"Well, since you've already found me… I guess there's no helping it."
The little girl's mouth moved, but the dry, grating voice didn't come from her lips.
It came from something slithering out of her ear. A lump of pulsing sludge with a grotesque face that made you queasy just looking at it.
Denji's face had gone from pale to green to outright purple. He was moments away from suffocating.
"Ahhhhhh!" Akane screamed in panic, flailing uselessly.
Gotou grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. "Akane, do something! Hurry and save Denji!"
"I-I-I got it!" Akane nodded instinctively, sweat pouring down her forehead.
She reached under her skirt and pulled out a small knife.
Her whole body trembled, but she still managed to wave it a few times toward the demon.
Wait, she brought a knife to school?!
That shocked Gotou for a second.
Then again, she brought Pochita to school every day, which was basically a living chainsaw. Compared to that, a knife didn't seem so bad.
"Hahaha. What are you planning to do with that knife?" The demon in the girl's ear swelled even more, like a lump of rotten flesh. "You think a weak little human like you can actually cut me?"
"Uuuu... uuhhhh..." Akane could barely hold on to the blade.
"Akane, come on! Do something!" Gotou urged her.
She believed in her. If Makima had chosen Akane, then she had to be capable of something.
No way a devil hunter should freeze the moment they see a devil.
"I-I'm going for it! Haaah!"
Finally, with Gotou pushing her on, Akane stepped forward.
"Yeah, come closer. Two girls and a guy still isn't enough. I was just wondering where my next meal was coming from," the demon sneered.
Akane took a single step.
And vanished.
"Huh?" The demon blinked.
Slice!
Like a phantom, Akane reappeared behind the demon in an instant and slashed the connection between it and the little girl in one clean stroke.
Splurt!!!
Blood splashed out in a torrent, splattering across the wall in thick red streaks.
The demon let out a twisted howl of pain. The mass of flesh writhed violently on the ground.
Even Gotou was stunned.
Akane was strong!
Akane landed, clearly planning to step back, but she tripped over her own feet and crashed face-first onto the pavement.
"Uuuugh... no, don't come near me!" she cried, tears in her eyes, crawling backward in terror. Her knife had slipped from her hand.
Pochi Score: 6
If she'd just given it two more swings, the demon would be toast.
But nope. Not today.
Still, Denji was alive. He was coughing violently on the ground.
"Denji… can you stand?" Gotou asked.
The blonde-haired boy pushed himself up with both hands, his voice strained. "I'm... trying..."
"Akane, help him up!" Gotou called out.
"Eeek… eeeeek!" Akane scrambled over and crouched beside him, only to shake her head violently. "Pochi-chan, forget this thug, let's run! Just the two of us!"
"What?"
"If the demon's hurt, it'll need to drink blood to recover... if it starts eating people, we'll have a chance to escape!"
Gotou's expression darkened.
Even someone as timid as her was tempted to curse her out at this point.
"Are you stupid? If we leave Denji, who's gonna lead us out of here? We don't know the way."
"Huh? Oh... that's... actually true."
"You've got enough brainpower to think of using Denji's blood as bait. How about using your brain to come up with a better plan?"
For once, Gotou managed to string a full sentence together without stuttering.
Turns out, when you're angry enough, even the shy can get brave.
"Then why don't you help him?" Akane countered.
"I'm too weak to lift him!"
"I don't buy it. You're the Chainsaw Devil..."
Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.
The writhing flesh began to move again. It was regaining mobility.
It suddenly wrapped itself around the little girl beside it.
"Okay okay okay I'll help!" Akane shrieked, finally springing into action.
Gotou leaned in. "Denji, guide us out of here."
"You didn't need to say it. I already know!" Denji replied.
With Akane supporting him, the three of them hurried toward the exit, the wet squelching sounds of the demon echoing behind them.
It was catching up.
They weaved through the winding alleyways and finally burst out into the open.
The bustling crowds on the main street instantly brought a sense of relief.
But…
That might've been a mistake.
Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.
The writhing blob of meat oozed out of the alley behind them.
It didn't care whether humans recognized it or feared it.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Is this some kind of movie shoot?"
"Gross..."
Before anyone could say another word, dozens of tentacles sprouted from the demon's body, lashing out in every direction.
The only thing left was a chorus of terrified screams.
"You three… you're not getting away!"
The demon completely ignored the innocent civilians. Its eyes locked onto Gotou, Akane, and Denji.
At least it wasn't attacking anyone else. A small mercy in the chaos.
"What do we do now?!" Akane whimpered.
"Kill it!" Gotou yelled.
"I can't!"
"Then run!"
...
"Step right up, don't miss your chance!"
"This is our store's latest cookware. Look at the perfect pot body, the brilliant shine."
"But that's not even the best part. It's made with a special material that's super durable. No matter what you do to it, it won't break!"
Inside a nearby store, the owner was enthusiastically hawking his goods.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
He tapped the back of a metal pot.
"It's just a pot. How strong can it be?" someone muttered skeptically.
The shopkeeper grinned. "Heh, this pot? Not even machine gun bullets can get through it."
"Yeah right. No pot's that tough."
"Unless you got a gun right now to test it, I'm not buying it."
BANG!!!
Suddenly, the store door burst open. Three frantic figures came crashing in.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" the shopkeeper shouted, instantly furious.
"W-we're really sorry!" Gotou stammered. "If we break anything, you can… you can ask Makima for compensation!"
Before the shopkeeper could say another word, Denji snatched the pot out of his hands.
"Borrowing this!"
The shopkeeper opened his mouth to scream, but Denji had already turned around and raised the pot in front of his face.
BOOM!!!
A massive tentacle smashed through the wall of the shop.
It struck the pot Denji held with full force.