Chapter 149: The Famine Devil
Chiya felt that Crimson was likely sulking. After all, he had stubbornly insisted on engaging in a bloody battle with the Darkness Devil despite her warnings. He understood why she was angry; although he had absolute confidence in his ability to survive, she didn't fully understand his capabilities, so it was only natural for her to be worried.
"Don't be mad. I had to focus entirely on the fight, which is why I didn't reply—I wasn't intentionally ignoring you," Chiya explained. He was merely stating facts, but to her ears, it sounded like an apology, which softened the mood.
Crimson wasn't one to hold a grudge indefinitely. Sensing Chiya's sincere attitude, she stopped sulking.
"Hmph..." Crimson let out a soft huff. "Even if you're confident, at least give me a heads-up next time. Do you have any idea how terrified I was just now?"
In her understanding, for a human to encounter the Darkness Devil meant certain death. Even among devils, excluding the other Primal Devils, almost none could survive a confrontation with the Darkness Devil. If Chiya were killed, she would undoubtedly perish as well, since her core essence was bound within him.
While Crimson knew she couldn't truly be destroyed, any non-Primal Devil would instinctively feel profound terror when facing a Primal one. Perhaps only the Four Horsemen—Death, Famine, War, and Control—could remain composed in such a situation. Crimson had no way of knowing just how far Chiya's strength had exceeded her expectations. His bizarre abilities were powerful, certainly, but she had never imagined he would leave even the Darkness Devil powerless. She was now intensely curious about exactly what devils he had contracted with!
"Mhm, I'll be sure to tell you in advance next time." Hearing the noble Rage Devil openly admit to being "terrified" showed him just how badly she had been shaken, which made Chiya feel quite guilty. Still... it was strange. Even though she was a devil, he felt as if he were coaxing a girl—though, to be fair, Crimson being a girl wasn't exactly incorrect. Fortunately, she was easy to appease; otherwise, he truly wouldn't have known how to handle it.
"That said," Crimson couldn't help but ask, "exactly how much strength have you been hiding?"
After this battle, she had a clearer grasp of his power. It was obvious he had been holding back all along, and she even suspected that he hadn't revealed all his trump cards even now.
Chiya shook his head immediately. "No, no. I really didn't hide anything this time. Facing the Darkness Devil, how could I afford to hold back?"
He was telling the truth. In the battle against the Darkness Devil, he had used both his "Complete Body Susanoo" and the "Kamui-infused Sword of Rage." Outside of those, he had virtually no other aces left. However, this didn't mean his growth had plateaued. With mechanics like Attribute Points, the Vitality stat, and the System Store, his strength had no upper limit—he would only continue to grow stronger. Naturally, he wouldn't reveal these secrets to Crimson.
"I suppose that's true," Crimson conceded. She didn't doubt him; after all, it was the Darkness Devil they were talking about. "From what I've seen, you're practically invincible now. The Darkness Devil is the definition of invincibility, and only someone equally invincible could stand toe-to-toe with it without being overwhelmed."
Chiya didn't deny it.
If immortality were the metric for invincibility, then provided he wasn't careless, no human or devil could kill him. Even the mental attacks of the Cosmos Devil wouldn't necessarily be effective while he was in his "intangible" state; since his physical body resided within the Kamui dimension, his presence in the human world was merely a projection—by that logic, any attack against him would be nullified. Furthermore, given the long "charge-up" time required for the Cosmos Devil's ability, he would have likely decapitated her before she could even begin the process.
Running at top speed for quite some time, he finally caught sight of another living being in Hell besides the Darkness Devil, standing in the distance. It appeared he had finally left the Darkness Devil's domain.
When Chiya squinted, he discovered it was the graceful figure of a human girl—another humanoid devil, it seemed—and she looked... strangely familiar?
"The Famine Devil...?"
Chiya felt a wave of shock. He was stunned that he had managed to encounter both the Darkness Devil and the Famine Devil back-to-back upon arriving in Hell. However, since the Famine Devil was the sister of the Control Devil (Makima), finding her meant he was likely not far from finding Makima herself.
Chiya didn't slow his pace, nor did he attempt to avoid her. Even though this creature was immensely dangerous, he, alone, feared nothing. He only stopped once he reached her.
"A human? No, you must be a devil, right? Rumor has it that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are all humanoid devils that look extremely similar to humans. So, which Horseman are you?"
Chiya intentionally feigned ignorance to strike up a conversation. He wanted to pry Makima's location out of her, but he couldn't afford to reveal that he already knew who she was, as that would immediately arouse suspicion.
"I am the Famine Devil. And you?"
The Famine Devil answered straightforwardly. Her presence here was no coincidence; she had intentionally arrived early to wait for this human youth, wanting to get a clear look at his face and memorize his scent. Devils have keen noses; many of them prefer to identify individuals by their unique aroma.
"The Famine Devil, I see. My name is Otonashi Chiya. By the way, aren't the other three Horsemen with you?"
Chiya tried to bait her, though he didn't hold much hope. "I feel like the Four Horsemen are so cool—I'd love to meet them all."
Among the Four Horsemen, the Control Devil and the Famine Devil were known to be highly intelligent, and the Death Devil was likely no different; only the War Devil was a complete idiot. Attempting to trick information out of someone as sharp as the Famine Devil had a slim chance of success, but he had to try.
"They aren't here, and I don't really know where they are," the Famine Devil said with an indifferent expression.
"Alright then."
Chiya immediately abandoned the idea of baiting her. Her response suggested either that she saw right through his attempt to fish for information, or that she genuinely had no idea where the other three were.
The second possibility was actually quite high. In the original series, the relationship between the Four Horsemen was far from harmonious. They each had their own agendas and operated independently; it was hardly surprising that they didn't keep in touch.
The Control Devil wanted Pochita to consume her three sisters. The War Devil was obsessed with revenge against Pochita and considered the Famine Devil a "crazy woman." The Famine Devil wanted to use the War Devil and cooperate with the Control Devil, all for the sake of eliminating the Death Devil. As for the Death Devil, she was the "King of Terror" from the Nostradamus Great Prophecy, with the ultimate goal of destroying human civilization.