One above all

by Abusamadres-Sama

In 1977 Kishibe found a child among a massacre where a family used to live, he decides to take the child with him until he finds a new home. Meanwhile in another place the Control Devil learns that she must become someone perfect to get to the top and be someone who can achieve anything. And that means using people too.

23. Yuck, insects

Chapter 23: A Day Like Any Other at Work.

Notes: As I write these notes, I'm fairly certain that this chapter might not be that long.

Maybe.

Well, we'll see.

But first, just like before, I want to take my time to say hello to the fanfiction community. I'm going first with the ones from chapter 21.

Gwynx:

It really was very cute, wasn't it? And there are still more cute moments between them that will make you vomit rainbows.

Sometimes they tell you to value your own work, so I will do it this time and I will agree with you that I shined with that chapter, I feel very proud of the result.

AsapCodi:

Thanks for your comment. I had my doubts if you guys would like the way I wrote the internal conflicts between Hiro and Makima. I wanted to give that feeling that everything started with uncertainty and fear, and then end with a feeling of warmth that made you understand that everything had finally been resolved between the two most important characters in this story. Because the idea was to get them both out of the biggest conflict they had faced so far, one day it had to come and in any case it was very necessary to investigate the thoughts of Hiro and Makima, especially Makima who was the one who had a wrong and sad idea. throughout that process.

I also agree that the best way for writers to better develop their characters is by narrating their conflicts, every detail is important, even the smallest can lead you to a different perspective of the character.

GeneralShepard:

That's probably the best way to describe that chapter in a few words.

RubixJr:

Thanks, bro.

AssassinSlayer101:

I appreciate your nice words man. I'm glad that chapter 21 made you feel all that. I know that feeling when a story leaves an impact on your life in some way, even if it's small, especially when they are such important chapters that they leave you thinking too much. So your words make me happy too, because it confirms that I am doing well for now.

Although I don't think writing a Hiro who gets out of control is in my plans, it would be very contradictory to the way I've been writing him and it wouldn't look good at all. In any case, I consider that Makima would be the first to lose control of her, and Hiro would be the only one who could calm her down, as you see, only Hiro can make her reconsider many things.

And I'll also scream like a crazy bitch when I write a scene with a kiss included, in the future of course.

Now let's go to the comments of chapter 22.

Gwynx:

Thanks he he :)

AssassinSlayer101:

Thanks again for your words. In these three years that I have been writing, I always try to improve my reading skills as best I can. I always try to make all the characters read naturally most of the time, although sometimes it becomes difficult, but I give my best in each chapter.

And once again, I do not regret having started to translate this story into English.

GeneralShepard:

Hell yeah, AI is much better at translating than Google Translate, if you can understand this story better this way, then I will continue using it, although sometimes I may miss some details that I usually fix when I review the whole chapter before publishing it, always tell me if you still find errors.

Saint-Mj:

Um, sorry? I never thought I'd find a person who would complain about that, in any case most people, including me, complain because a story doesn't have enough paragraphs of narration.

The fact that I start to recount everything that the characters are thinking is something that's very necessary at the end of the day. It's something I usually enjoy when reading a story, and it greatly helps in adding more depth to the characters or whatever we're reading in the process. For my part, I don't believe it's something I could change, even if I wanted to, as it all comes naturally to me when I write. I'm not a fan of stories with very few narrative paragraphs; they feel quite empty to me, and sometimes, it highlights the lack of effort the author puts in, although it can vary because not everyone writes the same way. Also, remember that in Chapter 21, it was crucial to expand this narrative usage further. Hiro and Makima had many things on their minds that needed to be laid out; it would seem very odd if they hadn't thought everything through in detail, especially with Makima, who was wrestling with so many things at that moment.

So, to sum it up, I don't believe I can change what you're complaining about, as it's as I mentioned, something that comes naturally to me and something I enjoy doing. Sometimes, the quality of a story can be measured in how the author interprets everything their characters think and in how they unfold all their feelings and emotions. I'm not sure if I'm getting my point across, but well.

Still, I apologize if I made you go through a frustrating experience reading this. It's just that, as I mentioned, I never expected to find someone who would complain that I write too much. Like, what the heck man? This doesn't happen every day. But perhaps you're not accustomed to this style of writing, and that's perfectly understandable. We all go through the same thing, but you'll get used to it eventually. Still, sorry about that.

PS: I'm also going to pretend that your words didn't affect me more than they should :) but I brought it on myself when I told you guys not to refrain from even leaving your complaints, So don't pay attention to me here.

Houses of The Unholy:

Your words made me feel better again. I think you're right; maybe I should appreciate my work more often. But it's always challenging when you know you can't always please everyone. Hiro and Makima's relationship is really beautiful Isn't it? I have many more scenarios that I hope you enjoy. Perhaps it won't take long for both of them to realize they're in love, hahaha. Denji will certainly be very jealous when we reach the canon, but he'll get over it.

Thanks for your compliments. There isn't a day that goes by when I don't wonder if what I'm doing is right, but so far, most people have enjoyed what I've written, and it motivates me a lot to continue with this.

Well, fuck it, I'm done.

0O0O

It was around 2:30 in the afternoon, and the sun was at its peak, illuminating the streets and radiating its constant warmth. The day, in general, was beautiful to say the least; there was not a person walking the streets without a purpose in mind.

It was a common thought because Tokyo was a city known for its consistency, very consistent, in fact. It seemed like there wasn't a Japanese person who had nothing to do, especially on just the second day of the week, so work activities and agendas were still pending.

Everyone was working.

If everyone wanted this country to progress and not fall behind other world powers like the United States and the Soviet Union, they all had to contribute to developing the country as much as possible.

That also meant that all defense lines, even the smallest ones, had to carry out their daily routines to maintain the hard-earned consistency.

Security in Tokyo, and practically all of Japan, had been maintained at normal levels, even somewhat acceptable. Violence persisted; there was no crime-free city, so no one could boast of being the "safest city in the world." But cases like thieves, criminals, and organized crime, in general, were left to the police officers and detectives nationwide. It didn't matter if their world included beings from the underworld; they couldn't afford to lose security and intelligence agencies, even if they were traffic officers or special forces soldiers. Everyone would be necessary at the end of the day.

But despite the equal priority given to all agencies, there was an unspoken agreement that the Japan Public Security Agency, responsible for devil extermination, was considered the most important of all, above all police forces. It was contradictory to give more benefits to devil hunters, but one had to think carefully and put themselves in their shoes to realize that the lives of these people were not always rosy.

The same could be said for almost any security agency, but they paled in comparison to the experiences lived by devil hunters, who often couldn't even recount their own stories because they tended to die before sharing their versions or how their work affected their lives. In the end, everything would come to light through people who could barely hold conversations with them.

So, the least they could do was give Public Security a little more priority; it would eventually bear fruit, and hunter agencies were recognized worldwide, even above the military forces of each country.

Over time, the world got used to the idea that hunters were the country's first line of defense, even though it seemed surreal to categorize people who dressed in elegant suits and looked cool wearing them as such. But, one had to admit that only hunters were capable of protecting them from devils.

Even if it hurt the guys in military academies, training to the death, only to end up with a lower rank than people who dressed well and looked great doing it.

Everyone would also admit they had style.

Perhaps that's why no one was surprised by what happened today.

Kishibe stared at his reflection in the cafe bathroom mirror. There were many ways to describe his face—tired, sad, melancholic, with a hint of post-traumatic stress he had learned to deal with over the years. But it was always there, deeply hidden, ready to remind him of his suffering and mistakes at the most inconvenient moments.

Damn, he looked worn out. The years hadn't been kind to him in any sense. The things he had been through had damaged his mind to the point where he had started seeing the world differently a long time ago, although he couldn't quite remember exactly when it had begun.

Perhaps the biggest change he had undergone was to his personality. If he had the chance to meet his past self somehow, that version of him would probably be horrified to see how he had ended up due to this job.

As he looked in the mirror, an intrusive and experimental thought crossed his mind. He smiled; he wanted to see how one of his many smiles from the past would look on his current face, which contrasted so much with his youthful and confident self.

Kishibe knew that his extroverted personality had died many years ago, or perhaps it was he who had forced it to die. But he didn't miss it, or something like that. He couldn't quite describe it, but all that came to mind was that maybe he had simply matured, even if it hadn't been the way he had wanted. In the end, he had fulfilled his duty to become mostly serious in his work.

Something that Yuna should have been relatively happy about, he supposed. She must have thought it was one of the things that had been good for his personality.

When he started as a hunter, he did it extravagantly, claiming he would be one of the best of his generation, and no one could argue otherwise. He threw it in Yuna's face and in the faces of the higher-ups as if it were a kind of prophecy. He even said it to Quanxi at times as a way to flirt with her, and time had proven him right in the end. Everyone praised his work and his skills; they considered him a prodigy in his field, and he was respected by many agencies in the country. Many important people also commended his work; people like the Prime Minister had given him their complete trust for external jobs beyond devil extermination and assured him that as long as he was alive, the government would grant him any whim that crossed his mind.

He had achieved what he wanted when he started in this line of work—recognition, fame, respect, titles, and many other things he had dreamed of as a child.

Things he naively thought would come easily without any consequences.

Although he did achieve it in the end.

But when he finally realized he had obtained it all, he didn't care in the slightest. Perhaps it was because recognition came too late for him to enjoy it properly, or because he was always destined to end up this way.

Traumatized by all the experiences he had lived through, all the times he had killed, all the times he had failed, all the damage his body had endured over the years, all the things he had hoped for that never happened or were never allowed to happen.

A long list of regrets that he wasn't willing to remember in more detail today.

But as it always happened, some memories tended to escape, whether he wanted them to or not.

"Are you sure? You can always choose the second option I offered you."

"... "

"I don't think you're that sure, but if you want, you can try to see how this affects you in the long run. Who knows, maybe things will go better than I imagined."

"No... I think I'd rather stay here... You're very kind and cool, but... I think I'll stay here."

"... Alright."

Kishibe's smile faded immediately as one of his worst memories slipped through. It only served to remind him once again of the reason he had ended up like this.

He came to a resolution.

The happy and confident man he had once been no longer existed, replaced by the cold, indifferent, and sad man he was now.

This job had made him this way, and he would never be the same again. It had only brought him pain and several regrets in life, but it was too late to change his mind.

It was too late.

15 years too late.

15 years in which he had done everything to stay alive, hoping that everything would return to normal, that his life would regain the same brilliance he had lived in his youth.

But it didn't happen, and it probably never would.

Maybe this was a way the world had given him to stay alive while he was in this job.

After all, his descent into madness was like a double-edged sword; it screwed him over big time, but it also gave him an excuse for demons to think twice before fighting him.

Now all that was left of him was a tired face, with distant eyes that had lost their sparkle long ago, and the unmistakable scar sewn into his cheek.

'Fuck this'

Kishibe grew tired of thinking further and left the bathroom. As he emerged, he noticed that the café was starting to get a bit busier; more people were coming in to take seats at the various tables inside.

However, he had decided it would be better to sit outside so they wouldn't miss any anomalies. After all, they still had a duty to fulfill.

As he walked to his table, he spotted Quanxi and Hiro still there, enjoying their drinks.

Hiro was dressed casually, in a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, black pants, and white sneakers. He looked out at the city, appreciating the size of some of the buildings and how insignificant he felt compared to them.

Basically, he appeared peaceful and calm.

Just like he did at his age.

Kishibe allowed himself one last thought, a question that had been on his mind for a while and would probably only be answered many years from now.

Would Hiro have ended up the same way he did if he had never accepted to train him?

"When you told me I'd be joining you at work, this wasn't what I expected" Hiro remarked when Kishibe finally sat down.

"What did you expect, then?" Kishibe inquired, leaning back in his chair.

Hiro shrugged, looking thoughtfully at his drink. "I don't know, something less tedious, like not walking around all day, with occasional stops to smoke or drink, or looking in the dirtiest alleys of the city. I don't know man, something more... devil hunter-like?"

"Do you know that not everything is about killing devils, right?" Kishibe sighed. "Always keep this in mind, kid. Not every day will you be hunting devils around the city. It's not like we're just running around chasing monsters like it's some kind of competition. Sometimes it's better to keep it as calm as possible"

He looked up at the sky. "That's because most devils prefer to attack in broad daylight, so you don't even need to look for them first. It's like they have a huge ego that tells them it's better to attack when everyone's watching... because that way, everyone can see them for what they are." Kishibe left an important piece of information there.

Hiro didn't take long to understand. "Oh! That's because they want everyone to see them to inspire fear" he realized "That way, they become stronger because they feed on fear... That makes sense."

Kishibe nodded, satisfied with his response "Correct, that's the strongest method they have to grow stronger, because if they manage to create chaos in the process, they will cause a lot of panic around them, and the fear they were born with will spread to many more people. But on the other hand, it's kind of stupid; they just come to us on a silver platter, and then we finish them off. It's easier that way, less work to deal with."

Hiro nodded, taking every detail into account. "Now I understand; I think everything we've been doing makes more sense now."

When school ended, Kishibe and Quanxi didn't take long to take him with them, but not before stopping by their apartment to change clothes, as it would be uncomfortable to spend the whole day in their school uniforms.

For the past two hours, all they had been doing was walking around the city, even reaching places Hiro had never been before.

"But was it really necessary to walk everywhere?"

"It's called patrolling, and yes, it's very necessary. As a hunter, you can't stay vigilant in one place for too long. You can always be needed elsewhere, and even if you can't be everywhere at once, you always strive to finish quickly in one area and move on to the next. In this case, it's essential to make sure all potential places are monitored at least once a day, so we're better prepared in case of an attack" Kishibe explained again.

"Oh, that... makes a lot of sense too."

Well, that also gave an answer to all these walks; what Kishibe was explaining was valuable information he hoped he would never forget. It made sense for them to do all this; patrolling was of the utmost importance if it meant staying alert at all times for a potential devil attack, even on calm days. Devils preferred to be seen in broad daylight, and it made sense to monitor open areas.

Wow, today, he was learning more than yesterday.

This was more productive than reading all day. Hiro decided he liked accompanying Kishibe and Quanxi to work, even if he didn't do it every day. He was sure he could learn something from them while watching them in action, even if they never encountered a devil.

Hiro wished he had a diary, so it would be easier to remember all the things he learned from both of them. Maybe someday he would get one if he could remember that too.

"Hey, but is it legal for us to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Hiro spun his wrist in a circle, pointing to the three of them. "All this, taking a minor to a job like this."

"I don't know... Does it matter? It's not like they're going to fine me for it."

"How can you be so sure?" Hiro narrowed his eyes at Kishibe.

"I just know..."

He sighed, unconvinced "If you say so..." Hiro believed deep down that this was not legal at all.

But Kishibe and Quanxi didn't care about that at all.

Quanxi stood with her arms crossed and her good eye closed, appearing calm, but her mind and body always managed to stay alert in case of any environmental anomalies.

It was like a sixth sense that both she and Kishibe had developed to detect danger, read the environment, and feel even the slightest change in the air that wasn't there before.

Today was no different.

Her eye snapped open when she finally felt it. Kishibe straightened in his chair with the same look, serious and alert, and, as always, with the most trained eyes in the world.

They both felt it at the same time; something was amiss in the environment. It was as if the entire place had suddenly been filled with a sinister aura, but only they could pinpoint it accurately because they had experienced it before.

Hiro noticed only the change in their demeanor, how they went from looking relaxed to very alert in an instant. He knew this very well because he had learned to distinguish their normal faces from their serious ones, which might not have made much of a difference to most people, but he had spent three years with them. He could easily tell right now that something was wrong.

"What's happening?" he asked, looking at them carefully.

"Nothing" Kishibe replied as he gazed across the street with interest. "Just our routine job."

Hiro was about to ask what he meant by that, but a slight tremor interrupted him. He tentatively looked at his drink and realized that the liquid was shaking.

And it wasn't because he was holding it; his drink was on the table, so something else was causing the movement.

And unless someone with very large and heavy shoes was walking around, something else was causing it...

Something that was probably beneath them.

Another tremor.

And another.

And another.

They came more frequently and became more constant, as if confirming that the source was below them.

Finally, the tremors merged into one that shook the entire place.

"What's happening!?" Hiro demanded, trying to get an answer from both hunters while struggling to find something solid to hold onto.

Kishibe's legs.

He had no idea how Kishibe managed to stay completely still while everything around them was moving. Was it some kind of hidden power?

Chaos was erupting all around; everyone inside the café rushed outside, trying to find a safe place to shield themselves from whatever was happening.

Hiro could only watch anxiously as many people panicked and screamed out of fear.

"When will this stop!?" he yelled, hoping they would hear him amid all the noise.

Hiro was to Kishibe's right, holding onto his legs with all his strength. Then, suddenly, he found himself to Kishibe's left as he moved him with ease and speed. It took him two seconds to realize he had changed places.

"Huh? Why did you..."

Hiro cut himself off when, out of nowhere, a massive leg, resembling that of a spider, burst from the ground at the exact spot where he had been standing moments ago. His eyes widened with surprise and horror at the sight.

Kishibe didn't give him a chance to appreciate it further as he skillfully and swiftly unsheathed one of his katanas from his back and sliced through the enormous leg as if it were butter.

The limb fell gracelessly to the ground, oozing some kind of greenish fluid that Hiro assumed was its blood.

"Is that...?" Hiro tried to describe what he was seeing, all while trying to comprehend the timing between when he saw the leg emerge from the ground and when Kishibe cut it.

Everything happened so fast, in the blink of an eye.

Kishibe was too fast to the naked eye.

Kishibe still held his katana in his hand and looked dispassionately at the spider-like leg. "The leg of a giant spider, yes, it must be that" he said, glancing at Hiro. "And it seems it tried to attack you first. Not that it's strange; you looked like an easy target."

Hiro swallowed hard, his heart racing. "If you hadn't moved me, I..." He didn't even want to think about how it would have ended in an instant if it weren't for Kishibe.

"It would have been over for you in that instant," Kishibe finished for him.

Hiro looked at him with concern. "How did you know it was going to appear in that spot?"

"Intuition... and also" he tapped his head with a finger "They told me"

"They?" Hiro asked, suddenly feeling curious. He didn't realize that the tremors had already stopped, but he still didn't move away from Kishibe. "Who are 'they'?"

"US!" A voice joined the conversation as if a fourth person were standing right in front of them.

Hiro jumped in surprise and terror at the sudden voice. "Who the hell said that!?" His eyes scanned the area in search of an individual.

"ME!" the voice replied again, as if it were a simple way to introduce itself.

"Who are you!?"

"ME!"

"Who are you!?"

"ME!"

"Who are you!?"

"THAT WOULD BE ME!"

Kishibe rubbed the bridge of his nose while observing this interaction. Beside him, Quanxi appeared alert, scanning the surroundings for more dangers, but her features betrayed a hint of amusement.

This couldn't get any more absurd.

"Kid, don't panic over what you hear" Kishibe spoke, capturing the boy's attention. "And you, stop shouting so much; you're bursting my eardrums" he reprimanded, addressing one of the voices in his head.

"Tch, what's wrong with making a good entrance? You're no fun, human" the same voice replied with a bored tone.

Hiro remained as confused as he was insecure about what was currently happening. "What... What is all this? Where is that voice coming from?"

"Well, it clearly comes from me, you stupid kid!" exclaimed, Hiro could bet that it sounded offended.

Well, he was offended too. "A-and exactly who are you!? And for your information, I'm not stupid!"

"The last part is very debatable, and to answer your question..."

"It's one of my devils" Kishibe replied calmly, putting an end to it, not wanting this to drag on any longer.

There were more important things.

"You ruined the surprise asshole, and we spent a lot of time preparing for this moment! If you don't want to coexist with us, that's fine, but at least let us have our fun!"

Kishibe chose not to respond to that.

Hiro looked at him sympathetically, fascination filling his features. "One of your devils? Seriously?" Hiro still couldn't believe that just a few seconds ago, he was talking to a devil.

Kishibe gave him a tired look. "Yes... They usually only speak in my mind when they want to, but they can also make others hear them if necessary."

"Oh" Hiro had many questions. "But was this a necessary moment?"

"Hehe, no, but I enjoy watching easily frightened kids like you, you probably almost wet your pants, hahaha" the devil spoke again with inexplicable amusement, and Kishibe just sighed.

Hiro merely furrowed his brow, looking at Kishibe's head. Since he couldn't physically see the devil, all he could do was gaze annoyedly at the place where it resided, Kishibe's mind.

"I feel like it must be tough having someone like him living in your head" Hiro dryly commented.

Kishibe nodded. "You have no idea..."

"Je"

"Apologies for the interruption, gentlemen. I hate to intervene in this interesting discussion about whether Hiro is stupid or not..." Quanxi said, grabbing everyone's attention and prompting a grimace from Hiro.

"Hey!"

"However, we have a very big devil to kill" her single eye narrowed as she pointed to the likely location where it would appear, just a few meters down the street where vehicles were passing.

She wasn't wrong.

Once again, the earth shook, but this time the concrete of the street shattered into several pieces as the cause emerged simultaneously.

Everyone saw it clearly: the demon forced its way up from the ground, completely destroying the street and leaving a massive hole. Its legs helped it break through and support itself while it pushed its enormous body to the surface.

Hiro watched with a kind of terrifying fascination as the monster emerged from the ground like a mole. Its features, as he imagined, were those of a giant spider, black with several hairs in circles around its legs, two intensely red eyes that seemed to glare at them with what Hiro guessed was anger.

It was the size of a school bus, but for someone like Hiro, it was the size of a damn office building.

And unlike most spiders, it had only seven legs, as one of the front legs had been severed by Kishibe. Hiro could see from his position how the spider-shaped devil was oozing more green liquid from the severed limb; it probably had serious mobility problems.

Hiro could guess that the devil would seek revenge for that.

"Holy shit..." the expletive escaped the young man again. No one could blame him, right? It was the first time he had seen a devil up close, and the awe was inexplicable.

Both Kishibe and Quanxi looked at him, annoyed and grimacing. "Language" they scolded.

"That mouth..."

Hiro just rolled his eyes as he hid behind Kishibe. "You can't expect me not to learn those words when I hang out with you guys so much."

Well, he had a point, though they couldn't dwell on that.

"AHHHH, DAMN DEVIL HUNTERS, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!" the devil suddenly roared, its fangs moving in unison as it spoke. "YOU'LL PAY FOR CUTTING OFF ONE OF MY LIMBS!"

Everyone could hear the anger and rage in its voice; it was not happy at all. Realistically, no one would be if their limb were cut off.

"Geez... That guy seems more vengeful than a German"

The demon moved its remaining legs on the ground, swaying from side to side and causing more tremors. "MY NAME IS THE SPIDER DEVIL!"

'No shit' everyone thought the same.

"I HAVE WAITED A LONG TIME TO COME HERE AND DEVOUR ALL THE HUMANS I PLEASE!"

"Wait, did he really just introduce himself like that?" Hiro raised an eyebrow, not expecting a demon to have the audacity to present itself as if it were a show.

But he was almost ignored... almost.

"And why did you let him introduce himself!?"

"That's probably the most basic goal of all devils, jot that down kid" Kishibe suggested, mocking the devil.

Hiro felt an undeniable urge to search his pockets for something to jot it down, but he stupidly realized that what Kishibe said was partly sarcasm.

"D-do they only eat humans? H-have you ever tried giving them at least a sandwich to appease them?" Hiro definitely didn't want to end up being devoured by that thing.

Kishibe shook his head. "It's not that simple."

"Exactly, humans are tastier... especially frightened children, hehe"

Hiro groaned "Shut up!"

"YOU'RE ALL DISGUSTING HUMANS! HOW DARE YOU CUT OFF MY PRECIOUS LEG!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT WAS TO COME FROM HELL TO HERE!? IF IT WEREN'T FOR MY EIGHT LEGS, I WOULDN'T HAVE MADE IT ON MY OWN, BUT THEN YOU COME ALONG AND CUT ONE... DAMN YOU!"

Everyone turned their attention to the devil, who seemed increasingly angry.

"OH, HAHA, NOW THAT I'M HERE IN FRONT OF YOU, I'LL TAKE ADVANTAGE AND YOU'LL BECOME MY LUNCH! LET'S SEE, LET'S SEE, WHO SHALL I EAT FIRST..." the devil's blood-red eyes seemed to scan the three of them.

But it's eyes, red as blood, stopped on the youngest.

Anyone could swear the devil was smiling right now. "HEHE, I'VE ALWAYS LIKED STARTING WITH KIDS, THEY'RE EASIER TO CATCH, AND IT AMUSES ME TO SEE THEIR HORRIFIED FACES AS I EAT THEM PIECE BY PIECE!"

The spider-like creature moved its body downward, and Kishibe and Quanxi knew this was about to get tough.

"AND YOU HUNTERS BROUGHT ME ONE ON A SILVER PLATTER, I THANK YOU!" the devil shrieked with joy.

Hiro swallowed hard; his body was trembling with fear at what this monster was provoking in him. How many times had it eaten children his age in the past? It was probably more than he could count on one hand, and the thought disgusted him and made him feel not only fear for the spider devil but also anger for what it had done to people.

If only he could be more than he was right now, maybe he could put this thing in its place.

But he couldn't... not yet.

Not yet.

Hiro felt a hand on his head and looked up to see Kishibe. He wasn't looking at him, his eyes never left the devil for a second, but he took the time to pat him on the head, as if conveying the message that there was nothing to fear.

Hiro felt the need to look at Quanxi too, and she just winked at him.

"It's going to be okay, kid; we've got this. We won't let it hurt you" the way she said it showed Hiro that the only one who should be afraid right now was the devil they had in front of them.

Hiro immediately knew he had nothing to fear... after all, he had the world's strongest devil hunters by his side.

No one could surpass them.

And he hoped to be like them someday.

"I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO GET RID OF YOU FIRST!" the devil said, referring to Kishibe and Quanxi. "DIE!"

With that said, the devil rushed toward them with enormous speed that contrasted with its size, running towards them with the intent to kill. With each step it took, the ground trembled.

It was like a damn tank.

Kishibe didn't waste any time; he picked up Hiro and carried him into the cafe before the devil could charge at all three of them. They moved so fast that Hiro didn't have time to say anything. Quanxi landed by his side, rolling on the ground until she stopped next to them.

Kishibe looked at Hiro seriously. "Stay here while we take care of that thing; it'll be quick... but very cool" this time he smiled confidently.

Even though earlier he had told himself that his extravagant version was likely gone forever, he felt the need to show Hiro a bit of that side of him, at least for today.

Kishibe and Quanxi knew it perfectly well, but neither of them would openly express it. Hiro had the ability to bring out the best in both of them.

And he didn't even know it.

Hiro nodded quickly; his heart was racing due to fear and adrenaline. Was this what it felt like to be in the middle of a great battle? To be so close to death and barely avoid it?

It was a terrifying but very motivating feeling.

"Alright..." Kishibe took off his own coat, and Quanxi did the same.

Instantly, Hiro could see the array of weapons both of them possessed. Both Kishibe and Quanxi had holsters on their backs to hold the katanas or swords they used for combat; they weren't very long, probably designed that way to not interfere with their uniforms or comfort.

Although Hiro could guess that those katanas were incredibly sharp.

Below Kishibe's shoulders and held by the same harness were several bladed weapons, probably some of the knives he used. Along with two pistols that Hiro didn't know how they managed to remain concealed.

In general, Kishibe was armed to the teeth, and Quanxi was the same; the difference was that she seemed to prefer using bladed weapons more, which was why Hiro couldn't spot any firearms in her arsenal.

Both hunters gave Hiro one last look, then they looked at each other and nodded, conveying the message without the need for words.

Someone was going to die today, and it would be that devil that dared to threaten Hiro.

"This is going to be a lot of fun" The knife devil laughed softly.

Both of them exited the area as quickly as a barely perceptible blur to the human eye. Instantly, they could see the devil's back as it passed them in a failed attempt to ram them with its body.

Kishibe and Quanxi swiftly moved beneath the monster as if they were two streams of water flowing along the sides of its legs. This way, it would be easier to find its weak point, although they already had an idea of what to do first, it was always worth finding anything else they could use to their advantage.

"I've always been disgusted by insects" Kishibe commented with amusement as he unsheathed his other katana, now having both hands occupied with weapons that could cut through almost anything with ease.

"SPIDERS AREN'T INSECTS, THEY'RE ARACHNIDS, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the devil yelled at Kishibe, feeling very offended as both of them passed beneath it with remarkable ease.

"That's an interesting fact, buddy..." when Kishibe had already passed its entire body and found himself in front of the devil, that's when he felt ready, just like all these years in these same situations. "Too bad I didn't ask."

Kishibe used the strength of his legs to jump and land on the devil's back. He instantly buried both of his weapons into the devil's flesh, though he could barely manage to do so. It was like trying to drive a sword into the ground; you could only pierce the tip.

"Hm?" Normally, his katanas would be able to penetrate devil armor, but this bastard had some kind of extra protection.

"HA, GOOD LUCK TRYING TO CUT ME WITH THOSE THINGS, I HAVE A SHELL AS TOUGH AS ROCK!" The devil made some strange sounds as if that was its way of laughing.

However, Kishibe didn't fully believe him.

'Attacking from above won't work; it will be very difficult to try to harm it this way, and everything will be superficial.'

They needed something that could cause much more damage; this was barely like giving it a little scratch, so insignificant it must be for the devil.

'But it's lying...' Kishibe remembered that a while ago he had cut off one of its legs quite easily; the said limb was still on the ground, and he looked at it as if it were a way to help him. 'Probably its legs are the only weak point on its entire body... But on the other hand, I can still use you.'

"Of course, you can!"

Kishibe had only 5 seconds to think about all of this because instantly the spider leaped sideways with its body and back, heading straight for a building.

Kishibe knew instantly that it planned to crash its own body to try and kill him while he was still clinging to its back. A very good strategy considering it couldn't do much with him on top.

He only had time to draw a katana before it attempted to kill him; Kishibe leaped and didn't turn around to hear the spider's body crashing directly into the building.

Bad luck for the guy in the bathroom.

Kishibe landed on the ground, conveniently next to Quanxi. "Well, the upper part of its body is out of the question. Did you find anything?"

Quanxi and Kishibe looked from their position at how the enormous devil had created a massive hole in the building it crashed into in an attempt to kill Kishibe. Concrete and hundreds of pieces of metal fell to the ground, and electrical cables came out of the walls.

This wasn't going to please the taxpayers.

But it wasn't their problem.

"I came to the same conclusion as you" Quanxi said, only looking at Kishibe without bothering to look at the massive iron beam that was about to fall right in front of her.

She simply stepped aside, letting the massive structure fall in between them. "One of us should take care of its legs, and the other its belly. Those seem to be the only weak points it has."

"Sounds good."

They heard the remnants of the building moving, and now the devil was looking at them with what seemed like condescension. "GOOD LUCK TRYING TO DO BOTH! BUT WHAT IF YOU'RE BUSY ELSEWHERE!?"

Both of them didn't take long to figure out what it meant. The spider raised the rear part of its body and, as if it were some kind of weapon, aimed it at the ground, and four projectiles shot out from within it.

Kishibe and Quanxi soon realized what they were: eggs.

'Oh oh'

The eggs were moving frantically from side to side, cracking with each erratic movement, and when they finally cracked completely, a bunch of small spiders started emerging from them. If they thought the demon was the size of a bus, well, the spiders from the eggs were about the size of dogs.

In summary, they were probably the largest spiders they had ever seen.

"Gross" Quanxi grimaced as she watched the three eggs break, and many spiders crawl out. Whenever many insects gathered, they seemed to create an unpleasant sight for human eyes.

Just seeing many spiders running down the street was enough to make anyone vomit or induce panic in someone with arachnophobia.

Someone with arachnophobia would probably have fainted at this scene.

"MY LITTLE ONES, ATTACK AND KILL THEM, DON'T LET ANY OF THEM ESCAPE!" Apparently, the offspring were intelligent enough despite being newborns, as they looked at the two hunters with murderous eyes.

Kishibe and Quanxi looked at each other and just shrugged. "I guess one of us will have to stay here" Kishibe glanced at the café and could see Hiro watching them intently through one of the windows.

"Don't let them get close to that place" Kishibe didn't bother to see Quanxi's nod as he readied his weapon once again; the unspoken agreement had not been made with words.

None of the spiders should get near Hiro. None.

From his position, Hiro observed two things.

The first was how the spider jumped back to the ground and landed among many of its offspring, and how Kishibe made his way through many of them, cutting some in the process. But his main target was the mother spider... it was female, right? It didn't matter; what did matter was how Kishibe managed to crawl underneath with agility, moving his sharp weapon with trained movements that you would only see in an action movie. The attacks were aimed at the spider's legs, but apparently, devils also gained battle experience, as it was taking Kishibe longer than expected to cut off a limb.

The devil was dodging him.

"DO YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU CUT ME ONCE YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED?! I'M NOT AS EASY AS I LOOK!" The spider half-shouted and taunted Kishibe while moving its legs erratically, making some jumps and barely avoiding the katana's strikes. From a different perspective, it was like watching a human flee from a spider because they found them disgusting and didn't want to get close, only now it was the other way around.

We live in a strange world.

Kishibe smirked mockingly "With the number of offspring you can produce, I sincerely doubt that."

Kishibe tried to make a diagonal cut at one of its front legs, but the devil jumped again, narrowly avoiding it.

He furrowed his brow, realizing this was going nowhere. 'Damn, this bastard won't stay still. I'll have to be faster'

Kishibe heeded his own advice and increased his speed, finding an opening to cleanly cut off another of the spider's front legs.

The katana was only centimeters away from piercing the flesh when suddenly a web stuck to his blade. Kishibe's eyes widened with brief surprise as he saw his precious weapon now wrapped in sticky and burning silk. The web had also stuck to a part of his hand and, apart from feeling like glue, it felt hot.

As if it were burning him right now.

"... Son of a bitch" Kishibe tried to pull the weapon to free it as quickly as possible, but the more he tried, the more he realized it was impossible.

This devil's web was too strong.

"HAHAHA! HOW ABOUT THAT!? MY WEB IS SO STICKY THAT NO ONE HAS EVER MANAGED TO FREE THEMSELVES FROM IT, IT'S AS HARD AS CEMENT TOO!"

Kishibe realized that the web was starting to solidify like drying cement; now it was much harder to detach from it.

It felt as though his hand was glued to a wall.

'Well, I must admit, It got some good tricks' Kishibe thought bitterly, attempting to devise a plan to escape from this predicament.

He sensed that if he tried to pull his arm right now, all he would accomplish was tearing it off. The web was so solidified that if it weren't for the fact that he could feel his arm going numb from the pressure, he would feel as if he were part of this thing.

So, there was only one option left.

The second thing Hiro witnessed was this: while Kishibe was preoccupied with the larger demon, Quanxi took care of the offspring. One of them darted forward ahead of the others, attempting to jump onto Quanxi's face to attack her, only to be cut in half half a second later.

The spider's body fell amidst its siblings, and they all gave it a long, unbelieving look, as if they couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.

The woman with the eyepatch remained expressionless as she surveyed all her opponents.

This was going to be too easy.

In several movements that Hiro couldn't follow, Quanxi unsheathed her two katanas and charged directly at the sizable spiders. Effortlessly, with agility, and a touch of elegance, she cut through each of those creatures.

She was killing several at an incredible speed, so much so that Hiro had lost sight of her a long time ago, and all he could see and hear was the offspring dying, cut into different pieces and angles, and the movements of the katanas slicing through the air along with flesh.

Hiro marveled at what he was seeing and, practically, at what he wasn't seeing at the same time. Quanxi was undeniably fast, too fast. The way she moved from side to side, wielding her katanas horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, was flawless and demonstrated how truly talented she was, or at least that's what he could discern. But overall, watching Quanxi fight was like watching an overpowered manga protagonist.

She was an assassin in every sense of the word. With every passing second, the ground was filling up with green blood and many mutilated spider bodies, although despite her efforts, they seemed to be endless.

Quanxi cut down another spider that tried to jump on her, only to quickly turn around and dodge another one that passed over her shoulder, cutting it down as well before it even had a chance to hit the ground.

'They don't seem to end, how annoying.'

From the corner of her eye, she noticed another spider ready to jump at her again, but there was another one to her left trying to do the same.

'So, they can also do coordinated attacks' She simply crouched down, letting the two spiders collide with each other, but quickly she thrust her katana upward, impaling both offspring and leaving them skewered on her sword.

'Too easy, but with disgusting results.'

Hiro turned his attention back to Kishibe. He was still trapped, with the spider mocking him.

"FOR A DEVIL TO SEE ITS PREY WRITHING IN PANIC WHILE ON THE VERGE OF DEATH IS VERY SATISFYING!" the spider devil laughed with joy, thinking that it had succeeded this time.

It couldn't have been more wrong.

Kishibe had stopped moving and stared at his enemy with a blank expression, and the devil took this in a different way.

"..."

"I SEE YOU'VE FINALLY ACCEPTED YOUR FATE, IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN DIIEEEEEE!" the devil moved its limb where it had Kishibe trapped towards its fangs, the intention to devour him was all too clear.

Quanxi just gave it a brief glance before continuing with her own business.

She was calm.

But Hiro wasn't.

He began to panic when he saw Kishibe being sent into the demon's jaws so easily. He couldn't understand why Quanxi was so calm about it. His partner was literally about to be killed, but she didn't seem to care. The hunter's body hung from its arm, and his legs seemed to be the closest to being eaten first.

However...

Kishibe simply closed his eyes, relaxing his body and mind as much as he could. A single name came from the corners of his mind, and there was no need for more because the command was crystal clear.

'Knife'

"Yes, finally!" he knew what he had to do.

It was like the sound of unsheathing a sword, a very penetrating and fast sound that reached everyone's ears abruptly, as if it had come from a giant speaker used only in concerts.

The attack was invisible, but it was felt.

A huge, clean horizontal cut sliced through the spider's leg, but it didn't stop there. The cut traveled beyond them, slicing through a few buildings as if they were nothing. It was like using a very large sword to cut everything in one stroke.

That was the power of the knife devil, cutting anything within an outrageously wide and long attack radius. The attacks were invisible but so strong and penetrating that they caused small shockwaves, making the cuts in the air barely visible.

Hiro had his mouth wide open as he watched Kishibe safely fall to the ground. He had never seen such a destructive power in his life, and to think that Kishibe's demons were so powerful that they could easily destroy buildings.

This was already far removed from reality and from the things he had imagined. Maybe he should stop believing in the things he only imagined, because no matter what happens, everything always turns out crazier than he initially thought.

"How do they expect their enemies to face something like that? No one could survive an attack like that.

'If that's the power of the knife devil... how powerful must the claw and needle devils be?'

Hiro wasn't sure if he wanted an answer to that, but he could imagine that someday he would unravel that mystery if they ever encountered a situation like this again.

A very crazy one like this.

"W-W-WHAT?" the devil asked incredulously as it watched another of his legs fall gracelessly to the ground. "H-HOW?"

Kishibe broke the solidified webbing that remained in his hand by striking it against the ground. It was effective, and a few seconds later, he was free. His katana remained on the ground.

He wouldn't need it for what he was about to do next.

He moved his hand, feeling all the muscles waking up again."Just a little trick among the many I have. Did you like that?" he explained, looking bored as he gazed at the demon.

In fact, it was now sprawled on the ground, having even more trouble staying upright since it had lost two front legs, and the loss of blood wasn't helping.

"YOU DAMN HUNTER, YOU COULD HAVE USED YOUR DEVIL CONTRACT FROM THE BEGINNING... BUT YOU HELD BACK!"

Kishibe crossed his arms. "I admit it, I did it. Attacking head-on is much more fun than everyone imagines," he said, kicking a stone near his foot. "That's how I have fun," he added with a smug smile, knowing that victory was his.

"Y-YOU BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU, I SWEAR I'LL KIL-"

"Knife..." Kishibe ordered with a sigh as he watched the devil's pathetic attempts to move.

"YES!"

Another sharp vertical cut shot out from Kishibe's position, so fast and unexpected that the devil didn't even have time to think. The cut went straight through him, slicing him in half and even cutting through the tough shell on his back with ease. Kishibe's swords couldn't cut through that, but it was no problem for the demon knife.

"W-what?" was all the spider devil managed to stammer as his body was cut in half. He could feel its organs, brain, and guts being pierced without even blinking.

"N-no..." its last words lacked intensity as its body fell to the ground, splitting apart and revealing its insides. The amount of green blood spilling out was immense, but not unexpected with this kind of attack.

The devil was dead.

They had won.

Just like every day.

Kishibe watched as Quanxi walked towards him casually, with hundreds of dead spider bodies cut into different pieces behind her.

"This day started in the calmest way, and ended in the most disgusting way possible" she commented, watching the blood reach his shoes.

"Just another day at work," Kishibe said, pulling his second katana out of the dead demon's body.

Quanxi looked around, appreciating all the chaos that had been caused. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight. The ground was split, several buildings destroyed, and blood scattered on the floor.

Kishibe couldn't have been more right at that moment.

Both of them heard more footsteps approaching and turned to see Hiro cautiously approaching them, looking amazed and incredulous. Although it was his first time witnessing a battle of this caliber, he took it very well.

"See, kid? I told you" Kishibe gave him a proud (but self-centered) smile. "I told you it was going to be very cool"

Hiro looked astonished at the devil's corpse, relieved that no one had been killed. "That... That was something else."

He looked at his two masters with palpable admiration in his eyes. "You guys are amazing."

Kishibe and Quanxi just smiled at him.

"And don't forget about me, the knife devil. I did all the work!" he proudly exclaimed.

Although Hiro found the knife devil's attitude abhorrent, he had to admit that his power was no laughing matter. Anyone who could slice a building in half like it was paper shouldn't be underestimated.

"Yeah... You're pretty amazing too" Hiro hoped to see Kishibe's other devils in action someday. Although one of them had already set the bar high in terms of power.

"HA! Take that, humans" he taunted with a deep laugh.

"We should go home," Kishibe announced, knowing that this was also the end of the day's work. He calmly started walking home, while Quanxi sighed with satisfaction, walking alongside him.

Kishibe felt small cuts forming on his arm, drawing blood. He grimaced, remembering the conditions of the contract he made with Knife many years ago.

"Your blood has never been the best, but it'll do" he spoke in his mind this time.

It was always like this whenever he used his abilities. Some of the scars on his body were earned through contracts with his three devils.

He didn't want to admit it, but maybe the higher-ups were somewhat right. He should have thought twice before making three contracts when he was younger.

"It's too late to think about that now..."

"Yes, it is."

Hiro followed behind them, realizing that he was stepping on devil blood, staining his shoes. He hoped that it could be washed off with soap.

He took one last moment to appreciate all the chaos caused here. Both devils and humans could cause so much chaos that it bordered on the absurd. What Kishibe and Quanxi had done here was amazing and demonstrated the talent and years of experience they had achieved.

If he wanted to become like them, he had to strive for it. He had to do whatever it took to be as strong as Kishibe and as fast as Quanxi. But it was easier said than done. He would have to wait 10 years to see the results.

Four years... Just four more years until Kishibe told him it was time to learn how to fight and use weapons. Four years in which he would have to spend his life reading mostly boring things, but maybe, just maybe, they would help him in the future. Although he was sure it would be easier now that he had Makima by his side.

Hiro could predict that the next four years wouldn't be as interesting, but just the thought of having Makima by his side made it much more bearable.

'The future is so uncertain and terrifying, don't you think, Mom and Dad?' he thought, looking at the sky with a dreamy smile.

0O0O

Notes: Your waifu is not real.

Now that I've reminded you of that, let's get to the real notes.

This time I'm releasing a double chapter in the month, which is equally or even more unusual than... Well, anything you can imagine

Anyway, it's weird, but this time I was inspired, I don't know why. Maybe because I want to finally add some action to this story.

And what did you think? This is the second time I write action scenes. The first time was in my other book and since then I hadn't written any more.

During the four years I've been reading fanfics, I've read many action scenes, so I'm not unfamiliar with how most people write them. Still, I feel like this scene is very different from the things I've read before. But I hope to gain more experience over time, I will definitely need it.

SOOOOOOOOOOOO!

There's only one chapter left...

JUST ONE MORE.

After that chapter, I will make a four-year time jump. Well, it's actually a bit contradictory, since I'm going to roughly tell what happened during the last months of 1980, and the rest of the months in 1981, 1982, 1983, and a small part of 1984.

So it's more or less a time jump, because I'm only going to tell some things in small scenarios.

Soon we'll have teenage Hiro.

I'm not sure if that chapter will be released this month, like this one that, as you saw in the end, was long with 9,000 words, but something tells me that chapter 24 will be equally or even longer. My instinct tells me so.

I think it could come out next month, but if I find enough inspiration, a miracle could happen and I could release a triple chapter in the month.

But we'll see.

God, big things are coming for Hiro and Makima that I can't even help but scream.

*screams*

One last thing and this goes to the Fanfiction people, I had some problems translating this chapter. Apparently chat gpt is very sensitive and can't stand bawdy words, it all started when I got to the part where Quanxi started killing a lot of spiders, the AI wouldn't let me copy the text and told me to go to hell for violating its laws xd. So a part of the final battle was translated using You .com , which is almost the same as chat gpt but You is connected to the internet so it has information about what is happening currently, however the way it translates does not convince me, maybe I may have to do more tests in the future. Or better yet, recommend me pages or IAS that are dedicated to translating as well as chat GPT , I would greatly appreciate it... and because they are also convenient for you xdd

See you.