Chainsaw Man, starting contract to cut down the Demon Line

"I will keep the origin of the demon a secret for now. The only thing I want to explain is that there is no such thing as unlimited power in this world."

"The demons I have signed are indeed powerful, but they cannot be used without restraint."

"First, certain conditions are required..."

"The specific condition is the gesture, right?" Machima smiled and took over the conversation.

Yan Liang was slightly taken aback.

Sure enough, this meant that she had indeed been secretly monitoring her in some way, or that Hayakawa Aki's previous report had provided her with sufficient information.

Yan Liang paused deliberately, then dropped the prepared statement:

“...Aside from hand gestures, my slash requires a cooldown period once it is activated.”

Upon hearing Yan Liang's explanation, Maqima fell into deep thought.

Requires a specific hand gesture? Also, is cooling down necessary?

If that's the case, then this ability isn't as unstoppable as it seems on the surface. As long as you launch an attack during the cooldown period or interrupt his gestures in advance, you can limit him.

Of course, Machima didn't completely believe Yan Liang's side of the story. But Yan Liang's half-truthful honesty successfully planted a seed of misleading ideas in her heart.

“I see. That’s quite an artistic ability.” Machima smiled and nodded. Then, her gaze shifted to the other side, to the leech demon’s corpse, which was also cut in half.

"And what about this leech demon...?"

"Oh, you mean that fat worm?"

Without hesitation, Yan Liang promptly placed the prepared black pot on Dianci's head:

"I'm not so incompetent as to steal credit from my subordinates."

"When that leech demon appeared, my power was still on cooldown after I had just killed the bat demon, so I let Denji make the first move. It was indeed Denji's doing that this leech demon appeared."

"Hey?!"

Upon hearing this, Denji was stunned for a moment, then overwhelmed with joy, his mind filled with nothing but the word "merit".

"Hahahaha! Did you hear that, Miss Machima! The captain admitted it! I took him down! I'm super powerful!"

Denji stood smugly with his hands on his hips, his tail practically sticking up to the sky.

Looking at Denji's carefree and foolish appearance, Machima's smile became somewhat intriguing. Her gaze swept back and forth between Yan Liang's composed face and the leech demon's corpse.

Yan Liang wasn't worried that she would see through his scheme, because he had timed it perfectly. He was the one who initiated the attack with the slash, and then Dian Ci used the chainsaw to chop down the leech demon's wound, which had already been torn to shreds by the chainsaw.

But none of this matters to Machima anymore.

The important thing is that she has obtained the information she wanted through this test. As for how much Yan Liang has hidden in the process, there is plenty of time for her to verify it later.

"In that case, thank you for your explanation, Captain Yanliang."

Machima smiled and turned around, but just when everyone thought things had calmed down, she suddenly stopped.

"only……"

Machima turned around, her cold gaze falling on Pawa, who was lying on the ground.

"Regarding the matter of the demon Pava making a deal with a demon in order to save his pet, and even tricking his companion into being a sacrifice... this is a serious overstepping of the line and a violation of the Public Security Bureau's bottom line."

When that gaze swept over him, Pava froze, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Machima's smile also faded slightly:

"Pawa was a member of Captain Yan Liang's team. His dangerous act of betrayal nearly caused a major disaster. And you, as the captain, were leisurely dining in a restaurant with your other subordinates at the time..."

"Yan Liangjun, failing to manage your subordinates is a serious dereliction of duty for a team leader, isn't it?"

Chapter Thirty-Three: Sigh, so oppressive.

Upon hearing Machima's sudden outburst, the atmosphere around them became tense.

Hayakawa Aki remained silent. He was also somewhat dissatisfied with Yan Liang's careless attitude, but strictly speaking, he was not qualified to criticize Yan Liang as the team leader. At this moment, Machima's criticism suited him perfectly.

"so what?"

Faced with this question, Yan Liang showed no sign of panic, but calmly asked in return.

"So, in order to prevent similar things from happening again in the future..." Machima's smile softened even more as she continued:

"As punishment, starting tomorrow, Yan Liangjun can no longer slack off as he did today."

"You must truly take responsibility for being the captain of the Magic Special 4th Division, keep a close eye on them, and teach them the rules."

Upon hearing these words, Yan Liang raised an eyebrow slightly.

Sure enough.

Having thoroughly grasped the plot of the original work, he was all too aware of Machima's methods.

All that talk about captain's responsibilities and rules is just a bunch of high-sounding excuses. What Machima really wants is for him to obey her.

The ability to control demons is a conceptual ability derived from the belief that one is of a higher level than the other.

If Machima thinks you are weaker than her, she can control you unconditionally, making her even more unreasonable than her Kill Line Demon.

Now she is trying to use the superior-subordinate relationship as a shackle, gradually putting it around her neck, to complete the obedience test.

If I back down today because I'm in the wrong, I'll already be at her disadvantage. And then, like a frog being boiled in water, I'll slowly be controlled by her...

Therefore, you absolutely cannot give in to Machima here.

Moreover, Yan Liang himself was very unhappy with Ma Qima's attitude of always finding an opportunity to make trouble for him.

Having gathered his thoughts and returned to reality, Yan Liang let out a soft chuckle. Surprisingly, he nodded, admitting his mistake first.

"Miss Machima makes a very good point."

"As the team leader, I do bear an unshirkable responsibility for dealing with subordinates who make mistakes."

Having said that, he turned around and looked at Pawa, who was lying on the ground, then changed the subject:

"However, since Pava is my teammate, I have the right to dispose of him as I see fit, right?"

"She can betray her companion for a cat now, and who knows, she might betray me for something else later."

“As captain, I cannot allow such a time bomb to exist in my team.”

Yan Liang turned his head and asked Hayakawa Akito, who was standing to the side:

"Hayakawa Aki, I remember that the Anti-Demon Division 4 is an experimental team. Although some demons and evil spirits are allowed to join, they are all strictly controlled. If any situation becomes uncontrollable, they can be killed on the spot without trial, right?"

"Uh...yes." Hayakawa Aki nodded subconsciously.

“Very good.” Yan Liang raised his right hand, his thumb and middle finger touching again, aiming at Pawa on the ground:

“Miss Machima, what happened today was my dereliction of duty. So, as you said, I will eliminate this potential threat now.”

"babble--!!!"

Upon seeing that terrifying gesture, Pawa felt as if the blood in his body was about to freeze.

She knew very well that if Yan Liang made even the slightest mistake with his fingertips, she would be instantly decapitated!

Upon hearing Yan Liang's extremely firm reply, Ma Qima's ever-smiling face paused for a rare moment.

She truly hadn't expected the other party's reaction to be so extreme.

In Machima's mind, Yan Liang, who was used to staying out of things, would at most complain impatiently when faced with pressure from his responsibilities, but would eventually reluctantly accept the task.

But she overlooked the most important point—

Yan Liang absolutely dislikes being pressured by others.

He prefers to put pressure on others.

Moreover, he knew the plot to come and knew that Pava was an indispensable part of the scheme that Machima set up to control Densetsu.

Given the current situation, Machima needs Pava more than he does, which is why Yan Liang dares to use a feigned retreat to threaten her instead.

Seeing Yan Liang's posture, ready to strike at any moment, Maqima fell silent.

Given her position, she could certainly issue a direct order to stop Yan Liang.

But if she did that, it would be tantamount to overturning the logic she had just presented and bowing down to Yan Liang.

However, if this is not stopped, Pava, an important piece in the future plan, will be eliminated on the spot by Yan Liang.

And in this oppressive silence—

"Wait, wait, wait! What the hell!!!"

Sensing that something was wrong, Denji shouted, breaking the standoff between the two.

Dianci scrambled over, grabbed Yan Liang's leg, and his face turned red with urgency.

"Captain! Go easy on me! Go easy on me!!!"

Ignoring what Machima and Yan Liang were thinking, Dianci was truly getting anxious at this moment.

Are you kidding me?

I don't care what you two are saying, I'm going to touch your breasts!

He was beaten up by the bat demon, and then fought tooth and nail to kill the leech demon. He endured so much hardship and suffering, all just to touch Pawa's chest. Now that he's finally made it, Yan Liang wants to kill Pawa—it's practically taking his life!

"Oh?" Yan Liang lowered his head, looking down at Dian Ci with feigned ignorance. "She just tried to feed you to the demons, and you're still pleading for her?"

"No, it's alright! I've always been magnanimous! It's just a small misunderstanding!"

Denji racked his brains, stammering as he tried to find an excuse: "Besides... what's more, she did it for the cat! The cat is innocent! Yes, she had her reasons!"

Hearing this, Yan Liang shook his head. He didn't really understand Dian Ci's attitude.

To go to such lengths for Pawa, a childless cat-loving woman, all for...

Sigh, it's all because of X-ray repression.

On the other side, upon hearing Denji's words, Pava, whose survival instincts were kicking in, no longer cared about saving face.

Although she couldn't move at all, she nodded frantically on the ground, not daring to put on any demonic airs in this life-or-death situation.

"Yes, yes, yes! I... no, I was just confused for a moment! I promise I'll be obedient from now on and I'll never do it again, waaaaah!"

Seeing the two huddled together on the ground begging for mercy, Yan Liang didn't immediately let go. Instead, he deliberately turned his head and kicked the ball back to Machima's feet.

"This is a difficult situation, Miss Machima."

Yan Liang looked at the silent Ma Qima and asked in a teasing tone:

"Logically, as the team leader, I should have eliminated this potential problem. But now, the victim herself is desperately pleading for leniency..."

"So, as her superior, what do you think? Should I follow the police regulations and take her out right now, or... does Ms. Machima have another way of handling this?"

Upon hearing Yan Liang's question, Maqima gave Yan Liang a deep look.

She knew very well that Yan Liang was using the steps he was building up to force her to give in.

If you insist on the rules, Pawa will die.

Changing one's tune is tantamount to admitting that Yan Liang is in control of the team in his own way.

After a brief moment of reflection.

Machima finally descended the steps. The strange light in his golden, ringed eyes faded, and his signature gentle smile reappeared.

“Since the victims don’t intend to pursue the matter, there’s really no need to be so heartless.”

Machima spoke softly, ultimately yielding to Yan Liang:

“Since Yan Liang-jun is the captain of Special Section 4, he naturally has his own way of handling things. Let’s handle this matter according to Captain Yan Liang’s method.”

Seeing that Machima had relented, Yan Liang finally put his right hand back into his pocket, satisfied.

He looked down at the television from his vantage point:

"Did you hear what Miss Machima said? Denji, since you're going to protect her, then from now on, this demon and her cat will be under your care. If she causes any more trouble, I won't go easy on you anymore."

"No problem! I've got it covered! Captain, you're such a good person!" Dianci patted his chest, so excited he almost kowtowed to Yan Liang.

"Now that the matter has been resolved, thank you all for your hard work."

Machima's tone remained calm, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

"I'll leave the follow-up work to you, Yan Liangjun. I have other matters to attend to and need to leave now."