So far, Renji's total points had reached 14,525.
If he simply wanted to increase his strength, he could've already spent his points on several practical small skills—each costing just 300 points. Skills like Zong He's Insight, Mana Burst, and Iai were all already in his possession.
But while some, like Zong He's Insight, were purely auxiliary and not worth mentioning, even skills that increased offensive ability—like Mana Burst—weren't destructive enough to qualify as true trump cards.
Whether to prioritize life-saving utility or overwhelming offense—Renji had considered this dilemma long ago. In the end, he opted for the latter.
No matter how weak he might be overall, he had to at least carry one terrifying skill—something explosive enough to make enemies hesitate. A threat strong enough to force a potential attacker to weigh the cost of engaging him.
Once his points broke 20,000, Renji planned to purchase a large-area destructive skill. But until then, his combat power would remain stagnant. He needed a stopgap solution—and until now, he had completely overlooked one:
Contracting with devils.
It wasn't until Aki's words that Renji finally remembered. Contracting devils could significantly boost strength. And as long as the price wasn't too extreme, it was a viable strategy while he worked toward the 20,000-point threshold.
On the phone, Makima quickly approved Aki's request to form additional contracts with devils.
About thirty minutes later, two instructors from Kyoto arrived and knocked on the door.
Underground Tokyo.
The four of them boarded a heavy-duty elevator that slowly began descending into the depths of the city. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a vertical drop—the elevator tilted downward at a slight incline, sliding deeper into the underground layers.
There were no visible surroundings. Or rather, the surroundings were blocked off entirely by reinforced walls. The chamber was completely isolated from the surface.
Steel beams and support structures lined the tunnel walls in precise order. Embedded between them were rows of red light tubes—the only source of illumination as the elevator continued its descent.
The atmosphere was tense. The air felt heavier the farther down they went.
"You're the Renji Miss Makima mentioned? Huh… you look so young."
The speaker was one of the instructors—a woman named Kurose Yutami. Renji noticed she spoke with a distinct accent, which amused him slightly.
"Makima mentioned me?"
"She did. Said that without you, everyone in the Special Division would've been wiped out in that gangster attack. Apparently, you were the MVP."
"Ah… haha, that's a bit much."
Renji gave a modest, awkward chuckle. In truth, he was still wondering what Makima thought after realizing that everyone had survived. She had known about the gangster assault plan in advance but deliberately withheld that information.
Her goal had been to cause massive casualties within the Anti-Devil Special Division—forcing a reorganization that would consolidate power under her, with Denji (now, Renji) at its center.
But thanks to Renji's intervention, there had been zero deaths, making the merger and creation of a new Section 4 virtually impossible.
Yutami sighed.
"Sigh… such a waste. Someone like you—why become a Devil Hunter? You could've done anything. One day, you'll run into something even worse. And next time, you might not get so lucky."
"Yutami, keep your emotions out of work," said the other instructor—Tendo Michiko, her tone sharp. "Don't say unnecessary things. If we get distracted, we'll be the unlucky ones next."
Yutami fell silent.
The elevator stopped.
The four stepped out into the lowest level beneath Tokyo. Renji and Aki silently followed behind the Kyoto instructors down a sterile corridor.
It was Renji's first time in such a place. The air smelled old—almost antique.
The left wall was lined with thick pipes, while the right side featured a row of rooms sealed shut with heavy iron doors. In the upper left corner of each door, a red light bulb glowed dimly. In the upper right, room numbers were etched into small plates.
They stopped in front of Room 108.
Renji's heart tightened as he looked at the number.
This was the place.
The Future Devil was imprisoned inside.
In the original story, this was where the Future Devil had shown Aki his fate—predicting that he would die the most tragic death imaginable.
But the timeline had changed. The plot was already off course. Renji's intervention had begun reshaping Aki's destiny. And now, he had no idea what kind of prophecy the Future Devil would reveal.
"Alright. You two, go ahead and enter. The devil inside is the Future Devil."
Tendo turned toward Renji and Aki.
"Two people in Public Safety have made contracts with him before. One paid with half their remaining lifespan. The other gave up their sight, smell, and taste. But if the devil takes a liking to you... the price might be far lighter."
You Tianmei entered the password and pulled open the thick iron door.
"Please go in. Don't worry—Miss Makima arranged everything. The room is completely soundproof. We won't eavesdrop on your conversation."
Renji and Aki stepped inside together. The iron door slammed shut behind them with a heavy thunk.
Inside, a single beam of stark white light illuminated a small circle of space. They stood within it, their eyes straining to see beyond the edges into the surrounding darkness.
From deep within the shadows, a massive circular eye stared back at them, unmoving.
"Future! The best Future! The best"
A high-pitched, strangely cheerful voice rang out as the Future Devil emerged from the dark, singing its bizarre self-composed song. It bounced into the light, jumping directly in front of them.
"Future! The best!"
The Future Devil continued to dance and sing, seemingly oblivious to their presence.
Its form defied common anatomy. Its lower half resembled a massive, gnarled tree rooted directly into the floor. Thick roots and twisted branches climbed upward, merging into a humanoid torso covered in bark-like skin. From its head jutted two sharp, horn-like protrusions.
Stacked vertically on its face were three pairs of eyes—each glowing differently, attuned to the past, present, and future.
And at the center of its chest was a large, gaping hole—housing a single, oversized eye that slowly swiveled as if searching for something deeper than sight.
A full minute passed.
"Future! The best Future! The best"
The Future Devil was still singing, gleefully waving its arms, its roots shaking like it was caught in a rhythm only it understood.
Renji couldn't help himself—he suddenly felt the urge to laugh.
"Hey! You two! Don't just stand there! Shout it with me—'Future is the best!' Come on!"
"Oh, oh! Future is the best! Future is the best! Future is the best!"
Renji joined in, shouting a few times enthusiastically—until he realized he was the only one doing it. He turned to Aki, who stood silent, arms folded, her face expressionless.
Feeling awkward, Renji trailed off and stopped.
Aki had said nothing since entering. Her hatred toward devils—especially because of the Gun Devil—still ran deep.
"Mmm very well I'll pretend you shouted with great effort,"
the Future Devil said, pointing at Renji with mild approval before glancing disdainfully at Aki.
"But this one's rude attitude? I'll ignore it—for now."
Then it clapped its bark-covered hands together.
"Alrighty! Let me take a peek at your futures. I'll decide whether or not to contract based on that.
Now—stick your heads into my belly. That's how I see."
"Which of you is going first? Otherwise, I can't do anything~"
Aki stepped forward without hesitation.
"I'll go first, Renji."
She approached the Future Devil and leaned forward, placing her head into the hole in its chest.
The Future Devil twisted its torso and began humming a haunting, offbeat tune as it looked into her timeline—observing her past, present, and future.
But then... it stopped.
Suddenly, all six of its eyes locked onto Renji.
They widened—first in confusion, then in fascination.
"M-man?"
Renji blinked, a bit startled. "…Uh, yeah."
"Man!! The best! Man!! The best!!"
The Future Devil erupted with glee, spinning around and shaking its roots wildly, now singing an entirely new song—with Renji as the theme.
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