(Narration)
A devil… cannot be surprised.
That is what they believe.
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But this one was.
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It stared at the boy in front of it.
A boy who had just lost everything…
Yet showed nothing.
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No fear.
No trembling.
No desperation.
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Only emptiness.
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The Crimson Devil watched him in silence.
Then—
A faint smile appeared on its face.
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"What… are you made of, kid?"
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That was the moment everything changed.
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The Truth of the Contract
The contract had been made.
Blood had been offered.
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But something had gone wrong.
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The Crimson Devil's original plan…
Was never to "help."
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It was to revive itself.
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By taking over Haruto's body.
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A perfect vessel.
A broken mind.
A human pushed beyond despair.
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Everything had aligned.
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Except one thing.
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Fear.
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Haruto didn't feel it.
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And because of that…
The possession failed.
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The Crimson Devil's essence—
Instead of consuming him…
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Got trapped.
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Inside him.
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Silence.
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For a moment—
Nothing happened.
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Then the Crimson Devil's voice echoed again.
But this time…
From within.
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"…Interesting."
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And then—
It disappeared.
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Aftermath
Haruto stood alone.
In the rain.
In the silence.
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The world felt… distant.
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His body felt heavier.
Colder.
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And something inside him…
Was watching.
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Minutes passed.
Or maybe seconds.
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He didn't know.
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Then—
Something caught his eye.
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A piece of paper.
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Floating.
Unburned.
Untouched.
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The contract.
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He slowly picked it up.
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The ink had changed.
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It wasn't the same as before.
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The words twisted…
As if they were alive.
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And then—
They revealed the truth.
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"To activate the power…
You must consume Devil Blood."
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Haruto stared at it.
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"…Devil blood?"
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He didn't understand.
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But he didn't have time to.
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The Second Devil
A presence.
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Heavy.
Sticky.
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Behind him.
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He turned—
Too late.
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A massive arm made of thick, black liquid slammed into him.
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He crashed into the ground.
Hard.
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The rain mixed with something else now.
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Oil.
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The creature stood before him.
Shapeless.
Dripping.
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Eyes forming and dissolving across its surface.
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The Oil Devil
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"Another one…"
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It spoke slowly.
As if drowning in its own voice.
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"You smell like… death."
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Haruto tried to stand.
His body refused.
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He was going to die.
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Again.
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Then—
He remembered.
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The contract.
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Devil blood.
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His eyes shifted.
Searching.
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And then—
He saw it.
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Behind the Oil Devil.
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The remains of the Abandonment Devil.
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Its blood…
Still there.
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Dark.
Thick.
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Waiting.
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Haruto's heart started beating again.
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Not out of fear.
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But instinct.
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He moved.
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Not toward safety.
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But toward the corpse.
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The Oil Devil reacted.
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A wave of black liquid surged toward him.
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But Haruto didn't stop.
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He ran past it.
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Slipping.
Falling.
Getting back up.
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And then—
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He reached it.
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Without thinking—
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He dropped to his knees…
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And drank.
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Transformation
Silence.
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Then—
Pain.
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His body convulsed.
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Something inside him screamed.
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Not in fear.
But in recognition.
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His skin—
Turned pale.
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White.
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Too white.
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Veins spread across his body.
Not red.
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Black.
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Alive.
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His eyes—
Opened.
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Crimson.
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Glowing.
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For a moment—
He didn't look human.
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He looked like it.
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The Fight
The Oil Devil paused.
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"…What?"
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Haruto stood.
Slowly.
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Unstable.
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He didn't know how to fight.
Didn't know how to use power.
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But his body moved.
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Guided by something else.
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Something ancient.
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He raised his hand.
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And whispered—
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"Crimson…"
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A pause.
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"…Eclipse."
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Terrain Expansion
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The world shattered.
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Rain disappeared.
Sound vanished.
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Everything was swallowed by—
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A hollow space.
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Endless.
Silent.
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Dark… but not empty.
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The Oil Devil trembled.
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For the first time—
It felt something close to fear.
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This was not its domain.
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This was death.
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Invisible force wrapped around it.
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Crushing.
Pulling.
Draining.
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Its body started dissolving.
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Not from damage.
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But from existence itself being taken away.
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"STOP—"
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Too late.
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Its form collapsed.
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Absorbed.
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Erased.
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The Cost
Silence returned.
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The Terrain vanished.
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Rain came back.
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Haruto dropped to his knees.
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Breathing heavily.
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Then—
Something cracked.
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Not outside.
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Inside.
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Like glass.
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Shattering.
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He froze.
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"…What…"
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Something was missing.
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He searched his mind.
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Memories.
Faces.
Voices.
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And then—
He realized.
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His mother.
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He remembered her face.
Her warmth.
Her hands.
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But her voice—
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"…What did she sound like…?"
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Silence.
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Nothing came.
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No matter how hard he tried.
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Nothing.
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His breathing became unstable.
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"…No…"
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His hands trembled.
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"…No… no… no…"
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He grabbed his head.
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"I can't remember…"
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Tears fell.
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"I can't remember her voice…"
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For the first time—
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Fear returned.
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Not of death.
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But of losing everything…
Piece by piece.
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"…What have I done…?"
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The Witness
The rain continued.
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The street was filled with bodies.
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Devils.
Destruction.
Silence.
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And in the middle of it—
A boy.
Crying.
Broken.
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Then—
Footsteps.
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Soft.
Calm.
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Someone approached.
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A man.
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White hair.
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Wearing a long white coat.
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A cross symbol engraved on the back.
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His eyes scanned the scene.
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Two devils.
Dead.
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And one human.
Alive.
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Unnatural.
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He stopped.
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Looking directly at Haruto.
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"…Interesting."
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The boy hadn't noticed him yet.
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But he would.
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Very soon.
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And when he did—
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Nothing would be the same again.