' engraved in gold lining on the respective pistol. "These sweeties have bottomless clips. Neat, huh?"

"Yuuma-chan, why?" the boy inquired. A tear shone in his eye before rolling down his face. So sentimental. "I thought… you liked me…"

The Fallen Angel exploded with raucous laughter. "Ha, pathetic worm! I should feel pity for whoever asked you out next!" Ouch, that hurt.

Dante curled an arm over the boy's shoulder. "Don't let the old vulture let you down. You have a life full of success ahead of you. You know women outnumber men in the world?"

He felt the new auras manifesting before he actually caught a glimpse of their black feathers, or heard a squeak of their boots on the ground. "Friends of yours, I suppose?" Dante said, taking a cursory glance around the park. Three more Fallen Angels had arrived at the scene.

"Took you long enough, huh, Dohnaseek?" Yuuma said, her lips curling into a wicked grin.

"Just taking care of the Holy Priestess, keeping her safe," the Fallen termed as Dohnaseek responded. He tilted his fedora toward Dante. "These humans causing you trouble, Raynare?"

So that's what she was really called.

"The handsome one isn't human," one of the female Fallen took that moment to speak up, regarding Dante with a lustful glance. Her dark, blue hair tumbled down her back, her bangs hooding her eyes dark, blue eyes. It was natural for Dante to see clearly and distinguish such details in the dark.

"I figured as much, Kalawarner," Raynare snapped, flinging an arm out toward Dante. "This piece of filth is giving me a hard time taking out the Longinus wielder!"

"Sweet Raynare, our queen and leader always needing our help," the child sneered. She sprouted black wings on her back. Her blonde hair fell in twin tails to either of her head. She wore a Gothic Lolita dress with white frills down at the hems. She had the outward appearance of small girl, but Dante knew better. Malevolence and spite hid behind those blue eyes of hers.

"Longinus? Hey, boy," Dante broke up the tension as the child and Raynare exchanged glaring daggers before they could tear at each other's throats. He shook the boy from his frightened state. "What's your name, boy?"

"Hyoudou, Issei…"

"Alright, Issei, you gotta learn not to take what doesn't belong to you, you hear me?" Dante wagged a finger in denial for emphasis. He turned back to the Fallen Angels, who were closing in on them. "See, my friend here didn't take your Longinus. I mean, how's he supposed to have it? Isn't that what the spear that killed Jesus was called?" He ignored the outraged scowls he was receiving. "I don't know what you guys are yapping about, so if you don't mind, my friend and I will be taking our leave."

"Shitting your pants now, aren't you?" Raynare craned her slim neck, eyeing Dante and Issei with contempt.

"Look, I specialize in hunting Demons, but I will not stand by while you kill humans, even if you're Angels," Dante's expression turned serious, his lips curling downward with disgust. "At this point, how different are you from a Demon, really?"

"How dare you lump us together with that bunch?" Raynare snarled, her beautiful visage contorted with repulsion.

"Careful, Raynare," Dohnaseek spoke up. He watched Dante with genuine interest. "I would not do to underestimate this… being. Surely, I'm not only one who can feel his aura?"

"Dohnaseek speaks the truth," Kalawarner said, her eyes narrowed. "The handsome one is dangerous."

"You catch on quick, don't ya?" Dante flashed her a smile. Kalawarner might have blushed a little, turning her head to the side slightly.

"Dante-san, look out!" Issei suddenly cried out. How could he have taken down his guard?

His eyes widened in response. Dante wrapped his arms protectively around Issei and bolted out of the way as the spear of light grazed his arm, making a small tear in his coat, a drop of blood seeping out.

"Issei, get down!" Dante ordered. Issei dropped down to his knees, covering his head. Out of nowhere, he drew a guitar case.

"Are you going to make us go deaf?" Raynare sneered, watching as Dante leisurely unclasped the guitar case with a muted click.

But there was no guitar anywhere to be seen. Cushioned on black velvet was a two-handed claymore sword, its pommel composed of crowned spikes and its crossguard a screaming skull, gleaming with black polish. Dante gripped the hilt and brought the blade up to his chest, pointing the lethal tip toward Raynare.

"Rebellion, let's get this party started, shall we?"

"Look out, that's a Demon Sword!" Dohnaseek exclaimed, taking a step backward. "But how?"

"What do you mean, 'how'?" Dante wore a bemused expression. "I just hold it like this, by the grip." He twirled the two-handed blade about his wrist. "It's a pretty simple affair, if you ask me."

"The boy poses a threat to us, so he must be eliminated," Raynare said. The flicker of apprehension had returned to her eyes as they glued on to the sword, Rebellion.

"He doesn't look incredibly threatening, does he?" Dante gestured idly at Issei, prostrated on the ground, trembling with fear. "Who wants some?" He pointed Rebellion at each and every Fallen Angel. "Issei, I want you to run for it. I'll cover you." Issei looked up timidly. He nodded.

"Alright, let's rock!" Dante darted forward.

Raynare had barely enough time to block the incoming Demon Sword with a hurriedly summoned light spear. They held each other back with sheer strength. Their power struggle was interrupted as Dante whirled around and dashed back to Issei, deflecting the hurled spear of light aside. His fingers burned a little. Not even Berial's fire had affected him this way. These spears of light actually hurt.

In a spurt of speed, he dashed toward the blonde girl, who had already drawn a spear. Singling them out was the key, and starting with the weakest one was the right decision.

"Stinger!" Dante proclaimed, thrusting Rebellion forward, lunging toward the little girl, set to skewer her right through the center. She wouldn't even have had time to react from his superhuman speed.

"Watch out, Mittelt!"

Kalawarner had been ready, averting his blade away from the girl with her spear and retaliating. He somersaulted, the tip of the lance grazing past his chin as he flipped in the air and landed back on his feet, standing upright.

"Dante-san!" Issei exclaimed.

He saw, but it was already too late. The four Fallen Angels had taken to flight. All of them materialized spears of light. Even in his heightened state of awareness and the adrenaline rushing through his body, avoiding all the spears would've been a huge feat. He could do this alone. But protecting the boy was beyond his reach at this point.

Dante moved in a blur. It had been a decision that he made in a fraction of a second. He shoved Issei to the side and out of the way, taking the brunt of the attack himself. The four spears of light shore through his body and out his back, charring his skin, melting his innards. Blood leaked out of his mouth as he coughed it up and splattered it on the ground. Dante wiped his mouth.

Issei rose trembling, gazing horror-struck at the several holes that opened up across Dante's bloodied torso. "Dante-san…!"

Dante gave him yet another smile, his teeth smeared crimson. "I'm sorry you were a victim to this world…" Heaven and Hell always had a way of dragging humans off into their crossfires.

"No, what are you doing?" Issei yelled, holding out his hand. Dante's thin smile broadened into a dangerous, deadly smirk. The white-haired man held out Rebellion, twirled the blade around toward himself, and plunged it into one of the holes created by light spears. The blade slid in soundlessly, staining it with blood across its length.

"Giving up, already?" Raynare sneered. "I knew you'd take the easy way out the moment you couldn't take it anymore."

Huh, they did not get it. He would show them.

He allowed the raw, demonic energy to wash over him in a sudden explosion of power, absorbing it into his every fiber, bathing him with the strength of the fires of Hell. The red coat merged with skin and turned into a demonic hide of scale. Withdrawing Rebellion from his chest, where there once had been a hole, newly formed skin had reknit, closing the grisly wounds as if they never had been there in the first place. His human traits vanished in a split second, turning his peach-colored skin, into black, rocky leather. Fiery veins blazed across the entirety of his body like molten lava, running their course through his legs, chest, arms and neck. His hands and feet were deformed and elongated into razor-sharp demon claws and talons. Where his face had been, now the crimson mask of a demon had replaced it, slits for eyes glowing red with a thirst for blood.

In his current state, he had mere seconds to use this new burst of vigor, and he knew it.

The Fallen Angels and Issei alike watched in dismay, their jaws dropped.

"His power matches that of a ultimate-class Devil!" Dohnaseek yelled, calling forth yet another spear, as did his counterparts.

One.

Dante took to the air, a pair of midnight black, leather wings with spikes outstretching far to either side of him.

Two.

The four spears of light clashed against one another in an explosion of light, barely missing their target. Dante's wings came together into a cocoon of blackness, spinning forward in the air like a drill of darkness and blurred steel.

Three.

Raynare flung her wings, dashing out of the way as the spin of death hissed past her side.

Four.

Like a homing missile, Dante steered in the air and came back at the Fallen. Rebellion and spear of light clashed, the sheer strength of the Devil hybrid sundering the spear into a million shards of light. The tip met flesh, biting across Raynare's stomach, blood spurting out at once. Crying out with pain, she fell from the air and hit the ground on her back.

Five.

Seeing his opportunity clear for the first time, Issei took it and started into a sprint, away from all the chaos. A spear of light smote the grass at his side with a trail of black smoke. The boy paralyzed, rooted to the spot.

Dante retaliated. The hybrid zoomed in the air. "Stinger!" Rebellion thrust forward at an incredible speed toward Dohnaseek.

Six.

The Fallen dashed aside, but Dante pressed on harder, stabbing the air rapidly a million times as Dohnaseek retreated in time, parrying with his spear of light, diverting the sword's directions.

Seven.

Kalawarner and Mittelt came from behind. Their spears both struck their target, much to their sense of triumph, though it was short-lived. They shattered upon impact on the scaly hide. Dante swirled around in a storm of hacks and slashes. The two Fallen fell back instantly, shallow cuts opening throughout their bodies, their outfits torn with gashes in the cloth.

Eight.

"Get the boy!" Raynare screamed, rising from the ground. Issei spun around to flee again.

Nine.

Too late. They fought too well. He would not defeat them in time before the Devil Trigger depleted. Dante sped toward the boy and shoved him out of the way just as he returned to his normal, human-like state.

Ten.

The excruciating pain was back as the spears tore through and out his body afresh. The stench of burned hair and scorched skin crawled into his nostrils. He chuckled weakly.

"This was my favorite coat." He turned to the boy. "Issei," he said softly. "I'm sorry, again. Let's go out, with a bang."

Fingers digging in his pockets, with a whoop of triumph, he drew a black object out of his red coat. The boy gasped with astonishment. Where had Dante been keeping that thing hidden all this time, he might never know. Dante took aim with the grenade launcher's sights. From their expressions of fear, it was clear the Fallen Angels knew it would hurt.

Dante pulled the trigger and his arms recoiled as the shell fired from the muzzle. The grenade zoomed in the air toward Raynare. At the last moment, Kalawarner put herself between the explosive and her leader, taking the brunt of the impact. The explosion engulfed the conglomeration of Fallen Angels, fiery blast and sonic boom alike plucking off their black feathers from their wings, raining down to the ground from the cloud of smoke that had settled around them, the screen of haze blocking them out of view.

Dante grinned faintly at Issei. The boy turned to him, his lips moving to form words of gratitude, when the spear of light penetrated his chest, his eyes glazing over. A cascade of blood gushed out of his open mouth. The boy keeled backward helplessly.

The fifth spear opened yet another hole in Dante's torso. The cloud of smoke dissipated. Dohnaseek and Mittelt lifted Kalawarner, her arms curled around their shoulders limply, her clothing torn and charred, and her skin covered in soot and ash.

"Let's go, Raynare!" Dohnaseek urged his leader. His breathing came in heavy and ragged. Like Mittelt and Kalawarner, he was also showered in ashes. His majestic black wings had lost most of their plumage to the explosion.

The Fallen Angel in question regarded Dante and Issei with an innocent smile. "It had to be done," her voice turned sweet and mellow, but he could read through it and saw only sadistic satisfaction, her eyes roving over the boy with vicious derision. "Don't blame me, but the God that gave you that Sacred Gear."

The four of them took to the air and vanished with the help of a golden pentagram. The darkness that had suddenly drowned out the world dissipated and Dante was greeted by the receding dusk, blinding his eyes slightly. His energy was spent and the wounds he had suffered were grisly enough to make him collapse. He fell on his back with thump, aligning himself next to the boy, their pools of blood blooming and merging into one gory puddle.

Issei gasped like a fish out of the water. He raised a trembling hand to look at it, drenched in blood. His hand slumped at his side.

Dante watched out of the corner of his eye. His wounds would close and his skin would be back, good as new, within the next few hours. It was one of his many perks as Nephalem. The boy, well, his was a completely different story, being human and all.

"I'm sorry, my friend," Dante said softly, lying limp at Issei's side. "I promise you, I'll get them next time. I'll rip out their wings in your memory."

His vision darkened. By the time he regained consciousness, the boy would be gone from this world. He supposed it was time to pay his respects.

Dante clenched his fingers into a fist. "I should've stopped toying with them. It was my fault. Forgive me."

Out of the rim of his dwindling field of vision, he caught sight of a red shimmering above them. The pentagram magnified and expanded, revealing a figure as it drew up like a receding curtain. Crimson hair tumbled and floated with the wind, like a river of bloody ribbons, framing a young, delicate face with deep, blue eyes.

"Am I in heaven or what?" Dante spoke softly, unmoving on the ground.

Unheeding, the figure stood over the boy, whose life waned at a steadfast rate. "You called for me?" she asked gently, her voice steady and noble. Her skirt oscillated with the wind. Dante figured Issei would have a good view before dying. "If you're going to die anyways," A pair of wings sprang from her back, spreading to their full span, black, bat-like pinions of darkness. Dante gasped. A Devil! "I'll take your life for myself."

His eyes drooped, no longer able to remain awake, drained of all energy to put up a fight against such a powerful Demon.

"Live for my sake!" Was all Dante heard before blacking out…

If you enjoyed this chapter, let me know in the form of a follow/favorite/review, and you can be sure I'll continue the story as soon as I can.

These events take place after Devil May Cry 4. The only element I drew from DmC: Devil May Cry was Dante's heritage as the product between a Demon and an Angel's union, a Nephalem. Mind you, not to confuse with Nephilim = Angel + Human.

Review: I don't do music suggestions for battle scenes, but I can start doing them from now on! For this chapter's battle scene, I think a good choice would be DMC 4's Shall Never Surrender.

For those of you wondering, Dante will mostly use his Devil Trigger for show and inflicting dread when facing against lesser enemies.
Also, know that Dante could kill all four Devil Kings if he wanted to, so that's pretty OP.
On the reason why he was "killed" (more like knocked out), it was a lesson for Dante not to toy (too much) with his enemies. It wasn't his inability or that he didn't have the power. He prioritized Issei's safety. He could've killed Raynare, but the others would've slain Issei while he was distracted, resulting in a mission fail.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Welcome to Hell!

Evil Angels and benevolent Devils? It's a crazy world out there! Soon.