Was Shoko's power really so great that it could influence someone like Makima, who was at the pinnacle of the Chainsaw Man world?
Did she deliberately fabricate the excuse of her limited abilities just because she didn't want to be forgotten and was worried about hurting Makima's feelings?
Of course not. It was entirely because she was just that weak!
If she had had a choice back then, how could she have left behind someone like Makima in the Chainsaw Man world—someone who was almost driven mad by being fleeced and who had that one-in-a-billion chance of becoming a cyber-ghost wandering to the Blue Earth to cause her trouble?
But the problem was—apart from Shoko herself, no one knew how strong she truly was. All the settings regarding her abilities were verbally transmitted, so naturally, they could be true or false. And the final right of interpretation ultimately lay with Shoko herself.
Thus, history… sorry, Makima, don't blame her for being despicable!
But regardless, this tactic successfully convinced Makima. After all, this was the last time they met before Shoko disappeared. Would she have faked it? Even if it was fake, what could Shoko possibly gain?
It couldn't be that she wanted to brag even before her death. Fortunately, Makima didn't think Shoko would be that idle, so she chose to believe the information Shoko left behind one hundred percent.
"So Shoko… no, it should be them, they had already calculated this step from the beginning." Aki Hayakawa's remaining contingency was to find that "Lee"…
"That's right. So you'd better not do anything stupid along the way and disrupt the plan—otherwise, even if Shoko values you, I will…" Makima trailed off, but her unspoken threat hung heavy in the air. "I won't do that, at least not before we rescue Shoko. I just… don't know what to say…"
Aki Hayakawa felt like he had a lot to say at this moment, but when the words reached his lips, nothing came out. He didn't know who he could even express these feelings to. If he had to describe his current emotion, it could probably only be wistfulness.
They had received Shoko's help, moving from a state of utter despair to seeing a glimmer of victory. This was, of course, good, just like how they had been helped by Shoko in the past. Things were going smoothly again… But why were they always the ones being protected, being helped?
It was like this when Shoko was alive. But now, they were already dead, their very souls stripped and controlled as tools by that terrifying entity. At a time when they needed their help the most, not only did they receive no assistance from them, but they still needed to worry about them and find ways to help them…
Perhaps it wasn't just Shoko; the other few were probably the same. It was just that their companions at least had the strength to fight for them on the battlefield behind them, while he could do nothing.
Aki Hayakawa's fingernails had already dug into the flesh of his palm, but he seemed oblivious to the pain, only a deathly silence remaining before him.
…
In an unknown corner, in a basement that even satellites couldn't scan, was Senti's location.
At this moment, this Herrscher of Sentience was sitting idly on the sofa. The games and manga that could usually occupy her for entire days couldn't capture her attention at all right now.
Every time she picked up a controller, she would often toss it aside in frustration after less than a few minutes, then pace around the room agitatedly.
In this specially prepared room, external exploration couldn't reach here at all. Conversely, Senti's powers also couldn't extend to other places to perceive the current world situation.
This feeling of knowing that something important was definitely happening, yet being completely ignorant of it, made her extremely uncomfortable.
Why did I have to do such a stupid thing? Senti complained inwardly, yet she had no intention of leaving this place.
After all, it was a friend's request, and according to that friend, she would become the key to reversing everything.
How things turned out this way traced back to a conversation Senti had with Lihua. While Lihua was saying she couldn't tell her, Senti had to admit, although Lihua was a bit of a dumb woman, she could occasionally display some wit, managing to come up with a plan.
Though the method was rather crude, fortunately, the witty Herrscher of Sentience still successfully deciphered the message Lihua had secretly left in her hair, telling her to stay in this place until someone found her seeking help and explained everything to her…
To be honest, Lihua's sudden instructions were completely out of the blue, utterly baffling, and didn't leave a good impression at all.
After all, this woman was both bad and stupid, always bullying her. It was perfectly normal for her to mess up even something like this… Hmph, the great Herrscher of Sentience didn't want to help her.
It was just that the other party was already so dumb; if she, the only one who could understand her meaning, didn't step up, that stupid woman would definitely… The great Herrscher of Sentience was always this magnanimous and gentle.
Besides, Senti wasn't stupid either. She could vaguely guess that this matter was likely related to that woman who looked just like her. And it just so happened that this time she could help out too, consider it a return gift for borrowing her name for a while in the past.
As for being sold out by Lihua again, like that time when her Divine Key was stolen from under her nose… well… then she could only admit that she had fallen into that woman's hands…
Worried and anxious, mixed with fear and disappointment, Senti, with her incredibly complex emotions, waited in this unknown basement.
But fortunately, the terrible outcome of being betrayed again did not occur. With a loud clang, the basement door she had been constantly watching was finally kicked open from the outside.
The Dominance Devil, with golden spiral eyes, strode into the room, dragging a young man used as a shield.
"…You are the Herrscher of Sentience, right?"
Upon seeing a face identical to Lee's and Lihua's, Makima's constantly guarded heart finally relaxed a little.
"I won't say much else for now—to put it simply, we need your help."