Narrator POV.
It was a pitiful sight. Today was supposed to be just another ordinary day. A morning patrol through the streets, a bit of routine work, and that was it.
Nothing out of the ordinary. But everything had gone to hell. During a simple lunch break, they were attacked.
The building was now in ruins. What had once been a functional facility was falling apart, destroyed by the gigantic head of the Fox Devil, which had been summoned and then mercilessly defeated by the Katana Hybrid.
Chunks of concrete continued to fall.
Dust filled the air, thick enough to make it difficult for the few people still conscious to see clearly. Everything was covered in a dull gray haze, as if the world had lost all its color in a matter of seconds.
Denji lay on the ground.
A clean gunshot wound to the head had left him completely motionless, his body sprawled among the rubble. His eyes were open, but empty.
He wasn't exactly dead. But he wasn't really there, either. It was as though he were suspended in some kind of limbo. Himeno, on the other hand, was barely conscious.
She had taken a bullet to the chest, and blood slowly dripped from her mouth every time she tried to breathe. Her body trembled, her breathing uneven and unstable.
Even so, she kept moving. Dragging herself through the debris, ignoring the pain, trying to get closer. Trying to help Aki, who had already been defeated.
The Katana Devil Hybrid had overwhelmed him without difficulty, leaving him completely powerless.
Unable to stand.
"Kill him."
The order was direct. It came from Akane Sawatari, a former civilian Devil Hunter. Her ruby-colored hair stood out against the gray surroundings, and her red eyes, with snake-like pupils, clearly reflected the contract she had made.
The Snake Devil. Katana Man didn't answer. There was no need. After all, that was the objective. Denji's heart. He began walking forward.
Step by step. Each footstep echoed through the rubble as he approached Denji's motionless body.
And with every step, Himeno's desperation grew. She didn't want him to die. Not her unrequited love.
"Orochi!"
A bubbling pool of shadows suddenly appeared beneath Katana Man's feet, spreading across the shattered ground like a living stain.
Immediately, Isagi's serpent shikigami burst from the darkness. Its enormous white body shot upward, jaws wide open. Its fangs snapped shut around Katana Man's body with a brutal crunch.
The attack happened so suddenly that the hybrid barely had time to react before being caught.
The force launched both of them into the air, sending dust and debris flying everywhere. A crackle of electricity. Nue appeared.
Descending from the sky at incredible speed, its wings spread wide and covered in visible arcs of lightning that crackled violently.
It dove straight at Katana Man, who was still trapped within Orochi's jaws. Its wings slammed into him, releasing powerful electrical discharges that coursed through his body.
Once. Twice. Again and again. Nue circled through the air relentlessly, attacking without pause, striking with precision as electricity exploded from its wings over and over.
The air filled with sparks. Akane, who had been watching from the side, instinctively took a step back. A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek.
"Impossible!" she exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. "A snake? But I'm the only one who has—"
She stopped. The words died in her throat. Because what she was looking at wasn't her devil. The serpent before her looked nothing like the Snake Devil she knew.
Something crashed down from above. The impact shook the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust that spread in every direction.
"Oof..." a voice echoed from within the smoke. "Did somebody here say work?"
The dust slowly began to settle.
"That... voice... and that way of talking..." Aki struggled to lift his head, his vision blurred as he tried to focus on the figure that had just appeared.
A familiar silhouette.
"There's your husband, discount Katana Man."
In the blink of an eye, Isagi was no longer where he had landed. He vanished. And the next instant, he appeared beside Akane Sawatari.
His hand casually rested on her shoulder, as though he'd been standing there the entire time.
A grin spread across his face.
"Tell me..." He leaned slightly toward her. "Who's better looking, him or me? The guy who eats eight eggs every day."
A drop of sweat slowly slid down the right side of Akane's face. Her eyes hadn't been able to follow Isagi's movement. From her perspective, it was as though he had teleported.
Of course, that was only from a human perspective. In reality, it was simply pure speed. An absurd level of speed that her eyes couldn't even begin to track.
"Aren't you going to answer? Did the snake eat your tongue?" Isagi asked mockingly, tightening his grip on her shoulder just a little.
Akane's body stiffened. Her jaw clenched. Slowly, the fingernail on her index finger disappeared. Under her breath, she urgently whispered the name of the devil she had contracted with.
The Snake Devil. Her voice was barely audible, but the desperation behind it was impossible to miss. Isagi casually glanced to his right.
The Snake Devil had appeared out of nowhere. A massive serpent with a mouth made of intertwined arms and hands instead of teeth, green scales, and a single red eye with a black sclera.
Its enormous body towered over the battlefield, casting a shadow over everything around it as it locked onto its target.
Danger Sense had activated the moment Akane's fingernail vanished. He had already known something was coming. So the demon's sudden appearance didn't surprise him in the slightest.
"Man, you're ugly, kid. Damn... I sounded like an old man just now."
Isagi disappeared again in a blur of speed, leaving behind nothing but a gust of wind as he completely avoided the Snake Devil's ambush.
"Holy crap, that was close. Better luck next time."
Pwah.
Hearing someone spit blood onto the ground, Isagi looked down. Aki Hayakawa. He was coughing up blood due to his injuries. Sweat rolled down his face as he struggled to stay conscious.
"I'm losing my assistant."
Isagi whistled softly as he brought his hands together, forming the shadow of a deer's head.
The shadow stretched across the ground. Then it began bubbling and expanding behind him like a dark liquid. From it emerged Madoka.
The deer-shaped shikigami materialized slowly and gracefully, revealing its majestic form. Madoka possessed the ability to radiate the positive energy of Reverse Cursed Technique.
Allowing it to heal both itself and others. The effect became stronger when someone touched its nose, making it one of the most useful shikigami thanks to its extraordinary healing capabilities.
A gentle energy spread through the area the moment it appeared.
"(That's what I'd think if I didn't already have regeneration that doesn't consume energy. Honestly, that knocks a few points off Madoka.)"
Isagi rubbed his chin while evaluating the shikigami's strengths and weaknesses. Personally, he didn't find the healing ability all that valuable.
"Alright, that's enough, you damn beasts!"
Katana Man roared as he finally used all of his hybrid strength to break free from Orochi's jaws. Using the blades protruding from his arms, he sliced through the serpent's jaw and followed up with a powerful kick.
The impact sent the massive snake flying several meters away. Katana Man landed heavily on the ground, blood dripping from the spots where Orochi's fangs had sunk into his trench coat.
His breathing was heavy. But the fury on his face made it clear he was far from finished.
"My snake!"
Isagi gasped dramatically and ran toward his shikigami.
"That's animal cruelty! Reptiles have rights too!"
While Isagi checked on Orochi, Madoka advanced with elegant steps. Its hooves produced a soft rhythmic sound as they struck the concrete.
The shikigami positioned itself behind Aki and began radiating Reverse Cursed Technique energy.
Aki's wounds slowly started to heal. Cuts closed. Pain diminished. Strength gradually returned to his body.
Katana Man regrouped beside Akane, who had already dismissed the Snake Devil after its failed attack.
The former Devil Hunter was still visibly shaken by Isagi's display of speed.
The image replayed endlessly in her mind. She simply couldn't understand how someone could move that fast.
"That Devil Hunter who showed up..."
Akane clenched her fist in frustration. This wasn't part of the plan.
"He's not normal. Be careful and finish him quickly."
"Yeah, I know. I saw it from up there too."
Katana Man straightened his posture. His wounds were already beginning to close, flesh regenerating before their eyes thanks to the blood still inside his body.
Despite the damage he'd taken, he was still capable of fighting. Isagi suddenly turned toward them. Nobody touched his shikigami.
He immediately dismissed Orochi back into his shadow. The enormous serpent dissolved into darkness and vanished into the ground.
Nue followed shortly after. He didn't need it for the moment.
"And who exactly are you supposed to be?" Katana Man asked, preparing to attack.
He didn't know how much longer his transformation would last. He wanted this over quickly.
"Don't you dare speak to me, sack of bones. Twenty-five-inch arms. Absolute trash."
Isagi grinned mockingly as he walked forward without a care in the world.
"But if you really want to know, my name is Isagi Fushiguro. The highest-quality Devil Hunter."
"That's the dumbest title I've ever heard."
Katana Man lowered himself into a stance similar to a quick-draw technique. Every muscle in his body tightened.
"I'm ending you quickly and taking Denji."
Isagi narrowed his eyes. Danger Sense had already warned him. That familiar alarm echoed through his mind. Catching Isagi off guard was nearly impossible.
Only attacks faster than both his reaction speed and Danger Sense itself could surprise him.
And that hadn't happened yet. Still, he remained alert. The grin never left his face. But behind it, every one of his senses was focused entirely on Katana Man.
Waiting. For the exact moment he moved.
"Die."
Katana Man exploded forward. The ground beneath him cracked slightly from the force of his launch, and a shockwave burst outward.
To everyone watching, it looked as though he had teleported. Just like Isagi had earlier.
"Oh, so you think you're fast?". Isagi smiled. "Well, Isagi is three times faster."
He had no trouble reacting. Today, he was in the mood to humiliate everyone. Reinforcing his hands with cursed energy, he casually caught Katana Man's blades.
A sharp boom echoed through the area as the swords collided with his enhanced palms. Dust rose from the ground. Their clothes whipped violently from the impact.
And yet Isagi didn't move an inch.
"What?!"
Katana Man shouted in genuine disbelief. Before he could react, a fist slammed into his face. Then another. And another. A barrage of punches rained down on him with such speed that he could barely track them.
Each strike forced him backward. Step after step.
The worst part?
Isagi was only using one hand. He didn't even seem serious. With his free hand, he casually brushed his hair back and closed his eyes as though posing for a photograph.
All while delivering a merciless beating to Katana Man.
---
End of Chapter.