Chapter 15: The Weapon of the Curse Devil
Squelch—!!
The tip of the giant tongue was severed, and blood instantly erupted from the cut like a fountain.
Nomura Shiro and Kinoshita Tsuki, being the closest, were completely drenched. Their faces were splattered with blood until they looked like entities carved from crimson. Still, it was a far better fate than being eaten by the devil.
Takeda Yusuke, standing further back, was also caught in the spray.
Otonashi Chiya relied on his eyes to perfectly dodge every droplet of flying gore. Meanwhile, Hayakawa Aki had already charged downward, as if he couldn't wait a single second to hunt the devil.
Seeing this, Chiya hurriedly rushed down as well. Otherwise, Aki might "steal the kill." If Aki were the one to land the finishing blow, Chiya wasn't sure if he would still receive attribute points. He definitely didn't want to let his "kill" be snatched away.
"Pah! Ptui! This is disgusting!" Nomura was frantically wiping the blood from his face, gagging at the stench.
Kinoshita was paralyzed with fear. Her legs gave out, and she slumped onto the floor. It was unlikely she would recover anytime soon.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Takeda Yusuke's voice was icy. Nomura finally managed to clear enough blood to open his eyes, only to see Takeda staring at him with a chilling gaze.
Kinoshita snapped out of her trance, her voice trembling. "I... I can't do this anymore..." Having just walked through the gates of hell, her legs refused to obey her. She felt like she was on the verge of losing control of her bladder.
"I don't care if you 'can't.' I don't keep useless trash in my squad!" Takeda said coldly, without a hint of pity in his eyes.
Kinoshita's face turned deathly pale. Takeda had completely blocked the exit, and she was already terrified of him. Her trembling legs made it hard to even stand; when she finally managed to get up, someone suddenly kicked her hard in the back. She turned her head and saw Takeda's look of utter loathing.
He detested her weakness. He hated how slow she was.
Unable to steady herself after the kick, Kinoshita let out a desperate scream as she tumbled and rolled down the stairs toward the bottom.
Watching this, Nomura was stunned into silence.
"And you? Do you need me to send you down too?" Takeda's gaze shifted to Nomura.
"No, no, no! I'll go down myself!" Nomura blurted out. Despite his terror, he had no choice but to force himself to descend.
Chiya heard the commotion behind him. He looked back just in time to see Kinoshita falling. Using his eyes to predict her trajectory, he caught her at the precise moment. His Strength and Vitality attributes proved their worth here; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to catch her so steadily.
However, Kinoshita had fainted at some point. He could only lay her down on the floor to the side.
The devil was now directly in front of Chiya. It appeared to be a Toad Devil. Blood leaked continuously from its closed mouth—clearly, the dark-green tongue from before belonged to it. Its body was almost entirely dark green, with four massive, bulging eyeballs protruding from its head. Its belly pulsed rhythmically, letting out a heavy "Gua" sound.
Dense, bumpy nodules covered its entire body, interspersed with a gruesome collection of human fingers and toes. Even someone without trypophobia would find the sight nauseating.
"Damn humans! I'll eat you all—I'll use your blood to compensate for my loss!" the Toad Devil roared. As it spoke, even more blood surged uncontrollably from its mouth.
To devils, human flesh and blood aren't just delicacies; blood also grants them the power to heal. If it could just consume the blood of a few humans, its severed tongue would regenerate in no time.
Hayakawa Aki didn't waste any breath on the devil. He had no intention of using the ordinary katana at his waist; instead, he went for broke immediately, drawing the "blade" from his back.
Though it looked like a katana while sheathed, once drawn, it revealed itself to be a large nail, roughly the length of a sword. This strange weapon was a special tool granted by the Curse Devil. Since any devil that consumes a piece of the Gun Devil's flesh undergoes a massive power spike, Aki knew he stood no chance unless he utilized the Curse Devil's power.
Seeing Aki prepare to use the Curse Devil, Otonashi Chiya's brow furrowed. Not only would this shorten Aki's lifespan, but Chiya was also worried he wouldn't receive the attribute point reward if the Curse Devil claimed the kill. He had to intervene.
However, at that exact moment, the Toad Devil suddenly spewed a mysterious green mist from its mouth, which rapidly diffused through the air. The basement was small, and the green fog filled the entire space in an instant.
Chiya immediately activated his intangibility, ensuring he didn't inhale even a trace of the gas. This "intangibility" was achieved through his Right Eye Kamui (Defensive Kamui), which allowed him to shift the parts of his body about to be attacked—or in this case, his entire body—into the Kamui dimension.
Aki's reflexes were also fast; he covered his nose and mouth instantly. But humans must eventually breathe, and he inevitably inhaled some of the green gas. He felt his body growing lethargic; his muscles turned weak, making it difficult to even grip his weapon.
"This is...!"
Aki realized the effect of the gas, but he was powerless to stop it. He had only two choices: finish the devil quickly or retreat from the basement immediately. If he stayed and lost all strength, he would become a lamb to the slaughter.
Aki's obsession with the Gun Devil was too deep. Driven by the desperate urge to kill this toad, he chose the path of immediate elimination.
"Curse, do it!"
Aki lunged, thrusting the "nail" toward the Toad Devil. Before it even pierced the skin, a giant, mummified finger appeared from the void and flicked the end of the nail. This was the finger of the Curse Devil.
Propelled by this terrifying force, the nail slammed deep into the Toad Devil's body. Simultaneously, a withered mouth manifested in the air and whispered a number: "One."
Aki pulled the nail out and attacked again. His complexion worsened, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his voice was a strained rasp: "Do it!"
The Curse Devil struck again, its finger flicking the nail easily through the Toad Devil's hide. "Two."
Only one more strike was needed. With the third hit, Aki could trigger the Curse Devil to manifest and execute the Toad Devil— a guaranteed kill. But at this critical juncture, his body reached its limit. He couldn't even keep his grip on the nail.
Clang!
The nail hit the floor with a sharp metallic ring.
Unwillingness burned in Aki's heart, his face contorting into a mask of frantic struggle. But no matter how hard he fought, the strength continued to drain from his limbs.
"Dammit!"