Mushroom Burgers

[Word Count: 2671]

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Leo strolled through the bustling streets of Tokyo, a soft hum escaping his lips. He couldn't help but chuckle, reflecting on the effect his mere presence had left on Quanxi's girlfriends back there.

Coming to a brief halt, he turned his attention to a set of TVs displayed in an electric storefront. A news headline blared across the screens, with a small 'live' indicator tucked in the corner. The live broadcast showcased Denji in his formidable chainsaw hybrid form and Power engaged in a fierce battle against a horde of humanoid puppets.

"Seems she managed to slip away somewhat," Leo muttered, his gaze fixed on the screen, his expression casual.

Santa Claus's contract with the Puppet Devil had granted her a form of cheap immortality. If her main body were to be killed in any way, she could transfer her consciousness to another puppet. As long as she had dolls scattered around the world, she could come back any time she pleased.

Leo stretched his muscles, taking a step back from the TV screens. His joints made satisfying popping sounds as he started limbering up his legs.

"It took the Gun Devil five minutes to kill over 1.2 million people," he contemplated aloud, taking deep breaths as he shifted from one leg to another. "Santa Claus has puppets all around the world and can create new ones by simply touching people. The moment I start eliminating her dolls in large numbers, she'll undoubtedly catch on and attempt to replace them. That means I need to act swiftly enough to eliminate at least a million dolls while being cautious enough to prevent collateral damage."

Leo took a few more deep breaths, pulling a knife from his jacket and assuming a running stance.

"And here I thought this would be a challenge."

The ground beneath him trembled as the building behind him erupted in a blast of sudden wind pressure. Leo vanished from his position as he sprinted directly through the window of the electronics store.

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Santa Claus cautiously moved about an empty office building, clutching her bloody abdomen, her gaze occasionally drifting to the window. Outside, her dolls were being torn apart by the relentless assault of Denji and Power.

Safe to say things weren't going as she hoped, not even letting her savor a burger got the first time.

By all accounts, she was trapped. Aside from Denji and Power, who were preoccupied, Public Safety was relentlessly pursuing her. Her initial plan upon coming to Japan had been to strike a deal with the War Devil, using her most valuable bargaining chip—Chainsaw Man's heart. Like many others, Santa Claus had assumed that Makima had the War Devil under her control. She had intended to tempt the War Devil with the promise of either Chainsaw Man's heart or even the chance to acquire a fragment of a Primal Devil.

With Leo's demise, his contracts, including the one with the Darkness Devil, had become null and void. This had presented her with an opportunity to either gain the power of a Primal Devil herself or secure a potent ally in the War Devil using her bargaining chip.

When Santa Claus had presented this idea to the War Devil, she had expected resistance. Stronger devils tended to be more ignorant and arrogant, their terms unpredictable and demanding. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make in exchange for a formidable pawn.

However, the unexpected had occurred—the War Devil had dispatched Chainsaw Man and the Blood Fiend after her. Together with Denji's guards, Santa Claus had barely managed to escape the restaurant, resorting to throwing herself out of a window, not before taking a spear to her abdomen, courtesy of the Blood Fiend.

Outside, she had quickly taken control of the nearest person, turning them into a doll and sending them into battle in her place. She repeated this process with dozens of people, eventually amassing hundreds of dolls to confront Chainsaw Man.

All of this had left Santa Claus barricaded in an evacuated office building, her breath ragged. Close-quarters combat was not her forte; she excelled in assassination. With her cover blown, she had no better option than to continuously send waves of dolls against Chainsaw Man and hope for the intervention of a third party.

"With any luck, the surrounding chaos should draw Quanxi's attention," she muttered with a weary sigh.

Santa Claus felt the sensation of each of her dolls being extinguished, little tingles at the back of her neck that gradually raised the hairs there as her puppets were torn apart.

But suddenly, those tingles transformed into jolts. Hundreds, no, thousands of her dolls were vanishing by the second, causing her to wince in agony as the connection to her puppets was brutally severed. Who was doing this? Where were they? She desperately tried to catch a glimpse of whoever was eliminating her creations, but they perished before they could transmit any information.

In a panic, she attempted to activate her remaining puppets all at once, urging them to disperse. She needed just one to survive so she could maintain her existence. Yet, the severed connections between them hindered her efforts; they were too distant from one another.

Clutching her head in frustration, she issued frantic commands to groups of her puppets engaged in battle with Denji and Power, ordering them to scatter. She hoped to create more dolls just in case, as the battle for her survival intensified.

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Aki, along with Denji's bodyguards, perched atop a building, their vigilant eyes scanning the chaotic scene below in search of Santa Claus. Meanwhile, Angel lazily glided through the air, keeping a watchful eye on Denji and Power, as nobody else could get close enough to do so.

"Uh, hey Aki, the dolls are scattering," Angel casually reported over the radio.

"What do you mean?" Aki questioned, looking up and spotting Angel hovering over the tumult.

"The puppets are breaking into groups and darting into the alleyways," Angel replied.

Sure enough, as Aki peered over the ledge of the building, he spotted a group of 20 puppets fleeing the battle and heading deeper into the heart of the city.

"Tch," Aki clicked his tongue in frustration. If the puppets turned more people into puppets, the number of casualties would rise. However, given the circumstances, there was little he or anyone else in the group could do. Unless you were a Fiend or a Hybrid, touching the puppets was out of the question unless you wanted to risk becoming one yourself.

"What a pain..." Aki turned around to find Kishibe taking a drink from his flask, muttering to himself.

"Sir," Kusakabe and Tamaoki greeted, straightening their backs and giving a slight bow, while Yoshida quietly continued to observe the scene below.

Kishibe waved them off as he stowed his flask in his coat. "Where's the War Devil?" he asked with stoic composure.

"Left," Yoshida answered, watching as Denji tore through a handful of puppets.

"It departed after receiving a phone call," Kusakabe added for clarification.

"I see," Kishibe muttered, retrieving his knife from his jacket, ready to engage the puppets retreating into the city.

Before he could leap down, the puppets abruptly collided with an invisible barrier, causing them to crash and tumble over each other.

Then, out of nowhere, a jagged, massive spike emerged from the barrier, piercing through the puppets and sending some of them hurtling through the air. Similarly, puppets in the vicinity were similarly launched into the sky.

"Did you see that?" Angel inquired over the radio, its voice calm.

"The large spike?" Aki echoed.

"Yup," Angel replied, emphasizing the 'p'. "Seems like it's happening all around."

"A fishbowl," Kishibe muttered, gazing up at the sky. An encircling clear ring floated in the sky, with the outside portion reflecting aspects of the external environment, like the clouds, while the inner portion displayed the buildings. In the center, the sky remained unobstructed, forming an unusual and unsettling sight.

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"Damn it!" Santa Claus cursed, her frustration boiling over as she slammed her hands onto a nearby desk. The pain of losing thousands of puppets all at once had rattled her, causing her to momentarily lose her composure. She felt trapped from all angles, and it was only a matter of time before Denji and the mysterious force eliminating her puppets across the world severed her lifeline completely.

Nevertheless, she took a deep breath, attempting to regain her focus. There was still one final lifeline to consider. After the devastating fires that had consumed Germany's capital, people had been hesitant to rebuild over the scorched land. This provided Santa Claus with significant leverage over the German government, allowing her to wield the open space to her advantage.

They had officially designated the area as "Unsafe for the public," permanently closing it off. Under the pretext that whatever had caused the fires could return without warning, the land remained sealed off for well over 100 kilometers, providing Santa Claus with more than enough space to carry out her plans and then some.

Santa Claus closed her eyes and concentrated. The puppets in the underground city she had meticulously constructed over the years were all that remained of her forces. It was only a matter of time before those in her current location, including herself, were eradicated as well.

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"Will you look at that..." Leo muttered, his gaze fixed on a pocket watch. "1 minute and 34 seconds."

He sat on a weathered wooden bench near Germany's coastline, the briny scent of the ocean wafting up to his nose as he pocketed the watch.

In just 1 minute and 24 seconds, Leo had achieved what the Gun Devil had wrought years ago, but with fewer casualties. Santa Claus had managed to amass a staggering 323,411 puppets worldwide, while keeping 132,016 puppets stationed in Germany, just beneath the ashes of the once-thriving capital.

"What to do, what to do," Leo pondered aloud, resting his head on his hand.

In the recesses of Leo's mind, he was seated with his legs crossed, Yoru using him as a makeshift bird's nest. Yoru preoccupied herself with inspecting her feathers while the Fire Devil leaned on its hand, deep in thought.

"Ne, Yoru, what should I do?" Leo asked, poking her head lightly.

"I dunno, maybe nuke 'em..." Yoru mumbled nonchalantly, adjusting her wing to examine the other side.

Yoru's penchant for suggesting nuclear weaponry wasn't new; it had become her default recommendation. However, it had been consistently rejected due to the catastrophic consequences such an action would entail, particularly in densely populated areas.

But this time...

"That might actually work," Leo mused, ceasing his prodding of Yoru's head.

Yoru halted her preening, craning her neck to meet Leo's gaze, her crimson eyes locking onto his own black eyes.

"Are you serious?" she inquired, her eyes narrowing skeptically.

Yoru had advocated for nuclear weapons use since day one, desiring to employ them at every opportunity. But thus far, Leo had only resorted to using them once, during his clash with the Karma Devil. Yoru was far from satisfied with that limited demonstration. The nuclear weapons Leo had utilized were miniature versions, offering only a glimpse of the true destructive potential of such armaments.

Yoru yearned for the world to witness and comprehend why these devices were deemed weapons of mass destruction.

After making countless requests and facing rejection each time, she had lost hope that Leo would ever embrace this drastic measure.

Leo merely gazed at Yoru with an arched eyebrow.

"Don't toy with me, Leo," Yoru cautioned, turning her body to squarely face him. "My fragile heart won't forgive you if you're messing around."

A faint twitch appeared at the corner of Leo's lips.

"Leo... Don't you dare..." Yoru's voice trembled with anticipation.

Another twitch.

"Leo...!" Yoru's eyes began to widen in excitement.

Leo's smirk emerged as he produced a pair of sunglasses.

"Leo!" Yoru exclaimed with excitement.

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The skies over Germany were overcast, with the possibility of light rain, but nothing too severe.

Today was an extraordinary day, marked by the cautious retreat of people, distancing themselves from the War Devil.

The War Devil stood resolute in the middle of the street, its gaze fixed on the impending mushroom cloud. It sported a pair of stylish sunglasses, its expression tranquil as it surveyed the horizon.

Initially, it had gone completely unnoticed amidst the bustling crowd, with people going about their daily routines, oblivious to their eerie companion. It wasn't until a passerby recognized the distinctive scar on its face and exclaimed, "W-W-War Devil," that people began to take notice. However, the War Devil made no effort to acknowledge the gathering spectators, continuing to peer into the distance with an air of calm detachment.

Suddenly, the city's sirens blared, emitting a different tone than the ones announcing the arrival of a devil. People heeded the warning nonetheless. Some sprinted away from the War Devil, while others snapped pictures before making their hasty departure.

The War Devil swallowed in anticipation, lifting its gaze slightly higher to focus on the clouds above its intended target.

The clouds above the former Berlin parted, revealing an amalgamation of flesh roughly the size of a medium-sized car. As the clouds dispersed, the grotesque head of the amalgamation came into view—a humanoid visage, its skin missing, and its eyes hollowed out.

With each passing moment, more of the abomination emerged from the clouds, unveiling the rest of its body. Glowing, scarred remnants seemed to serve as the binding force, holding together a multitude of arms that held the amalgamation intact.

It descended rapidly, a trail of smoke seemingly propelling it forward.

As the grotesque figure drew closer to Earth, its nightmarish composition became increasingly apparent. Limbs and appendages twisted and stretched from its central body, forming a grotesque amalgamation of flesh. The arms that held it together bore scars and glowing remnants, while the central mass resembled a contorted, skinless mass from which a cacophony of limbs protruded.

It descended towards the ground, the War Devil observing its approach with keen interest until it vanished over the horizon.

At first, there was silence, a moment of eerie stillness...

Then...

BOOM!!!

In an instant, a blinding flash of light erupted, and the shockwave was felt before it was heard. This shockwave sent the clouds scattering away from the epicenter.

A colossal explosion shook the earth to its core, sending shockwaves rippling through the city. The sheer force of the detonation propelled debris and dust into the sky, casting a dark shroud over the surroundings. The deafening blast reverberated through the streets, shattering windows and causing buildings to quiver in fear.

In the distance, trees bent and buildings trembled as the invisible force approached. Dust and debris were lifted into the sky, forming a swirling, ominous cloud that threatened to engulf everything in its path.

The mushroom cloud ascended majestically, a dark and foreboding pillar reaching toward the heavens. It loomed like a dreadful specter, casting a long, ominous shadow over the land.

Amid the chaos and devastation, the War Devil remained steadfast, its sunglasses showing visible cracks, but its demeanor unshaken. It watched the ascending mushroom cloud with an eerie calmness, as though this cataclysmic event were just another spectacle in its existence.

As the mushroom cloud continued to rise, it expanded and contorted, assuming an unsettling and nightmarish shape. The sky itself seemed to darken beneath its oppressive presence, casting a pall over the distant cities.

Onlookers who hadn't fled the area gazed in a mix of awe and terror at this colossal manifestation of destruction. The shock and disbelief were etched onto their faces, capturing a moment where reality and nightmare had converged.

The mushroom cloud reached its zenith, its dark core swirling with malevolent energy. A haunting silence enveloped the land, as if nature itself held its breath, anticipating the next act in this harrowing drama.

As the mushroom cloud gradually dissipated, it unveiled the full extent of the devastation. The heart of the city had been utterly obliterated, leaving behind a colossal crater where the remainder streets and buildings had stood. The destruction radiated outward in concentric circles, leaving a scar on the landscape that would endure for generations.

Amidst the chaos and destruction, the War Devil remained a solitary figure, its shattered sunglasses concealing its eyes as it continued to survey the aftermath. It stood as a silent witness to the havoc it had unleashed, a harbinger of destruction that had reshaped the cityscape and left an indelible mark on the world.

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"Amazing..." Yoru murmured, awe stuck.

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"Let's go get burgers..."