The two of them continued to flee from the horde of demons closing in, refusing to let their ensnared prey escape.
To be precise, they were moving together while riding on the back of a monster that had been completely subjugated and was now being manipulated at will by Kyoka, the Captain of the Demon Defense Force's Seventh Unit... But...
"Hey, hey... We're in a real fucking bind now."
"..."
Currently, the two had fallen into an extremely dire situation.
What exactly had happened was, as the saying goes, 'what happens twice will happen thrice', the creatures serving her had been utterly pulverized one after another, and in that opening, they had been surrounded in the blink of an eye.
Granted, a simple barrier she had instantly deployed was barely protecting them, but it was uncertain when it would shatter.
In fact, numerous demons were hammering away from outside the hemispherical, transparent barrier, resulting in several cracks forming.
"Hey, what are we gonna do about this?"
"..."
The man tried speaking to her multiple times, but was met only with being ignored.
As he started feeling hollow and pleaded in his heart for at least some kind of response...
"...You. What's your name?"
"Finally get a reply, and it's 'tell me your name' right off the bat..."
"Just answer."
"...I'm Kamiya. Shinji Kamiya."
"Kamiya... Shinji... Then, I'll call you Shinji."
"Whoa. Getting called by just my name by a girl who looks younger than me, right after meeting... Well, fine, I guess."
Raising both hands as if surrendering to the inevitability, Shinji then asked if she had any plan.
To that, she answered succinctly.
There was a way to escape this predicament, but she definitely wanted him to contribute as well.
"OK. If it saves us, I'll do fucking anything."
"Well said. Then..."
---Starting now, I'm going to make you my slave---
"...You're kidding me?"
Even though he'd somewhat expected it, he probably didn't think she'd actually go through with it. His involuntarily agape mouth refused to close.
"...Hey, listen."
"What?"
"Even considering the situation, you don't have to blurt out such a weird fetish---oof!?"
What was meant as a light joke seemed to have been taken seriously, as she suddenly swung a punch at him, making him hastily step back.
Shinji could tell she was visibly angry, but was resorting to violence against a civilian really the way to go?
Judging by the furrowed brow and slightly flushed face, it might have been out of embarrassment, but still, he thought she could afford to be a bit calmer.
"Hey, hey, what's with suddenly trying to punch me?"
"S-shut up! And it's not some weird fetish! It's related to my ability!"
According to her explanation, her ability was to fully draw out and command the power of a lifeform that had become her slave.
In short, she was saying that if he became her slave, there was a possibility they could get out of this alive.
However, based on her experience so far, she had never used it on a human before.
"Alright, let me ask. Even if I were to become a slave, how exactly do I do that?"
"It's simple. You just have to put your mouth on my finger."
"...Ehh...?"
"What do you mean, 'Ehh'!? What's with the 'Ehh'!?"
His awkward attitude made her stamp her foot in indignation.
One must not forget that they were currently inside a barrier on the verge of breaking.
From outside, dozens upon dozens of ugly creatures were gathering right before their eyes, so honestly, the two of them bantering was somewhat too leisurely.
The moment of fate should have been approaching with each passing second, yet they even seemed to have some composure to spare.
"Ah~ no no, don't get me wrong? I was just thinking it might be a bit much for a guy like me, in his twenties, to do something like that with a lovely woman like you."
"Hmph. I can't believe you can say that in this situation. There's no need to play the gentleman. Besides, who was it that said 'I'll do anything if it saves us'?"
"...Well, when you put it like that, I can't really refuse."
In reality, since he'd said it himself, she had him dead to rights.
Thus, as if resigning himself, Shinji closed the distance, went down on one knee before her, and extended his hand.
Understanding his intent, Kyoka in turn placed her right hand on his offered palm and uttered her line.
"Now, it's time for submission."
"...As you command."
He gently pressed his lips to her fingertip.
And then, the next instant.
In the blink of an eye, a dazzling light enveloped Shinji, and an unbelievable surge of power welled up within.
Simultaneously, as his physique grew remarkably larger, a collar with a chain attached was fastened around his neck, and his entire form changed into a heteromorphic appearance—overall black with white tattoos etched in places.
"This is..."
'...'
Even amidst his dramatically altered appearance, he assessed the situation with surprisingly calm composure.
By clenching his own fist, examining the equipment similar to his ever-present shoulder holster and his beloved Python 77 Magnum—now a size larger—and judging the power gained from being enslaved, he comprehensively grasped his current state.
'Tch!'
While he was doing this, a section of the barrier shattered, and a single monster forced its way in. Pivoting, he thrust his fist toward it.
The launched fist struck the creature's face directly, spectacularly blowing it to smithereens.
"My apologies!"
"Wha!? H-hey!"
Without delay, he scooped up the woman beside him in a bridal carry, focused power in his legs, and leaped.
Shinji broke through the barrier, soared through the air with monstrous jumping power, and even while gradually succumbing to gravity, he pinpointed his landing spot and touched down safely…