Chapter 27

Makima and Aki settled into a booth at the tiki bar. For the past few moments, Makima had been casually stirring some ice into a glass of cola, taking occasional sips through the straw. She never broke eye contact with Aki.

Aki, feeling a bit nervous, began to rub his knee with his palm. He finally decided to ask, "So, Makima, why the invitation?"

Makima's gaze remained fixed on him as she responded, "Did you not want to meet me here?"

Aki quickly clarified, "No, I did. It's just our work is going to be hectic. I thought you would have wanted to take some time to relax before everything started."

Makima, still maintaining her intense focus on him, replied, "I am relaxing. I'm spending time with someone important to me."

Aki blushed and glanced down at his drink. Meanwhile, the Kashimotos were quietly whispering to each other, and when Aki looked over to Mr. Kashimoto, he gestured toward Makima and made a talking motion with his hand.

Attempting to break the tension, Aki blurted out, "I like your dress."

Makima smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. There's a clothing shop nearby. I thought you would like it."

Aki's heart began to race. He had always harbored feelings for Makima, although he didn't quite understand why or even necessarily care. He had often thought that she might have had a thing for Denji, but this moment felt different.

Aki took a deep breath, and with a hint of hesitation in his voice, he asked, "Miss Makima, can I ask you something?" He couldn't help but feel the intensity of Makima's gaze, which only made his heart race faster. She stopped stirring her drink and responded with a soft smile, "Of course."

As Aki tried to find the right words, his palms grew sweaty. He finally managed to inquire, "I want to ask if there's anyone you... have romantic feelings towards?"

Makima pondered for a moment, placing a finger to her chin in a playful manner. "Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully, and then, looking directly into Aki's eyes, she confessed, "I guess I like... you, Aki-kun."

Aki's heart skipped a beat, and he found himself at a loss for words as he looked into her eyes, surprised by her unexpected response.

"I-I-IM HOOKED ON A FEELING!" Denji bellowed, belting out the lyrics in English. He held Angel under his arm, and to everyone's surprise, the Angel fiend joined in, singing along with a mouthful of honey-coated pork. "I'm high in believing!" Reze continued the song, and then Kobeni added her voice, singing the next part while stuttering and singing rather quietly.

Their impromptu performance took place while everyone danced and sang along, their mouths full of delicious food.

As the singing and dancing continued around the fire on the beach, Angel found himself feeling surprisingly happy. The atmosphere reminded him of something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but it filled him with a sense of cheer. He was enjoying the festivities and the sense of camaraderie with his friends.

However, Angel's happiness was interrupted when he noticed Denji's arm leaving his shoulder. He looked up to see Denji being beckoned over by an old man at the bar. Angel was about to ask Denji what was happening, but instead, Denji shuffled off to join the old man. Curious, Angel decided to keep a bit of distance, sticking to a group of trees, and observed from there.

The old man placed a hand on Denji's back and guided him to the far side of the beach. Angel remained hidden among the trees, watching as a middle-aged man followed Denji and the old man, engaging in a conversation with the two. The situation seemed intriguing and somewhat mysterious, and Angel couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

"Denji, Denji, come on, you know that you still owe us. You're out partying, got new clothes, you've obviously made some money. Maybe you sold that little dog you had, Pochita, was it?" Angel scowled at the two strangers. They spoke as if they were familiar with Denji, which raised Angel's suspicions.

"You still owe us half a million yen, Denji. We can start you up on a payment plan again," the old man continued, placing his hand on Denji's shoulder. He then made a veiled threat, suggesting that Denji wouldn't want anything to happen to the girls he was with. "I'm a good guy, but what kind of guy are you if you aren't willing to pay out for the people you care about?"

A menacing-looking middle-aged man joined the confrontation, towering over Denji. There was something about him that sent a shiver down Angel's spine, making him feel that this man was truly dangerous.

As the situation grew tense, Denji reacted by smacking the old man's hand away. Angel attempted to move from the tree line, and that's when he spotted something alarming. He shouted a warning to Denji, "Denji, look out!"

Denji quickly turned to Angel, and then, back to the middle-aged man. He leaped backward, narrowly avoiding whatever threat the man posed, and simultaneously reached for his ripcord.

A massive blade suddenly shot out from the middle-aged man's forehead, and two more blades jutted out from his wrists. Denji reacted swiftly, catching both of the man's arms when he swung the deadly weapons.

The old man cackled, his guts exploding from his stomach, creating a gruesome display as meat and viscera splattered everywhere. From the remains of the man's body, a discolored green entity began to take form.

Angel, who had been on alert, heard shuffling in the forest around him. Without hesitation, his wings and halo appeared, ready to assist in whatever was about to unfold.

"Five years!" Angel exclaimed, utilizing his collected lifespan to conjure a sword from thin air. Simultaneously, dozens of ghastly, blood-soaked corpses emerged from the forest's tree line.

"Denji!"

In response to this dire situation, Angel soared from the trees and positioned himself over Denji and the katana man. "Angel I'll handle this guy you make sure the other guy doesn't go anywhere!"

Meanwhile, the menacing horde of zombies began their eerie march, heading towards the small town. Recognizing the imminent threat, Angel took to the skies and flew towards the town, his glowing sword creating a radiant and protective barrier of light.

Denji kicked the katana-wielding man away. His chainsaws revved, and the katana man knelt, clutching his left arm, his right hand on the ground. Denji used his arms to shield himself. He heard a thud and the crackling of sand. Suddenly, the katana man vanished. Denji felt a strange sensation, like radar pinged in his soul. His memory flashed back to Chainsaw Man jumping over a shot from Reze.

With swift reflexes, Denji leaped into the air. The katana man reappeared, materializing beneath Denji. The katana man also jumped, and their clash seemed inevitable. But Denji was suddenly kicked in the stomach, and he soared through the air. "Angel!" he cried. Angel, with her wings, swooped down to catch Denji and tossed him toward the tree line. Branches cracked and cut into him, but they at least broke his fall, albeit at the cost of a few cracked ribs.

Denji landed amid a group of zombies. Hearing their clamoring approach, he swung his chainsaw arms to cut them into pieces. Even with their heads removed, the headless corpses continued stumbling, grabbing and tearing at his skin, and cracking his bones. In desperation, he screamed into the night and, in a primal act, bit into one of the walking corpses like an animal.

Then, something extraordinary happened. Denji's body began to regenerate, his wounds healing as the blood of the corpses caused him to piece himself back together. He forced his legs to sprout chainsaws and slammed his elbows into the zombies. Slowly, they piled on top of him, forcing him down.

Above, Angel flew, planning to help him, but she froze in midair, watching as Denji emerged from the mound of corpses, covered in discolored blood. His limbs began to reattach, and he cut through the zombies holding his legs to tatters. He leaped back towards the katana man, who stood at a distance.

"You should have just died!" the katana man yelled, his blades starting to chip from the vigorous beating of Denji's chainsaws. The forest was illuminated with sparks as their battle raged on. Angel, meanwhile, had her own fight to focus on. The zombie devil moved toward the tiki bar, and most of the horde approached the town. Angel had to trust Reze and Kobeni to handle the zombie devil.

"Idiot!" Denji screamed as he slid his chainsaw along the edge of the katana man's right arm, slicing off a portion of the man's face. "You stubborn dog."

In a swift motion, the katana man brought his left blade upward, colliding with the saw on Denji's head, forcing him to look up. A kick to Denji's left leg sent him sprawling, and a powerful roundhouse kick followed, sending him crashing into a tree behind.

"Just be useful and stop resisting," the katana man said, his mouth opening with each breath, releasing steam as if an internal engine burned within him.

"What, can't handle me?" Denji taunted as he grabbed a zombie's arm, tearing off whatever flesh he could find. The katana man noticed his broken leg reassembling itself. "Coward!" Denji exclaimed.

The katana man readied his knee pose again, while Denji struggled to stand. Instead of slicing, the katana man launched himself at incredible speed, shoulder-charging Denji through the tree. His blades slashed one after another, and Denji could barely keep up, blocking most of the attacks.

"Idiot!" Denji screamed again, knowing he was provoking the katana man's fury. The impact of the trees against his back, the sensation of them breaking, forced him in an unknown direction. He finally managed to toss the katana man off of him.

"I've had enough of this! Fighting, killing... I was just chilling before you showed up, trying to relax."

"Shut up and die already!" the katana man retorted. He slashed upwards, aiming to disembowel Denji. Instead, Denji forced a chainsaw to jut out from his leg, catching the katana man's blade and subduing him. The katana man couldn't escape Denji's head chainsaw, which embedded itself in the top of his head. He screamed in pain as Denji forced the chains to rev faster and faster. Slowly but surely, the blade protruding from the katana man's forehead began to chip and give way.

In a desperate move, the katana man forced his blade through Denji's chest. Denji felt the area around his heart and lungs being sliced through. Both of them screamed as they tried to cut into each other.

"Idiot!" Denji yelled, using his left hand to saw into the katana man's shoulder. The revving chainsaws sparked. "Metal bones?" Denji realized, ripping his chainsaw out of the katana man's left arm and relentlessly slamming it down on the shoulder. His heart began to bleed, the katana ripping through his lungs' walls.

Denji raised his head, pulling it back so far that the back of his chainsaw helmet cracked against the back of his neck before he slammed it down onto the katana man's skull, breaking through with a crash of sparks. The seemingly unbreakable material of the skull gave way as he broke through. Blood and other substances spurted out, and the katana man's screams ceased. His fiendish body went limp, and Denji felt the sword pressing against his heart slowly fall out with a long, slimy, meaty sound.

Denji placed his foot back on the ground and moved over to the katana man. Blood pooled in his chest quickly, and he was beginning to lose consciousness. Denji brought his chainsaws down onto the man after he turned back into his human form, cutting him in half from his skull all the way down to his navel. He then crushed the skull beneath his foot before slowly making his way back towards the town.

"I have to warn everyone," Denji muttered, pulling his ripcord over and over again to stay conscious despite the blood loss.