"Why? You're not the one I wanted to summon at all!"
Akira muttered to himself. He wanted to summon Conqueror King because he was powerful, easy to get along with, and would be a great helper in this perilous Marvel Universe.
However, Makima is also very strong. If he could get her help, Akira could walk sideways on this Earth, where all sorts of monsters and demons hadn't yet emerged.
As a fan of the "chainsaw man" manga, Akira knew exactly what kind of woman Makima was: powerful, incredibly shrewd, with no lack of courage and cunning. She was not someone he could handle. However, the Makima he summoned with the Entry seemed to have a peculiar reaction to his state, so perhaps he could try.
"I need your help. This World is even more dangerous than your original World. Disasters that can destroy the World happen frequently, so I need a powerful helper."
After saying this, Akira continued to Makima:
"Don't you devils make contracts? Make a contract with me, Miss Makima!"
Makima became interested and asked:
"You want to make a contract with me, to use my power? Of course, you can. Tell me what you want."
She thought Akira wanted to make a contract with her to gain great power, which seemed normal to her. Most people who make contracts with devils do so for immense power.
"No!" Akira shook his head: "My contract is: Be my family, Miss Makima!"
"Ah!" Makima was stunned, unsure how to react for a moment.
As the Control Devil, Makima had never heard of such a contract. She had always conquered and controlled others through fear; the word 'family' had never appeared in her life.
Akira knew this, which is why he proposed such a contract to Makima. As the Control Devil, Makima yearned to establish equal relationships with others, even to create an equal World, but she couldn't. She could only establish hierarchical relationships through absolute power, which wasn't what she wanted.
That's why she wanted to control chainsaw man, to make him eliminate all the unpleasant things in the World, even going to the extreme of having chainsaw man eat her. Because when a devil is eaten by chainsaw man, even its name and concept disappear from the World. If she were eaten, the concept of control would disappear, and the World would become equal. Of course, she ultimately failed and became ginger-fried meat.
Makima suddenly smiled: "Alright, my request is also for you to become my family. Then the contract is formed!"
"We are already family. How about a family hug!" Makima tilted her head, looking at Akira.
"A hug?" Akira stepped forward and embraced Makima.
So soft, Makima, you really are the Hug Devil!
"Meow! Akira, what are you doing? Who is this woman?"
Akira's pant leg was clutched by a paw. It was Hajime.
"No sense at all, you stupid cat!" Akira muttered to himself, then said to Makima:
"Oh, I forgot to introduce her. Hajime is also my family."
"A talking kitten. I like small animals too, especially puppies."
Makima squatted down and held Hajime in her arms. "Are you also my family? My name is Makima."
Hajime initially tried to struggle but quickly settled comfortably into Makima's embrace.
"Meow!"
Seeing Hajime like this, Akira was a bit speechless. A single hug and she switched allegiances. Is she really the Hug Devil?
Rumble rumble! Creak creak!
The ground suddenly vibrated violently, and the furnishings inside the house began to creak.
"An earthquake?"
As soon as Akira reacted, the tremor disappeared. Besides some fallen furniture, nothing else could prove an earthquake had occurred.
New York is not on an earthquake belt; such a strong tremor only happens once every decade or so.
"Not an earthquake, an explosion."
Makima's senses were very keen. She could tell that the tremor was not caused by plate movement, but by an explosion underground.
"Huh! Could it be another major event?"
Something like this happening in New York clearly meant a major event was about to unfold.
"Why do you say that? Is this kind of thing common?" Makima didn't understand Akira's use of the word "again."
Akira said: "Ah, this is standard procedure in this World. Major events happen every now and then. We don't need to worry; there will be taller people to handle it."
"That's truly amazing!"
He picked up all the fallen furniture. Fortunately, Akira's home had no fragile items, so a quick tidying restored it to its original state.
Back on the sofa, Akira wasn't concerned about why the explosion happened; others would resolve it. He was more interested in something else at the moment.
"Um, Makima, I have a question for you."
"Hmm?" Makima looked puzzled.
"What is your current strength, and what abilities do you have?"
"Oh, you're concerned about that!" Makima stroked her chin and said:
"Because I came to this World, I and the devil humans I control have lost contact. This means I can't use their abilities anymore, and the contracts I made with others have also been severed. So, now I only have martial arts and my original control ability."
"A huge nerf!"
Akira felt like scratching his head. Makima had been severely weakened. In the "chainsaw man" World, Makima's strength was so great mainly because she controlled a large number of devils and humans. Those controlled by Makima would have their bodies and minds completely under her sway and would madly adore her. Furthermore, Makima could use the abilities of those she controlled, and any damage she received would be transferred to them.
Moreover, in that World, Makima had also made a contract with the Prime Minister of Japan, the content of which was to transfer any attacks Makima received as illnesses and accidents to the Japanese citizens. This created Makima's powerful immortality.
Now all of that was gone, and Makima's strength had taken a huge dive.
Should I find time to visit Japan? Akira was already contemplating bringing warmth to the people of Japan in the Marvel Universe.
"Are you worried that my strength isn't enough? Don't worry about that. I just need some time, and I can control some devils again to increase my strength."
Akira nodded. He still had great faith in Makima's abilities.
Just as Akira was about to examine the Entries above Makima's head, Makima spoke, interrupting him.
"Someone's outside, and they're badly injured."
Knock knock knock!
No sooner had Makima's words fallen than Akira's door was knocked.
[entry]—[Biological Radar]Akira didn't always equip it; otherwise, the amount of information would be too overwhelming for his brain to process.
But the only person who would know Akira's residence and be injured could only be him.
Akira opened the office door, and indeed, outside was Matt Murdoch, leaning against the wall and unconscious.
"Matt, how did you get beaten up like this again!"
Helping Matt into the office, Akira felt speechless. Every time he saw Matt, he was always covered in injuries. Is your default appearance just being injured?
Moreover, Akira looked at the top of Matt's head, where there was another new [entry]—[Legendary Kill-Resistant King].
You're dropping gold coins again, Lawyer Murdoch!