#let's pretend indeed that vergil knows the novel all along XD

[vischys]

"...But why would you guys want to retrieve their formula? Bringing it back? They're going to make more especially the amount of HYDE pills they make for their followers."

Pills?

𝑨 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒏-𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒑𝒍𝒚 to the crimson-clad teen as the disclosure confounded his mind enough to permit his muscles such an instinctive reaction. The dim lighting fell upon the cambion's countenance, revealing a prominent frown that implicated to Navarro that he had no awareness of the pills whatsoever prior to this revelation.

His gaze fell then as his mind examine the facts he was briefed with and those Navarro disclosed. No, their so-called liaison made no reference nor mention to any HYDE pills, only a formula perceived as a threat hence must be recovered. It had become apparent by this point, that their client, represented by the liaison that Vergil himself had never encountered, – given the nature of his brother's agency – either deliberately omitted details or falsified them.

It was then his wariness toward the horror-hailed fraction were momentarily palliated as raised his gaze again to meet Navarro's and relay the newfound suspicion his mind had arrived to:

Whoever tugging this liaison's strings, might they seek to seize the HYDE formula from the Lovely Horrors and utilize it for their own gain in lieu of vitiating it?

For the first time since his arrival hither, the Darkslayer felt a pang of concern over his twin brother's province. Something that his mind would immediately cast away in favor of logic that was a son of Sparda who had not only sealed the Emperor of Hell but more importantly was also his own equal in strength, was beyond the equation of any fractions, Horrors and conspiracy notwithstanding.

But 'twas not everything, for candor was in the bomber's disposition as Navarro proceeded to describe the dealings and nature of their shared mark to such an insightful detail and Vergil did not hesitate to avail himself of it.

As it turned out, Ink's fraction was not the only one who had a matter to settle with their horror-rific counterpart. As the green-eyed youth enumerated the names of the rest of the youth fractions that Vergil heard firsthand from Ink prior, he was quick to note that no, unlike his initial apprehension, the feud between the two fractions did not begin with their respective leaders' confrontation and subsequent brush with death, but rather with something out of pure altruism: saving one of their own, Jaron. To think not only that he was nearly deprived of the existence of the youth whom he had unofficially hailed as culinary rival elicited a twinge of dismay in his chest, though none of it was ever hinted upon his steadily hardening frown.

"Things happened so fast, it felt like a long damn night. We first fought the low-ranking members of the Lovely Horrors; the Followers. Then they have a second rank; their Commander Beasts."

Those humanoid varmints dressed in white rags must constitute the Followers and that monstrosity dubbing himself Ludwig a Commander Beast of their ranks, he deduced mentally and soon was confirmed as Navarro pushed on.

 "They can be strong and freaking annoying as the feral demons. Because...their followers are humans using pills that have bits of demon blood in them. They are called HYDE pills. The Commander Beasts are humans that mutated into monsters like that horse monster Ink fought. Hence, the HYDE formula. It makes humans who take them tougher and faster than humans. But it can make you aggressive like a wild animal depending on how many pills you take."

At the description as to how exactly the narcotic substance came into being and effect, the frown upon the Sparda's countenance receded a tad as he couldn't but perceive a vein of hilarity from the sudden, borderline comical revelation about a certain reading material of gothic genre, bearing the same title and retailing a serum with similar efficacy to that of HYDE.

“ An aggression quickened by "the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil and the thought" ? ” He quoted a line from said reading material in a wry cadence. “ How appositely prosaic from a fraction entitling themselves as a fetching ilk of horror. ”

"But...they're nothing compared to the third rank; The Horrors. Those on the top are the real members. We only saw two. Jason is one and so is Shrika."

Shrika. ​That name, uttered a few times by one of the Followers, and now by Navarro. Undoubtedly she is the Horror whose machinations are currently transpiring. Or one of the so-called Horrors, at the very least.

"​.... We were spread out trying to find Taz and those who were kidnapped. Then along the way, I heard on the radio from Rust that Ink is fighting Killer Night aka Matt."

​Matt.

Shrika was undoubtedly here, yes, but could the same manner of presence apply to her notorious leader? And if he did, was his dealing solely for their fraction's foray into the city, or....

His lips tightened into a straight at the dismaying possibility that leader of the Horrors was here spefically for the leader of the Demon Blood Tears, and the qualm of conspiracy was pushed aside for the nonce in favor of a more personal lookout.

​“ ​T​he Killer Night, ”​  he intoned the highest ranking Horrors' title for the first time ever since he had heard of it, first by Ink and now by Navarro, steadily with a degree of cynicism, like a warrior sizing its new contender. The memory of Ink's empty expression flashed in his mind once more. Was it due to a trauma from the murderous Horror inflicted upon her or to a distress triggered by her comrades' incarceration? He sincerely hoped it was more of the latter.

​The dreadful rumination invoked a moment of silence before culminating in a single, grave query:  “​ How did Ink fare in that confrontation with him? ​”

“The Lovely Horrors.”

A visible frown marred the cambion’s countenance upon hearing his very suspicion confirmed in such a stern conviction, that was Ink and her fraction being here for the very terrorist group that was supposedly to be his mark, thusly further substantiating his unspoken wonder that Ink was indeed involved with the malefic fraction beyond professional capacity.

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