Dream's Next Stage

Carried through the back alleys on Denji's shoulders, Nayuta observes that the rest of the city keeps living its routine despite the Fire Devil rampages. When she mentions possibly having school the next day, the thought lands hard on Denji: a normal existence still waits for the pair of them to return to. He tells Pochita how content he feels right now, then plants his foot on a crow lying on the pavement. Slipping into another talk with Pochita, Denji hears the devil rejoice that their shared dream has come true before asking which dream to chase next, a question that puzzles him. After weighing a few options, he confesses he wants to be Chainsaw Man once more.

Reality returns as he and Nayuta find their apartment block engulfed in flames, their pets likely trapped inside. He races to save them but Barem trips him, admitting he set the blaze to shove Denji past his limit. The man needles him further, claiming he overlooked Asa since she and Denji are near strangers, and besides, the pets burn more easily. Furious and stricken, Denji reaches for his ripcord just as Fumiko and other Public Safety officers riddle Barem with bullets. The instant she orders her colleagues to target the body parts that trigger his transformation, a gleeful Whip Hybrid cuts the whole group down.

Issued December 6, 2023 in Volume 17, this Chainsaw Man Church arc chapter is titled Yume no Tsugi. Its core reveal is Denji's admission that the calm life he claims to cherish cannot smother his longing to fight as Chainsaw Man, a desire Barem exploits with deadly precision.