Chapter 177: The Cursed Devil

Chapter 177: The Cursed Devil

After Aki Hayakawa drew the "blade" from its sheath, Power finally saw what his "blade" actually was—a long nail.

"A nail?"

Then, Aki engaged in a fierce battle with the Katana Man. As they fought, mysterious fingers appeared outside the panels, seemingly aiding Aki.

Despite the Katana Man's formidable strength, Aki held his ground, dodging the katana's strikes at incredible speed. The manga depicted Aki's movements as if he left afterimages, showcasing his extraordinary reflexes and speed.

Using the long nail, Aki pierced the Katana Man's shoulder. The fingers outside the panels dealt a simultaneous blow, causing the Katana Man to stagger.

As expected, Aki's combat abilities were indeed impressive. With just a human's physical capabilities, he managed to hold his own against a weaponized man like the Katana Man. His reflexes and speed were clearly beyond ordinary.

And Aki wasn't even a hybrid like Denji or Power—he was just a regular human.

"Strike now!" Aki shouted as he drove the nail further into the Katana Man.

"Who is he calling?" Wenwei Zhou wondered. "Denji and the others? Why aren't they assisting Aki?"

But it made sense—both Himeno and Denji had been shot and couldn't help Aki.

Then, Aki stabbed the Katana Man again with the nail.

In the next panel, a voice emerged from the darkness, counting down, "Three."

Aki struck once more, piercing the Katana Man's body with the nail, and shouted, "Do it!"

The mysterious entity in the darkness counted down again, "Two."

It was then that Wenwei Zhou realized the true power of Aki's cursed nail weapon—each successful strike triggered a countdown. But what would happen when the countdown reached zero?

Wenwei Zhou continued reading and watched as Aki launched more attacks.

"One."

At this final countdown, the Katana Man seemed to feel immense pressure.

"What an ominous weapon..."

He roared in fury and kicked Aki away with such force that Aki was sent rolling across the debris.

But just as the Katana Man spoke, Aki delivered the final blow.

"Curse! Finish him off!" Aki shouted into the darkness.

"Zero."

The Cursed Devil, known as Curse, whispered the final word of the countdown, symbolizing death. A massive demonic hand emerged from the darkness, gripping the Katana Man's powerful body. The Katana Man struggled but couldn't break free.

Then, the true form of the Cursed Devil appeared—a gigantic skeleton devil with two skulls. It enveloped the Katana Man, and an invisible force began to tear him apart. Blood gushed from the Katana Man's body, and he collapsed in a pool of his own blood.

So, this was Aki's true strength. Once an enemy was struck four times by his cursed nail, their death was inevitable. The ability was so powerful that it operated on the level of causality, which explained why it consumed Aki's life force.

But trading life for power was not a new concept in the world of manga.

Even the protagonist of "God Tribe" sacrificed a quarter of his life every time he used his abilities. So, exchanging life for power was not such a big deal.

As Wenwei Zhou admired Aki's strength, he assumed the fight had ended. Aki, after seeing the Katana Man dead, sighed in relief and turned his attention to Power and Himeno.

"Himeno-senpai, how is she?" he asked with concern evident on his face, clearly worried about Himeno.

This sudden concern made Wenwei Zhou think that Aki might have some feelings for Himeno. After all, there hadn't been much interaction between Aki and Makima, except for her saving him initially. Considering Aki and Himeno's shared experiences, it made sense that he might develop feelings for her.

Himeno lay in Power's arms, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound.

[Translator: sauron]

"We should get her to a hospital as soon as possible," Power suggested.

Aki breathed a sigh of relief but then said, "That guy had a gun... In the Republic, only police and devil hunters are allowed to possess firearms."

He then recalled what the Katana Man had said to Denji earlier, "The Gun Devil wants your heart."

Their target was Denji's... heart? And earlier, the Eternity Devil also demanded Denji's heart.

"They're after Pochita," Wenwei Zhou, with his omniscient perspective, naturally understood what was going on. "Is the Chainsaw Devil really that powerful? Even the Gun Devil wants Pochita?"

In theory, chainsaws were terrifying, but not as fear-inducing as firearms, right?

"Let's get Himeno-senpai treated first," Aki said, ready to take action.

However, before he could move, a woman appeared behind him.

"The Cursed Devil..." the woman said to Aki, "You used the nail too many times. You will die, won't you?"

"Your skills are impressive."

Aki turned to face her, "Where did you come from... Are you with them?"

The woman ignored him and lifted the Katana Man from the pool of blood, though he appeared to be lifeless.

"What?" Aki was shocked as he watched the seemingly dead Katana Man rise to his feet.

"Why did I lose?" the Katana Man asked.

"You were careless," the woman replied without emotion.

"Then kill him," she instructed.

Without hesitation, the Katana Man lunged at Aki once again. Aki drew his weapon, ready to fight once more. After all, he had already defeated the Katana Man once. Defeating him again should be no problem, even if it meant using Curse's power and sacrificing more of his life.

But in a flash, the Katana Man appeared behind Aki.

Aki, caught off guard, couldn't react in time. The final panel depicted blood spraying from Aki's chest as the Katana Man stood triumphantly.

"No way..." Wenwei Zhou suddenly realized what might happen. "Is Aki about to be taken out? Is he the first character to face a tragic end in 'Chainsaw Man'?"

(End of Chapter)