Cael carved his way from the basement all the way to the rooftop.
With zombie blood and attribute points feeding him in real time, exhaustion was a foreign concept. His strength only grew, flowing through him like liquid fire.
The remaining six zombies were cornered, trapped against the rooftop's edge. Cael had killed too many. Even creatures as stupid as zombies had developed an instinctive fear of him. That fear fueled his power further.
By now, the zombies no longer had the will to attack. Retreat was impossible. From the way they backed against the ledge, it looked like they were considering jumping off the building themselves.
The chainsaw head's eyes gleamed a menacing red. "Don't jump, children. You'll be set free soon."
Vroom!
Clatter!
Chainsaw chains shot out at blinding speed, slicing the last zombies into nothing more than meat chunks.
[Ding! The host has killed six zombies (Zombie Devil derivatives), gaining 6 attribute points.]
After his final kills, Cael returned to his human form.
Time to take stock.
Real-time panel:
[Host: Cael]
[Race: Hybrid Devilman]
[Age: 19]
[Constitution: 300]
[Agility: 300]
[Luck: 199 (max)]
[Charisma: 50]
[Special: Dark-Dark Fruit ('Dark Water' Advanced I), Chainsaw Devil abilities]
[Distributable Attribute Points: 1,396]
[Note: Trigger the 'Dark Water' Advanced I effect 10 times to increase the Luck cap to 299. Current progress: 1/10]
Phew.
Cael exhaled, letting his mind settle. Luck was special—raising it could unlock new skills. The other stats were already optimized. Constitution and Agility? Already absurdly over the top.
For reference, the fastest sprinters peak at 44 km/h, worth about 30 points in Agility. Cael's 300? That was 440 km/h—like a high-speed train. And with his Constitution? Collisions meant death. Chainsaw form amplified it even further.
Tsk. Finding a real challenge was becoming impossible.
Something tugged at his mind, an itch he ignored. He was an adult. He ran a shop. He wasn't some high school idiot obsessed with fighting every day.
Charisma? That was trickier. He had only raised it to 50, mostly out of curiosity. Maybe, like Luck, it had hidden effects beyond the obvious. And it did.
As he increased Charisma, his thoughts subtly shifted. Even surrounded by blood and corpses, images of Asa Mitaka flashed through his mind—the kiss on the cheek, the photos, the deeper kiss at the shop. Memories of borrowing her shoes surfaced, down to the seductive white socks outlining her perfect arches.
So beautiful… he wondered what they tasted like.
???
Cael's Charisma had only hit 50. He blinked at his own thoughts, shaking himself back. He couldn't go further—he understood the hidden effect now: it increased desire.
Fortunately, it was manageable. His focus remained single-minded on Asa Mitaka. No one else occupied his thoughts. But he didn't dare imagine pumping all 1,396 remaining points into Charisma. Tsk. That would turn him into a lunatic consumed by… mating thoughts.
He shook the thought off.
"Since you gave me a nice gift, I'll also help capture the mastermind, the Snake Girl Sawatari Akane."
Beep.
Cael pulled out his walkie-talkie.
"Mr. Kishibe, the zombies are cleared. Any word on Sawatari Akane's whereabouts?"
A stunned silence answered. Kishibe's mind couldn't process it—thousands of zombies, a little over an hour, all gone?
"How many did you kill?" Kishibe's voice slurred slightly; the scent of alcohol carried even through the walkie-talkie.
Ha. Cael smirked. "I don't remember. A lot, I suppose. How many slices of bread have you eaten today, Mr. Kishibe?"
Kishibe sighed. This guy… truly a monster. Reminded him of his old partner, also a first-generation Devil Hunter, ruthless and absurdly strong. In a no-rules brawl of all humans, He would probably be unbeatable. Cael seemed close, but… not quite there yet.
Tsk. Why do all these merciless people come from the same place? Kishibe muttered in his heart.
He replied. "Himeno and Hayakawa Aki were dealing with something, I didn't hear clearly. Anyway, the Snake Girl Sawatari Akane has been neutralized. She's being detained now."
"Oh?" Cael raised an eyebrow. "Your people are surprisingly competent. No boss fight segment, just the minions cleared."
Gulp. The sound of Kishibe swallowing alcohol.
"However, Cael, your ability is… like a vacuum. Perfect for cleanup. If you have time, deal with the aftermath. Don't worry, we'll pay you for it. Price that satisfies you."
"Haha, very kind."
Following Aki's lead, Cael found the Snake Devil's corpse. He crouched to examine it.
"So this is the Snake Devil… bigger than I imagined," he said.
"You're here," Aki's voice was calm.
Huh? Cael thought he noticed a slight shift in her demeanor.
"Yeah," he nodded, then asked, "Aki, did you take down the Snake Devil?"
"It wasn't me," she said plainly.
"Oh, the fiends and devils, then? They're strong."
"Not them either," she said, eyes serious. "It was someone you'd never guess."
"Huh?" Cael tilted his head. "I can't guess? Could it… be Akai?"
Her eyes widened, and she fell silent.
Hiss.
Seeing Aki's expression, Cael gasped. "No way… it really was Akai?"
She nodded. "Honestly, it's hard to believe. Himeno and I were defeated by Sawatari Akane. Akai took her down single-handedly. Not only that, she killed the Snake Devil, which had been strengthened with a piece of Gun Devil flesh. And she wasn't even injured."
???
Cael was dumbfounded. Kobeni? She had soloed a boss-level threat? One against two, one death, one critical injury, and she emerged unscathed? Either he was crazy, or this world was.
Probably both.
"Since you're here, don't just stand there. Here."
Aki handed him a tiny piece of the Gun Devil's flesh, tied to a thin string. "There are more fragments hidden in this building. They attract each other. Use that to find them. I'm counting on you."
___
🌙 Ramadan Special
Unlock advance chapters on my Patreon with 7 DAYS FREE TRIAL on all Tiers.
40% Discount
Use code: RAMADANPASS
Link: Patreon.com/Zphyr
Limited-time Ramadan offer, don't miss it.