Chapter 106:The Devil Accepts Another Hunt
Cheers echoed across the parade grounds.
Soldiers who had survived countless ghost waves spoke of only one name.
Lucifer Morningstar.
The Devil.
The man who had accomplished what veteran Grim Reapers had considered impossible.
He had slain not one—
—but two Urban Legends.
Stories that had haunted humanity for generations.
Creatures feared not because they were merely ghosts...
...but because every retelling made them stronger.
Every frightened whisper.
Every bedtime story.
Every rumor shared between children.
Those fears became power.
Which made Urban Legends exist somewhere beyond ordinary Special Grades.
For the first time in years...
Hope had returned to the military.
Unfortunately...
One person wasn't celebrating.
Captain Amaira walked toward the women's barracks with a dark expression.
She had been looking for Lucifer for nearly half an hour.
"He better not have disappeared again..."
She pushed open the door.
"..."
Silence.
Then—
Laughter.
Dozens of female soldiers surrounded Lucifer.
Some offered him homemade snacks.
Others asked endless questions.
One was braiding a strand of his black hair.
Another was measuring him for a custom military coat.
A shy girl nervously asked,
"So... um... Captain Lucifer... what's your favorite food?"
Lucifer answered without hesitation.
"Anything spicy."
Another immediately asked,
"What kind of girls do you like?"
Lucifer grinned.
"Cute."
Another raised her hand.
"What color dress do you like?"
"Black."
"What hairstyle?"
"Long."
"What perfume?"
"The one that smells expensive."
The girls scribbled notes like students attending the lecture of a legendary hero.
One whispered,
"So that's his type..."
Another sighed dreamily.
"He even smells nice..."
A third covered her blushing face.
"I think I'm in love..."
Amaira's eyebrow twitched.
Again.
And again.
Finally—
"LUCIFER!!"
The entire barracks froze.
Lucifer slowly turned.
"Oh."
"It's you."
Amaira grabbed him by the collar before he could say another word.
"Come."
Lucifer sighed dramatically as she dragged him across the floor.
"I can't even enjoy life once in a while..."
"This is a military base," Amaira snapped.
"Not your personal harem."
The girls collectively lowered their heads.
"...Sorry, Captain."
Lucifer looked back at them.
"Don't worry."
"We'll continue later."
Amaira nearly crushed his collar.
"There will NOT be a later!"
Outside—
She finally released him.
Lucifer straightened his uniform.
"So..."
"Where exactly are you kidnapping me?"
"Another mission."
Lucifer immediately turned around.
"No."
Amaira blinked.
"...No?"
"I'm tired."
"I almost died."
"My back hurts."
"My soul hurts."
"My stomach wants another lunch."
"I'm officially on strike."
"You don't have the right to strike."
"I just did."
He folded his arms proudly.
Amaira pinched the bridge of her nose.
"...Commander already approved the mission."
Lucifer looked toward the sky dramatically.
"Commander..."
"Please remember me as the hardworking soldier I never was."
Commander Duan stood before the massive window overlooking the fortress.
Without turning around, she spoke.
"So."
"I heard you're refusing missions now."
Lucifer casually shrugged.
"I believe in work-life balance."
Amaira sighed.
"He said his soul hurts."
Duan chuckled.
"You have quite the imagination."
Lucifer smiled.
"I prefer quality over quantity."
"There are countless capable soldiers."
"Why me?"
Duan finally turned.
"Because only you have a chance of returning alive."
"..."
Lucifer stared at her.
"...That's the worst motivation speech I've ever heard."
"It worked."
"..."
"...Fine."
"I'll go."
Amaira blinked.
"That easily?"
Lucifer smiled.
"I wasn't convinced."
"But..."
He pointed directly at Commander Duan.
"I have one condition."
Amaira instantly had a bad feeling.
Duan folded her arms.
"I'm listening."
Lucifer smiled wider.
"If I complete this mission..."
"You'll go on a date with me."
The room became deathly silent.
Amaira's eyes widened.
"...WHAT?!"
Several officers outside almost dropped their documents.
Duan simply stared at him.
For several seconds.
Then...
"...You're serious."
"Always."
Amaira immediately interrupted.
"Commander!"
"Don't encourage him!"
"This idiot flirts with every woman he sees!"
Lucifer raised a finger.
"I flirt respectfully."
"You literally called me your future wife the day we met!"
"I was being honest."
Amaira buried her face in her hands.
"...Hopeless."
Commander Duan unexpectedly smiled.
"...Very well."
"I accept."
Amaira nearly fell over.
"COMMANDER?!"
Duan looked directly into Lucifer's crimson eyes.
"But if you fail..."
Lucifer finished the sentence.
"I'll stop asking you out."
She nodded.
"Deal."
Lucifer extended his hand.
"It's a promise."
After a brief pause...
Commander Duan shook it.
The officers watching from outside could scarcely believe their eyes.
The Commander...
Had just accepted a date bet.
With Lucifer.
Commander Duan placed a thin file on the table.
Lucifer opened it.
Inside were photographs.
Missing children.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten years old.
Every single one had disappeared without a trace.
"No bodies?"
Lucifer asked.
"None."
"No witnesses?"
"None."
"No survivors?"
Commander Duan slowly nodded.
"There is only one clue."
She turned another page.
A single word was written repeatedly by frightened villagers.
Hachishakusama.
Lucifer's smile faded.
"...An Urban Legend."
Commander Duan nodded.
"One of Japan's oldest."
Amaira quietly added,
"Urban Legends become stronger than ordinary Special Grades because they live inside stories."
"The more generations repeat the tale..."
"The more real they become."
Lucifer closed the file.
"So..."
"This one hunts children."
Commander Duan's voice became colder.
"Exactly."
The journey lasted several hours.
When they finally arrived...
Neither Lucifer nor Amaira spoke.
Something felt...
Wrong.
There were people.
Yet no laughter.
No children playing.
No barking dogs.
No smoke rising from homes.
Every villager walked with lowered heads.
Empty eyes.
Like people who had already accepted death.
Lucifer stopped an elderly woman.
"Excuse me."
"We're from the military."
"We'd like to ask—"
She simply walked away.
Without saying a word.
Another man did the same.
A mother pulled her child closer before hurrying inside.
Doors slammed shut one after another.
Lucifer frowned.
"They're afraid."
Amaira nodded.
"Not of us."
"They've already lost hope."
Hours passed.
They searched every alley.
Every abandoned house.
Every shrine.
Every forest trail.
Nothing.
No lingering ghost aura.
No cursed object.
No evidence.
As the sun slowly dipped toward the horizon...
Lucifer sighed.
"We're missing something."
"So are they."
Amaira looked exhausted.
"We've searched the entire village."
"Nothing."
Just as they turned to leave...
A raspy voice echoed above them.
"Looking for ghosts, are ya?"
They looked up.
An old man sat lazily on the thick branch of a giant tree.
A worn straw hat covered his face.
A bottle gourd hung from his waist.
He scratched his beard.
"I know what you're looking for."
Lucifer smiled.
"Then tell us."
The old man extended one wrinkled hand.
"Buy an old fool a bottle of alcohol first."
Inside the tiny tavern—
The old man emptied an entire bottle in one breath.
Not a single drop remained.
He closed his eyes.
"...Good."
"For a moment..."
"I forgot."
His smile disappeared.
He stared into the empty bottle.
"As if drinking could drown grief."
Silence filled the room.
Then...
He spoke.
"Once..."
"This village was beautiful."
"Children laughed."
"Families smiled."
"We had festivals."
"We had dreams."
His hands trembled.
"Then..."
"She came."
"Hachishakusama."
"The Tall Woman."
"She began taking children."
"One by one."
"No one ever came back."
"We begged."
"We prayed."
"In the end..."
"A priest sealed her."
"He warned us."
"'Never break the seal.'"
The old man's voice cracked.
"But children..."
"...are curious."
"A few foolish boys found it."
"They thought it was a game."
"They broke the seal."
His shoulders shook violently.
"And then..."
"She came back."
Tears streamed down his aged face.
"My grandson..."
"...was the last."
"I couldn't save him."
He slammed both fists onto the table.
"Tell me!"
"Where is justice?!"
"Why has God abandoned people like us?!"
"Why..."
"...has nobody come to save us?"
The tavern fell silent.
Lucifer slowly stood.
His crimson eyes burned quietly.
He placed a hand on the old man's shoulder.
"God..."
"...is far too busy."
"He has an entire multiverse to watch."
The old man lowered his head.
Lucifer smiled.
"But don't worry."
His voice became calm.
Cold.
Absolute.
"Because the Devil..."
"...has arrived."
"And unlike God..."
"I personally punish the wicked."
Outside—
A cold wind swept across the silent village.
Far away...
Beyond the trees...
A deep feminine laugh echoed through the darkness.
"Po... po... po..."