The breach did not widen.
It listened.
The crimson tear hovering before Sarah trembled subtly, its edges vibrating as though testing the authority now pressing against it. The skyline beyond—concrete towers bathed in perpetual dusk—flickered like a restless predator deciding whether prey was worth the risk.
Sarah took one step forward.
The Origin Layer reacted instantly. Not with resistance—but with retreat. Space loosened around her, acknowledging that whatever came next was no longer its jurisdiction.
Lilith Fragment's presence sharpened inside her mind.
"Be careful," she warned. "That universe does not reward dominance freely. Power there is transactional. Everything costs something."
Rias's hand slid deliberately to Sarah's lower back, not restraining her—anchoring her. The contact sent a stabilizing ripple through the lattice, Desire compressing into disciplined intent.
"Then we choose what we pay," Rias said calmly.
Akeno laughed softly, dark amusement threading her voice. "Or we make them regret the price they ask."
The air beyond the tear distorted again.
A figure emerged halfway through—humanoid, feminine in outline, her body wrapped in a coat stitched from living shadow. Her eyes glowed a lazy amber, sharp with appetite and calculation. She did not cross fully. She had no need to.
"So you're the anomaly," she said, voice smooth, intimate, dangerous. "You don't smell like fear. That's rare."
Koneko's muscles tensed. "She's not human."
"Of course not," the woman replied, gaze sliding appreciatively over the group, lingering—measuring. "I'm a Devil. Names later. Business first."
A translucent interface unfolded before Sarah's vision—different from her own system. Cruder. Hungrier.
CONTRACT INTERFACE – PRELIMINARY ACCESS
World Entry Pending
Conditions Required
Payment Type: Conceptual Exchange
Accepted Currencies: Fear / Desire / Memory / Bond
Rossweisse inhaled sharply. "They trade in bonds?"
Lilith's voice went cold. "They exploit them."
The Devil smiled, clearly pleased. "Exploit is such an ugly word. We monetize intimacy. Your kind does it too. We're just honest about it."
Her gaze snapped back to Sarah.
"You want entry without resistance? Without every Devil in the city sensing you like blood in water?"
She leaned closer, voice lowering.
"Then you offer something real."
Sarah did not hesitate.
"What do you want."
The Devil's smile widened—not predatory, but delighted.
"A promise," she said. "One emotional vector. Something that defines you—but doesn't break you."
Akeno bristled. "You don't get to touch her."
The Devil raised a brow. "I don't touch. I taste."
The lattice flared—controlled, lethal.
Rias stepped forward half a pace, eyes burning. "You will not feed on her without consent."
Silence.
Then the Devil laughed—genuine, impressed.
"Oh, this is delicious," she murmured. "A Sovereign who isn't solitary. That complicates things."
She straightened, tone shifting—professional.
"Fine. Modified terms."
The interface updated.
CONTRACT REVISION – OBSERVER STATUS
Entry Condition:
Emission of Sovereign Desire Pulse
No bond extraction
No memory taxation
Signal broadcast will alert high-tier entities
Rossweisse grimaced. "That will draw attention."
Sarah nodded. "Good."
Lilith stiffened. "Sarah—"
"I know," Sarah replied calmly. "But we're not sneaking into this world. We're announcing ourselves on our terms."
She closed her eyes.
And released Desire.
Not lust.
Not indulgence.
A sovereign pulse—clean, intimate, commanding—radiated outward through the breach. It carried attachment, certainty, hunger restrained by will. A declaration of existence that refused to be owned.
The Devil recoiled half a step, eyes widening.
"Oh," she breathed. "Oh that's… dangerous."
Beyond the tear, the city reacted.
Sirens cut out mid-wail. Shadows shifted. Something enormous turned its attention upward.
The contract sealed.
The breach stabilized fully.
SYSTEM UPDATE:
Cross-World Entry Authorized
Environment: Chainsaw-Class Universe
Status: Hostile-Neutral
New Variables Introduced: Devil Contracts, Fear Scaling, Civilian Entanglement
Sarah opened her eyes.
"Lead us in," she told the Devil coolly. "And remember—this was an invitation. Not submission."
The Devil grinned, feral and approving.
"I like you already."
The group stepped forward together.
The Origin Layer fell away behind them.
And the world of Devils—of hunger, contracts, and violence normalized into daily life—opened its jaws.
Not knowing—
It had just let something far worse than fear walk inside.