Chapter 176: The Only EX-Rank
"Little Famine is already on her twenty-fourth bowl of rice..."
Watching Kiga shovel food into her mouth without a single pause, Reze couldn't help marveling in disbelief.
"Kiga-neesan... oh, wait, Little Famine is amazing. I get completely stuffed after two bowls at most."
Kobeni let out an astonished gasp as well.
Since she had already learned that Kiga only liked being addressed as "Little Famine," she had adapted and changed her choice of words right away.
"For devils, Pochita isn't nearly as big an eater as Little Famine."
Denji muttered to Pochita, "I wish Pochita would eat a bit more and get chubby—still feels like you're a bit too thin right now."
As she spoke, she used a rice paddle to forcefully spoon a few extra mouthfuls right into Pochita's mouth.
It carried an uncanny resemblance to grandparents aggressively force-feeding their pet dog.
"Woof-woop..."
Pochita's whines sounded somewhat reluctant, but it still ended up having rice shoveled into its mouth one spoonful at a time.
"She's still got a long way to go. I doubt Little Famine is even halfway full yet."
Otonashi Chiya remarked offhandedly.
"Should I say as expected of the Famine Devil? To remain this absurdly ravenous."
Reze couldn't help sighing.
Shingetsu glanced at Kiga's completely flat stomach, which hadn't budged an inch. "A truly miraculous bodily structure. I suppose the only explanation is her devil anatomy."
By this point, everyone except Kiga had finished their meals and were completely stuffed.
As for the five weapon hybrids—Fumiko, Barem, and the others—they not only lived in a separate detached villa, but also handled their own meals and expenses independently, given the generous wages Otonashi Chiya provided them.
Cooking for over a dozen people every single day was simply far too exhausting.
It was fine for a short stint, but over time, even ordinary people would burn out.
...
While waiting for Kiga to finally reach her limit, Otonashi Chiya received a phone call from Chairman Jiang.
"Hello—is our young friend free right now? Or drop by whenever you have a moment."
"I'll head over right now."
Otonashi Chiya hung up the phone.
"I'll be stepping away for a moment. You guys keep hanging out here and wait for Little Famine."
With those words, Otonashi Chiya shifted himself straight into the Kamui dimension.
The next second, phone still in hand, Otonashi Chiya materialized directly inside Chairman Jiang's study.
"Our young friend's speed is truly astonishing beyond belief."
Though it wasn't his first time witnessing Otonashi Chiya's movement capabilities, Chairman Jiang couldn't help marveling all over again.
"So, what does Chairman Jiang need me for?"
Otonashi Chiya asked straight to the point.
"Naturally, it's regarding the Devil Church. Following yesterday's crushing defeat at Modu Qingfeng Middle School, they likely won't dare make a single move for quite some time."
Chairman Jiang stated, "I believe this is an exceptional opportunity. With their primary forces decimated, we should strike while they're still reeling and completely eradicate them once and for all."
"Indeed. The cult lost at least a thousand elite operatives in one go, meaning their regional branches across the board must be hollowed out right now."
Otonashi Chiya nodded slightly.
"There's one other thing besides the Devil Church, and that's the upper management's re-evaluation of your rank."
"Originally, our Chinese Devil Hunter ranking system peaked at four SSS-rank hunters, with you designated as the fifth."
"However, following this incident with the Devil Church, the higher-ups decided to create a brand-new tier: an EX-rank Devil Hunter, situated entirely above SSS-rank. Currently—and quite possibly forever—you are the sole and exclusive holder of this rank."
"Consequently, your insignia needs to be updated. Furthermore, if you're willing, I'd like you to serve as the Supreme Commander for the upcoming campaign to exterminate the Devil Church."
Chairman Jiang had already reported the details regarding the Falling Devil up the chain of command, prompting the authorities to specially institute a new rank exclusively for Otonashi Chiya.
This wasn't merely an empty title, of course.
Standing above SSS-rank hunters meant Otonashi Chiya now held the absolute highest authority among all devil hunters across China, accompanied by a corresponding escalation in status and privileges.
Anyone with even a shred of common sense understood the concept of a Primal Devil; the leadership certainly weren't fools, and their clear objective was to bind Otonashi Chiya to China's interests as firmly as possible.
"When does the operation officially begin, then?"
Otonashi Chiya didn't refuse, cutting straight to the point.
He, too, felt that completely wiping out the Devil Church was the best course of action.
Those lunatics were utterly depraved, stopping at nothing—even targeting children. Ever since the cult set its sights on Modu Qingfeng Middle School, he had loathed them entirely, especially given that innocent students, not to mention Kobeni and Reze, were enrolled there.
"Naturally, we'll need a few days to make preparations. You and your group can use this period to rest up and build your strength before we deploy."
As he spoke, Chairman Jiang felt a quiet surge of surprise.
He had initially worried that Otonashi Chiya might be reluctant to participate, considering he had just fought through the arduous defense of Modu Qingfeng Middle School.
Given Otonashi Chiya's current strength and standing, if he simply stated an unwillingness to get involved, they wouldn't dare press the matter and would have to shelve the crusade entirely.
"Ah... regarding the matter of the Falling Devil, Quanxi and Pingtsi filed their reports, so I'm already aware of it."
After weighing his words carefully, Chairman Jiang decided to be transparent. "The upper echelons established this new rank specifically after learning of the Falling Devil..."
"It's fine."
Otonashi Chiya replied indifferently.
He had anticipated this all along. Knowing Pingtsi's ability could identify entities like the Falling Devil, it was inevitable that the Devil Hunter Association's leadership would find out.
It wasn't some deeply guarded state secret anyway, so it mattered little if the top brass knew.
"That's a relief. We won't let any outsiders catch wind of the Falling Devil; our young friend can rest easy on that front," Chairman Jiang assured him.
"Alright. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back."
Otonashi Chiya's expression remained completely calm.
"No, that's all. Safe travels, young friend."
Before the words fully left Chairman Jiang's mouth, Otonashi Chiya vanished right from his field of vision.
Returning to the restaurant, Otonashi Chiya gave the others a brief rundown of what Chairman Jiang had discussed.
Another ten minutes or so passed before Kiga finally declared herself thoroughly satisfied.
Kiga's staggering appetite had left both the owner and his wife completely dumbfounded; in all their years running the restaurant, they had never laid eyes on a customer who could consume so much food, especially someone who appeared to be a slender high school girl.
"Miss Reze, the guest you brought along today is truly something else. In any case, thank you so much."
The youthful, well-kept proprietress, clearly quite familiar with Reze, couldn't help remarking just as the bill was being settled.
Since Kiga had single-handedly polished off the equivalent of several dozen people's worth of ingredients, it translated to a hefty profit for the owners, making Reze's introduction a welcome windfall.
Reze smiled faintly.
"To be honest, even I didn't expect Little Famine to be quite this ferocious..."