Vergil had been defeated.

Not in a simple way, nor honorable, nor even comprehensible within the cold logic that always guided his battles. It was a defeat that left gaps, that created uncomfortable questions, that echoed within his own conscience as something unresolved.

Perhaps it was arrogance.

That word, so simple, so common… but which carried an overwhelming weight when applied to someone like him. Vergil always walked the line between absolute confidence and silent pride, believing that his control, his technique, and his mind were enough to overcome any situation.

But, at that moment… they weren't.

He still had much.

Much more than he used.

He could have invoked his authority as a Death Knight, letting the very essence of death manifest through his blade and consume everything around him with absolute inevitability. He could have allowed that ancient power to speak for him, crushing the battlefield under an irresistible dominion.

But he didn't.

He could have resorted to Blood Manipulation, transforming each spilled drop into a living weapon, controlling the flow of life itself like a maestro conducting a symphony of destruction. He could have used blood as a blade, as a chain, as a prison.

But he didn't.

He could have unleashed the elements that dwelt within him.

The wind, sharp and invisible, capable of tearing even space.

The fire, absolute, destructive, capable of consuming everything without distinction.

The brute force, pure, overwhelming, capable of reducing mountains to dust.

All of it was there.

Available.

Waiting.

But he didn't use it.

He could have fought better.

That was perhaps the cruelest truth.

Not that he was weak.

Not that he lacked power.

But he could have been more.

More precise.

More ruthless.

More complete.

Nidhogg… that draconic scythe weapon, pulsating with entirely new power… could have been used far more efficiently, far more destructively. He barely explored the true potential of that weapon to its fullest.

Yamato… its purest extension, his very soul in blade form… could have been unleashed in its complete form, elevated to the level of Excalibur, transcending its current state and tearing not only dimensions, but concepts.

But it wasn't.

Even that artifact…

That stupid item he had obtained from Freya, something he didn't even take seriously, could have made a difference at a critical moment. A detail, a different choice, a second more of reflection…

But none of that happened.

And in the end…

He died.

Just like that.

Without using everything.

Without reaching his full potential.

Without even fully understanding why.

Death.

Something that, deep down, was always inevitable.

Because no matter how strong someone becomes, no matter how many techniques they master, how many battles they win… death always exists as a silent constant, waiting for the moment when even the strongest fail.

And yet… This had been seen before.

Alice had seen it and warned about it. That scene… that end… already existed in the future she carried in her mind. A predetermined destiny, an inevitable line unfolding regardless of the choices made along the way.

He truly believed that it had been avoided.

He believed that, by being informed of his own death, he had broken the flow of destiny. That by changing his actions, by making different decisions, the future would also change along with him.

But that's not what happened… The future didn't disappear… It simply adjusted… It reorganized itself… It rebuilt itself around the changes.

And in the end…

It led to the same point… A paradox.

Cruel.

Silent.

Perfect.

Because no matter how much you try to escape a predicted future… your actions to avoid it may be exactly what makes it possible… That was the cruelty of life… Right?

"Where am I?" Vergil questioned, looking at that beautiful world… an infinite void, where in every direction there was a mixture of iridescent colors.

It was like always seeing a fusion of eternal colors changing with every second he blinked… He was leaning on something, a kind of reddish-purple. He touched it and felt that it was truly solid, not a fantasy as he had thought.

He shook his head and sighed. "Where I am doesn't matter. I'm dead anyway." He said smiling, "I'm a fool." He admitted, lying down while looking at those colors.

He thought a little about his life. From the moment he met those three women he loved so much, getting to know his mother better, becoming the Demon King, always living between life and death.

It was a short life… twenty-two years? "Ah… that's right… today is my birthday." Vergil said smiling, while hiding his eyes with one arm…

"Why do I feel so sad?" he said.

The silence of that space wasn't empty.

It was… absolute.

Vergil remained lying down for a few seconds, staring at that infinite sea of ​​colors that constantly changed, as if the very concept of reality were being rewritten every instant. There was no wind, no sound, no presence… only pure existence.

Until something changed.

A slight sound.

Almost imperceptible.

Like the carefree swinging of feet in the air.

Vergil frowned slightly, without moving his body immediately. His senses, even in that strange state between life and death, still functioned perfectly. He turned his face slowly.

And then he saw.

A little behind him, sitting as if she had always been there… was a girl.

She had long, black hair, as black as the void itself, falling softly to below her waist. Her eyes were dark, deep, completely calm… devoid of emotion, but not of awareness. There was something ancient there.

Very ancient.

She wore simple clothes, with dark tones and purple details, contrasting with her extremely pale skin. A large bow adorned her neck, and small details in her attire gave the impression of something almost… out of place in that world. Although… well, she wasn't wearing a shirt or underwear, only stickers on her tiny breasts.

She was a Loli, 100% Loli.

She swung her feet slowly, looking at Vergil like someone observing something curious, but not particularly interesting.

"You're strange." She finally spoke while looking at Vergil, her voice soft and monotonous, almost bored and emotionless.

Vergil stared at her for a few seconds in silence, analyzing every detail, every nuance of that impossible presence. He didn't stand up immediately, only kept his gaze fixed on her.

"…Strange?" He repeated, with a slight tone of weariness. "A dead person lying in a place that shouldn't exist… and that's all you have to say?"

The girl blinked once and slowly. "Yes."

Vergil let out a small sigh, supporting himself with his arms and sitting up slowly, still staring at that figure.

"Alright… then let's start with the basics." He tilted his head slightly. "Who are you?"

The girl didn't answer immediately.

She just continued swinging her feet for a few seconds, looking at him with the same neutral expression, as if deciding if that question really mattered.

Then… "A dragon."

Vergil was silent for a moment at the direct way she revealed it; he understands a little about dragons, since he has the two Empresses sealed within his body…

But something was wrong… he looked her up and down.

His gaze analyzed every detail… her youthful appearance, her small body, her clothes… the X-shaped stickers positioned over her tiny breasts, as if a minimal attempt to cover something without really caring, since she was literally a flat board.

He raised an eyebrow.

"…A dragon?" He repeated, clearly skeptical. His gaze returned to her face. "You look more like a pervert with a child's body than any kind of legendary creature you think you are."

She didn't even react to Vergil's words; to her, it made no sense. Expression? Irritation? Surprise? Nothing… she just stared at him in silence. For a few seconds that seemed… too long.

"I am a dragon." She repeated with that same tone and lack of emotion.

Vergil let out a small laugh through his nose, running a hand through his hair while looking away for a moment.

"Right… of course you are." He looked at her again… because his instincts were starting to speak to him… And he didn't like it at all.

Something was wrong… If he was dead, or thought he was… What place was this? Besides, paying close attention… He couldn't feel anything coming from her at all.

There was no energy, no intention, no very existence of her. It was like staring into a hole in reality. And that… It didn't make sense… All the beings he had ever seen had an aura, a presence, a metaphysical weight that could be felt using his heightened senses. But her? Nothing.

"If you're a dragon…" He began, now with a more serious tone. "Then tell me… what place is this?"

The girl looked around for a moment, as if she were seeing something completely ordinary.

"Here?" She replied. "It's where you are."

Vergil fell silent.

Then he let out a heavier sigh this time.

"That answer was completely useless."

The girl blinked again.

"It wasn't." She replied simply.

Silence settled between them again.

But this time…

It wasn't empty.

It was… strange.

Vergil rested his elbows on his knees, looking at that infinite sea of ​​colors once more, thoughtful.

"I died." He said, as if reaffirming something to himself. "So this is some kind of afterlife?"

The girl didn't answer immediately. She just kept swinging her feet.

"Maybe."

"Hah…" Vergil closed his eyes for a moment, slowly exhaling.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"How disappointing." He opened his eyes again. "I expected something more… grand."

The girl watched him.

Silently.

"You're sad."

She said.

Not as a question.

But as an observation.

Vergil froze for a brief second.

His smile remained… but lost some of its lightness.

"…" He looked away. "I already said that, didn't I?"

The girl tilted her head slightly. "Yes."

Vergil remained silent for a few seconds.

Staring into the distance.

"Today is my birthday." He said again, more quietly this time. "And I died."

A short pause. "Kind of pathetic, isn't it?"

The girl just looked at the colors of the sky, "What is pathetic?" She questioned, seemingly searching for something in that infinity. "I don't know what's pathetic."

Vergil looked at the sky… he realized she was searching for something… "What are you looking at?" he questioned before hearing a strange sound and a dimensional rift appearing…

From within the rift, a Dragon of unimaginable proportions slowly emerged… He looked at the little girl and felt for the first time… Anger. A lot of anger…

"You~"

"Dragon of Dragon…" she said, looking at the dragon… her small jaw clenched and Vergil heard her grinding her teeth with such force… "Great Red… damned dragon usurper of dwellings." She growled.

Vergil looked at the Dragon… it looked like Crimsaria, but a billion times stronger… "He is~"

"The being I want to kill." She admitted.

Vergil looked at her and questioned, "And who are you?"

"Ophis." She said, "You can call me Ophis."