Asa Mitaka wasn't really paying attention to the middle-aged man's rant.
She was here to get snacks, plain and simple.
She walked up to the second floor of the nearby mall, which was lined with food stalls.
"I kinda liked what that guy said," Yoru said out of nowhere.
"Huh?"
Asa blinked, confused for a moment.
"Seven out of every twenty Japanese people will be killed by devils," Yoru repeated, quoting the man's speech, "this world is at War with devils and humans."
She went on, "If humans remember that fear, my power grows stronger."
"Oh," Asa said, unconcerned, completely ignoring Yoru's ideology.
"I'll have two Super Cup Extra Vanilla ice creams," she said to the clerk with calm certainty, clearly not phased by anything strange in her head.
The shop assistant quickly handed her two large cups.
"Thank you," Asa said, taking them both.
The assistant tugged the brim of her cap down a little and yawned, sounding half asleep.
"No problem. My little sister loves this flavor."
"Eh? Little sister?"
Asa stared at her again.
The assistant had light purple hair cut short, half her face obscured under her cap, crumbs still stuck at the corners of her mouth from dessert.
Something about her seemed familiar.
"War, you called her… what?" Asa whispered inwardly to Yoru.
Before Yoru could answer…
Boom!
A sudden explosion rocked the corridor without warning.
The impact sent Asa flying to the floor.
Then the Bat Devil burst into the hallway, massive, pitch black, dominating the space like a raging bulldozer smashing anything in its path.
A random passerby was snatched up in its huge claws.
The purple-haired shop assistant reacted with bizarre calmness.
She yanked the ice cream from Asa's hand, popped it into her mouth, and munched like nothing was happening.
"Good thing vanilla ice cream holds up," she muttered, revealing orange-ringed eyes that instantly put Yoru on alert.
"You… are you something else?!" Yoru's voice in Asa's mind stiffened.
The assistant straightened her hat, glanced coolly at Asa on the floor, and said matter-of-factly, "Call me JiHe. A devil's attacking so I gotta jet. Good luck, little sister."
Before Asa could process a damn thing, JiHe vanished into the chaos.
The Bat Devil roared, tearing off an unlucky man's arm in one bite.
Blood sprayed like a grotesque fountain, his life ending in a flash.
The monster chewed him up, then shed gross, dripping tears of disdain.
"Blegh!" it snarled, voice deep and savage.
"Number twenty-three, sub-healthy man, tastes like trash!"
Asa smelled the iron tang of blood and stared at the carnage, frozen, her nerves seized up.
Her body refused to move.
Yoru barked warnings in her head.
When Asa was severely terrified, Yoru couldn't take control because sheer panic clashed with her own confident War Devil personality.
Yoru exhaled with controlled calm.
"Asa, we can't beat this thing right now. Stay calm. Don't panic. While it's busy eating, move slowly and quietly away."
"Mmm… okay," Asa whispered, her senses gradually returning.
She swallowed hard, shook off the shock, and stood up, limping backwards, trying to retreat.
But in her nervous haste she didn't watch her step.
The Bat Devil's rampage had already destabilized parts of the building.
A section of floor warped just where she was stepping.
Thump!
"Ouch!" Asa yelled as she tripped onto solid floor again.
"Skree!"
The Bat Devil snapped its head toward her instantly.
"Aaaaah, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!!!"
In a panic burst of adrenaline she scrambled up, sprinting as best her twisted ankle would allow.
But the monster pursued her ruthlessly, smashing walls and pillars aside.
The whole mall shook violently.
Her ankle buckled again — she hit the ground, crawling desperately forward.
Just when it seemed her end was finally at hand…
Another unlucky civilian caught the Bat Devil's attention and was swallowed whole.
The devil's belly bulged grotesquely.
"Number twenty-four, old woman, blegh — tastes like garbage!"
With a nauseating blegh, the Bat Devil actually vomited something out.
Clang.
An iron cage hit the ground right in front of Asa.
Inside was a cat — a familiar battered feline.
Meow!
The cat crawled out, wincing.
Yoru flared with sudden excitement.
This was their chance!
"Turn that cat into a weapon, Asa! Slash this damn bat into scrap!"
But Asa's ankle throbbed, every step sending pain up her leg.
Still, Yoru, ever aggressive, pushed harder in her mind.
"Asa, even if this was an accident, you don't genuinely regret killing Kukobi before. There's no one else here now. Touch that cat and call out the weapon name: Cat Sword!"
Asa exhaled and reached toward the trembling cat.
Yoru nodded greedily in satisfaction.
But then…
Asa immediately scooped up Nyan-ko, but instead of launching an attack, she limped forward as fast as she could, running with everything she had.
"Aaaaah! Asa you idiot!!" Yoru roared inside her head.
"Shut up, Yoru! I'd rather die than hurt a cat!!!"
Behind them, the Bat Devil lunged, its bloody jaws inches from her back.
Suddenly…
Vroom!
The roar of a revving chainsaw echoed through the mall.
A black blur shot forward like a missile.
Chainsaw Man, cloaked in black energy, slammed into the Bat Devil with brutal force!
Skreeeee!
Boom!
The Bat Devil's scream split the air as Cael's attack carved a massive gash through the building's structure.
Asa could only manage one word:
"Chainsaw?"
Yoru, still rattled, whispered, "Why is Chainsaw Man here?!"
Just a short while earlier, while Cael was still standing in line, he heard the distant chaos erupt.
Assuming it was near Asa Mitaka's path, his worry instantly pulled him toward it.
The sight he saw nearly knocked the breath out of him — Asa being hunted down by a fucking Bat Devil.
That beast was a nightmare incarnate — a devil known in the world as the Bat Devil, a creature that embodies bats and hates humans fiercely.
No way in hell was he letting that slide.
Cael ripped open his collar and yanked the starter cord hard.
Boom!!!
He slammed the Bat Devil into the ground with a devastating strike, spider-web cracks spreading across the floor from the sheer impact.
"Die!!!" Cael roared, chainsaws whirring and ready.