The Return of Chainsaw Man

Fumiko surveys the Whip Hybrid and her fellow agents, one slain and two badly hurt, before the Spear Hybrid seizes her and stops her from firing on Barem again. She wonders aloud how the Hybrids broke free, and the Whip Hybrid explains that the Fire Devil contractors' assault drew Public Safety away long enough for an escape. Denji brands them monsters, yet Miri, convinced their cause is just, argues the whole spree, the burning house included, aims to avert Nostradamus's prophecy. He snaps back asking if she is mad, and she only urges him to let his rage loose and rescue the world.

As the Whip Hybrid mocks Miri's naivety, Barem hauls himself up from his wound. Nayuta lashes him with her command chains, willing him to sever his own tongue and die where he stands, but he shrugs it off, strides over, and clutches her throat, warning Denji that one move means her death. He guesses his immunity stems from a lingering love for Makima, willing or not, and muses that she would manage the Death Devil crisis far better than Fami. Then he bares his real grievance: he loathes how Denji hypocritically rejected Makima's promise of perfect peace while basking in the calm Public Safety handed him. Nayuta drives a chain into one surviving agent and makes him fire a second shot into Barem, forcing him to release her. With countless lives hanging in the balance, Denji moves to pull his ripcord and catches sight of Pochita waving from the blazing rubble. He yanks the cord and crumples to the ground, leaving a frantic Nayuta to ask why he is laughing.

Published December 20, 2023 in Volume 17, this Chainsaw Man Church arc chapter is titled Kaettekita Chensoman. The closing beat, Pochita beckoning from the fire as Denji pulls the cord and laughs, sets up Chainsaw Man's long-awaited comeback.