In the morning of the following day, Hirachi Kenji's life as the most valuable asset of Public Safety began. After being taken from the special containment room and completing his controlled family visit, he was escorted back to the Public Safety Department's Secret Training Facility, located in a remote, restricted area.
This training center was a massive building disguised from the outside. Inside, it was filled with vast halls with walls made of opaque metal alloy, towering ceilings, and concrete floors marked by signs of combat. There were no windows, no natural light, and no warmth. It was designed specifically to handle supernatural combat and the most dangerous experiments—the ideal location for forging the perfect weapon.
As soon as he stepped through the door, Kishibe appeared. He was an old man with a face full of wrinkles, a beard, and empty eyes that seemed to have seen too much of the world. He was the "Greatest Devil Hunter" in the Public Safety Department. Kishibe wore a bulletproof vest over his uniform and looked utterly displeased with having to do this job.
The First Lesson
Kishibe: (Grumbling) Brat, I hate training kids like you the most. This is your first training session. I'll only use a kitchen knife. Tell me when you're ready.
Suddenly, Kishibe walked to a corner of the room and sat down. After sitting, he opened his long black coat, pulled out a bottle of alcohol, and took a sip.
Kenji: (Frowning in confusion) Huh? When will we start training?
Kenji, confused, walked to the opposite corner and sat down. Just as he turned his back to sit on the floor, Kishibe swiftly threw the kitchen knife in his hand, without even looking up from his bottle. The knife flew toward Kenji's head at high speed.
Kenji: (A look of shock) Whoa!
The kitchen knife landed precisely in the center of Kenji's forehead. The impact knocked his body backward, and he fell to the concrete floor, instantly motionless.
Kishibe: (Slowly putting down the liquor bottle and standing up) Pathetic... Slower than I thought.
Kishibe slowly approached the boy and quickly clapped his hand forward, delivering another sharp slap across Kenji's face as he lay on the ground.
Kishibe: "The prey should never trust what the hunter says." Lesson one is over... We'll start fresh tomorrow.
Kishibe stared down at Kenji, who lay unconscious in his own blood, with empty eyes, before turning back to pick up the liquor bottle he had been drinking from.
Kishibe: (Taking a large gulp of liquor and speaking nonchalantly without turning back)
"Remember, brat... Normal Devil Hunters die faster than the abnormal ones."
The Healing Devil
Suddenly, the rhythmic sound of high heels clicking against the metal floor echoed through the hall. Makima stepped into the vast training room with her usual serene and perfect composure. She was in a neat uniform, with a faint smile on her face that completely contradicted the violence before her.
She stood beside Kishibe, not looking at him, but fixing her gaze on Kenji's slowly recovering body.
Makima: (Speaking in a flat but authoritative tone) "Kishibe-san, the training session was perfectly executed."
Then, a controlled Healing Devil—humanoid in appearance with a pale face and glowing hands—followed behind Makima.
Makima: "Heal him."
The Devil knelt beside Kenji. It placed its glowing hand on the wound on Kenji's forehead, and a faint green light shone out. Kenji's recovery suddenly accelerated. The wound sealed instantly, and the bruise on his face vanished in a blink, leaving only the dried bloodstain.
Kishibe watched the scene from the corner of his eye. He showed no emotion, only raising his liquor bottle for another drink.
Makima: (Turning toward Kishibe) "We must keep our assets in peak condition, especially... a perfect weapon. For tomorrow, please double the intensity."
Kenji was now standing perfectly upright. He stood amidst his own bloodstains, with Makima and Kishibe towering over him, acting as the true arbiters of his fate.