The battle dinsion was intense, where the colors of the real world dissolved into waves of spectral energy, and two demons fought fiercely.
Vergil and Katharina moved like dancing shadows at high speed.
This was a new configuration of the battle dinsion. The vastness around them was undefined—no sky, no ground, just a fluid horizon of energy stretching infinitely.
Sothing Novah brought to ensure they didn't "destroy the house again" was an updated version of the sa cube Leon had brought Vergil when they fought. This ti, the location itself was fully configurable.
The battlefield was rule-free, a space designed exclusively for training and combat, but also to test the limits of body and soul.
'It looks like the Ti Chamber' was Vergil's first thought.
Katharina was calm, moving gracefully like a predator toying with its prey.
Despite her light and relaxed appearance, she maintained impeccable control over every movent.
Vergil, on the other hand, was focused, trying to follow her instructions while channeling his demonic energy.
The flow of power was new to him, and although he was naturally talented, he had a long way to go before he could match Katharina's vast experience.
With a mischievous smile, Katharina leaned forward, her erald eyes sparkling with a malicious light.
"Co on, little demon," she taunted, her voice sweet and challenging at the sa ti. "Show what you're capable of." And with an almost imperceptible push, she vanished from her position.
Vergil's eyes widened, trying to follow her with his keen perception, but before he could even think of reacting, he felt pressure on his back. Katharina reappeared above him, her feet planted on his shoulders, hanging upside down as if casually strolling on the ceiling, her retractable black wings playfully brushing Vergil's face.
"Is this how you intend to fight?" she laughed. "So stiff, so serious. You need to relax, feel the energy. Don't let it dominate you, make it your ally."
"Damn woman…" Vergil growled lightly, frustrated by being treated like a child, but Katharina just laughed more.
'Hehe, I've annoyed the dear one' With a small push, she leaped from his shoulders and spun in the air, landing on her feet a few ters away, facing away from him, completely unconcerned.
"Co on, little demon. Show your true strength!" she shouted, turning around and waving at him as if they were playing a ga rather than engaged in intense training.
Vergil clenched his fists, feeling the demonic energy pulsing through his veins.
He had spent the last few hours trying to learn to control it, to strengthen it, but he was still far from fully mastering his abilities.
Even so, he knew he needed to advance—and quickly.
Katharina might have been playing with him, but there was a clear subtext in every action of hers: she was expecting him to rise to her level. And he didn't intend to disappoint her.
Channeling his energy, Vergil felt the familiar heat radiating from his body. He could feel the demonic power flowing through his muscles, making them stronger, more agile. And with a sudden burst, he charged at Katharina, launching himself with all the speed he could muster.
She easily dodged, almost as if she knew exactly what he would do before he even decided.
Her movents were smooth, graceful, like a breeze dancing around a solid mountain. Every strike he made was parried or avoided with exasperating ease. Katharina was clearly going easy, but she was also watching him closely.
"Better, little demon," she murmured in an almost approving tone, as she dodged another punch. "You're starting to feel the rhythm of the energy. But you're still hesitating."
Vergil backed off for a mont, frustrated. He felt he was giving his best, but every move he made seed to be anticipated by her, as if she were two steps ahead.
Katharina, noticing the tension in her 'cute apprentice,' let out a theatrical sigh and, in the blink of an eye, was upside down again, her feet planted on the invisible ceiling of the battle dinsion, while she crossed her arms and looked at him with a provocative gaze.
"Why so serious?" she asked, gently swaying in the air. "True strength cos when you stop overthinking. Let your demonic instinct guide you. Don't fight against the power. Demonic energy is like a sharp sword—the more you try to control it with fear, the more it cuts you."
Vergil snorted. "Easy for you to say. It seems like you were born with that power."
"Ah," she smiled, tilting her head. "I was born with it, yes, but I had to master it because of that old overprotective one! Mastering this power takes ti... patience and a demon behind you! Sothing you still need to learn…" She winked at him, as if the fight were just a minor distraction in her routine.
Before he could retort, Katharina moved again, this ti not to play.
Her speed was incomprehensible, and Vergil barely managed to defend himself in ti when she appeared directly in front of him, delivering a devastating kick.
The impact threw him back, making his body slide through the dense energy of the dinsion.
He rolled and got up quickly, recovering, but tasted the tallic tang of blood in his mouth.
"If this were a real fight," Katharina said, shaking her head, "you'd be dead."
Vergil got up, panting, but his eyes were filled with determination. "Then let's make it real."
Katharina raised an eyebrow, surprised, but a slow smile soon appeared on her lips. "Finally. You're starting to understand."
She extended her hand, and her demonic energy began to flow around her body, enveloping her like a fervent aura.
It was a pure, unmasked display of power.
The air around her trembled with the intensity of her strength.
Vergil felt the weight of the energy crushing the environnt, but he did not back down.
He knew he was at a disadvantage, but that didn't matter. Every fight with Katharina was a chance to learn.
Even though he was being defeated, he was absorbing every movent, every lesson, feeling the power growing inside him.
'Being the strongest… Yes… Strength cos with risks, you can't get strong without taking risks.' He thought, as he channeled his own energy, trying to match the pressure, but there was still a great disparity between them.
Even so, he advanced. With the demonic energy pulsing through his veins, he delivered a series of quick, calculated strikes, trying to use what he had learned in the past few hours.
Katharina smiled as she dodged with the sa ease, but now he was moving faster. There were monts when he almost managed to touch her, which was enough to make her narrow her eyes in silent approval. He was progressing. Very quickly.
"Interesting..." she murmured to herself. Katharina could feel Vergil's learning curve accelerating. The demonic energy flowed from him more naturally now. His body was beginning to adapt to the new power, and it was more impressive than she was willing to admit out loud.
'This man… clearly has more lineage… No, it doesn't co from his mother… His father… I'll investigate this… could be an ancestor too… This exponential strength… it's been only six hours of training and he has evolved to the point of confronting any mid-level exorcist… Damn monster…'
Vergil advanced again, this ti with more precision. He adjusted his posture mid-movent, correcting his previous flaws. Katharina smiled as she spun in the air to avoid a punch that now ca with much more force.
"Better, little demon," she comnted, her voice laden with a veiled satisfaction. "But not so fast."
With an agile movent, she grabbed Vergil's fist with one hand, and before he could react, she threw him back with trendous force. He was launched into the air and crashed onto the "floor" of the dinsion, rolling several tis before managing to get up again.
Vergil rose, pain coursing through his body, but sothing inside him was changing. Each blow he took, each ti he was knocked down, made him feel more in tune with his demonic energy. He could feel the power reacting to his emotions, to his desire to improve. His demonic instinct was strengthening within him.
"Co on, little demon," she called, with a roar. He channeled more energy than before, feeling his veins pulse with newfound strength. His eyes glowed a fierce red, and the ground beneath his feet cracked with the influx of power.
"Ah, finally!" Katharina laughed, watching Vergil's transformation with a look of contained pride. "Now you're starting to look like a real demon."
Vergil advanced with impressive speed, and this ti, Katharina had to block his punch, instead of just dodging. The impact sent a shockwave through the space around them. She smiled widely, clearly enjoying herself.
In the next mont, as the impact of Vergil's punch against Katharina still reverberated through the battle dinsion, a distinct sound began to fill the air—a low, humming noise, almost like the sound of cracking glass. Katharina, who had been smiling mischievously after the last blow, suddenly beca serious. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around, sensing a sharp change in the dinsion's energy.
"No..." she murmured, her tone carrying more concern than amusent. "She's already here."
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