The answer was a resounding no.
Visions held absolutely zero value to Zoran.
However, one reality remained undeniable: while engineering the rescue of his brothers and sisters from the Netherworld, he also needed to steadily augment his own power.
Standing high above the vast expanse of the ocean, he opened the brilliant, golden portal.
The Hydro Archon's authority could be harvested at the proper moment; Zoran trusted that Furina would judge that timing perfectly on her own. Guided by his Demon Chi, he would be able to hear her call out his true name, even across the boundary of an entire universe, just as Lu Mingfei could call out to Shendu in the privacy of his own mind.
In the meantime, he intended to utilize this window to do something rather amusing.
Much like a seagull visiting the docks simply to rustle up some fries, he was going to seize this opportunity to enjoy a meal in an entirely different world. As for the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, she could remain behind and amuse herself inside the artificial world she had constructed.
He drifted slowly into the golden threshold.
…
Meanwhile, in Tokyo.
In a secluded, unmapped corner of the metropolis, the moon momentarily dimmed before bursting back to life as a brilliant golden portal snapped shut. His dimension-crossing technique was becoming increasingly seamless.
It was late into the night. The streets were virtually deserted, and the labyrinth of alleyways was illuminated only by the sterile glow of streetlamps. The landing of the Moon Demon was quiet and entirely peaceful.
Zoran's gaze quickly locked onto a figure walking along the edge of the street. Her shoulders slumped forward, her entire posture radiating sheer exhaustion.
"It seems my luck is quite good. To stumble upon a familiar face the very moment I arrive."
Zoran murmured softly, drifting toward the figure. Adhering to his usual routine, he intended to follow local customs.
The individual in question was a rather cute girl with light-colored eyes. Her bangs were parted down the middle, half of them hanging loose while the other half was secured by two plain red hair clips. Her hair color hovered somewhere between black and brown.
Having just finished her shift at a burger joint, she was navigating the deep, ominous streets with her usual timidity, stepping forward with an air of deep trepidation.
In the next heartbeat, her footsteps froze, her entire body trembling violently.
Before her eyes, a figure clad in a purplish-red Taoist robe descended gracefully from the heavens, landing on the pavement just a short distance away.
The entity stood there, silently evaluating her.
"A... de... mon..." the girl whimpered in sheer terror.
She clutched her plastic grocery bag tightly, her eyes darting frantically to the left and right. But on this specific street, save for herself, there wasn't a single living soul.
With trembling fingers, she fished a small fruit knife from the plastic bag. Crouching low, she held the hilt with both hands, aiming the blade directly at Zoran.
"Ah... the thing I feared the most really happened after all..." she mumbled fearfully to herself.
"Am I truly that terrifying?" the entity before her suddenly spoke.
The girl blinked, momentarily dazed. The being didn't seem particularly aggressive.
But in the next split second, Zoran drifted cleanly toward her. The girl tried to react instantly, but the surrounding air felt completely frozen, and the demon she had contracted with had vanished entirely without a trace.
Zoran evaluated her silently, a teasing note entering his voice. "Speak your last words."
"Last words?!" The girl's pupils dilated in sheer horror, her lips quivering uncontrollably.
"I... I... I hope to earn lots and lots of money! To have a car of my own! To stop paying for my brother's tuition! And if it's possible, I want to go to college too..."
Tears spilled from her eyes instantly as she shook like a leaf.
"What kind of last words are those? Those are dreams, aren't they?" Even a being as detached as Zoran found himself momentarily taken aback. "Or are you making a wish to me?"
"Is... Is that so? If I tell a demon my dreams, will I be spared?" the girl asked timidly, her cheeks flushing a faint crimson from crying.
"Your luck is quite exceptional," Zoran said, withdrawing the gravitational pressure he had exerted. "I merely wanted to frighten you a little. I am not some bloodthirsty fiend. But as it turns out, you are remarkably entertaining."
"Whew... that... that is wonderful..." The girl let out a massive sigh of relief, wiping her tears away. "Even though most demons are cruel, there are still some demons and fiends you can actually reason with..."
"What a thoroughly grounded child. Even her aspirations are so remarkably simple," Zoran evaluated briefly.
He looked down at the girl, his voice calm. "As I said, your luck is grand. Since you are the very first familiar face I encountered upon my arrival, I shall permit you to strike a bargain with me."
"A bargain? You mean making a contract, right?" The girl blinked in confusion. "But I already have a contract with a demon... although I don't know why it didn't manifest just now..."
"It seems it was frightened away by my presence," Zoran smiled.
A demonic power had indeed attempted to surface moments ago, but Zoran had ruthlessly suppressed it with a thought.
"Huh? Is that what happened?" The girl brought her clasped fists to her chest, still visibly tense. She mumbled softly, "Then, Mr. Demon... what is your name?"
"The Moon Demon," Zoran stated smoothly. After a brief consideration, he added, "Or, if we use the nomenclature of your world, you may refer to me as the Gravity Demon."
The girl stared blankly. She had never heard of such a title.
The Moon? Gravity?
Surely those aren't things humanity actively fears or dreads?
If that's the case, a demon named the Moon Demon must be incredibly weak.
Yet, this entity had effortlessly terrified her previous contract demon into hiding.
The girl didn't offer an immediate response. Having collapsed from fright earlier, she simply remained crouched on the pavement, muttering frantically under her breath.
Zoran listened intently to the rapid-fire whispers escaping her lips.
"Even though a bizarre demon suddenly appeared out of nowhere, I absolutely have to make a contract, no matter what..."
"If I don't have a contract demon, I'm definitely going to die during the next operation! Definitely!"
"If I don't sign with him, my only choice will be to quit... but my bonus is coming up soon..."
"If I quit, I won't even be a Devil Hunter anymore. My only option left will be to sell my body in the red-light district... Ah, no way, absolutely not..."
The corners of Zoran's mouth twitched slightly. This creature before him was truly one of a kind.
"Mr. Demon!" the girl suddenly snapped her head up. "If I make a contract with you, what kind of power will I receive?"
"Power?" Zoran pondered the question. "At the very least, you will obtain enough money to purchase a vehicle of your own."
Almost the exact millisecond the words left his mouth, the girl's eyes ignited with a brilliant light. The stark terror that had gripped her face just moments before dissolved instantly into an expression of deep excitement and anticipation.
She tossed her knife aside, springing to her feet in a flash to stand directly before Zoran. Banding together her courage, she extended her hands, completely intent on grabbing his.
Only then did she notice that Zoran possessed four arms.
She lunged forward to grasp one of them, but her hands were deflected by an invisible barrier of compressed air.
Ignoring the rejection, she nodded her head with manic enthusiasm. In a single instant, Zoran's image had become absolutely flawless in her eyes.
"Mr. Demon, please make a contract with me by all means!" she cheered. "You are truly a perfect, wonderful demon!"
The whiplash from her instantaneous personality shift left Zoran momentarily stunned.
A simple car costs next to nothing, yet that alone is enough to buy her over? This girl is unbelievable.
Then again, he was merely observing local customs, having happened upon a recognizable face.
This universe was a realm known as Chainsaw Man.
A world naturally teeming with demons.
These titled entities derived their strength directly from human fear; the more a concept was dreaded, the more devastating the demon became. They frequently forged contracts with humans, granting them supernatural powers in exchange for an appropriate sacrifice.
Zoran had simply intended to select a random, fortunate soul to trade with, or rather, form a contract with, thereby embedding himself into the core thread of this world's narrative.
Through this method, he would achieve a standard "feeding." That was all.
He had simply never anticipated that the girl before him would be so remarkably easy to satisfy.
"Ah! Right! I haven't introduced myself yet."
The girl's face flushed with an embarrassed crimson before she finally offered her name. "My name is Kobeni Higashiyama. I'm twenty years old, and I'm a Devil Hunter with Public Safety Special Division 4."
"Mr. Demon, what is the price for our contract? My skin? An arm? Or perhaps an eye?" She blinked at him expectantly.
Forging a contract with a demon always demanded a corresponding toll, as did utilizing their power. The severity of the price varied wildly depending on the entity, some demanded eyes, others limbs, or even worse.
"None of the above," Zoran stated, his steady gaze locked onto her as he spoke in a low, resonant voice. "Do not insult me by comparing me to those low-tier entities."
"Then... there still has to be a price, right?" Kobeni scratched her cheek nervously.
Zoran's eyes flared with a piercing brilliance as he delivered his terms, emphasizing each syllable with absolute gravity:
"I require you to slaughter the Darkness Devil, one of the three Primal Fears, and offer its essence as a sacrifice to me."
Note: In both Chinese and Japanese, the distinction between "demon" and "devil" is much blurrier than in English.