The system's notifications of suspicious emotions began ringing rapidly in Renji Kuroda's mind.
He halted his actions and calmly explained, "What I said is true. Please, don't doubt me."
From handing off the backpack to slicing out a chunk of the ceiling, only three seconds had passed. The sheer speed and decisiveness of his actions stunned everyone, and they stared at him with wide eyes.
"Ha! Hayakawa Aki-senpai! I told you!" Arai Hirokazu exclaimed, pointing at Renji. "Anyone who can get along with a fiend that well has to be a little off!"
But before she could finish, she noticed that Hayakawa Aki wasn't even looking at her. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling, his expression serious and focused.
Arai Hirokazu blinked, confused. She looked around—and realized everyone else had the same expression. Hayakawa Aki, Himeno, Kobeni… all staring intently at the exposed ceiling.
The corridor fell into a heavy silence.
"What's going on? Why is everyone looking like that?" she asked, her voice faltering. Uneasy, she turned her eyes upward—and froze in horror.
At some point, a massive, pulsating wall of flesh had appeared above them. Twisted and grotesque, it writhed slowly, covered in strange textures, veins, and unnatural protrusions that throbbed with a sickening rhythm.
"Wha—What is that?! Is that flesh?! That's disgusting!" Arai Hirokazu screamed, her voice cracking with fear.
Ding~ Detected Higashiyama Kobeni's fearful emotion. System rewards 10 points.
"So… so scary…!" Kobeni whimpered, covering her eyes in terror.
Renji remained composed as he explained, "It's not just a chunk of flesh. That's a flesh wall. Like I said earlier—this is the Eternal Devil's stomach. The eighth floor has been completely devoured and absorbed. If we were actually on the eighth floor, it might look the same as this one, but from here, you can clearly see that the entire floor has been transformed into this thing's gut."
He raised his pole again and sliced out another massive portion of the ceiling with ease, revealing more of the repulsive, undulating flesh wall.
Himeno frowned, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him. "You're really something, Renji Kuroda. How do you know all this? And your clothes, your hair, even your eyes—they've changed. You look like a knight straight out of a fantasy. Is this part of your Devil contract?"
Renji gave a small nod. "Something like that. But I can't tell you which Devil I've contracted with—or how I foresaw the Eternal Devil's presence. That's part of the cost I've paid. I'm sorry."
Even as he finished speaking, another section of the ceiling crashed down beside them, exposing even more of the Eternal Devil's monstrous form. The mass of flesh now spanned over five meters, its surface slick with viscous fluids and pulsing grotesquely.
Power's face lit up with excitement. "What are we waiting for?! Let's fight!!"
"Wait! Don't do it yet! I'm not ready—just hold—!"
But it was too late. A deep cut split open on Power's wrist, and blood surged into the air, forming a crimson naginata. Gripping it with both hands, Power let out a gleeful shout and slammed the blade upward into the flesh wall, sinking it halfway in before violently slashing.
A gory torrent of blood rained down as the Eternal Devil emitted a hoarse, piercing scream. The building shook violently in response, quaking under the beast's furious spasms.
Everyone staggered, struggling to stay on their feet. Renji slammed against the wall, clinging for balance, his face pale.
"Power! I swear, I'm telling Makima everything!!"
Ding~ Detected Power's fear. System rewards 5 points.
At once, Power's expression turned to panic. She waved her arms frantically. "Eh?! No!! No, please, Renji! I was wrong—I was totally wrong! I'll bathe every day, okay?! Just don't tell Makima! I beg you!"
"…What the hell does bathing have to do with this?! That's not what I meant, you idiot! Ugh—Power! Just you wait!"
Before the chaos could settle, Himeno's expression shifted. She sharply turned toward the end of the corridor, eyes narrowing.
"Everyone—heads up! Something's rushing down the elevator shaft from the eighth floor!"
Before anyone could react, a deafening crash echoed down the hall.
The elevator door was violently ripped open by a monstrous force and flung several meters away like paper. A grotesque creature emerged—its body a tumor-like mass of writhing flesh and countless heads. The malformed heads all wore blank, lifeless expressions, yet they moved in perfect unison.
"So hungry! I'm so hungry!!" they chanted in discordant voices, their mouths stretched wide as they surged forward from the elevator shaft, barreling toward the group.
Himeno raised her right hand and aimed it at one of the heads embedded in the massive flesh creature that loomed mid-air. Slowly, she clenched her fist.
At once, a ghostly, five-fingered handprint appeared on the surface of the targeted head, as though an invisible hand were crushing it from all sides. The skin buckled inward. The head's eyeballs bulged grotesquely, and blood began to trickle from its slack jaw. Finally—bang—the skull imploded under the crushing pressure.
This was Himeno's ability, granted by her contract with the Ghost Devil. In exchange for allowing it to consume her right eye, she had gained control over the Ghost Devil's powerful, invisible right hand.
But the towering flesh abomination didn't even flinch from the loss. Dozens more heads remained, each roaring in unison. If anything, its monstrous bulk seemed to expand, swelling until it nearly filled the entire corridor.
"No! That kind of attack won't work on it!" Himeno shouted. "Everyone—get down the stairs and take cover!"
"No need!" Renji Kuroda's voice rang out calmly, cutting through the panic. "It might look terrifying and have some strange abilities, but the Eternal Devil's actual strength is pitifully weak. Just fall back to the stairwell!"
Then, he turned his gaze toward Higashiyama Kobeni.
"Um—senpai! Please make a V-sign with both hands! It'll help me take this thing down!"
"Eh...? Ehhh?!!" Kobeni looked around, flustered and on the verge of tears. But despite her anxiety, she followed his instructions, raising her trembling hands into twin V-signs.
Renji stepped forward, slowly but steadily. Each step pressed heavily into the floor, his feet leaving small indentations as he braced himself, stabilizing his center of gravity.
He gripped the laundry pole tightly in both hands. A golden glow began to ripple from his body, flowing along the blade's length as he activated his Mana Burst.
With a sharp twist, he flipped the pole, blade forward, and aimed it squarely at the charging Eternal Devil.
The monster's bloated flesh twisted again. Long, jagged black lines formed across its surface—then split open, revealing wide mouths with rows of gnashing teeth. The jaws snapped wildly, creating a cacophony of clattering bone.
Renji inhaled deeply and shifted his stance, crouching slightly as the creature hurtled toward him.
The moment the two forces met—whoosh—his glowing blade sliced into the wall of flesh. The Devil's massive body split down the middle, sheared cleanly from center to edge. Chunks of its grotesque form were flung left and right, splattering the corridor in sticky fluid.
The Eternal Devil was cleaved for over ten meters—but the deeper Renji cut, the more resistant the flesh became. It thickened, hardened. His blade slowed. The creature's brute momentum kept driving him back, and long grooves gouged into the floor beneath his feet.
Suddenly, behind him, the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw being yanked to life echoed through the hallway.
Rrrrrrnnnnn!
Denji grinned wickedly, the cord on her chest retracting as her transformation completed. With a spray of blood, chainsaw blades erupted from her forehead and both arms, revving furiously as she stepped into the fray.