Deep within Hell.
Dante lay on the ground with zero decorum, his hands resting leisurely behind his head.
Beside him, the Rebellion Greatsword and Yamato were thrust into the scorched earth, crossing each other at an angle.
"Hey, Brother, what's with the swing today? Your strength feels a bit lacking compared to last time," Dante quipped, humming a tune as he mocked him.
Vergil stood stiffly on a high vantage point.
He gave his brother a cold look and said flatly, "Have you rested enough? Prepare for the next battle."
Dante was about to say something to stall for time when a vibration suddenly came from his pocket.
After fumbling around for a moment, a communicator appeared in his hand.
This was a communication device Nico had specially crafted using a low-level demon called a "Sonic Bug."
Not only could it withstand high-intensity impacts, but it could even stably receive signals from the mortal realm within this corner of Hell.
Dante's lazy eyes flickered slightly, and he grinned.
"Looks like someone's run into a bit of trouble up there." He stood up, stretching his arms. "Finally, I can take a bit of a vacation."
Vergil glanced sideways. "That kid in the human world?"
"The trivial affairs of mortals... If he can't even handle this much trouble, his death is merely a result of his own lack of skill."
"You shouldn't put it like that."
Dante hoisted his Greatsword onto his shoulder. "Don't tell me you don't want to see him fostered? He's a young man. With a little polishing, he'll definitely be able to fight you to your heart's content for a long, long time in the future..."
Vergil remained silent, but deep within his eyes, there was an imperceptible flicker.
Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane.
Gabriel's words echoed through the void.
Hiding in the corner, Papa Midnite turned pale with shock upon hearing those words.
He turned to glare at Sephirot, vowing that he would never believe a single damn word from this lunatic ever again!
Since the disguise had been seen through, Sephirot stopped trying to hide.
He stepped out from the shadows and looked at Gabriel, his brow furrowed.
"You... know me?"
As he spoke, his concealed right hand pressed the button on the communicator.
He wasn't going to be able to kill Mammon today; survival was the priority.
He only hoped Uncle Dante wasn't off in some remote corner of the world.
Otherwise, by the time that guy finished his vacation and came back, the grass on Sephirot's grave would be two meters high.
"Of course."
Gabriel looked at him coldly. "I have taken notice of you from the moment you used those despicable means to imprison that angel."
Sephirot's face darkened. Despite all his calculations, he hadn't expected such a connection to exist between angels.
"Everything concerning angels is within my grasp."
"Surely you weren't unaware of even that?"
Gabriel looked at his grim expression and gave a contemptuous smile. "But no matter. I have been merciful enough to keep this matter a secret for you. Once Mammon's descent is successful, I will take my time discussing the crime of imprisoning an angel with you." With that, Gabriel withdrew his gaze, paying him no more mind.
He turned around and walked toward the immobile Angela, who lay on the floor.
Constantine clutched his chest in agony, struggling to crawl to his feet.
Gasping for air, he looked at Sephirot standing beside him, his eyes filled with pleading. "Sephirot, save Angela, I'm begging you!"
Though he faced the Archangel Gabriel, the supreme will of Heaven personified.
But at the sight of Angela, he could not stop himself from remembering that little girl who had died because of him years ago.
Sephirot watched the scene with cold eyes, his expression somewhat conflicted, yet he still shook his head.
Even with Yamato, he wasn't certain he could defeat this opponent.
Seeing Sephirot's refusal, Constantine's heart sank to rock bottom.
He lowered his head in despair, and a promise Satan had once made to him suddenly flashed through his mind: "Your soul is mine, John. The day you die, I will come for you personally."
A flash of resolve crossed Constantine's eyes.
He pulled a small knife from his trench coat pocket and pressed it against the artery in his wrist.
As long as he died, Satan would descend. If that happened, Mammon's plan would be completely exposed!
At the exact moment the blade was about to slice through the vein, a hand grabbed his wrist.
Constantine looked up in shock at Sephirot, who was holding his hand.
"If you summon the Lord of Hell right now, what happens to my plan?"
Sephirot said.
"But once Mammon is released, Angela is dead!"
Constantine grabbed Sephirot's arm in return. "I'm begging you, save her!"
Sephirot did not respond; he looked up at Gabriel.
The Archangel had already slowly knelt down, gripping the Spear of Destiny.
"Sephirot..."
Carrie's voice came from behind him, laced with fear.
Looking at the unconscious Angela, a hint of hesitation flickered in the depths of Sephirot's heart once more.
His original plan was simple...
The moment Mammon descended, he would strike and kill him. With the aid of Yamato, he had that much confidence.
Doing so would not only net him the system's generous rewards, but it would also bring him a massive step closer to 20% bloodline awakening and unlocking Devil Trigger.
But the price was that Angela would undoubtedly die.
If Mammon were truly born from within Angela, he would inevitably drain every drop of life essence from the body to quickly bypass his weakened state.
To personally cause the death of another for the sake of points and power...
It was indeed a profitable bargain.
But it also meant that he would have to abandon his baseline as a human being.
In the past, Sephirot had stood by with cold eyes as innocents died, but those people had died of accidents or murder; they had not died because of him.
But now, a person who should have lived would die due to his interference...
Sephirot pressed his lips tight and clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm, yet even that stinging pain could not suppress the agitation in his heart.
He wanted to grow stronger; he wanted to live well in this world where gods and demons ran rampant. Not just surviving; he wanted to stand at the peak, to reach a point where he would never have to agonize over a situation like this again.
But was this kind of strength, one that abandoned humanity solely for the pursuit of power, truly what he sought?
What would Dante think of him?
That old man who could crack jokes even as his body was skewered by a Greatsword.
He protected humanity, and never because humans were particularly great.
In his eyes, humans were fragile, selfish, and full of flaws; yet that single, unquenchable flame called "humanity" was something he deemed worthy of spending a lifetime to protect.
"Come forth."
Gabriel's soft voice echoed through the room.
As the words fell, Mammon, who had been forcibly suppressed by Papa Midnite's ritual, stirred once more within Angela's body.
Angela's lower abdomen began to bulge again.
Constantine turned his head away in agony, unable to bear the sight.
Gabriel raised the Spear of Destiny high. The holy power gathering at its tip illuminated an expression that was divine yet utterly ruthless.
"Mammon, Son of Satan."
Gabriel's voice was cold and majestic. "I release you to enter the mortal realm."
Both hands gripped the spear tight, aiming it directly at Angela's distended belly, and thrust down violently!
At that critical split second, "Dammit–"
Sephirot cursed under his breath, and a katana appeared out of thin air in his hand.
Yamato!
Almost the moment he gripped the hilt, Sephirot's figure vanished from where he stood.
A blinding flash of blade-light erupted in the darkness.
He transformed into a streak of light that sliced through space itself, crossing dozens of meters in an instant to cut between Gabriel and Angela.
Gabriel felt a flash before His eyes; the Spear of Destiny struck nothing but air, driving into the cold floor.
Click.
The sound of a blade being sheathed rang out.
He looked down to find several clean gashes opened across His porcelain-white arm, as pure white feathers drifted slowly to the ground.
Rapid Slash: A high-speed dimensional charge that delivers imperceptible multi-stage rending strikes to enemies in its path between the instant of drawing and sheathing the blade.
Gabriel slowly turned His head to look toward the other side.
Sephirot stood with his back turned, holding the unconscious Angela with one arm.
"Actually–"
Sephirot turned around, laying Angela down on a dry patch of floor, and slowly drew the blade of Yamato half an inch from its scabbard.
He met Gabriel's gaze without a trace of fear and sneered, "I know a thing or two about C-sections myself."