Tina didn't question Reze directly but instead turned to Denji. "Hey, Older brother, do you like this sister?"
"Me? Ahem, yes, I like her!" Denji blurted out, his face turning red.
Although his heart was devoted to Makina, that didn't stop him from having feelings for Reze. Before becoming a Devil Hunter, he would have been satisfied just having a decent meal, but now, everything had changed.
Hearing Denji's confession, Reze looked at him with a sorrowful expression.
Tina noticed this subtle change. As someone who had been through similar emotions, she understood the feeling of helplessness.
She walked over to Reze and leaned against the fence, gazing up at the sky. "My name is Tina, and I'm a killer."
"?"
"?"
Both Denji and Reze stared at Tina warily, while she continued looking at the stars, speaking indifferently. "I'm not human. I'm infected with a very special virus. This virus gives me unique abilities but sets me apart from ordinary people. My parents abandoned me as a child, and the person who found me trained me to be an assassin."
"I had no real purpose in life back then. My only drive was to complete missions and eliminate various targets—rich people, politicians, other killers, good people, bad people—I've taken them all down. But after meeting Chris and Leon, I realized there's beauty in the world. Delicious food, fun experiences, friends, and family. People shouldn't live in a daze, just carrying out tasks without understanding why. Even if you're on a mission, you should know who you're doing it for—whether it's for someone, for your country, or for the world."
Chris and Leon had a profound influence on Tina. Both had been hurt by viruses and were determined to destroy anyone afflicted by them. Tina, influenced by their resolve, made it her goal to save all the cursed children and stop the Gastrea virus from harming humans.
Kobane Higayashima interrupted and asked, "What's your dream now?"
"Hehe!"
Tina hugged Kobane Higayashima, grinning mischievously. "Of course, I want to drain all your savings, Higayashima-chan! Today, I'll make you penniless."
"No problem! Let's keep eating!"
"Great!"
The two left joyfully, leaving Denji and Reze standing there, bewildered.
After they walked away, Reze muttered to herself, "But... I have no choice."
Her life had only two options: either carry out her superiors' orders and live a semblance of a normal life or hide like a mouse, eventually dying in obscurity or being hunted down.
"Hey? What's wrong?" Denji asked, his attention having been elsewhere, so he hadn't heard what Reze said.
"Hey, Denji, I like you. Let's leave, leave this city. We can find a place far away where no one knows us. We're still young; we could go to school, find jobs, and have so many chances to choose our own path."
"Leave..."
For the first time, Denji hesitated. He finally had a semblance of a normal life, a partner he could trust, and someone he genuinely liked.
Seeing Denji's hesitation, Reze sighed and leaned in to kiss him before he could respond.
This kiss wasn't like the earlier one, which had the taste of vomit; this one was tinged with the taste of blood.
Denji's eyes widened as he noticed Reze's wet eyes slowly growing cold, realizing something was wrong.
Blood dripped from the corners of Denji's mouth, and part of his tongue was now in Reze's mouth.
Reze pulled back, proudly showing off her "trophy." Before Denji could react, she swiftly cut his throat and quickly severed his left hand, which was reaching for the pull ring on his chest.
She crouched down, holding Denji's right hand, and gently kissed his lips again. Denji felt strange, unable to speak due to the pain in his tongue and body, but he sensed tenderness in Reze's kiss.
After the kiss, Reze looked at him lovingly, "It hurts, doesn't it? I'm sorry, Denji. I'll take your heart, but I won't let you die."
A Human contracted with a Devil's body is quite special. As long as some key parts are preserved, they can be revived by drinking blood or through special methods. Reze doesn't intend to kill Denji. Once her mission was complete, she planned to find a heart to replace his and bring him back to life.
Just as she was about to act again, a bullet struck the ground next to her.
Tina and Kobane Higayashima emerged from the shadows.
Kobane Higayashima's expression was emotionless, her right hand poised on her waist, ready to draw her sword.
Tina urged, "Reze, stop it!"
Reze didn't offer any explanation. She reached for the pull ring on her neck, but as she tried to act, it felt as if time had stopped.
No, it wasn't time stopping—their movements were just incredibly fast, creating an effect similar to time stopping.
In her confusion, Reze saw Tina and Kobane Higayashima making strange motions.
Both squatted down, raised their Yamato swords, and sheathed them slowly. This sensation of time stopping lasted only a moment, and suddenly, her body felt normal again.
If Virgil were here, the background music "I am the storm that is approaching" would have started playing.
Tina seemed more relaxed than Kobane Higayashima. She stood up, gathered her bangs like Virgil's iconic hairspray hand gesture, and said, "I need power! More power!"
Without further hesitation, Reze pulled the safety bolt again, but it was as if her hand didn't exist—she couldn't feel anything.
She turned to look and found her hand was gone! In that moment, she wasn't sure if she felt regret or relief, but seeing Denji's face made her think that ending it like this wasn't so bad.
Within a split second, all the parts of her body that could reach the pull ring were completely severed. The cuts were so swift that her body didn't even have time to bleed.
Tina was uninterested in the aftermath, she complained about the effort involved.
"Even at top speed, it still takes more than a second. Did that damn boss calculate everything?"
Kobane Higayashima pondered seriously, "Maybe if you didn't pose, you'd have enough time."
"But this is about the soul! I'd rather spend extra money than skip the pose!"
As everyone knows, the Yamato can cut through space. This ability isn't tied to posing, but anyone who has played Devil May Cry and seen Virgil use the Yamato Blade knows it's the soul of the technique.
Kobane Higayashima didn't fully understand the significance of this form, but hearing the familiar line, she couldn't help but recall every time she faced Virgil. He always kept talking about power, and since she was using the Yamato Blade, Kobane Higayashima half-crouched, held the blade upright, and struck a pose.
"This is power!"
As if summoned, Power appeared from nowhere.
"Who's calling me?"
Power followed the scent of blood, and upon seeing Kobane Higayashima and Tina both holding Yamato Blades and Denji and Reze lying on the ground, her expression froze.
Holding the blade with "power" in mind, Denji was bleeding from his mouth and throat, and Reze lay there, bleeding out, looking helpless.
Hearing Kobane say "power" repeatedly, wasn't the intention clear? This cute girl was about to be chopped down!