Kobeni quietly mumbled a complaint to herself. Cars whizzed past her one after another, frightening her so much that her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, not daring to make any sudden moves.
As she had admitted herself, this was her first time driving.
Amidst her panic, a question suddenly popped into her head. Since using Mr. Demon's power doesn't come with a price, does that mean I can use it whenever I want in my daily life?
Once that thought sprouted, she couldn't suppress it.
She suddenly stepped on the gas pedal. The little car jerked forward violently, heading straight toward an oncoming vehicle.
She screamed, warning them to get out of the way.
Then, an invisible force pushed the oncoming car aside, clearing a path for her.
Kobeni froze for a moment. Purple-black Moon Demon Chi swirled around her arm, just as it had in the Morino Hotel.
Suddenly, enlightenment struck Kobeni.
She muttered to herself, "Mr. Demon, I think I know how to drive now."
If she was afraid of crashing, then pushing everyone else off the road solved the problem entirely.
"What do you know, it's actually that simple!" Kobeni was utterly thrilled.
Yielding to oncoming traffic? Nonexistent.
Just push the oncoming cars away!
Consequently, later that evening, the Traffic Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department received a flurry of identical incident reports. Fortunately, aside from financial damage, there were no casualties for the time being.
After defeating the Eternity Devil, the Devil Hunters of Special Division 4 enjoyed a rare night out together for drinks. This was practically a custom in the Japanese corporate world.
It was worth mentioning that before executing this mission, Himeno had boldly declared that whoever defeated the devil would receive a kiss from her. However, Kobeni had let Denji take the primary credit for this victory.
There were two main reasons for this.
First, in her understanding, it really was Denji who had slashed and slain the Eternity Devil; Kobeni had merely come close to playing marbles with the Earth and the Moon.
Second, as one of the most senior Devil Hunters in Special Division 4, Himeno had actually kissed everyone already. Kobeni truly did not want to experience a kiss laced with the stench of alcohol and tobacco again.
Ultimately, a drunken Himeno accidentally threw up into Denji's mouth while kissing him, leaving a permanent psychological trauma on the Special Division 4 rookie.
The dinner party was incredibly lively, and Kobeni simply watched from the sidelines with a tinge of delight. Her dream was very simple, and much of it had already been realized; a person had to learn to be content.
Bidding farewell to her noisy colleagues, Kobeni returned to her small car. Looking at the little boxy vehicle that now fully belonged to her, a faint sense of warmth welled up in her heart.
Opening the car door, she saw that figure dressed in Taoist robes once again.
"Mr. Demon," she called out.
"How was the dinner?" Zoran asked quietly, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead.
"It was alright. To be honest, I'm not very good at those kinds of gatherings, but everyone is really nice, especially Miss Himeno..."
The moment her voice trailed off, Zoran spoke up, expressionless.
"Himeno is going to die."
"Eh?" Kobeni froze. "Miss Himeno... is going to die?"
The free-spirited face wearing an eyepatch flashed across her mind.
The eye Himeno lacked was the price she had paid to forge a contract with the Ghost Devil, using one eye to secure the chance to make a contract with it. That was exactly why Kobeni had been so shocked upon realizing that contracting with Zoran carried no penalty.
Devils were simply entities that harbored no goodwill toward humanity. At their absolute best, they were like Zoran, exuding a faint sense of complete indifference.
"When?" Kobeni asked hesitantly.
Undeniably, being a Devil Hunter was a profession with an incredibly high mortality rate.
Zoran replied, "Tomorrow."
His memory was clear enough that he didn't need to ponder. Tomorrow, a mob that had signed contracts with a devil would launch a surprise raid on the Devil Hunters of Special Division 4.
The people spearheading the assault were a woman contracted to the Snake Demon and the Katana Man. Their target was the Chainsaw Devil, Denji. The other casualties were merely collateral damage.
"Everyone will be ambushed and slain, including Makima. Though, she won't die," Zoran stated calmly.
"I have to report this to Miss Makima immediately!" Kobeni pulled out her phone, preparing to dial the number.
Strangely, her phone, which had been perfectly fine just a moment ago, suddenly didn't have a single bar of signal. And this wasn't even a remote location.
She looked around in panic, her gaze ultimately landing on Zoran's indifferent face.
"Mr. Demon?"
"I have jammed all signals in this area. There is no need to keep trying," Zoran said.
"Eh? Why would you do that, Mr. Demon?" Kobeni asked, filled with shock and suspicion.
"It seems the joy of getting a car has caused you to forget our contract a little."
Hearing Zoran's words, the light vanished from Kobeni's face. She mumbled, "It's... the Darkness Devil."
"And?"
"I understand." Kobeni clutched her head. "As a Devil Hunter, I'm still not qualified. I can't adapt to Mr. Demon's power..."
"No, I told you, I wouldn't mind if you crashed the Moon into the Earth, but you would die as well," Zoran spoke placidly. "I enjoy watching a young bird grow her feathers, provided she possesses the resolve to spread her wings and fly. Everyone's life rests in your hands, Kobeni."
"You have only one chance at this trial. Adapt to my Demon Chi, and then, face the Darkness Devil."
"I get it..." Kobeni pouted.
"If you fail, I'll set up a tombstone for you, and then burn this car as an offering."
"But Mr. Demon himself is already so strong. Whatever Darkness Devil there is, it's completely no match for you, hehe," Kobeni said, scratching her head.
"Naturally," Zoran spoke in a measured tone. "However, I shall be departing for a brief period at that time. Therefore, you must hold out until I return."
"That is my sole requirement for you."
Zoran had to look after two worlds; he was a busy man.
Both worlds had already yielded their fruits. He would intervene slightly at critical junctures to make the fruits ripe and bountiful, but he still had to go and harvest them in person. He certainly didn't want to seize the authority of the Hydro Archon from the other side, only to return and find that Kobeni had already been snapped in half by the Darkness Devil.
Without a doubt, the current Kobeni still needed refining, and tomorrow was the perfect opportunity.
"Understood!" Kobeni suddenly braced herself, giving Zoran a crisp, serious salute. "As Mr. Demon's contractor, I really do have to work hard!"
She seemed to suddenly think of something, her cheeks flushing red.
"At the very least, I can't accidentally drag the Moon down again."
Right now, she was like a kindergarten child holding a bomb, the bomb's destructive capability was off the charts, but the only trick she knew so far was lighting the fuse to blow herself up along with everyone else.
————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]