If assassins fail, there's only one outcome awaiting them: death.
"Kill me."
Reze turned her head and looked at Denji, who had transformed into Chainsaw Man and returned. If she had a choice, she would have preferred for the man in front of her to be the one to kill her.
When Denji heard this, he froze. He wanted to say something, but just as he was about to speak, Tina interrupted: "She's an assassin who came to kill you. There's no need to spare her. Let Kobane-chan send her away."
"Wait..."
Denji tried to stop her, but Tina shouted to Higashiyama Kobane, "No need to wait, do it."
"Yes!"
Through TT, she already knew Tina's plan and was ready to act.
"Reze, for the sake of the love between you and Denji, I'll let you leave this world peacefully."
The commotion they caused naturally attracted the attention of many. Wild animals, passers-by, reporters, and the public safety hunters who were rushing to the scene watched from a distance but couldn't approach.
As Higashiyama Kobane prepared to draw her sword again, Tina shouted to Power: "Power! Play Power's divine song!"
"Leave it to me!"
As Higashiyama Kobane unsheathed her sword, Power fast-forwarded the music to the climax.
Reze looked at Higashiyama Kobane drawing her sword, and the events of her life flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern.
What had she experienced? Training, missions, battles... The happiest moments in her life were probably these last few days.
"I'm sorry, Denji. I lied to you. I never went to school..."
As Higashiyama Kobane drew her sword and sheathed it, not only did Power, but the surrounding grass and air appeared to be severed from space, creating a visual effect of a massive slash. With this final strike, the Bomb Devil's body was cut into countless pieces.
With the appearance of the Judgement Cut, Denji knelt on the ground, and the blood dripping around him fell like tears.
All that was left were fragments of clothing and flesh. Even if someone were to search for the core of the Bomb Devil later, they likely wouldn't find it, as most of her remains had been erased from existence. The Judgement Cut that was used once before had only been witnessed by Makima and a few others.
This time, many saw it, but what they truly witnessed was True Power.
The spot where Reze once stood was enveloped by Judgement Cut. Hundreds of slashes appeared in an instant, each one vital, each one fatal. Even if Denji had been fully transformed into Chainsaw Man, knew he couldn't have withstood that move.
The slash that tore through space obliterated everything in its path, leaving only a few rats in the gutter and crows circling above. Everything else had been turned to dust; even flesh and blood had been evaporated.
Watching Reze leave this world, Denji felt a hollow emptiness in his heart, as though he could no longer feel sadness or joy.
...
It was now closing time at the internet cafe, where customers weren't typically allowed to stay.
In the store, Reze appeared in the hall, covered in blood. Liu Yuan stood in the lobby, introduced Leticia to the side. "Reze, an assassin. Tina asked if we needed employees, so she was introduced to us. Do you like her? She'll be staying here. Given the characteristics of the Devils in Little Miss's World, I guess she won't have any clothes after her body recovers?"
With that, Liu Yuan left the branch store and went to the main store to have fun with Jibril.
"Hmm..."
Reze's mind was still spinning. Just a second ago, she was about to be killed, and now…
Her thoughts were a mess until she was offered a drink of blood by a little girl—Leticia.
"Drink it," Leticia said.
Every store is managed by a combination of a store manager and a network administrator. From her understanding, the store manager should have special requirements, but the network administrator didn't.
She thought she'd have to wait until her store developed more before hiring a network administrator, but today she was given one unexpectedly.
Leticia placed her hand on Reze's head. After absorbing the blood, Reze returned to normal through the power of the Devil. Feeling Reze's thoughts and power, Leticia nodded.
"It's okay, but this guy is a bit of a hindrance..."
As she spoke, Leticia reached out her hand. Reze was still a Devil, and the Devil within her had some degree of consciousness. This kind of Devil wasn't suitable for employment.
For Leticia, eliminating the Devil within and retaining the Bomb Devil's characteristics for Reze's power wasn't difficult.
Each branch has low requirements for network administrators. They need to engage with customers, follow orders, and not cause trouble during work. As long as they aren't anti-social, anti-human, or anti-world in their own world, they can make do.
Meanwhile, back in the world of Chainsaw Man, Denji stared at the spot where Reze had died, leaving no trace behind. His heart felt hollow, as if he could no longer feel sadness or joy.
Tina walked over and comforted him. "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking, why do they all want Chainsaw Man's heart?"
He recalled his life since becoming Chainsaw Man. Devils, humans—everyone wanted his heart, even the woman he loved...
"Chainsaw Man? Not really. When we eavesdropped earlier, she said she wanted Denji's heart. I don't know who Chainsaw Man is, but I know she wanted Denji's heart, not Chainsaw Man's."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true."
This statement left Denji speechless. "Then what did she say at the end?"
Tina leaned in, her lips close to his ear, and whispered something only he could hear: "She said that she had never been to school either."
This revelation hit Denji like a bolt from the blue, leaving him utterly stunned.
He regretted it. If he had just told Reze that he wanted to leave with her, would the outcome have been different?
He didn't resent Higashiyama Kobane's decisiveness—the enemy had to be killed. But Reze's death was like a fishbone lodged in his throat, a pain that he could never fully expel.
Sensing that the situation was over, Tina called out to Higashiyama Kobane. "Kobane-chan~ Can we still go play?"
"Sure!"
Higashiyama Kobane adjusted her breathing, sweat glistening on her forehead. "Senior called me and said I can continue to play anytime. The bounty is very, very high~"
Destroying the Bomb Devil sent by foreign nations—this achievement surpassed 99% of the Devil Hunter's records. Taking down such a powerful Devil without causing damage to the surrounding environment or loss of life was nothing short of a miracle.
As for the legitimacy? Makima witnessed everything through the animals around her so she confirmed its authenticity.
However, something felt off to her. Reze's death had been sudden, with no Devil power remaining. She had vanished at the moment of the slash. This method of death was something Makima had never seen before.
"Is this also one of your powers?"
Makima's face remained expressionless as she pondered whether to dominate Higashiyama Kobane. But she quickly dismissed the idea. With her sister residing within Kobane, failure would only create an unnecessary enemy.
As long as Higashiyama Kobane didn't cause trouble, Makima was willing to hire her at a high salary to eliminate troublesome enemies. And if Higashiyama Kobane's strength could weaken the Gun Devil's power, all the better.