Meng Fan Was Dead

"Meng Fan is dead?"

Himeno looked incredulous.

"He couldn't even die at Miss Makima's hands. How could he suddenly drop dead?"

"I don't know either, but he's lying on the bed without moving. No matter how much I call him or push him, he doesn't react."

Neither Denji's expression nor his tone suggested he was joking.

Himeno immediately stubbed out her cigarette and slipped the remaining half into her pocket. "Aki, let's go back and check. This could very well be one of Meng Fan's pranks."

"Then we'll go gather supplies, Himeno," Arai said from beside her.

"All right. Come find us in the room we started in once you're done. Remember, don't wander off."

"Yes, Himeno."

The six of them split up.

Himeno and Aki Hayakawa returned to Meng Fan's room.

Just as Denji had said, Meng Fan lay motionless on the bed with his eyes closed.

"Meng Fan, wake up. This isn't the time to joke around with us."

Himeno didn't believe Meng Fan would die for no reason.

After all, even Miss Makima had praised his abilities.

"Hey, still going to keep pretending?" Himeno leaned toward Meng Fan, brought her lips slowly to his ear, blew gently into it, and whispered something.

Even after she finished whispering, Meng Fan still didn't react.

At that, Himeno finally gave up.

No man could resist her whispers.

If one could, he had to be dead.

"Looks like your master really is dead." Himeno shook her head helplessly.

"No way! Master!" Denji threw himself onto Meng Fan and shook him over and over.

"Himeno, do you know how he died?" Aki Hayakawa asked.

Besides, Meng Fan was the rookie Aki Hayakawa approved of most, bar none.

He would rather have seen Denji lying on that bed than Meng Fan.

"I don't know. My master just said he was going to lie down for a while, and then he ended up like this."

"Oh?" Himeno rubbed her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then leaned over Meng Fan's chest to listen for a heartbeat.

At that moment, Meng Fan's vital signs were no different from a dead man's.

No heartbeat, and his entire body was ice-cold.

Even so, Himeno didn't think Meng Fan was dead.

"Your master might have entered some kind of state. After all, he promised he'd always protect the Fourth Division. He's not the sort to go back on his word."

"Himeno, you seem to trust Meng Fan a lot."

"Of course. Aki, you need to trust a woman's intuition. Meng Fan definitely isn't dead, but we'll have to wait until he wakes up to ask what exactly happened."

"What should we do now?" Denji asked.

"Stay in this room and wait for Meng Fan to wake up. He must have suddenly become like this because he's looking for a way out for us."

Himeno gazed at Meng Fan on the bed, believing from the bottom of her heart that he could work a miracle.

"Himeno."

Just then, Arai and Kobeni returned carrying bags of all sizes.

"Where's Power?"

"She said she didn't want to stay with us, so she took a room for herself."

"But is he really dead?" Arai glanced at Meng Fan on the bed, looking worried.

They had only just met, so they weren't particularly close.

But at a time like this, a companion's death would only crush their resolve.

"He's not dead. He's just entered another state. Maybe he's become invisible like my Ghost Devil and slipped outside."

"Really? That's great. Then all we have to do is wait, and someone will come rescue us." Much of Kobeni's tension instantly eased.

"That's right, everyone. We just have to wait quietly for Meng Fan to return, and then we can get out."

Himeno called out spiritedly, hoping to encourage everyone.

Then they began checking the bags Arai and Kobeni had brought back.

The only edible things were two cups of ramen, four pieces of chewing gum, and a chocolate bar.

"This isn't nearly enough to eat."

"Don't get discouraged, Kobeni. At least we have something to eat. If we ration it, we should be able to hold out until Meng Fan returns."

"W-what if he doesn't come back? What if he's really dead?"

"He isn't. I believe Meng Fan can save us."

"We can't go wrong listening to Himeno. Besides, this has only just started. We all need to keep our spirits up." Arai followed Himeno's lead and tried to comfort Kobeni.

"Why don't we get some sleep first and conserve our energy?" Aki Hayakawa suggested.

"I actually am a little sleepy. I'll sleep beside my master, then."

Yawning, Denji lay down beside Meng Fan.

The others each found a room to sleep in.

Only Himeno and Aki Hayakawa remained in the hallway to keep watch.

"Himeno, do you have any cigarettes left?"

"Only two. One each. Let's save them unless we really can't stand it anymore."

Aki Hayakawa took the cigarette she offered and slipped it into his pocket.

"Himeno, go get some rest first. I'll keep watch for a while."

"No need. You've only just recovered from your injuries, so you need rest more. I'll take the first watch. Go sleep, and I'll wake you later."

"All right, then." With that, Aki Hayakawa headed for the room next to Denji's.

Himeno was left alone in the silent hallway.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Himeno woke Denji, who groggily asked, "What time is it?"

"There's no time here. The clocks have been stuck at eight the whole time."

"Has my master woken up?"

Himeno glanced at him. "Not yet. His body's getting colder instead."

"Then why did you wake me up?"

"We found the devil."

"The devil!" Denji was suddenly wide awake and sprang up. "Hurry up and kill him so we can go back."

"We can't. Aki and I attacked him just now, but that only made him bigger and bigger."

"Foolish humans, let's make a contract!"

A series of strange sounds rang out beyond the door.

They were enough to draw everyone out of their rooms and into the hallway.

When they saw the Eternity Devil at the end of the hallway, their mouths fell open in shock.

The Eternity Devil was a giant slime cobbled together from different human body parts.

Or rather, a giant Muk covered in human limbs.

Just looking at him was nauseating.

"What... is that monster?" Power asked.

"He should be the Eternity Devil Meng Fan mentioned."

"If we kill him, we can go back, right?" Kobeni pressed herself against Himeno as she asked.

"Yes, but this guy can't be killed."

"Can't be killed? Let me try." Refusing to believe it, Power charged forward with two blood blades in her hands.

Slash, slash!

The two blood blades slashed relentlessly across the Eternity Devil's body.

"That hurts!"

The Eternity Devil kept screaming, but his body kept growing at the same time.

He had initially stood twenty centimeters below the ceiling, but now his whole body pressed against it.

His spreading limbs slowly began to surround Power.

"Power, get back here!"

Faced with limbs closing in from every direction, Power hurriedly retreated.

She had nearly been engulfed.

"Why does this guy get bigger the more I cut him?" Power's face was slick with sweat.

"It's useless. My heart isn't here. What you're seeing is only my stomach. You can't leave alive unless you make a contract with me."

"A contract? What kind of contract do you want?"

"Kill Denji and hand over his heart, and I'll let you go."

"You want Denji's heart!"

None of them had expected the Eternity Devil's condition for the contract to be Denji's heart.

Denji was utterly bewildered.

He didn't even know the Eternity Devil.

Yet the devil kept wanting his heart.