Yoru frowned, clearly irritated by the situation.
The Falling Devil was a transcendent existence embodying Primal Fear, possessing an immortal body. Ordinary attacks meant absolutely nothing to her. Even at her peak, Yoru could not confidently claim she could seriously injure such a being, let alone now while weakened.
"Asa, as much as I hate admitting it, running away is our only option right now. And while you're at it, call that guy. With his ability, he might actually deal with Falling."
The person she meant was obviously Cael.
Yoru despised Chainsaw Man with every fiber of her being. Unfortunately, Asa was hopelessly attached to Cael, and their shared brain constantly allowed Asa's emotions to leak into Yoru's thoughts.
Letting go of hatred was impossible.
Because of that, Yoru's attitude toward Cael remained complicated.
First, she could not beat him.
Second, any hostile intent she formed toward Cael was instantly noticed by Asa. The moment Yoru even considered acting on it, Asa would forcibly seize control of the body through pure emotion.
In the end, Yoru could only convince herself that revenge simply was not the right time yet. She needed to regain her strength first.
However, her thoughts suddenly stalled.
She had completely forgotten one important detail.
Her only phone had already been turned into a weapon and thrown away.
"Asa, can you still hear me?"
No response came.
Asa gradually adapted to the pain from her torn fingernail, and once the pain dulled, memories filled with sadness resurfaced again.
Yoru's feet slowly lifted off the ground.
She began falling upward once more.
"Tch, damn it."
With no hesitation, Yoru slashed her palm open using the index finger nail blade.
Blood splashed across the ground.
"Aaaah! It hurts! It hurts so much! Yoru, what are you doing now?!"
Thud.
Yoru dropped back onto solid ground.
"It hurts, right? Good," Yoru said firmly. "Focus on the pain. As long as you feel that, you don't need to think about anything else."
Asa stayed silent.
"Tch."
Yoru slid down a drainage pipe and sprinted away from the Falling Devil's direction.
Relying on Asa right now was impossible. She had to handle this herself.
I need to steal a car first.
But as she ran, the scars across her face suddenly disappeared. The ringed eyes faded back to normal.
Asa Mitaka reclaimed control completely.
No matter how hard Yoru tried, she could not return.
"What?!"
Bang!
Asa slammed beneath the awning of a roadside shop, halting her upward pull.
She slowly sat up, her expression bitter as the entire world appeared inverted before her eyes.
Yoru quickly understood the problem.
It was not that Asa feared pain.
She feared Yoru more.
What the hell?
Yoru exploded in anger.
"You kicked me out again?! Are you serious?! Asa, you're actually scared of me?! I was trying my damn hardest to protect your body! After all that, you're afraid of me?! Hurry up and trust me already and give the body back, idiot!"
Asa's breathing grew uneven.
"Trust? Why should I trust someone like you, Yoru?!"
"Oh, now am an idiot too?" Yoru laughed in disbelief.
Asa raised her injured hand, staring at the torn palm and ruined fingernail.
"You're a devil. You don't understand me at all. You keep saying terrifying things just to scare me. You take over my body whenever you want without asking, and you even cut my hand."
Her voice trembled.
"Cael would never treat me like that."
"I only did that because you were losing control!" Yoru snapped back.
"It still hurt!" Asa shouted. "You cut my hand! Of course I'm scared!"
Yoru froze.
Only then did she realize something obvious.
She had never truly treated Asa like a human.
Asa was just a nineteen year old college student. Her mental endurance could never compare to a devil who had existed for ages.
Yoru exhaled slowly, forcing herself to calm down.
"...Sorry, Asa. I went too far earlier."
Her tone softened noticeably.
"The reason you're feeling this negative right now is because of the Falling Devil's ability. I just want you to calm down and think clearly."
She continued,
"The Falling Devil represents Primal Fear. For some reason, she is targeting us. In a situation like this, your survival chances are higher if I control the body. But being afraid of me only makes things harder."
As Yoru's hostility faded, Asa gradually calmed as well.
Asa hugged her knees quietly.
"Yoru... can you read minds?"
"Huh?"
"Do you know what I've actually been afraid of this whole time?"
Yoru hesitated.
Tears slid down Asa's cheeks.
"I struggle to trust people, but I hate being alone. Whenever someone treats me kindly, I start feeling close to them."
Her voice trembled.
"But everyone who gets close to me ends up suffering, and then I'm alone again. My mom, Crambon... everyone left."
She lowered her head.
"I'm scared the next one will be Cael."
Yoru fell silent.
Asa wiped her tears and sniffed.
"The happier things feel, the more it hurts when you lose them. Yoru, whether I'm alone or with people, I'm always scared."
Her voice weakened.
"Maybe someone like me would be better off dead."
Tch.
Yoru finally began to understand, at least a little.
But somehow the conversation circled back to Chainsaw Man again.
Reluctantly, she spoke.
"If you're worried about Cael, you're overthinking it. Someone like him won't go down easily. You should worry about yourself more than him."
"...Maybe," Asa murmured. "I really want to talk to Cael right now."
"Yeah, yeah. Then call him. Didn't I tell you to give him a pho..."
Yoru's voice slowly faded as her gaze shifted sideways.
The massive black spear lay embedded in the distance.
The Smartphone Javelin.
"...Where's my phone?" Asa searched her pockets in confusion. Earlier despair had completely distracted her from noticing what Yoru had done.
Yoru clicked her tongue.
"Looks like you'll need to borrow someone else's phone."
...
Not far away, the Falling Devil calmly pushed a small serving cart down the street.
A man with grotesquely twisted limbs sat atop it.
Behind her, dozens of Devil Hunters writhed helplessly on the ground.
"Mmph... mmph..."
The man on the cart had his mouth sewn shut, unable to move. His body had been reshaped into a horrifying serving stand. His arms and legs formed a base supporting a pure white porcelain bowl.
Inside the bowl swirled bright red liquid filled with horrifying ingredients.
The Falling Devil looked toward the Gate of Hell hanging in the night sky and gave a polite bow.
"The main course is still being prepared."
Her voice carried gentle elegance.
"To prevent our guests from growing impatient, please allow me to present an appetizer."
She smiled faintly.
"A rich soup, Death of the Attacker. Prepared using five carefully selected pairs of ears, tongues, and noses taken from Devil Hunters."
===
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