| Main centres: | 1-3 business days |
| Regional areas: | 3-4 business days |
| Remote areas: | 3-5 business days |
Nero is a young man who lives on the city-island of Fortuna, where the island's inhabitants (The Order of the Sword) worship the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda as a god. He goes to the Opera House in time to see his romantic interest Kyrie perform for the Order of the Sword's celebration ceremony in Sparda's honor. The Order's high priest Sanctus begins a sermon, but is interrupted by Dante who bursts from a skylight and assassinates Sanctus in front of the entire audience. The Order's Holy Knights, led by Kyrie's older brother Credo, try to subdue Dante but he defeats them easily as the audience flees the Opera House. Nero fights Dante as Credo takes Kyrie and promises to return with reinforcements. With only each other as witnesses, Dante and Nero's fight is brutal as Dante's prowess far outmatches Nero's. Their battle is stopped when Nero taps into his dormant demonic power, to the surprise of both himself and Dante, and emerges the victor. Impressed, and noticeably unfazed by Nero's pummeling, Dante reveals that the Holy Knights members he killed were actually demons. As for Nero, Dante implies that his heritage may be of a different sort, before he quickly departs.
Reinforcements arrive, and Nero keeps both his newfound power and his sudden misgivings about The Order to himself, as Credo gives Nero the task of stopping Dante and discovering his true intentions. However, the city suddenly finds itself under siege by a demonic attack, seemingly related to Dante's appearance. While Credo leads Kyrie and the townspeople to The Order of the Sword Headquarters, Nero embarks on his quest through the destroyed city to Fortuna Castle. At the castle Nero meets Gloria, a new high ranking Order of the Sword member who leaves to regroup with Credo at Headquarters. As his quest deepens, Nero uncovers the secret lab of Order of the Sword Member Agnus, who has secretly been experimenting with demonic power. Siphoning the intense demonic energy from the shards of Yamato (the long lost sword that used to belong to Vergil, Dante's brother), Agnus has secretly created an army of demon infused warriors and several Hell-Gates across Fortuna under the orders of Sanctus himself. Additionally, it is revealed that Sanctus has survived Dante's assassination by infusing himself with the soul of a powerful demon, in the aptly titled "Ascension Ceremony," which has given him and his followers the powers of a demon.
Shocked by the treachery of the Order, Nero fights Agnus but is mortally wounded by him. With the attack fully unlocking his own dormant demonic power, Nero's energy mends the broken Yamato and calls it to his hand. He destroys the lab and Agnus flees to Headquarters to inform Sanctus. Nero gives chase towards Headquarters, as he tries to piece together The Order's ultimate plan involving the Hell Gates, while also contemplating the implications of his demonic heritage. Defeating the creatures spawned from Agnus's Hell Gates, Nero discovers to his dismay that Credo is part of the conspiracy, having similarly undergone his own Acension Ceremony and become a demon. It is revealed that Credo has been tasked by Sanctus to stop Nero, and that Gloria has taken up Nero's job of hunting Dante, thus revealing The Order's intentions to eliminate all those who stand in their way. The fight between Nero and Credo is interrupted by Agnus who brings Kyrie to see Nero transform into a devil, which makes her lose her faith in Nero. Agnus then kidnaps Kyrie and departs. Credo, stunned by The Order's blatant use of his sister to stop Nero, is shaken in his own belief and apologizes to Nero, promising to return once he has investigated Sanctus's true intentions.
His quest to apprehend Dante long forgotten, Nero decides to save Kyrie from Sanctus, but ironically encounters Dante instead. Nero wishes to simply pass him, but Dante wants Nero to give him back Yamato, stating it has too much power to be trusted with anyone but himself. This in turn sparks a fight between Nero and Dante, which Nero soundly loses. After the fight, Dante reveals that he wanted to test Nero to make sure he could trust him to keep Yamato safe for the time being. Trading names, the two form a steady alliance, and Nero continues forward with Dante's approval. Suddenly, Gloria appears before Dante as Nero leaves, and it is revealed that she is actually Dante's partner Trish. Having been sent to hunt Dante, Trish's guise as Gloria has given herself and Dante the window to strike at Sanctus with the element of surprise on their side, and with Nero biting at Sanctus's heels.
Finally, Nero finds Sanctus at the heart of the Order of the Sword Headquarters with an enormous statue in Sparda's image, which Sanctus calls "The Savior." Sanctus reveals that only Yamato and the Legendary Sparda Sword, along with Sparda's blood can awaken the Savior and unleash it's incredible demonic powers. Having already received the Sparda Sword from Trish as Gloria (to buy Sanctus's trust), Sanctus needs only the blood of Sparda and Yamato. This final revelation reveals that Nero is indeed a descendant of Sparda's blood, and the key to Sanctus unleashing hell upon Fortuna. Nero rushes headfirst into battle, but Sanctus uses Kyrie as a human shield to distract Nero at the last minute, and succeeds in capturing him. Revealing that The Savior also requires a powerful demon at its core as a power source, Sanctus decides Nero will be a suitable replacement considering he had originally intended to use Dante. Suddenly, Credo returns and attacks Sanctus in an attempt to rescue Nero and Kyrie. Unfortunately, Credo is defeated by Sanctus who stabs him with Yamato, followed by Nero. With Nero's blood, The Savior awakens and Nero is absorbed into it, promising to Kyrie that he will free them as they are imprisoned within its confines. Dante and Trish appear, unable to stop the proceedings, and promise Credo in his final moments to save Kyrie and Nero.
