Chapter 30: Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins
"Have you thought in advance about which devils you'd like to sign a contract with?" Fujii Atsuko asked Otonashi Chiya and Hayakawa Aki as they stepped out of the elevator.
"I'll check out the Fox Devil first," Aki said.
Both the interviewer and Himeno had recommended the Fox Devil to him. He had also heard that many Tokyo Public Safety hunters held contracts with her; she was reportedly friendly toward humans, her abilities were powerful and practical, and the cost of the contract was relatively light.
Otonashi Chiya, on the other hand, replied, "I haven't really decided yet."
"Then let's head to the Fox Devil's room first." Fujii Atsuko led them toward the chamber housing the physical body of the Fox Devil.
The door looked like an ordinary iron gate, but the space inside was surprisingly vast. Crouched there was an enormous Fox Devil. Her appearance was similar to a regular fox but on a massive scale—her head alone was larger than most entire devils. On her head were four pairs of eyes that looked somewhat similar to the "Rinnegan," though their color was red.
And if Chiya remembered correctly, the Fox Devil was female—no wonder she only liked handsome guys.
"Is someone here for a contract again? ...Oh? Two handsome ones, no less." As the Fox Devil spoke, her voice indeed confirmed she was female.
"This is Hayakawa Aki, he's the interested party. The other one is just with us," Fujii Atsuko explained to the Fox Devil.
"I see." The Fox Devil got straight to the point, addressing Aki. "If you want to sign a contract with me, I can let you use my head. As for the price, it will be your skin—and if I'm in a good mood, I might settle for just your hair."
Hearing this, Aki thought for a moment. Just by looking at the Fox Devil's immense size, he knew her strength was guaranteed, and the price was indeed as light as the rumors suggested. This was far better than those bastard devils who demanded an arm or a leg right off the bat.
After making up his mind, Aki replied immediately, "Agreed."
"Then the contract is established. From now on, you can use my power," the Fox Devil stated.
Himeno nudged Aki with her elbow, teasing, "Looks like the Fox Devil is quite fond of your face. Most people are only allowed to use her paws, and the price is never this easy."
Aki knew his senior was mocking him, so he simply remained silent.
Chiya still had no intention of contracting with the Fox Devil. He actually acknowledged her strength—in the original story, the Fox Devil's head could insta-kill most devils, failing only against Weapon Humans or certain special entities.
Roughly speaking, the Fox Devil was stronger than many devils that had consumed fragments of the Gun Devil's flesh. Even knowing that Otonashi Chiya wasn't particularly interested, the Fox Devil didn't say much to him.
"Atsuko, why don't you introduce Otonashi-kun to some stronger devils? Never mind if the price is high or not; it all depends on the devil's mood anyway," Himeno suggested. After all, if the power wasn't substantial, it wouldn't even count as a "buff" for someone like Chiya.
"Just give me a verbal introduction first, then I'll consider whether to meet them in person," Chiya said.
"Alright. There are indeed devils stronger than the Fox Devil. For example, the Future Devil. However, its power is quite specific—it allows you to see things that will happen in the future, so it relies heavily on the hunter's own physical combat skills," Fujii Atsuko explained.
"The price for a contract is also severe. Two people in Public Safety once signed with it; one paid with half their remaining lifespan, while the other gave up their eyes, sense of taste, and sense of smell."
Hearing this, Chiya recalled how much he wanted to complain when he first read the original story. Giving up taste and smell was one thing, but how was one supposed to be a devil hunter without eyes? Did the Future Devil grant a third eye or something?
Of course, they might have been "expendable agents" specifically used as sacrifices so Public Safety could glimpse future events. It wouldn't be surprising; late in the first part of the original manga, Kishibe had several agents sacrifice their lives to contract with the Hell Devil just to send Makima to Hell—though the plan was ultimately ruined by Pochita in his Black Chainsaw form.
"I'm not considering the Future Devil for now. Tell me about the others," Chiya said.
He knew very well that before signing a contract, the Future Devil insisted on seeing the contractor's future, then set a price based on its mood. In the original story, the Future Devil found Hayakawa Aki's "snowball fight" death so amusing that it laughed its head off, asking for a negligible price just so it could witness that death firsthand. Aki's granted power was the ability to see a few seconds into the future.
Not only did that ability clash somewhat with his Mangekyo Sharingan, but Chiya also had no desire to let the Future Devil peer into his destiny. The feeling of being seen through so completely made him uncomfortable.
"Then... the only one left that might fit is the Wrath Devil. If that doesn't work, we could check with other Public Safety branches," Atsuko said, looking a bit awkward. The side effects of this devil were much more severe than the Future Devil's, and she suspected Chiya would likely refuse.
"The Wrath Devil? Tell me more, if it's convenient." Chiya's interest was piqued by the word "Wrath." Wasn't that one of the Seven Deadly Sins?
Also known as "Anger," it signifies hatred, revenge, and the intent to harm others. Dante described it as "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite." Its strength was bound to be immense. He noticed Atsuko's hesitation and figured the price or conditions must be extreme.
"We've only had one instance of someone contracting with the Wrath Devil. Although their strength increased dramatically, if one's will isn't firm enough, it's easy to lose control while in a state of 'Wrath.' As for the price, it wasn't actually that bad—the person only gave up one ear," Atsuko explained in detail.
"However, losing an ear caused a sliver of negative emotion, and that sliver was extremely amplified and twisted into hatred by the 'Wrath' state. After losing control, they were sentenced to death for slaughtering too many of their own comrades."
Atsuko continued, "Actually, the Wrath Devil's appearance is similar to a human woman. She is one of the few devils in Kyoto Public Safety who actively chose to side with humans. Devils that look more human are generally friendlier, which is why the price is light, but the nature of the 'Wrath' ability is a massive test of the contractor's willpower."