just a guy who's a devil hunter for fun

Chapter 46: Confrontation

Chapter 46: Confrontation

After leaving Denji behind, the demon hunters continued fleeing to the second floor. The puppet army was growing exponentially.

Kurose: "HEY! TURN THEM TO STONE!!!"

Kusakabe: "TOO MANY!! I CAN ONLY ACT WITHIN THE CIRCLE!!!"

"OH GOD, THEY'RE ABOUT TO CATCH UP!!" Power screamed as the puppets closed in on her. "RUN, YOU BASTARDS!!!"

"AAAAA!!!" Power yelled as three puppets lunged, grabbed her, and tried to pull her back.

Aki: "POWER!!!" He held Pochita and shouted.

Power immediately used her strength to form a double-bladed scythe made of blood, cutting down the puppets. They fell instantly, unable to move. Kusakabe gaped in shock at Power's display.

Power: "Damn it! I didn't turn into a puppet!!"

Kusakabe: "Ah! That's right! Only humans turn into puppets, demon-hybrids probably won't!"

"Huh?" Power was confused by the explanation, but before she could process it, four more puppets charged from behind.

Kusakabe: "BEHIND YOU! THEY'RE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"

Tamaoki: "NAKAMURA! DO IT!"

"Yes!" A hunter appeared out of nowhere, pointing their index and middle fingers at the puppets.

Hunter: "KON!!"

A fox demon immediately appeared, leaping down the stairs and smashing the puppets.

Hunter: "Is it too early for a break? I'm from Team 2, name's—"

Tamaoki: "We've stationed hunters everywhere in the past days to accelerate the battle and minimize civilian casualties. Those turned into puppets cannot return to human form. We're not running from that old man; we intend to take him down cleanly."

Aki: "WAIT! You mean they can't turn back into humans?"

Tamaoki: "Correct. Once transformed, they're puppets. In other words... dead."

Aki's face went pale, disbelief written all over him. In his mind flashed an image of Denji being turned into a puppet and attacking them.

"No... no way... the kid can't die..." Aki muttered, sinking into despair. Sensing Aki's worry, Pochita growled softly, sorrowfully. Power ran behind Aki and patted his back.

Power: "WHY THE LONG FACE! THAT BALD KID SAID TO TRUST HIM, SO TRUST HIM! HE'S NOT THE KIND OF GUY TO DIE EASILY!"

With Power's encouragement, Aki slowly regained his composure.

Meanwhile, Denji stood tall in the middle of a field of defeated puppets, calm and unscathed.

"Where... is this?" a deep voice came from one of the puppets Denji had just destroyed. No... it was no longer a puppet. The man had returned to human form.

"Where is this? Why are so many people lying here!?" he wondered, seeing countless bodies on the floor.

Denji: "You're awake. You were just turned into a puppet."

"R-really?" the man asked.

Denji: "Yeah. A demon turned you into a puppet, got it?"

The man recalled something from his memory: while walking down the street, someone suddenly touched him, pain surged through him, and everything after that was a blank.

Slowly, the others "formerly puppets" began to wake up, looking exhausted and uncomfortable.

"Why am I here? I was clearly heading to work," said a woman among them.

Denji: "You were just turned into puppets by a demon."

"Oh! Really?" a man asked. Denji, too lazy to explain further, just pointed toward the destroyed exit.

Denji: "You'd better run as far away from here as possible."

The crowd panicked and fled, leaving Denji alone. He sighed in disappointment, about to turn away, when something collided near the back of his head. He ducked just in time to avoid a slash. The attacker was none other than Quanxi.

"What!?" she exclaimed in surprise. Turning around, Quanxi found Denji standing dangerously close, staring at her with a fierce expression.

Denji: "Hey! Who are you?"

Author's note: "Guys, do you want Quanxi to become Denji's disciple or his master?"

—End of Chapter—