Chapter 2: First Encounter with a Devil
After leaving the civilian base, Otonashi Chiya and Hayakawa Aki headed on foot toward the location specified in the commission.
Along the way, there was almost no conversation between the two.
[Ding! Allocation complete. Vitality +3]
[Vitality: 15]
[Unassigned Attribute Points: 0]
Otonashi Chiya allocated all three of his remaining attribute points to Vitality, preparing for the upcoming battle with a devil.
He immediately felt his life force grow much more abundant, but it was still far from enough. He estimated that casually using the Kamui ocular technique even once could instantly drain his body dry. Still, it was at least better than before.
When they reached their destination, Hayakawa Aki finally spoke.
"We're here. Stay behind me and don't run around."
Before them stood a dilapidated, abandoned stone bridge. Beneath it ran a filthy, foul-smelling drainage ditch. The water level was shallow, with all kinds of trash floating on the surface. There were no pedestrians anywhere near the bridge.
On the side of the bridge was a large hole connected to the adjacent mountainside. Inside was pitch-black, and it was impossible to tell how deep it went.
"According to the information provided in the commission, the devil is hiding in there."
With that, Hayakawa Aki walked straight into the tunnel beneath the bridge.
"I'll scout ahead. Keep an eye on our rear at all times."
Otonashi Chiya said nothing and silently followed behind him.
It was obvious that Hayakawa Aki already possessed the weapon of the Curse Devil, 'Kasu', which was carried on his back.
If Otonashi Chiya remembered correctly, in the original timeline Hayakawa Aki was around twenty years old. That meant he should be about sixteen now.
If the weapon designated by the Curse Devil stabbed the target three times, the target would be instantly killed—but the price was severe…
In the original story, before the snowball fight with Denji, Hayakawa Aki had less than two years of lifespan remaining.
Although the Curse Devil had never performed particularly well, that was mainly because its opponents completely countered it. In its rare appearances, it faced enemies like the Katana Man and Chainsaw Man—existences that couldn't truly be killed.
Otherwise, such an instant-kill ability was undeniably powerful.
The question was whether Hayakawa Aki had contracts with any other devils at this point. A devil power with such a heavy cost couldn't be used casually.
Aside from that, the other sword hanging at Hayakawa Aki's waist appeared to be an ordinary blade.
Otonashi Chiya himself also had a tachi hanging at his waist—a very common weapon in Japan, which he had casually purchased earlier at the civilian base.
"Wait."
At that moment, Otonashi Chiya suddenly spoke in a low voice.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan, vision and perception far beyond normal humans were basic abilities. Even in the pitch-black tunnel beneath the bridge, he could see clearly.
From afar, he spotted the devil lurking at the deepest part of the tunnel.
It resembled a crayfish, but was countless times larger than a normal one.
Vaguely, he could make out its blood-red body. It was at least two meters tall, and even longer in length.
Its thick, heavy shell was covered in pits and jagged scars, bristling with sharp spikes. Its elongated head bore six massive, bloodshot eyes resembling human eyes. Several pairs of antennae hung like thick whips, clearly lethal weapons, and its enormous pincers looked capable of smashing a person into pulp with ease.
[Ding! The host has activated the achievement "First Encounter with a Devil."
Attribute Points gained: 1!]
Meanwhile, although Hayakawa Aki had a flashlight, its limited beam couldn't illuminate the depths of the tunnel.
He asked in confusion, "What is it?"
"I saw the devil, the crayfish devil that the client specified."
"Otonashi Chiya said softly."
The task information provided by the client stated that it was called "Crayfish Demon," and "crayfish" is another name for crayfish, which basically matches the image of the demon in front of us.
Where?
Hayakawa Aki was immediately surprised that he could see so clearly in this environment.
However, at the same time, the shrimp demon also discovered that two humans had broken in.
The shrimp demon immediately attacked the two of them, while the dozen or so strange human-like hands at its base ran incredibly fast.
Such a massive body would cause quite a commotion with the slightest movement, especially deep within the otherwise quiet bridge arch.
"They're here!"
Otonashi Senya let out a low shout.
Hayakawa Aki was already on guard. It would be difficult to hide in such a small space, so he had no choice but to face the attack head-on!
He drew his katana from his waist to block the shrimp demon's attack, but was immediately sent flying by its immense brute force.
"Hehehe—foolish humans, I never expected you would actually deliver yourselves to my doorstep. I can have another feast. The smell of humans is so delicious~!"
Instead of giving chase, the crayfish demon let out a smug, eerie laugh.
Hayakawa Aki managed to steady himself, his once clean clothes now mostly soaked with dirty water. He immediately said to Otonashi Chiya, "It's not safe to move around in here. Let's lure it out."
If you can't dodge skillfully, fighting a demon head-on with brute force is almost certain death, unless you use demonic power.
Otonashi Chiya thought to herself that it seemed Hayakawa Aki had only signed a contract with the Cursed Demon so far, and the Fox Demon must have been involved in the Tokyo Public Security Bureau's affairs later.
"You have no chance of getting out. Prepare to die!"
The shrimp demon, of course, wouldn't let the fat meat that was almost in its mouth escape, and used its whip-like tentacles to wrap around Otonashi Chiya and Hayakawa Aki respectively.
However, in the eyes of Chiya Otonashi's Mangekyou Sharingan, the movements of the Shrimp Demon were completely in slow motion.
Or rather, the moment the tentacle began its attack animation, he had already foreseen its entire trajectory.
This is somewhat similar to the eye ability of Hayakawa Aki after making a contract with the Devil of the Future in the original work, but the principle is actually completely different. The principle of the Devil of the Future's eyes is to see the future two seconds in advance, while the principle of the Mangekyou Sharingan is insight, which can also be understood as prediction.
That's right, it's incredibly accurate prediction. As soon as the opponent makes a move, you can accurately predict the entire trajectory of their actions before they even happen.
Following this trajectory, Chiya Otonashi avoided all possibilities of being touched by the tentacles.
With a casual step, his tentacles almost grazed past him, yet didn't touch a single hair on his head.
On the other side, Hayakawa Aki quickly retreated to avoid the attack.
In such a dark environment, he couldn't see very clearly, and when he saw that Otonashi Chiya didn't make any obvious dodging movements, he thought that something was going to happen.
"No sound!"
Hayakawa Aki cried out in concern and immediately picked up the flashlight that had fallen to the ground, only to find that Otonashi Chiya was completely unharmed!
Just then, he clearly saw Otonashi Chiya wielding a katana and severing one of the mantis shrimp devil's tentacles, the blood splattering in mid-air reflecting off her crimson eyes.
He then realized that the young man in front of him was far more complex than he had originally thought!