"I'm going to eat you clean, then hang you up!"
The woman's body had been entirely consumed by the devil. She had transformed into a humanoid wasp—translucent wings sprouted from her back, and her hands had mutated into jagged spears.
"A Wasp Devil," Arata remarked, offering commentary but making no move to intervene.
"I don't care what she is! Denji, go! Don't let the Great Me down!"
"I don't need you to tell me!"
Seeing Arata remain still, Denji understood this was another training exercise. He pulled his starter cord, his arm-saws revving to a deafening roar, and lunged at the Wasp Woman. She beat her wings, hovering off the ground, and launched her counterattack.
CLANG!!
Chainsaws and spears collided, sending a shower of sparks cascading through the silent church.
CLANG!! CLANG!! CLANG!!
The exchange was frantic, steel meeting steel in a dance of close-quarters slaughter. The sound echoed off the stone walls. During the skirmish, Denji was pierced four times—blood-spurting holes appeared in his shoulder, abdomen, thigh, and arm. But his resolve didn't waver. Instead, in a desperate counter-move, he lunged forward and bit deep into the Wasp Woman's shoulder, drinking her blood to fuel his regeneration. It was a tactic the Wasp Woman hadn't anticipated.
SHING!!!
Refueled by the blood, Denji moved with renewed ferocity. He leaped, knees bent, and brought both chainsaws down in a heavy, overhead chop. The Wasp Woman was fast, but she lacked the brute force to hold back the impact; her spear snapped, and she was slammed to the ground. Denji mounted her, his chainsaws whirring as he finished the job, severing her bladed arms.
"AHHH!!" Her shriek pierced the air, tearing at the heart of her husband, Mitsuo.
"Cut off her hands and feet if you have to, but don't kill her!" Mitsuo begged, looking toward Power.
"Get lost, human. You'd even protect a devil?" Power kicked Mitsuo aside as he clutched her leg.
After a moment of pained reflection, Mitsuo went silent. He knew the truth: even if they killed the devil controlling her, the fact remained that she had signed a contract. There was no guarantee she would come back even if she survived.
"It's okay... there's always hope," he whispered, though his voice lacked conviction.
The woman's next scream triggered something in Mitsuo. Tears welled in his eyes, hot and uncontrollable. He wanted to save her, but he was powerless. He could only watch as Chainsaw Man dismantled her.
"Master, do you have any more questions? If not, I'm killing her," Denji asked. Arata stepped up behind him.
"Who is ordering you to do this?"
The woman erupted into laughter. "I won't let you ruin the Lord's plan! As long as we keep feeding, the Lord will only grow stronger!"
"Ryoko, tell them!!" Mitsuo shouted from the ground, his face a mask of hysterical grief.
"I won't tell you! Kill one of me, and many more will serve the Lord!" The woman remained cold, her laughter devoid of humanity even at the threshold of death.
"Ryoko, look at this!!" Mitsuo lifted his head, pulling two amusement park tickets from his pocket. "Didn't you say you wanted to go? I was always too busy with work, but your birthday is next week. I wanted to take you... just tell them everything they want to know, and we'll go next week." He choked on his words.
The woman, who had been laughing, suddenly froze. She looked at his tear-streaked face and the tickets clutched in his shaking hand. The laughter died.
"Mitsuo..."
"I'm sorry... I'm afraid I'm going to miss it." A single tear tracked through the dirt on her cheek. The devil's hold on her mind inexplicably snapped.
"I'll give them all my money! I'll beg them to spare you!"
"It's no use, Mitsuo. I've sacrificed my life force; I don't have much time left."
"Then let's go now! Before you're gone!" Mitsuo scrambled toward her like a madman, but Arata caught him. He still had one last question.
"Who is the devil controlling you?"
"I don't know... but it's huge, terrifying. It looks like a giant fly."
"What is its plan?"
"To eat. It just needs to keep eating to keep getting stronger."
"Where is it now?"
"I don't know. I only know that to avoid detection, it's hiding in another church. This place was just where I stored the corpses."
"Osaka, then," Arata mused. It made sense; the "cafeteria" couldn't be far from the "dumping ground." He just had to check the other churches in Osaka to find the mastermind.
"At 12:00 tonight, a corpse-hauling truck will arrive. You can find clues through that truck."
"Do you know anything else?"
"I've said all I can. You can finish it now. I was just praying in this church, and the devil posing as a priest gave me an apple. After eating it, I contracted the Wasp Devil and became his apostle."
Ryoko closed her eyes. Mitsuo dove onto her, sobbing. "Give me a chance... let me take her to the amusement park."
"It's too far, and I don't have time to wait for you."
"Please! I'll do anything—just grant our wish."
"In my eyes, you have no value."
As the final word fell, Mitsuo's eyes drifted shut, and he fell into a deep sleep. Arata dragged him away from Ryoko. Now, it was time to finish her.
"Mitsuo is such a fool," Ryoko laughed, her voice thick with tears. "I'm in this state—how could I possibly go to an amusement park?" She had prayed for her husband's promotion so they could go, but instead, she was destined to remain in this church forever. People said prayer earned God's favor, but God hadn't been watching them. The devil had been.
"Sleep. I'll give you one minute." Arata sat on a nearby chair.
Denji and Power didn't understand, but Ryoko did. She closed her eyes and drifted off. In her dream, she saw Mitsuo standing at the park entrance holding two ice creams. She ran to him.
"You're so late! If I'd known, I would've finished my drafts first." Just like their first date, Mitsuo was thinking about work.
"Let's go. We're going to play all day this time." Ryoko smiled, taking the ice cream and hooking her arm through his.
"Fine, fine. I'll spend the whole day with you." Mitsuo's complaints vanished the moment he saw her smile.
"Let's ride the roller coaster! Last time, the lines were too long."
"Alright. I promise you, we're riding that roller coaster today."
When the dream ended, Mitsuo slowly opened his eyes. He was smiling. When he stood up, Ryoko was gone. He didn't ask questions. He simply said, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. It was only a minute for me, but it might have been a lifetime for you."
"Thank you. You're the best devil hunter I've ever met."
"And the strongest. If you acknowledge that I'm the best and strongest, I might just give you a gift."
"A gift?"
"It's a bit gruesome. You're better off not opening it." Arata handed him a bundle wrapped in cloth.
"What is this?"
"I saved the hand that wore your wedding ring. I hope you find a place to bury her."
"Tha... thank you." Mitsuo bowed deeply. The grown man couldn't help but choke up again.
"Don't thank me until I kill that disgusting fly."
Arata turned and strode out. Denji hurried after him. "Master! Is the mastermind the Fly Devil?"
"You're overthinking it. A common fly doesn't have the power to cause this much chaos."
"Then what is it? Didn't that woman say she saw a giant fly before she died?"
"It's not a fly. It's the Lord of the Flies.
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