Vergil remained motionless for a few moments after the absolute end of his technique, observing the solitary heart floating in that still unstable space, as if it were the last echo of an existence that had been completely erased in every possible way, except the one that truly mattered. There was no hurry in his movements, no hesitation, only a silent certainty that this was the inevitable end of something that, from the beginning, was already condemned to end in this way. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He calmly extended his hand, his fingers encircling the pulsating heart that still insisted on beating, even after everything around it had been destroyed, as if it carried its own stubbornness, an instinctive refusal to simply disappear. For a brief moment, Vergil analyzed that final fragment, feeling within it the remaining presence of something much older, much deeper, something that did not truly belong to Dante, but that had been stolen, fragmented, and scattered grotesquely.

"Finally..." he murmured, almost inaudibly, before bringing his heart to his mouth and biting it down without ceremony, crushing that last fragment between his teeth as he swallowed it as if he were simply reclaiming something that had always been rightfully his.

The instant he did, something changed.

There was no explosion.

There was no chaotic release of energy.

But the world... responded.

The surrounding reality seemed to stabilize for a brief moment, as if a critical error had been corrected, as if an incompatible variable had finally been removed from a system that, until then, had been operating too unstable to sustain its own existence.

And then—

The voice.

[A New King has been established in Sector 999]

The sound echoed throughout the dimension, traversing not only space but the very perception of all present, resonating directly in their consciousness with that mechanical, feminine tone that carried no emotion... only confirmation.

[Temporary World Observation Withdrawal]

This time, the message came lower, more distant, as if something were disconnecting, as if the very entity monitoring that reality was... withdrawing.

The silence that followed was heavy.

Different from before.

Deeper.

More... definitive.

Vergil slightly raised his gaze.

His eyes turned to the heavens, where the dimensional rift was now completely open, no longer an unstable fissure, but a consolidated tear in the very structure of the world. And from within it... Ouroboros finally emerged completely.

The creature was colossal beyond any acceptable logic, its black body snaking through the void like an entity that did not obey the rules of scale or existence, its scales absorbing light instead of reflecting it, creating the sensation that this being did not occupy space... it replaced it.

Vergil observed silently for a moment, as if assessing something, measuring, calculating, comprehending the presence of that entity that clearly did not belong to that plane of existence.

And then—

He spoke.

"Descend." His voice came out calm, firm, effortless, but carrying a weight that crossed the absurd distance between them as if no real separation existed.

He tilted his head slightly.

"Humanoid form," he added, as if giving a simple, direct order, with no room for negotiation.

For an instant... nothing happened.

And then—

The roar.

A deep, ancient sound, laden with a presence that seemed to echo from the beginning of time, reverberating throughout the dimension as Ouroboros responded, its voice not only heard but felt, pressing down on the environment, bending the space around it with the simple manifestation of its will.

But before any concrete response could occur—

Impact.

Literally.

Vergil didn’t have time to react.

Not because he couldn’t.

But because... he simply hadn’t expected it.

Two bodies collided with him with enough force to completely disrupt the flow of that interaction, shattering any remaining epic tension that still lingered in the air and replacing it with something completely... different.

Paimon was the first.

Alice came right after.

Both practically threw themselves against him, enveloping him without any ceremony, crushing their bodies against his as they embraced him with absurd intensity, completely ignoring the surrounding scenery, the dimensional collapse, the presence of Ouroboros... everything.

And then—

Vergil was bombarded.

Mercilessly.

Without warning.

Without any respect for the moment.

"VERGIIIIIL—!!!" Paimon’s voice rang out, practically vibrating with energy as she squeezed him tightly, rubbing her face against his without the slightest care, as if physically confirming that he was still there, whole, alive.

Alice was no different.

She clung to him from the other side, practically sticking to him with the same intensity, her body pressed against his as she laughed, clearly relieved, clearly happy, completely ignoring any sense of personal space.

And yes—

The breasts.

Right in the face.

No mercy.

No room for escape.

Vergil remained completely still for a second.

Two.

Three.

His eyes widened.

Fixed.

Empty.

Processing.

Recalculating.

Re-evaluating absolutely everything that had just happened in an absurdly short span of time, going from a battle that redefined concepts of existence... to that.

"...seriously?" He finally murmured, his voice low, carrying a strange mixture of disbelief and weariness as he tried, without much success, to minimally separate the faces of the two women who clearly had no intention of letting go of him anytime soon.

Paimon just laughed.

"You took your time," she said, without letting go, as if that were the only relevant thing at that moment.

Alice nodded immediately, still smiling.

"Very," she added, squeezing even tighter.

Vergil closed his eyes for a moment.

He breathed.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

Like someone who had just reached an absurd level of power... only to realize that it didn’t prepare him in the slightest to deal with this.

"...I literally just killed a god," he commented, still trying to maintain some level of dignity in that completely out-of-control situation.

"Uh-huh," Paimon replied.

Not caring.

Not at all.

Alice agreed as well.

"Congratulations." "She said, still smiling.

Without letting go.

Nowhere.

Vergil opened his eyes again.

He looked up.

Straight at Ouroboros.

Who was still there.

Watching.

Silently.

And for some reason—

It seemed... judging.

Vergil was silent for a second.

And then he sighed.

"You’re going to suffocate me~" The phrase came out muffled, almost compressed between two bodies that clearly had no intention of relieving the pressure they were applying, while Paimon and Alice remained clinging to him as if, somehow, letting go would make it all simply disappear again, like an unstable dream that could shatter at any moment.

It was then that, without any warning, both were pulled back at the same time.

Without gentleness.

Without explanation.

Without room for resistance."

Sapphire appeared right behind them, firmly grasping each of them by the collar, lifting them with irritating ease, as if they were merely two inconvenient objects blocking her path, pushing them away from Vergil with a simple, direct movement that carried a silent authority impossible to ignore.

"That’s enough." Her voice came out calm, but laden with a weight that didn’t allow for discussion, her eyes quickly scanning the two before releasing them aside, without even worrying if they would complain or not.

Paimon opened her mouth.

Alice too.

But neither of them said anything.

Because at that moment... they understood.

Sapphire wasn’t irritated.

She wasn’t angry.

She was... holding something back.

And then—

Vergil didn’t have time to comment.

Because he was pulled again.

But this time... it was different.

Very different.

Sephirothy appeared before him almost instantly, as if she had crossed space without needing any transition, and before he could react or even say anything, she pulled him into a hug.

A tight hug.

A real hug.

No theatrics.

No irony.

No teasing smile that usually accompanied any interaction of hers.

Just... tight.

Her arms enveloped his body with surprising force, her wings moving slightly around, almost as if encircling him as well, creating a momentary feeling of isolation from the rest of the world, as if, for a brief instant, nothing but that contact mattered.

"It’s good that you’re alive," she said, her voice lower than usual, more restrained, carrying something that... rarely appeared in her.

Vergil blinked once.

Surprised.

Really.

And then... he laughed.

A light, sincere laugh, almost unexpected coming from him at that moment.

"...you’re not like that," he commented, still enveloped in the embrace, his voice carrying a slight amusement as he tilted his head slightly.

Sephirothy didn’t let go.

Not at all.

"I am when a crisis like this happens," she replied simply, without changing her tone, as if that were justification enough, as if there were no need to hide anything at that specific moment.

Vergil let out a small sigh, but still smiled.

"It’s alright..." he said, his voice now calmer, more stable, as he finally raised one hand and lightly touched her shoulder. "I’ve never felt so good."

And that wasn’t an exaggeration.

It wasn’t provocation.

It was... true.

He could feel it.

Every part of him functioning in perfect harmony, his entire existence stabilized in a way he had never experienced before, as if he were finally complete, as if all the pieces had found their correct places within something much larger.

Sephirothy remained there for another second.

Two.

And then she let go.

Without saying anything more.

But it wasn’t a cold withdrawal.

It was... enough.

Vergil adjusted his posture slightly, his eyes then moving slowly across the surrounding field, absorbing the state of everything after that absurd sequence of events, until... they stopped.

In Sapphire.

She was there.

Standing.

Watching.

Her arms crossed, her posture firm, her face bearing that serious expression she always wore when she wanted to demonstrate absolute control of the situation, as if nothing had truly shaken her, as if everything was under her control.

But—

Vergil saw.

Through.

Always saw.

A small smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"You don’t need to be tough," he said, simply, almost casually, but direct enough to hit exactly where he needed to.

For a moment—

She didn’t move.

She didn’t answer.

But something... broke.

It was subtle.

Almost imperceptible.

But it was there.

And then—

She moved forward.

Quickly.

Without warning.

Without hesitation.

And she hugged him.

Tightly.

Much more strength than Paimon and Alice combined had ever possessed before.

Her arms closed around him almost possessively, as if confirming, guaranteeing, reinforcing that he was there... whole... real... and wouldn’t disappear.

"I was afraid of losing you." Her voice came out lower, muffled against his chest, no room for irony, no room for disguise.

That wasn’t Sapphire, the confident demon.

That was... just her.

Vergil was silent for a moment.

Feeling.

Processing.

And then... he let out a small laugh.

Not mocking.

Not superior.

But something lighter.

More... human.

"I know." he replied, his hand slowly rising to her head, landing there naturally as he held her lightly against him.

Vergil remained there for a few moments, still holding Sapphire close, feeling the weight of that embrace which, unlike any other on that battlefield, didn’t stem from euphoria or momentary relief, but from something much deeper, more silent, almost painful in its contained intensity, as if each second of that contact confirmed that he still existed there, whole, and hadn’t been ripped from the world like so many other things had been in that chaotic sequence of events.

His fingers slowly slid through her hair, in an automatic gesture, too natural for someone who, moments before, was rewriting concepts of existence with dimensional cuts, and yet... perfectly coherent with who he was at that moment. The contrast was almost absurd, but not incoherent. On the contrary... it seemed necessary.

Then his eyes moved.

Slowly.

Without haste.

Passing by Paimon and Alice still recovering from the "forced rescue," by Amon completely silent, by Seris still lying in the background... until they stopped.

Further back. Sitting on the ground.

Momentary.

Eyes closed.

As if she were... asleep.

Or worse.

Vergil narrowed his gaze slightly, analyzing that presence more carefully, sensing something there that didn’t match the current state of the battlefield, something ancient, deep, but... weakened.

"Who is she?" he asked, his voice calm, without completely losing focus, while his eyes remained fixed on that figure.

Sephirothy answered almost immediately.

"She’s your grandmother."

A brief silence.

"Lilith."

A minimal pause.

"The Demon Goddess."

Vergil blinked once.

Processing.

Reassessing.

Comparing.

And then... his gaze shifted slightly.

Not in immediate respect.

But in curiosity.

He tilted his head slightly, observing Lilith more closely now, analyzing not only the energy, but the form, the presence, the structure of that existence which, even weakened, still carried something... absolute.

And then—

A small smile appeared.

"She’s quite pretty, isn’t she?" he commented, with an almost offensive nonchalance considering the context.

The tug came instantly.

Sephirothy didn’t hesitate for a second before grabbing his ear and pulling hard enough to slightly turn his head to the side, her gaze filled with a perfect mix of disapproval and a minimal trace of disbelief.

"Vergil."

A single word.

But loaded.

Vergil just laughed.

Without resistance.

Without regret.

"What?" he replied, clearly finding the situation amusing, even though he was literally being punished in the middle of a newly devastated battlefield.

She let go.

With a small sigh.

And a slight shake of her head.

As if she had already accepted that... certain things wouldn’t change.

Vergil then took a step forward.

Then another.

Walking toward Lilith with the same calm as before, but now with a different focus, more analytical, more... technical.

He stopped before her.

He looked down at her.

And then he crouched slightly.

His eyes scanned her body, not in a vulgar way, but like someone analyzing a complex energetic structure, sensing the flaws, the voids, the breaks that weren’t visible at first glance.

"I understand..." he murmured, more to himself than to others, as one of his hands slowly rose.

"Her energy is low."

It wasn’t an assumption.

It was a diagnosis.

And, without any ceremony—

He touched her.

His hand landed lightly on Lilith’s forehead, and in the instant of contact, something changed in the atmosphere again, but this time not in a destructive or oppressive way, but... dense.

The energy began to flow.

But not as before.

Not like an explosion.

It was... controlled.

Deep.

Constant.

An absurd current of demonic energy began to be transferred directly from Vergil to Lilith, not as a simple "supply," but as a pure, refined infusion, instantly adapted to her structure, as if he understood exactly what she needed... at the moment she needed it.

The air around her rippled slightly.

The shadows adjusted.

And for a brief instant, even Ouroboros... seemed to observe more attentively.

Lilith’s breathing changed.

Almost imperceptibly.

But it changed.

Her fingers moved slightly.

Her chest rose more steadily.

And then—

Her eyes opened.

Slowly.

Heavy.

But conscious.

The first thing she saw... was him.

Vergil.

There.

So close.

So... different.

His eyes analyzed him for a second, as if trying to comprehend the existence before him, as if sensing something familiar... but at the same time completely new.

Vergil simply smiled.

Simple.

Light.

Almost... unassuming.

"Hi, Grandma."