Genichi's heart was hammering wildly. Every beat slammed heavy against his ribcage, loud enough that he could practically hear it, pumping scalding blood into his limbs.
Even after reincarnating as a devil, even with strength and a body beyond what any normal human could reach, facing something this twisted, this grotesque, this saturated with raw predatory hunger was a first for him.
Instinctive fear coiled up his spine like an ice-cold viper, bringing a fine tremor he couldn't ignore.
If he hadn't been tempered in that "everyday" crossover world, forced over and over to deal with malicious spirits of every imaginable shape, he would have already lost his composure. As it was, he was still holding onto a razor-thin thread of reason, tense to the breaking point but not yet disordered.
His brain spun at full speed, dissecting the situation.
"Close-quarters is off the table."
The conclusion formed instantly.
Its body was built for melee. Eight barbed, powerful legs meant it could stab or constrict from any angle. That massive spider abdomen was armored in hard chitin, likely difficult to break through. And that didn't even account for the mutated arms, the sharp black claws, or whatever poison or unknown abilities it might carry.
Closing the distance would be the same as stepping onto the butcher's block.
Which left him with only one option.
"Ranged attacks."
He focused his will and tried to guide the demonic power surging through him from the boost.
Devil power wasn't like any energy he had ever known.
It felt alive, like an active force with intent and an attribute, something you could shape if you could impose your will on it.
From Rias's brief instruction, he had only managed to grasp the most basic form of releasing and shaping demonic power.
A thread of red demonic energy ran along a specific internal circuit to his left arm, gathering at the tip of the Boosted Gear's clawed index finger.
Light condensed and compressed, forming a small crimson orb no bigger than his thumb.
"Like firing a pistol."
The simple comparison flashed through his mind.
He aimed at the center of the steel-beam web, at the Stray Devil staring down at him with those cold compound eyes.
"Go."
His intent snapped forward.
"Fshhh!"
The tiny red shot streaked out, dragging a brief tail of light like a miniature meteor, flying straight for the monster's blue-gray chest.
But whether it was his first attempt at externalized firing, his technique too crude, or simply because the total amount of energy was too small, too dispersed…
The Stray Devil didn't even bother to dodge.
It only shifted its upper body a fraction and let the crimson bolt strike its chest.
"Tss…"
A faint sound, like a drop of water hitting hot iron.
The shot burst into a fist-sized spray of red sparks, licking at its skin and charring a small patch black. A few wisps of thin white smoke rose.
That was all.
The eerie green glow in its compound eyes didn't even flicker, and it didn't pause its next movement for an instant.
On a body that large, one that had clearly been reinforced, the scorch mark probably didn't even qualify as pain.
"Useless. It didn't even care."
Genichi's gut sank.
An attack being ineffective, and being completely ignored, was one of the worst signals he could get.
And the Stray Devil's counter came faster.
Whether the "attack" had annoyed it, or it had simply confirmed the prey below was weak, the bloated spider abdomen tightened again, spinnerets flexing.
"Pff! Pff! Pff!"
This time it wasn't a single shot.
Three strands of webbing, thicker than before and far faster, exploded outward in a triangular spread, like three poisoned javelins tearing through the air.
That sick green sheen carved an ominous trail in the warehouse gloom, sealing off multiple evasive angles at once.
"Tch."
Genichi clicked his tongue under his breath. His wings snapped hard, and his body pivoted in a sharp, almost impossible right-angle change of direction. He slipped through the lethal grid by a hair's breadth.
One strand grazed past the tip of his wing.
"Disgusting. And annoying."
He stabilized himself midair and watched the three strands sink into the far wall or wrap around steel pillars, rapidly hardening into rigid cords. Revulsion and wariness rose together in his chest.
That style of attack was vicious and efficient. If he got hit, or worse, trapped, the outcome would be catastrophic.
He couldn't keep letting it dictate the fight.
He had to change tactics.
The demonic shot had failed because it lacked power and the energy was too spread out.
So then…
Genichi's eyes narrowed into something sharp and cold. He raised his left hand again and forced his demonic power into a tighter, more extreme compression.
Crimson energy surged to his fingertip. This time it didn't become a sphere.
Under his intense control, it was squeezed, drawn out, stretched, and forged into a ten-centimeter spike, thin as a needle, solid crimson throughout, the tip gleaming with a pinpoint of harsh light.
The energy was compressed to an extreme. Density and penetration skyrocketed, trading away area for absolute point-kill lethality.
His target was no longer the thick muscle or hard shell of the torso.
Genichi's gaze locked on the Stray Devil's head. On the compound eye there, constructed from countless tiny lenses, shining with cold green fire.
"If I can't punch through the body… then I'll blind you."
A new tactic, formed in an instant.
Take away its primary sense. If it lost vision and fell into chaos, he could deal with it on his terms.
"Fire!"
His intent launched like an arrow.
"Whip!"
The crimson needle shot out. Tiny in size, terrifying in speed.
It became a razor-thin red line almost impossible to track with the naked eye, silent, precise, and lethal as it tore through the air, aimed straight at the center of its left compound eye.
This time, the attack was clearly meant for a vulnerable vital point.
The Stray Devil sensed the difference.
Within the compound eye, countless facets flickered, reflecting that approaching red line and the danger riding inside it.
For the first time, the monster made a clear evasive move. Its head jerked sharply to the right, trying to twist away from the strike.
But the needle was too fast, and the distance was too short.
"Pshhk."
A small sound, crisp and horribly distinct, like a sharp steel pin punching through taut membrane.
The crimson needle hit dead center.
"SHIIIGAAAHHH!!!"
A shriek tore out of the Stray Devil's mouthparts, sharp enough to feel like metal scraping metal, bursting through the empty warehouse with raw pain and rage.
The sound carried so much agony and madness that it felt like the air itself trembled.
He'd landed it.
Success.
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