While the Edgerunners anime managed to capture a wave of interest through the teaser and theme tracks, the release air date was still a long way off.
Thus, after driving the initial hype, Edgerunners slipped back into steady development.
Meanwhile, Aoyama's Chainsaw Man was making steady strides forward, reclaiming its position in the top three most-read lists.
But it wasn't the only work rising on the charts. Inside the top tiers,excluding the top two powerhouse titles that had been serializing for years,major shifts were happening.
Tsuruki Junsei's The Divine Race was surging forward.
The loser protagonist, Kaito, whose S-Rank bloodline originally had zero presence, finally unlocked his strongest support: The Little Devil, Ren.
Ren didn't just assist the loser in clearing bloodline tests; he provided massive shortcuts for the exams.
Using Ren's powers, Kaito wasn't only dominating attention inside the campus; he was breaking records for the front-line god-slaying squad digging into subterranean vaults.
But then, The Divine Race tossed an emotional dagger at the readers.
The victims were an upperclassman couple who had made passing introductions to Kaito right before his enrollment.
To save his partner and lover, Mika, Brother Kazuto sacrificed his life to hold the door.
But Mika didn't survive either. She was slaughtered by the chasing Second-Generation Deity, Samson.
Samson didn't stop there. He wiped out the remaining members standing on the team.
Ultimately, it took the miracle of Nono's newborn brother and the blast of a hydraulic reservoir to barely manage to defeat this mythological powerhouse.
But Cassell College paid a heavy price. Excluding Nono's little brother, the entire front-line team suffered a complete wipeout!
Despite the weight of the casualty list, fans absorbed the story with absolute satisfaction.
Following the current voting, The Divine Race scaled immediately to the fifth spot inside the weekly tier rankings!
"As expected!"
Tsuruki Junsei looked at the results report, his face flushing with ecstatic drive.
'I get it now! I get it! This is the trick to driving a viral surge!'
He had locked in his decision for future scripts: every chapter goes strictly like this!
However... there was a small problem. The casualty lists didn't hold enough weight yet.
If he could craft characters similar to Maine or Rebecca, and then execute them in the story...
Then the popularity of The Divine Race would hit higher peaks!
He made a choice. During future god-slaying arcs, he would construct popular characters specifically to execute them right after achieving peak sympathy!
'Hayashi Aoyama... I hold the secret key to your success. From here out, the advantage is mine!'
Tsuruki spoke with confidence inside his office.
His inner monologue went unnoticed by Aoyama.
Aoyama had zero clue that in this world, Tsuruki modeled The Divine Race after the depression beats of Edgerunners to drive chart rankings.
Chainsaw Man, meanwhile, was clearing arcs for the Bat Devil and Leech Devil. Denji entered rehabilitation while Aki Hayakawa explained how Devil Hunters fought.
Sitting inside the hospital room, Aki sliced apples, tending to Denji's recovery.
Due to Denji merging fully with Pochita's power core, he didn't convert into a standard Fiend controlled by a devil's mind.
But biologically, he was adequately similar to one.
"Once injected with blood, you are good to go. You guys and devils aren't biologically different," Aki said while peeling apple skin.
Denji looked down at his healthy hands and back at Aki. "Didn't you hold friendly conversations with them too?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
"You really don't understand anything..."
Aki stated. "Devil hunters engage in combat with devils by drafting inner contracts."
He pulled the sleeve on his left arm, revealing a loop of bandages wrapping tightly around his arm.
"I drafted a contract with the Fox Devil."
"It lends me power, and in return, it consumes fragments of my body."
"This... it consumed a patch of skin."
---
'I see.'
Kenji had a flash of understanding watching the panels.
'It's a bargain with tigers. Gaining power always comes with heavy risk.'
Just like the cybernetic override mechanics inside Edgerunners, the power system inside Chainsaw Man always bundled with steep risks.
Inside Edgerunners, heavier cybernetics drove candidates closer to full cyberpsychosis.
Inside Chainsaw Man, it was bargains with devils. Right now, it might seem minor...
But bargains with devils,since when could good things come out of it?
'That is standard for that old scoundrel Aoyama. Heavy power always comes with heavier risk.'
Kenji saw right through the structure. Even though the devils didn't look overly threatening currently...
Especially Pochita and the Fox Devil,one was willing to sacrifice its life to safeguard Denji's.
And the other required just a thin layer of skin to strike.
It didn't look like an active threat initially, but Kenji's mental alarm lit up regarding the underlying imbalance.
Over in Edgerunners, cybernetics looked simple initially,just replacing organic limbs into machinery to boost productivity.
It looked completely safe, right?
But then, the cyberpsychosis triggered a complete mental collapse.
Following Aki explaining the baseline power, he approved Denji's position inside the team.
After all, Denji had delivered selfless bravery throughout the crisis and saved several civilians.
But in Aki's eyes, Denji was too chaotic, dense, childish, and lacking social morals.
Because Denji lived without parents and rules throughout his wild growth, it was understandable.
Understanding went only so far, and forcing Denji into becoming a qualified Public Safety Devil Hunter would require discipline.
Anyone reading knew Aki planned to train Denji into shape.
Simultaneously, regarding Power, Aki read between the lines as well.
He wanted Denji to expose Power's previous betrayal that almost got him killed.
But Denji held his tongue and kept silent.
Power, who was sitting detained by Himeno outside the room, broke into a sigh of relief and ordered Aki to quickly unlock her cuffs.
Himeno voiced slight hesitation: "Aki-kun, are you sure about this?"
"If this Fiend-chan goes renegade and kills civilians outside, responsibility falls onto you."
Aki didn't hesitate, unlocking the cuffs softly.
"We are Public Safety Devil Hunters. Independent of whether it is Devils or Fiends, as long as they can be deployed, it works for us."
"We are utilizing each other to clear targets."
In truth, they had always danced with devils. To safeguard humanity, despite the heavy risk, they had to fully commit.
Aki then exited the medical block to file reports with Makima.
A few days later, Denji was discharged from the hospital, returning safely back to Aki's flat.
But shortly after...
An uninvited guest stood outside the door...
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]