The moment Hayakawa Aki finished speaking, an enormous head of a Fox Devil suddenly materialized where her hand gesture had pointed. In one massive bite it swallowed both Katana Man and the Chainsaw Man, Cael, who were on the ground.
"Eh?" Denji froze, utterly startled by the huge devil appearing right in front of him. He blinked, staring from the devil that had swallowed Cael, to the two Public Safety Devil Hunter sisters standing not far away. His mind went blank.
This can't be happening... Mr. Cael, did that devil just kill him?
"Oh my, this chainsaw-headed guy is crazy strong," Himeno complained while rubbing her arm, "I only used Ghost to hold him for a couple seconds, and my arm already hurts." She gave Denji a grin and waved.
"Don't be scared, kid. We're official Devil Hunters, and we'll protect you from any devil!"
Denji's thoughts were in chaos. He wanted to curse out loud.
Damn it. He'd finally had a few days of normal life... and now it was ruined by these two women.
When he was tortured by his father, bullied by yakuza, too poor to afford a single meal, neither the government nor Devil Hunters helped him. Only Cael did. Only Mr. Cael stepped up and helped him for no reason at all.
He had a soft bed to sleep in, hot baths, and three full meals a day.
But... BUT!!!
Tears of resentment welled up in Denji's eyes as he shouted at Hayakawa Aki and Himeno, "Why did you do this? I hate you! Give Cael back!"
Himeno looked baffled. "Huh? Aki, this kid should be grateful, so why isn't he happy?"
But Hayakawa Aki wasn't paying attention to Denji; she was sweating through her uniform.
"Senior Himeno, something's wrong!" Aki gasped.
Blood dripped from between the Fox Devil's teeth. Its many eyes glared at her with pure malice.
"That's not human or devil! Aki, what did you put in my mouth?!" it snarled.
Then, chainsaws revved violently from inside the Fox Devil.
The Fox Devil let out a painful scream as Cael erupted from its body, his form cloaked in black energy. He tore the fox devil apart, its guts spilling across the ground.
A sudden rain of blood splattered around them.
Covered in gore, the Chainsaw Man, Cael, looked like a demon risen from hell.
Ding! The host has killed the Fox Devil, gaining 28 attribute points.
Denji barely had time to wipe his tears before a huge grin spread across his face.
"Cael! You're alive! Again?!"
Cael spat out a mouthful of fox devil flesh, then nodded at Denji.
"Who said I was dead?"
Once Denji was reassured, Cael pointed his chainsaws at Aki and Himeno.
"And you two, accomplices of Katana Man, have you decided how you want to die?"
Himeno had misunderstood earlier. Using the Ghost Devil's power alone could never truly restrain Cael; he could have easily broken free. He had been dazed only because he was in a frenzy after killing Katana Man.
But now that backup had arrived, all Cael wanted to do was kill.
Hayakawa Aki and Himeno looked grim. They hadn't faced such a dangerous devil in a long time.
"Aki, this guy isn't normal. I need to get my sword," Aki said as she gripped the hilt behind her.
"Himeno, be ready," she added.
Himeno looked troubled. She didn't want Aki to use Curse Devil power, since it would cost her lifespan. But against this threat, the Curse Devil's strength might be their only chance.
"Alright," Himeno agreed with a bitter smile, "Ghost, give me more power."
Just as the battle was about to explode, Denji jumped between them.
"Wait! There's been a misunderstanding! Stop fighting!"
Cael halted the rev of his chainsaws, but he still gathered a bit of Dark-Dark power just in case.
Himeno eyed Denji with confusion. "Kid, if you were really in danger, just let me know."
Denji took a deep breath, then addressed Cael first.
"Cael, they're wearing Public Safety uniforms. They're official Devil Hunters and not Katana Man's allies."
Cael took a moment to consider Denji's words; with all the blood and his monstrous appearance, he did look like a devil right now. Seeing Cael's killing intent fade, Denji pointed to the knocked-down Katana Man.
"Sisters, Cael is good. The man on the ground is the villain. He could turn into the Katana Devil, and his grandfather was the Zombie Devil. We were defending ourselves."
Hayakawa Aki's brows furrowed. She hated devils. Even hearing Denji's explanation, she still didn't fully trust Cael — this could be a trick.
"Is that true?" Himeno asked, thoughtful. She didn't want to fight, especially since Aki using Curse Devil would cost her life.
Cael understood. If they were truly official Devil Hunters, it was a misunderstanding. Killing them would only create more trouble.
He retracted his chainsaws and returned to human form.
Aki's eyes widened. "You can turn back to human? So you're not a fiend?"
Fiends are devils that take over a human corpse, usually obvious from their appearance. But Cael wasn't a fiend — he was more complicated.
He didn't bother explaining; as trained Devil Hunters, they should know more than he did.
Cael pointed to the surveillance camera on the funeral shop wall, where a crow was perched.
"You might doubt me, but I have this camera. Check the footage and see what really happened."
"Good idea," Himeno said cheerfully.
The crow gave a strange caw and flew off, its pale yellow eyes watching from a distance.
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