The Eternal Devil was the one breaking out in a cold sweat this time.
"No, Lady Falling! I did not despise your cooking!"
The Eternal Devil raised a grotesquely deformed finger and pointed at Cael.
"It is all his fault! He intentionally caused chaos inside my stomach!"
Hearing the accusation, the Falling Devil slowly turned her head toward Cael.
"Tch, what kind of nonsense is that?" Cael snorted. "You were vomiting like a broken faucet a moment ago. What else is there to explain?"
The Falling Devil paused and thought for a moment.
Facts spoke louder than words.
Her Dearest Friend Cael seemed to have a point.
She turned back toward the Eternal Devil and stared coldly.
"I want you to die a miserable death."
"I've been wronged! I'm innocent!"
The tumors covering the Eternal Devil's body trembled violently in fear as it pointed angrily at Cael.
"You bastard! You were clearly setting off explosions in my stomach! I only vomited because I couldn't take it anymore!"
Cael gave a contemptuous smile.
So it had reached the argument stage.
In an argument, you never follow the opponent's logic.
You grab their weak point and crush them with it.
Kick them while they are already down.
Cael ignored the claim about explosions entirely and spoke coldly.
"You never intended to eat us in the first place, did you? You just wanted to trap us inside the Eternal Space in your stomach and control us."
"You!"
The Eternal Devil froze.
Damn it. The brat guessed correctly.
Trapping Asa Mitaka in the Eternal Space until she starved had indeed been the order from Fami.
And Cael even had physical proof.
Cael raised his hand and pulled the Lovers Hotel spear from Yoru's grasp, then slammed it into the ground.
"This is the evidence. The hotel you used to trap us."
"You never intended to eat us at all."
"I... you..."
The Eternal Devil choked, unable to respond.
Cael frowned.
"What do you mean 'I' and 'you'?"
"If you mess up, admit it. If you're getting beaten, stand up straight."
"Eternal Devil, isn't the real reason that you think we taste like shit?"
The Eternal Devil looked like it wanted to cry.
What a shameless human.
"I... I f*ck your..."
Cael smirked.
So emotionally unstable that the only thing left was cursing.
Victory was already decided.
Ignoring the collapsing devil, Cael handed the Lovers Hotel spear to the Falling Devil.
"See, Dearest Friend? The evidence is clear."
"This was a cheap trick by the Eternal Devil to deceive you. It despises your culinary skills."
"If that isn't an insult to you, what is?"
The Falling Devil's expression darkened as she listened.
The spear crumbled into dust in her hand.
Her killing intent thickened like a storm cloud.
The fire had already been lit.
Cael decided to pour one more barrel of oil on it.
"Dearest Friend, think about this."
"The Eternal Devil swallowed so many people. Why did it spit only the few of us back out?"
"The answer is obvious."
"It looks down on you. Your affection means less than grass to it."
The Eternal Devil completely snapped.
"That's bullshit! I didn't eat them! Those people were clearly killed by you!"
Cael only smiled and said nothing more.
There was no need to continue.
The Eternal Devil had already lost the Falling Devil's trust.
The Falling Devil took a slow breath. She straightened her chef's hat and forced her expression back into composure before bowing deeply to Cael.
"I sincerely apologize, Dearest Friend, for giving you such a terrible dining experience."
"Not only was my cooking flawed, but my will was also insulted."
"To express my apology, I will personally clean up this insolent creature."
"Please do," Cael replied calmly.
"No... no... NO!"
The Eternal Devil was terrified.
Taking advantage of the distraction, it suddenly wriggled toward the Gate of Hell.
Its massive body twisted like a slippery eel and shot through the gate, vanishing in an instant.
It escaped to the human world.
The Falling Devil smiled.
The smile was elegant, yet deeply unsettling.
"Oh dear. Running away after doing something naughty. What a troublesome child."
She stepped forward gracefully and followed through the Gate of Hell.
If she failed to make the Eternal Devil taste the most terrifying flavor of death, then she would not deserve the title of a Primal Fear Devil.
After both devils disappeared, Hell fell silent again.
Cael let out a long breath.
It was not just the Eternal Devil that had been sweating earlier.
He had been sweating too.
Playing psychological games with a Primal Devil was like walking a tightrope over blades. One mistake would mean absolute death.
Against a devil like that, normal power levels meant nothing.
The Falling Devil possessed both terrifying lethality and absurd regeneration.
Even after Cael struck her at close range with Dark Water, which carried a nullification effect, she recovered instantly without the slightest injury.
Cael had a suspicion.
As a Primal Devil, the Falling Devil likely possessed her own form of absolute nullification.
Perhaps something close to complete immortality.
Otherwise, it would not explain why Primal Fear Devils had never died despite existing for so long.
"Everyone, stay behind me. I'll guide us down safely."
"Okay!" Kobeni hurried after him. She had no intention of staying here any longer.
Cael grabbed Asa's hand.
The girl's body suddenly stiffened.
The darkness hid the truth from him.
The hand he held belonged to Yoru.
Creak.
Cael pushed open the Gate of Hell.
Below them stretched the human world, ten thousand meters beneath their feet.
"So Hell is actually located where Heaven should be," Cael muttered.
Iseumi's legs trembled violently. Even without a fear of heights, the sight made his heart race.
"Should we call a helicopter for rescue?"
Cael shook his head.
"You can wait for a helicopter if you want. But this is Hell. A devil might drag you back before it arrives."
He raised three fingers.
"Three second countdown. Everyone jump together. I won't wait for stragglers."
Cael had no interest in babysitting or comforting anyone.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"Jump."
Whoosh.
Cael leaped first while holding Yoru's hand.
Kobeni grimaced, but she trusted him and jumped right after.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Seeing everyone jump, Iseumi panicked and followed.
Falling to his death sounded better than being eaten by devils.
The wind roared in their ears.
Iseumi's face twisted wildly in the rushing air.
"AAAAAHHH!"
His scream was torn apart by the wind as saliva flew everywhere.
When they were only a few hundred meters from the ground, Cael controlled the Typhoon to slow their descent.
Their speed dropped sharply.
They landed safely on a ruined field.
Not far away, the Falling Devil had already destroyed the Eternal Devil's physical body.
In her hand was a Mobius strip shaped heart.
She stood respectfully before a young woman with her head tilted slightly.
Fami.
The Falling Devil bowed deeply.
"I deeply apologize, Lady Fami. I failed to allow Asa Mitaka to be eaten. This dish was a complete failure."
Fami nodded calmly and extended her hand.
"I understand."
"Place the Eternal Devil's heart there. Falling, you may return."
The Falling Devil hesitated.
"Lady Fami, please wait a moment."
"What is it?"
The Falling Devil looked toward Cael.
"Before leaving the human world, I would like to speak briefly with my newly made Dearest Friend."
"Oh?"
Fami raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Dearest Friend?"
Interesting.
How exactly had Cael managed that?
"Yes. Cael is a culinary master of the human world. His culinary philosophy has given me great inspiration."
"I see."
Fami glanced toward Cael's position and spoke calmly.
"Very well."
"You have two minutes."
In truth, Fami could barely maintain the summoning any longer.
Calling the Falling Devil had drained her nearly to the limit.
"Thank you for your understanding."
---