Chainsaw Man, starting contract to cut down the Demon Line

At this critical moment, for some reason, Yan Liang suddenly remembered the promise that the Demon of the Slash Line had made to him in Shuijing Township.

This is what he said at the time:

"Someday in the future, when my rules no longer work, when you're at your wit's end..."

"Say this sentence aloud in your mind—"

"【Slay the Demon of the Line of Slaughter, please bear witness】."

"As long as you say this sentence, I will personally step in and help you solve that insurmountable problem."

"..."

Yan Liang narrowed his eyes.

The opponent came prepared, and the ability to cut down the demons was limited.

Now, he has indeed been forced into a dead end where he can no longer take action himself.

There couldn't be a more suitable scene...

Thinking of this, Yan Liang silently murmured to himself:

"Slay the Demon of the Line of Slaughter, please..."

Chapter 121 Not a Dead End

"Slay the Demon of the Line of Slaughter, please..."

Just as Yan Liang was silently reciting these words in his heart, about to utter the last two syllables...

However, Yan Liang suddenly thought of something and abruptly stopped.

It was a sense of incongruity.

A strong sense of incongruity, derived from intuition, felt like a cold hand gripping his neck.

Immediately afterwards, this incongruity transformed into a problem that lingered in his mind:

Is this really a good idea?

It wasn't that Yan Liang was inherently suspicious, but rather that he was uncertain about the idea that "simply reciting this phrase would summon the Demon of the Severing Line to solve his problems."

First, when they were in Shuijing Township, the Demon of the Slash Line made it very clear that this promise was only half the reward.

Secondly, and this is the key point—

From the beginning, the Slash Line Demon and he were not in a superior-subordinate relationship; the other party lent him its power out of admiration. He had no reason to ask the other party for it.

The scene of their first meeting flashed through Yan Liang's mind again.

The reason this high and mighty entity chose to make a contract with me in the first place wasn't because I did anything stupid, but because I was given the name "Cutoff Line".

Furthermore, it admires its own courage to not give up even when faced with certain death.

His subsequent trip to Shuijing Township and his second encounter with the Slash Line Demon further confirmed this point.

It said that it was because it saw the qualities of a "strong" person belonging to the old rules system that it cast its gaze upon it.

So here's the problem.

Assuming it's as the literal meaning suggests, if I were to say "Demon of the Kill Line, bear witness," and the Demon of the Kill Line truly descended...

What kind of scene will it see?

The contract holder, whom it admired, was helpless simply because he had been slightly restricted by some underhanded means. Yet, he was hiding awkwardly behind a woman, desperately pleading for its help and placing all his hopes on it?

Are you kidding me?

Yan Liang didn't believe that there was such a thing in the world that could solve all his problems simply by relying on it without thinking.

He merely borrowed the power of the Slashing Thread Demon; it doesn't mean he'll become completely dependent on it. Besides, he's not entirely defenseless; he can still use Slashing Thread.

Yan Liang's intuition told him: if he were to rashly utter those words now, the Demon of the Severing Line wouldn't solve his current problem... then he would truly be doomed!

Even if we were to actually say those words, it certainly wouldn't be in the current situation; there would have to be some kind of special opportunity.

Thinking of this, Yan Liang bit his tongue, and the pain brought him back to his senses.

The words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

“Heh…” Yan Liang opened his eyes, and the confusion in his eyes was replaced by clarity.

In the brief five or six seconds he was pondering, the battle situation ahead took another unexpected turn.

"Eeya—!!!"

In an attempt to dodge bullets fired from below, Higashiyama Koko accidentally stepped into a puddle of blood, lost her balance with a "whoosh," and fell to the floor with a scream.

Someone immediately seized on this flaw.

Three bloodthirsty gangsters pounced from behind, ignoring the possibility of Xiao Hong's wildly swinging daggers stabbing them. They swung their machetes at Xiao Hong from three different angles, seemingly oblivious to their own danger!

"go to hell!"

The distance was too close; Xiao Hong couldn't even get into a blocking position.

"Snapped."

The sound of fingers snapping rang out.

This is good advice.

At the critical moment, he suppressed the uncomfortable feeling of stagnation, locked onto the three gangsters who rushed forward the fastest, and launched a killing spree.

"Splash! Splash! Splash!"

Three bodies, missing their lower bodies, separated in mid-air and crashed down in front of Xiao Hong, spraying blood everywhere.

However, this time the situation is even worse than before.

Because... that's all.

In Yan Liang's field of vision, apart from these three people, the gangsters who were also standing in his line of sight and had triggered the rules were completely unharmed!

The number of people he could kill was decreasing, and Yan Liang paid the price for this attack.

It's foreseeable that he's not far from the moment he can no longer use his slashing attack.

"Huh...huh..."

Leaning against the wall, Yan Liang tried his best to calm his breathing, but cold sweat had already seeped out of his forehead.

Yan Liang felt that as he used his abilities, his mind became increasingly foggy, to the point that he could barely stand.

His decline was observed by Angelica, who was hiding under the stairs and watching the battle through the gaps.

Bingo~

Angelica couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of pleasure. She was now certain that Yan Liang had reached a dead end, and the moment when she could completely wear him down was not far off.

"Don't be afraid! Open your eyes wide and look carefully!"

Realizing this, Angelica leaned out, pointing directly at Yan Liang on the second floor, and reminded the still hesitant gangsters:

"He's reached his limit!"

"Didn't you notice? He could only kill three people just now! And now he doesn't even have the strength to stand up!"

"The more he uses his abilities now, the more severe the backlash becomes!"

Angelica's words were like a shot in the arm for those gangsters on the verge of collapse.

"It's true! He's really breathing!"

Scarface's eyes widened, his ecstatic joy evident in his expression.

"Damn it, that scared the hell out of me! He's not going to make it!"

"Charge! Once we get past that crazy woman, one bullet will kill him!"

The flames of greed reignited in the gangsters' eyes. They picked up their guns again, gripped their machetes, and surged towards the second floor like a tidal wave.

"Waaaaah... Captain, I'm sorry, I really can't go on..."

Xiao Hong struggled to sit up, but her strength was also nearing its limit.

Her hand gripping the dagger was so clenched it was almost impossible to close. Tears and blood mingled on her face, making it impossible for Yan Liang to see her expression.

Yan Liang was well aware that Dongshan Xiaohong had done enough, and he couldn't keep relying on her.

With her abilities restricted, Xiao Hong couldn't hold out for long, facing an endless stream of enemies...

But so what?

Faced with this scene, Yan Liang was not alarmed; instead, his furrowed brows relaxed.

Don't be afraid, because fear will prevent him from thinking. This is far from a dead end.

Everything, when pushed to its limit, seeks change; when constrained, it stagnates.

At this moment, as long as he is willing to think.

There must be an even better solution...

Chapter 122 Self-Exposure of Weakness?

After just two or three minutes of fighting, Dongshan Xiaohong, who was blocking the stairwell, was already struggling to hold on.

At this moment, Xiao Hong inevitably had a wound on her shoulder, and blood dripped from her fingertips onto the wooden floor. Xiao Hong was panting heavily, but despite her slender figure, she did not back down.

Taking advantage of this brief respite, Yan Liang racked his brains.

This time, however, he didn't place all his hopes on the Slash Demon, but instead adopted a different approach.

First and foremost, it's clear that the power of the Severing Line Demon is definitely not limited to this.

Yan Liang knew very well that what she was using was only the tip of the iceberg of its power. Back when the Slash Line Demon mentioned Machima, she didn't even take it seriously. How could her abilities be restricted by a mere amount of alcohol now?

Yan Liang suddenly felt that he had grasped the key point.

From the very beginning, what enabled him to wield this power? He gave the opponent the name "Severance Line," pleasing the Severance Line Demon.

To break the deadlock, we must create a suitable atmosphere, like in the abandoned building, to summon the slashing demon, rather than directly begging for it.

But how do we build it?

In an instant, the scene from Shuijing Township flashed through his mind again.

The Slashing Line Demon once said that it liked that village.

Because everyone there tacitly and willingly abides by a set of rules, with the tacit approval of some being.

"and many more……"

"Maybe..."

Thinking of this, a look of sudden realization appeared in Yan Liang's eyes.

A crazy and audacious plan quickly took shape in his mind.

Just as the gangsters were about to rush up to the second floor, stepping over the corpses of their comrades.

Stop.

Yan Liang's cool voice rang out again in the chaotic coffee shop.

Although the voice wasn't loud, no one dared to ignore Yan Liang. Fearing he would use that strange killing method again, the gangsters at the front stopped in their tracks upon hearing the sound.

The first to react was the scarred man.

He hid in the crowd downstairs, stunned for a moment, then burst into wild laughter as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world:

"Hahahaha! What nonsense are you spouting? Now you want to beg for mercy? Too late!"

"Beg for mercy?" Yan Liang leaned against the wall, trying to straighten himself up to look more presentable, and said:

"No..."

"I just wanted to offer a win-win solution."

"..."

Yan Liang pointed to the pile of corpses at his feet: