The impact came with a brutality that could no longer be measured by common parameters, for when Dante's fist pierced the air and collided with Lilith's body, it was not merely physical force that manifested, but an absurd convergence of sacred and demonic energy compressed into a single point, causing the surrounding space to contract violently before exploding in a devastating shockwave that swept across the battlefield like a destructive whirlwind. Lilith's body was hurled like a projectile, piercing layers of ruins and fragments of stone before colliding with what remained of one of the coliseum's stands, completely destroying the structure in a dry impact that echoed throughout the already devastated environment.

The dust rose in a dense, heavy cloud, mixed with fragments of dark energy that still escaped from her body, as if her very existence were trying to hold together despite the growing instability consuming her from within. Lilith remained there for a few seconds, partially buried among the rubble, her body motionless, her aura oscillating erratically, like a flame about to be extinguished, but refusing to die completely.

Meanwhile, in the center of the battlefield, Sapphire and Sepphirothy retreated simultaneously after their last assault, both breathing heavily, their auras visibly weakened, not from a lack of raw power, but from the limitations that still bound them, invisible chains that restricted their full access to what they truly were. The silence between them lasted no more than a few seconds, for it was soon broken by something far more human than any attack.

"This isn't working," Sapphire said, her voice heavy with frustration as she kept her eyes fixed on Dante, who still watched everything with that irritating smile. "We need to coordinate."

Sepphirothy turned her face away immediately, her gaze sharp as a blade.

"Coordinate?" She repeated, with a slight hint of disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Sapphire clenched her teeth, irritated by the reaction.

"So you'd rather die alone?"

"I'd rather not depend on you," Sepphirothy replied without hesitation, crossing her arms slightly as her aura flickered with contained irritation. "I've always done better alone."

The atmosphere between the two shifted instantly, the tension that had previously been directed at Dante now turning against each other, as if years of rivalry, pride, and competition had finally found the perfect moment to explode, even in the face of an enemy who was clearly above them both in that state.

"This isn't about you," Sapphire retorted, taking a step forward. "This is about surviving."

"Then survive," Sepphirothy countered coldly. "I'm not going to adapt to your fighting style just because you decided to panic."

Sapphire opened her mouth to reply, but the voice that interrupted them both was laden with pure mockery.

Dante laughed.

Not a loud or exaggerated laugh, but a low, drawn-out, completely disdainful sound, like someone watching a pathetic scene that didn't even deserve real attention.

"You are… ridiculous," he said, tilting his head slightly as his wings moved slowly behind him, scattering particles of energy in the air. "I didn't even have to do anything… and you've already started destroying yourselves."

His gaze alternated between the two, clearly amused.

"Rivalry? Pride?" he continued, smiling wider. "How beautiful… dying because of this must be… poetic."

Sapphire clenched her fists.

Sepphirothy narrowed her eyes.

But before either of them could react…

Dante's body froze.

It wasn't a visible movement of attack.

There was no warning.

An absurd electrical discharge coursed through his entire body in a single instant, causing his muscles to contract violently as bluish energy lines ran across his skin, crackling like lightning bolts compressed within a space too small to contain them.

The smile vanished.

Replaced by surprise.

"…?"

The energy continued for a few more seconds, forcing his body to take a step back, something that hadn't happened since the beginning of this new phase of the battle.

Sapphire and Sepphirothy reacted immediately, turning their faces toward the direction from which the energy had come.

And there she was.

Seris.

She appeared beside the two as if she had always been there, her body still showing clear signs of exhaustion, but her eyes… were completely focused, carrying a determination that hadn't existed before. Small electrical discharges still ran through her fingers, slowly dissipating into the air.

"Are you two finished?" she said, without looking directly at either of them, but in a tone that left no room for discussion.

Sapphire frowned.

"Seris—"

"Later," she cut in immediately, raising her hand slightly.

Sepphirothy crossed her arms again, but this time silently, observing.

Seris took a deep breath, her chest rising slowly as she gathered her thoughts.

"I'm going to break your limiters… by force."

The words landed heavily.

Sapphire's eyes widened slightly.

Sepphirothy's did too.

"Are you crazy?" Sapphire answered first. "That was made not to be broken like that."

"I know," Seris replied simply.

"So you know that—"

"I need energy."

She interrupted again, this time looking directly at the two of them.

The silence that followed was heavier than any previous explosion on that battlefield.

Because they both immediately understood the problem.

Sephirothy was the first to speak, her voice lower, more controlled.

"We don't have it."

It wasn't an assumption.

It was a fact.

After everything they had already used, after all the attempts, attacks, and defenses… what remained in them wasn't enough for something of that magnitude.

Sapphire looked away for a moment, frustrated.

"Not even close."

Seris remained silent for a few seconds.

Her eyes… moved.

Slowly.

And stopped.

In the distance.

In the center of another crater, partially covered by dust and fragments, Vergil's body still lay there, motionless, supported by the six golden swords that pierced his body like anchors of a death that had not yet been fully accepted.

The air around him still vibrated.

It still carried energy.

But it wasn't life.

It was… residue.

Seris spoke.

Lower her voice.

Almost as if she were saying it more to herself than to them.

"His body…"

Sapphire followed her gaze.

Sepphirothy did too.

And then they understood.

"…it's just energy now."

The silence that followed wasn't just heavy.

It was… brutal.

Sapphire was the first to react.

"No."

The word came out immediately.

Instinctive.

Almost aggressive.

"No fucking way." Sepphirothy stepped forward as well, her expression visibly hardening. "You're completely out of your mind."

Seris didn't look away. "He's already dead."

"Shut up!" Sapphire screamed, her aura exploding for an instant.

"You can't even suggest that," Sepphirothy continued, her voice now heavier, more emotional than she wanted to show.

Seris turned her face away.

And then…

She slapped her.

The dry sound echoed across the battlefield as her hand collided with Sapphire's face first, the impact not strong enough to physically hurt, but charged with enough intent to cut off any emotional impulse in the moment.

Before Sepphirothy could react—

Another slap. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

This time to her.

Silence fell.

Brutal.

Direct.

No room for immediate response.

Seris stared at the two now.

Her eyes… held no anger.

They held urgency.

"He. Is. Already. Dead." Each word was spoken with precision. With weight. Without hesitation.

"And if we don't do this…" she continued, her voice now lower, but much more intense, "we'll follow the same path."

Sapphire didn't answer.

Neither did Sephirothy.

But both were trembling.

Not from fear.

But from conflict.

From refusal.

From pain.

Seris stepped forward.

"This isn't about him now," she said. "This is about who can still live." Her eyes shifted between the two. "Or do you want to die here too?"

In the background…

Dante began to move again.

The energy around him was reorganizing.

His muscles were relaxing after the shock.

And slowly…

A smile returned to his face.

Wider.

More dangerous.

"Now… this got interesting."

Time was running out.

And, for the first time…

The decision they needed to make didn't involve winning.

Just… surviving.

The heavy silence that had settled after Seris's words didn't have time to transform into complete acceptance or rejection, because the battlefield no longer allowed that kind of luxury, and reality itself seemed to pressure everyone there to make immediate decisions before any possibility was completely crushed by Dante's overwhelming presence, who was slowly regaining full control of his body after the unexpected shock. His aura pulsed once more with that aberrant mixture of sacred and demonic energy, and the simple act of him taking a step forward made the ground around him sink again, as if the world were yielding to the weight of his existence.

Seris didn't wait any longer.

Her eyes fixed on Vergil's body for just one last second, as if confirming to herself that this decision truly needed to be made, not for lack of alternatives, but because all others had already been destroyed on that battlefield. Her body still bore clear signs of exhaustion, her energy far from ideal, but her mind… was completely aligned with what needed to be done.

"Hold him," she said, more to herself than to anyone else, as if preparing her own body for what was to come.

And then… she disappeared.

There was no visible preparation, no complete magic circle or elaborate invocation, just a sudden distortion in the space around her, as if her presence had been cut from reality and repositioned at another point on the battlefield in a single instant impossible to follow with ordinary eyes.

She reappeared beside Vergil.

The impact of her presence there caused the surrounding dust to disperse slightly, revealing his body again in all its brutal condition, the six golden swords still embedded deep within him, emitting that constant sacred glow that kept his existence trapped in that state between life and death. The energy around him still vibrated, still pulsed… like an unstable core waiting to be used.

Seris did not hesitate.

She knelt beside him immediately, her fingers moving with precision as they touched Vergil's chest, feeling the absurd density of energy accumulated there, not as life… but as a raw, compressed, and dangerous reservoir.

"Sorry," she murmured, so softly that perhaps even she herself didn't hear it completely.

But there was no time for anything else.

Because Dante was already reacting.

The instant Seris appeared beside Vergil, Dante's eyes narrowed, and the smile on his face changed, not disappearing, but becoming sharper, more alert, like someone who finally recognized a relevant move happening before him.

"Ah… no."

His voice came out low.

But laden with intention.

And then… he moved.

Not like before.

Faster.

Much faster.

The space between him and Seris simply ceased to exist, collapsing under the pressure of his movement as his body traversed the distance in a fraction of a second, his arm already advancing, enveloped in that distorted energy, prepared to completely crush everything in that area before any action could be completed.

The air screamed.

The ground broke.

Reality itself seemed to hesitate for an instant.

Seris felt it.

Her entire body reacted even before her mind could complete the thought, her instincts screaming at full alert as that absurd presence approached with the clear intention of complete annihilation.

But she had already foreseen this.

Or rather…

She didn't need to foresee it.

She already knew it would happen.

Her body moved instantly.

Not to block.

Not to resist.

But to disappear again.

The exact moment Dante's blow pierced the space where she was…

Seris was no longer there.

The impact came nonetheless.

Dante's fist collided with the ground at the point where she and Vergil had been less than a second before, and the result was immediate and devastating, creating an explosion of energy that opened a new crater even deeper than the previous ones, completely swallowing that area in a violent collapse of matter and space.

But the target had vanished.

Dante stood still for a moment in the center of the destruction, his fist still embedded in the ground, energy coursing down his arm as the surrounding environment slowly disintegrated under the residual effect of the impact.

His eyes moved.

Quickly.

Calculating.

Searching.

And then…

He turned his face.

In the distance.

Seris reappeared again.

This time, a considerable distance from the previous point, her body slightly leaning forward from the effort, her breathing irregular, but steady enough to maintain control of the situation for a few more moments.

And in her arms…

She held Vergil.

Not as a light body.

But as something absurdly heavy, not only physically, but energetically, as if she were carrying a compressed star in human form, his residual energy vibrating unstably against her body, reacting to the contact as something that had not yet fully accepted its own condition. The swords were still embedded in him.

But now… they trembled.

As if recognizing the change in circumstances.

Seris adjusted her posture, pressing Vergil's body lightly against hers to ensure she wouldn't drop him or have him ripped away again.

"I don't have much time," she said, glancing quickly at Sapphire and Sepphirothy in the distance, her voice laden with genuine urgency.

Her body was already beginning to show signs of collapse.

But she ignored it.

"If you're going to do something… do it now."

Dante slowly rose from the center of the crater.

His expression…

It was still a smile.

But there was something different now.

Something more focused.

More interested.

"So that's it…" he murmured, turning his shoulder slightly as if preparing to advance again. "You finally decided to play serious."

His wings opened fully.

The pressure increased again. Much more than before.

"Great."

He disappeared once again.

And this time…

There was no guarantee that Seris would be able to escape again.