Thud!
The bottom of the pot was struck hard, ringing out with a deep, metallic thump.
A dent appeared, but it didn't break.
"Whoa, old man, this pot's actually that sturdy?" Denji turned back in amazement.
The shopkeeper had collapsed to the floor in shock but still managed to yell, "Of course! This is a brand-new product we poured a fortune into developing!"
"U-um…" Gotou interrupted nervously, "If we don't run, we're going to die…"
Only then did the customers snap out of their daze.
The shopkeeper scrambled to his feet and made a beeline for the side door, unlocking it with his key before bolting outside.
The customers followed suit. In a matter of seconds, the place was empty.
"Let's take the back door too!" Gotou urged.
Akane simply nodded like a robot.
For someone who was absolutely terrified, the fact that she hadn't broken down completely was already a small miracle.
"Alright, got it. Wait one sec," Denji said, tossing the pot aside.
He rummaged through the scattered cookware and picked up a kitchen knife.
"That freak… I swear I'm gonna get at least one good slice in!" Denji growled.
Boom!!!
The tentacles struck again, and the trio rushed through the back door.
They only made it a short distance before finding themselves inside another building.
It looked like a meat processing plant, though it clearly wasn't operational at the moment. No signs of workers inside.
Unfortunately, it was a sealed space. Other than going up, there was no way out.
"Damn it, what now?" Denji cursed.
Gotou stammered, "L-let's just go up for now. We'll figure something out... hopefully?"
Akane remained silent, nodding like always.
The three of them ran up the stairs until they reached the top floor.
Boom!!!
The whole building suddenly shook violently.
They turned to look and saw the demon crash through the wall with its own body.
Denji stumbled. The kitchen knife, which he hadn't used yet, slipped from his hand and bounced across the floor before falling off the ledge.
Slice. Slice. Slice.
Immediately after, a chilling noise echoed from below.
Turns out, the floor beneath them housed a meat blender. A serious industrial-grade one too, considering it had just shredded a steel kitchen knife like it was nothing.
"Looks like you've got nowhere left to run," the demon laughed. "I am the Muscle Devil. Remember that name, and prepare to be my dinner."
Akane wailed, "Wh-why is the Muscle Devil so strong?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Gotou asked.
"You don't know? A devil's power depends on how much fear its name evokes. A 'Muscle Devil' shouldn't be this strong..."
Akane had clearly noticed something odd.
But there was no time to think about that now.
"Hey, forget the devil trivia! What the hell do we do?" Denji shouted.
Gotou frantically looked around, then her eyes lit up.
She rushed over to the wall and kicked hard at the bottom corner.
"Ugh!" she yelped in pain.
"What the hell are you doing?" Denji asked.
"T-there's a vent here!"
Denji perked up. "A vent?! Hell yeah!"
He ran over and delivered a heavy kick.
Gotou didn't have the strength to break it open, but for a street-hardened guy like Denji, it was no problem at all.
"Waaaahhh!" Akane screamed, throwing herself headfirst into the duct like a maniac, wriggling through it like a worm.
"Pinkie, hurry up and get in there too!" Denji shouted.
But to his surprise, Gotou shook her head.
"Denji-kun... you go first."
"What are you talking about?" Denji frowned. "Whatever. I'm not waiting for you."
With that, he dove in after Akane.
Gotou watched them disappear, then turned and ran toward the back corner of the floor.
No more exits.
"Well well, your two little friends sure ran off quick," the Muscle Devil sneered, lumbering toward her. "I'll eat you first, then go chase them down."
Gotou didn't answer.
She simply raised both hands up to her face.
"Too scared to speak?" the Muscle Devil jeered. "Fine by me. I'll take my time savoring the sweet flesh of a..."
FWOOOSH!!!
Before it could finish, a powerful gust of wind slammed into it, blowing it clean across the room.
Back in the park, a soccer ball had almost hit Gotou in the face.
At the time, she instinctively raised her hands and blew a puff of air... which had miraculously stopped the ball in midair.
Looking back, that must've been the power of the Bat Devil.
But why?
Why could she use that power now?
She had no idea.
Still, right now, that power was exactly what she needed.
Because behind the Muscle Devil… was open air.
And right below them… was the meat blender.
There was no doubt about it.
The instant the pile of grotesque meat hit the blades, the machine roared to life.
"AAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!"
The wailing scream echoed through the entire building.
The Muscle Devil flailed, extending its tentacles in a desperate attempt to cling to the upper floor.
BZZZZZZZ!!!
But just as it began to pull itself up, it felt a fresh wave of pain.
Its tentacles were being shredded apart.
It looked up and saw the pink-haired girl standing above it, holding a small devil with a chainsaw sprouting from its head.
Gotou spoke in a cold, quiet voice.
"Try climbing up again, and I'll saw you apart."
"If you want a quick death, better get shredded like a good boy."
...
Akane tumbled out of the vent and landed headfirst on the ground outside.
They were finally outdoors.
Still shaken, she sat there, unable to make a sound.
Denji came out next.
Smarter than she was, he twisted in midair and landed cleanly on his feet.
Vrrrr... vrrrr... vrrrr...
From inside the building, the faint hum of a chainsaw could be heard.
"What's going on in there?" Denji muttered, confused.
"C-could it be... Pochi-chan?" Akane whispered.
"Huh?"
Clatter.
A strange noise caught their attention.
They turned to see the wall-mounted pipe beside them start to spit out freshly ground meat into a large box below.
Looked like this pipe was connected to the blender. A convenient outlet for processing and shipping.
"Wait... this meat isn't from that freak, is it?" Denji asked.
Akane stayed silent, her mind a mess.
The Chainsaw Devil really was strong...
But if she was powerful enough to beat the Muscle Devil, then why didn't she act sooner?
I get it now.
She did it on purpose.
She wanted us to suffer.
Pochi-chan... you're a total freak!
Just then, she saw Denji walk up to the box, reach in, and grab a piece of meat.
He squeezed it, sniffed it, then his eyes lit up with joy.
"This meat…!"
"What about it?" Akane asked.
"It's lean with just the right amount of fat, super springy... perfect for barbecue!" Denji grinned.
"..."
Akane stared at him for several seconds.
Then suddenly burst into tears.
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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones and don't forget to add library maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.