Gazing at the colossal gray-black giant that soared into the sky like a gatekeeper of hell, Aki instinctively raised his arm to shield himself.
The raging wind whipped his hair into disarray. His heart was deeply shaken as he stared blankly at Makoto's upright back, exclaiming in awe:
"To still possess such terrifying power even after being weakened to that extent... just how strong was the Chainsaw Devil originally?"
Makoto, with his back to Aki and the other Devil-men, spoke in a calm but unquestionable tone:
"All of you, retreat. Get at least ten miles away, or I can't guarantee I won't drag you into this."
Bang—!
Before he finished speaking, the Gun Devil-man opposite suddenly leaned forward. The grotesque gun barrel on its forehead fired an armor-piercing round without any flourish.
The chainsaw-form Susanoo swung its saw to block. A harsh metallic clang exploded as the bullet slammed into the high-speed vibrating chainsaw blade, the two locked in a momentary stalemate.
The next moment, the armor-piercing round was forcibly split in half, grazing past Susanoo's shoulder pauldrons left and right. They crashed into the city behind, two consecutive explosions sending towering plumes of dust and smoke into the air.
Susanoo's other massive arm swung down, the giant chainsaw descending with the force of tearing air itself.
"Go!"
Beam was reluctant to touch anyone other than Makoto, but since it was the Chainsaw-sama's order, he unhesitatingly hoisted Aki onto his shoulder and fled rapidly with the Animal Brothers.
Bang—!
Aki, carried on Beam's shoulder, felt the ground shake. The spot where the Gun Devil-man had been standing completely collapsed.
But as the dust cleared, he was stunned to see… the Gun Devil-man, its arms transformed into sniper rifles, crossed them to block, and had somehow managed to withstand Susanoo's immense force.
The vast difference in size made the scene resemble a grasshopper stopping a tiger's swat. The stark contrast left everyone watching stunned.
Click—!
The harsh sound of a round being chambered rang out again.
The Gun Devil-man's right foot also transformed into a heavy machine gun barrel, firing a shot with a deafening bang.
The powerful recoil directly broke Susanoo's suppression. The Gun Devil-man used the thrust to suddenly launch itself hundreds of meters into the air.
Makoto inside Susanoo looked up at the sky, a single line of blood tears slowly streaming from the corner of his right eye.
"Amaterasu!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
Blazing black flames instantly erupted around the Gun Devil-man in mid-air.
"Gaaaaah—!"
The Gun Devil-man let out a heart-wrenching, agonized wail.
Aki, already far away on Beam's shoulder, clenched his fist in silent satisfaction upon seeing this.
He didn't know what this black flame ability was, but it was clear the Gun Devil had suffered a heavy blow.
But the next second, he suddenly realized… the body the Gun Devil currently possessed was Yu's.
'That meant, Ishigami-san was...'
In an instant, Aki could no longer feel pleased.
He appeared cold on the outside, but his heart was soft. He hated seeing anyone die in front of him, especially a colleague he knew and worked with.
'Nishikawa-san, right now... you must be in more pain than anyone else.'
"Hey! What's going on? Is that a Devil?!"
A high school boy in a yellow uniform rushed out from an alley, nearly colliding with Beam.
It was Denji, now a high school student.
Beam immediately put down Aki and pointed at Denji, shouting: "You! Take this kid and the civilians to a safe area. I'm going back to support Chainsaw-sama!"
Before finishing, he leaped into the ground, swiftly swimming back towards the battlefield.
He knew his own strength was useless here, but he could injure himself and offer his blood, serving as a blood pack for Chainsaw-sama.
'Damn Ishigami Yu. Even dead, you dare to attack Chainsaw-sama. You deserve a thousand deaths!'
"Follow me!"
Beam called back to the Animal Brothers as he traveled underground. The four Devils immediately followed closely behind.
As Aki hesitated, the Gun Devil-man high above suddenly plummeted. But halfway down, its other foot also transformed into a gun barrel, all four limbs now aimed at the ground.
"What is it doing?!"
Aki's expression changed drastically. A deadly, foreboding feeling washed over him.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!!!
The gun barrels on the Gun Devil-man's limbs fired wildly. Countless citizens unable to flee were instantly blown into bloody mist. Flesh and blood splattered through the air, much of it spraying directly onto the descending Gun Devil-man.
The skin and flesh burned by Amaterasu began regenerating at an astonishing speed.
Then, the Gun Devil-man fired several shots at its own burning parts, blasting the charred tissue away. It landed on the bloody ground, frantically absorbing the blood, and its damaged limbs instantly regrew.
"Yo, you bastard!"
Aki trembled with rage, hatred burning in his chest.
'Damn Gun Devil!'
Denji was also trembling with fear at the bloody scene, stammering: "Th, that thing... wh, what is it?"
Aki gritted his teeth, grabbed Denji's arm, and ran in the opposite direction.
He wanted to rush in and strike the Gun Devil too, but he knew he was no match.
Just as Beam said, instead of joining a futile battle, saving as many people as possible was what he could do now.
The entire city was already devastated beyond recognition. Within a five-miles radius, there was not a single intact patch of ground.
Chainsaw cuts and bullet holes crisscrossed everywhere. Inextinguishable black flames still burned in the cracks. It was a living hell.
As Aki led Denji and a group of civilians away from the battlefield, he suddenly saw a familiar figure standing atop a pile of rubble.
"It seems you've been hiding quite a few things from me, Makoto-kun. But then again, so have I."
Hearing this voice, Aki's pupils contracted. He whipped his head around… standing atop the rubble was Makima.
"Makima-san! Send reinforcements!" Aki shouted desperately.
But Makima just quietly gazed at the two figures clashing in the battlefield, ignoring his calls.
Aki's mind was in chaos. Too many incomprehensible things were happening one after another. He could only suppress his doubts and continue leading the evacuation.
Fortunately, he soon encountered Himeno, Kobeni, and other survivors from Public Safety.
"Aki-kun, over here!"
Himeno waved at him with the surviving members, urging them to quickly join up.
At this point, Aki had no time to dwell on being drugged by Himeno the day before. Sweating profusely, he questioned: "Himeno-Senpai, what the hell is going on?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Gun Devil-man's bombardment continued. Each shot caused the very air to tremble violently.
Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
Susanoo's chainsaw slashes didn't stop either. Each heavy strike made the earth shudder.
Himeno's face was grave: "Honestly, I don't know the specifics either. All we can do now is evacuate the survivors."
Aki gritted his teeth and nodded, waving to Denji and the others: "Everyone, follow me!"