Pov Narrator.
Time: ???
Location: ???
Things were not looking good for Aki Hayakawa and Himeno's group, the situation was only getting worse with each passing minute, the tension in the air growing heavier and heavier, almost suffocating. First the team had discovered that it did not matter whether they went up or down the stairs, they always ended up on the 8th floor, as if they were trapped in an endless loop they could not escape from.
Then a mass of flesh full of faces that called itself the Eternity Devil began to grow until it filled a room and spilled into the hallway, expanding in a grotesque way, demanding Denji's heart with overlapping voices that echoed throughout the place.
Finally the devil, unwilling to wait, caused the entire hallway to tilt, making everything a free fall toward its open mouth, which stretched like an abyss, but luckily all the Devil Hunters managed to get into a room that was upside down, falling clumsily against the inclined floor.
—I agree that he is a shitty idiot that makes you want to kill him. —Aki panted while blood dripped to the floor from the wound on his shoulder, forming small dark stains.
He had covered Denji from Kobeni's desperate attack who, not wanting to die, attacked Denji in an act of fear in order to save herself at the cost of fulfilling the Eternity Devil's demand, her hands still trembling from what she had done. Hand over the Chainsaw's heart.
Despite the blood loss and the situation, Aki continued, breathing with difficulty while staying on his feet.
—But he wants to kill the Gun Devil. —He clenched his fist while a Kobeni terrified by what she did stepped back, unable to hold the others' gaze. —I alone will not be able to defeat that devil, and to finish off that bastard I want to have as many Devil Hunters with guts on my side as possible. Even if my lifespan decreases I will not let them kill him! —Aki raised his voice, pressing the wound on his shoulder to try to stop the bleeding, still firmly placing himself between Denji and the out-of-control rookies, not taking a single step back.
Everyone else fell silent at the statement, the atmosphere completely tensed. Himeno, who was the most affected by what happened to Aki, leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor, as if her strength was leaving her little by little.
—Power! —Denji quickly turned toward Power, almost slipping due to the tilt of the place. —You are the Blood Fiend, right? Can you control his blood to stop the bleeding?
—I am only capable of controlling my own blood, scoundrel. —Power thought about it for a moment, crossing her arms with an arrogant expression, and then smiled showing her teeth. —However if the scoundrel dies I will no longer have someone to cook for me... you convinced me, I will do it.
Power approached Aki, placing her hand on the wound to try to control the blood that kept flowing, she was not gentle, Aki let out a groan from how rough Power had been, but he endured it since she was trying to help him, clenching his jaw to avoid complaining further.
While Aki was receiving attention from Power, Himeno, a young and attractive-looking woman, with even more experience in this job than Aki, was also beginning to break down, running a hand through her short, straight, dark hair while breathing irregularly.
It was the first time she faced a devil with an ability related to time and space like the Eternity Devil, and the uncertainty was beginning to affect her more than she wanted to admit.
—What do we do, Aki?! What do we do?!
Kobeni, young, with short brown hair tied in a ponytail, began to tremble while sweating and looking like she could start crying at any moment, her breathing was irregular and her eyes moved nervously from side to side.
—It was not my fault! It was your fault! —She shouted, shaking her head desperately, taking small steps backward. —Everything would have been solved if you had let yourself be eaten! If you let yourself be killed! —She pointed at Denji with the knife she could barely hold due to the trembling of her hands, the blade vibrating dangerously.
Slowly the window that was on the "ceiling" of the room began to open slowly, emitting an unpleasant creak that echoed throughout the distorted space.
But on the other side… There was nothing. Only darkness. A deep, dense blackness that seemed to absorb the light itself. The outside, the sky, the building—nothing could be distinguished. Nothing. Only a disturbing void that stretched beyond the frame.
Kobeni let out a small scream, instinctively stepping back. The rest of the group watched with growing tension, from that darkness two arms emerged. The hands grabbed onto the edge of the window from the other side, as if someone was climbing from a place where nothing should exist.
The atmosphere tightened even more. And in the next instant. A head appeared. Isagi peeked through the window, passing through it as if it were nothing. As if they were not trapped in an impossible spatial anomaly. As if that place were not a death trap.
He smiled.
His arms extended upward… or downward, depending on the perspective of whoever looked at him.
—Did someone here say "work"? —he asked completely naturally. He made a small pause, widening his smile.—There is work.
Before anyone could react, he let himself fall. His body passed through the window frame and descended —or ascended— in the distorted air, spinning on himself in a clean flip before landing firmly.
Standing. Effortlessly. On what was technically the floor, although it could also be considered a wall or even the ceiling. The place was completely inverted. Isagi adjusted himself naturally, as if none of that seemed strange to him. Then he raised his gaze toward the group.
—I hope you are ready… —he said, slightly stretching his arms, relaxed. A confident smile formed on his face. —Because I just came from eating eight eggs of the highest quality.
One of Himeno's rookies stepped forward. Hirokazu Arai, a young man with short spiky hair, with a visible scar on his right cheek and black, round and firm eyes, positioned himself between Isagi and the rest of the group. He wore the characteristic black suit with tie of Public Safety, although at that moment his posture reflected more nervousness than authority.
Even so, he did not step back.
—Who are you? —he demanded firmly—. Identify yourself!
Isagi's reaction was immediate. He turned his head toward him with obvious boredom. He looked him up and down, as if he were evaluating him. Or worse, judging him.
And then he spoke.
—A 35 arm? —he said with disdain—. Nah, man what low quality. —He slightly shook his head, clicking his tongue. —Do not talk to me, miserable arm. You have a face that not even two mothers could love.
Silence fell like a blunt blow. Arai clenched his teeth, feeling the anger rise to his face. His hands tensed slightly, but he did not move forward.
—You…! —he managed to say, holding himself back.
For him, Isagi was nothing more than a stranger. An intruder. And, even worse, someone completely disrespectful. But Isagi had already lost interest. He looked away without giving him any more importance, as if Arai was not worth even a second more of his attention. The confidence given by his new outfit —Toji's— seemed to have amplified even more his carefree and provocative attitude.
Instead, he focused his attention on Aki.
—Hey, Aki what the hell happened to you?. —His eyes lowered to the wound already partially controlled by Power. —And why is this place upside down? —he added, raising his gaze to observe the surroundings—. Is it some kind of architecture from the era or what?. —He raised an eyebrow, looking at the beds attached to the ceiling, the inverted furniture. —And I thought abstract art was already bad.
In his mind, he could not help but make a comparison. In the world he came from, practically anything could be considered art. From a stain on a wall to ridiculous objects displayed with absurd pretensions.
Like that famous banana taped to a wall. He slightly frowned.
—(Although…) —he thought—. (I am like 90% sure that something like this…) —He looked again at the ceiling turned into floor. —(…would be worth millions there.)
Despite the critical situation, his tone remained relaxed. As if all that was not a death trap, but a poorly curated exhibition.
—Isagi… —Aki's voice, lower but firm, broke the moment—. How did you get here?
Aki raised his gaze toward him from his position, still being attended by Power. His expression was not one of surprise, but of caution. Isagi's appearance in a place like that could not be a coincidence.
—Mmm?. —Isagi tilted his head slightly—. Who the hell is shouting so much?. —Without waiting for an explanation, he walked calmly toward the room's door.
He opened it and peeked out just enough. The inverted angle made "looking down" actually mean leaning toward the end of the hallway where there was an endless mass of flesh. Arms. And faces.
Human fragments fused into a pulsating abomination that twisted without cease, spreading through the hallway like a living tide. The faces embedded in the surface opened and closed their mouths in deformed expressions, while multiple limbs stretched trying to reach something they could never touch.
—Ah… —Isagi frowned in an expression of obvious disgust—. What is that disgusting thing?
From his perspective, that had already climbed straight to the top spot on his personal list. Tied with the Leech Devil. The two seriously competed for the title of "the most repulsive thing" he had ever seen in his life.
—We are trapped here. —Denji replied, walking up to stand beside him—. It does not matter if we go up or down… or if we try to get out through the windows. We always end up on this same floor.
Both of them stayed watching. From the opening. The mass of flesh writhed below, twisting endlessly, as if it were alive in every single part of it.
—Give me the Chainsaw's heart!. —The voice echoed from everywhere at the same time. Distorted and Unceasing. —Give me the Chainsaw's heart! Give me the Chainsaw's heart!
The phrase repeated over and over again, like a sick mantra, while the arms stretched trying to reach them.
—(Let's see…) —Isagi thought, concentrating and using his powerful IQ of 530,000. He mentally reviewed what he remembered.
According to the "story", that devil could not be killed in a conventional way. Not at least until it revealed its core, its heart. Attacking it directly would not work..Destroying that endless mass of flesh would not work either since it would only accelerate its growth.
This seemed very bad and like a dead end, It would be for a normal person, but not for someone like him. Isagi's eyes slowly opened.
—(But…) —he continued his reasoning—. (Its body still feels pain. It is not invulnerable to suffering. Only to death).
snap
Isagi snapped his fingers. An idea had just formed. Simple. Brutal and Effective.
—(Then we just have to make it want to die). —A slight smile appeared on his face. It was not particularly kind. —Torture it until it itself wants to end this.
—That is a very macabre… and bloody idea, scoundrel… —said Power, and a wide smile spread across her face—. I love it!. —Her eyes shone with genuine excitement. The mere idea of inflicting constant pain on an enemy was not only logical to her, but fun.
—I know. —Isagi replied with a slight smile, raising his hand and pointing at his forehead with his index finger—. I used my IQ of five hundred thirty thousand to reach that conclusion. If the devil is not immune to pain and also regenerates, sooner or later the suffering will overcome it.
—Wait a moment. —Arai intervened, taking a step forward once again, clearly irritated—. Who are you supposed to be… and why did you come alone?
His voice was filled with frustration. Not only because of the situation… but because of Isagi's attitude since he had appeared. He needed answers.
—He is from my unit. —Aki responded without hesitation, stepping forward. His tone was firm, cutting. There was no room for unnecessary discussions. —And he is the one who takes command when I am not here… by order of Miss Makima.
The words generated a brief silence. That was not a minor detail. Isagi was not just an intruder. He had authority.
—Well… —Isagi added carelessly, shrugging slightly—. Mind your business if I came alone to this place. —He did not even bother to look at him this time. Instead, he made a gesture with his hand toward Denji. —Hey, pass me that.
He pointed at a small white ball on the floor, about the size of his hand. Denji lowered his gaze, picked it up without questioning too much and threw it to him. Isagi caught it in the air with ease. For a few seconds, he simply observed it. Spinning it slightly between his fingers.
—(Perfect…) —He wanted to test his new ability.
[Explosion].
The ability to turn anything his cursed energy touched into a bomb and detonate it at will. His fingers closed a little more around the ball.
—(Let's see how well it works, it reminds me of the Stand Killer Queen's ability). —Isagi thought as he began to infuse his cursed energy into the ball.
—Why didn't you bring help?! —Kobeni's shout interrupted him. Once again. Her trembling voice filled the room, breaking everyone's concentration. —We can't get out of here! —she continued, on the verge of tears—. We are going to die! From hunger or eaten by that devil!
And then she broke. Tears began to fall uncontrollably while her body trembled even more than before. Fear was completely consuming her. Her high-pitched, desperate voice echoed in the room.
Isagi: How the bitch screams.
Completely ignoring Kobeni's crying, Isagi finished infusing his cursed energy into the ball.
He held it for a few more seconds in the palm of his hand, feeling how the energy flowed and accumulated inside it. Since he had defeated the Explosion Devil and leveled up, his reserve had increased considerably.
Before: 1780.
Now: 2000.
A notable increase. Taking that number as reference, he channeled approximately 200 units of cursed energy into the object. Not too much, but not too little either. Enough to measure the scope of his new ability without wasting unnecessary resources.
The ball vibrated slightly.
—(It should be enough, this reminds me of when I was a kid and I took the gunpowder out of firecrackers, poured it over a rock and put another flatter rock on top and then threw an even bigger rock on top to make the gunpowder explode). —He thought with a slight smile and without overthinking it, he threw it backward with complete carelessness.
The object crossed the inverted air of the room, went through the threshold of the open door and fell directly toward the grotesque mass of the Eternity Devil.
It rolled for a few moments, bounced among fragments of flesh. Until it got close enough. Isagi closed his hand. And pressed his thumb against his own finger, imitating the gesture of pressing an invisible detonator.
The ball began to glow. An intense white. The light illuminated the entire hallway, bathing the mass of flesh in an unnatural glow for a fraction of a second.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion roared with brutal violence.
The impact shook the entire hallway and rooms, making the walls vibrate and the floor tremble beneath their feet. The shockwave traveled through the hallway, destroying everything in its path and tearing the devil's flesh in multiple directions.
The roar was deafening. Isagi reacted quickly, slamming the door shut before the shockwave and the cloud of black smoke invaded the room. Even so, the tremor was clearly felt.
—What the hell, hedgehog head?! —Denji shouted, losing his balance for a moment before turning toward Isagi with his eyes wide open.
The echo of the explosion still resonated in the air.
—I think… I did not calculate it well. —Isagi opened the door again calmly.
A dense cloud of black smoke covered the hallway, making visibility difficult. However, little by little, the silhouette of the surroundings began to reveal itself.
Destruction. The hallway had been completely devastated. Fragments of flesh were scattered everywhere, stuck to the walls while the mass began to move. regroup and regenerate. The Eternity Devil was still there. Rebuilding itself slowly, as if nothing had happened.
—Well… —Isagi said, observing the scene calmly—. It seems we will be here for a while. —Then he lowered his gaze and picked up another nearby object. He channeled less cursed energy, Approximately 100. A slight smile formed on his face. —So I hope you do not mind the noise, because things are about to get explosive... What a shitty joke.
Ignoring the bad joke he had just made, he let the object that was now a bomb fall directly toward the regenerating Eternity Devil.
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End of the chapter.