Narrator POV.
—Honestly, I don't give a damn whether your cat is alive or dead. —Denji stared emotionlessly at the other sodas through the vending machine's glass. —My goal right now is to touch a nice pair of boobs.
A slight idiot grin crossed his face as he remembered Makima's massive chest. I mean… who could resist that? The damn woman was insanely hot.
—Oh yeah? And what if I told you that if you manage to rescue Nyako, I'll let you grope my boobs?
Power's words made the entire place fall silent, until with a growl, Denji crushed the empty can in his hand.
—That shitty demon. —Denji spoke with sudden irritation. —How dare he kidnap a poor, defenseless kitty? What a bastard. —He turned toward Power, grabbing her by the shoulders with a sudden resolve and determination pulled from who knows where. —I can't allow this! As a Devil Hunter, it's my job to save that innocent cat and kill that shitty demon!
—Oh! —Power was surprised by Denji's sudden change in attitude after hearing "grope boobs."
Isagi, for his part, shook his head and turned away, one hand to his forehead, feeling secondhand embarrassment at the blond's shameless performance.
—I'm surrounded by sickos.
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Dust rose as the bus wheels began to turn, screeching against the asphalt before taking off and continuing on its route. The vehicle still had more passengers to drop off, slowly moving away until it disappeared down the road.
Isagi, along with the other two—Denji and Power—looked around the place where they had gotten off. It had a clearly rural look, almost abandoned. The vegetation was mostly dry; the tall, neglected grass was a dull yellow, brittle, as if no one had stepped foot there in months… or years.
Power took the initiative without hesitation and started walking ahead. Isagi let out a heavy sigh, then slapped his cheeks a couple of times, reminding himself why he was doing this.
—(The reward…) —he thought.
And so, like a complete reward-obsessed lunatic, he quickly followed behind Power. Money makes the dog dance, and if the system told him to jump into PvP against the devil in the middle of a mountain, Isagi would do it… as long as the reward was good enough.
He walked alongside Denji, who seemed more interested in getting laid than in preserving his own life. Denji carried his axe casually resting on his shoulder, while Isagi moved forward with steady steps, the Nichirin katana hanging from his waist like any Demon Slayer hunter. A true aura farmer.
—That's the house over there —Power suddenly said, pointing ahead—. That's where the scumbag demon who kidnapped Nyako is.
Isagi stopped for a second.
The house was made of old, worn wood, a dark brown color bordering on black. The boards looked damp and warped, and the entire structure gave the impression that it could collapse at any moment.
An uncomfortable feeling ran down his spine.
—(This is fucking scary… it reminds me of the abandoned house from IT) —he thought—. (We're not gonna run into some child-eating clown, right?) —He paused mentally. —(…That sounded really wrong.)
—Oh, yeah? Well, let's get it over with. —Denji said as he kept walking with visible boredom, dragging his feet a bit. It seemed the excitement from the earlier proposal—
—or more specifically, from Power's promised reward—had completely evaporated.
Power walked in front with energy, chin held high; Denji stayed in the middle, hands in his pockets, wearing a "I just want this to be over" face; and Isagi brought up the rear, calmly observing both of them.
—Isagi, I'm gonna need your help. —Denji suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.— I don't want to turn into a chainsaw… I'll bleed out again, and it hurts like hell. —He rubbed his forehead, as if just imagining the chainsaw coming out of his head caused phantom pain.
Isagi looked him up and down, raising an eyebrow.
—This fragile generation. —he sighed dramatically.— Back in my day, all this was wilderness… No, wait, that's what my grandpa used to say. Screw it. The point is, I'm gonna chop that demon up. —he added with an eager grin, clearly excited about throwing hands.
—The final blow is mine! —Denji immediately exclaimed, pointing at him as if sealing an invisible contract.
Isagi let out a short laugh.
—Oh yeah? Well, I didn't ask you, champ. —he mocked, looking at him like he was a complete idiot. Which he was.— I'll chop up the demon, but since I know the only thing you care about is the reward, you can have it. I don't need to touch Power's lemons. —he added with a wide, toothy grin.— I already have my own pay and good-worker bonus.
Isagi only cared about one thing: Blood Manipulation from the Kamo clan. Power's reward meant absolutely nothing to him.
—Chainsaw? —Power repeated, slightly frowning, confused by Denji's words.
—Yeah, I can turn into a chainsaw. —Denji replied with a small smile, as if he were talking about the weather or what he was having for dinner. To him, it was completely normal.
Power stared at him for a second… then scoffed with total disinterest.
—Human jokes aren't funny. —she spat mockingly before turning around and continuing to walk like nothing happened.
—Hey, blood-crazy lady, we're getting close. —Isagi nodded toward an abandoned house looming ahead, old, dark, and clearly out of place. That was supposedly where the demon holding the poor cat hostage was.
—So what? —Power snorted, as if she'd already forgotten all the previous drama.
—You said that if the demon saw you, he'd use the cat as a hostage, right? —Denji intervened, more serious.— You shouldn't keep walking like that.
Power stopped abruptly.
—Oh! That's right… that was the story, wasn't it? —she said casually, bringing a hand near her mouth in a thoughtful pose, as if she'd just remembered.
The trio continued forward, now in complete silence. Denji no longer walked relaxed; his posture was tense, alert to any strange movement. Isagi, meanwhile, advanced with narrowed eyes, body ready to throw hands at anything that moved without warning.
Suddenly, Power stopped. And with her, Denji and Isagi stopped too, since she was in front. Without any warning, Denji raised his axe and attacked Power.
—Huh?!
Power reacted immediately, dodging the blow with supernatural agility. At the same time, her blood formed into a small hammer, which she used to smash Denji directly in the head.
—Ow! —Denji fell to the ground semi-conscious, blood already pooling beneath his head.
But Power didn't have time to do anything else.
The Temu-version spider sense that Isagi had was already active. Before Power could even turn toward him, she received a powerful kick to the legs that made her lose balance and crash to the ground.
—Tch! —she growled as she hit the pavement.
The hand holding the hammer was stomped down hard, drawing a pained expression from her. Before she could react, Isagi was already in full seinen mode: firm stance, cold gaze… and the edge of his katana dangerously pressed against her neck.
The atmosphere grew heavy in an instant.
—Stay still… —Isagi said calmly, his voice loaded with threat— or I'll send you to meet Maradona.
—Ahg! Get off me, runt! —Power snarled as she struggled, baring her sharp teeth in a feral grimace. Her eyes shone with pure rage, more demon than ever.
She tried to attack again with her free hand, a fast and desperate move. But Isagi, still in seinen mode, reacted without hesitation. The katana came down in a clean arc and stabbed straight through that hand.
—GRAAH! —Power screamed in pain, squeezing her eyes shut. Blood began to pour from the immobilized hand, dripping slowly onto the ground.
Isagi didn't pull the blade out immediately. He leaned closer, his expression serious, cold… full Megumi face activated. Easy.
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End of chapter.