Scene #6657: The Devil In The Dark

Owner	Pose
Vergil	The descent is different this time. While the path through the caves was once lit by scattered glowsticks, those have since lost most of their light. Instead, the path is now lit by bright blue phantasmagoric swords impaled into the rocks. The azure light cast about is enough to see by, but it's still quite dark and warm beneath the earth. It almost feels as if one is striding into Hell, with the devil awaiting them. The thin tunnels soon widen, opening into the cavern in which the library was found. This place too is lit by blue swords in the bedrock, the only electrical lighting coming from the library, shining out of the door and through a hole in the wall. A generator chugs weakly, the only sound in the bowls of the earth. The stink of rotting flesh wafts up from the cliffside, from the impaled body of the security for this doomed mission. In the dark, two red pinpricks appear, and a voice speaks. "It's about time, delivery boys," Vergil says coldly, addressing Jack and Rean. "I requested supplies weeks ago. In the end, I had to fetch some myself." Indeed, the cave floor is cluttered with water bottles and snack packaging. At the very late, the ill-fated archaeologists have not starved or dehydrated. "I am afraid you'll get no tip from me," says Vergil wryly. As eyes adjust to the dark, he can be seen sitting in a folding chair, his sheathed Yamato before him, clutched in both hands with the tip resting upon the floor. "But I take it you, and this crowd you've gathered, have come for an entirely different reason."
Septette Arcubielle	Septette, uninvited by the heroic "delivery boys", trails ten or twenty feet behind them the whole way. With her glowing eyes and clinking footsteps, it's impossible for her to hide in subterfuge or feign normalcy; that violet shawl around her shoulders can only disguise so much. She puts up a veil of friendliness instead, waving to greet them at the start of the path, introducing herself in a friendly synthetic voice- 'like a noblewoman speaking through a dying furby'- and offering them each a flask of water from her satchel. On the way down, she pauses to examine the swords with her eyes flickering in erratic pulses like the flashing light on a hard drive. More surreptitiously, she smokelessly cremates the rotting corpses with fire magic when she's able to linger behind the others- no sense in leaving them to spread disease, but none in showing her hand so early to strangers either. When they arrive in the larger cavern to face those pinpricks in the darkness, Sept's own violet irises stare back (from behind Jack and Rean, if possible). It might almost be vaguely intimidating, if not for the fact that they're only five feet off the ground. Oh well. The yggdroid reaches into her satchel, pulls out a piece of compressed seaweed 'hardtack', and takes a bite out of the corner while still holding eye contact with Vergil. "I don't know," she replies, no trace of wariness in her tone. "How much longer do you anticipate this work might take, sir?"
Jack Flash	Jack is here. Jack brought supplies! He tosses a box of granola bars at Vergil's feet. No, he obviously isn't here as a delivery boy. "Alright. You wanted to do this outside, right? Let's do this outside. I'm going to kick your ass this time." A purplish-black shadow manifests in front of him, a person with a wide-brimmed hat and a crooked, toothy grin. It waits for any unexpected attacks, moving to intercept them, but not yet attacking. The Black Parade's on the defensive.
Haguro	After hearing about researches being kidnapped by a demon swordsman, Haguro couldn't possibly ignore their plight. There's plenty of angles to attack this situation from, but her chosen method is one of distinct neutrality. She doesn't know what the swordsman's using them for. She doesn't know what the researchers even know. First things first: Following the people that have some idea of what's going on and figuring things out from there. Sure, the Cruiser has her turrets loaded and her usual armor plates strapped on, but she moves at a relaxed pace to let those Vergil recognizes take the lead. She leaves Septette to her own devices as well, scrunching her nose briefly at the scent without questioning her about it. Instead, her focus is on Vergil himself. "Good evening, sir. Please, be at ease. My name is Haguro, Fourth of the Myoukou Class Heavy Cruisers and Vice-Admiral of the Luthan Fleet. I'm here to see what this whole... Erm." She starts off sounding controlled and composed at first, but it quickly fades as the smell starts getting past her defenses. She coughs lightly and wrinkles her nose, brushing her hand past it to try and get some of the smell out. It's not working very well. "I'd like to know why you're doing whatever it is you're doing here. Do you have a minute to spare?" Indeed, her arms are held loosely at her side, and she stands off to the side to keep some distance between herself and Jack.
Rean Schwarzer	It's dark and warm, like they're diving deep into the depths of some great beast. That guard that died is still here, if the scent is any indication. Rean grimaces, as they continue pushing onward. They would not fail this time. Vergil's eyes pierce through the darkness, still here and waiting. "We are." Rean says, drawing his sword. "We're rescuing those researchers, whether you like it or not!" Haguro and Septette ask their questions, And he's willing to wait for an answer, but he and Jack were here to save people.
Vergil	Vergil regards the Yggdroid for a long moment before offering an answer. "There is only one shelf remaining. At most, a day or two. But I do not think some parties will be willing to wait." And indeed, Jack tosses some granola bars at Vergil's feet contemptuously. "Really now, just a single box? Are the Paladins cheap, or is it just you?" Vergil sneers as Jack summons his Stand. Vergil doesn't move, and neither does The Black Parade. "If you are to try and prove your power greater than mine, go ahead. I think I proved quite conclusively last time that I am superior. Show me what you've learned." Haguro speaks up, and it seems she did not pay attention to the briefings. Vergil places a finger to his forehead and sighs. "Behind me is an ancient archive of human knowledge of the demons that once tormented them. My father, the Dark Knight Sparda, is the one whom freed humanity from the demons. Hence, I am simply curious to see if records of him exist here." He runs a hand through his immaculately slicked hair. You would have no idea he's been down in a cave for weeks. "Better I find out here than break into a private collection, no?" And new Rean steps up. Vergil cracks a grin and widens his stance, placing Yamato at his side and hovering his other hand over the hilt. "Ah, the boy with the hidden power. If you wish to rescue these archaeologists, you had better not hold back this time." And then he's gone. A whiling dervish of cuts encompasses the group of rescuers as Vergil dashes through them, the Yamato dancing to give off blue glints as it whirls, aiming to cuts them. Once behind them, Vergil launches the blade back into its sheath with a flourishing whirl. "Try to keep up."
Septette Arcubielle	Septette subtly moves in reaction to the bewildering flurry of attacks- it looks like she's twitching and writhing at first, subtly moving chinks in her armor out of the way of the blades of an invisible blender. The shallow cuts plink off her plating, leaving no mark behind; after the first second or two, she stops writhing, simply standing in the middle of the storm as her eyes flick back and forth in an attempt to track the invisible. After a moment's pause, she walks over to one of the blue swords embedded in the ground, picks it up in one hand, strides over to Jack Flash as casually as if she were approaching him for a handshake, and then swings at him with the flat of the glowing blue blade towards his chest fast enough to follow the strike with a vacuum-wave pop. Whether or not it strikes true, she relaxes into a fighting stance, her attention fixed squarely on him. "Sorry. If you succeed in driving him out here, he'll kill other people pursuing that information elsewhere. He's in too deep now."
Haguro	Nodding slowly in agreement at Vergil's comment about the box of granola bars, Haguro furrows her brow as he explains what he's here for. "That does sound better overall, yes. If that's all it is, then what about...?" She looks towards Rean, nodding again at the mention of the archaeologists. "Yes, what about-" Then Vergil disappears. Haguro's reflexes kick in before she can process what's going on, swinging an armored arm at the flurry of cuts to keep the worst of them from slicing her to ribbons and suffering a fair number of smaller, shallower cuts in the process. "Gh...! Wait, why are you keeping the archaeologists, then?! Are they related to these records, too? Or are they just insurance?" Despite her own lack of real investment in the fight, Haguro's not one to just stand there and take it. Loading her guns, she starts firing a sustained barrage of flak normally reserved for aircraft in Vergil's path. Although they're not particularly strong pieces on their own, the sheer number of sharp projectiles might just be enough of a nuisance!
Jack Flash	"They're the last meal before they get home." Jack responds to Vergil. Vergil strikes with the blades. This time, Jack is prepared, rolling out of the way, only taking a grazing cut to the shoulder and to the cheek, drawing blood. He spits, and is about to counterattack Vergil with his revolver, when... His instincts flash, and he barely gets out of the way of Septette's strike. It doesn't impact with his chest, instead slashing through his shoulder, drawing more of that crimson blood. Straightening upwards, Jack grimaces at her, but there's a clear amount of determination in his eyes. "That's the single stupidest thing I've ever heard." "But if you want a fight...I'll give it to you!" The revolver is drawn, and fired at Septette. It's not a super accurate shot, and against Septette's plating, it's going to be practically useless. Jack doesn't care. It's a distraction shot. The shadow warps. A hammer-hand of a tendril lifts out of the shadow and moves to smash into Septette, hitting full-strength like you just got smashed by a truck at full speed. It's /strong/. As it does so, Jack slides his hand across his bloody cheek, making a strange poke where he juts his other arm forward without directly pointing at her. "I'll kick your ass, robot!"
Septette Arcubielle	Septette sees the revolver being drawn in slow motion; sees it levelled at her center-mass. She makes the conscious decision, at every millisecond, not to try and dodge Jack's aim. It's a deliberate show of supposed invulnerability, and it comes true when the bullet cuts through her tattered shawl and ricochets off her crystalline heart. "You can't expect to--" The hammer-arm comes down. Septette's own forearm comes up to block it with a thunderous crash, but she holds against the heavy blow without any apparent difficulty even as it drives her a few inches sideways on the stone floor. Her talons dig into the rock, sending up a spray of sparks and a nails-on-chalkboard shriek as they carve furrows to keep her on her feet. "--hurt me like that." Her eyes stay perfectly locked on Jack's as her voice drops momentarily to a staticky growl. "I'm perfection in steel. You're a dude made of meat. You don't want this." She drops the glowing blue sword to the ground and unfolds her left forearm into a horrific assemblage of curved threshing blades, most of which look too long to have possibly fit inside the limb in the first place. She twists to slam the elaborate death-mechanism into the shadow, then pivots, stepping forward and twisting from the hips to swing a single scythelike blade towards Jack's legs!
Rean Schwarzer	And once again, the air is filled with slashes and cuts, tearing into Rean's uniform as he braces for the attack. "He needs them to translate the records, that's why he's keeping them here." Rean says to Haguro. And then Septette turns on the party. "What- Are you serious?!" Rean shouts, turning towards the mechanical woman. But apparently she believed it would be best if he got his information now rather than later. "How do you know there's anything here for him to find? He'll just move on anyway!" Rean dashes forward, aiming a series of strikes at Vergils chest. He'd keep trying to do things his way, at least. Veril's taunts about him going full force fell on deaf ears as well.
Jack Flash	Jack's powerful hammer blow barely does anything. His foe's tough. She's a robot, after all, so it makes sense, but... As the blades come in a scythelike strike at Jack's legs, he doesn't move. "Just a dude made of meat? Nah. I've got more descriptors than that." The shadow suddenly flexes, and a tendril moves to intercept the scythe blade strike, ricocheting it backwards and away from Jack just barely in time to not get his legs cut off. He's sweating from the close encounter, but he's still grinning. "This is the power of my Stand, my fighting spirit! Let me show you a real strike from this..." "My Stand, The Black Parade!" The Black Parade lurches through the darkness, coming underneath Septette's feet and then behind her. Even if she's fast enough to turn, it'll still try and impact, a flurry of spikes moving to try and smash through her hull with repeated strikes to break that impervious guard.
Vergil	Vergil gains an unexpected ally! Septette rips one of his summoned swords from the wall and uses it to attack Jack. Vergil is genuinely kind of amazed at this, and actually stops attacking to stare at this. But, this does leave him wide open for Haguro's flak blast. His body is ripped apart by the shards of metal, drawing a pained grimace from him as he suddenly moves again, appearing in the middle of the cave. His wounds are already gone. "I cannot read the tablets. Hence, I need them to offer a translation." Rean rushes in, and slashes at Vergil's chest. The devil just... stands there and takes it, cuts opening and rapidly closing as Rean swipes at him. "Too weak boy. You need more power." He launches a savagely quick push kick at Rean's gut, aiming to send him sliding back, before sending a few summon swords at Haguro. He's not aiming to wound them right now, he just needs some breathing room so he can say his piece. "Let it be known," he says firmly. "That I did not ask for help. I could have taken on all four of you by myself," he says simply. Is he really worried about that?
Haguro	"Translations? If that's the case, wouldn't it be less..." Haguro gestures over at Jack and Septette as the former does something odd with... Darkness? Shadows? It's not the sort of thing she's seen before, and even Septette's fighting style is somewhat unnerving to Haguro even after all this time. Shaking off that momentary distraction, she turns back to Vergil right as more of those swords appear and hurtle right for the Cruiser. She tries to blast them out of the air with her shoulder turret, but that only manages to send them spinning dangerously through said turret and drawing a brief spray of blood across the walls nearby. "If you only needed that, then wouldn't there be less of... All of this if you had hired them instead?" Tearing off that damaged turret, Haguro tosses it aside as she starts advancing on Vergil steadily. "If you really want to fight that badly, th... Then I'll oblige, but we could be working together for this instead." As that suggestion is made, Haguro punches forward as a knife shoots out of her wrist turret, and then she starts whipping it around wildly in Vergil's general direction while continuing to close the distance. It seems she's looking to take this fight to close range even with those guns all over her!
Septette Arcubielle	Septette starts moving the instant those tendrils appear behind her, with almost supernatural alacrity. Her movements aren't particularly fast by themselves until she starts getting momentum behind them, but the timing and reactions are immaculate: where the tendrils might fight a crack in her armor, she bends her spine or cascades her hair just so to steer them into crashing off her plates instead. She is a rock, and they are the tide crashing around her. And she doesn't even bother to look straight at the menacing shadow. She advances in a dance, half offensive menace and half jittery evasion, while swinging her menacing blades at him in an off-rhythm flurry. They glow with a cerulean magical light and explode in blossoms of painful electricity on a near-miss, aiming to sting and sap him even if his tendrils knock them aside! "Give up," the smol robot says simply, staring up at him over the roar and clamor of her mechanized weapons. "Whatever kind of hero you think you are, I've broken them before. You, little one, have never seen my equal."
Jack Flash	The blows are dodged skillfully, and Jack balks. And then, there's an electrical sting even as the tendrils move to block the blades from hitting head-on, electricity channeling through the shock, through, the shadow, and to Jack underfoot. Magic is weird, as Jack jerks back, in pain. "You've got something wrong. I don't think I'm a hero, or even your equal. But I don't like somebody who stops others for bullshit philosophical reasons! I'm a man who follows my heart, and my heart's telling me to keep on fighting!" Jack growls, and the Black Parade moves again. The shadow manifests a massive, battering tendril, and moves to smack it straight into Septette, trying to finally damage her. If he can even get a single actual hit of pain, he'll be satisfied even if they lose this fight. IT's all about pride, now.
Septette Arcubielle	"If you 'follow your heart', you'll never make a hard decision," Septette replies, stalking forward as she works the angles on chipping at Jack's defense. "Moral courage is about doing what you know is right even when it feels wrong. The addiction to staying innocent is its own kind of vice." Her flickering eyes carefully track that massive tendril as it rears back, scanning it for any kind of trap or secret ingredient- failing to find any, she simply facetanks it, letting the blow wash off her utterly ineffectually. "But I'm not here to lecture you. I know how this goes. I know how it ends." Abruptly, her assault ceases, and she leans back away from him while trying to grab one of his ankles with her foot-talons and pin it to the floor. Her right hand glows cerulean, and for the briefest of instants, a magical circle flares at her fingertips. A half-dozen icicles, each the size of a knife, condense out of the air behind Jack with a keening crystalline screech and streak for his back like heat-seeking missiles. Between the subtly nerve-jarring electricity and the compromising position, that backstab just might be the solid blow she's looking for!
Jack Flash	"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Good that you're not here to lecture me, because I don't want it!" The icicles come flying forward, and the tendrils fly up, moving to start deflecting them. It gets most of them knocked out of the air, but several impale into his back, causing him to scream, almost fall forward, and start bleeding. The Black Parade moves behind him, using shadowy hands to rip the icicles out of his back. "Time to refresh...!" A flurry of tendril strikes flies at Septette. They're not serious in any way - they're attempting to allow Jack a second to cool down from the injuries and keep on fighting, to power up with something bigger next.
Septette Arcubielle	Rather than hold still and take the tentacle strikes, Septette dashes backwards and casts up a spray of gravel shrapnel from where her feet shred the ground, jukes right to grab her discarded sword off of the ground, then jukes left to yank a different one out of the rock and dashes back into the fray- this time along the ceiling, dropping down in front of him with a flurry of disorienting falling strikes that whicker through the air. The swords haven't proven terribly damaging in her unpracticed hands, but they provide a nice expendable barrier between her and the threat. Where previously she was just a solid brick wall, now she's turning up the heat with mechanical agility, moving with flexibility and acceleration that'd tear a human body apart. The pressuring sword-dance is mostly for show- trying to drive home how apparently outclassed he is by revealing a facet of strength she'd been holding out on. "I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, Mr. Flash. Just walk out of here. I won't stop you."
Rean Schwarzer	His attacks aren't doing much, just like last time. Ok, maybe he DID need to hit him at full blast...And pray that he doesn't screw something up in the process. Vergil's kick does in fact knock him back and to the ground. He lays on the ground for a moment, his body becoming cloaked in the same dark aura from last time. He gets up, his hair and eyes having shifted colors, just like the last time. He then charges Vergil like a mad bull, wildly striking at the man.
Jack Flash	Jack is finally hit head on by an attack - the pressuring sword dance cuts through his jacket, slashes him more, and forces him back. When she says she doesn't know what he's trying to accomplish, Jack grins wildly. "It's a matter of pride. I don't put up with bullies who try to tell me what to do because they think they're better than me. I didn't do it in the police force, and I sure as hell won't do it now. Besides, if I hold you off, might give the kid enough time to take out the demon." After charging up, the Black Parade moves again. This time, it shapes a sword itself, similar in size to the ones Septette was using, in case they have to sword-duel. It moves to try and find the chinks in her armor, and slash straight through it, if there is any, or otherwise, just hit her as hard as a truck again, this time with a sword.
Vergil	Haguro actually rushes in with a knife to engage Vergil in close quarters! The devil is surprised that someone so bristling with long-ranged weapons would try this. His face gets slashed on the first two swings, but Yamato lashes out to deflect it on the third pass before Vergil quicksteps towards Haguro. If she wants a close-ranged fight, he'll oblige her. "'Payment,'" he sneers, quickdrawing Yamato from his hip with enough force to launch her into the air, before appearing above her to quickdraw with a descending slash, spiking her back to the ground! "Is a human concept. When a demon wants something, they take it. The only currency worth anything is your power and your life." Or maybe he's just broke. Either way, he's made it clear he did not feel the need to obtain this information through legitimate means. And then the darkness in the cave seems to deepen. Vergil turns to look at Rean, currently wreathed in darkness, and cracks a smile. "Ahh, about time," he says. Rean charges in, and his blows thunder down, slashing deep into Vergil. He goes sliding back from the impact, but actually laughs. "Well down. Now I'm a little motivated!" In a crash of blue lightning, he takes on his demonic form and charges at Rean, launching a spiralling slash that takes them both airborne as summoned swords array themselves around them. "Tell me the source of your power!" the demon demands of Rean before the swords go flying, aiming to pin the boy to the cave wall.
Septette Arcubielle	Septette's grasp of a sword is simultaneously awkward and eerily perfect- she's like a supercomputer playing chess for the first time, catching opportunities invisible to the human eye, but having zero knowledge of the 'proper' structure of the game. She dances around Jack's sword for a while, batting it back and forth between her dual-wielded blades like a cat playing with a dying rodent, but she overcommits to the lunging strike that finally wounds him. Maybe it's carelessness; maybe she assumed he'd be stunned by the pain; maybe she's too many layers deep in the 7D chess- regardless, there's no way she can block the strike by the time she sees it coming. Instead, she steps into it. The blade passes directly through her cloak and hollow ribcage, glancing off of something but not leaving a visible wound. She grabs the hilt and walks it forward until the Stand is impaled clean through her back- and then her other hand reaches for Jack's neck. If he leans back, she might only scratch it with her razor-sharp talons; if she manages to get a good hold, she'll lift him up off the ground in preparation for a chokeslam! (She has to stand on her tippy-toes to do it, though.) "Don't think of me as a 'bully', Jack," she croons. "We each have our own brand of 'justice'. Were our places reversed, you'd be fighting me, wouldn't you? It's no hard feelings."
Jack Flash	Jack sword duels Septette briefly - he has no skill with a sword, and she'd easily be able to tell - but he manages to get a hit in. He mutters "Yes!", but then, she comes in to impale the Stand, and then move to grab Jack and chokeslam him. This would be extremely effective... If the Stand wasn't a shadow, able to move weirdly, and not really susceptible to physical attacks. It disappears from the blade, forcing itself underneath and reappearing between Jack and Septette, and then, it kicks. The kick isn't at Septette, who wouldn't budge. It's at Jack, who goes flying backwards, into a heap, right out of the way of Septette's slam. Jack just shrugs at her. "I got a good hit in. I'm no longer mad at you, but, kid over there's going all out, so I might as well join him." But not yet. A flurry of tendrils move again, to bat Septette back and let Jack get up from the heap and prepare for his next attack. He grabs his revolver. Five bullets. That'll be plenty.
Haguro	As that knife returns to Haguro's turret, Vergil's motive becomes clear thanks to Vergil outright stating his lack of desire to pay people to do things. "It is, but it's a very convenient concept! Payment in blood or services..." The Cruiser braces herself as she holds the shielded parts of her arms downwards, but she seems totally caught off guard when Vergil's attack breaks right through those metal plates and launches her right into the air. Vertical mobility isn't exactly her forte, either, and she gets spiked right back down with a painful crunch against the ground! "Even if you're this strong, payment in things like... Ugh. Like this doesn't last long if nobody knows you have it." Pushing herself up off the ground, more armored plates fall off Haguro while she brushes a trickle of blood off her face and tears off a torn up sleeve. She keeps her hands barely touching the ground as she keeps low to the ground while watching Rean and Vergil transform to take the fight to another level entirely. The sight is actually rather intimidating, and Haguro even loses her place in what she was saying! It'll come back to her later. For now, she waits until Vergil's distracted with launching his blades at Rean before moving in once more, disappearing from existence entirely for a brief moment save for the blue light of her thrusters lingering where she was. When she reappears, she's about two arms lengths away from Vergil, but it only takes her a moment to step forward the remaining distance to reach for him, trying to grab and toss him right into his own blades!
Rean Schwarzer	Rean and Vergil both go flying, and one of the blades does in fact catch Rean's uniform and pins him to the wall. Unfortunately for Vergil, he's kind of stopped giving a shit. He grabs the sword and tears it out of the wall, chucking it at Vergil's chest. Even if he was in the mood to respond to Vergil's question, he wouldn't be able to give him an answer anyway.
Septette Arcubielle	Septette doesn't seem slowed or pained by whatever wound Jack inflicted on her- she's as steady as ever, if watching that shadow a bit more warily now. Rather than pressing the assault further, she switches tacks, tossing her swords and satchel full of supplies aside- and then heating her body until it's red, then orange, then white like the filament of a lightbulb, giving her the appearance of a luminous angel. She's totally unharmed by it herself, but her shawl burns off to reveal the skeletal ceramet substructure underneath. Even at the distance of several paces, the heat is oppressive- and then she rushes in, swinging at oblique and unpredictable angles at Jack with her arm-blades, but mostly just trying to get close to him as the searing air roils and shimmers with heat mirages. "I know you do good things here, Jack. I'm trying not to maim you; I really am. Work with me here."
Jack Flash	"Awesome. And I don't think I could maim you if I wanted to, so...let's see what you got!" Her skeletal remains are shown underneath, and then, in comes searing air and more strikes. Arm blades come in, as Jack sweats and burns, and the blades slash shallowly, drawing more blood and causing him to pull back in anguish. "Let's try a new technique. Revolver Ricochet!" Jack fires the revolver all five times, straight forward. Five bullets come flying out, until - the Black Parade moves swooping forward, tendrils moving to bat the bullets around in the air. Back, forth, all around, until they're hit towards 'approximately anywhere that doesn't look like the bullets will be useless'. It's not hyper-accurate, but the bullets are still flying slugs of death. And there's one more twist to it. The Black Parade takes those arms, and moves to just square punch Septette in the face if it can. Over and over and over, the Ricochet mostly a softening/distraction, as Jack shouts out. "Comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon!" Each blow has been amplified as far as the Black Parade can punch. Instead of a truck, it's a train. Septette's probably been hit by a train before and been fine, but it'll certainly still hurt, as Jack exhausts himself for one final attack!
Vergil	Vergil manages a response to Haguro amidst his assault. "Payment in services? No, you misunderstand. If a demon wants something, they take it." He sheaths Yamato slowly. "Should people forget my power, I shall just prove it to them again." But she's up, and grabbing him. "What are you-" he begins to say, before being launched at high speeds, to intercept his own summon swords! He cries out, skewered through the back in mid-air, facing the pinned Rean. Only to see the boy wrench the spectral blade from his own form and hurl it at Vergil. It stabs all the way to the hilt, and lands with such force that Vergil goes flying, the blade embedding itself into the far wall over the pit with the dead body impaled at the bottom. Vergil hangs from it, and is actually silent for a long enough moment that it might seem like he's been defeated. Until he lets out a dry laugh that bounces off the walls. "Detective!" he calls out to Jack as he plants his feet against the wall. "Your young partner is too enraged to answer me, so I'll ask you; what is his name?" As he awaits an answer, he pulls himself and the blade going through him off the wall and jumps back to solid ground. He takes on his demonic form once more as the blade vanishes and the wound closes. ""As you have shown me your full power, I'll respond in kind," he growls, assuming an iai stance before disappearing. The cave fills with whirling bubbles of cuts, courtesy of Vergil's incredible speed and swordsman ship. However, they steer clear of Jack and Septette. Out of respect for their fight? Or just not willing to draw more aggro right now?
Haguro	As far as Haguro can tell, appeal to whatever humanity this human-shaped swordsman has might not be the best approach. It wasn't even an approach that worked for her transformed state, and... There it is. Things are starting to click for her! "Even if it means wasting time proving yourself instead of using that time with... Whatever it is you're looking for?" Haguro lands from that toss, wobbling just a bit as she watches Vergil hanging from the hanging swords. Did she and Rean go overboard? Nope. No, he's off that wall and.. Is he recovering already?! The apprehension is clear in Haguro's eyes, but there's also a look of awe mixed into all of that. How could she not be? Between the two swordsmen fighting above her, being stuck on the ground just makes their clashing blades all the more impressive. As one set of said blades comes right for her, Haguro twists and turns to utilize her remaining armor as best she can, wincing as tempered steel gets sheared right off in no time flat, leaving her to defend against the rest of those attacks with nothing more than her own inhuman sturdiness! Blood/oil stains the walls as the Cruiser tries to move with the slashes as best she can, taking innumerable cuts that force her onto her back foot. "You're strong, but you could be doing so much more. After we're finished with this... Join me!" There's one last step back before Haguro lurches forward suddenly, lashing out at one of the few oncoming slashes she can see coming to try and catch even a small part of Vergil. Should she make contact, her other hand swings around with a hook to the gut followed by a (hopefully) point-blank blast of metal shrapnel!
Septette Arcubielle	The revolver bullets aren't difficult for Septette to simulate and predict- or wouldn't be, if not for the erratic and bizarre trajectories the shadow throws them on. She can't track them all at once by sight, even with her eyes flickering back and forth until they're a blur; she can't track them by sound, no matter how her ears angle, since the bullets themselves outpace the radiating soundwaves of their ricochets. So she spins in a graceful pirouette, deflecting as many of the bullets as she can with her swirling blades- and then takes the Stand's punches right on the chin. Her inertia is such that, even as the blows lift her off the ground and press her backwards, the knockback isn't instantaneous. Her backwards momentum builds and builds from the consecutive blows until she achieves LIFDOFF, being bodily launched back through a solid rock wall and into an adjacent chamber. The heat of her momentary passage half-melts some of the rubble into lava. Not two seconds later, Septette leaps back through the hole at Autobahn speeds, causing an eruption of rock and magma in a halo around herself as she brings the searing-bright arm-blade around to cut into the shadow and Jack both. She lands on the other side of them on all fours, hands and feet shredding the floor as she reverses momentum and lays into them with a barrage of lesser blows with her claws and talons. "Jack," she says, her voice still discordantly calm and sweet over the din of battle, "I am a very busy woman. I don't have time for this. And I don't bear you any enmity. But before I go- I'm going to leave an impression. I'm going to make you regret this."
Rean Schwarzer	The air is filled with slashes again, slicing into him from every direction. His uniform's a wreck now, his jacket basically falling apart at the seams. Rean's still pissed off as ever, though. In fact that attack just made him even MORE mad. He raises his sword, and it becomes wrapped in black flames. Rean finally speaks, just one word: "Die." He then charges at Vergil, striking at him multiple times, before putting all his energy into one last explosive strike.
Jack Flash	Jack sends Septette flying back, causing him to fistpump a 'yes!', but then Septette comes back, moving to cut both into Shadow and Jack, claws and talons slicing through. The shadow is...fine, mostly. It wavers away, but it can't actually be destroyed, because it's a shadow, even if it's trying to get away from the strikes. Jack, on the other hand... Is cut into, wounds created and cauterized causing him to scream in searing pain, and him flying backwards from the barrage of blows. "If you're such a busy woman, you should have never been here fighting me in the first place! But...yeah, yeah, ugh..." He grunts, trying to lift himself up. "The message's been received, and I think the others have done well enough that I can screw off now. Besides...you're terrifying!" Jack forces himself up, scrapes some of the blood that's coming out of his mouth off, and then moves for the exit, the Stand disappearing. He doesn't hold /enmity/ for Septette, exactly, but she's not friendly, either. But at the same time... Jack doesn't exactly regret this. Maybe a bit, based off how hurt he got, but there was some thrill there, and a chance to show off his power. He'll be bruised for a while, but at least he's not close to dying.
Septette Arcubielle	Septette straightens up, pretends to dust off imaginary clothes with her hands, 'quenches' herself back to her normal color with a hiss of ice magic, and waves Jack towards the exit like some kind of genteel usher. "Get well soon," she says sweetly, pulling a fresh shawl out of her cute leather satchel and wrapping it around her shoulders to hide her inhuman frame once more. Then she looks over at Vergil, Haguro, and Rean. Her expression is totally impassive and flat as she looks down at her wrist, as if checking a watch. She looks back up, her glowing purple eyes flitting between the combatants. "That is time for me to clock out. Sort yourselves out, kiddos."
Vergil	Vergil is snatched out of the air by Haguro and punched in the gut. His scaly, demonic skin soaks up the blow right now, and the follow-up shrapnel embeds it in, drawing only a small amount of blood. He dashes back and pops his neck as he reverts. "Join you? Ridiculous. What could I stand to gain from it? I do not seek organisational power. I do not need rely on others. Everything I accomplish will be through personal power alone." Rean is winding up, wreathed in black flames, and Vergil smirks. "Like Rean here. Look at him. Intent, focussed, aiming for my life. No ridiculous toys to try and close the gap between he and I. Power against power. This is how it should be." He rushes at the school boy, and swings Yamato to try and push back the burning slash. Blue lightning arcs against black flame for a single, pregnant moment, before the flames overwhelm him. Yamato is pushed aside, and Vergil is cleaved in half. He crumbles, his body somehow whole again as he hits the ground. His eyes are still open and his breathing is ragged, but he doesn't seem upset in the slightest. "Well done," he groans as he gets back to his feet. He gestures towards the library and says, "They're all yours. I suppose I shall have to slake my curiosity elsewhere." Yamato is drawn, but not to threaten, but merely to slash open a swirling bluw portal in the air. Vergil turns his head to look over his shoulder. "Thank you Rean. I had begun to fear that this Multiverse only had those who relied on gimmicks to achieve strength." He then glances at Haguro and says, "As for you... you are right to be scared of me. But fear will hold you back." Then at the lazing Septette. "I do not understand you, machine woman," is all she gets. And then Vergil crosses through the portal, which closes behind him. The archeologists are saved. They haven't been getting the best nourishment, but they are fed and watered. They had just opened up another jar containing a tablet that bore a depiction of a buglike humanoid. The carvings were deep and clear, indicating that someone really took their time on this one.
Haguro	It was worth a shot. Haguro sighs lightly as Vergil rejects that offer, although she doesn't look particularly surprised compared to just looking disappointed. "If you're only fighting for yourself, then... Not a lot, I suppose. If you ever change your mind, though?" The Cruiser draws out a business card as she tries to push out the mental image of two Vergil halves holding a conversation. She didn't need to sleep tonight, anyway. "It's not that I'm afraid. I just..." What /is/ it that's holding her back, then? There's a very clear fear there, but what that fear stems from is unclear to Haguro. It might be clearer to everyone else, but definitely not to her. Eventually, she'll remember to actually check on the archaeologists.
Rean Schwarzer	Rean manages to slice Vergil in half, but the latter has enough regeneration to just slap himself back together, somehow. Rean's hunched over, cluching at his chest and leering at Vergil trying to escape. How dare he not stay dead! Rean charges Vergil one last time, trying to stop him from go through the portal... ...But he's too late, and winds up slashing at air instead. He lets out a roar of frustration, and then falls to his knees, having finally burnt the last of his energy. "Mnn...Ugh." Rean grunts, his appearance returning to normal. He looks around, And lets out a deep sigh. Well, mission accomplished, though it didn't feel like much of a victory. Just the feeling of being out of control like that, and the mental image of Vergil being half the man he was reminded him of exactly /why/ he never used that power. That, and feeling like death right now, though maybe Vergil had a point with 'maybe if you used it more you wouldn't fall over every single time.' "...Are the archaeologists ok?" Rean asks, turning to Haguro. "I'd check on them myself, but I need a minute."