DMC: Being a demon hunter in Japan is not easy

"You're going too fast..." Uesugi said, clinging desperately to Desmon.

When they leaped out of Mr. Nakano's apartment window, Uesugi thought he was going to die crashing into the streets below. Now, he's convinced he'll die if they collide with anything.

To say Kurox, the Devil Arm, exceeded the speed limit would be an understatement. It completely obliterated it.

Currently, they're racing through the city streets at a breakneck pace, narrowly avoiding collisions with other vehicles as Kurox maneuvers with precision.

"Are we close to those girls' place yet?" Desmon asked in his usual tone.

Uesugi glanced around uncertainly, but all he could see were blurred images streaking past.

"We should be close... just two more blocks, and we'll reach a very old apartment complex."

"Quite the contrast compared to where their father lives."

"Things... happened."

"I can imagine."

That brief exchange distracted Uesugi from his growing worry about Yotsuba. He wanted to believe she was fine, that she'd simply forgotten to answer her phone.

Moments later, the apartment complex came into view.

"Want to hear something funny?"

"Huh?" A shiver ran down Uesugi's spine.

"I've never tried braking at this speed. Haha!"

"Now's not the time for that...!"

Uesugi could only watch as they crashed through the apartment door. Seconds later, the motorcycle came to a screeching halt, spinning on its front wheel with a loud thud, as if something had been thrown across the room.

Uesugi barely registered Desmon's dramatic introduction; his attention was entirely on Yotsuba's limp body on the floor through the settling dust.

He scrambled off Kurox and rushed to her side.

"Yotsuba, please answer me!"

Her body was covered in wounds and bruises, filling him with dread.

-This is my fault... if only I'd realized sooner... if I...

"Uesugi-san..."

Those intrusive thoughts vanished the moment he heard his girlfriend's faint voice.

"Yotsuba, hang on! I'll get you to a hospital!"

Her weak smile, realizing her beloved had come to her rescue, was short-lived as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Uesugi-kun, so good to see you." Itsuki said with a sinister smile.

"Shut up. You're not Itsuki. She'd never hurt her sister."

"Such cruel words, Uesugi-kun... they break my heart." In the blink of an eye, Itsuki closed the gap between them. "I'll break every bone in your body to make us even!"

"Am I invisible or something? And here I was, trying to make a cool entrance." Desmon quipped, intercepting Itsuki by grabbing her wrist, preventing her from landing a blow on Uesugi.

"Don't touch my brother, you filth." Nino snarled, sneaking up behind Desmon with the intent to impale him.

"Kurox."

At the command, Kurox moved, blocking Nino's attack and fracturing her hand in the process.

"What the hell...?"

"You want your sister? Be my guest."

With little effort, Desmon hurled Itsuki by the wrist, sending her crashing into Nino and knocking them both down.

"Futaro-kun..." A chilling whisper made Uesugi freeze as Ichika appeared at his side.

"The guy already has a girlfriend. Don't be a home-wrecking cat."

Before Ichika could strike, Desmon grabbed her face and slammed her onto the floor.

"We could sit here, chat, and have a little family therapy session, but that girl needs medical attention." Desmon said nonchalantly.

"I know..." Uesugi responded, picking Yotsuba up in his arms.

-This time, I won't leave you alone. I promise... He could feel Yotsuba's temperature dropping as her body grew colder.

"Fuutaro, are you going to leave me again for her?"

From one of the broken walls, Miku emerged. Her body was riddled with injuries, and her bones jutted out grotesquely. Yet as she stepped forward, her wounds healed, her body returning to its unscathed state.

With a terrifying smile, Miku moved at incredible speed, but she was sent flying by a kick to the stomach from Desmon.

-If they can regenerate like that, things are going to get interesting. He smirked at the thought.

"Kurox, take them to the hospital." After saying this, he placed his hand on the devil arm, channeling his demonic energy. The devil arm worked best when near Desmon, but he couldn't afford to accompany them, so he left everything to Kurox, who, despite appearances, was an excellent devil arm.

Kurox had plenty of tricks Desmon had yet to discover.

Uesugi climbed onto Kurox, carrying Yotsuba.

"It's got autopilot, so don't worry. Just point out a few landmarks if you can; you know, we're new in town." He joked lightheartedly.

Uesugi wanted to say that none of this made any sense, but Desmon had shown him that shutting down such thoughts was part of why his girlfriend was in her current state.

"Please, do whatever you think is necessary." Uesugi said with a serious expression. Whatever needed to be said had already been discussed before coming to this place.

"Where are you going?"

"Fuu-kun, are you seriously leaving with that bitch?"

Itsuki and Nino lunged at Uesugi, but Desmon intercepted them, looping his arms around their necks and sending them rolling across the ground.

"I'll keep that in mind."

With nothing else to do, Uesugi left with Yotsuba on Kurox, heading toward the hospital. He quickly sent a message to his father-in-law to ensure Yotsuba received proper care in the emergency ward.

With the main players gone and the primary reason for the four girls' actions now removed, they shifted their attention to the one remaining guy, who appeared calm and unfazed.

"It's not every day you get the chance to have a date with four gorgeous sisters. I must be the envy of the neighborhood." He laughed.

"Who the hell are you?" Miku shouted, stepping out of the rubble.

Following Miku, the other girls joined her.

"Desmon, your friendly neighborhood demon hunter." He said with a grin.

"Demon hunter? Hah! It's been years since I heard anyone call themselves that." Miku laughed as if he had just told the greatest joke in the world.

"I'm guessing you must be Kiyohime, right?" Desmon raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like someone's done their homework, kid~" Miku puffed out her chest with pride. "I am the great Kiyohime, slayer of the bitches who dare steal what's most precious from lovesick maidens."

"I see… so because all four of these girls love the same guy, you can control them all."

"That's correct. Not only that, but their bodies have evolved beyond pathetic, ordinary humans. I've never possessed girls with such powerful emotions of love and heartbreak… it's intoxicating~"

Strength, agility, and most of all, incredible resilience and regeneration; the four girls had surpassed human limits.

"I see, I see… So, do I need to take you out or the four girls?"

"What a sinister question, kid~" This time, it was Nino who responded.

"Are you really thinking about killing four innocent girls~?" Itsuki feigned a sad expression.

"I wonder what their father would say if you killed them. You're so cruel~" Ichika pretended to sound distressed, but her sinister smile ruined the act.

Kiyohime controlled all four girls, able to shift her main body between them, making her effectively immortal.

"That's a tricky situation… I doubt I'd be very popular if I killed four beautiful girls."

"Glad you understand. Either way, we'll finish you off before going after those two~"

"Hey, you've got a handsome and charming guy here. At least give me a bit more attention, will you?"

"You're disgusting."

"You seem boring."

"Are you some kind of delinquent with that dyed white hair?"

"You're not my type. I'd never date a guy who hits women."

The four girls answered in their normal voices, further showcasing Kiyohime's complete control over them.

"A total rejection, huh… I think I'm heartbroken now." Desmon pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears.

"Glad you understand. Now, just let us kill you so we can move on to them."

Nino darted toward Desmon, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms with his free hand.

"Come on, at least give me a chance. Dating four identical sisters would be such a taboo, but imagine the story I could tell at school."

"You disgust me!"

"That's a bit harsh, sniff sniff."

The other three girls joined in, clearly upset at Desmon for flirting with Nino.

"Don't worry, I can handle all of you."

With a cheerful smile, he swept Nino's leg out from under her and followed up with a kick that sent her flying toward the other apartments.

Desmon blocked Itsuki and Miku's attacks while lifting his leg to stop Ichika's kick.

The girls' strength was enough to kill a professional martial artist with one blow, but Desmon wasn't just strong; he was fast and had sharp reflexes.

"I know I'm irresistible, but I'll deal with you one at a time."

Desmon reached out to grab Itsuki and Miku's heads, but the two stepped back, predicting his move. Anticipating this, Desmon spun in midair and delivered a kick to Ichika.

"My hobbies? Sleeping and eating sweets. What do you think?" He said arrogantly.

"You're such a loser."

"Are you seriously trying to flirt with us? Pathetic."

"I had nothing to lose..."

Shrugging off their second and third rejections, Desmon closed the distance with both girls.

With skill, he blocked their strikes and countered with an uppercut to Itsuki's chin, sending her crashing into the ceiling.

"And that's why girls don't like you." Miku quipped as claws extended from her fingers.

"Ouch, that stings."

With precise footwork, he began dodging Miku's swipes.

"Ever considered a trip to the nail salon?"

Using his reflexes, Desmon interlocked his fingers with Miku's and, with a calm expression, broke her fingers.

"You're a…"

Before Miku could finish her insult, Desmon kneed her in the jaw, then in the stomach, and ended with a spinning kick that smashed her head into the ground.

"You're the last one. So, what do you say? Want to grab some sweets after this?"

While he dealt with Miku and Itsuki, Ichika recovered and approached Desmon.

"I might consider it."

"Really?" He tilted his head curiously.

"Sure, after I kill you, I'll take your corpse out for sweets." Ichika lunged at him, her claws aimed at his neck.

"Tempting offer, but I need to stay alive to enjoy them."

Flipping backward, Desmon evaded the attack, kicking Ichika down in the process.

"Four rejections in a row. Guess I'm bad at this..."

-Maybe I should read more of those romance mangas Shizuka keeps hidden in her desk's second drawer.

When Shizuka told him not to look inside, it only took Desmon a couple of seconds to do just that.

-But I doubt that whole "be the protagonist and girls just fall for you" thing actually works… Who am I kidding? What a lazy idea.

Cultural differences and his upbringing had heavily influenced his personality.

"Go to hell!" The four girls yelled as they charged at him together.

Back to reality, Desmon watched the girls rushing in to end his life.

"On second thought, having four crazies after me isn't exactly my idea of fun."

With a smug grin, Desmon leaped into the air, dodging all four girls and landing gracefully.

"I'll admit it, kid, you're good, but this is where your luck runs out~."

Normally, achieving such compatibility with the bodies Kiyohime possessed would've been challenging, but now, these girls were perfect for further evolution.

Greenish scales began appearing on their skin, accompanied by sharp claws and fangs.

"Oi, oi, don't go making them scarier. Their dad's going to chew me out."

"Let's see if you can keep that grin on your face." Nino said as she dashed toward Desmon.

Though he managed to dodge her claws, a deep cut appeared on his cheek.

"Not bad. My turn."

Desmon's fist slammed into Nino's face, but she only stumbled back a few steps. Blood trickled from his knuckles after the impact.

Those scales not only served to increase defense but also reflected part of the damage taken.

"Tch, this is going to be annoying." Desmon's gaze shifted to the girls, who seemed ready to take him on.

"This unpleasant first meeting ends here. Goodbye!"

With perfect coordination, the Nakano sisters charged at Desmon.

He did everything he could to dodge the claws attacking him from all directions while trying to counterattack, but he only managed to hurt himself more than he hurt them. Cuts began to open all over his body.

Dodging all four at once was too much. He could barely avoid the deadliest blows, the ones that would tear out organs or strike vital points.

"Got you!"

Miku appeared, using one of her sisters as a distraction. Taking advantage of the opening, she drove her claws into Desmon's abdomen, ripping out a large chunk of flesh.

"Where are you looking, hunter-kun?"

Nino caught him off guard from behind, sinking her fangs into his neck and tearing through his jugular. A torrent of blood gushed uncontrollably.

-This is bad...

Before he could cover the wound or back away, Itsuki stabbed him in the chest. Her claws came down with force, opening a massive gash that soaked everything in blood.

Surrounded with no room to react, Desmon could only remain standing as Itsuki relentlessly continued to stab him.

After leaving his body in complete disarray, the three girls stepped back. Ichika approached slowly, a sinister smile on her face.

"See you later~." She whispered into Desmon's ear before sinking her fangs into the other side of his neck, destroying the second jugular.

With both major veins severed and his body a complete wreck, Desmon dropped to his knees.

The Nakano sisters smiled in satisfaction, reveling in their victory. They had subdued and humiliated their prey.

Despite it all, as darkness claimed him and death seemed inevitable, one final thought crossed Desmon's mind:

-...This uniform is borrowed.