The station was too quiet.
Even with dozens of cultists bowing, even with curses writhing in the dark, there was no noise but the steady rattle of chains hidden in the walls. It was like the tunnels themselves were waiting for permission to breathe.
Denji's nerves snapped first.
"Alright, screw this," he growled, yanking Pochita's cord. The roar of the chainsaw tore through the silence, sparks spitting from his arms. "If you're some freaky priest devil, then I'll chop ya up, easy."
The cultists didn't flinch. They bowed lower, foreheads smacking concrete. *Thud. Thud. Thud.*
Geto didn't even move. He only lifted a hand.
From the darkness above, a curse slithered down — a centipede the size of a train car, segments clicking against the tiled ceiling. Its legs screeched sparks as it coiled above Denji, dripping venom.
"Shit!" Himeno shouted, Ghost's hand yanking Denji back just as the centipede struck, snapping its mandibles where his head had been.
Denji stumbled, chainsaws revving. "Oh good, big bug. I hate bugs. This'll be cathartic."
Geto's voice cut through the chaos, calm as ever.
"Do you see, Division 4? Monkeys scream. Curses obey. Tell me—who deserves the throne?"
"Save your sermons," Aki barked, drawing his sword. The Curse Devil's blade shimmered as he charged, slashing upward. Steel met chitin with a shriek, splitting one of the centipede's limbs clean off.
Blood sprayed, but the curse didn't cry out. It didn't even falter. It simply redirected, its many legs crashing toward Aki with mechanical precision.
"Power!" Himeno shouted.
"ALREADY AHEAD OF YOU, PATHETIC HUMAN!" Power's hammer swung, glowing with her blood. She smashed it into the centipede's head, knocking the creature sideways.
The cultists cheered. Not in fear. Not in panic. In reverence. Their voices rose like a hymn:
"ALL CHAINS UNITE. ALL GODS CONSUMED. THE KINGDOM RISES."
The chant made the tunnel walls vibrate. More chains rattled in the dark.
Makima's voice, cool and measured, drifted from the back of the group.
"Geto Suguru. You're not here to kill them. You're here to show them."
Geto's gaze finally shifted toward her. He smiled faintly, like a teacher recognizing his brightest student.
"Precisely."
And with that, every curse in the chamber stirred at once.