Chapter 10
Somewhere far out in the remote countryside.
The slope was barely noticeable, but in this vast, flat expanse, the slight rise could—generously—be called a mountain…
And on this tiny, flat "mountain," a single house stood in absurd isolation.
Abstract as hell. No need to even search for it.
Denji walked up and knocked politely on the door.
Thud. Thud.
No answer.
But his sharpened hearing caught something heavy shifting inside—slow, deliberate—and faint ultrasonic squeaks no normal human could detect.
The echoes faded.
The door creaked open on its own.
A wave of dusty, metallic rot blasted out.
Denji's expression didn't change. He'd already held his breath in anticipation, even partially locking down his sense of smell through muscle control.
He stepped inside.
Before he could speak, the thing in the house started monologuing with smug confidence.
"Mmm~ Lunch delivery?"
It spoke human words, but the voice was wrong—grating, unnatural, like nails on wet bone.
Not human, obviously.
Compared to other grotesque devils, the Bat Devil was almost pure bat: two-story height, muscular humanoid torso, but stripped of extra weirdness, it almost looked… refined? Handsome, even?
Joke's on that thought.
Denji's vision cut through the dark perfectly. He clearly saw the small cage dangling from the Bat Devil's neck by a chain.
Inside: Power's little cat, Meowy.
The Bat Devil finished its line. No reply came.
It didn't mind—probably figured the human was frozen in terror.
No idea why a random human wandered into this nowhere place, but who cared? Free food.
"Rare treat… Young man, your blood should restore my energy nicely.
Never thought a pie would fall from the sky right into my mouth. Wounds carved by humans… healed by human blood. Come here."
It extended a palm the size of a man, razor claws splayed wide, reaching for Denji.
Not fast—why rush when your target's just food?
That arrogance left a fatal opening.
Stupid and proud. Human-level intelligence, yet dumber than a wild animal in some ways.
Even lions go all-out for rabbits.
Denji mentally scoffed. No lecture needed.
The moment the claw closed in, Denji exploded from stillness to motion—leaping onto the Bat Devil's forearm.
Before it could react—
"Is this a tomato or a 西紅柿?"
Judgment. Hard control locked.
Denji listened as the Bat Devil babbled "Aba aba…" like a broken toddler, slowly examining the tomato he'd just tossed.
Meanwhile, Denji sprinted up the arm to the shoulder, grabbed Meowy's cage, and raised his other hand—lining up both the chain and the Bat Devil's thick neck.
"Slash!"
A sharp, tearing screech—chain snapping, fur, thick hide, and flesh parting in a wet gush.
The Bat Devil was sliced to near-death in one clean stroke.
"Aaaah! Bad fruit… bad fruit!"
After blurting the answer, control returned—but so did suffocating despair and the edge of death.
It refused to die quietly. Thrashing wildly, smashing everything around it in useless rage.
Denji just watched. He'd already scooped Meowy from the shattered cage and retreated to the doorway before the tantrum started.
One hand slapped the door open behind him as he backed out.
Standing in the open field, he watched the house collapse in a cloud of dust and debris.
Compared to last life's desperate brawl… this was almost too clean. Too easy.
A relatively "normal" body gave the Bat Devil better defense and strength—but also glaring weak points that matched human anatomy.
No idea if it had a heart, but the neck—where brain met body—was an obvious kill zone.
Should be over.
As the struggling silhouette in the dust weakened, Denji thought exactly that.
Right as he prepared to call Pochita for Devour—
Wingbeats. A lot of them.
Shit!
He looked up. The sky had darkened with a massive flock of birds—swarming like mad, diving straight down.
Straight into the dust cloud…
Denji's face soured. Getting backstabbed right when victory seemed sealed felt disgusting.
Too many. Can't block them all.
He tested the Tomato Dilemma on the flock.
It snagged the ones still thinking—froze them mid-dive.
The core suicide squad? Already mindless.
Damn… found the flaw that fast. That evil woman plays dirty.
Denji gritted his teeth, pulled out an Evolution Serum (Excellent)—the best quality his accumulated points could make right now.
Not for himself. For Meowy.
He held the vial to the cat's mouth. Meowy sniffed, then obediently opened wide and drank.
Effect was near-instant. Her pupils gained a sharp, intelligent gleam; her posture turned elegant, almost regal.
"Hide first. I'll come get you after I clean this up."
Meowy seemed to understand. She gave Denji's palm one reluctant lick, then leaped lightly from his arms and vanished into nearby bushes.
Now Denji could fight without holding back.
The bird swarm was nearly spent.
After tweaking the infection parameters, he conjured a Zombie Serum in his palm.
"Like eating? Then enjoy the taste of this."
He hurled the vial into the falling curtain of birds.
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
Finally, the massive figure in the dust stopped playing dead. The agonized scream couldn't be faked.
"You bastard! I'll tear you to pieces and mix you into a pure-meat salad!"
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