Beyond Control 2 (Patreon)

Beyond Control 2 - or ‘I refuse to be Controlled, so I will attain the [Heavens] to not get dommed by a certain redhead Control Devil' (Chainsaw Man, SI!)

“I am really surprised. It’s not a common occurrence to meet a foreigner that my dogs seem to like this much.”

I am so fucked right now that I am not sure why I am still alive.

Maybe I was overthinking this but- let’s be honest. By knowing Makima's true self, I was as much in the safe spot for knowing her powers and in the worst spot because I was quite tense.

One can chalk this as ‘issues with strangers’ for as long as possible, but Makima was punctual with her clever wits and was definitely going to notice something is really off with me but…

I had a saving grace.

“Ah, dogs are smart animals. They can pick up when they can trust someone with ease if one is willing to be honest towards them,” I remarked, trying my best to focus on the topic that I knew Makima was very obsessed about - dogs. “Like, my father used to tell me about this one time where he made a friend with a female stray. She wandered around where he lived and he would regularly feed her. One day she just started to bring her pups too.”

A slow nod came from the redhead. “Trust for the self, not for other primary circumstances. A case of selfless preservation.”

“It’s rare in humans for such a topic nowadays,” I added with a small grin. “Which is why I think animals in general can be healthy if one knows how to handle them. I can tell they all love you, Makima-san.”

She allowed a pretty smile on her face.

“Thank you. They can be a handful but they bring me… ease at times when I need it.”

“That’s why they are good listeners and players. Always looking out for their owners when their owners look out for them.”

There wasn’t anything noteworthy that she brought up. As expected, Makima kept all her cards close to her chest and, even around strangers, she still had that thin layer of vigilance that she reserved for anyone. And after a while of walking and talking, she decided to stop and look at a specific street which I could only assume was where she was meant to go as her destination.

“It was a pleasant discussion. I am afraid that I have to go now, but I hope to hear more of you, Bukharin-san,” Makima remarked and… ‘aimed’ her finger at me. “Until next time.”

I never liked it. That finger-pointing thing she did- even before I learned of the ‘Bang!’ thing she can do with it.

It was innocent at the moment but… the vibe was really off. So off that I kind of reacted by instinct. One moment she was smiling, the next she looked really confused and her eyes had widened at the sight of my own index finger booping her nose.

“Likewise, Makima-san. See ya later.”

And I was soon turning around and slow-Nigerundayo’ing out of trouble. It was the kind of interaction that could either make for a good distraction for a retreat or a war declaration depending on the circumstance.

Makima not chasing after me may be a good sign of this being the former case. I just didn’t stop for a moment to get the fuck out of multiple sights at once. Far far away, I will eventually find the calm to slow down but for now I better be-

Before I could finish that thought, I ended up bumping on something. It was soft, squishy- slimy even and…

The hell is that?!

A large towering thing made of dark-pink/red slime with a single visible skull-like head and fingers-like limbs protruding from its body. It turned to stare at me quite threateningly and-

“Civilian! Get out of there, that’s a Devil!”

I turned to see a guy holding a katana. A Devil Hunter? That’s… Oh.

I forgot this city is not safe. That Devils wandered around out of nowhere and you have to be super-careful all the time. I thought my Stand would have reacted

The creature started to come closer again, perhaps to devour me but it seemed to realize something was wrong when its entire being was suddenly assaulted by punches.

｢King Crimson｣ has snapped into action, the ferocious Stand suddenly battering the thing into a tender mess that was easily collapsing against the Humanoid’s vicious assault.

It didn’t take long for the monstrous thing to be moving away from me, looking quite terrified and ready to depart due to the beating it got. I took a step forward ready to finish the devil when-

“MineminemineMINEMINE!!”

A shadow from above came careening down and slammed a blood hammer on the beast itself, causing it to detonate and… release its guts and some energy upon impact. The sight was disgusting but I tensed up due to the individual behind such an attack, face tainted with blue blood but-

Yep, that’s Power… Wait, that’s Power!

I think I remember this bit- the Sea Cucumber Devil and… fuck, Denji is nearby! So, Makima had reasons to be attentive to any details such as a civilian fighting off a Devil.

It’s time to go!

“｢King Crimson｣!”

Power had been busy raving over blood when she heard my half-shriek, head snapping to see… nothing. She looked confused, then looked around for anything that had just happened but found no one around.

I had successfully used ｢King Crimson｣’s power to get away and be back to moving out of trouble.

Soon I found shelter in an alley and… I was still panicking a bit as some of the energy produced by the deceased Devil had seeped into ｢King Crimson｣.

I was a bit confused by what this meant but… right as I spotted a can nearby, I saw the Stand autonomously move towards it and give it a punch. Pdd behavior, but the reaction of the attack was even odder.

Something gray started to grow on the can. I approached it, kneeling to look closer to it.

“...Barnacles?”

I turned to ｢King Crimson｣. “You can do that?”

“After beating that monster… I absorbed some of its essence. I just know now that I can do that.”

I turned back to the can to ponder about this. It was such an unusual power and yet it sounded familiar. Was that another Stand’s power? I looked back in what I could think of this and… fuck, I think I know which Stand we are talking about.

“｢Dark Blue Moon｣,” I mumbled. “Killing the Sea Cucumber Devil provided ｢King Crimson｣ the same powers as ｢Dark Blue Moon｣.”

Part 3, the fake ship captain’s Stand. It was quite weak when out of water and yet posed quite the threat to the group due to its scales’ projectiles, its insane swimming speed, and its capacity to produce barnacles where its punches would hit.

Does that mean I have those abilities too now?

I will have to test this… once I am done with my other issues. Sure, I just survived a Devil and should be taking it easy, but right now I had nowhere to stay and I needed a job. Like hell I am becoming a Public Devil Hunter- I don’t want to be on the edge of being found out by Makima and stalked because of my powers but…

What if I was to entertain an anonymous and freelance take on the job?

It was a possibility, but it was going to require some more info before I was going to make that choice. For the time being, I had to find somewhere to rest for the time being.

But where the fuck I am supposed to find one here in this devil-riddled city?!

—--------d-d-d-d—-----

AN

Two dodged bullets, a new power and two new problems.