TL/N: i accidentally change the position of the chapter, mb.
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Sssss—!!
The tip of the massive tongue was severed, and blood instantly gushed out like a fountain from the cut.
Nomura Kojirou and Kinoshita Tsuki, who were closest, were splattered all over with blood. Their faces were covered in it, turning them into blood-soaked figures!
But this was still better than being eaten alive by the devil.
Takeda Yusuke, who was further back, was also splattered with blood.
Chiya, relying on his eyes, perfectly dodged all the blood flying toward him. Hayakawa Aki, on the other hand, rushed down the stairs, seemingly eager to hunt the devil.
Seeing the situation take a turn, Chiya quickly followed.
If Aki ended up killing the devil, he wasn't sure if he would still receive attribute points.
So he definitely didn't want Aki to "steal the kill."
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! So disgusting!"
At this moment, Nomura Kojirou was still wiping the blood off his face, the stench making him gag repeatedly.
Kinoshita Tsuki was completely stunned, her legs giving out as she collapsed to the ground. It would take her a while to recover.
"What are you doing?"
At this point, Takeda Yusuke's voice was icy.
Nomura Kojirou finally managed to wipe the blood from his eyes and could see again, only to find Takeda Yusuke staring at him coldly.
Kinoshita Tsuki, coming to her senses, said in a trembling voice, "I… I can't do this…"
Having just narrowly escaped death, she was so scared that her legs wouldn't obey her. She felt like she was about to lose control of her bladder.
"You have to keep going. My team doesn't need dead weight!"
Takeda Yusuke's eyes showed no trace of pity as he spoke coldly.
Kinoshita Tsuki's face turned pale. With Takeda Yusuke blocking her retreat and her own fear of him, she had no way out.
Her trembling, weak legs made it difficult for her to even stand up. When she finally managed to get to her feet, someone suddenly kicked her in the back. She turned her head and saw Takeda Yusuke's disgusted expression.
He despised her weakness and was annoyed by her slow movements.
The kick sent Kinoshita Tsuki tumbling down the stairs, her screams of despair echoing as she rolled uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Nomura Kojirou was dumbfounded.
"What about you? Do you need me to send you down too?"
At this moment, Takeda Yusuke's gaze turned to Nomura Kojirou.
"No, no, no! I can go down myself."
Nomura Kojirou hurriedly said.
Though he was terrified, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue downward.
Chiya heard the commotion behind him and turned to see Kinoshita Tsuki falling down.
Using his eyes to predict her trajectory, he caught her at the perfect moment. His "Strength" and "Vitality" attributes came in handy here, as he wouldn't have been able to catch her so steadily otherwise.
However, Kinoshita Tsuki had already passed out at some point, so he could only lay her down on the ground nearby.
At this moment, the devil appeared before Chiya. It seemed to be a Toad Devil, its large mouth continuously dripping blood. Clearly, the dark green tongue earlier had been its.
Its body was mostly dark green, with four large, protruding eyes on its head. Its belly bulged rhythmically, making a "croak" sound.
Its entire body was covered in a densely packed bumps mixed with numerous human fingers and toes. Even someone without trypophobia would find it disgusting.
"Damn humans! I'll devour all of you and use your blood to heal myself!"
The Toad Devil roared in fury.
As it spoke, more blood gushed out uncontrollably.
Human flesh and blood weren't just delicious to devils—their blood could also heal a devil's injuries.
With just a few humans' blood, its severed tongue would quickly regenerate.
Aki didn't waste any words on the Toad Devil, nor did he plan to use the ordinary katana at his waist. Instead, he went all out from the start, drawing the "sword" from his back.
The "sword" looked like a katana at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was actually a nail about the length of a sword—a strange weapon given by the Curse Devil.
Since devils that consumed pieces of the Gun Devil's flesh would gain immense power, Aki knew he couldn't defeat such a devil without using the Curse Devil's power.
Seeing Aki about to use the Curse Devil's power, Chiya frowned.
Not only would this reduce Aki's lifespan, but Chiya might also miss out on the attribute points.
He had to intervene.
However, at that moment, the Toad Devil suddenly spewed an unknown green mist from its mouth, quickly filling the air.
The basement wasn't large to begin with, and the green mist soon filled the entire space.
Chiya immediately activated "Intangibility," avoiding inhaling any of the green gas.
"Intangibility" was actually a function of the right eye's Kamui, also known as defensive Kamui. It allowed him to transfer the part of his body about to be attacked into the Kamui Dimension. To completely avoid the green gas, he had to transfer his entire body into the Kamui Dimension.
Aki, though quick to react and covering his nose and mouth, still had to breathe and inevitably inhaled some of the green gas.
He felt his body gradually weakening, his muscles losing strength, making it difficult to grip his weapon.
"This is…!"
Aki realized the effect of the green gas but could do nothing about it.
He had two choices: either quickly kill the devil or quickly leave the basement.
Otherwise, once his body completely gave out, he would be a sitting duck.
Aki's obsession with the Gun Devil was too deep. He desperately wanted to kill this Toad Devil and chose to act quickly.
"Curse, do it!"
Aki thrust the "nail" toward the Toad Devil. Before it even pierced the devil's body, a giant, desiccated finger—belonging to the Curse Devil—appeared in the void and flicked the end of the "nail."
The "nail," propelled by this terrifying force, stabbed into the Toad Devil's body.
At the same time, a dry, withered mouth in the void uttered a number, "One."
Aki pulled out the "nail" and attacked again, but his expression grew more strained. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Do it!"
The Curse Devil acted again, its finger flicking the "nail" and easily piercing the Toad Devil's flesh, "Two."
Only one more strike was needed for Hayakawa Aki to activate the Curse Devil's ability and kill the Toad Devil with a guaranteed fatal blow!
But at this critical moment, his body reached its limit. He couldn't even hold onto the "nail."
"Clang!"
The nail fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Aki's heart was filled with frustration. His face twisted in struggle, but no matter how hard he tried, his strength continued to fade.
"Damn it!"