Putting aside the guy who left Dante with some mixed feelings, this warm-up was still a damn good time. Dante sheathed his greatsword, stretched out his joints with a few cracks, and glanced at Nero. "So, you still can't pull off a full-on Devil Trigger, huh?"
He could tell Nero's "Sin Devil Trigger" wasn't the real deal—just a weaker form triggered by some external force. What caught his interest, though, was Nero's double transformation. It hinted at two entirely different systems at play, compatible but not exactly growing together.
Nero gave her uncle the quick rundown on her run-in with the demon lord "Pavone" in the Type-Moon world and its "Power of Original Sin." Dante's eyes lit up with realization. "So, it's not a Devil Trigger at all—it's just a demon transformation!"
To him, this so-called "Pride Sin Devil" wasn't a Devil Trigger in the slightest. It was straight-up "demonization"—absorbing a demon's power to take on its form, with no trace of humanity left in it. It had nothing to do with their Sparda bloodline. Compared to the Sparda family's Devil Trigger, it was closer to Credo's transformation after the Ascension Ceremony.
So, Dante dropped a little warning for Nero. That form carried risks similar to the Ascension Ceremony. If the "Original Sin"—the demon's power—overwhelmed her mind, she'd end up a full-blown demon.
"Thanks for the heads-up. I'll keep it in mind," Nero replied.
Seeing she took it seriously, Dante didn't push further. "Good. Long as you've got it under control."
He'd messed with similar forms himself, so he knew tapping into other demons' powers to tweak his Devil Trigger wasn't a bad move. The problem was Nero wasn't strong enough yet to fully master her Devil Trigger, which made her vulnerable to getting consumed by that power.
After their little heart-to-heart, Dante's gaze shifted to a shadowy figure perched on a storage tank under the night sky. "Hey, miss, you gonna keep lurking or come say hi?"
Nero, sensing the same presence through a mark she'd left on Rene, waved toward the figure.
The shadow leaped across the rooftops, closing the distance, then redirected mid-air with a burst of flames, landing lightly on the ground.
"Demon hunting?" she asked Nero.
Nero shook her head. "No demon stench today."
She figured Rene hadn't picked up any demonic scents either but probably thought she'd missed something since Nero was fighting.
Dante's sharp eyes zeroed in on the magical weapon in Rene's hand—a gauntlet eerily similar to his own "Ifrit." One glance at Nero's expression confirmed this kid was one of the girls "Little Ace" had roped into something. He flashed a grin. "Yo, kitten… wait, no, that's a dog in your gear, isn't it?"
Leave it to Dante to clock whether a demon-turned-weapon was a cat or a dog.
"It's a cat now," Rene said, casually stripping "Marcias" of its original species.
Then she turned to Nero. "Training?"
Even after nearly a week with her, Nero wasn't quite sure what she meant. Blinking, she ventured, "You wanna train?"
After all, just saying "training" could mean asking if Nero was sparring with Dante.
"Wanna," Rene nodded.
Dante chuckled at their exchange. "You teaching her to fight?"
Nero shook her head slightly. "Not really. Just showing her some tricks to control her magic."
"Got it. No wonder this stray cat can sling flames like that," Dante said, impressed.
The conversation sparked his interest. He pulled out his "Ifrit" gauntlets, threw a few punches that left trails of fire in the air, and looked at Rene. "We're both playing with fire here—your claws, my fists. Wanna learn a few moves from me?"
Dante spread his arms, striking a pose.
Rene glanced at Nero, who didn't object, so she figured Dante was cool. "Wanna learn."
"Alright, watch close—"
If Nero had to judge, she'd say Dante was a lousy teacher. When he got excited, his "teaching" was just him showing off. His lesson for Rene? A full-on performance of how to blend Ifrit's flames with his moves—using fire to boost his body's momentum, then channeling that power to unleash even bigger bursts of flame. For a normal person, watching Dante's demo a hundred times wouldn't teach them a thing.
But Nero and Rene weren't exactly normal. Dante blazed through his moves without slowing down, and Rene—somehow—picked up the vibe after just one go. By the second round, she'd nailed the trick.
"Not bad," Dante said, genuinely impressed. "This kid's a natural."
"Good uncle," Rene declared, slapping the label on him since he hadn't introduced himself. After a brief pause, she stashed her weapon, pulled two slips of paper from her pocket, and handed them to Dante.
"What's this?" Dante asked, raising a brow as he took them.
"Gift," Rene replied.
Guess she wasn't completely clueless about social graces—she knew to give a thank-you gift. Dante unfolded the neatly creased papers, revealing two gift vouchers.
For what, you ask?
"Parfait vouchers?" Dante looked up at Rene, surprised she'd be carrying something like that.
Man, this was exactly what he needed—no joke. Dante hadn't brought much cash on this trip. Most of his money was tied up in his account or credit cards, and he hadn't had a single sweet treat all day!
Rene eyed the vouchers reluctantly, lips pursed, but nodded. "For you."
"This kid's into sundaes too?" Dante asked Nero.
Nero, caught off guard by the scene, rubbed her neck. "Uh, yeah…"
She knew Dante was a sucker for sundaes—parfaits were basically the same thing, just a regional twist. But seeing a middle-aged guy like Dante openly geek out over sweets? It was… kinda awkward.
No wonder Rene was always eating parfaits but never had cash—she'd been sitting on gift vouchers.
"Matcha parfait," Rene added.
Dante felt an instant kinship. Grinning, he waved the vouchers. "Well, I'm not gonna say no to these. But could the lady in front of me maybe show me where this shop is?"
He flashed a pleased smirk. "I'll treat you to one too."