Beta-Read by: Name of Love

-Chapter 2-

The Control Devil twisted low as a five-fingered talon sliced through the rain and air alike and narrowly brushed against her eyes, the tips mere millimeters away. She dispassionately observed without so much as a flinch as the dagger-like nails split the falling droplets, trying and failing to do the same to her flesh and blood. But while her visage was as tranquil as a lake on a summer day, she was well aware of how close she had been to death.

When the falling lake exploded into a shower of rain so dense that it was a liquid fog in all but name, she had immediately raised her guard. The rain shower was thick enough that she could not see past a couple of meters, even with her newly enhanced vision.

Makima had correctly recognized this tactic for what it was, a smokescreen. Ambushing the enemy when it was blind was a common strategy used by both Devil Hunters and Devils alike. While her vision had been rendered useless, her hearing was more than enough to cover any deficiencies. But despite being fully aware and ready to respond to every attack from any direction, she was almost slain on the spot when a clawed hand pierced through the rain fog like a lance aimed at her head.

She should have easily been able to hear the assault coming, even with the deafening noise generated by the heavy pounding of the rainstorm. Something of that size should not have been able to move so silently so quickly. Yet, she heard nothing until it was almost too late. Fortunately, while her assailant could silence its approach, it could not do the same to the altered air currents generated by its movements. It was a minor change, too small for most to notice even if they tried. But Makima was able to deduce the direction of the attack by detecting the shift in the trajectory of the rain.

Even as she avoided the talons, her instincts screamed in alarm as she heard the whistling of a whip racing toward the back of her head. Makima dived forward into a roll as a 40-foot-long tail swept over the empty space where her waist was a moment ago.

Whatever this thing was, it was relentless in its attacks. Every time she dodged or parried a blow, it would slink back and hide before striking under cover of the fog once more. Even now, she could not hear the creature's footsteps much less pinpoint its position. When she tried to advance, the creature disappeared. When she tried to disengage, it would cut her off. Unable to attack or retreat, Makima was forced to be a sitting duck where she could only defend.

The only silver lining was that her assailant fought like a hunter facing a dangerous animal. The reversal of roles was an irony not lost on Makima and would have been amusing if she wasn't so pissed. Rather than a full-frontal assault, it struck periodically, launching probing attacks as if to test her limits. None of its attacks besides the first was particularly dangerous. But once the hunter finishes probing and prodding his prey, he would inevitably come for the killing blow.

She was proven rights moments later.

After dodging another set of talons that tried to stain the puddles with her blood, Makima studied her surroundings, closely watching every droplet of rain for any sign of disturbance in the airflow and listening for even the faintest sounds in the air. But the creature seemed to have deemed this game of tag pointless.

She expected another slash of a talon or the whip of a tail but instead got the full-bodied charge of a 15-meter-tall behemoth.

She hastily leaped back, trying to create distance but its size belayed its impressive speed. Within a microsecond, it closed the space between them with its arms spread as if to give an embrace.

Makima could not retreat. Its charge was far faster than she could move. Nor could she evade to the side. The claws would rip her into shreds if she tried and trying to jump over the creature was suicide. All paths to escape lead to death without exception.

Even under the constant pressure of her demise, the smile never once left her lips.

Those who seek life shall die and those who seek death shall live.

When all paths to life ended in death, Makima sought death.

Devil and Monster charged as the world held its breath.

But the moment before the impending collision, the Devil dropped to the ground. She slid over the water right in between its legs before recovering with a forward roll, simultaneously avoiding another swipe of its tail. Unhindered by its failure, the creature pivoted around its foot and became a hurricane of water and limbs, chaining every strike with another with such fluidity that Makima was forced on the back foot.

Whatever this thing was, it was unlike anything she had ever faced. It was nowhere near as fast as the Gun, but it was the fastest opponent she had ever met in a melee. It was not as lethal as the Darkness, but a single mistake would end her just the same. The ferocity of its attacks and the savagery of its relentless offense reminded her of the Chainsaw.

At first, she thought that her opponent was a Devil. Perhaps even a Primal. But the creature's scent was nothing remotely like anything she had smelled before. It was so utterly alien that it fascinated her. If it hadn't been trying to kill her, she would have liked to watch it from afar and study it.

Makima flexed her legs as she prepared to evade another set of talons. But this time, the beast halted its attack, an echo of water forming where its claw should have been and continuing its path toward her head even as it spun and lashed out with its tail, aiming at her legs. The tail was too low to duck under and the water echo too high to jump over. So she leaped between the two attacks, narrowly avoiding being cut into three pieces.

It galled her to admit, but even with her exponential increase in power, she was still slower and weaker. However, speed and strength were just two of many factors in deciding the victor in battle. While the creature was fast and possessed numerous dangerous abilities along with tactical acumen, its attacks were predictable. It did not attempt to feint, and it did not try to deceive. Its strikes were always faithful and honest. The creature attacked as fast and hard as possible, hoping to overwhelm its opponent. But despite its simplicity, it was effective. From what Makima had seen so far, she had no doubt it would easily be able to take down a vast majority of combatants.

However, Makima was not among the vast majority. She was a veteran of a thousand battles and accustomed to facing opponents that outmatched her in physicality. While its speed was a problem, her kinetic vision could clearly track its movements. What she could not see, she heard and if all her senses became unreliable, her finely honed instincts would warn her of any and all danger.

Fist smashed against claw as she parried the latter to the side as it attempted to bifurcate her from the head down. The claws cut through the ground harmlessly, but the attack was not yet over. The creature smoothly changed its failed hammer strike into a horizontal sweep at her feet, forcing Makima airborne to avoid becoming a legless stump of flesh. For the first time since the battle began, she met the gaze of six piercing green eyes that had broken the wills of many a man.

Damn! She cursed internally.

The talons passed harmlessly beneath her feet, but it was a hollow victory. While not a mark marred her skin, she was now vulnerable in the air as a fish out of water. A vulnerability that her enemy wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of.

And it didn't.

The creature smashed down with its head intending to mash her flesh and marrow into the dirt and mix her blood with the water. But Makima had no desire to go along with its wishes. She would not allow this creature to be her killer. Only one was worthy of such an honor and he was not of this world.

In the brief second before the impact, she fired the invisible force at the incoming head. For a moment, the creature stalled as it struggled with something without form. But only for a moment.

Struck with the force of a bullet train, she crashed into the ground, barely landing on her feet as she was sent skidding back a dozen meters. Her attack was a pitiful thing, having had little time to strengthen it. But it had done its job in buffering the blow. The arms that had shielded her form throbbed with pain as she detected multiple lacerations within the bones.

For the first time, the ever-present smile on her lips turned grim. Slowly but surely, she was being overwhelmed. Its attacks were nothing complicated, but that sadly did not equate to stupidity. Ever since their first clash, the beast had struck 37 times. All of which she had managed to avoid or parry with varying degrees of success. However, every following attack came closer to reaching her than the previous. It was adapting to her speed and skill and taking steps to counter them at a horrifying speed.

The worst problem however, was that Makima could do nothing but defend. While her powers were enhanced, her mind had no chance to adjust to the changes in her body. There was always a lag between the mental command and physical actions, making her movements clumsier and slower than they should be.

Furthermore, she was unable to find an opening to retaliate due to the difference in speed. With the loss of her immortality, she could not afford to take risks and was unwilling to test her newfound durability against this creature. She had survived so far due to her skill and experience but if she failed to find a way to turn this battle around, her defeat would not be an if but a matter of time.

Makima tensed as the creature dropped on all fours, every limb rippling with power as it prepared for another charge. She searched her surroundings, formulating an escape plan but it was for naught.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

At one moment, the beast was still. At another, its claws were but a mere meter from her face. Her eyes widened in shock.

Fast!

She could not dodge.

There was no escape.

The blow could not be parried.

Teeth clenched in frustration, bitterness filled her tongue as her end inched closer by the instant. Mere minutes after arriving in this new world, the Control Devil had lost.

As her life grew shorter, memories of her defeat against Denji flashed across her mind. She almost screamed in frustration as the humiliation of her past and current failures that had been digging into her consciousness became unbearable. But more than anything, the knowledge that she would never experience the joy and happiness of a family nearly broke her in spirit and mind.

And that, above all else, was unforgivable.

For the first time in her life, Makima knew rage.

She forgot her loss, she ignored her failures, and she slew the ache in her heart. She knew nothing but what she desired.

And this thing was in her way.

With anger came focus and with focus, clarity. As if a veil had been lifted from her eyes, she could see. As if her limbs had been unshackled from the Earth below, she was free.

One by one, the world disappeared. The worms writhing on the ground, the rats scampering in the sewers, and the birds flying in the sky until all that remained of her world were two.

The Control Devil swore. Never Again.

Makima moved.

Far faster than she ever did, far swifter than she ever was, she ducked under the talons and advanced beneath its reach. Left foot stepping deep within her opponent's guard, Makima swung her right fist, rotating her hips along the trajectory of the strike and twisting her legs to add even greater momentum. But even as she struck, the second set of talons whistled in her ears. Fist raced against talon in a game that would determine the continuation or end of a dreamer.

But before a victor could be determined, a caped missile slammed into the beast from the side with a thundercrack, sending it sprawling through the sand and crashing into a building. The reversal was so sudden that she was almost stunned.

Almost…

Makima threw herself at the creature with a burst of strength at speeds resembling teleportation to the untrained eye, wasting no time in seizing the opportunity presented to her on a silver platter. In a flash, she flanked the nine-ton monstrosity as it was trying to recover. Despite her near-instantaneous movement, her foe was not blindsided and lazily lashed out with its hand as if trying to swat a fly.

Slow, thought Makima as she easily dodged. Just a couple of seconds ago, she would have been forced back from that same attack. But now? Something had clicked. Her mind and body that had been so disconnected no more than a few seconds ago were now working in harmonious unity. Every movement was crisp and every thought was as crystal. Her body moved with such fluidity and precision that water itself was put to shame. The creature's strikes that had once been overwhelmingly quick now just seemed pathetically slow.

Positioned behind the creature, Makima twisted, spinning with the grace of a ballroom as she added momentum to the kick that could sever the Earth. Her foot smashed into the back of its knee, cracking and tearing through its skin and flesh with such force that it was forced to genuflect in repentance like a sinner before God.

Despite faltering, the creature struck back, thrusting its tail to spear the back of the ant that had caused it so much trouble. But for all its speed, it was just not fast enough.

Makima uppercut the head that had been brought so low, caving her fist deeply into its chin and shattering and scattering its flesh into the dirt pools formed in the soil. Like a bird in the sky, it flew. High and wide into the air, unshackled of the filthy world below.

For a moment, the creature seemed at peace flying with the birds of its flock but its tranquility came to an end as all things typically do when hundreds of lasers illuminate the world and slam into its back. With an earsplitting bang, it crashed into the Earth as the trails of light continued to strike its reddening skin in a never-ending barrage.

Before the behemoth could even begin to rise, it was engulfed in light orange smoke that flowed far too rapidly to be natural. With the strike of a match, the smoke combusted into a massive inferno that hungrily devoured all matter within a dozen-meter radius.

Even as the gluttonous flames raged, lasers, beams, and projectiles were blasted where the creature was shackled, every hit adding to the damage dealt. Any of these attacks would have wounded even Devils, but Makima knew it was far from enough.

Her kick should have separated its leg from knee down. Her punch should have blown a hole in its head. Yet its leg remained attached and its head without a hole. She had struck with all her strength, but the damage was merely cosmetic. It was far more durable than she had imagined.

She was proven correct moments later when the creature burst through the hailstorm of fire. Its skin was broken, blackened with ash and coated with caked mud but otherwise unhurt. Its eyes were torn away but there was not a single discrepancy in its movements. Despite being surrounded on all sides by enemies and its body being slowly but surely drilled away by the incoming attacks, there was not a single sign of desperation or worry in its gait.

Unconcerned with the threats to its life, the creature's remaining eyes were fixated on only one.

Under different circumstances, Makima would have been flattered.

The creature punched with its fist despite the considerable distance between them. Its limbs fell laughably short but where the fist stopped, the echo continued, flying with a speed and force that eclipsed a missile's.

But this time, Makima was ready.

"Bang."

Her invisible force struck down all before it. Whether it was the rain or the air itself, nothing was permitted to remain.

Force met missile, and one was obliterated. The creature was struck perfectly in its abdomen and sent back to whence it came with a sonic boom, the sea splitting as it sliced through the water.

Silence engulfed the field.

"I don't want to jinx this, but did… did we just win?" Asked a woman poorly dressed for combat.

Makima did not know if the woman was just stupid or naïve. She had merely bought the defenders time to reorganize. They were no closer to victory than when the first tidal wave had struck. All they had accomplished was breaking the creature's skin without a single drop of blood to show for it.

At this point, she wasn't even sure if the creature had blood or was made of flesh and bone. When she struck the creature, it felt like she was punching several tons of titanium that grew denser the deeper it got rather than something living. Without any way to inflict real damage, chances of winning the combat were slim to none.

A caped woman descended from the skies, landing none too gently next to Makima. From the whispers around them, Makima learned her name.

"Who are you?" Asked Alexandria with an edge in her voice that bordered on hostility. It was phrased as a question, but the tone was that of a command expected to be obeyed.

A flash of irritation crossed Makima's eyes at the woman's insolence before it was reigned in by reason. This was no time to be argumentative when the creature could return any moment nor would she lower herself to bickering like a prepubescent child. Furthermore, despite the ridiculous taste in clothing the woman had saved her life, so Makima allowed the transgression to go ignored.

But really… Capes?

"My name is Makima," she replied, answering the question without answering anything. The lone Devil was stranded in an alien world without support. She knew little of this world and even less of its people, making it dangerous even with the boost to her abilities. The Control Devil needed to reveal as little as possible while collecting every bit of intel she could.

Even with a mask covering her face, Alexandria seemed visibly frustrated at the non-answer. But before she could continue, the man in white and blue interrupted.

"Take this," said the man, holding a metallic armband. She recognized him as the man that had tried to help her before the battle had begun. From the jumble of voices she had heard in passing, Makima had deduced this was Legend.

Even during the heat of battle, Makima had listened to her surroundings trying to make sense of what was happening. She had heard names like Chevalier, Eidolon, Myyrdin, and Hookwolf. Some names were more juvenile than the rest, but she had managed to form a conclusion based on the information she had gathered.

The Control Devil was in a superhero movie.

She had borrowed the senses of animals to examine the city and its inhabitants who were mostly concentrated in underground bunkers, so she knew that capes and tights were not typical fashion trends in this world. Adding on to these fictional names that were obviously pseudonyms, although ridiculous as it was, there was only one possibility.

If these people were Superheroes, was that creature called Leviathan a Supervillain?

"Do you believe it will return?" Asked Makima as she accepted and equipped the armband.

Legend sighed, "I do not know. Normally Leviathan would have retreated by now, but it broke too many patterns today. It's hard to predict what will happen next. Speaking of which, it seemed to be strangely obsessed with you. Would you know the reason why?"

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea."

That had been bothering Makima as well. There were plenty of other targets, yet Leviathan had solely focused on her. Her biology and scent were identical to that of humans. Even Devils could not differentiate them. Yet, had Leviathan seen what the entire Devil race could not? Even if it did, it was no reason to be so fixated on her.

Makima was shaken out of her thoughts when a feminine voice spoke through her armband. "Multiple waves inbound."

"What?!" Shouted Alexandria and Legend in near unison.

As the voice warned, Makima counted no less than a dozen tidal waves rapidly approaching land. Each wave grew incomparably faster than the first. At this rate, Makima estimated that every wave would be at least ten kilometers long by the time they struck.

All around her, screams and curses resounded as the defenders fled in panic. Their bravery and courage were shattered by an offense they believed to be unsurmountable.

"Fliers take who you can and evacuate! We need Strider here asap!" Commanded Legend. Despite his voice's calm, collected tone, he reeked of fear.

Alexandria made to grab her, but Makima caught her hand.

"What are you doing?" Demanded the superheroine. "We need to get out of here!"

Her warnings fell on deaf ears.

From what Makima had observed, none of the people here had anything that could hurt Leviathan. Retreating with the rest of the defenders would be the wisest option. But Makima could not run. The beast had been targeting her relentlessly. There was a good chance that even if she fled, it would continue to pursue and potentially reach her when she was alone.

The Devil was not blind to what would happen if she tried to fight. She was confident in her ability to escape through teleportation but she refused to be hunted down like a dog. She would defeat this creature. She would end this threat. But she needed allies.

Makima raised her hands, her left supporting the right. A finger was pointed at the waves.

"Bang."

A wave collapsed just like it did with the first. But a dozen more remained and would reach her within the minute.

She turned, pointing to another.

"Bang."

Then to another.

"Bang."

"Bang."

"Bang."

"Bang."

"Bang."

"Bang."

With every syllable, a wave was silenced.

Within seconds, the tsunamis that had threatened to entomb a city in a liquid grave moments ago drowned beneath its own waters.

"Holy shit," muttered someone in the crowd that had stopped fleeing when the waves had started falling.

All around her, stares of awe surrounded Makima. She had grown accustomed to being seen with fear, respect, and even lust. But this? This was a new experience even for her.

And it didn't feel half bad.

The ground exploded as hundreds of rocks of varying weights pelted in all directions at near supersonic speeds, crushing any flesh in their way. Despite his speed, even the man known as Legend was not spared as his legs were vaporized.

Within a fraction of a second, over a dozen were killed instantly while many more were mortally wounded.

And from the explosion came Leviathan, covered in dirt but no less horrifying as it swung at Makima.

Even as she turned, the Control Devil knew she could not dodge.

And this time, no one saved her.

With a sickening crunch and a squelch of blood, a backhand wider than she was tall connected at her side, crushing bone and pulverizing flesh.

Makima flew hundreds of feet into the air, crashing through buildings and wooden poles that did little to slow her flight.

She lost count of how many walls she had crashed through or how many times she had bounced off the ground until she came to a stop in a small house.

The feeling of pain was familiar to her. But even she would admit that this hurt.

There was no intact bone in her body, and every organ was pulverized. But somehow, she was still alive. A hit like that would have killed her a thousand times over if it were not for her newfound durability.

Somehow, even though there was more brain outside her skull than inside it, Makima still retained her cognition.

She cursed her carelessness. Whatever that thing was, it was far more cunning than she had anticipated. The tidal waves were nothing but a distraction. It had used the turbulence generated by the chaotic sea to camouflage the vibrations that resulted from drilling through the ground until it could spring its ambush.

This was bad. While she had survived, it was impossible to move. Makima could not escape if that creature came to finish her off. Even if it didn't, it would be a matter of time before she succumbed to her injuries.

A sound of whimpering caught her attention.

Makima strained her head with what remaining intact muscles she had left to see the source of the sound with her one remaining eye.

A young red-haired girl in a fetal position cowered in fear and horror at the remains of Makima's body. She was a pretty little thing, not even past the age of maturity and so full of life with an entire future ahead of her.

If the Control Devil still had her jaw, she would have smiled.

I'm in luck.

The girl exploded in a geyser of blood as Makima extended her tongue to catch the falling droplets. The moment the bits of red landed on her tongue, sweetness exploded across her taste buds as she relished the flavor.

Almost immediately, her flesh regenerated and her bones reconnected. Whatever was missing was replaced as her crippled body mended and fatigue was cleansed away. Within seconds, it was as if she had never been hurt.

Her contract with the Prime Minister made her innate blood-based regeneration obsolete, so it had been decades since she had last tasted blood. She had almost forgotten how delicious it was.

With her wounds healed and stamina regained, Makima stood again, ready to fight.

Suddenly, she turned her gaze into the far distance. Staring at something…

Or someone…

"Well isn't that interesting."