Beyond Control 8 (Patreon)

Beyond Control 8 - 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!)

Makima was not good at dating people, but Denji was an idiot.

Sensing one’s weakness was easy, handling it as to smother them with ‘care’ was also easy. What wasn’t easy, however, was handling the matters of someone putting her on the corner in a rather embarrassing fashion.

Up to this point, I had played the ‘elusive player’ card whenever possible but now I decided to play an active role for a reason. I needed her attention aimed at me.

Such a plan sounded as dangerous as it could get since it meant having the Control Devil looking into my ass to know who I am, but the reasoning behind this mission was simple: Makima needed to be ‘unbalanced’ for a time.

Now, this may not sound much without context, but the truth is quite simple. With a large portion of the Special Public Divisions for Devil Hunters getting assassinated, Makima got power over the remaining group now converging in a single unit. With that, she claimed control over pretty much a large portion of powerful beings.

Had I not intervened in that restaurant, the damage would have been far more intense than before: Aki’s depression would have pushed him away from Power and Denji when they both would need him with Kishibe around to train them, Himeno’s levelheadedness would have also prevented the old man from getting too cocky around them and, perhaps, see a chance to rebel early.

Kobeni was an odd case since she didn’t seem to change much from what I have seen in her ‘reaction’ to her partner’s death, but she seemed to be a bit more… emotive. In a positive way. She was crying a bit more in her flat last time I ‘checked’, but she put an effort to make those moments hidden from others.

Also, she had picked up training with her knives. That was going to be fun to keep in mind.

Still, none of that currently mattered as I focused on Makima. As she finished taking care to destroy what was left of the assassination group, she had focused her attention to keep Denji’s heart for her to clutch.

The boy was a moron when it came to emotions, but Makima also failed to do much because of what ‘John Bukharin’ told her to be wary about. Open but not too much, just enough to feel believable.

It worked to an extent, but it deprived her of the chance to have Denji properly latch onto her.

And now that their date was over, I proceeded to create quite the scene. I walked out of my hiding spot to approach her. That’s where I made sure to ‘corner’ her. Now, there are a few ways to corner people and it all depends on what kind of person you want to ‘corner’.

For someone like Makima, the Control Devil, this was achieved by putting her in a situation where her main strength no longer existed. Where control was not able to outmatch her opponent.

So, right as she was walking the streets on her own, she paused as she noticed me leave the nearby gym shop with a few bags filled with weights of all sorts. Why? Well, it’s both confusing and I need those for something I planned to do when I will deal with the Gun Devil.

“My, oh my. If it is not a show of Faith for a Humble Preacher to stumble upon the One that Conquers,” I greeted sumptuously, proud to see her nostrils flare and her face scrunch in brief disgust at the smell of rotten fish that my outfit was tainted with. Enough to cover my original ‘musk’ as many dirty ladies would call it. “Hello, Control.”

“I thought you were a threat. I didn’t know you were truly that dreadful,” The redhead muttered flatly. “How?”

“I see the future. Plus, your pretty eyes are what makes you and your siblings stand out from the rest.”

Her lips twitched in discomfort and, then, she nodded. “What do you need?”

“A friend, but I can’t have one just yet. You see, my struggle is one of justice- devoid of chances to make meaningful connections. I assume you understand that.”

“...What do you want?”

“A bit of a conversation. I am sure you wish to know stuff in regard to our common enemy.”

Makima took a step and smiled. “Sure. Where do we do this?”

A bit of a lie with a smile, I still told her to follow me to the nearby alley and-

“I am afraid that I know enough of the Gun Devil, Preacher. I find your

“That’s silly, Control. After all, the Gun Devil is a puppet- a tool that knows what’s up.”

Her face lacked any form of warmth as I said this. “I don’t think you know enough-”

“Isn’t it odd, Control? That despite your ‘superiors’ trying their hardest to put a leash on you, they fail to hold you back? That no matter how hard they try, you always come up on top. Not just you, but the other Horsemen,” I interrupted dryly. “Tell me, Control, do you believe in Gravity?”

Her silence was heavy.

“What?”

“Gravity. Not just as a force that keeps us latching on this planet as living beings, but the force of fate that makes things go one way or another. Have you noticed how strangely ‘fixed’ it has been from a certain point onward? Let me create a scenario for you: a world where there’s no Devil and so all sorts of things the Chainsaw Devil has removed Nukes, AIDS, the Holocaust and other Devils that have defined history in a monumental manner- that world would be wild and free.”

“But?” Makima inquired, perceiving the ‘dissonance’ within my speech.

“But that just sounds like how the world worked before these Devils were slain. Before the Chainsaw Devil got to them. Am I right?”

“What if you were? Why would that matter?”

“That’s simple- the world is oddly ‘quiet’ and fixed compared to how it used to be. It’s almost like we are all set for quarantine for something big and… it’s where you and the other Horsemen started to move against the Chainsaw Devil. Some may say that you did so for your own personal needs, but I have a feeling that you had an urge to do so. Something pushed you into doing this.”

…

“Is this a setup to bring up the foolish notion that there is a God Devil? If so, there is not one.”

“Yes and no.”

Her calm demeanor fell apart at hearing this. “That’s ridiculous.”

“And yet not. That’s because you expect someone that is called God Devil to be a single entity. It is not, it’s a mix of many things but… I know what the Devil that controls all. And this one already has set steps for your plans to fail- no matter how clever and confident you feel about it.”

“...You are not lying.”

I smiled. “Duh! I am a smart Preacher- but, jokes aside, I met him. The ‘Big G’.”

“...And this is also not a lie. How come you are so good at lying?” The redhead inquired.

“I am not and… that’s all for now. Understand I will meddle with your plans.”

“Then I will eventually kill you,” She announced with a smile, but she failed to frighten me with this. After all, that couldn’t get me as I walked up to her and… hugged her.

Yes, smell the rotten fish, you hot sexy bitch.

“No, you will not,” I replied dully. “And that’s because a corpse is speaking to me. You just don’t know you are dead just yet.”

The talk was over, the hug ended and I just walked away as I left Makima to her thoughts… but God, the sexual frustration was dense in the air is outrageous for me to endure Maybe I was the only one sensing it, but it sure felt odd for Makima to be so… so fucking frustrating with how ‘puppy-like’ she turned when she was struggling.

Gah! She was infecting me with the dog-bug or some shit like that! And why was she blushing during the hug?!

That was something to think later about. For now I had some dumbbells to bring back home, hide away, and then focus on my next plan: get myself a cute Soviet Padawan.