Devil Devil (A Vasto Lorde SI in Chainsaw Man)

[Vtorc]

"Alright… What's this?"

Opening my eyes, I spied a look around and nodded to myself.

"Ah, it's that kind of troupe, isn't it?"

I nodded sagely as if the answer has already been revealed to me at first glance.

After all, the troupe couldn't have been more obvious.

"Opening your eyes only to realize that you're no more in your room and at an unfamiliar place. Yes, this could only mean one thing. Transmigration… Or I have unknowingly been drugged… Or this is just a dream."

I pinched myself on the cheeks for a few seconds before nodding.

Yeah…The third hypothesis is a burst. Most, or at least, none of my dreams has ever been able to emulate pain on this level of clarity. There was also the fact that I feel too aware of myself and my surroundings for some mere dream - issue of lucid dream none withstanding.

Drugs…Hah! I'm a 16-year-old kid. I love gaming, anime, and eating. I am a typical ordinary boy you can find anywhere. I've got better things to do that to waste my pocket money on buying drugs - not to mention that I don't even know 'where' to go and buy them.

So that leaves the first option… Transmigration. The famous anime troupe branded under the Isekai banner; to move to another point in time space or a different reality altogether.

Now I'm sure that might—no, would surely sound absurd in the ears of most people. After all, who comes up with transmigration as a logical reasoning when finding themselves in a place they don't recognize? Unless their chunnibyou syndrome is such that only the heavens can help them…

By dumping harsh reality checks on them.

In fact, for all I know, I could probably be bullshittng my ass here.

But unlike my formerly beloved comrades from Nalakuvara (yes, those were the days), I do have the perfect justification on my fixation that my being here is nothing less than a mystical transmigration event.

For one, I'm quite sure that this isn't Earth. Yes, that big ball of space rock where man, animals and plants reside in. Wherever this place is does not resemble Earth in the slightest.

How? Well, where the Earth I know has a yellow celestial orb as its sun. Situated above me are two celestial bodies - one, an eldritch green and the other, a jet black with a reddish outline. Just in case of clarification they are suns - or whatever constitutes as gaseous light around here.

Besides, that wasn't all…

Blood. Blood. Blood… A sea of red as far as the eye can see. Which translates to me seeing a lot of blood… And bones too. Varying skeleton parts belonging to animals and humans.

And that wasn't even the clincher.

Sighing, I relaxed myself on the throne of bones - rather than an ordinary bed- and traced a finger across one of the jutting horns that extended from my own head.

I went to sleep with two normal hands and feet. Thankfully, the said body parts are still there. But now, they're pure porcelain white.

Looking down, revealed to me that my night garbs were gone, replaced by what could only be called makeshift rags tied by a white girdle which was wrapped around my waist.

… … Oh, there was also a gaping hole in my chest by the way. One that should have definitely killed me.

"Hole? White skin… Horn. Hmm…?" I blinked.

Ok… This… This rings a very familiar bell.

"But it couldn't be… Right?"

Standing up from the bone-like throne, I strode down the heap of skeleton fragments upon which the seat of authority had been constructed on.

I have to see how I look right now. Because all the features I've gleamingly picked up remind me of a certain anime I have been watching. An anime that is certainly fictional… Although, in hindsight, there is nothing logical about my present situation.

As soon I saw my reflection on the liquid vital spark, I froze stock-still before a dry laugh unintentionally escaped my lips.

"A Vasto Lorde Menos. Heh, what a damn thing to be."

I blinked with the glowing green eyes reflected on the lifeblood copying my action.

This could explain why I don't feel much panic despite my current situation and also the… Should I say strange warm -yet at the same time- cold energy within me. I have become a Hollow, and from looks alone, a Vasto Lorde.

Although, while it seems like my present appearance bore a similar appearance to Bleach main character, mine seem to be of a different variety.

Where there was the orange mane draping from a cranium-like head, mine was jet black. The ferocious orange glow was replaced with an eldritch green optical orb. I could ostensibly comment that my Vasto Lorde variety bore a slight likeness to Uliquiorra Cifer and that, objectively speaking … Isn't a bad thing.

Straightening up, I looked around the area deliberating if I was in the Realm of Hollows; Hueco Mundo. But I decided to forsake that line of thought as I was not in exact authority to dictate my present location.

It would be better to find any other (un)living being to tell me where I am.

With a sigh, I shook my head and jumped—only to land on nothing.

Well, not nothing in the strictest sense. I simply created a platform composed of Reiryoku, which honestly speaking was surprisingly easy for me to do. It was like I had been doing it all my life.

In fact,…

Pointing a finger towards the spanning red distance, I gathered and pushed spiritual energy towards its end. Externally, the encompassing light dimmed as a verdant light orb manifested at my fingertip.

Adjusting my finger, words automatically flowed out from my mouth as I uttered the words that signify the pinnacle a Hollow's destructive potential.

[Cero]

The world stilled—then roared as an orb smaller than a tennis ball expanded into 50-meter diameter pillar of destructive luminance, tearing through the blood sea, and extending far out in the horizon and finally exploding with the force of a multi-megaton bomb.

To put it in internet slangs, I'd completely 'vaped' the sea down to its seabed.

I could only dumbly watch with jaws dropped as my [Cero] reenacted the biblical sea parting with the only difference being that this mystical act had been done through sheer power rather than divine providence.

Now that I had fired my [Cero], I can now clearly feel my Reiryoku clearer than before. Techniques flowed into my head from Hollows and even Soul Reapers.

And that's...

Now I'm beginning to wonder if my story or this body's story had one similar to the artificial Hollow, White; a Vasto Lorde Menos Hollow comprised solely of thousands of Soul essence.

Sighing, I raised a fist towards the dual sun sky, clenching it as a look of disturbance was etched on my face.

"Hmm… Something doesn't feel right. There's something missing…" My face squeezed into a frown. "I don't feel complete."

Upon my interaction with my Reiryoku, I realized that there is something fundamentally off my body - like something had been torn off. It's like having my limbs sawn off and being forced to walk without them—evidently it is an unpleasant sensation.

Clicking my tongue in irritation, spiritual force gathered at my feet and the air around me visibly distorted as I deployed the Hollow high-speed movement, Sonido.

One second, I was 100 or so meters above from the bone-like throne - which miraculously had not been destroyed by my [Cero] aftershocks - the next, the throne was nothing more than a speck in the distance.

Say what you want about Hollows, but it does not change the fact that they can learn and evolve with tangible results in response to their growth.

"Whoooooooohooooo~!"

A joyful howl escaped out of my lips as I once again broke the sound barrier while flying away from the blood sea. It's time to go seek out non-hostile Hollows with common sense.

I need to know which part of Hueco Mundo I'm in and at which point in time in cannon that I'm in—preferably pre-cannon as I still need (Mr. Keikaku) Aizen to make me an Arrancar.

With the Wandenreich and even the Soul Society still at large, I'm 100% sure that my being a Vasto Lorde means shit in the grand scheme of things - yeah, I'm talking about you; Zaraki, Ichigo, Yhwach, Yamamoto.

I need to get stronger for my own sake.

After all,… I don't want to die.
.
.
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Hmm, have I ever told you about my composure when it comes to things that take too much time? Oh, I haven't, well… Allow me to come clean and say this.

I hate the term 'monotone', 'monochrome', and anything associated to dullness and stretch in time spent staring at just one thing.

Ok, the question now becomes; what the hell am I even talking about? To that, my answer is easy…

… Easy in a vexing sense that is.

"Alright, I think I've been patient enough." I murmured, fruitlessly trying to quell my rising frustration. "For 15 minutes… Goddamn 15 minutes. I've been blasting Sonido after Sonido and I still haven't gotten anywhere."

Abruptly halting in the air, I lifted up my head and cried out.

"Is there no end to this freaking blood sea?!"

One could marvel the esoteric site for so long before it becomes deridingly monotone.

I was quite sure that I had already traversed over more 100 miles - a high speed technique could make you that fast – and even then, I still haven't spotted a hint of land.

At this point I would even take an island.

"Is this even Hueco Mundo by the way?"

Spreading out my fingers, orbs with the force of nuclear bombs gathered as I pointed towards the sky and sea with the intent of razing everything to the ground.

"Do I have to nuke everything before a way out reveals itse—hmm, what's this?"

In the course of my outlet (read whining) a giant black door reminiscent to the gate of hell manifested before me. [Cero] died down, as I tilted my head in bemusement.

While this is a positive change of events, it still doesn't change the fact that this so-called entrance could be a trap. But then again, it could be that the door only manifested because I wanted an out.

To test my hypothesis, I merely thought of the door to dismiss itself and it immediately did - I'll be honest, I kind of panicked when I had seemingly closed off my getaway from this place, only to sigh in relief when the door manifested once more at my beckoning.

"Hmm… To pass through the scary looking door or keep on flying over a sea of blood… Well, the answer's a no
brainer."

The door opened with an ominous clang, and I flew right in.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

In a way, I'd actually suspected it. Using a horror game analogy; not every entrance leads one towards the exit. So expecting some Diablo-lite door to properly lead me out of wherever that it was plain stupidity.

Upon passing through the door, the scenery abruptly changed from an apocalyptic sky and a blood sea to… Grassy, flowery field with hills, with countless doors parallel in the sky.

"Seriously, am I really in Hueco Mundo?" I dryly commented while taking a look around. "Cause if so, then the Realm of Hollows must have gone through one heck of a renovation."

I raised my head towards the countless doors that served as the skies, wondering if my (?) own door was among their numbers and then there is the question of what hid behind the other doors.

Are they simply Hollows or Menos like me?

"Haaah… Not like thinking about it would help me much anyway."

I shook away the thoughts of the mysterious overhead doors and released my Reiatsu. I rather not fight this early in the game, so it will be better to just ping off the nearest intelligent Menos of my arrival and scare off any Hollow with belligerent ideas.

After all, I don't think there would be any Hollow stupid enough to pick a fight with a nuke dropping Vasto Lorde - even if
it is one of a fellow grade.

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It didn't even take long before I was welcomed by the residence occupants… Actually, did I say welcomed? Oh, my bad.

I meant stormed at.

⸙⸙⸙⸙⸙⸙⸙⸙⸙

I had first picked up the slight tremor in the air before realizing that something was heading my way. Something like an army. Strangely enough, I couldn't sense their Reiatsu and that should have been impossible considering the fact that everything in this world (Bleach's world) possess Reiryoku however small it may be.

Soon enough I could spot the sand dusts and the unique—w-w-w-wait a minute!

"The hell? Are those things Hollows?!"

If I were to describe their appearance it would be esoteric. I could say that those things are not Hollows due to the fact that three of the 70-meters-tall monstrosities leading the charge did not possess holes in their chest as it should be with all Hollows - I surmise the others too should lack that visible feature as well.

Anyways, from their rabid looks alone, I could confidently surmise that whatever reason they are heading towards me for wasn't an amiable one.

For some reason, rather than fear or apprehension at the sight of over a hundred plus monstrosities charging at me at once. It was a rather burning sensation that lit up in my chest.

I could not explicitly describe this burning sensation, but if I had to put it in words. Then it would be… Indignation—as strange as it is, I felt affronted by the fact that mere weaklings gathered to go against me.

"You all should have come at me with least a hundred times that number." I said with a scowl on my face while pointing a finger at hideous horde. "As it is you even can't serve as a proper warm-up."

Was it me or the Hollow within me talking right now?

The ambient surroundings tinged green as a verdant star surged forth.

[Cero]

.
.
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"H-Hey, I've told you everything you want to know!"

"Huh~" I stamped my foot down, eliciting a pain-filled howl from the 4-meter eyesore. "Should you really be talking to me using that tone, eh? Or do want me to—"

"Eek~! Just kill me you bastard!"

Now I'm sure most people would be wondering about this present state of affairs. Me pressing a foot on top of a mammoth composed of claymores of various sizes—I understand to some that my actions may seem a bit… Harsh. But I actually have a good reason for doing this.

Back when I had fired off a [Cero] and vaporized almost all of the monstrosities, some of their ilk were lucky enough to be far away from the epicenter and escaped if not with serious injuries - or could have been serious injuries if it weren't for the fact that their regeneration potency is quite high.

I could have ended things by firing off another [Cero] but I needed someone amongst the monstrosities to tell me where I am - because now I'm quite sure that this isn't Hueco Mundo. Or at least this isn't the Hueco Mundo that I know.

So, I'd decided to finish off the rest using my fist—mainly to see how strong these things are and to test how physically strong I am in proportion to them. Suffice to say; I'm basically Saitama to them.

In the end, I'm left standing in a gorge of my own making and a monstrosity under my feet, I began asking my question nicely so to say I feel like I would make Barragan or Grimmjow proud.

Now I'm going off tangent.

"Devils?" I said skeptically, "That's what you all call yourselves."

"That's what the humans refer to us as." The now named Claymore Devil said.

"Us…" I echoed raising a brow. "I'm not a Devil like you guys, I'm a Hol… Low."

I paused, now regarding the Claymore Devil with a new sentiment. Its explanation about Devils, hell, and the situation regarding their interaction with humanity felt quite familiar - had I ever read this in manga or something.

The doors above… Yeah, I think I've seen them in a manga. Something about chainsaw…

Eh…

"Hey, does the name Denji or Makima mean anything to you?"

Despite the fact that the Claymore Devil had no eyes, I could still feel it blinking in bemusement as it shook its blade jagged head.

"I don't know who those humans are."

"Humans? No, they're—oh!" I then remembered that those two were known to the denizens of Hell by a different name. "My bad, what of Chainsaw Devil and Control Devil. Does that ring any bell?"

"O-Oh, those guys." The Claymore Devil said in a nervous tone. "The Control Devil is a Primal Devil. They're like the honchos in Hell. The Chainsaw Devil, well… That one's got some few screws loose. But we call him the—"

"Hero of Hell." I said knowingly and resignedly. "That's the Chainsaw Devil's title, right?"

"R-Right." The Claymore Devil nodded.

Of all places I had to end up in, it had to be a special kind of death world where you are either in danger of being killed by some passerby Devil or possessed and have your consciousness being overwritten by one to become a Fiend.

Well, it seems all hope isn't lost… I think.

It's just that…

It's just that…

"Haaah~ I was kind of looking forward to meeting Harribel-chan and Yoruichi-tan."

 

[Vtorc]

Is there any word that could perfectly describe the annoying feeling of when you would be searching for something - turning chairs, flipping tables and all that shit- while cursing how the heck did that something go missing—only to realize that it had been on your person all this while?

Because I have searched the dictionary and it still eludes me till this day.

For example, you want to change a TV channel and you can't seem to the find the remote, and then you spend over 10 grueling minutes running yourself rag in searching the whole house. Just when you decide to give up, you then frustratingly, peevishly, and maddeningly realize that the damn remote had been on the cushion all this while!

Seriously, how did I not see it?!

Yeah, there's no denying the welling up voices within you that whisper that, maybe it would have been better for the remote have gone missing.

At least, that is how it is for me.

Now, one would ask why am I spewing all this nonsense rabble? Well, that's quite simple to answer. But before I do just that, allow me to begin by asking one unpretentious question.

As a Hollow and a Vasto Lorde Menos with at that, what are the powers should one expect from a being of my standing?

Let me to answer that - for the sake of the masses of course.

A [Cero] which in my case, comes with sweet variations when it is further powered up, and yes, ladies and gentlemen. The [Garganta]. A Hollow personal method of inter-dimensional transportation.

You see, after the fiasco with the irrational Devils, my next line of action was to set course for the human world.

After all, who the hell wants to stay in Hell…? Heh, see what I did there? Nice punchline if I have to say so myself.

Anyways, suffice to say; the magical path to the human world didn't reveal itself like a certain Diablo-lite door. I had spent hours over hours flying around and asking the nearby Devils if they knew the way out.
By the way, none of them really replied to me… Or actually they did—either by running away or charging at me to get one-punched.

Damn, it's like they're all having a Mortal Kombat fever or something.

I had already asked the Claymore Devil about the traditional method the Devils of Hell used to invade the human world -because that's what they do in reality- and the Claymore Devil's reply almost made me to almost slap all of his fanged teeth off.

Suicide. That damn bastard told me to commit suicide or to be more specific, I had to die in order to be transported to the human world.

Which is still suicide by the way.

Although, I suppose the Claymore Devil's words held some weight because I do remember that in the manga, any Devil that dies on the Human World would always resurrect in Hell and vice-versa.
So yeah, dying in order to manifest in the human world is one plausible option.

But…

Look, I'm a 16-year-old normal hormonal boy. Just because I'm now an uber-lite being with nuke powers does not mean that my 16-year-old memories of normalcy had just upped and vanished…
Just yesterday, the worst problem I had on my plate was how to save up enough dough to go buy a game disk for god-sake!

Anyways, suicide or any form of self-inflicted death, or even death in general was out.

Out, you hear me.

Out!

… Ok, I admit my emotions are getting the better of me. I wonder if there's a Therapy Devil or something… Nah~ that could possibly make things even worse.

Besides, this could be a good thing using a hindsight perspective. At least, not matter what, I still have my human tendencies.

Consequently, just as I was about to return to that red blood world to reminisce on the essence of life and see if I can find the courage to… You know… Off myself. My not-so-neighbor asked me if there was any special characteristics about my Devil Concept (I didn't tell it that I was a Hollow) that I could employ to leave Hell with my own will.

Its reason being that apart from the Hell Devil—the Transcendent Devils and the top-honchos of the Primal Devils could forcefully create a path to the human world without necessarily dying.

That, ladies and gentlemen brings me to the one ability I had forgotten while psychologically running myself dry.

The [Garganta].

So as I stand staring at the rift in reality that led to human world. I could only force back the raging frustration at the tip of my tongue and walk into the portal.

Besides, it is not like I could do anything about it, anyway.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

Upon coming out from the other side of the portal, I paused, wincing a bit as soon as my eyes connected to the searing brightness of the sun.

"God, why does it feel like it's been quite a while time since I'd seen the sun?"

"Maybe it's because this is the FIRST time that you're seeing the sun." A voice behind me sarcastically commented.

Eye twitching, I pulled out the strapped claymore from my back and regarded the tiny ugly face on the weapon's hilt.

"Seems like someone's getting a tad bit too bigheaded for his own good." Reiryoku suffused with harmful intentions coursed through the claymore eliciting a familiar scream. "We don't want anything bad to happen now, do we, Claymore Devil?"

"You… Devil."

I shrugged carelessly. "Well, you did say that we're all Devils… Look, now that we're in the human world, I expect you to behave yourself and that means no attacking humans for attacking sake or we're both going to have a serious problem in our hands."

I narrowed my eyes and utilized the low electricity Kido; [Byakurai] to get my point across.

"And we both know how I deal how with my problems, don't we?"

"... Tyrant."

"Huh, what did you say?"

"I absolutely understand, sir! I won't do it again, sir!"

I nodded with a pleased smile - or at least, what could count as an impression of smile.

The Claymore Devil for all its grumbling is a total wuss. One that I can easily control through the use of both establishment of dominance and power boosting.

Yeah, I'm quite sure that most of you would be wondering, how did something like this happen? - The Claymore Devil's sudden transformation from a nightmarish titan into an unassuming claymore.

I want to come straight and say that this was nothing more than a coincidence.
A lucky happenstance born out of sheer idleness.

Back before I could begin the search for a way out of Hell. I was left with the conundrum of what to do with the sole surviving Devil that had survived my love-taps; the Claymore Devil.

Killing the Claymore Devil would send it to the human world—which would only lead to the Devil initiating a bloody rampage before it is sent back.

I really do not want the blood of any human caught in its wake on my conscience.

Speaking of that, it seems like I would have to add hunting Devils to my bucket list - the ones that I had killed back in Hell with my [Cero] and my fists, that is.
Who knows how many humans they must have killed by now?

Anyways, with my options being so few, I decided to spare the Devil and take my leave—when a ridiculous idea suddenly came to me.

A Zanpakuto is a medium by which a Soul Reaper or an Arrancar can utilize their power to their full potential. Zanpakuto in their essence contain a soul ideal to that of their wielder.
Of course, it is virtually impossible for me to procure a Zanpakuto due to not being in the Bleach universe. But that does not mean that I am entirely out of options.

Yeah, an option that is literally lying right in front of me.

The Claymore Devil is fundamentally a concept given awareness - a fear of humanity given form. While it is true that it does not possess Reiryoku that does not mean that it does not have a soul.
And the main feature of a Zanpakuto is its ability to house a soul.

So I decided to have a little test done to try and see if it is possible for me to gain a… Pseudo-Zanpakuto of my own. And what do you know, after some 'forceful' Reiryoku infusion and utilization of a forbidden sealing Kido, I've got this nice weapon for myself.

It does not have a Shikai state much less a Bankai, but the fact that it would still enable me to utilize my powers more effectively make it definitely a win.

Although, the amount of Reiryoku it took for me to force the Claymore Devil into a Zanpakuto was no joke.

I really thought I was going to die back there.

Shaking my head in a grimace, I temporarily dismissed that line of thought and turned to inspect my present location.

I was on the terrace of a story building, probably a 45 or 50 floor structure surmising from the view of elevation. And most importantly, I was not alone.

"Hey…" I cleared my throat and raised my hands, trying to appear as amicable as possible. "I come… In peace."

Gathered some meters away from me were humans, who from I can see, had been playing cards - had being the key term. Currently, they were all frozen stiff with agitation rolling off from them in spades.
I wasn't that surprised as from their point of view, they were before a potential abominable Devil. Technically, they weren't wrong about that. I did come from Hell, after all.

"De-De-De…" A man -probably a janitor from his dressing- stammered while frozen stiffed. "Devil."

"Devil!"

"E-eek!"

That lit up the racket as the others stood up, tumbling themselves while trying to run away. Well, that was a totally hurtful yet expected reaction to my greeting. Unfortunately, I can't let them go just yet.
With a small breathe intake, I flexed a bit of my Reiatsu -just a smidge- and the retreating humans immediately collapsed like a puppet cut off from its strings.

As I walked towards them, I couldn't help but note how small they were compared to me – I literally meant that. Like saying that they could reach my chest was just me being generous. Then again, I probably wouldn't have noticed as compared to most Devils I'm around the shorter size.

Setting some distance away from the humans, I crouched while furiously trying not to grimace at the smell of urine coming out from an elderly man.

"Relax, relax, it's not my intention to give you all simultaneous heart attacks." I said, disarmingly. "Yeah, I know I look like a Devil, so I won't fault you for behaving how you did… Even though, it kind of hurts to be honest. I just want to ask a few questions. Answer them and I'll be out of your hair before you can even blink."

Releasing my Reiatsu, I calmly watched as the humans (damn, sure feels strange to address them like that) gave each other anxious looks before a red hair young woman struggled to pull herself up.

"Al-All I have to do is answer your questions and yo-you won't do anything to hurt us?"

"Exactly what you said, Miss."

The woman looked back probably seeing as her co-workers egged her on, before she turned back to me.

"What do you want to know?"

To that, I smiled.

"The situation of the human race and Devils."

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It was only some minutes after I had left the humans while leisurely flying did the Claymore Devil seem to be unable to contain its curiosity.

"So, Boss. All those questions back there?" The Claymore Devil asked. "Is there something you wanted to know about the human world?"

"Something like that?" I hummed, flicking the wing of bird who scuttled away in fright. "You did say it's been quite some time since you had visited the human world. The only useful information you could give me was about the Gun Devil's rampage and the power boost it gave all the Devils. What I really needed to know is at which point in time am I in relation to the Canon."

"Canon? What is this… Canon?"

"You… You won't understand and I don't want to bother myself explaining it to you. So just drop it."

"I got it. You're the Boss." The Claymore Devil replied giving the faintest impression of a shrug. "Anyways, now that we're in the human world what's the next step. If I had it my way I would started by ripping those humans to shreds. But… Alright! Alright! I won't do something like that as long as you are my owner. Just don't look at me like that, it's scary."

I coldly regarded the nervous Devil while once again reminded of its, or rather, its species brutal propensities for human slaughter.

Then again, this is THE Chainsaw Man universe I am dealing, so such sense of brutality even from a tamed Devil should not be that surprising - even though it actually is.

Sighing, I shifted back my thoughts to the more tangible situation at hand. The shocking fact that unlike in most fanfics, I had been transported to a pre-Canon timeline.

It has been 2 years since the Gun Devil's blitzing massacre and the human fear of the Devils has exploded to extreme levels ever since. For me though, that meant that Denji still hasn't become the Chainsaw Man. Makima still hasn't been contracted to Japan Prime Minister. Aki is still in his punisher x batman phase. And most Arc One characters are still alive.

Now what to do about it? If I had been anyone or anything else, I would have immediately absconded from Japan and looked for a quiet place to hang my head low. After all, interacting with Canon means going up against the badest of the bad - beings who's every battle would cost you a limb at best.

But I'm a motherfucking Vasto Lorde. Nuking an entire country much less a Devil isn't an impossible task for me to do…

There is also the fact that I want to see what I can change in the Canon story.

"Before I can even begin any of that…" I halted midair and close my eyes. "I'll start by sending back all the Devils I brought with me back to Hell."

I really don't want to be hearing sob stories about people who had died to Devils that I had unintentionally brought with me when Canon officially starts. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

An echolocation wave emanates from my form like a sonar as I used the Hollow skill, Pesquisa to search for any Devils that are around the city.

Like I had said before; while it is true that Devils do not possess any form of Reiryoku, they still have souls - however corrupt and foul it may be.

Sure enough, I got a signal. One not far from here.

"Alright, Claymore…" I pulled out my Zanpakuto while Reiryoku suffused my feet. "It's time to show me what you're made off."

With a single application of Sonido, I vanished.

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Now remember those common troupe in fanfics; the one where despite being in a big urbanized city, one way or the other, the SI would still meet up characters -main or minor- from the manga's timeline?

Honestly, I thought that was a total hogwash - a method writers use to integrate their characters into the storyline.

I mean, what really are the odds of such a thing happening?

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3 minutes later,

"Yeah, what are the odds?"

Purple blood caked my sword as the once powerful monstrosity; the Mosquito Devil, painted the Ferris wheel and edifices of the amusement park with their blood and innards, and all around me was pandemonium from the ones who seemed to be quite surprised at their survival.

But I really could not give a damn about that.

Why? Because placed on my free arm was a girl who has been fated to die. Of course I did not recognize her at first as she is currently much younger than portrayed in Canon.

In fact, from her dressing, I reckon that she's still in middle school.

Anyways, I still had to be sure.

"Hey…"

"… …"

The girl turned to look at me with dull eyes - ugh, looks like she lost someone close to the Mosquito Devil.

Pushing down the uncomfortable feeling within me, I asked. "I just want to confirm a little something. Can you tell me your name, again? I mean your full name."

"… … I'm Akane… Akane Sawatari."

My non-existent eyebrow twitched.

'Uh… Yep. She's definitely snake woman. Killer of eyepatch-chan and presently, a middle schooler. How am I supposed to deal with this?'

 

[Vtorc]

5 minutes ago,

Akane stood still by the entrance of the merry-go-round size measurement stand, frozen by the macabre scene before her.

Silent screams escaped her mouth each time there was a sound of something being punctured. It goes without saying that the scenery before her was one Akane thought she would never see in her life.

And one she would never forget for the rest of her life… If she survives today, that is.

It was like a grotesque forest of blood and flesh had been made manifested before her -with people as the trees. Almost reaching three digits in number, they had all been caught and strung up by the Mosquito Devil.

Another crunching sound made Akane break into a shiver as fresh blood sprayed against the wall with some landing on her face. She could only watch in horrid fascination as another person got killed by the Mosquito Devil.

"Please, don't kill me. I don't want to die. I don't want to die—ack!"

"Aaah!"

"No… Please help me! Somebody plea—aaaahhh!"

The high-pitched buzzing produced a sound Akane was quite familiar with. However this time, the buzzing had been amplified to such an extent that Akane felt like it was driving her crazy.

With what could only be described as a wicked laugh, the Mosquito Devil extended another of its meaty appendages and stabbed its proboscis into the skull of a bawling man.

Immediately, the man shrunk, visibly losing body figure while the appendage expanded and shrunk as it worked to furiously drain the man of his blood. Soon enough, the deed was done and what was left of the man was a husk that occasionally twitched which showed that it had once been alive and human.

With a satisfied grunt, the Mosquito Devil using its appendages tore the man apart, splaying his bloody remains across the amusement park.

"Gahh~ not gets me pumping than draining a healthy human of their blood." The Mosquito Devil said, its broken voice sounding very cheerful. "Especially when they scream while I do it… The first scream is always the absolute best!"

Craning its monstrous towards its remaining human stock, the Devil said, gleefully. "I'm sure you can all do better than that guy, right?"

Even though the Devil's facial appearance was quite messed up, the sight of it forming what could be an evil smirk jumpstarted the crowd into more fearful hollering.

"Aaaaaaahhh!"

"Yes, that's what I want to hear!" The Devil hollered gleefully. "More, give me more. Scream as loud as you can; it only makes the blood taste more nutritious!"

While all this went on, Akane remained where she was unmoving. Fear gripped her limbs with an iron claw, while a cold whisper told her that the Devil knew where she was and was only waiting to be done with all of the humans before it got to her.

"Akane! Run—get out of here!"

Akane froze as her head automatically craned towards the main reason why she had not run away in the first place.

"Papa… Mama… I…"

Akane desperately wanted to say something, anything. The sight of her parents being hung up like that made the guilt within her boil immensely.

'It's all my fault.' Akane thought with tears streaming down her face. "If only I didn't beg them to bring me to the park… If only I hadn't been so persistent. Then Papa and Mama… Papa and Mama.'

It was like she had been wedged where she stood.

"That's right, Akane."

Akane shivered as the dreadful voice of the Devil was being directed at her.

"Be a good girl and listen to your Mommy and Daddy… Not like that will help you much anyway. Because I'm still going to kill them all the same and don't you worry… You were always the main course."

Akane's parents painfully groaned as the appendages wrapping around them both constricted more tightly and pulled them towards the Devil.

"No… No…" Akane knew what was about to happen, and from the looks on her parents' faces, they knew that as well.

"Akane…" Her father turned to look at his daughter one final time, while the mother gave a painful smile and said. "Please… Live."

To Akane, the world stilled and lost its colors as soon as the Mosquito Devil's proboscis stabbed into their—Wait! Wait! Wait!

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

"—Wait!" I raised a hand with a grimace that had no way of showing on my face. "Look, erm… Akane-chan. Can I call you that?"

The future Himeno-chan killer and terrorist nodded demurely…

I try not to dwell on the fact that she was too calm for someone whose parents had just been killed, and for being near the same (presumable) species as the killer and move on.

"Let me see if I can get this right." I coughed, clearing my throat, and began. "The Devil suddenly manifested and rampage killing everyone it could get its hands on, and your parents… Got caught up in it. Am I on the right course?"

Akane-chan nodded and pointed towards an indiscernible pile of gore and said. "Mama and Papa…"

"Uh… Right." I nodded robotically.

So this is Akane-chan's backstory, possibly the reason why she turned out to be what she is in the future… Damn, this is all kinds of messed up. Maybe this is why she had that… Detached disposition in manga -well, there was the exception of her shivering in fear when dealing with Makima 'scrunch you when I call your name' shenanigans.

But that can be excused because Makima's well… Makima, enough said.

I cast my gaze towards the Devil in question whose upper portion had been vaporized, with the sky sporting suspicious slash marks. I felt an imaginative bead of sweat trail down the side of my face as I realized as ridiculous as it sounds, this might be my fault.

'After all, it is possible that this Devil might be amongst the numbers I'd vaporized with my [Cero].' Eyeing the girl that rested her head against my bare chest, I suddenly felt conscious of the fact that I might have indirectly been her parent's killer.

"Hey Claymore… Recognize that Devil bastard?"

Flesh rippled and grew as a scaled-down upper torso of the Claymore Devil molded itself, looking at its fellow Devil before turning towards me with a shrug.

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm not too sure. It didn't look that noticeable when we had been charging at you back in Hell. And I make it a habit not to remember any Devil I kill with my own hand."

"Yeah thought so…" I nodded before throwing an exasperated look at the Devil. "So why did you decide to make yourself look like this?"

"Like what?"

'The bastard.' I seethed internally.

"I know I asked you to have a look at the Mosquito Devil. But I also know you are perfectly capable of doing so in your claymore form. Unless your actual aim was this…"

I gestured towards Akane who had buried her face against my chest, shivering.

It seems unlike my appearance, the Claymore Devil had triggered a much more natural reaction toward seeing the abominable.

Which only made me quite confused, to be honest.

"I won't deny it." The Claymore Devil admitted. "Seeing the girl's reaction to you made me wonder if that Mosquito dude had broken her completely… But it seems it's probably just a unique case. Then again, I'm not that surprised seeing that you don't behave much like a Devil either."

"Just for the sake that I don't want to show the girl something straight out of a horror movie, I'll take your words as a compliment. So get back to claymore form."

Shaking its head, the Claymore Devil's body squirmed and promptly shrank back into the claymore.

"Alright, you can look up now, the Devil's gone," I said to Akane who raised her tearful face to look at me.

Sighing, I stabbed the claymore into the ground and regarded the ghastly décor again.

So this is the norm of Chainsaw Man manga, seeing it in real life rather than from a white and black drawing speaks of a significant difference. But even more than the bloody scene in front of me or the fact that I had just met up with one of the cast characters however minor (or not) her role was.

'Yeah, it's like I thought. Becoming a Vasto Lorde has changed me.' I thought contritely. 'I don't feel a damn thing despite all this.'

Was this for the better or the worse? Concerning the kind of world I am in, the question brings quite a dilemma.

In normal circumstances, I wasn't that good with gory scenes. In movies, I would rather just turn my head or straight up skip that part as the sight of just blood spilling out makes me want to vomit.

Although, I'm quite sure the reason for that was that gory video of human vivisection I had watched when I was a kid… It's disgusting, I tell you.

Anyways, a view like this normally should have made me get on my knees and empty my guts out or even get queasy. But I seriously felt none of that. It wasn't like the gory sight had suddenly gained an appeal, it was rather that I felt nothing towards it.

Blood was blood and gore was, well… Gore.

That I had caused this was unfortunate, but I don't feel any signs of restlessness or guilt. No, it was just awkwardness. It was at that moment I knew that becoming a Vasto Lorde had messed up more than my appearance.

'It's messed up with my 'everything'.'

"Well, think about that later," I muttered and turned towards the rather increasingly aggressive crowd.

Rifles, handguns, shotguns, and all forms of projectiles were pointed at me. I could even spot an RPG around back. Though, I don't think I can fault them seeing as from their point of view; a human child was being held by a Devil who had just finished perpetuating a very heinous act.

I took a step forward and the guns cranked up in an unspoken threat.

"Easy fellas, got a kid here." I gestured towards Akane-chan who stared at the uniformed crowd with an unreadable look. "Don't want anything to happen to her now, do we?"

"Fu-Fuck you, Devil!" A policeman exclaimed from the crowd. "Don't you dare move from there and release the girl, if you don't want to get filled with holes."

The first emotion that got to me at the end of the policeman's tirade was… Amusement. At the sight of quivering guns being pointed toward me, I couldn't help but chuckle trying to see in which dimension they thought that their projectiles had any hope of piercing my skin.

The thought that a gun was used to threaten a Vasto Lorde was so funny I couldn't help bursting into laughter.

Shaking my head, I ignored the now terrified holler for me to conform and tried to put down Akane-chan—only for her to tighten her hold on me.

'Ok… What's this?' I thought in bemusement, outwardly I said. "Look those policemen, however stupid-looking are kind of the good guys, I'm sure they will take care of you."

"No…" Akane-chan said, burying her face in my chest. "I want to stay with you. I don't want to go with them."

Blinking, I turned towards the Claymore Devil who said. "Don't look at me… I'm not so good with any sentimental crap."

"Yeah, cause that Devil's roll."

"Got that right."

Rolling my eyes, I scratched my head with my free hand and crouched to put Akane-chan on the ground, but that only made her wrap her hands around my neck and begin to cry more furiously.

"I don't want to go. Please don't send me away!"

'Gah! You're only making things worse for me, Akane-chan.' I thought as the policeman was already ordering his officers to aim. 'This is about to jump from a frying pan to a fire situation!'

"Erm, Akane-chan. You do know, all things considered, I am a Devil." Even though I know that I'm not, but Akane-chan doesn't. "Not like I'm unhappy with you staying
with me, but you've got to understand our racial differences."

But Akane-chan shook her head stubbornly.

Sighing, I said to the policeman. "Well, sorry, seems like I'll be holding on to her a little longer."

The look the policeman threw at me was one reserved for the Devil… Which he undoubtedly thinks I am.

"Men… Aim."

Alright, now this is getting too uncomfortable for my taste.

"Oi, do you not see that I'm holding a girl, here."

"Yeah, I can see that." The policeman said with his finger wrapped around the trigger. "But even more than that, what I see in front of me is nothing more than a rotten Devil… Fire!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The air cracked as the entire regiment simultaneously pulled their triggers. Bullets of all sizes and RPG missiles set course for me and Akane-chan.

The intentions of the cops in front of me have been stated loud and clear; they do not care about what will happen to Akane-chan as long as they kill me. Truthfully, there is nothing wrong with their decision. To spare the lives of hundreds, all they have to do is kill one human.

It wasn't that bad of a deal.

… That is if it wasn't for the fact that I would be pissed off all the same.

What followed an instant later was the sound of a screeching roar. The Claymore Devil was once more in my hand before it blurred once more. The bullets of all sizes and RPG missiles all vanished into thin air—they had all been slashed to dust.

This time my next step sent the police regiment panicking. Pointed guns quivered and shook, some even outright dropping them while staggering back in terror.

"The only reason I'm letting you off is not because I'm kind or anything—I just don't want Akane-chan to see blood spill once more."

There was no need for me to Reiatsu-crush them. From the hypertensive look on their faces, I reckon the pressure behind my words was doing the job perfectly.

"But I dare you to try that again…" I grinned, as somehow their fearful faces made me feel… Euphoric. "I don't mind turning you all into red soup."

Yeah, becoming a Vasto Lorde means more than just gaining power… It changes one's mindset too.

Rubbing my hand against my neck, I muttered to Akane to hold on tight before taking off into the air.

"You guys should first deal with whatever it is you want to deal with, and when you've all calmed down and settled everything, look for me. I won't be hiding much I assure you that."

Shrouding myself in Reiryoku (more for Akane-chan's safety) I took off Mach speed heading towards another site where I had sensed a Devil.

I may have not been able to prevent the tragedy that has happened now, but I'll do everything in my power to stop whatever tragedy that'll happen in the future.

⸙⸙⸙⸙⸙

"Hmm~ after this, I'll have to go visit a certain protagonist-kun."

 

[Vtorc]

"Hmm…"

It took some time before Kishibe realized that he had been scratching his cheeks for the pass few minutes. But seriously, can anyone actually blame him for feeling this way—especially with what he is seeing right now?

Reclining back on his seat in the security cam-room, he said. "Oi-Oi... Are you sure that this isn't a video prank you pulled out from some movie? Because, even though Public Devil Hunters may not be that respected, we are still
government officials and that kind of gives me the kind of authority to tear your ass a new one."

Kishibe upon growing up had come to love his voice.

Of course, it wasn't some hot superstar kind of voice—then again, his line of work didn't require a voice that could attract women (if he really wanted to do the thing he could always pay for it).

No, the main reason Kishibe loves his voice is because it straightforwardly conveys his intentions. It makes him seem like the kind of guy you don't want to fuck around with unless you want to get your head bashed in.

If he's sleazy, you would know. Happy? You would know. Pissed off? You would know. Flirty? You would know. Nasty? You would fucking know.

At the moment, Kishibe was feeling a kind of nasty so he decided to lay it thick for the amusement park security officials. It seemed to be working as Kishibe noticed how the man nearest to him had the look of someone who wanted to
go suck his mom's boobs.

'Well, it's not like I can hurt them.' Kishibe thought to himself, 'Kinda' part of that thing called Human Rights... But it's not like they know of course.'

The only ones who were his natural enemies and could safely look him in the eyes were the Lawyers—the only lot he hopes the Devils could exterminate.

And so, the rumored strongest Devil Hunter in Japan could only do with mentally and emotionally bullying manchilds so that they can fess up.

"But I swear it's the truth, sir." The woman who Kishibe was talking too replied back, hastily. "I... I saw it... I saw it all. I didn't come out from this room because I was afraid, so I locked myself in and watched e-e-ev-everything that happened."

The look in the woman's eyes was one that Kishibe recognized in an instant; hollowness, despair, shame, survivor's guilt. It's been the rage ever since 2 years ago—the day the Gun Devil decided to pay humanity a visit, bringing with it gifts of death and mayhem.

Even till now, Kishibe could still feel the tangible effects the Devil had left in its wake.

'So she isn't lying, huh.' Kishibe conclusively thought. 'But then again, that would mean... What I'm seeing on the screen isn't some cooked up delusion... Fuck.'

Popping out a cigarette, lighting it, and inhaling its bitter leaves (fucking cheap leaves), Kishibe regarded the TV cam screen, stomped by what he is seeing.

"What the fuck is that?"

Throughout his years as a Devil Hunter (heh, see him feeling old), Kishibe could proudly say that he has seen many, many things.

And by many things, Kishibe meant FUCKED UP things—things that meant to deal with Devils.

Devils that barbecued humans? Check.

Devils that eat humans slowly while they're still alive? Check.

Devils that kidnap humans solely for their entertainment like dancing pigs? Check.

Devils that would kill parents in front of their children and vice versa solely because it gives them the kind of kick they enjoy? Check.

It had built up Kishibe's opinion on their race that could never be changed.

'Devils are a fucked-up race. There's no such thing as normal Devil...'

The ones the bureau keeps locked up in their underground storage room were no better. Only entering a Contract with a human solely for their own sick benefit or because they just want to ruin their lives.

There was no Contract ever made with a human solely for altruistic benefit—even his own.

And that is why Kishibe denies what he is seeing on the screen.

"You guys should first deal with whatever it is you want to deal with, and when you've all calmed down and settled everything, look for me. I won't be hiding much I assure you that."

The first class Devil Hunter had arrived at the park for his favorite pastime—which meant Devil slaughtering. With knife brought out to make a mincemeat out of some unlucky, Kishibe had come with an expectation for a fight.

Unfortunately, he didn't get one. Because, the culprit Devil had already been taken care of... By a Devil.

Now, candidly speaking wasn't that much of a surprise. Kishibe had seen Devil fighting amongst themselves, mostly for a juicy human or rather just for the kicks of it—that is how the Bureau had been able to capture of the Devils in the
first place.

But never, 'EVER' had Kishibe seen a Devil kill a Devil to rescue a human.

'If that's even rescuing at all.' Kishibe pessimistically thought...

Although the thought didn't last for long as he once again observed the demeanor of the Devil. Oh, Kishibe could tell that Devil's threat of killing the policemen was true based on the cold-callous look in its eyes. But at the same time, the Devil had no issues in letting the slight done against it go.

Standing up, Kishibe quietly left the room as a question plague his mind.

'What kind of Devil is it?'

Brrr... Brr... Brrr...

Flipping his phone, Kishibe answered the call. "Hmm... What do you have for me?"

"... ... ..."

The answer given was brief but concise, Kishibe eyes widened a bit before narrowing.

"You sure it's right there?... Alright, send me the location... Oh, and before I forget, don't bring the others into this. I alone am enough, got it? Good."

Pocketing his phone, Kishibe spitted out his cigarette as his lips lightly quirked.

"Well then, time to go see our strange new guest, eh."

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

You see, maybe my opinion isn't much considering the fact that the total number of Devil's I had fought (read slaughtered) were quite few... Or maybe much in number due to my [Cero].

But from all this scuffle of mine, there was one particular aspect I had picked up from the Devils—particularly their style of fighting.

They seriously lack any form of ingenuity, like at all.

Take the Mosquito Devil, its method of combat was merely flaying its tentacles-appendages—or whatever that was, around like some madman. Normally, with biological specs like that—entrapping, entangling as well as strangling
should have been a normal course of action.

But not once, did I notice the Mosquito Devil's attacks patterns go on in that manner.

Same as in Canon with the Eternity Devil or even the fucking Bat Devil... And same with the Devil that was currently trying to grab me to probably stuff in his maw.

"Hyaaah!... Come here, let me put you in my mouth... Graaayyhh!"

Standing over 5 meters in height, possessing a dark green coarse scaly skin with a ferocious lizard like head, the Gator Devil roared as it pounced at where I stood—only to once again fall to ground as I had already moved away.

And no, I didn't use any high-speed technique to move away. My base speed was to underwhelmingnly put; more than enough to turn the Gator Devil into nothing more than a gigantic joker.

Putting more effort into my next dodge, I flipped over the Gator Devil and kicked it with a force that sent it flying out of the mall it manifested in with the speed of a bullet, sending it up into the skies.

I stole a look around, a bit proud that unlike in the park I was early this time... No one had died, and more importantly, no surprise Canon characters.

After all, I still can't believe that on my first day in the Human World, I had ran into Akane-chan, the future Himeno-chan killer.

Safely positioning the girl who seemed to make herself comfy on my shoulders, I thought with a trail of sweat dribbling down my face.

'I've really done it this time—messed with, or rather, I can safely say that from now on. Canon events are not to be trusted. I've completely scrambled it up.'

... ... Eh, but then again, that was my plan from the start.

Chainsaw Man might have been amongst my favorite shows (not!). But the way the characters that I am interested in the anime die and how callous their death was isn't funny.

'The anime is fucking up there with that Attack on Titan or Dangaronpa.'

So it is with that thought in mind, I had decided to make sure that some certain events in the show will not happen.

Honestly speaking, if I had not been transmigrated with this power—the power of a Vasto Lorde, there was no way in hell would I involve myself in any of the Canon matters.

I wouldn't have any defense against Makima's control and the Gun Devil's second rampage would have turn me into a Swiss cheese faster than I can even say 'Fuck this'.

But luckily for me, and some very lucky people, I -the transmigrated one- am the one with the power of nuclear bombs at my fingertips.

… …Ok, I admit that sounded kinda corny to say.

Shaking my head to pull myself out of my revelry, I shot out of the mall, following the Gator Devil I had lobbed away.

"Ready some more dicing, Claymore Devil?"

The abomination—a living Devil who had been forcefully molded into a bladed weapon replied. "You really have to ask a Bladed Devil, that?"

"Well pardon me, then."

Huffing amusedly at the rhetoric, I shook my head and slashed the air with my armament. A powerful wind arc tore the air at supersonic speeds, trailing towards the descending Gator Devil who opened his maw in what could be a
desperate bid to devour me.

Now remember that impromptu class about a Devil's lack of ingenuity? Well, I've got something new to add to that.

Ingenuity is good—it can help out in many ways, and particularly with a Devil, ingenuity can help increase their combat prowess.

Look no further than the main Canon character for reference.

But remember even that has a limit.

A man with a shovel, however ferocious he may be is nothing before a bulldozer. A man with a gun cannot fight against a man with a tank. A zebra would only be fucking its deathbed by kicking a lion's face.

However ingenious one may be, in the face of absolute power the only logical thing for one to do is just give up... Reality isn't made to be dictated by some chosen one.

Shing!

"AaaAAaaaAAAAaarrrRRRrrrRRrhhhHHH!"

The descending maw abruptly snapped shut as the impromptu wind blade cleanly tore off its arm.

"Fuck this! Fuck you—wait, wait, I'm just joking—wai…"

"Nope. Not waiting." I chirpily replied.

After all, it is bad manners to curse in front of a kid.

Another thrown pressured air ripped off its other limb eliciting another righteous cry of pain from the Devil. Sending myself higher, I stretched a leg and descended on the Devil with a chop-kick, sending it crashing down to earth
forming a large crater.

I winced a bit at the large crater -particularly at the cars that flipped away and the nearby buildings whose window panes had just exploded- and internally shrugged in a carefree manner.

Compared to get eaten by a Devil, having some houses and cars get thrashed isn't that bad of deal. If anyone complains, I'll just drag him/her in front of some Devil and tell them to get rid of it while not compromising their
surroundings.

Maybe, I would then rescue them after they have gotten that haunted look in their eyes on trying to do so and failing... Maybe.

Landing on top of the Gator Devil, I raised my claymore ready to send it back to Hell when it groaned out.

"What the hell are you?" The Gator Devil roared out in a struggle, "What kind of Devil protect humans in the first place?"

"Protect? Hmm... You seem to be getting the wrong message, Gator-kun." I said, tilting my head. "I didn't kill you solely because I want to protect the humans, I'm merely cleaning up my mess, that's all... Helping the humans by killing
you is merely the net profit in all this."

Honestly speaking, it wasn't like I was against helping humans. But if it's with the expectation that I become some sort of Hero of Justice, then I'm out faster than you can say 'Flash'.

I'm merely helping because it lines up with my interest, and that I am capable of easily doing so. Nothing more nothing less.

"Heh... Are you really a Devil?" The Gator Devil questioned.

"Maybe..." I shrugged. "But that's not for you to decide now, eh. All I need is for the humans to see me as the good guy and I'm set."

My claymore dropped down and with a whine, Gator-kun split in twain.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

I paused at the sound of growling before turning to the blushing perpetrator who was trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.

"You hungry."

Akane-chan shook her head, but then her stomach called her out on her lie prompting her to bashfully nod her head.

Chuckling, I said no more as I turned back to the mall from where I had got into the scuffle with the Gator Devil.

"I remembered seeing an eatery back at the mall, so how about we go grab a bite? I'm sure that taking care of the Devil-kun here must have racked us up enough favor for freebies."

With that, we went back into the mall that was mostly abandoned due to those who had taken advantage of the chaos to abscond. The few others that remained hid in shops, hoping for some form of protection.

Upon entering the eatery, I could already sense that there some humans hiding here.

"Hello, anyone home." I said aloud.

Of course, I had the feeling that nobody would answer me -no matter how one puts it I still do look like a Devil. But I felt like I had to do it to fulfill all righteousness, if you get what I mean.

"So, um, I'm the one who had just taken care of the Devil that appeared just now and I want to carry these snacks behind the display. So if you're the shop owner or something, do you want to come out so that we can hash things out
or something?"

I waited for some seconds for the hidden humans to appear, but I got nothing. Seems like their fear was more overpowering than their curiosity, but I won't blame them because that was the safe thing to do...

... But then, they shouldn't blame me because I've done the right thing for any customer to do; I've declared my intent to take their arrayed snacks and they didn't stop me, which in my book means that they've granted me permission.

Setting Akane-chan down, I gestured.

"Take whatever you want, and let's go sit down and eat."

Nodding, perhaps animatedly(?), Akane-chan moved ahead behind the table front and began to help herself with a serving.

Watching her, I scratched my bony jaw in contemplation.

It had only taken one look for me to understand that normal human food wouldn't be enough to provide me sustenance. And that wasn't a surprise really, I had known all along; that the only nutrients for Hollows such as myself were
Souls.

Normal human food could at best be described as a sweetener, no amount could ever make me feel full.

But then, the question now becomes this; do I have the capacity to really do what is needed to acquire a Soul for consumption. Because, to have a Soul I have to kill and what I have to kill would be preferably human, animals just
won't cut it...

Or maybe they do, it's just that there isn't much known precedent for me to get a concrete idea on... There is also the Devils as well.

"Hmm..."

Pausing, Akane-chan looked at me inquisitively. "What?"

"Nothing Akane-chan~" I smiled.

Picking up some of the large meat burgers and coke, I ambled towards the seat with the thought of shifting the conundrum of how to deal my hunger to my future self.

I still got time, after all.

It was after we had ate, I huffed and said, "Well, I've got to thank you for letting me finish my meal, peacefully. Not letting me do so would have been an act of war in which I would be duty bound to put you in a stretcher."

This time, I wasn't talking to the humans hidden at the back. My words had been directed towards the new presence that had arrived at the mall in course of our eating.

I had let out a pulse of Reiryoku to see if he could feel my presence and what do you know? Like some sort of hound, the stranger immediately shifted course for here.

Thankfully, this stranger had the courtesy to wait and not disturb out eating. This was mostly for Akane-chan's sake, I didn't want to stress her much… Well, I did take her for my Devil hunting, but I feel like watching some Devils get
slaughtered would lighten her up somehow.

God, I've really changed.

"No problem, I, myself have some sort of line I don't appreciate people crossing. Like calling me when I'm in the middle of a good fuck." The voice that replied, had a bass lethargic drawl to it—the kind that I'm quite sure that ladies
would love.

With a jingle, the door slided open and a tall muscled dark hair man walked right in. The way the man carried himself as well as the dull look in his eyes that screamed 'Predator' told me enough to know that the man was a cut above the rest.

Akane-chan looked worried, but I raised a hand, successfully calming her down, and said. "So what's with the knife, as you can see, I'm not killing any humans."

Although, knife huh... Ok, now that seems familiar.

"This..." The man gestured at his knife. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's kind of like my protection against the unknown."

Sighing, I looked at Akane-chan and said, "Wait here, I just want to deal with Mr. Tough Guy over there, I'll be back soon."

Akane-chan nodded, stimulating me to smile and ruffle her head. I stood up and walked towards the man who looked up to me and said. "Damn, the videos really didn't do you any justice. You're fucking tall as hell."

"Well, like they say. The original is much better than some video. So, what do you want with me?"

The man raised a brow, looking at me with a 'are you fucking with me' look, before turning to look at Akane-chan behind me. Producing a cigarette, the man drew in the nicotine and let out a satisfied cloud of smoke.

I hummed, 'Yeah~ this behavior looks so fucking familiar, I feel like I've seen someone do this in the manga.'

"I want many things with you, Devil. Many, many things. But let's just settle this the normal way."

Dangerously twirling the knife, while the other hand inside his jacket came out with a claw, the man looked at me and said, "My superiors said that they are interested in meeting you and by their words, I am to by any means necessary
bring you to with me to meet them."

"And my opinion doesn't matter now, does it?" Tilting my head, I asked in a manner that required no answer.

"Unfortunately, no."

That's too bad then...

Cracking my neck, I smiled. "You seem kinda ok, so I guarantee I won't kill you. But if you're gonna be all punchy first before asking questions later... Yeah, I can do that too. Just grit your teeth so that you don't lose much of them."

The man chuckled; eyes gleaming dangerously as he replied. "I can say the same to you also, Devil."

Author's Note;

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in advance... Well, I'm late on the first part, but I'll still congratulate all the same.

 

[Vtorc]

So, I've been forced to write this by my superiors due to me being touted as the 'Strongest Devil Hunter' or whatever the hell people call me nowadays.

So let's get on with it.

… A short lesson for all the amateur Devil Hunters out there.

Fear comes in various forms, and all its forms come with varying levels of intensity—which is how you react to it. That same could be said about Devils: knowing the kind of fear a Devil represents, goes a long way in determining how you beat it to death—I mean slaughter its ass.

Pick whatever semantic that tickles your balls.

Then again, I'm sure you neophytes must learned that in middle school, so let's get down to the core matter, shall we?

There are various classes of Devils.

That I'm sure you know.

The class that all requires a broomstick or a stab to the head.

The class requires combatable personnel.

The class that requires at least a full squad of combat-able personnel.

The class requires a full squad of compatible personnel with Devil Contracts.

The class that requires elite (read fucking abnormal) personnel.

The class that requires an army.

The class that requires prayers... Yeah, I'm not joking about the last one. All those affected by this class of Devil -the one that goes pew, pew, pew- would understand what I am talking about.

Hmm…

Alright, enough with the depressing talk. Anyways, the question now is; how do you recognize them?

The answer is simple; their sizes and shapes.

Small (too-bad try-again) Devils can be easily beaten provided that you have the advantage of knowing where they all come from and possess decent equipment or martial skill.

The (medium-rare) big ones are always the ones with middle-class firepower. You have to be in a group to fight those kinds of freaks, but there's no need to worry. Their method of attack are simple; punch, squash, stab, squeeze, and so on and forth. You've just got to stay away from their grasp while doing the traditional 'cut it to death' and you'll be fine.

Although there are special cases amongst this class of Devils—that's all about the luck of the draw. So you've got to be entering your fights with a level head in other to properly access the situation.

As for the larger class, (building-size-rare), you've got to have three things to even be capable of properly participating in the fight; accurate knowledge of the kind of fear the Devil represents, combat-able teammates of at least, 5 or more, who can carry you through the fight, and a Devil Contract.

The last one is a must because that will help you to easily even the odds.

Army-level Devils (ultra-super-rare), well, as its name implies, you need to have an army to even dent it. Even then, you will be looking at an untold number of deaths. So all you've gotta be hoping as you enter a fight of that caliber is that it isn't going to be you that's to be the next unidentifiable mashed tomato.

Eh, but that's the joy of the draw, right?

Concerning the kind of Devils that require prayers, (super-ultra-mega-rare-extra-repeat), well, what can I say except good luck? Identifying those kinds of Devils is easy, as most -read 'most' not 'all'- tout their name and kind for any poor bastards to hear.

Those kinds are usually intelligent, even more than us humans. Luckily, most are of a 'one-track' mind. They look at you with a smile on their faces as they thoughtlessly tear apart your stomach and then eat your guts while expecting to hear a thank you.

Identifying those types is easy, those kind of Devils comes in two forms; the colossal large and the humanoid.

The former will thoughtlessly kill you and won't care—then again, that's typical of the normal Devil. The later... I don't want to say anything that will incriminate me.

Fuck it... To anyone reading this—be they, Devil Hunter or some civilian grunt; remember this.

They look like us. They smile at us. They walk among us.

But always remember...

They are certainly not for us.

An unedited excerpt from 'Devil Hunting for Twerps' by *

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

While it was true that Kishibe had been expecting a tough fight -the cloud-splitting slash and large Crocodile Devil outside spoke volumes of the Devil's strength- he had not been expecting it to be like this.

"Urgh!"

With a loud * bam, Kishibe found himself acquainted with a wall at the other side of the mall.

'What the fuck happened?' His thoughts went haywire at the sudden procession of events.

Kishibe forcefully grunted, shaking away the dizziness and head ringing. His entire body rattled in pain, though surprisingly, none of his bones felt broken despite being punted hard enough to get stuck in a wall. Kishibe knew that his physical specs were above the norm amongst his fellow humans.

He could punch hard enough to dent an 8-inch steel. Fast enough to evade a hail of bullets. Tough enough to withstand a truck barreling against him - though he doesn't want to experience the last one ever again.

But above all else, Kishibe is still human.

Punching steel still hurts. Evading bullets takes more focus than what he uses when taking a dump. The truck, well... A moment of stupidity that won't be repeating itself.

Hitting a wall as hard as Kishibe just did should have broken more than a few bones, or at least, pushed his body to the brink of consciousness. But here he is pulling himself out of the wall, while still in pain, but at least still conscious enough to do that.

'Did I level up my physical specs without me knowing...? No, that's not it.' Pulling himself out and brushing away the dust on his person, Kishibe narrowed his eyes as he stared at the figure confidently strutting out of the eatery. 'That Devil... It did something just as soon as it hit me.'

Just as soon as the fight began, and Kishibe was about to make his move. The Devil teleported—no, moved, it wasn't some fancy power. The Devil had moved and shoved him with a glowing palm.

Kishibe had the feeling that what had mitigated the damage done to him was the glow around its palm. What had punted across the mall was a simple palm toss.

'Palm toss... Fuck, that rules out any possibilities of fancy tricks. His sheer strength and speed are greater than mine. What to do? What to do?'

Spitting to the side, Kishibe dipped a hand into his jacket and produced a knife. It wasn't an ordinary knife despite its lackluster appearance. It was the physical manifestation of a Devil Contract Kishibe had made with the Knife Devil.

He still had four other Devil Contracts in his sleeve, but the Knife was his personal favorite for melee combat—two which he had would bring about collateral affecting the civilians still hiding in the mall and the last wouldn't be of much help against this unknown Devil.

Kishibe would like the think that it was the sight of his Devil Contract that brought the Devil to a standstill while looking at him in shock. But the look the Devil threw at him wasn't shock born out of fear—it was shock born out of exasperation.

"Kishibe..." The Devil said. "You're Kishibe, right?"

'Now how does he even know about me?' Kishibe thought, but outwardly replied. "Well, well. Seems like I can tick that off my bucket list. Since I'm already famous in Hell as even a Devil like you knows about me?"

"You've gotta' be fucking kidding me."

The Devil exhaled as it looked at him with an examining eye. It grinned, placing an arm behind its back while the other was pointed at Kishibe, raised. Beckoning him.

"Come. Show me what one of the best of Humanity has to offer."

Huffing, Kishibe shook his head. A smile unconsciously formed on his face.

Only one thing left to do now, is there?

With a kick start, 25 meters vanished in a second as Kishibe cleared the distance with a knife poised in a slash.

Kishibe won't be taking a slice out of this Devil because he had been directed to do so by his superiors. It would be to wipe that smug smirk off its ugly face.

Humanity ain't that helpless, you know.

But the knife met with resistance, stuck in the palm of the grinning Devil. But Kishibe already expected this. He wasn't stupid enough to believe having a Devil Contract was enough to instantly grant him this match.

'Match...' Kishibe tilted his head in bemusement. 'Why the hell am I having a match with a Devil of all things?'

The Devil's palm snaked across the knife aiming for another blow to the gut. But Kishibe pushed himself back gaining space.

It is holding back. The fact that Kishibe could see its palm approaching said as much.

Better this way…

"Release your restrictions," Kishibe whispered. "… Knife Devil."

There was no explosion of sounds or blare of lightning. But the knife glinted as if something had changed. Well, even a civilian could tell that much from the sudden red aura the blade gave off.

With a slash, Kishibe cut his palm.

"Drink my blood and that of my enemies."

A whisper that came from nowhere and everywhere replied.

[Accepted]

Many in the Bureau had made Contracts with the Knife Devil, but none could truly utilize its power like Kishibe.

"Oh..." The Devil was intrigued—but not deterred. "Seems that you'll make an even better warmup than I'd expected"

Kishibe was already on the move.

[Lacerate]

A slash and red glinted as the Devil lazily hopped away from the gashing arc that tore the ground. Kishibe hotly pursued not giving it a chance to recuperate while sending slash after slash against it.

Luckily, an arc caught the Devil sending it sailing through the air and smashing against the wall on the second floor while leaving a nasty slash on the wall.

Not enough.

True to his thoughts, the dust cleared and the Devil revealed itself wall-walking while looking down at him.

"Seriously, what kind of Devil am I dealing with?"

Flipping, Kishibe deftly kicked his knife's handle sending sailing at the Devil at bullet-like speeds. The Devil slapped the knife away. Sighing, Kishibe jumped and in one movement made it to the second floor with knives resting on both his hands.

One sweet thing about a Contract with the Knife Devil is that one won't be low on knives, anytime soon.

Spinning the glowing blades, Kishibe rushed to meet the Devil in a melee.

Sparks showered as steel grated against flesh but did no visible damage to it.

Grunting, Kishibe weathered a glancing blow, torso throbbing in pain, but it wasn't fatal.

It's still holding back... Fuck.

'Hmm?' Kishibe blinked. 'Since when have I ever been this competitive?'

Huffing, Kishibe threw his knives in the air and with a rising kick sent them after the Devil. But to the Hunter's surprise, the Devil grabbed blades and sent them back with more velocity.

Flipping, Kishibe dodged the two ruby streaks.

'Good. Let's see it dodge this one.'

The fight with the Devil persisted with Kishibe showering the amused Devil with blows that it brushed off, all the while withstanding blows that logically showed had caved in his torso. It wasn't easy, that Kishibe would readily admit, though that doesn't mean he would give up.

He still hasn't exhausted all his cards.

Soon enough, it was ready. The reward for his efforts.

The small knives in Kishibe's hand squirmed and changed into a butcher knife straight out of a horror movie -blood dripping and all.

'Using the knife like this takes a lot out of me... I'll wring out a higher pay from the upper-ups for this.'

But that couldn't stop the small smile on Kishibe's face from widening.

When was the last time he had even gotten his blood to pump this much? When was the last time he had ever had to reach this level to fight a Devil...? Eh, the second part is all about luck. But even so, the Devil would have sustained a staggering amount of injuries by now.

Hah... This is fun—being on the struggling side for once.

There was a whistle in the air. It wasn't one that melody or joyful biddings. It spoke of death—a painful death.

The Devil paused, regarding the floating blades menacingly pointed at it.

"Heh~ so that's where the knives vanished. So what are you gonna do now? Pincer me?"

Kishibe simply shrugged. "Basically yes... Cut him up nice for me, Knife Devil."

[Slice 'n Dice! Rip 'im to Shreds! Tear 'im Apart!]

Smiling, the Devil clenched its fist. "You're an interesting dance partner… Allow me to show you my magic trick."

Kishibe -for the first time in Devil Hunting- ignored the bad feeling welling up in his guts.

For some reason, the air felt heavy -oppressive even. But Kishibe decided to ignore whatever was about to happen next in favor of putting his entire weight behind this blow.

"Ultra-rare-hyper-giga-extreme..."

The crimson rain of steel glinted down in a piercing whistle.

"Hyper, again... Super Punch!"

What happened next was, well... Hilarious.

The Devil swung its fist up and from it were visible Mach cones.

The knives vaporized. The ground and windows were blown in bits. Kishibe... Flew bee before a storm.

While in the air, Kishibe considered his other Contracts—immediately, dismissing the consideration as soon as it appeared.

Even now, Kishibe could still tell it was holding back. Throughout the entire fight, the Devil had been playing with him.

Funnily enough, what ceased Kishibe's will to fight was the Devil's demeanor.

Throughout the entire fight, Kishibe hadn't been able to sense any bad vibe from it. Oh, of course, it had given him a thrashing but he considered it fair.

Even he would give anyone who wants to take him to some government without his will, the thrashing of their lives.

"I like him even more than the little vixen."

Soon enough, Kishibe was once again acquitted to a familiar wall in the mall.

Only this time, there was no magic voodoo to ease the pain.

'Fuck... I'll be having my larger pay or next time it's boycotting.'

* Bam! *

 

[Vtorc]

Dear Emiya Shiro,

If this letter of mine makes it to you wherever you are -it would be awesome if that were the case. I want to begin by informing you that I am a human who has been altered into a Devil…

Talk about unbelievable, right?

Look, I'm sure you would think of this as some sort of joke and throw this letter away. Which is fine by me. But I'm very serious about this. I am not some fictional conjuration from a chunnibyou's imagination.

Which as a chunnibyou myself should mean a lot.

I am a literal Devil… Or maybe some kind of super ghost if you want to get technical.

… … Okay, now I feel stupid for beginning like this, but eh~ who cares?

Hah… Alright, let's keep the tires rolling.

Now I'm sure you're wondering why I am writing to you, especially…

The truth is that I am not quite sure myself.

I had originally planned on writing to Spider-Man. But considering where I am and the theme of the situation I am in. Anime and all. I feel like you are the next best and possible choice.

There's also your core ecchi—ahem, I mean psychological anecdote.

Your determination. Your suffering. Your drama… Man, I salute you.

Oh, yeah… Now I remember why I had written this in the first place.

I wanted to ask you as a not-so-big-fan of yours; how do you do it?

Honestly, while I am sure your dream is quite a noble one -for a noble (un)death that is. I still can't help but marvel at what goes through that head of yours as you punish yourself while saying it's for others.

Now here's the part where you say; I do it for everyone's happiness, and I won't and don't want to argue about your stance. If your result couldn't change your decision then I sure as hell cannot.

Besides, It's not my decision. It's not even my local universe.

Hell, it's not even my story.

It's yours, and with that, I've decided that I'll be living for myself. Of course, I'll be doing the 'saving' and the 'rescuing' and the 'fix-it'. But I'll be doing it on my terms.

Not as a Hero and certainly not as a Devil.

But as Takehiro Akira; a Human Vasto Lorde.

Ah, crap. Sounds cringe now that I am reading it to myself...

Till, next time…

Yours Unfaithfully,

The Hollow Devil…

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

An insignificant weight settled on my leg as Akane-chan crawled over and made herself comfortable.

Watching the little girl, I still couldn't fathom what was going through that mind of hers as she was slowly but surely making herself comfortable while being close to what ostensibly appeared to be a Devil.

Not that I'm one, exactly.

I've been hearing the frightened whispers of the people hidden in the mall more times than I would have liked to hear. They all think that Akane-chan is also a Devil, herself.

Not sure how they came to such a conclusion—eh, scratch that.

I can see how they came to such a conclusion with Akane-chan's behavior and all.

Akane-chan's eyes peered down at the sheet of paper on the table.

"What are you writing?"

"Nothing, exactly." I huffed and without any further explanation folded the sheet into a paper plane. "Just… A little urge of mine to scribble some nonsense while you ate."

Spiritual energy gathered, infusing the sheet as I took aim upwards and in blurring speeds, set the paper construct for a course of no return.

I huffed in amusement. "Heh, maybe it will fly to Mr. EX Protagonistas and knock some common sense into him."

Akane-chan made a confused noise, but I smiled –not like it could show on a face like mine- and ruffled her hair.

By the table side, the Claymore Devil writhed. "Alright, the girl's eaten and you've finished writing whatever the hell it is that you want to write. So what's next, Boss?"

"Next we go on a little trip…" I froze as a sudden thought came to me. "Wait… Wait. Wait. Wait… Dammit, I haven't considered that, have I?"

Originally, I had intended on nabbing Denji from the Yakuzas and showing him the good life. A middle finger to canon as I turn it into a pretzel.

I still plan on doing so, only there's one small problem.

Where does Denji live at the moment?

While it is true that I now possess the physiology of a Vasto Lorde with all its spiritual properties. The one thing that didn't come with the package was an Eidetic Memory.

I remember most of the major happenings in the Chainsaw Man manga. But the small bits still elude me.

'Did the manga even give any information about Denji's original residence in the first place?'

Grunting, I placed an edged finger on the table and began tapping it incessantly.

"So, about the trip?" Claymore Devil hesitantly asked, its voice betrayed the nervousness it had at my disgruntled aura.

"That'll be put on hold... For now." I replied. "But in the meantime, I'll have to figure out how to deal with that guy over there."

I gestured at the human mass situated near the window.

To outside observers, the human would have looked like an ordinary man catching some shuteye. But to me, it was plain old Kishibe nursing his head while dealing with a nasty case of headache.

"So how are you hanging over there, old man?"

Kishibe groggily raised his head and stared at me with tired eyes.

"One; do I look okay after that ridiculous punch of yours? And two; come on, I'm just over 28."

Surprisingly, it was Akane-chan who had a comeback for that. "So that means you're an uncle, then."

My chuckle turned into a chortle as I saw Kishibe flinch at those words.

"Sharp words you've got there, little girl."

"Oi, watch the tone, Uncle," I said, pulling Akane-chan closer. "Nice wordplay, Akane-chan. Now why don't you go around and pick whatever you want while I have a little chat with Uncle Kishibe, here."

Akane-chan looked up at me. "Won't take long?"

"Yeah, I promise."

A sigh suddenly came out from my lips as I watched Akane-chan ambled towards the ice cream section in the restaurant.

Canon aside, I have to say; that Akane-chan is a brave child. Braver than I could ever be. Hell, I don't know how I would feel if I had been the one to watch my parents die.

'Heh. Probably would have gone berserk by now.'

"Rough day for the kid," Kishibe said in a drone tone. "I've seen the vids from the security footage. It's not something a kid like her is supposed to see. Eh, on second thought, it's an inevitability a kid like her is gonna see—not like a Devil like you could understand, either way"

"Yeah…" I cleared my throat while sitting up. "You're probably right."

Considering how lives are easily wasted in canon, I figure Kishibe is most likely right.

But it seems Kishibe hadn't expected my agreement as he raised an eyebrow while staring at me with a disturbing intensity.

Hell, even the Claymore Devil felt nonplussed by that.

"Can we kill him, boss?"

I flicked a [Raiko] kido at the living weapon.

"Gyaaah!"

"No, we do not."

"Yeah… Got it."

"You…" Kishibe, who wasn't disturbed by what just happened, said. "You sure you're a Devil and not some escaped Frankenstein monster from the Soviets?"

I reclined and folded my arms. "And what makes you say that?"

"What makes me?" Kishibe incredibly parroted back.

"For one, it would explain a lot of the strange quirks I've picked up on you. I've been killing Devils even before I'd able to understand the word 'masturbation'. And that means, seeing all your kind has to offer. It's not hard for me to have an idea of what they're thinking. You thought I can't seem to place you anywhere on my Devil catalog."

"Maybe, it's because you can't kill me, and trying to do so would only be asking for some ass whopping."

"There's also that." Kishibe easily shrugged in agreement. "But at the same time. Nah~. You lack that innate wickedness I'm used to seeing in Devils. At first, I thought you were into kids and stuff like that. Now, I'm not so sure what to think."

"… … Kishibe, for the sake of your teeth, I'm happy you hadn't gone far with that perverse thought. By the way, why don't you sound glad about that? Judging from your tone, it's like you're laying out the worst-case scenario."

Sighing, Kishibe cradled his head as he fished out a small can from his jacket and took a sip.

"It is the worst-case scenario. You see, everyone has a little wickedness in them. Devils and humans. There's no difference in that. It's merely the former are more liberal about their desires. But at the same time, that's what makes them all too easy to deal with. Extermination, subjugation, and servitude. These are the three modulus operand the world today utilize when dealing with Devils. You, on the other hand, are a total enigma."

Kishibe pointed a finger at me.

"… I'm not sure if Japan has the means to exterminate you. It's not like we don't have trump cards of our own, it's just a feeling of mine that this country would be looking at a death toll higher than the Gun Devil's if we go down that path."

My lips twitched half in amusement and the other in horror.

It's not like I couldn't see where Kishibe is coming from. Judging my actions over the past few hours or so, I can tell that I am different. Which meant my response to outside stimuli now wouldn't be like before.

Back at the park, it took only a few seconds for me to calm myself from slicing and dicing those policemen into bits. At that very moment, they were no different from the Mosquito Devil I had just killed.

'I wonder if that's the inner wickedness in me.'

Meanwhile, Japan's strongest Devil Hunter continued.

"Subjugation… Wouldn't put much hope in that, and as for servitude—I still can't figure out what your deal is so that's a risk Japan won't take."

The claymore shook as if its dweller had something to say, only to hold it off at the last minute.

Ignoring that, I took the Devil Hunter's words to heart. All Kishibe had said had been the right words.

I'm not that eager to go back to Hell –if I am truly a Devil of sorts-, I'm also not that eager to be coerced into submission, and subjugating the Human race would buy me a whole lot of trouble.

… What to do?

'Hmm… I merely wanted to give Canon the middle finger, but now I'm stuck at the beginning. How do all those Isekai characters do it again?'

Several thoughts ran through my mind as I eyed Kishibe who leisurely focused on his tinned drink—and then, like a sudden bolt of lightning, an idea struck me.

I don't want to be Eliminated.

I don't want to be Subjugated.

I don't want to force others to Submit to me.

… But what of Co-existence?

Of course, I knew it would be unprecedented. The ostensible co-existence I remember in the canon timeline was that of Quanxi and Santa with their respective countries – though, screw them both, most especially the latter.

My version of co-existence would be different, I will make sure of it.

"Hey Kishibe," I called to the Hunter. "Still open to ideas?"

Kishibe raised a brow. "That's why I laid them out in the first place."

I breathed a small prayer to a God that probably doesn't exist and...

"Alright, how about this…"

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

30 minutes later,

With a long satisfactory puff, Kishibe let the waft of the cigarette freely flow as he watched the procession of people who were being guided out of the mall by Public Officials.

As expected, the Bureau was doing its job perfectly. Kishibe had already caught notice of how they clandestinely sifted through the crowds gathering information from various sources concerning what had happened.

Normally, Kishibe would have been pissed that they didn't take his testimony at surface value—if it were not for the fact that he agreed with his higher-ups in the particular case.

"Today's one damn-strange-fucking-heck of a day." Kishibe self-noted after another caffeinated drag.

A Devil without any form of animosity towards humans.

'What a joke.'

Huffing, Kishibe reclined against his car as he mentally processed today's happenings.

Oh, this wouldn't affect his Hunting in the slightest. Rather the fact that such an unfairly powerful Devil exists would mean there are others like it out there.

Others certainly do not with its kind of demeanor.

It's time to up his game.

Then again, it wasn't like Kishibe hadn't suspected such a thing with the Gun Devil and the new surge of fear at Devils rocking the globe.

The Devil is powerful and scary enough to understand the madness of man… Taking it down would require at the very least; all the Devils they had in stock, the Devil Hunters in Japan, and the ones they can procure abroad.

A hail-mary kind of extermination.

'Jesus H. Christ.'

Kishibe shook his head with a tired laugh.

"Nah, it's not worth it."

But that leaves only one option—a much simpler one if the Devil is to be believed.

Flipping up the phone he had borrowed (more like stolen,) Kishibe dialed a number and waited for his higher-ups to pick up the call.

"It's Kishibe…"

"… … …"

Whoo… Here goes.

"Yeah, sorry to say, it's a bust… … The Devil is just that powerful. Luckily for us, it is also intelligent to be interested in human blood…"

"… … …"

"For the safety of Japan don't think about subjugating him… Yes, it's that strong."

"… …"

Eh, what the fuck?

"I don't think it's possible. You all got her when she was young. Still moldable. That Devil, nah, I don't think so."

"… …"

"Well, thankfully we have a solution brought to us by the Devil, itself. Co-existence."

"… … …"

"Yeah, I don't trust it. But I'm quite sure when I say this; It doesn't need our permission to do whatever the fuck it wants to do."

"… …"

"Still want to try… Her? Disregarding the possibility that it might not work. Are you sure you want to bind such a powerful Devil under her command?"

"… …"

Ah, screw it.

"Alright… Alright, whatever happens, won't be on my head. I also expect at least two more zeroes in my bank account when I receive my pay by the end of the month. I'm too old for this shit."

Cutting the call with a sigh, Kishibe looked up to the heaven that certainly wouldn't start answering now.

"Now the ball is in your court, Devil… Overcome the Primal Fear, and this country can do nothing except bow down to your whims."

Hopefully, its whims aren't the frenzied kind.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

3 hours later,

There was this feeling of exaltation coursing through me as I took a stroll on midair as if it were on flat land.

The wonders of a Reishi platform.

Below me was the sprawling city filled with people who from my perspective, looked like ants skittering about. I'm quite sure the ones who have seen me or have any kind of business on the high-rise building terraces are dialing the Public Bureau line as if their lives depend on it.

No surprise. I would have done the same if I were in their position...

Akane-chan, who made herself comfy on my shoulders watched the setting sun without any expression marring her face. I occasionally saw her lips trembling, but she didn't sob.

Sighing, I ran my hand through her hair and kept on walking.

"Um, can I ask you something, Boss?" The living weapon in my hand asked.

"Sure, fire away. Just don't ask uncomfortable stuff and we're golden."

"So… Um, why co-existence? Why not submission? Don't get me wrong. You're strong. Very, very strong. But weren't you looking for someone? Isn't that why you wanted us to go on a whacky trip before canceling it because you didn't have the resources to find them? So just use the humans. With a country at your beck and call, you can do whatever it is you want."

I paused midair considering the Claymore Devil's word.

It made sense. A lot of sense.

Controlling Japan would give me the same result as co-existing with the country. I would be the one to get all the positives for controlling Japan. I could renege the Contract of Makima's immortality. I could protect Denji and the others better from a position of power.

A true middle finger to canon.

But…

"The humans won't take that kindly," I replied. "You know, humans are a tenacious bunch. Put them in a cage and their hunger for freedom would make them do the impossible. The very fact that Devils despite being more powerful than humans haven't made the world a total slaughter fest should say a lot. Besides… Co-existence comes in all sorts of forms. I'm merely choosing the form that benefits me."

"Oh~ co-existence, only with you in a higher position." The Claymore Devil said in understanding. "A Devilish plan."

I groaned at the pun, but did nothing of it—not when I could spot two fighter helicopters in the distance heading my way.

It took merely some minutes before the aircraft arrived some distance away, before suddenly halting. It seems they don't want to get close to us.

[Yo-You have been called to follow us, De-D-Devil]

Claymore Devil laughed in mockery. "Hah! The humans couldn't have chosen a better messenger. Whoever is using that microphone is a big pussy."

"Can you blame them? It's their inherent nature."

"Yeah, I fucking can. What about the little squirt on your shoulders, right now? Her parents were eaten by a Devil and she's not—aaaahhhh!"

" Claymore." With a concentrated Reiatsu crush, I continued coldly. "I almost thought of you as an intelligent guy with all those deductions and all, but it seems I was mistaken."

"Guh… Wh-What did I do, Boss?!"

I sighed—and upped the ante. The air rang with the screams of the Claymore Devil and like always, I didn't bother myself about it—until Akane-chan tapped my horn eliciting me to look at her shaking her head.

"If that's what you want." I dialed back my spiritual pressure and said to the blade Devil. "I told you no uncomfortable stuff in this talk of ours, and you just had to say things that were over the top. Be thankful, Akane-chan's an angel, or you would have been screaming your lungs out for the next five hours."

With a pain-filled grunt, the Claymore Devil snapped shut while I turned to one of the hovering helicopters prompting a yelp from its occupants.

'Now what's his problem?'

Outwardly, I said. "Lead the way. I will follow."

It's time to haggle for a peaceful co-existence Contract.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

Meanwhile,

Inside the black government vehicle heading for the same location as the meeting between an abnormal Devil and humanity's leaders, a certain ring-eyed girl smiled.

It's time to perform her duty for her country.

 

[Vtorc]

Stifling a groan, Kishibe ran a hand through his head that was set for an incoming headache.

'... I swear this country has finally gone mad.'

A fucking inevitability with how the world is turning out to be…

The first-class Devil Hunter had suspected something like this ever since the Gun Devil Incident, particularly the aftermaths on the World.

But then again, all that had been Kishibe simply being suspicious—

—until things like this begin to happen.

'Ah, fuck...'

Clicking in irritation while mindful not to show it on his face, Kishibe placidly moved further into the currently constructed site and farther away from the loud gathering that had ruined his chance for a peaceful smoke.

On the way to the meeting location, Kishibe walked passed people who greeted—more like bowed to—him in respect, but he merely waved them back in turn as he moved without slowing pace.

Even on normal days, Kishibe had never gotten used to people looking at him like that—even though it comes with the position of Japan's Strongest Devil Hunter—and he wouldn't start getting used to it now.

Not when he's currently occupied with all sorts of thoughts.

"*&%* #%?!"

"Tch…" Kishibe stopped to look back for a moment before he continued his slow gait. "Who the hell seriously thought it was a wise decision to let in all the bees in a place like this?"

Oh, and by 'bees', Kishibe meant the throngs of people behind him.

Now Kishibe knew that technology was a never-ending evolution that could be likened to a train with no particular destination—except for a few stops here and there—especially in its communicational fort.

Phones. Telephones. Televisions with colors rather than black and white…

… He had bought the last one as soon as it hit the international markets.

In any case, there was no doubt that the World is increasing in its growth and complexity, as well as in its Fears. Nevertheless, Kishibe still couldn't fathom how they got news of the mysterious horned Devil this quickly.

Was there some sort of social platform that he wasn't aware of?

.

.

.

…Eh, not like Kishibe had an interest in things like that in the first place.

.

.

Nevertheless, while the mysteries and power of communication still baffled Kishibe, that wasn't the sole reason for his weariness at the large gathering behind him.

'These people must know that a Devil is on its way here and look at them, all standing around n' prancing like excited chickens and if anything goes wrong they immediately say it's the Bureau's fault.'

Now Kishibe knew more than anyone else that while an abnormal level of Insanity is needed when dealing with devils, not just anyone is capable of exhibiting it.

There's only so far bravado can carry someone before they suddenly change tunes and start crying for their mommies. It's something he's encountered when occasionally working with other Devil Hunters.

… There was a reason why Kishibe always loved working alone.

At the moment, all these people had come to see something exotic—what Kishibe sees though, is something dangerous.

Especially that punch of his…

That ridiculous, goddam punch.

"I swear that bastard thought that up at the spot."

Hah...

He's losing confidence, here.

Anyway, to the unnatural behavior displayed by the crowd, the Devil Hunter will simply take it as a sign of potential public officers—Devil Hunters—showing up within the country's populace.

Yeah, that's it; Kishibe won't be concerning himself about them, anymore.

Besides, it wasn't in his job description to worry about the safety of the people—Kishibe's job is to stick knives in devils' asses.

That should be considered as enough self-duty performed for this country.

"Ah! I've finally found you, Kishibe-san!"

Pausing, Kishibe turned to see a familiar twerp jogged towards him.

"Oh… Eh… What's your name, again?"

"It's Michiko! Tendo Michiko…! 3rd Class Officer." The ponytail woman dressed in a smart suit said with a hint of exasperation.

"Ah~ Michiko, right," Kishibe said as he scratched his chin while regarding the young lady with a raised brow.

It was upon hearing her name that had jogged Kishibe's memory into remembering his once-upon-a-time student…

… Only that he hadn't bothered to check up on her, thinking that she'd die soon like all the others did.

Devil Hunting may be a lucrative job, but it sure as hell wasn't a safe one. Meeting a Devil you aren't qualified or equipped to fight is all it takes for you to start preparing for the amount of agony you'll be put through before you die.

Not to mention, all the training and equipment one has wouldn't matter a zilch if they don't have the required mindset for Devil Hunting.

A crazy and irrational mind.

A mind unbound by logic and proper reasoning—that is what one must have to stand up to any kind of Devil.

Kishibe had initially pinned Tendo Michiko as someone who didn't have the necessary craziness for the job, and had written her off for someone who would last a few months…

.

.

… What? Kishibe had better things to do than to worry about every kouhais he had been assigned with; like women and booze.

In any case, seeing Michiko in that suit and in that position told Kishibe that maybe he could be wrong about this one—or maybe, she was just smart enough to know how to survive.

Craziness would only carry you so far before realizing that smartness is also a part of its numerous facets.

"Kishibe-san? Kishibe-san?!"

Unfortunately, whatever thoughts Kishibe had in mind had to be put on hold.

Hello? It's Reality callin'

"Hmm..." Kishibe blinked in acknowledgment. "So what's with the nagging? Don't tell me, those bosses of ours are now dissatisfied with the current location?"

Well, that wouldn't be much of a surprise seeing as those lots had planned to have the meeting outside the mall where the Crocodile Devil's corpse is.

Seriously, these people should at least, do it in a more safer location.

Kishibe couldn't help but wonder if this was the government's method of trying to make a statement or something like that, which was why they had allowed people to gather around to spectate something like this.

Probably hoping that 'Pet Girl' would make things run smoothly.

Kishibe didn't stop his lips from quirking up sarcastically.

'Heh. Well, good luck with that one.'

Something told Kishibe that the leaders of Japan would be in for a surprise.

"N-No, it's not that. It's just that the Level 9 Special Priority has arrived and her handlers are asking for your presence."

Kishibe's face took one of long-suffering.

'Speak of the Devil, and she appears.' The Devil Hunter moaned in his mind.

Level 9 Special Priority was the code name given to the Primal Devil of Control, Makima, by the government to use in public… At least, until her grand debut.

Not anyone knew who she was, her position within the Governmental hierarchy, and there was no information on her appearance—not even Michiko, who had come to inform Kishibe knew who she was even talking about.

Level 9 Special Priority, Makima was just that special.

But…

'Hah, what a pile of dog shit.'

Kishibe very much scoffed at that line of reasoning.

While it is true that Devils have no human rights to speak of, one would reason that for someone breed to become one of the crucial pillars of Japan the Government would allow her to associate with the people she ought to protect.

At the very least, basic human communication would have prevented Makima from becoming the creepy brat she is today.

The cold truth is that the Government isn't just qualified for child-rearing.

Look no further than Japan's Strongest Devil Hunter turned out to be.

… Ouch.

That a mysterious Devil has shown more humanity—however twisted—than Makima has ever displayed since being taken care of by humans should say a lot about the species, themselves.

'Sometimes, we are our own biggest enemies.'

With a sigh and a nod, Kishibe gestured for Michiko to lead the way—

—on for the Devil Hunter to freeze in his movement.

A bead of sweat trailed down the side of his face as a sensation he had never felt in his entire life pressed down on him.

"What the fuck…?" He groaned in discomfort.

It was like Kishibe was in a hydraulic press that wouldn't stop coming down.

A quick look at Michiko showed that she was desperately trying to keep herself up, but the intensity of the unseen pressure was enough to fall her flat to the floor.

Kishibe didn't pay any heed to the unnatural 'thousands' of people falling and the rising hysteria that naturally came to it.

Serves them right for playing with fire.

Besides, it was taking all Kishibe had to simply keep his body up, and he could only manage to do that.

Thankfully, the source of this 'intent' didn't have any bloodlust in it—because if it did, Kishibe was quite sure he would be looking at dead bodies rather than frothing ones.

Immediately, the 'intent' went up a nudge as the sky suddenly turned dark.

A greenish kind of dark.

It was like the sky was pregnant for a rain that would never fall.

Occasional lightning cackled out in unholy verdant colors as every single soul fell in a hush with breaths abated and fear of the Devil in their hearts reignited.

Probably considering their life choices by now.

In the unnatural silence, what followed after was the thump of footsteps…

Its footsteps…

Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump…

Kishibe looked up—and sighed as a tired huff escaped from his lips.

"Jesus Christ, talk about making an entrance."

It was like beholding the descent of a deity—only a malevolent one.

"Ki-Ki-Ki-Kishibe-san…"

Michiko said with a voice jampacked in terror.

"Did you fight against something like that?"

Kishibe sighed shakily as he tried to muster an answer.

"I didn't fight against it… I simply survived."

Japan should know what they're doing because Kishibe couldn't see in what way the country could win against this Devil without the country, itself, becoming a smoking crater.

"Seriously, what sort of Fear does it, represent?"

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

"Whoo… Whoo…"

I couldn't stop the nervous sound escaping from my skull-like face as I looked down at the large congregation gathered in front of me.

'Seriously, what the hell, Kishibe?'

While I do remember telling him to decide the location of where I am to meet Japan's leaders, I certainly didn't expect for him to hold it within the very mall I'd just beat his ass in.

To mention, the people…

Ugh, yeah, I'm not good with crowds—could still remember the not-so-fun times in high school, when I would be called out by my 'sensei( s) ' to say something in front of the class, only for me to fumble like a stammering idiot.

Away with you O bad memories!

Being a Vasto Lorde may have changed my thinking somewhat as the level of nervousness wasn't as bad as I thought it would be—but yeah~ I still don't like crowds!

Nevertheless…

'What's up with them?'

Rather than appearing sad, happy, or even hateful at my appearance—due to my Devil-like appearance. They were all busy on the ground foaming and clawing at their purple-looking faces.

Was this some sort of mental-type Devil attack instigated to pin the blame on me?

A non-existent eyebrow twitched in irritation.

Just when things couldn't get more complicated!

With a slash, I readied the Devil Claymore as I spread out my senses to catch any hint of unusual Reiatsu, only to realize that the only overwhelming energy that I could sense… Was my own.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, I realized the weather wasn't so sunny anymore—hell, it looked like it was about to rain—and those lightning strikes looked very much like… my… own… spiritual energy.

…

Eh? Could it be…?

…

"Um… Did I do this, Akane-chan?" I turned to ask the little girl situated on my shoulder.

"Yes." The girl innocently nodded. "It's… Very beautiful."

"O-Oh…"

My GOOOOooooOODDDDD!

Maybe it may look beautiful to Akane-chan because she was still under the mitigating effects of my shroud, but to those under its weight, it was anything but that.

I still remember the effects of Reiatsu Crush from the anime.

Particularly Aizen's.

'Damn, I hope I haven't killed someone by mistake.'

Of course, I knew the reason why Soul Reapers/Quincies/Hollows don't use their full powers in the World of the Living—especially the more powerful ones—was because their spiritual energy had the potential of messing up the planet.

But I did not think I was powerful enough to do that.

Hah… It seems a Vasto Lorde is truly a class of its own.

'Ugh, is it because I couldn't control my spiritual energy, well enough?'

The urge to press both hands against my face and roar in embarrassment suffused my very being.

I'd just blown my chance for peaceful talks just because of some damn crowd-phobia.

How am I expected to appear as an amicable Devil, now?

To those guys busy clawing their throats as I must look like the worst kind of Devil to them, I am no different from that gun-toting asshole—

—hmm?

Ah, dammit; I still haven't dropped my Reiatsu, have I?

With a 'humph', I willed back the excess energy as well as its pressure spilling out from me.

The spiritual energy felt like a rush of cool drink as it flowed right back into my body and the atmosphere immediately cleared up with the sun bursting out like it was never gone.

Ok… I'll admit that's so cool.

'But I've still got to take yoga classes when I'm done with this shit.'

In the end, though, what's done is done.

The original plan was to act friendly or at least, as human-like as I can remember. Try to appeal to their emotions. But that seems out of the window from the looks of the people gathered outside.

'Maybe Subjugation can work for a short term.' I thought grumpily.

With a sigh, I easily spotted the snipers situated around the buildings all currently indisposed by my spirit pressure.

The helicopters in the distance that were spinning around during the ordeal—at least, to them—had stabilized but didn't dare to fly closer.

Tanks and turret-mounted vehicles pointed their muzzles at me as if to rend me in case I pulled any funny business—as if they were capable of doing anything at the moment.

Truthfully, the total armed forces mustered against me had merely welled up a single emotion.

Disdain…

I could easily wipe them all out with a single swing from my Claymore.

A single [Cero] would drop down the numbers to a nil.

It wouldn't be a fair fight even if the Devil Hunters with all their Devil Contracts were added to the mix.

'Why am I playing house in the first place?'

The answer to that immediately spoke to me from my shoulders.

"I'm hungry."

Flinching, I whirled to Akane-chan with jaws dropped.

"Hungry? Didn't you just eat some seconds ago?"

Akane-chan simply nodded and said.

"I'm hungry, again."

Ah~ that's right.

I need this country's full and absolute support to ensure this imp doesn't send me back to Hell by bleeding me dry... Not like I had anything of worth in the first place.

Well, let's see as we go, shall we?

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

"We-Welcome, D-D-Devil-sama."

A man dressed in a disarrayed suit greeted with a full 90-degree bow.

"I-I am H-Hayase Renji, 2nd Class Devil Hunter. If you would please f-f-follow me."

Heh, I had this feeling if I so much as say 'boo', he would promptly drop all formalities and bolt like the Devil was after his heels.

Which I wasn't going to do…

Maybe…

Alright, I was going to do it.

"So why're we having this meeting here, Renji?"

"Hwuh-What?" The Devil Hunter staggered forward with wide eyes. "A-Are you perhaps, talking to me?"

"Keke, seems this one isn't as bright as Mr. Knives, is he?" The Claymore Devil said with a cackle.

Regarding the fear in the man's eyes, I couldn't help but agree with the weapon Devil.

Is he a Devil Hunter?

"Hah, forget that… Why are you the one meeting me if you're this scared of Devils?" I couldn't help asking.

"N-No, it's just after that show, you'd put back there…" Renji trailed off. "Anyone's going to be a bit jumpy around you."

"Hmm… Maybe you're right." I admitted. "But why not use Kishibe, then? I don't think someone as crazy as him would be that fazed by that."

"Kishibe-san is currently…" Renji trailed off with a cough. "Busy at the moment. But he'll be sure to join you once he's done with his business."

'Well, that sounded ominous to me.'

Eyeing the tense Devil Hunter, I considered the possibility of bullying the answers out of him. But I shook the thought off—not like it mattered to me, anyway.

The Devil Hunter, Renji led me up a flight of stairs to the third floor—a floor higher than the one I had been with Akane-chan, who seemed to be looking quite hungry at the moment.

Hope there'll be something to eat when we arrive.

Soon enough, I was led to a fancy restaurant where Renji stopped by the door with a bow and gestured for me to enter—only to stop me upon doing so.

"Um, if you are ok with it, I am willing to take care of Miss Akane while you are busy with the meeting."

Renji turned to the girl on my shoulder with an outstretched hand.

"So what do you think, Akane-chan?"

The girl hugged the side of my skull as she shook her head, unwilling to let go.

"Seems like Akane-chan has decided. Thanks, but she'll be staying with me for the meeting."

The smile on Renji's face couldn't have looked more fake—which kinda' confused me—but it wasn't like he could force it in the end, so with a sour smile, he nodded.

"If that's your decision, Miss. Akane. Just know you are being missed by your family members."

Akane-chan remained stalwart to that.

I blinked in bemusement—then in understanding.

'So that's how it is…'

I finally understood what game the snake was playing and the whole picture behind his so-called 'care'.

I've seen this scenario in many animes and mangas, where the Government would be interested in an unexplainable phenomenon, and seeking to understand means performing all kinds of experimentation.

Seeing as there was nothing they could do to contain me, they were willing to go for the next best thing.

Akane-chan

There was no need for me to say the kind of setting I'm in to describe what they could do to her all in the name of discerning why I am attached to her.

'Alright, now I'm pissed.'

Before Renji's brain neutrons could even fire a warning of the situation he was in, I had already angled my claymore to its flat side and slapped the bastard with it.

Fwhoon…! Boom!

A human-shaped blur flew and wrecked the clothing store on the opposing side of the mall.

I held back as much as possible but the likelihood of his survival unsurprisingly didn't matter to me.

Turning towards the group of Devil Hunters currently hidden within the vicinity, I said.

"Let this be a warning to you, all. If any single hair on Akane-chan's head falls without her permission. If any sniffle comes out from her mouth without my knowledge… If by the next 3 minutes, there is no delicacy for Akane-chan when I'm in this room… There is no need for me to say what will happen next."

Not an ounce of spiritual energy escaped my body— but from my tone and the way they all scrambled out, I am sure they got my message without me going all SuperSaiyan on them.

.

.

.

It seems I was giving this country too much credit, simply because it is the home of Chainsawman—which I'm not even going to let happen—I should have suspected something like this from Japan, going by what happens in canon.

But it seems I am naïve—and so is this country.

If Japan thinks it is dealing with an ordinary Devil, then it should think again.

I am anything but Ordinary…