Scorching flames surged like waves, radiating outward from Itsuka Kotori as the epicenter.
The burning fire brought light, continuously compressing the domain of the Devil of Darkness—compressing, compressing, and compressing again.
In the end, the vast curtain composed purely of darkness was reduced to a mere fraction, barely forming a dark cloak that only managed to shroud the Devil of Darkness's true form.
With its domain significantly suppressed, its ability to regenerate instantly as long as it was in darkness was reduced to its lowest point.
Beneath the leading grotesque skeletal head, the other four human heads fused with the Devil of Darkness displayed different expressions.
Somberness, rage, vigilance…
And a sliver of fear.
Darkness does not fear light.
Just as night and day alternate, darkness and light cannot exist without each other. Rather than restraining each other, they actually coexist in a symbiotic relationship.
The true nemesis of darkness is fire.
Darkness is one of humanity's most primal fears.
Yet it was precisely to overcome this fear that humans created fire—to drive away the darkness and all the beasts lurking within, granting them the first glimmer of hope that symbolized civilization in the most primitive era.
"????,????!!!"
Since its appearance, the Devil of Darkness had remained inactive, but now it let out a soul-piercing shriek.
It spoke in a language incomprehensible to ordinary people.
Yet, even though she couldn't understand the words, Kotori's instincts caused her hairs to stand on end, alerting her to imminent danger.
At some unknown moment, a long blade adorned with four bells on its guard, as if it had emerged from the deepest abyss, materialized above the Devil of Darkness, making its aura even more terrifying.
Simultaneously, all the hands on the Devil of Darkness clasped together.
Kotori's eyes widened instantly, and she let out a muffled groan, suppressing her pain.
As the Devil of Darkness fully activated its authority, Kotori's arms were instantly covered in blood, her ten fingers forcibly twisted and broken.
"As expected of a Primordial Devil, a mere gesture can inflict such damage on me."
Despite the piercing pain, Kotori showed no trace of fear.
Instead, a manic crimson light flickered in her eyes, making her aura even more savage.
If one were to ask who among the ten Spirit girls was the true berserker, the answer would not be the Yamai sisters, but Kotori herself.
Possessing the violet flames of infinite regeneration, she had no fear of injuries and could even trade wounds for wounds. Although her endurance was not particularly high, due to her Spirit crystal not being fully purified, she only became more ferocious as she fought.
Even though both she and the Yamai sisters were pure combat-type Spirits, their fighting styles were entirely different.
And against the Devil of Darkness—an enemy that completely countered the Yamai sisters—the tables were turned in Kotori's favor.
From the intricate wounds on her arms, wisps of eerie purple flames emerged.
The wounds healed at a visible rate, and her twisted, deformed fingers quickly straightened again.
Within just a few breaths, her crippled arms had completely recovered.
"Don't run away in fear now!"
As spiritual energy poured in, the already enormous flaming battle-axe, Camael—Megiddo, became engulfed in flames, its blade expanding several times over.
The Devil of Darkness extended its fingers toward Kotori from afar, while the ominous aura of its abyssal bell-sword intensified.
The Spirit of Flame and the Devil of Darkness let out simultaneous roars, and in the blink of an eye, the massive axe and the long sword clashed.
Two entirely different forces collided, unleashing a thunderous explosion.
A powerful shockwave spread outward, transforming the lush green plains into a battlefield—one half consumed by darkness, the other scorched by flames.
Sensing the power of the impact, the devils rushing toward the Origin Land stopped in their tracks.
They had been drawn here by the Wind Devil's outrageous claim of wanting to become the second Chainsaw Devil.
But unexpectedly, they now sensed the presence of a Primordial Devil within the Origin Land.
The elusive and mysterious Primordial Devils—could it be that even they were provoked by the Wind Devil's arrogance and had descended to put an end to this farce personally?
Yet, who was their opponent?
The aura was completely unfamiliar. None of them had ever sensed it in Hell before, only vaguely feeling that it was related to fire.
But if this was someone capable of standing against a Primordial Devil, they shouldn't have been an unknown entity.
The devils looked at one another, puzzled about what was happening in the Origin Land.
But no matter what, they were certain of one thing—this was not a place they were qualified to step into.
"Put us down, Kaguya! What are you doing?!"
"Yuzuru can't possibly take on that devil alone! Are you insane?!"
While Yamai Yuzuru had transformed into Itsuka Kotori to fight the Devil of Darkness, Kaguya Yamai had already taken the others ten miles away.
However, Denji and Aki Hayakawa kept struggling, desperate to go back and help Yuzuru.
"If you go back, you'll only be a burden!"
Now at a safe distance, Kaguya Yamai harshly scolded them. "Do you think you know Yuzuru's strength better than I do?"
"But—!"
Just as Denji was about to argue, a distant explosion resounded.
Everyone immediately turned their heads toward the battlefield they had fled from.
"Fire?"
Among them, the Wind Devil, being the strongest, quickly sensed the aura mixed within the shockwave and turned to Kaguya. "Aside from wind, can you also control fire?"
"We can, but it comes at a great cost," Kaguya replied with a nod. "After all, we are Wind Spirits—wind is our true power. If not for facing the Devil of Darkness, Yuzuru wouldn't have used that energy."
"So what exactly are Wind Spirits?" the Wind Devil pressed further.
"Wind Spirits are Wind Spirits! Do you not understand even that?"
Seeing Kaguya's displeased expression, the Wind Devil reluctantly fell silent.
Indeed, he didn't understand.
Not just him—even the others, even Makima, didn't understand.
At first, he had intended to take revenge on the ones who had stolen his name.
But after witnessing their ability to stand against a Primordial Devil, that thought quickly dissipated.
"Since Yuzuru has used fire, does she have a chance to defeat the Devil of Darkness?"
Upon hearing that the Yamai sisters still had hidden trump cards, Denji's eyes lit up.
"I don't know. I've never seen a Primordial Devil before," Kaguya admitted, shaking her head.
The Kotori transformation only lasted thirty minutes.
Even if fire countered darkness, Kotori could only maintain the upper hand temporarily before reverting.
Defeating the Devil of Darkness seemed unlikely, but stalling it—that was feasible.
They just needed to hold on until Makima arrived.
"But… how do we explain how Wind Spirits can use fire?"
Kaguya sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Makima won't be easily fooled. We need to think of a convincing explanation before she arrives."