The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

"..."

It's hard to describe how a skull resembling a goat's head could convey an expression of utter bewilderment, but everyone present witnessed this bizarre spectacle.

"The audacity to speak of 'face' with me—" Although the Darkness Devil didn't verbalize it, Shoko figured that was the sentiment.

It was perfectly reasonable. Devils operated on a strict power hierarchy. While technically both primordial fears, the Darkness Devil could squash Shoko like a bug. Bringing up their shared "primordial" status was delusional.

"Damn it, I can't reach the cord…!"

Seeing the Darkness Devil slowly raise a finger towards Shoko, Denji, realizing his severed hands couldn't reach his chest to transform, panicked and charged.

He was no match for the Darkness Devil. Fortunately, the Shark Fiend intercepted him, preventing him from being bisected.

Denji's impulsive action sent chills down Shoko's spine. If Denji died here, her plans were toast!

Time to stop messing around. Deal with this Darkness Devil, stat.

Luckily, two quick-thinking Public Safety elites, unaffected by the fear gripping the Fiends or the distraction affecting Aki and Himeno, had recovered from their initial shock. Faced with the choice of launching a futile attack or wishing, they chose the latter.

"Desire Devil! Drive away the Darkness Devil!"

Without hesitation, they shouted their wish.

Drive away the Darkness Devil… me?

Shoko was momentarily speechless. She wasn't sure whether to admire their faith in her power or their overestimation of their own worth.

Human wishes were bound by a fundamental law: the wish couldn't exceed the maximum price they could pay.

Even if these two offered everything they had… it might inconvenience the Darkness Devil for a second.

Should she be grateful they didn't wish for it to be killed? Because that would have been hilarious.

Despite her inner exasperation, the situation was dire. Shoko had to act.

Mirroring the Darkness Devil, she extended a finger.

"Light."

The instant her voice fell, her extended hand exploded into gore. Simultaneously, a soft yet brilliant light filled the shadowed space.

There was no discernible source, but every corner, even the insides of their mouths when they opened them, glowed. Not a single shadow remained.

To dispel darkness, light was the obvious solution.

Luckily, Shoko had a Spark Lens. While transforming into Ultraman Tiga wasn't feasible, she could amplify the light generated by the Devil Hunters' wish.

The effect was immediate. The Darkness Devil vanished, reappearing outside the illuminated area.

Based on Shoko's assessment, the Darkness Devil, despite its fearsome reputation, was likely far weaker than Tiga. If she transformed here, could she obliterate all of Hell...?

"Amazing! She actually repelled the Darkness Devil?!"

The two Devil Hunters cheered, then clutched their eyes, screaming. The price of their wish – their eyeballs had vanished. They'd need transplants.

And that was with Shoko mitigating the cost. Without her intervention, they would have lost the ability to see, even conceptually.

"Not repelled, it just dislikes this environment." Shoko spread her hands innocently. "Light is disgusting to the Darkness Devil, like how humans generally avoid cesspools. But if it wanted to, it could wade through the light and kill us all."

"This level of light might work on small fry possessing Darkness Devil flesh, but it's just a mild irritant to the real deal."

"But… it doesn't seem to want to come closer…?"

Himeno knelt, staring at the Darkness Devil lurking in the shadows, puzzled. "Does it… not want to kill us anymore?"

"As if. Chainsaw Man's heart is the hottest commodity in Hell right now~"

Shoko approached Denji, pulling his starter cord. The whirring of chainsaws filled the air as Denji transformed, his severed hands regenerating along with the blades.

Stopping Denji from rushing towards certain doom, Shoko chuckled. "The Darkness Devil hasn't moved for one reason: this level of weakening might affect its fight with another devil."

"Another…?"

Everyone looked at Denji. Only the legendary Chainsaw Man could rival the Darkness Devil.

"Not Denji. He's not strong enough yet~"

Shoko turned towards the emerging Spider Devil, grinning. "Right, Makima?"

The Spider Devil's zipper, running from its head down its body, unzipped, splitting the devil in two. Makima stepped out, expressionless.

She glanced at Shoko's bleeding shoulder, then raised a hand towards the Darkness Devil.

The Darkness Devil, not one to back down, retaliated instantly.

In a blink, Makima's arm twisted grotesquely, blood gushing from her orifices.

Was this Makima's defeat?

No. The Darkness Devil suffered far worse. Its goat-like head was ripped from its neck, rolling to the side.

Direct confrontation with the Darkness Devil was foolish. Neither could truly kill the other. It was a pointless display of force, but Makima seemed satisfied.

Flicking the severed head away, Makima controlled the unfortunate human possessed by the Doll Devil.

"Hell Devil, I offer you everything…"

Seeing Makima about to flee, the Darkness Devil lunged, its blade piercing Makima's body and bisecting the controlled puppet.

But under Makima's power, the severed head spoke its final words.

"Please… let us return."

A giant hand emerged, shielding them from the Darkness Devil.

Then, they saw familiar cityscapes and buildings, as if their time in Hell had been a hallucination.

"Well, we're back~"

Shoko stretched luxuriously. Aside from Denji, who'd regenerated his hands as Chainsaw Man, she and Makima, both missing a hand, were the only ones capable of such a gesture.

Looking at the severed hands scattered around, Shoko sighed. "Never seen so many hands in my life. Right, Makima—?"

Suddenly, she was pulled into an embrace. She was used to this by now. Besides, Makima's hugs were more… pleasant than Denji's.

Missing a hand didn't diminish the delightful squish of her chest pads.