On the road leading toward the chaos, the devil hunters in the police cars gasped.
"What on earth is that thing up ahead?!?"
"Is it a devil? Or am I hallucinating?" A man in the car rubbed his eyes violently, refusing to believe the scale of what he was seeing.
"That's got to be the devil ravaging Osaka," said a handsome man with cold, pale skin sitting in the passenger seat. This was Ito Niho, the Captain of Osaka Special Division 5.
"I've never seen a devil this size!"
"I've fought large devils, but compared to that, they're like ants."
"My god, Captain Ito... are we actually going to fight that thing?" another man asked, his expression one of pure disbelief. They had expected an easy mission with so many reinforcements, but the Gluttony Devil's stature rendered that hope laughable.
"We aren't a match for that," one officer muttered.
"Don't be afraid. The more you fear, the stronger the devil becomes. It's only large; its other abilities can't be that exceptional."
"Captain Ito, have you ever encountered a devil like this?"
Ito Niho remained remarkably calm. He understood the nature of devil-given power, so no matter how formidable the opponent, he refused to let fear dictate his actions. But to most of his subordinates, the Gluttony Devil was an insurmountable mountain. Every one of them was secretly planning to go on strike—no salary was worth certain death.
Suddenly, the police cars, which had been accelerating toward the monster, jerked to a halt and began reversing, fleeing in the opposite direction.
"Captain, are we retreating?"
"Great! Captain, that's a wise decision. We don't need to fight to know we're outclassed."
"I suggest we head to Tokyo and find Arata. I hear he's incredibly powerful."
"Agreed. Even if we mobilized every hunter in Osaka, it wouldn't be enough. We might as well call Arata to avoid more casualties."
As the cars put distance between themselves and the Gluttony Devil, the team felt a wave of relief. They whispered among themselves, trying to convince Ito Niho to abandon the fight entirely. But Ito was not the type to flinch.
"What's happening? Why are we turning back?" Ito demanded.
"It... it wasn't me! I don't know why, the car is steering itself!" The driver held his hands up, showing he wasn't touching the wheel.
"You've got to be kidding. Even the cars are scared enough to run away on their own?"
"Impossible. Someone's playing a trick. Everyone, jump!"
Ito took the lead, throwing the door open and diving out. One by one, hunters from other cars followed, though many hesitated, preferring to rot in their seats than face the monster. But just as the deserters felt a sense of relief, dark shadows materialized in the sky above the highway.
BOOM!!!
Dozens of massive, black hands slammed down, snatching the fleeing patrol cars. The vehicles—people and all—were crushed like cookies in a fist and devoured in a single gulp. The survivors watched, paralyzed by pure, unadulterated terror.
"Captain, that devil is unbeatable!"
"Let's go find Arata!"
Two of his men urged him again, desperate to make him see reason. They had already decided that if Ito persisted in his madness, they would not be going with him to their graves.
"Stop mentioning Arata! Why must Division 5 rely on an outsider to clean up our mess?"
"Does the Captain have a plan to defeat that thing?"
"I rarely show my true strength because I've never met a devil worth the effort. It's time I showed you what I'm capable of."
"The Captain's true strength!!" The two men blinked, stunned.
"Hide yourselves. Leave that devil to me."
Ito Niho bit his finger and slammed it into the pavement. "Fox Devil, grant me your full power!"
A magical seal flared on the ground, and the earth began to rumble.
BOOM!!!
A gargantuan fox head burst from the earth beneath Ito's feet. He stood atop the creature's skull, rising higher and higher until the full body of the Fox Devil surged from the ground, lifting him thirty meters into the air.
"It's... it's the Full Form of the Fox Devil!!!" The two hunters turned into instant fanboys.
"I can't believe our Captain contracted the full form!"
"Our Captain isn't just handsome; he's earned the Fox Devil's full favor. I've seen him bring in truckloads of chickens—I guess they were all for the Fox Devil!"
"We're safe now! Maybe we don't even need Arata. The Captain can handle that ugly thing alone!"
They watched with bated breath as Ito stood atop the beast, his aura intensifying along with the devil's.
"Hey, brat. You haven't summoned me in a long time."
"Fox-senpai, you're too strong—I usually didn't have an opponent worthy of you. But today, it's time to stretch your legs."
"I want three truckloads of chicken when this is over."
"Done."
"Tell me, where is that unlucky devil?" the Fox Devil demanded, impatient.
"Straight ahead. Let's wipe him out."
Ito pointed, and the Fox Devil peered into the distance. The moment its eyes fell on the massive Gluttony Devil, its pupils dilated in horror. The Gluttony Devil, bloated from its recent carnage, was even larger than before. Having sensed a new presence, it turned, fixing a greedy gaze on the Fox Devil.
"This... are you trying to get me killed?? Never call me for a job again!"
The Fox Devil dissolved into white smoke, vanishing instantly. Ito Niho, standing atop nothingness, plummeted from the sky.
"Captain! He's falling!!"
"What happened? I didn't even see it attack!"
"Oh no, a fall from that height—he'll be dead or crippled!"
As the others rushed forward to catch him, a shadow flashed through the air, catching Ito just before he hit the ground.
"Who says playing the hero to a beauty is only for women? Men work too."
"Who are you?"
"If I said I was Arata, would you believe me?"
"You... you're Arata!!" Ito was shocked. He had just bragged about not needing him, and now he was being saved by the very man he'd dismissed.
"Captain!!" His two men rushed over. "Are you alright?"
"How could he not be alright when I'm holding him?"
"You... how long do you intend to hold me? Put me down!" Ito felt a strange, inexplicable blush creeping up his neck.
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