Orange-red flames ignited, consuming the massive demon's body starting from its arm. A shrill, eardrum-shattering scream rang out, lasting until the beast was completely devoured by the burning fire.
Watching the demon burn, Ayano Kanngai's legs buckled and she collapsed backward, only for Luo Shu to step in, catching her by the waist.
"You did well, Miss Ayano," Luo Shu said gently, his voice warm as he looked at the burning demon. "If not for your persistence, we might've all died here."
Though the hot wind blew Ayano Kanngai's hair into disarray, her face carried a satisfied smile. "You're definitely the kind of person who'd have a way to handle a demon like that. Hah… though I don't know why you like to hide your strength, I trust you always had a method to deal with him."
Hearing that, Luo Shu couldn't help but complain inwardly about himself. "No, no, you're giving me way too much credit. With my half-baked skills, all I can do is rely on poison and cheap tricks."
What hiding his strength? He was just scared of dying. The only reason he dared face a demon that looked terrifying even at a glance, much less deceive it, was because he always kept a backup plan to flee.
Deep down, Luo Shu knew perfectly well—he was weak. His entire strategy revolved around weakening his enemies or pushing the fight onto someone else.
To him, if he could ambush, he would never fight face-to-face. If he could gang up, he'd never fight alone. If he had a gun, he'd use it; if he had a nuke, even better.
That's why his battle against Mapa followed that pattern: first poisoning him, then using the Sealblade to strike when least expected, next tricking him into exposing his true body, and finally signaling Ayano Kanngai to strike.
Because this approach gave him the highest chance of staying alive—and killing his enemy.
Yeah… it's cowardly, even disgraceful. But what does it matter? I've crossed into a 2D world, I'm a paper-thin character now. Do I really need pride?
Half-joking in his mind, Luo Shu carefully laid Ayano Kanngai flat on the ground and called over to Chisato Nishikigi, who had just recovered. "Chisato, hurry up and get the antidote. And Takina, go feed Kazemaki Ryuya some medicine, unless you want him dying for real."
"Ah! Roger that!" Chisato, shaking her arm as though a swarm of ants were crawling on it, immediately rummaged through her backpack. Meanwhile, Inoue Takina sealed up the abyssal tool following strict procedure before grabbing some healing potions and rushing toward Kazemaki Ryuya.
Before long, Chisato came back holding a small, brown-glass medicine bottle. "It's gonna taste horrible, but bear with it, okay?" she said as she helped Ayano Kanngai sit up and uncapped the bottle to feed her.
Watching Ayano's small, cherry-like lips sip the liquid, Luo Shu averted his gaze awkwardly and walked over to Mapa's corpse.
"Luo Shu, what are you doing?" Chisato asked curiously.
"Just checking if he's really dead," Luo Shu replied casually as he placed his hand on Mapa's corpse.
"Eh… you're seriously cautious, aren't you?"
Chisato watched Luo Shu stab Mapa's corpse several more times with the Sealblade, carefully targeting his heart, brain, and even his lower body, and muttered under her breath, "At this level… your caution is basically pathological."
Ayano Kanngai, having recovered a bit, stared wide-eyed at Luo Shu, her face full of disbelief, as if she were seeing a god.
But at that moment, Luo Shu frowned and said, "He might not be dead yet."
Ayano coughed violently while drinking the medicine, prompting Chisato to pat her back in a panic until she could breathe again. "Cough… impossible! I hit his true body, just like you guided me to. I poured my entire flame spell into him! He was burned to death, completely!"
"No, you misunderstand. What I mean is… he might have other bodies hidden elsewhere."
Seeing Ayano's confused look, Luo Shu calmly explained, "At least, if it were me, I'd have at least three spare bodies hidden outside as backups."
At that, Ayano Kanngai's expression turned lifeless. "Miss Chisato, are you sure this guy isn't a pervert?"
"In some sense, I can't argue with that," Chisato sighed and then muttered, "Where on earth did you learn to think from the enemy's perspective like that?"
Luo Shu didn't answer. Instead, he glanced at Inoue Takina, who had just returned, and asked, "How's Mr. Ryuya?"
"I've given him both the blood-recovery and flesh-recovery potions. His wounds are stabilizing, but he'll need plenty of nourishment to recover properly." As she spoke, Takina looked at the unconscious demon girl lying nearby, then at Mapa's corpse, and said apologetically, "Sorry. I wasn't much help."
"No, no, you've been a huge help," Luo Shu replied immediately. "Whether it was controlling that troublesome high-level demon to buy me time, or the spatial teleportation tool you and Chisato secretly prepared as backup—that's what ensured the success of this mission."
"After all, the original plan was to grab our spoils and retreat via teleportation as soon as we were attacked, then bombard any demon sorcerers who showed up with a cleanup strike."
Thinking about it, Luo Shu felt a bit regretful. Mika and Mizuki Nakahara were still outside supporting Hilda's Third Tactical Unit, waiting with three armed helicopters on standby.
He'd been looking forward to watching some air-to-ground missile strikes, but in the end, their preparations were too solid. They had handled both demons far more easily than expected.
His gaze drifted toward the unconscious demon girl. "By the way… what's the plan for this demon girl? Are we handing her over for containment?"
"Yes. For now, the Demon Heart is the most effective way to control her. Until we're sure she poses no danger, Luo Shu, you'll need to stay near her for supervision," Takina replied, then, knowing Luo Shu's habits, added, "Your overtime pay will be calculated at triple rate for this."
"Well, that's excellent news!" Luo Shu said with a grin, though whether he was actually happy was anyone's guess.
As Chisato fed Ayano her second dose of medicine, she suddenly spoke up. "Hey, now that we're keeping this demon girl around, shouldn't we give her a name or a code name?"
"Code name?" Luo Shu and Takina both froze, clearly not having considered that.
"Yeah, a code name. We can't keep calling her 'the demon girl,' right?" Chisato narrowed her eyes playfully. "How about 'Kisarazu'? Since we're in the Kisarazu region of Chiba."
"No way, that's too weird," Luo Shu immediately protested. "And who names people after place names, anyway?"
"Then… what about shortening it? Just 'Kisara'?" Chisato tilted her head, suddenly inspired.
"Kisara…" Luo Shu glanced at the demon girl lying unconscious on the ground. "That… actually doesn't sound too bad."
"Forget it. Now's not the time for that. Hurry up and get everything packed. We've got the target and the wounded. The longer we stay in this abyss-corrupted zone, the more we risk not making it back to reality," Luo Shu urged, cutting off the discussion.
"Ah, there it is again—the classic Luo Shu-style caution," Ayano Kanngai quipped from where she lay, her voice weak but teasing.
"Somehow… that description actually fits really well," Chisato nodded in agreement.
"Pfft," Inoue Takina couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly.
Watching the three of them, Luo Shu's face darkened. "Instead of wasting time teasing me, why don't you pack up our spoils and secure them properly? Ever heard of the phrase 'a bird in the hand'?"
The three girls exchanged glances, then replied in perfect unison:
"Yes, yes, overly cautious Mister Luo Shu." (x3)
At that moment, Luo Shu's soul nearly left his body.
Meanwhile, on the Bōsō Peninsula, in the Kisarazu region, a yacht floated just off the coast.
Soft pink hair danced lightly in the sea breeze.
A girl brushed her hair back as she gazed toward the distant shoreline, a sweet smile blossoming on her face. "Looks like it's all over."
She turned, facing the blonde-haired nun standing nearby, who looked like she was bracing for battle, and smiled sweetly.
"Don't you agree, Sister Sharon~?"