The moment the bell rang, Cael died.
Not just his body, even his consciousness shattered in an instant.
This was the Bell Sound Sword, a root-level ability exclusive to the Darkness Devil. It was extremely lethal, built on a mechanism that ignored conventional defense. Even among its many abilities, this one stood out.
Using the Bell Sound Sword already showed the Darkness Devil was taking the Blackbeard Devil seriously.
Maybe Cael had to take back what he said earlier.
Who said the Darkness Devil did not fight dirty?
This move was filthy.
Even the Curse Devil had to stab a voodoo doll several times to kill someone. And to even use that trick, the doll had to be pierced first.
In Cael's current fused Weapon Human form, the Curse Devil could not even break his defense.
But the Darkness Devil was different.
Cael had felt it before dying.
No matter how high he pushed his attributes, the Darkness Devil would still cut through him.
Because darkness was one of the most primal fears.
Long before humans existed, darkness was already there. Even if humanity disappeared and the planet welcomed a new civilization that eventually died out, darkness would remain.
It had always been there.
That fear carried weight.
Just like the Fiend Pingtsi. Her fear of the Darkness Devil had driven her to the edge of suicide. To her, darkness was more terrifying than death.
After killing Cael, the Darkness Devil did not immediately absorb him.
Instead, it lifted its cloak and began searching through a pile of skeletons, its many hands selecting bones with care.
It had an obsession.
The skeleton it had just used was not satisfactory. The proportions were wrong.
So it dismantled it and started over.
Seeing the Darkness Devil pause, Kobeni Higashiyama tensed up.
She had noticed something earlier.
The Hunger Devil's severed limbs could still move.
This was their chance.
"Kiga, hurry, use your hand to activate Cael," Kobeni shouted.
Without him, they had no chance.
Fami trembled, tears streaming down her face.
"I... I do not want to make an enemy of the Darkness Devil because of you..."
"It already cut you. Can't you tell which side you're on?" Kobeni snapped.
"But... Cael cut me too. You all cut me. It hurt..."
Kobeni fell silent.
Cael only attacked because Fami tried to kill him the moment she arrived.
Damn it. There was no time to argue.
She had to act.
Kobeni flipped over, face down, and bit into the blood-soaked grass. Using only her teeth and core, she dragged herself forward like a caterpillar.
Slowly, painfully, she crawled toward Cael's corpse.
Too slow.
Fami glanced at the Darkness Devil. It was almost done.
If Cael stayed dead, they were next.
She clenched her teeth.
"Fine... I will help you..."
Her detached limbs crawled toward Cael.
One hand grabbed the Bell Sound Sword and yanked it out.
Blood poured into Cael's mouth.
Her finger hooked onto the starter cord on his chest.
"Drink... drink my blood... Cael... you better protect me..."
The Darkness Devil noticed.
It appeared in front of Fami's main body, its five heads staring down at her from beneath its cloak.
Waiting.
Fami's body trembled. Blood streamed from her eyes, nose, and mouth.
Her mind broke.
"I cannot take it anymore!"
"Save me! Chainsaw Man!"
She pulled the cord.
Vroom!
Cael's eyes snapped open.
The roar of weapons echoed through Hell once more.
The Darkness Devil moved, disappointed, its hand tightening around Fami's neck.
Then a flash of dark red light cut through the air.
Its newly assembled arm was severed instantly.
"Not too late, am I?" Cael muttered.
Fami shook her head, crying.
Cael gave a small nod.
"Does not matter if you're Hunger or Death. Good job."
He moved at blinding speed, gathering Fami's limbs and Kobeni's body.
"For now, stay inside. It is safer."
His body shifted as he opened a dark void, pulling both Kobeni and Fami into himself, just like he had done before.
The Darkness Devil snapped.
What Cael had cut was its newly selected bone.
Its favorite.
It could not tolerate that.
The Bell Sound Sword appeared again, faster than before.
Cael tried to dodge, but the blade still pierced through him.
Just before the bell could ring, Cael crushed it.
The bell shattered into powder and was swallowed by a black void.
Inside a black hole, even sound could not escape.
He had already died to this once.
He understood it now.
No bell, no instant death.
Cael pulled out the Great Black Sword, a grin forming on his face.
"You really thought that would work twice?"
Dark red energy coated the blade, compressing into a terrifying edge.
He hurled it back like a projectile.
"Take it back."
...
In the human world, Reze drove through the streets, with Asa Mitaka and Makima in the car.
Makima had already explained the situation.
But they were too late.
By the time they reached the Ginza Mitsukoshi Department Store, Cael and the others had already been dragged into Hell.
A massive figure dropped from above, slamming into the ground and blocking their path.
Dust cleared.
The devil stood over six meters tall, with Zeina's head, multiple doll limbs forming elongated arms, and feet made from stacked doll heads.
"Yo."
Zeina waved casually, her limbs clicking.
"Control, War, and Bomb. Nice to meet you."
Santa Claus.
Makima's gaze was cold.
"That is correct," Zeina said, laughing.
"Look at this body. Strong, powerful. Can you imagine? It was supposed to die in six months."
She spread her arms wide.
"Now my life is infinite."
Her eyes landed on Asa.
"War, and pregnant too. How tragic. Do not worry, I will not spare the child either."
Asa's expression darkened. Her left hand rested on her stomach, while her right, clad in a black glove, pointed forward.
"You talk too much."
Her voice was sharp.
"You messed with the father. That alone is enough."
A gunshot echoed.
Bang.