(Summoning in progress...)
(Ding! You have obtained a five-star character — Makima!)
Huh?!
Reo trembled. Were his ears playing tricks on him?
Who was summoned!?
Buzz—
A strange fluctuation, a dreamlike magic circle, appeared out of thin air in the room.
Brilliant light shone, and Reo instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes.
When the light gradually faded, he finally saw everything clearly.
It was a beautiful and charming woman. She had long red hair, bangs on both sides of her forehead, a braided ponytail, and a pair of haunting, eerie eyes.
Her sclera was white, and her irises had orange-yellow rings.
Just meeting her gaze, a strange feeling surged in Reo's heart. His Observation Haki sent a danger signal, making him serious, and he was even more shocked.
(Is it real or fake... Makima? The genuine article!?)
Reo was no stranger to this name and this person. In his previous life, he had a love-hate relationship with this character, with the love perhaps even outweighing the hate.
Makima, whose true identity is the Control Devil, comes from the manga "Chainsaw Man" and is a major antagonist in it.
She is an extremely complex being, making people both love and hate her, and also find her incredibly terrifying.
Her ability is to control people or devils (others) whom she subjectively deems inferior to herself. Even deceased individuals can be controlled by Makima. Those controlled by Makima cannot resist her, will become infatuated with her, and will completely obey her commands.
In short, this was an incredibly difficult woman to deal with.
Reo never expected his first summon to be an antagonist from another world.
"..."
Reo was speechless for a moment.
The air grew quiet.
After about a minute, Makima first pondered with her chin in her hand, then surveyed her surroundings, and finally seriously scrutinized Reo.
"...This, did you do it?"
Her sweet voice sounded like an innocent young girl, but Reo dared not let his guard down.
(System...)
(Ding! Esteemed Host, the characters you summon cannot cause you any malicious harm or any negative effects.
If you are not satisfied with a summoned character, you may apply for repatriation.
The summoned character will be disconnected from you and added to the system's blacklist, making it impossible to summon them again in the future.)
The system's reply was flawless.
Thus, Reo was not afraid of Makima's control ability.
Reo relaxed slightly, gazed deeply at Makima, and, adopting a more comfortable posture, crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, responding, "Precisely."
At this moment, Makima was wearing a white shirt and black trousers, with a black tie on her shirt. This was the iconic Public Safety Devil Hunter attire.
Dressed in such a uniform, she possessed a unique charm, and her figure was highlighted exquisitely.
Makima raised her hands and looked at them, seemingly sensing something. She always wore a harmless, enigmatic smile, making it impossible to know what she was thinking.
"...Is this another world?"
Makima's face showed a puzzled expression, and she tilted her head slightly, appearing somewhat adorable. Such a contrast would be hard for ninety-nine percent of men in the world to resist.
Reo admitted, "That's right. It seems you've already grasped some of the situation."
Makima clasped her hands behind her back and walked over, stopping just two steps away from Reo.
Makima looked left, then right, and pondered with her chin in her hand.
Then—
"Tell me who you are."
Makima's eyes widened, her strange pupils flickering with a demonic light.
Her control ability activated.
"..."
This time, Reo was completely at ease, without any of his previous vigilance. Instead, he chuckled softly.
To see the living Miss Makima up close was something he only dreamed of in his previous life. He never expected it to come true so miraculously in this one.
"It's not working..."
A hint of surprise finally appeared on Makima's face, but it still didn't make her lose her composure.
Reo smiled and pointed out, "You just used your ability on me, didn't you?"
Makima still wore that enigmatic smile, saying calmly, "You seem to know me very well."
It wasn't a question, but a statement of certainty.
Makima's ability to read people had reached a profound level. She was curious about the confidence of the man before her, and also extremely curious about her current predicament.
All the controlled individuals she had previously connected with were now disconnected from her. Even the contract she had signed with the cabinet ministers had vanished.
She had forgotten how long it had been since she last experienced this long-lost feeling of weakness.
The Control Devil was actually very weak; without strong contractual support or controlling more powerful beings to increase her combat power, she was almost as fragile as a mortal. A single bullet, a sharp knife, could end her life.
"Yes, I know you very well, Miss Makima, the Control Devil."
Reo spread his hands grandly.
"Welcome to a new world! Our encounter is fate!"
Having slightly borrowed a line from Roger when he met Rayleigh, Reo felt no embarrassment at all.
Makima tilted her head: "So?"
"Let's get to know each other properly, and I'll explain your current situation as well."
An hour later.
Makima lowered her head, deep in thought.
Reo was tactically drinking water nearby.
With Makima's intelligence, she had completely understood her situation.
"...It's truly incredible. Even from a devil's perspective, another world is quite a shock."
Makima said this, but her calm expression showed no sign of being startled.
"Then, are you willing to let me go back?"
"No, I want Miss Makima to be my partner."
"?"
Makima was puzzled again.
Looking at this somewhat dazed, adorably surprised woman, Reo was very serious.
"Makima's dream is to create a perfect world of equality and happiness, right?
No war, no hunger, no death, no disease, and so on."
"...You really do know me well."
"But your methods are too extreme. And doing so would only make life lose its meaning."
"...Are you trying to lecture me?"
"I'm not a life coach. It's just because I understand you enough.
You've always relied on fear to build relationships, but deep down, you've always yearned for a feeling of closeness like family."
"..."
Makima's face was calm, her eyelids slightly lowered. Her long-undisturbed heart rippled at this moment.
Reo's honesty was enough to break through Makima's defenses.
This feeling of having her deepest secret directly revealed, even the Control Devil couldn't control her state of mind.
"...Given the circumstances, it seems I can only go along with you."
Makima was at her wit's end. The man beside her was unfathomably mysterious, and the power that had summoned her was indescribably strong. In front of that power, she felt like an ant gazing at the stars, a sense of powerlessness she had never experienced before.
Moreover, she was currently in a major period of weakness. She was no longer omnipotent; there were no controlled individuals to provide combat power, and even the strongest contract in history—the one that transferred all damage to the citizens of the island nation—was gone.
What could she, so powerless, possibly do?
Besides, the impact this man had on her was not as calm as she appeared on the surface.
When the hard shell breaks, the inner softness will be revealed.
This time, Reo had won.