Chapter 173: Miss Shingetsu Had Better Step Up Her Game
Aside from Otonashi Chiya and Shingetsu, everyone else—including Reze—had yet to lay eyes on Kiga, let alone realize she was actually the Famine Devil in disguise.
Otonashi Chiya hadn't shared that piece of information with them just yet.
So it was only natural that Reze harbored suspicions.
Had Kiga been an ordinary schoolgirl remaining outside instead of taking shelter, she would have faced near-certain peril during the chaos, rather than walking about with Kiga's characteristic, unbothered composure.
"Her name is Kiga, though she prefers a slightly different moniker, and she isn't human—she's a devil."
Having previously chosen not to keep secrets from Shingetsu, Otonashi Chiya saw no reason to hide the truth from Reze either.
He only ever went this far in sharing confidences with those he truly trusted.
"Oh! Yet another devil lady?"
Reze let out a soft exclamation of surprise, keeping her voice carefully muted.
With the students gathered just a short distance away, causing a ruckus that caught the attention of outsiders wouldn't do.
"I spent ages operating as a secret agent and barely laid eyes on a handful of humanoid devils, let alone someone this gorgeous who looks practically indistinguishable from an ordinary human," Reze remarked, a hint of playfulness coloring her tone. "I really have to wonder how you pull this off, 'darling'—first Miss Scarlet, and now Miss Kiga following right behind."
While framed as an expression of wonder, it sounded much more like she was teasing Otonashi Chiya.
"Call me Little Famine."
At that moment, however, Kiga interjected to issue a prompt correction.
"Oh, oh! Sorry, my bad—I should be calling you Little Famine."
Reze replied with a cheerful smile.
Meanwhile, Scarlet decided to chime in from within Otonashi Chiya's consciousness, echoing the teasing sentiment. "Didn't you always say you were looking for the Control Devil? That one's probably a humanoid devil too, right? After all, she's one of the Four Horsemen just like Kiga."
Yet, what started as a casual, joking remark happened to be dead on the target.
Leaving Otonashi Chiya temporarily at a loss for words.
Shortly after, Reze struck up a rather pleasant chat with Kiga, even though Kiga's demeanor remained entirely devoid of emotional fluctuation.
Just then, Shingetsu walked over as well.
Noticing Reze and Kiga engaged in conversation, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "You two have already met?"
"Oh? It seems Miss Shingetsu met Little Famine even earlier than I did?"
A knowing, mysterious smile played across Reze's lips as she added with a meaningful cadence, "Doesn't Miss Shingetsu feel even a tiny bit of competitive pressure?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
Shingetsu didn't catch the drift behind Reze's words right away.
With Otonashi Chiya standing right beside them, Reze had no desire to spell things out too bluntly, merely offering a light chuckle. "Miss Shingetsu had better put in some real effort, otherwise I'm afraid you won't be a match for Little Famine~"
With that extra nudge, Shingetsu finally deciphered the subtext of Reze's teasing.
"I know."
She offered a cool, detached response, outwardly maintaining a picture of absolute composure.
"Except for a tiny handful who managed to slip away, the Devil Church's invaders have been completely eradicated. In particular, the ones who breached the school... not a single one survived."
A subordinate was currently briefing Chairman Jiang on the situation.
"And the children? How are the children holding up?"
Chairman Jiang immediately pressed for details.
"None of the students were harmed. A few are shaken up, but after some rest and targeted psychological counseling, they should be completely fine."
The subordinate continued the report.
"Not a single injury? As incredible as that is, it's the best possible outcome! ...Can you explain exactly what happened out there?"
Chairman Jiang couldn't hide his profound astonishment.
As the Devil Hunter Association's primary adversary, the Devil Church had caused them countless headaches over the years.
Furthermore, the intelligence he received indicated that the cult had mobilized over a thousand elite operatives as a main vanguard, launching a synchronized strike directly against Modu Qingfeng Middle School.
The Modu branch could barely muster a thousand active hunters themselves, and because the surprise attack had unfolded with such blistering speed, they simply didn't have time to request reinforcements from other regional branches.
So upon learning that the Devil Church was throwing more than a thousand troops into the assault, Chairman Jiang's heart had sunk heavily. He had braced himself for devastating casualties at the school, even with two SSS-rank powerhouses like Otonashi Chiya and Quanxi holding down the fort.
Yet, never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined a final tally of zero casualties...
"According to accounts from Quanxi and the others, the credit goes almost entirely to Otonashi Chiya. Quanxi and Pingtsi suspect that Otonashi Chiya contracted the Falling Devil, bringing a Primal Devil into the mortal realm in person. In the span of mere moments, it completely wiped out the entire Devil Church vanguard..."
The subordinate spoke with an air of awe.
"The Falling Devil? That name alone..."
Hearing it immediately gave Chairman Jiang a visceral sense of dread.
"Both Quanxi and Pingtsi confirmed it: the Falling Devil is none other than a legendary Primal Devil, and the very first Primal Devil in history to ever manifest in the human world."
The subordinate relayed everything he had managed to gather.
"A Primal Devil... So those legendary entities really do exist. Legend says any single Primal Devil could theoretically wipe out the world if it so desired, and humanity's current arsenal is utterly incapable of killing one..."
Chairman Jiang had previously assumed such beings were confined strictly to folklore.
Yet with both Quanxi and Pingtsi making the assertion, he had no choice but to believe it.
Even more mind-boggling was the fact that Otonashi Chiya had somehow managed to form a contract with a Primal Devil?!
"There's one more thing: after finishing off the cult members, the Falling Devil somehow went to a local shopping mall to purchase a few specific items—apples, leafy greens, and dragon fruit. Once she finished shopping, she and Chiya were surrounded by police and field hunters. That's when the Falling Devil acted a second time, though she didn't harm anyone, merely scaring them."
The subordinate went on, "According to the subsequent investigation, a rookie cop spoke out of turn and lectured Otonashi Chiya without knowing the facts, which triggered the Falling Devil's action. Although Chiya explicitly stated he hasn't actually contracted the Falling Devil, it's blatantly obvious that she obeys him implicitly, and it was entirely thanks to him that no lives were lost."
"I see..."
Chairman Jiang nodded slowly. "At this point, whether Otonashi Chiya holds a formal contract with the Falling Devil isn't even the crucial point anymore. Just knowing that he can command a Primal Devil to act on his behalf... I'd say that's infinitely more terrifying than any standard contract."
With the Falling Devil stepping in, it was no wonder the Devil Church fanatics hadn't even stood a chance against the students.
"Indeed. If word of a Primal Devil's appearance ever leaks to the public, it'll spark an unprecedented global panic."
The subordinate couldn't help muttering.
"The Falling Devil's presence itself can't be covered up, but the fact that she's a Primal Devil must be kept under strict wraps. Back when the Gun Devil only rampaged for a few short minutes, it caused a catastrophic worldwide uproar—and a Primal Devil is on an entirely different echelon of horror compared to the Gun Devil..."
Chairman Jiang suddenly felt a wave of dizzying pressure wash over him. "File an expedited report to the higher-ups immediately. Our evaluation of that boy's strategic importance needs to be raised by several more tiers!"