Every world has a story that revolves around its protagonist.
The existence of the Moon Demon was merely a ripple disturbing the surface of a lake, stirring up a few brief waves. It was like a beam of moonlight shining down, only to fade away once more.
Serene and peaceful.
The protagonist of this world was Denji.
Ever since the recent attack on the Nerima West Building, Makima had returned from Kyoto and tightened security around Denji.
The Chainsaw Devil, Pochita, had already become Denji's heart. This entity, feared by all devils, was simultaneously a thorn in their flesh. The Eternity Devil, the Gun Devil, all demons yearned to slaughter it.
Kobeni had performed the best during the attack. She received a hefty bonus, which could be considered a roundabout fulfillment of her wish.
The flesh of the Gun Devil obtained from the Eternity Devil's body last time, combined with the pieces possessed by Headquarters, was now enough to locate the Gun Devil.
However, the crusade against the Gun Devil had not yet begun. Makima had disclosed a piece of information to everyone:
The Gun Devil was already dead.
Now, its flesh was held by various nations, turning it into a proprietary weapon of sorts. Contracting with it to gain power had become an integral part of global military armaments.
As long as national dimensions continued to exist, the Gun Devil, or rather, war, would never vanish. This was an almost unbreakable, ironclad rule.
Unless all of humanity could be eradicated, but then everything would lose its meaning. Prior to this, a devil capable of achieving such a feat did not exist in this world.
Granted, there was now a demon from beyond this realm who could do it. But clearly, this demon harbored no interest in how the humans of an alternate world developed.
Makima issued orders to protect Denji, deploying Devil Hunters from various departments to provide close-quarters defense.
In Zoran's eyes, the story was gradually converging.
This was good news. It meant that the moment for the meeting with the Darkness Devil was drawing very near.
The exact moment everyone would be dragged into Hell, at the cost of sacrificing four lives to the Hell Devil, would be the moment to face the Darkness Devil.
A massive vortex, thick with conspiracy, was slowly unveiling itself.
The three immortal brothers from America, Santa Claus from Germany, Quanxi, the powerful Devil Hunter who had once retired from Special Division, and a mysterious master and disciple pair. Every dangerous individual with a known name was converging on Tokyo in unison.
And they shared a single objective:
The Chainsaw Devil, which meant Denji's heart.
Meanwhile, at the epicenter of the vortex, Denji was sitting inside an inconspicuous coffee shop.
Denji felt like he might have finally entered his popular phase.
Ever since the attack on the Nerima West Building, where he had been shot through the head and slept through the whole ordeal only to wake up and find the attackers already dealt with, his colleague from Special Division 4, Kobeni Higashiyama, had started shadowing him step for step.
Though he didn't know why, Kobeni was undeniably a cute girl. Being followed around by a girl like that was a good thing no matter how you sliced it. Even if she was terrible at conversation, Denji figured his charm had finally been noticed.
And the other proof of his popular phase was the waitress right in front of him.
Reze.
She had long, pale-purple hair, a beautiful face and figure, and carried a faint air of shyness in her demeanor.
"Miss Makima, though my love for you is beyond question, still..."
Denji stealthily eyed Reze in front of him.
"Still, this girl seems to have feelings for me!" His heart pounded with excitement.
Denji's gaze was utterly transparent. He was an idiot to begin with, completely incapable of hiding his thoughts.
Kobeni caught him looking at her and frantically waved her hands. "Don't misunderstand! I'm only here to protect you!"
She was terrified Denji would mistake her for a suitor. Her mind was incredibly simple, aside from money and wealth, she thought of nothing else.
Naturally, Kobeni had her reasons for staying by Denji's side.
Mr. Demon had reminded her that if she wanted to meet the Darkness Devil and fulfill the terms of their original contract, Denji was the key. Mr. Demon had already brought her prize money and a small car; she couldn't drag her feet now.
Thus, following Denji to meet the Darkness Devil and then striking the entity down was the sole notion in Kobeni's mind. Of course, the prerequisite was ensuring Denji didn't get killed by assassins from other countries first.
"Actually, I think Denji is quite dashing," Reze said, gently pushing a coffee cup forward with a tender smile.
A single sentence sent Denji's mind into a tailspin.
Having spent the first sixteen years of his life in the dark, a life where merely fantasizing about eating bread with jam before going to sleep brought satisfaction, how could Denji possibly withstand this kind of treatment? His beloved Miss Makima was temporarily crowded out of his mind by the beautiful girl before him almost instantly.
A pink, fluttering word kept bouncing around in his head:
Romance.
"Hey, don't you think there's something extra sitting here with us?" Denji grumbled, glaring at Kobeni.
"Something... extra?" Kobeni looked entirely bewildered.
"A third wheel! A total third wheel!" Denji muttered, looking thoroughly exhausted with life.
His helpless expression caused Reze to cover her mouth and chuckle softly.
Kobeni's face flushed red. Just as she was about to argue back, a familiar voice suddenly echoed inside her head.
She froze for a moment, then walked out of the coffee shop. Glancing back inside at the atmosphere, which had instantly turned into a lively chat, she murmured in confusion, "Mr. Demon?"
"An opportunity has presented itself to you. An opportunity to survive," Zoran's voice murmured beside her ear.
"Huh? An opportunity to... survive?" Kobeni was struck with panic. "Am I going to die?"
Zoran's words caused her expression to shift drastically, her mind instinctively flashing through various horrifying images. Mr. Demon wouldn't lie to her. And she absolutely didn't want to die, not when her life was finally starting to look up.
"Relax," Zoran spoke, his voice instantly grounding Kobeni. He seemed to possess that kind of magnetic charm.
"Denji is the center of this world's vortex. The entire story unfolds around him. If you stay too close to him, you will die," Zoran stated calmly.
Every entity closely tied to Denji would ultimately become a sacrificial offering used by Makima to plunge him into despair. And an idiot like Kobeni, even equipped with the Moon Demon Chi, would highly likely lose a battle of wits against Makima due to her intelligence level.
Most importantly, Zoran needed something from Denji.
The rules of this world were highly unique. When devils were killed, they didn't truly die in the absolute sense; they simply reincarnated in Hell.
But the Chainsaw Devil was the sole anomaly in this world, an exception that transcended the rules. Any devil killed by it would not reincarnate; they would be utterly forgotten by everyone.
What a marvelous description. It was the perfect tool to deploy against the Darkness Devil.
Just as Uncle always said: "Magic must defeat magic." What Zoran intended to do was use rules to fight rules.
This was a blade. A magnificent blade that Zoran happened to require.
From the very first moment of his descent, the Chainsaw Devil had been a chess piece within his calculations. Right now was the ultimate opportunity.
Zoran's invisible gaze drifted toward the two inside the coffee shop, Denji and Reze.
How do you make a foolish boy who has absolutely nothing willingly surrender everything he currently possesses, including the power inside his body?
It was simple.
You only needed to let him glimpse a shred of genuine, blissful dawn. That would be more than enough.
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