Let It Go

"...!"

However, he suddenly stopped that thought.

What he intended to summon here was the demonic sword he had never parted with until the day he was defeated by the Demon Emperor—the Yamato. But the Yamato had broken in the battle against the Demon Emperor. What if he summoned the Yamato here, and it appeared in its broken state? It might still be usable, but it wouldn't be able to display its true power. In the worst case, the break might have caused it to lose all its power, rendering it no more than an ordinary sword.

However, the goddess had said anything was possible. If she truly meant anything, then imagining the 'unbroken Yamato from before his defeat by the Demon Emperor' should suffice.

But, what stopped him was, the moment he tried to recall the Yamato, an image of an infant wrapped in black cloth left in a certain town invaded his mind, and the image transitioned to the figure of a white-haired youth with an unusual right hand gripping the Yamato.

'Who is that man? And that infant...'

The previous him would have cut off such doubts with "Who cares about that" and chosen the Yamato without hesitation. But the current him couldn't ignore the vision he had just seen.

That back resembled Dante's back, the one he saw just before disappearing from the mortal world, a back that reminded him of their father.

'…Should I let go of the Yamato?'

After thinking for a while, he finally came to a conclusion.

In the end, he decided not to summon the Yamato. After all, he had lost to the Demon Emperor and was being controlled. He concluded that he no longer had the right to wield the Yamato. There was the option of 'creating a replica,' but he dismissed it outright, as it would be an insult to the Yamato. And although he doesn't know who or what the image that flashed through his mind is, he felt some sort of familiarity with the figure holding his sword.

Then what should he summon? The amulet, his mother's keepsake, was currently being used by Dante to wield the Sparda against the Demon Emperor. So, the amulet was not an option either. Was there anything else worth summoning besides the Yamato and the amulet?

'Come to think of it, he wasn't using that, was he?'

Vergil recalled his battle with Dante on Mallet Island.

Although he had been controlled, he remembered his fight with Dante. At that time, Dante had used not only a sword but also magical gauntlets that enveloped his hands in flames. The way he used them was similar to how Vergil had used them when he fought in the demon world before being controlled by the Demon Emperor. In fact, it was almost identical.

If Dante wasn't using that weapon now, there shouldn't be a problem taking it back. Besides, it was originally Vergil's. Dante had taken it without permission and used it freely. It was essentially stolen. Therefore, the rightful owner taking it back shouldn't be an issue.

Having decided what to summon, Vergil focused on the image in his mind.

*****

Meanwhile, in a pawnshop in a certain town.

"This is strange... One of the weapons I was holding as collateral from Dante is missing. Could it be theft? Heh, someone's got some guts. I'll catch the thief and make 'em pay!"

The man, Enzo, who was an informant, pawnbroker, and broker, flashed his sunglasses as he cracked his knuckles and set out to start his search—only to find no trace of the thief or the weapon after a whole day of searching.

Thinking someone might have witnessed the crime, he asked the rare talking twin swords he had as collateral, but they only replied, "It disappeared in a flash," "It vanished suddenly," leaving him utterly baffled.

*****

After a while, a dazzling light suddenly appeared between Vergil and Tanaris.

"Whoa! That's bright!"

"...It's here."

In contrast to Tanaris, who instinctively closed her eyes, Vergil slowly opened his eyes and looked at the light in front of him, specifically, the weapon enveloped in that light.

Once, during his time in Temen-ni-gru, he had slain a demon that attacked him in a tattered state, seizing its soul and claiming it for his own: a set of flash gauntlets and greaves, Beowulf.

"Is that what you chose? Well, it's pretty cool."

Having adjusted to the brightness, Tanaris gazed at Beowulf with curiosity. Vergil, on the other hand, silently reached out his right hand towards Beowulf. The enchanted gear, shrouded in light, seemed to be drawn to him, and as it was absorbed into his right hand, it emitted a flash of light once more. The light then vanished, taking the gear with it.

"Interesting, you can store it within your body. So, what kind of abilities does that weapon have?"

"It is none of your concern. I have chosen my item. Now, send me to this other world."

"You're impatient, aren't you? You could at least—"

Tanaris, pouting, glared at Vergil, but he remained unmoved, arms crossed, silently glaring back at her.

"...Fine, fine. Stand up and step forward."

Understanding that he had no intention of continuing their conversation, Tanaris sighed and proceeded with the final step of the otherworldly reincarnation process. Vergil complied without hesitation. Once he moved, Tanaris closed her eyes and placed her hands over the floor where Vergil stood. A blue magic circle appeared beneath him, and a semi-transparent blue wall surrounded him.

"Among the many adventurers, I pray that you will become the hero who defeats the Demon King... Blessings on your life as an adventurer in another world."

As soon as Tanaris spoke her parting words, Vergil's body began to rise. Ascending towards the heavens, he shifted his gaze from Tanaris to his destination. What had been a pitch-black ceiling was now pierced by a round hole of white light directly above him. Beyond that light, a world unknown even to his father awaited.

It seemed as if his life as a demon had come to an end. Yet, there was more to his story. Having lost to Dante's soul, been defeated and controlled by the Demon King, and freed by Dante, what would he seek and find in this new world devoid of Sparda and the Demon King?

No, whether it was during his life as a demon, the fierce battles with Dante, the moment he entrusted the amulet to Dante and died, or now, as he embarked on his journey to another world, there was only one thing he sought.

"I need more power."

*****

"...Phew."

Seeing Vergil off to another world, Tanaris leaned back against her chair and let out a breath.

"Vergil, huh? What an interesting man. I wish I could have talked to him more."

Muttering his name wistfully, Tanaris reached into a drawer of the desk beside her and retrieved a small hand mirror. She stared intently at the ordinary mirror until it began to glow white, the reflection of her face shifting to that of another woman with silvery hair and purple eyes.

"Just like I said earlier, I've sent him to your world. I'll leave the rest to you."

"L-Leave it to me? What have you done!?"

"Oh, someone's angry."

When Tanaris spoke to the woman in the hand mirror, the other party raised her voice in frustration. Tanaris watched her reaction with amusement.

"Senpai, you said you were sending a man with the potential to defeat the Demon King, so I reviewed the materials transferred to me, but he's an outrageous criminal! And he's a demon, even if he's only half-demon, he still is! Mass murderers who killed many people in the human world and those who caused chaos are to be sent to hell without question! That's what the laws of Heaven state! Did you forget!?"

The woman, who called Tanaris her senior, shouted in panic while her face turned pale. In contrast, Tanaris showed no sign of remorse.

"Of course, I know. I haven't been a goddess for years for nothing."

"Then why!?"

"Because it seemed interesting."

"W-What!?"

The unexpected reason left the woman visibly shocked.

"He's the son of the legendary demon swordsman Sparda. Maybe you don't know, but in your world, he would be considered more powerful than the Demon King, a hero who saved the human world despite being a demon. Just sending his son to hell would be a waste and not entertaining. So, I decided to reincarnate him into your world."

"For such a reason!?"

"Life is more enjoyable with a bit of excitement. You, too, could use some stimulation in your dull goddess life by encountering such an extraordinary man. Besides, you have other missions that require you to visit that world from time to time, right? It's a perfect opportunity."

"To me, this is an excessively lethal level of excitement! I've already lost more than seventy percent of my energy!"

"If you still have thirty percent left, that's enough. Do your best with the remaining energy. Now, I leave him to you, Backwater Goddess-san."

"P-Please, don't call m─!"

Realizing the conversation was dragging on, Tanaris forcibly cut off the communication and put the hand mirror back in the drawer. Although light leaked from the drawer a few times afterward, Tanaris ignored it completely.

"If this gets out, I'll probably be exiled. If that's all that happens, I'd be lucky."

She looked up at the pitch-black ceiling and smiled slightly. She had been feeling a bit discontented with the higher-ups who always enforced the heavenly regulations strictly. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to give up her goddess title and relax in another world.

"If I do get exiled, maybe I'll go check on Vergil. Well, the consequences will come later... until then, I'll do my job as a goddess properly."

With growing anticipation for the future, she put the paper that had been on her desk into the drawer. She then picked up a new piece of paper that had appeared on her desk and resumed her still unfinished work.