Chapter 124: Blitzing the Cabinet (Bonus Chapter)
Chiyoda District, Tokyo—The Prime Minister's Official Residence.
The commotion Otonashi Chiya caused within the Soviet military last night was too massive for the Soviet authorities to suppress. The news spread like wildfire, and the Japanese Cabinet received word that very night. Consequently, an emergency cabinet meeting was convened at the Prime Minister's residence.
Every key member, including the Prime Minister himself, was present. The gravity of the situation was self-evident.
"Events have progressed far beyond our expectations. That brat, Otonashi Chiya, actually wiped out half of the Soviet military high command. Even their Hybrids couldn't stop him..."
"This is disastrous. We don't know if he saw the specific details of the contract. If he did, we're in grave danger!"
"I've already inquired with the Soviet military regarding that. They refused to respond. In all likelihood, Chiya has already seen the contract, and they are trying to sever ties with us completely to avoid further retaliation from him."
"Then his next move will likely be a strike against us. We cannot simply sit and wait for death!"
The various Cabinet Ministers were consumed by anxiety. Driven by their guilty consciences, they were terrified that Chiya had discovered their betrayal. As it turned out, their fears were entirely justified: Chiya was indeed coming for them.
At that moment, the Prime Minister spoke in a low, heavy voice: "We simply strike first. We've trained a number of sacrifice squads (death soldiers), haven't we? It's time they were put to use."
Seated beside the Prime Minister were the Chief Cabinet Secretary and the Deputy Cabinet Secretary. Fortunately, the scenario Chiya feared most hadn't happened—he was worried that Makima might be lying low within the Cabinet, as the Control Devil requires significant "farming" and development to reach full power.
In the original story, Makima held the title of a Devil Hunter directly under the Chief Cabinet Secretary, but her actual status was nearly equal to these ministers. Her absence from such a critical meeting suggested that Chiya's concerns about her early interference were currently unfounded.
"The sacrifice squads... a measure of last resort. It seems we have reached that point."
"Send that brat to Hell, and he will no longer be a threat. He may be far stronger than Kishibe now, but he isn't nearly as obedient. An unruly dog is best dealt with as a dead dog."
"Then arrange the sacrifice squads immediately. When he returns or comes looking for us, let them act."
"..."
The Cabinet Ministers reached a consensus: they wanted to eliminate the "disobedient dog" that was Otonashi Chiya. The Cabinet's secret training of sacrifice squads was a detail reflected in the original manga—late in the first part, Kishibe led such a squad in a surprise attack against Makima.
Kishibe and the sacrifice squads were likely the Cabinet's contingency plan to keep Makima in check; they weren't so foolish as to trust her completely. As the Control Devil grew too powerful and her actions crossed the Cabinet's bottom line, they feared she would spiral out of control and sent Kishibe to eliminate her.
The method involved sacrificing the lives of several soldiers to forge a contract with the Hell Devil, forcing the target into Hell. Countless devils—including the Darkness Devil—loathed Makima; once returned to Hell, her death would be nearly certain.
While Makima's contract with the Prime Minister allowed for near-infinite resurrections, it was implied that this might be ineffective within Hell itself. (This point remains a subject of debate among fans, but since only Fujimoto knows the absolute truth, arguing is pointless.)
Unfortunately for the Cabinet in the original story, the "Black Chainsaw" (Pochita) intervened. Hearing Makima's cry for help, he instantly slaughtered the Hell Devil. If she had actually been sent to Hell, the outcome would have been uncertain. (Personally, I speculate that if Makima weren't afraid of being sent to Hell, she wouldn't have called for Pochita's help. After all, the Darkness Devil—the ultimate predator of Part 1—was waiting for her there.)
Now, however, the one making the Cabinet feel threatened was Otonashi Chiya. Thus, they decided to use the sacrifice squads to summon the Hell Devil against him.
The Cabinet's logic was sound: once a human is sent to Hell, it is virtually impossible for them to return to the human world. Being sent to Hell is no different from being dead. If Otonashi Chiya were an ordinary person, he would never make it out—but that was contingent on him being "ordinary."
Meanwhile, Otonashi Chiya had just returned to Tokyo from the Leningrad Military Department. He had no idea exactly what method the Cabinet had chosen to deal with him, but he could guess they were ready to move. Chiya's philosophy was to strike first; the longer he waited, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.
Feeling that his body and ocular power were nearly fully recovered, he decided to launch a "blitz" on the Cabinet today.
"We move today. First to the Prime Minister's Official Residence, then we'll settle the rest of those old fossils one by one," Chiya told Reze and the other Hybrids.
He didn't want Shingetsu to take this risk with him, but she insisted on going, so he didn't try to stop her further. The workplaces of the Cabinet Ministers weren't secrets; at most, they were heavily guarded. However, the ministers didn't all work in the same spot—they usually only gathered at the Prime Minister's Residence for Cabinet meetings, which is why he made it their first target.
"Yes, sir!" the Hybrids responded with a solemn nod. This was their first mission under their new master, and they were eager to prove their worth.
"Same as before: I'll teleport you directly. Once we arrive, you transform."
Chiya didn't formulate a complex battle plan—or rather, that single sentence was his plan.
Subsequently, Chiya transferred the entire group to Chiyoda District, Tokyo, where the Prime Minister's Official Residence is located. He had patrolled this area before, so he could use the Kamui dimension to teleport with precision, though they initially landed some distance from the residence. Following this, he led the group through a series of short-range "line-of-sight" teleports, arriving near the residence in no time.
The security forces here might as well have been non-existent to them.
"Action!"
As soon as Chiya spoke, the Hybrids triggered their transformations. Reze pulled her neck pin (Bomb Hybrid), a spear was drawn from the back of a neck (Spear Hybrid), a finger snapped (Whip Hybrid), a molar was pressed (Flamethrower Hybrid)... each transformation method was unique.
Led by Chiya and Shingetsu, the Hybrids instantly breached the "security forces" and stormed the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The Cabinet meeting had only just concluded, and the ministers had not yet left. However, they had their sacrifice squads ready and waiting for Chiya to walk right into their trap.
AN-
Enjoyyyyyy!