Akos is leaning against a crumbling wall, still clutching the yellow cat. He takes a long, jagged breath, looking up at the gray sky. "Ugh... I can still hear them," he mutters. He looks around and spots a few Devils—stragglers who managed to survive the ZAMKA—crawling through the ruins toward him.
Akos tries to stand, but the pain is a brick wall. He collapses back down, his eyes closing from exhaustion. For a split second, he sees a devil lunging at him with its maw wide open. He braces for the end.
THE STRANGER
After what feels like an eternity, Akos opens his eyes. He's still alive. He looks ahead and freezes. The devils that were attacking him are now dead, torn to pieces. In front of him, a man is squatting, casually chewing on a severed devil's arm.
Akos: "Eh? Who... who the hell are you?"
The man turns to look at him. Akos's eyes go wide. He screams, covering his eyes with his hands.
Akos: "OHHHHH! WTF! My eyes!"
Stranger: "Ah? What's the problem?"
Akos: "Bro! You're naked! Are you kidding me right now? Who the hell are you?!"
Stranger: "Oh... oops. My bad."
Akos: "God dammit! My life is a joke! Get away from me and put some clothes on, you freak!"
The man quickly pulls on some discarded rags. "There. Hope you're feeling better now."
Akos: "Who are you? And stop eating that arm! I'm going to throw up, you disgusting pig! What is wrong with you?!"
Stranger: "I'm hungry."
Akos: "Hungry?! You're eating a monster's limb! Are you stupid or just insane? You've definitely been shot in the head."
Stranger: "I'm a devil, friend. I'm the yellow cat."
Akos (screaming): "WTF! You're kidding me! I touched a devil? I let you lick me?! What kind of life is this?!" Akos actually gags, spitting on the ground. "Get away from me, you cursed freak!"
THE REVELATION
Jack: "I am a Devil Transformation user. I can turn into different animals. My name is Jack."
Akos: "Get out of here, you creep!" Akos raises his hand, forming a finger pistol, his aura flickering with ABSOLUTE Technique: Rage.
Jack: "Wait, wait! Whoa! I don't want to die! Every devil in this city is hiding from you right now. They're terrified! Please, I'm a Hunter Devil from the PUBLIC HIGH FOR SUPERNATURAL. Madam Amaya sent me!"
Akos: "Big dog shit! I don't know who you are, I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't know who Amaya is! Leave before I turn you into ash!"
Jack: "Please! I'm your ally! Tenshi is also a Hunter Devil. There are three of us: me, Tenshi, and Majo."
Akos: "Who are these people?! Why didn't Tenshi tell us any of this? Speak, you bastard! You made me touch you!"
Jack: "Relax, man! You didn't touch me as a human, only as a cat."
Akos: "I'M NOT GAY, YOU MORON!"
Jack: "Calm down! It's not like I'm a weirdo who hits on guys. Look at my hair; it's blonde and fluffy. Don't you think I'm handsome?"
Akos: "Yooo... if you say one more word like that, I will kill you. I'm not joking."
Jack (smirking): "Oh, the sexy version of you is out, huh? Push the feeling on..."
Akos: "AHHHHHHH! Die, you freak!"
From Akos's fingertip, a small, violent sphere of crimson energy materializes, hissing with pure malice.
[ABSOLUTE Technique: Rage]
Jack: "Ohhh! Wait, I was kidding! Wait!"
Akos fires the blast straight at Jack's head. Jack ducks at the last microsecond. The red sphere slams into a rusted car behind him, causing a massive, jagged explosion of crimson energy that rips the vehicle into scrap metal.
Jack (shaking, still ducking): "Oof... that was way too close."
He slowly lifts his head, only to freeze. Akos is standing right over him, his finger already glowing with a second Rage blast. Jack panics, grabs Akos's wrist, and bows his head low.
Jack: "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't say it again, my lady!"
Akos: "Take your filthy hand off me!"
Akos stumbles back, leaning against a trash bin to keep from collapsing. His body is still broken from the earlier fight.
Jack: "Can I help you, my lady?"
Akos: "If you use that word one more time, I swear I will actually kill you."
Jack: "Ohhh—"
Suddenly, a third figure emerges from the shadows. It's Majo. He is drenched in dark blood, carrying a massive, heavy hammer over his shoulder. He stares at the two of them with a look of pure, judgmental confusion.
Akos stares back. Jack starts waving his arms frantically.
Jack: "Ohhh, Majo! You've got it all wrong! He didn't mean he'd screw me; he meant he'd kill me! It was a threat! Tell him, Akos!"
Akos just looks at Jack with an expression of total disgust.
Majo (coldly): "You're a damn gay. What exactly are you trying to tell me, huh?"
Jack (screaming): "Just because I like pretty boys doesn't mean I'm gay! Wait—that's not what I meant!"
Akos suddenly freezes. He touches his cheek, remembering the sensation of the yellow cat licking the blood off his face earlier. The realization that it was this man hits him like a truck.
Akos: "BLEGH—"
He leans over and projectile vomits onto the pavement. "You piece of... stay away from me!"
Majo: "Listen to me, and shut your mouth, Jack. Let me handle the talking, or I'll kill you myself. Got it?"
Jack: "No, no! Don't!" Jack scrambles to hide behind Akos, but Akos immediately shoves him away with a look of pure loathing.
Majo: "Akos, we need to move. Now."
Akos: "Ohohoho... don't use that tone with me. I'm not your slave, you hear me, Hunter Devil?"
Majo: "Hunter Devil? How do you know that? Who told you?" Majo's eyes snap to Jack. "You piece of trash... if Miss Amaya finds out you leaked our identity, she's going to do that thing to you. You know the one."
Jack (turning pale): "No! Not that! Please, Majo, don't tell her! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He bows his head so low it hits the dirt.
Akos: "Wait a minute... I remember you. You were in ALPHA, weren't you? Class 5. We were in the same year."
Majo: "Hmph. I was there to gather intel. My job was to track you and get you out of this city."
Akos: "So you're a spy."
Majo: "I am not a spy."
Akos (wiping the last bit of vomit from his lip): "You're a spy. I'm telling everyone. You're finished."
THE RAT FROM HELL
Suddenly, the ground beneath them groans and shatters. A massive, twitching creature erupts from the pavement, thrashing wildly. It looks like a colossal, mutated rodent with jagged teeth and oily fur.
Jack: "Eeeh! A DEVIL MOUSE! "
The Devil Mouse lets out a high-pitched, ear-piercing shriek, smashing nearby cars into scrap metal.
Majo: "Damn it, Jack! I'm going to cut that thing's voice box out!"
Akos (leaning back): "By all means, go ahead. I'd love to see you try."
Jack: "AHHHHHHH! I'm sorry, guys! We're going to die!"
Akos: "SHUT UP!"
Majo grips his massive hammer, his knuckles turning white. He sprints toward the beast. The Devil Mouse kicks a car toward him, but Majo uses it as a springboard, launching himself high into the air. He soars above the monster's hunched back.
Majo: "Ignite!"
Suddenly, Majo's entire body bursts into furious orange flames. The fire spreads to his hammer, turning it into a glowing meteor. He brings the weapon down with a bone-shattering CRUNCH right onto the creature's neck. The Devil Mouse's head explodes in a shower of gore and sparks.
Majo lands on the pavement, drenched in black blood. He turns back to the others with a cocky smirk. "See that, Jack? That's what's going to happen to you if—"
He stops. Akos and Jack are staring at him with expressions of absolute horror and disgust.
Majo: "What are you two looking at?! Answer me!"
Majo turns around. Behind him, the Headless Devil Mouse is still standing. Even without a head, it's thrashing. It swings its thick, whip-like tail, slamming Majo directly into a concrete wall with a sickening thud.
Majo (coughing blood): "I... hate... this... job."
He scrambles to his feet as the headless beast starts sprinting toward them blindly, its claws tearing up the street. Majo turns and starts running toward Akos and Jack.
Jack: "EEEEEHHH! IT'S STILL ALIVE! IT HAS NO HEAD!" Jack turns tail and bolts.
Akos: "Wait, you coward! You're leaving me alone?!"
Akos tries to run, but his legs are still shaky. The Headless Devil Mouse is closing in fast, its massive body vibrating with a terrifying, muffled shriek coming from its chest.
Akos and Jack are sprinting down the ruined street, but Akos is stumbling. Every breath feels like swallowing broken glass, and his legs are failing. Behind them, the Headless Devil Mouse is a force of nature—it doesn't need eyes to destroy. It bulldozes through cars and streetlights, turning the asphalt into a mangled mess. The ground shakes with every heavy step of the beast.
Jack: "Why is he still alive?! How is he moving without a head?!"
Akos: "Why are you asking me, you idiot? You're a Devil! You're supposed to know how your own kind works!"
Jack: "Don't ask me! I don't know anything about that disgusting thing!"
Akos: "I'm asking you because I don't even know what a Devil truly is!"
Jack: "Look, I'm a Human-Devil hybrid! That thing is just a raw monster with a disgusting body. Listen, Akos—you have the DEVILS END inside you! You're the Vessel! Ask him to come out and save us!"
Akos (glaring through the pain): "Are you stupid? Don't ever say that name again. This body belongs to me and me alone. Sakoura is gone, he's out of my body. There's no one else in here!"
Jack: "AHHHHHHHH! Then what are we going to do?!"
Suddenly, the Devil Mouse swiped a massive delivery truck. The vehicle flew through the air like a toy. Akos dove behind a heavy metal dumpster just in time, but the truck slammed directly toward Jack.
CRASH.
THE ROUGH REVENGE
Akos slowly pushed himself up from the dirt. The Devil Mouse was still charging blindly, out of control. But then, a streak of fire blurred past Akos. It was Majo, moving with insane speed, his eyes burning with rage.
He caught up to the beast in seconds. Majo: "How dare you strike me, you piece of filth?! EEEEEHHH?!"
He swung his hammer back, the air around it beginning to warp from the heat. "FLAME HAMMER: ROUGH!"
Majo brought the flaming hammer down in a vertical arc. The strike didn't just hit the monster; it cleaved the Devil Mouse perfectly in half. A massive explosion of fire and gore followed, painting the ruins red.
Majo landed, breathing hard, looking like a demon of war. "No one... no one dares to touch me!"
Suddenly, a tiny bee flew out from the debris and landed on Majo's hand. He stared at it for a second, his eyes went wide, and he started screaming like a terrified child. Majo: "AHHHHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"
Akos leaned against the dumpster, taking a deep, shaky breath. The monster was finally dead. But then, a muffled, pathetic scream echoed from under the wreckage of the truck.
Jack: "HELP! Someone! Anyone! Please!"
Akos looked over. The truck had pinned Jack to the ground. Half of his body was sticking out, while the other half was crushed underneath the heavy metal.
Jack: "I'm stuck! My legs! Please help me before a stray Devil finds me!"
Akos (sighing): "Seriously... what kind of 'Hunters' are you guys?"