***
(1st POV)
We walked through the hallway, looking for our room.
Reze didn't say much, just glanced around. She appeared calm even in this situation.
"You're oddly calm," I said. "Aren't you even a little worried we might not find a way out?"
She tilted her head, then gave a small shrug. "Worried? Nah. We're not really helpless, are we? I doubt this fucker has what it takes to kill us."
She said it like she was commenting on the weather.
"A bit too confident down you think?" I muttered, raising a brow.
She smirked. "Please. Says you. Mr. 'I'm the strongest.'"
"…that's different."
"Nope, you said it first, now deal with it." She shrugged and kept walking
Eventually, we found our room—807.
I tap the keycard, opened the door, and then turned the lights on.
The room looked… too clean. Sleek furniture, spotless floor, high-end touches here and there. I did not expect anything less from a resort rated this high.
But something immediately felt off.
I walked to the window, and froze.
There wasn't a view of the outside.
There was… another room on the other side. The same exact layout.
"The fuck?" I muttered.
I've seen this scene in the Chainsaw Man anime, the Eternity Devil's domain and all. But seeing it in person felt quite different
Reze was already walking over. She opened the window and climbed in like it was nothing.
"Uh, you sure that's a good idea?" I asked.
She leaned out and waved me over. "Aleks-kun, come here. This is insane."
I climbed in after her.
It was identical. Perfectly mirrored room.
She pointed to the wall clock.
It was 5:21 PM, and even though the clock was ticking, the time wasn't moving past it. It was stuck at the same time.
She stared at it for a second. "So, time's stuck in here too."
A pause.
"No signal either: No way to call for backup," she added, checking her phone.
We left through the door, hoping maybe this room was different.
But when we stepped out, we were back in the same hallway.
Only now, we'd come out of the room across from the one we entered.
We both stopped. Looked back. Looked forward.
"…You seeing this?" I asked.
Reze rubbed her forehead. "This is insane… an infinitely looped space at that. Elevators don't work, ceiling leads back to the same floor, and now… mirrored rooms. Feels like the work of a powerful devil."
I didn't respond right away. My eyes lingered on the hallway.
In DxD, devils didn't do this kind of shit. Spatial manipulation on this level? It had to be the work of a god or something.
But I knew better. It was the work of the Eternity Devil.
Yet I was still stuck on the same old question.
How is he here? Hell, how are Makima and Reze even here? I wanted to find out.
I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to Reze.
"Let's get some rest," I said. "We can think this through while we're at it… besides, we finally have some alone time."
I flashed her a grin casualy.
Reze tilted her head, giving me that unreadable smile. "Alone time, possibly trapped in here forever. How romantic."
She stepped in close, cupping my cheeks with both hands, forcing me to meet her gaze. Her touch was soft, but her tone wasn't.
"I don't know why you're so hung up on that bitch… but right now, you're all mine."
Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes stayed sharp, playful, possessive, and just a little bit dangerous.
***
We were in our room. Hopping onto the bed together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
She ended up on top of me, pinning me down with that usual teasing smirk of hers.
"Reze—" I started to say something, but she shut me up by kissing me.
She pulled back just enough to whisper, "Shh. Less talking… more kissing."
And just like that, we went back to it. Lips locking, tongues tangled, like we were trying to say everything we couldn't put into words.
We didn't rush. Didn't stop. We used the moment for what it was, an excuse to forget everything else.
If this was how being stuck in a devil's trap felt like…I could get used to it.
We pulled apart, just barely. Our eyes stayed locked, the air between us heavy.
Then she took off her shirt—
and exposed her beautiful breasts to me.
I knew where this was headed. And part of me wanted to give in so badly.
She leaned in, lips brushing my ear.
"…Wanna do it?" she whispered.
My heart nearly stopped.
I didn't want to act like some nervous virgin, but with the way she looked, the way she sounded, I couldn't help it. She had me off guard, completely.
I turned to face her fully, our foreheads pressed together.
"I'd love to…" I said softly.
"But not like this."
"I want our first time to be special. Not in some devil fucker's trap."
Reze sighed and rolled off me. She didn't bother putting her shirt back on, she ust laid down beside me, with her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"…You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" Her voice was quiet, but honest.
I turned my head toward her. "No. I'm not thinking about her. Why would I?"
She sat up, facing me, the faintest frown on her lips.
"Aleks-kun," she said, "just a warning."
Her voice sharpened, not angry, but firm.
"Being with her… means choosing to destroy yourself. You know that, right?"
I stared at the ceiling, my chest tight with thoughts that I had rather not say out loud.
Have I let her in too easily? Does Makima already have me under her palms?
Three or so days. That's all it's been. And yet she's everywhere in my head.
I wanted to believe I had control… but deep down, I wasn't sure anymore.
Reze watched me in silence. I hated the look in her eyes as if she already knew the answer I couldn't admit.
I turned toward her.
"…Maybe I've messed up," I muttered. "But I promise you...I know what I'm doing."
I reached out, took her hand.
"I just need you to trust me."
She didn't respond right away, she tightened her grip on my hand, and spoke with a low voice.
"Don't make me regret it."
***
We were now walking in the hallway, trying to find any trace of the Eternity Devil's core.
From what I understand, this entire floor is his stomach, and its main body is elsewhere. To escape, I must either kill him or force him to let us go.
Both were equally difficult. This space was quite literally infinite.
I looked at Reze, who was walking toward me.
"I found nothing on the other side. It's like there's no trace of any supernatural presence in here except us," she said.
"Well, that makes things hard…" I muttered, stretching my body. I was ready for a good beatdown.
Something clicked in my mind. I remembered a particular character from Jujutsu Kaisen—a perfect tool for our current situation.
My Six Eyes flared up suddenly as I sensed an ominous presence near us.
Reze felt it too, and we both turned around.
And there it was—an endless wave of flesh, with countless arms and heads, crawling toward us.
It was him. The Eternity Devil.
""A human and… a devil? That's interesting. I've been observing you two…Here me. Foolish as you are, I pray you will be wise enough to accept the contract I offer.…"" His voice sounded like a dozen people whispering in unison.
It was honestly creepy as fuck.
"What do you want, ugly head?" Reze snapped back, her tone mocking.
""Quite the arrogance you have, little girl… Alright then. You, human"" He pointed at me, ""make a contract with me. Feed me the heart of this girl, and I will let you escape….""
"And what makes you think I'll make a contract with you? Besides… you were observing us? What a fucking voyeur," I said, my tone laced with arrogance and confidence at the same time.
""How dare you!!!"" it screamed as dozens of arms lunged at us.
BOOM
Reze blasted them away with a violent explosion. She had already transformed into her Bomb Devil form.
"Stay the fuck away," she snapped, her voice cold and sharp as she kept jabbing blasts into the seemingly endless wave of flesh coming at us.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Damn, Reze was not holding back this time. Her explosions seemed to have vaporized the endless wave of flesh.
I put my hand on her shoulder. "That was amazing… remind me not to make you angry," I remarked.
"Oh, believe me, I've been angry enough to have you dead… but since it's you, I hold back," she replied, undoing her transformation, a sly smile creeping across her face.
""Because you're inside my stomach… I'm practically invulnerable on the eighth floor. If you want to leave, you have to make a contract with me."" The lump of flesh reformed as it spoke.
"You've gotta be shitting me," Reze exclaimed.
I leaned closer, whispering so only she could hear, "Don't worry. I've got a plan. Keep it busy for a minute."
She glanced at me and nodded. "Understood… don't keep me waiting." She pulled her pin again.
""Kekekeke, this is never going to end. I'll just keep reforming myself every time you kill this fake body. You have no chance to win…"" The Eternity Devil mocked us.
Right then, I secretly activated a template. My left eye vanished, and my perfect perception with Six Eyes dimmed.
Huh? That was new.
A straw doll, a nail, and a hammer appeared in my hands. I smirked.
I placed the doll on the floor, drove the nail into its heart, and then…
"Straw Doll Technique:Resonance."
I swung the hammer down.
SCREEEEECH!
The Eternity Devil screamed—a sound straight out of a horror movie.
""MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! I BEG YOU!!"" He wailed in agony.
I didn't stop. Hammer after hammer—smashing with a grin that probably looked more like a sadist's.
""NOOOOOOOO uboomzbd…"" His words broke down into gibberish before he exploded into a violent mess.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Suddenly, we were back on the original eighth floor.
People in the hallway looked at us like we'd gone insane, repulsed by the blood covering us.
They caught sight of Reze's transformed state and immediately scattered in fear and panic.
"Am I that scary-looking?" Reze asked, undoing her transformation.
I grinned. "Well… you are quite the bombshell."
She sighed, came close, and spotted the straw doll with the nail stuck in it and the hammer still in my hand.
"You into voodoo or something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nah. Just part of my technique."
I stood up, deactivated the template.
Covered in blood. So was she.
I looked at her and asked, "Wanna take a shower with me?"
She smiled and grabbed my hand. "Sure thing."
We walked back toward our room.
I had used Nobara Kugisaki's template from Jujutsu Kaisen. Her Straw Doll Technique was surprisingly useful for our situation.
Since the entire eighth floor was the Eternity Devil's stomach, technically even the walls and floor counted as parts of its body, right?
I abused that fact and used Resonance to transfer damage to the Eternity Devil's soul—or whatever you want to call it.
Its core was destroyed, and we were finally free.
Sometimes it doesn't take monsters like Gojo Satoru to win, but underestimated characters like Nobara.
And I realized one thing about this power—I also take on the physical disabilities of the templates I use.
Nobara's missing left eye was a perfect example. I had to be careful which template I chose next.
"Aleks-kun?" Reze flicked her fingers in my face, trying to grab my attention.
She was already undressed, completely naked, standing near the shower.
"You coming or what?"
I smiled and started undressing. "I wouldn't let this opportunity slip, you know."
I had to admit, Reze was so damn gorgeous when she was naked.
***
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