Narrator POV.
"Tch." Isagi clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. In the blink of an eye, the peace had gone straight to hell. He watched the devil carefully before speaking. "Calm down, Denji. If you keep this up, you're gonna bleed to death. I'll handle it… besides, there's something I want to try."
The system automatically granted him the knowledge and experience necessary to use every new power he obtained, and blood manipulation was no exception.
Isagi raised his body temperature. His pulse sped up, and his red blood cell production skyrocketed, optimizing his blood flow to generate greater energy and superior physical capabilities. His entire body responded to the change, like an engine that suddenly had its limiters removed.
He looked at his hand.
He clenched it… then tightened his fist, feeling the new strength surge through him from head to toe. At the same time, two vertical lines appeared crossing his eyes, marking the active state of the technique.
(So this is Flowing Red Scale?) he thought. (It feels like I suddenly unlocked some kind of energy limiter.)
The sensation was strange and intense. A sudden burst of energy that ran through every muscle, every vein. His entire body was operating faster, stronger, more efficiently.
Denji, sprawled on the ground and clutching his mutilated shoulder, simply raised his thumb in approval. He knew that in his current condition, he couldn't fight. Besides, he no longer had any reason to. The only reason he'd agreed to fight the Bat Devil in the first place was Power's promise to let him touch her boobs. Now, all he could do was watch.
Isagi lifted his gaze toward the devil.
At that moment, he had the clear feeling that a single punch would be enough to send it straight back to hell. The power coursing through his body was intoxicating. Combined with his regeneration, the possibilities and applications of his new technique seemed… promising.
After all, he could regenerate any blood he lost. The potential of this ability in his hands was enormous.
"WHY?!" screeched the Leech Devil, its voice high-pitched and filled with pain.
Its gaze—or whatever it used to see—locked onto the ruined corpse of the Bat Devil: its stomach ripped wide open, intestines scattered across the ground, and fresh blood soaking everything. The scene seemed to genuinely affect it, as if it had lost something valuable.
Isagi calmly raised his eyes, trying to meet the devil's gaze… well, the place where its eyes were supposed to be. The creature's long black hair fell over its face, completely hiding them, so Isagi had to imagine where he should be looking.
"My bat… it was your friend who killed him, right?" the Leech Devil continued, its voice trembling with rage. "He was my man! Do you know what that means?!"
One of its tentacles thrashed violently, pointing at the corpse as if it could still claim it.
Isagi tilted his head slightly, unimpressed.
"And you think I care?" he replied with a faint crooked smile. This was personal now. "I've always hated happy couples. That's why I bought the Happy Couple Beater."
With that, he pulled out a long, thin metal pipe, holding it up like he was advertising a revolutionary product in a late-night commercial.
"Cheap, durable, and highly effective. Only 99,999 pesos."
"Wow…" The Leech Devil stared at him, tilting its head with unnatural curiosity.
Its "eyes" traced Isagi's face, lingering on every detail: the markings over his eyes, his serious expression, his spiky black hair.
"You're quite attractive…" it said in an unsettlingly soft tone. "That hair, that cold stare, those markings… and that smell…" The creature sniffed the air with clear delight. Once again, Isagi's Marechi blood was taking effect, provoking an almost intoxicating reaction in the devil. "It's incredible…" it murmured. "What's your name, handsome?"
(Disgusting.) Isagi thought immediately.
His reaction would've been completely different if those compliments had come from a pretty, sexy woman… not from a grotesque leech devil with tentacles and hanging udders.
Though, thinking about it… did that mean Isagi was objectively good-looking?
After all, he was attractive to humans… and devils.
"My bat, just like me, dreamed of devouring all of humanity," the Leech Devil continued, its tone almost solemn, as if it were telling some ancient epic. "Perhaps it was a misguided dream… but it was wonderful. Sublime."
It slowly raised one of its tentacles, as if praising a sacred idea.
"Imagining a world covered in blood, screams, and despair…" its voice grew more enthusiastic, almost passionate. "An eternal feast."
But that excitement suddenly shattered. Its tone dropped, turning rough, filled with frustration and rage.
"And now… all of that was destroyed by a couple of little puppies," it said with clear resentment. "It would be a waste to ruin your cute faces… but you must pay with your lives."
The threat was clear, though its intention was more to intimidate than to attack immediately.
Isagi didn't flinch.
"So what?" he replied with a mocking smile. "You think telling me your motivations is gonna make me change my mind and suddenly forgive you?" His voice was calm, almost amused. "I'm Isagi Fushiguro," he continued, staring at it without the slightest respect. "I don't care about your dreams. If I have to crush you—literally and emotionally—I will, as long as there's a good reward."
"Are you trying to trample on my dreams, little puppy?" The Leech Devil turned its face slightly and stepped back, studying him more carefully. "You must have strong ambitions, right?" it asked mockingly.
It leaned forward, using its towering height to look down at him, as if that gave it authority.
"What drives you?"
"Huh? Ambitions…?" Isagi blinked.
For the first time since the conversation started, he fell silent. He thought for a moment. Aside from wanting power, completing the system's tasks, getting stronger, and securing rewards… he had never really stopped to ask himself that question.
Questioning whether that was all.
Killing devils. Gaining experience. Leveling up. Repeating.
Over and over again, like a mechanical cycle that required no thought—only progress. No detours. No real choices. Just implicit orders and expected results. Isagi realized that was exactly what he had been doing since the beginning… and nothing else.
He didn't have a personal goal. Not even something trivial.
Denji, for example, did. Ridiculous, vulgar even, but it was a goal nonetheless: touching a pair of boobs. Makima's. It wasn't a grand aspiration or a deep inspiration, but it pushed him forward. It gave him a reason to get up, to fight, to keep going.
Isagi, on the other hand, had only wanted one thing. Or rather… he had only ever thought of one thing.
"Survive," he finally said, his voice firm, but emotionless. "That's what I want. That's what motivates me to do what I do."
For a moment, there was silence. Then laughter burst from the Leech Devil. Loud. Mocking. Almost amused.
"And what good is surviving if you can't live?" it asked, tilting its head slightly. To it, the idea was absurd. Surviving without enjoyment, without desires, without ambition… made no sense. "You're just a little puppy who's barely starting his life," it continued, wearing a cruel smile. "You don't know your purpose, or what your ambitions are. It's… pathetic."
It leaned even closer.
"To have no dream." Its voice lowered, almost a whisper. "Why do you live? Why do you want to survive?"
The words landed heavier than Isagi expected.
And this time… he didn't answer. He had never taken the time to question his purpose. He had never considered it necessary. But now that the question was right in front of him, he couldn't ignore it.
Why did he want to survive?
Fear of death, maybe?
No. He had already died once. Dying again didn't seem especially terrifying. So… why?
Why did he want to live if he had no goal?
Why did he want to survive if he didn't know what for?
The answer didn't come. And that emptiness, for the first time, unsettled him.
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End of the chapter.