Rotting stench fills the hallway. Sweet. Heavy. Blood and flesh melting together. The air itself was decaying. Kamuro Plaza's walls aren't walls anymore. Pulsing masses of red-black meat. A Special Division member's corpse. Impaled by tentacles yesterday. Half-absorbed into the wall. Only shoulders and head protrude into the hallway——and that face still moves. Mouth opens. Closes. Opens. Closes. Trying to say something. No sound comes out. Just lips moving. Eyes fixed on the ceiling. No focus. Denji doesn't look at that face. Power crouches on the floor. Knees hugged to her chest. Trembling. Crying silently. Red and gold hair disheveled. Covering her face. Teeth clenched so hard they don't show. Shoulders still heaving. Aki sits with his back against the wall. Dried blood runs from his forehead wound to his jaw. Eyes aren't closed. Just staring straight ahead. Motionless. Post-curse devil aftermath——his face is pale. Lips discolored. No words between the three. Denji still stands. Just standing. Almost no blood left to move the Chainsaw. Fingertips trembling. Tries to raise his arm. Stops halfway. No strength. Just standing. That's all Denji can do. He leans against the wall. Looks up at the ceiling. (In the previous memory, I ate through this place for three days and nights) Right. Cut with the Chainsaw. Wait for regeneration. Cut again. Wear it down. That's all there was. But now regeneration speed is more than double the previous memory. Stamina runs out first. Why did it get faster. The answer's clear. Changed the Bat Devil incident. Energy the Bat Devil should've exhausted in the previous memory——flowed into the Eternity Devil instead. My attempt to save my comrades created this situation. (Should I have done nothing) He thought. Really thought. Should I have watched Aki die in silence. Should I have just watched Power disappear. Itabashi's twelve people or the Eternity Devil——which should I have chosen. If I hadn't changed the Bat Devil, would we not be here now. The more he thought, the more his mind crumbled. Tears overflow from Denji's eyes. Won't stop. No strength to wipe them. Streak down his cheeks. Fall from his jaw to the floor. Throat tightens. But voice leaks out. Can't hold it back. "[crying]Why……I rewound everything, but it just got worse" Hoarse voice. Spreads through the hallway. Absorbed into the meat wall. Power lifts her head. Face wet with tears. Watching Denji. No loud voice. No condescension. Nothing. Just watching his face. Aki looks at Denji too. Silent. No one can say anything. They see Denji cry for the first time. Pochita pulses in his chest. Thump. Once. Warm. That warmth alone barely keeps Denji tethered. ——Then. Vibration comes from deep in the meat wall. Not sound. Air trembles. Floor shakes faintly. Spreads through the entire hallway. From walls. From ceiling. Through the soles of feet. Seeps into the body. Low voice comes. "Give me the Chainsaw's heart" Like an earthquake. Can't tell where it's from. The entire hallway shakes. "Do that, and I'll let everyone out" Aki stands up. Hands on knees. Slowly. Body at its limit, but voice is sharp. "[angry]Refuse. Don't take that deal" Shouts at the wall. After using the curse devil, body should be at its limit. But voice is still real. Power lifts her face from the floor. Face wet with tears. Eyes burning with anger. "[angry]Never give it up, ya hear!" Voice trembles. But eyes are serious. Something catches in Denji's chest. (If I give Pochita, both of them survive right now) That thought starts speaking in his head. He knows the night he lost Aki in the previous memory. Knows the night Power disappeared. Rather than taste that despair again——. Denji's hand trembles. Presses against his chest. "[scared]Denji" Voice changes. Not a command. A plea. Power watches Denji's face. Like she knows what he's thinking. Aki grabs Denji's arm. Hard. "[cold]It's meaningless" Low. Quiet. "[cold]Why would that devil keep its promise. The moment you hand it over, we all get eaten" Gray eyes watch Denji. Eyes of someone who decided to fight even if it costs their lifespan. Eyes that won't die until the Gun Devil's revenge is complete. Denji looks at Aki's arm. Black contract marks running under the forearm skin. Curse devil marks. Lifespan shaves off with each use. Still Aki stands here. (This guy's fighting ready to lose everything too) Denji can't say anything. Aki releases his hand. Silence falls between the three. Denji places his hand on his chest. Pochita beats. Not once. Twice. Three times. Thump. Thump. Thump. Strong. In this situation, strong. Like saying it's okay. Clear warmth spreads across his palm. (I've been moving based on the previous memory) Right. Thought I could strike first because I knew what happens next. But changed the Bat Devil incident——different incident happened. Eternity Devil's regeneration speed increased. Every time I move, the terrain changes. The previous memory isn't a perfect map. (So what I need now isn't the previous memory) What can I do in this moment. That's all. Denji wipes his tears. Sleeve. Rough. Stands up. Aki sees. Power sees. Denji extends his left arm forward. Right hand deploys the Chainsaw blade small. Not enough blood. Shallow is fine. "[serious]I'm not giving Pochita" That's all he says. Blade touches his left arm. Shallow. But certain. Skin tears. Next moment, blood flies. Forceful. Spreads through the hallway. "[scared]Denji!" Shouts. But Denji doesn't stop. Slams that blood toward the meat wall. Arc drawn with his palm. Blood touches the wall——. The meat wall burns. No sound. Just contraction starts from the contact point. Like scorching. Like convulsing. Sizzle sounds from dozens of spots. Meat shrinks. Red-black surface turns black. Eternity Devil screams. Not an earthquake. A shriek. Hallway shakes. Body fluid falls from ceiling. Meat wall convulses. Trembles. Regeneration stops. Aki holds his breath. Power covers her mouth. Both trying to process what just happened. ——The power of Chainsaw Devil's blood. Something that erodes devil concepts. Denji himself didn't know. But it worked. Denji drops to his knees. Massive blood loss. Blood won't stop from the left arm wound. Vision's edges turn white. Head heavy. But eyes stay forward. "[serious]……Still can move" Voice hoarse. Power rushes over. No loud voice. No arrogance. Kneels beside Denji. Places her hand on the wound. Stays silent. Hand stays pressed. Sensation of blood fiend's healing power flowing in slowly. Her own exhaustion slows the speed. But doesn't stop. Power doesn't look at Denji's face. Eyes fixed on the wound. Hand stays pressed. No usual voice. No arrogance. Just silent. Just beside him. Denji feels that hand's warmth. No such scene in the previous memory. Wanted to say thank you. But no voice comes. Looks away. Aki glances at the two for a moment. Then turns his gaze back to the meat wall. Regeneration is stopped. But not forever. Must think of the next move. In his head, tried to think only that. But it lingered. Image of Denji standing up while crying. Voice saying he won't give Pochita. Aki says nothing. Knows he doesn't need to. The hallway's silence won't last long. Eternity Devil isn't dead even if regeneration stops. Only where Denji's blood touched. The rest still lives. No time. But these few seconds. Power's hand stays on Denji's arm. Denji looks away. Catches his breath. Rotting stench and blood smell fill the hallway. Three people in the same place. Still not over.