“Mankind knew that they could not change society, so instead of reflecting on themselves they blamed the beasts.”
~~~~~
Previously…
“C’mon, slowass.”
Aki scoffed at him.
…He would just wait and see.
He ran after him, slightly running into someone. The individual wore what appeared to be a suit.
“Ah, sorry.” The young, suited man simply gave him a smile and a little wave.
“No problem, safe travels!”
Despite the odd choice of words, Aki continued on as the man watched on.
Y/n glanced over his shoulder, looking at the man who was looking at them. They locked eyes for a single moment.
His look hardened.
Something was up.
~~~~~
Y/n sat in his bed, a determined look on his face. He slowly breathes in and out, closing his eyes as he tries to meditate.
“Cursed…”
The whispers made it hard, but he was used to them at this point. He can feel the world fade around him as he succumbs to light unconsciousness.
Opening his eyes again, he finds himself in the now familiar grassy terrain of his soul. Climbing up the hill, he finds no one there. He was confused, as usually one of the two Vassals would be there to greet him, but not this time…
He sat down from across the rose, staring deep into it.
What was it that he had to figure out? He thinks back to the punch he received from the horned man. What kind of attack was that?
He felt odd, looking at his soul. It looked… tired-
“You.”
His heart jumped as he leaped up, turning around to see an eye out of all things. The large, red eye appeared out of nowhere, leering at Y/n as the area got more and more darker. It was clear it was not here to make peace.
“You will kill all of them.”
Y/n paled slightly. He knew what this thing was. The eerie part about it was that it sounded so much like him. It spoke too casually as if it was a given that it would happen. That it’s inevitable.
He hated it.
“You hate?”
The being tore open the rift in space, revealing its long black claws. The wind picked up. The area got darker. A petal darkens.
“You don’t. You know what you are, and you like it.”
It cackled slightly, as Y/n ran up to it, trying to strike at it.
“Get the hell away from here! I have already defeated you!”
“What!?” it asked incredeously, before howling in laughter.
“There never was a battle!” It said, before reaching out towards Y/n with its massive-
The man immediately woke up, covered in beads of sweat as he slowly got his bearings. His eyes scanned the room as he let loose a breath. The darkness has spread. But how? Why?
At this point, he mentally feels better than he had his whole life. To be honest, his current life is ten times better than his time scrounging around the lands. So what was there to be afraid of, right?
If so, then why does he feel so paranoid?
~~~~~
[Kobeni POV, 1st Person]
The Next Morning
Hello?
Um, can you hear me? Does this thing work? How does this even work…
Hi, um, my name is Kobeni, and I work for the Public Safety! I’m a part of Division Four with the… uh… people. People? Maybe, I don’t even know anymore…
Patrol can be rather nice sometimes, nothing much happens, which I very much prefer. These people stare too much! I should get some mochi or something nice tasting…
I look around at the area around me, usually the place is rather busy, but not as much today. I wonder why? I wonder how Y/n is doing…
I continue on my solo patrol, walking around and staring at the nice-looking sidewalk as I hear a sound emanate from the nearby corner on the street. And I hear screaming!? What is going on?
And then I hear it. The loud, gross-sounding thumps, like a wet sponge slapping against the ground.
What am I looking at? The screams! Ah! What is this thing? Nonononono!
My legs! I can’t feel my legs! I need to go! I have to leave! Why right now?
Flesh… Nothing but pure flesh! It looks as if several people were mashed together into one. Teeth, hair, eyes. Its mouths groaned out in a twisted hint of pain and terror, as the mouths kept chomping at the air. So many eyes littered its body, all of them sporadically moving with animalistic wildness.
It was terrifying.
My lunch poured out of my mouth as the monster crashed into a building, on its three bulbous legs as it grabbed a person with its large, misshapen hand.
“AH! WAIT! SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE-”
Oh god.
The monster bit the man in half, blood spewing out of its mouth and the man. His face etched with pure terror froze, his eyes looking directly at me.
I’m sorry.
I need to go.
I need to run.
I must run.
So why am I not running?
The beast moved towards its next victim, the few stragglers who reacted late to the monster. This thing wasn’t human.
What do I do!?
WhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdo!?
My legs feel as if someone froze them stiff, so cold that moving feels so slow. Breathe, breathe, breathe! I don’t have time for this! I must run! I can my legs slowly gain feeling as I turn away from the horrific scene. I have to be quick-
“MaMa! PlEaSe! GeT uP!”
A child!? Damn it! I dared to look back once…
I wish I didn’t.
It was right there, maybe a few meters away, its arms stretched over. It was so fast! There was no child, only a monster who set a trap.
And I fell for it.
I’m dead. I’m so dead!-
~~~~~
[3rd Person POV]
“Are you this cowardly?”
Her eyes widened in shock, was her life flashing before her eyes? Pure, white space, deep within Kobeni’s consciousness and memories. She was just about to die right now, so why was Y/n here, speaking to her?
“I-”
“You let someone die in front of you. Isn’t it your job to save people?”
Her voice halted as she looked down, tears streaming down her face as she grits her teeth and white-knuckled her shirt. She was terrified out of her mind. The monster triggered her sense of fear so hard, that she almost collapsed pretty much. Its uncanny features, on the thread of both human and monster, its lifeless eyes, and its grinding teeth littered with sinew from the other corpses this thing had consumed.
“What are you doing? Dying here? Really?” Y/n chided, a small glare on his face as he slowly marched toward the scared woman.
“I put my belief in you, Kobeni,” He said as he put a hand on his head, softly rubbing her head.
“I’m so scared…”
“Then get rid of the thing that’s scaring you.” He huffed slightly.
“I said you could get shit done, right? So show me.” He then slowly faded away, the smallest of smiles as Kobeni lay there, frozen and contemplating. She kneeled as rubbed the spot Y/n touched her, her face strangely blank
What was she doing?
She felt her face with her hands, feeling the coolness of the fresh tears.
She can’t.
She can’t die now, she thought.
She had things to do.
A brother to take care of.
A man to feel. To love.
Don’t be scared, she thought. If she was going to die, at least she would do so with some sort of effort. She was scared, so scared she was still trembling.
But she can’t die. Not yet.
“So show me.”
~~~~~
The monster roared out, howling as one of its arms was sliced clean off. Blood spewed all over the spot Kobeni was just at. The beast looked around, before being sliced again across its body. She was a blur at this point, her hand skillfully holding her large knife as she sliced and cut at the amalgamation of human flesh with eloquent violence.
In retaliation, its remaining limbs turned sharp and pointy as it lashed out at the woman, but to no avail. She maneuvered her body over and under, dodging the quick blows before stabbing into the thing. It roared out as she stabbed again, pulling the blade while it was still in the flesh and opening it up. She stabbed again, again, and again as she yelled with her final stab.
It stopped moving.
Kobeni heaved lightly, trying to catch her breath as she blankly stared at the corpse of the monstrosity.
She felt sick to her very stomach.
She just killed someone.
She killed people.
She let people die.
She threw up again, once this thought crossed her mind. Her steely demeanor was now falling apart as her legs and arms trembled like her mouth.
Nonetheless, she still stands. However, a third party watches from above.
A young man stood on a rooftop as he glanced down with a smile.
“Ah, I was having fun with it too…” He muttered to himself as he watched the woman below.
“She’s interesting… No human moves like that.” He laughed to himself as he moved his grey hair out of his face, his grin stretched across his scarred face. He enjoyed the show of pure despair Kobeni was offering, if only he had some food with him, he thought.
“Probably a part of that Public Safety gang…” He mumbled, cupping his chin. He then stops, however, realizing something.
“Public Safety… That’s probably where Chainsaw Man is, but where?” He thinks to himself. He remembers it all too well, the battle between the two of them way in the past. Of course, the Chainsaw was victorious, reducing him to a shell of what he once was. He hated that. He hated that a lot. And so, after going on a tear, he was able to get to the nation of Japan.
He could feel it, the devil was close. He will find him, no matter what.
Even if Japan was reduced to nothing but rubble and ash.
~~~~~
“I wonder how Y/n is doing?” Angel and Aki stood there in the rain. Aki was still slightly put off by the other’s retelling of that Aesop fable. The country mouse and the city mouse, he said. How random.
“Y/n? Do you know him?” Aki asked, curious.
“Nope. I heard tons about that guy though.” The enigmatic devil murmured.
“And you care, why?”
“Dunno.” The angel left it at that, much to Aki’s irritation.
They both stayed silent, as the rain continued to pour around them.
“He’s probably gonna die.”
“... What?”
“He’s gonna die, and bring some people with him.”
“What are you talking about!?” Aki asked.
“Not sure. Just a feeling.” Angel said straight-faced, unknowingly making Aki worried to hell and back.
“Your future… there isn’t one!”
Aki was tired of it, he didn’t know how much he could take at this point. No guarantees, no warnings, no nothing? How the hell was he supposed to react and think? Deranged premonitions? Really? The Future Devil messed him up…
What the hell is going to happen?
It's not a what really, it's more like, how it’s going to happen.
He must stay ready.
~~~~~
Meanwhile, Denji was currently receiving his “education” from the one and only Reze. There was something different, however.
“She’s been gone for a while.” Denji sat in the empty classroom after Reze had to go to the restroom. Normally, he wouldn’t even think about any type of suspicious behavior, especially from a girl, but right now…
“Always trust your gut, Denji, you got people on you, so you have to be aware.”
Denji didn’t want to consider it. It made no sense right? It was by chance that they met, right?
This played to the part where Denji did not tell Y/n about these meetups. He wanted this. He really wanted this. But he was stuck on Makima- No, yes, no! Denji huffed a breath in irritation. Y/n was only trying to keep him safe, but this girl is safe! No problems or suspicions, right? Reze was definitely into him too!
So why did he feel so weird about it-
“I’m back~!”
All of those thoughts immediately faded away to the girl in front of him.
~~~~~
Y/n sneezed, for some reason irritated at something.
“Tch. Sneezing within my soul?” He muttered. He learned not to question the obsolete oddities that existed within this world.
“So you wanna know what that stuff is, huh?” The eyepatched man sat before Y/n.
He and the man across from him were in the soul once again, and Y/n sought more answers.
“Yes. That attack… What the hell was that?”
The man sighed before responding. “Well, he doesn’t exactly tend to lay it out for you cut and dry, so I can see why you're asking. It isn’t exactly easy to explain, though.”
“How so?”
“Well, it's more like a feeling, and that feeling turns into reality.”
Y/n tilted his head, his eyebrows raised as he glared at him.
“What?”
“Damn, that one sucked. Uh, you know how you concentrate during a battle, correct?”
“Right?”
“Think of it like that type of concentration, but tenfold.”
“And how those that explain the attack?” The one-eyed man could only smirk at his inpatient curiousness.
“Getting there. It's like the absolute peak of concentration, you're so focused on the fight that you can see your opponent's pores! With that comes a punch or kick, it doesn’t exactly work with weapons, like yours. It’s a game of chance, however, because it never happens on command.”
Y/n tried to put the pieces together, holding his chin.
“Sounds unreliable.”
“Exactly, you shouldn’t rely on it, but it can happen. One way to increase your odds is to say it.”
“... Say it?” Y/n scoffed slightly.
“No way you're making me yell my attack or whatever?” He said, to eyepatch’s amusement.
“I mean, hey, if you wanna use it right, then yeah.” He said with a grin
“... Forget it.”
“Hah?” The past vassal looked on slightly confused as Y/n stood up.
“What is it called.” He asked so blankly you’d think that you were talking to a robot. He didn’t want to, but if that’s what it takes, then it is what it is. That was until the man in front of him didn’t answer. He began to laugh instead
“Heh, I got a better idea.” The eyepatch man stood up as well. Y/n could feel it, the feelings of menace started to leak out from him as he grinned. What was he about to do?
“Did you think I can just tell you? Really?” He muttered as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.
“This thing is sacred, y’know. I can’t be all willy-nilly about it.” He cracked his fingers.
“Call me Jacques. Can you pronounce that?” The man asked with a large smirk. He took off the gloves he wore, stuffing them into his coat pockets.
He was preparing to fight.
Y/n grimaced, bringing his fists up.
“What? I didn’t even say what I was going to do!”
“Enough with the bull! I see that I have to beat it out of you!” Y/n bent his knees and got into a traditional boxer’s stance. He was prepared to fight, and if need be, kill.
“They say that pain is the best way to learn, after all.” He got in a stance. He bent his knees as he brought his left foot forward, with both of his arms near his face, with his left being farther.
“Come at me.”
Y/n didn’t give him any time to think, as he raced forward at blistering speed, winding up a devastating cross. Jacques blocked it but felt himself being pushed back.
“Not bad.”
With a twist of the body and arms, he rotates around him, aiming a quick jab at Y/n’s side. However, Y/n saw this coming as he also moved, catching the arm midstrike and performing a judo throw.
That would have happened before Jacques hip-checked him, canceling out the judo throw as he held onto Y/n. The two wrestled for dominance before, twisting and turning their bodies in an attempt to gain dominance. It wasn’t before Y/n skillfully aligned his foot next to his opponent’s and pulled, utilizing his back and momentum as he practically threw the man. Along with his more-than-average strength, the man was sent flying, leading to Y/n on the chase.
“Not bad at all.” The eyepatch man said to himself, seeing Y/n come towards his falling body.
‘I got him, right here-’
He was immediately silenced by a fierce heel kick straight to the head, forcing him to look down.
He recovered quickly, his eyes wide.
‘How did he recover so quickly? That’s impossible! The position he was in should have made it impossible for him to even do that!’
“What? Do you think you're the only person with such strength? I was rather strong myself, you know.” He said as he got back into his stance.
Y/n breathed, before locking in.
He went in with a series of punches, pounding against Jacques’ guard. Fast, Jacques tried to duck and roll, but some managed to land a mark.
“C’mon, let's keep going!”
He then went on the offensive as well, firing strikes faster than Y/n’s hitting weak spots that he shouldn’t even be able to reach! Timing was of much importance, so when Jacques made a move, Y/n made his.
He fired a blow straight to Jacques’ face. He ducked, almost as if he was dodging a bullet as the fist barely grazed his head.
“Keep going!”
Y/n was ready to counter as Jacques fired a series of blows. Pressure points, joints, and spaces in between the muscles were all targets for the one-eyed man as he punched and kicked at the man.
The terrain around them was torn apart, the dirt being picked up from the violent and forceful strikes from the men, being escorted out of the way of this fierce battle.
Y/n dodged, ducked, and parried as his focus sharpened. He was getting hit, but how?
Jacques sent a lightning-fast chop towards the gullet, making Y/n, put his forearm up in defense. The attack dug into his arm, shaking the bones within. Jacques fired another attack from the opposite arm, aiming for the abdomen.
He realized that Jacques’ speed was superior to his, so he had to adapt to it. He threw an elbow after a successful parry, effectively landing a harsh blow into his abdomen. Cracks and sounds of breaking emanate as Jacques backs off, holding his side.
“Good… I see you're competent at least.” He said as he breathed harshly. Y/n grunted in reply, his eyes glazed over as he breathed like a wild beast.
“That’s it…” Y/n rushed in again, low to the ground as he aimed an uppercut at the man. He ducked away from the blow, he could feel his hair being picked up from the wind generated from the blow.
‘This guy is strong!’
With a roar, Y/n followed up with a jab from the other arm as Jacques weaved it again.
“If you wanna know, then lemme show you.”
Jacques retaliated, throwing his attacks as his limbs lashed at the man’s body. He fired kicks like they were guns, the sound of his foot hitting flesh echoed into the empty terrain as Y/n almost buckled. He didn’t however as he ducked under another kick before firing his fist at his face. Jacques smiled, as he rolled under it.
There it was, that single, millisecond.
A millisecond that no ordinary person could see or even recognize.
A millisecond of weakness.
Jacques pulled back his fist.
‘Feel this well, Y/n. Feel and hear your potential!’
Concentration.
Fist against flesh.
Black sparks.
Annihilation.
“BLACK
黒
こ
く
閃
せ
ん
FLASH!”
His voice echoed across the whole entire plane as black and red pulsated and sparked around his fist, burying deep into Y/n's stomach.
Y/n was immediately sent flying, rolling on the ground as the sparks dissipated.
“Huh, I didn’t think it would activate.” He said as he shook his hand.
“Your body is super tough too… Usually, that heel kick would’ve caved in your skull…” He mumbled to himself as Y/n choked and coughed, holding his stomach to where the Black Flash landed.
“Do you feel it? Your insides should have been turned to mush, pretty much. The Black Flash increases the power of the attack by, lets say, ten times? Maybe, if my math is right.” He mumbled to himself at the end.
Y/n coughed out as he stood up, a harsh glare being sent towards the man in front of him.
“RAAH!”
He charges, seemingly undeterred from the attack much to Jacques’ shock and excitement.
“Good! Very good! However…”
Y/n immediately paused. So did the world around them.
“Your time is up, friend. You know how it is, call it out from within your soul, and land that blow!”
The whole area faded to black as Y/n once again stands within his room. It wasn’t too late in the day, it was eight in the evening. He glances at his fist, and clenches it.
“I see…”
He needs to go out. Nothing like another fight to make sense of all the shit he heard (and felt).
And so out he went, fully geared up with his massive blade as he took off into the night. He studied the darkened terrain around him, devils usually spring up around this time-
‘What?’
He feels an itch on his cursed mark.
Something was near, but where?
He follows the feelings of pain and his instincts as he goes out to find whatever spiked it. He couldn’t control the small grin on his face. Maybe he could test that move out?
~~~~~
(Talk about a mood setter)
A girl hummed to herself as she walked throughout the quiet street, the rain had died off as she walked. People dotted the streets, paling in comparison to the busyness of midday.
Notably, the tune she sang was not of the Japanese language.
Her blank eyes only gazed forward.
She walked, just thinking. The boy she has managed to wrap around her finger, the bait was successful. She just needed a little more…
They were supposed to meet again for a festival tomorrow night, it would be the perfect time to execute. Something was off, though. The boy seemed slightly more standoffish. Just slightly, but she was able to expertly pick it up.
What caused it? She wondered to herself. She knew that he was a part of Public Safety, those people can easily be dealt with, but it's more towards the concern for him. Not a problem for her.
She huffed a small smile, everything was going according to plan. The Chainsaw will be theirs.
Her ears catch something, emanating from the streets behind her.
A clank. A shuffle.
She turned around, and her blood turned ice cold.
It was him.
It’s him.
(0:50)
The Black Swordsman.
The streetlights barely lit up his hulking body, his sword drawn to his side as the people around scurry away.
The clanks that was generated from his heavy footsteps, his breaths.
She was told, she remembered, she was told not, in any circumstances, run into and fight the man shrouded in black. The looks she saw from her commanders made her confused. The raw terror that was worn on their faces as they described the man, sternly telling her not to cross his path. What did he do that made them so paranoid? Nonetheless she was curious. She was powerful, very powerful, what couldn’t she defeat? She passed it off as more paranoia, and nothing more.
She wasn’t curious anymore.
The clanking of metal.
The shadows.
The massive, hulking slab of iron.
The aura of raw, violent menace choked her, usurping her own menace.
Her mind ran at a million thoughts a second. Was she found out? She can’t afford to blow her cover here. Not now. Please. She swallowed the spit pooling in her mouth as her skin stung, sweat starting to form on her face as she looked at the lumbering form of malice.
She was absolutely confused, this man, this human generating so much evil? She was strong, so why was it that she cowered so quickly?
The monster quickened its pace.
She looped her fingers around the pin on her neck and-
The ground exploded in between them as a devil came through the ground, barreling through the cement of the street and towards the swordsmen.
“Cursed has come!” It yelled out before pursing the said cursed.
The girl couldn’t even laugh at the convenience as she raced away from the devil and the real threat.
She could hear the tearing of flesh and the slamming of steel as the devil was then silenced. She ran as fast as she could.
She didn’t want anything to do with that.
That waits for tomorrow, she thought, she looked back at the scene…
He was looking at her. His face covered in crimson as he stood on the now dead devil, his eyes piercing her soul.
She didn’t look back.
Y/n stood there, looking at the direction of another feeling he had from his mark. He was chasing down the source of it where he was currently at, but it then split off. He didn’t even notice the other source until the devil was dead.
(End Music)
Something was amis.
Something was definitely going on.
And god damn it he was going to get to the bottom of it.
~~~~~
That. Is. A. Wrap! Sorry for the wait, everyone, I have been rather busy these past few days, or rather weeks, I suppose. With that and traveling halfway through the US, it gets hard to write. Add that on with some writers block and then… yeah.
Anyways, developments!
Kobeni gets attacked by a flesh monster thing created by a devil, and was able to overcome her fears and defeat it! She isn’t going to be the coward you know her as…
Denji, poor Denji is whipped by Reze’s charm. Should have listened to Y/n man.
Poor Reze, utterly petrified by Y/n. She didn’t really know what she was getting into when she saw him. If I was her I probably would’ve passed out…
Now onto the good stuff, the Black Flash! It was pretty obvious once I mentioned sparks of black and the such. I thought it was a super cool move, so I thought why not incorporate it? Obviously, its not going to be the same since theres no cursed energy, but I’ll work around it!
This arc is gonna be short, compared to the next upcoming one (which I am very excited about), so stay tuned!
Anyways, thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next chapter! Buh bye ;)