Demon? Not a Demon? (悪魔? 悪魔じゃあい? , Akuma? Akuma ja nai?) is chapter 85 of the Beelzebub manga.
Summary[]
Having stricken down Hilda, Hecadoth tells Oga that he is next, whom denies this. Seeing Beelzebub about to cry, Oga stops him, claiming Hilda is watching him. Hilda is in fact still conscious, pleading for Beelzebub to go away. Oga is fascinated by Hilda’s care for Beelzebub despite her own condition. Seeing this, Oga carries Kunieda towards Hilda. Having just woken up, she finally spots Hilda lying on the ground and Hecadoth standing among them. Oga tells Kunieda to take care of Hilda as he fights Hecadoth and promises to explain everything later.
Meanwhile, Kanzaki is feeling cold, walking around town singing a self-improvised song about his love of yogurt. He spots Tōjō and Izuma fighting each other. Curious about the outcome of their fight, Kanaki moves closer to them to spectate. He spots a girl who he identifies as a member of Red Tail. Alarmed to see each other, the girl climbs on top of Kanzaki and tries to perform a sleeper hold on him, but Kanzaki manages to fend himself off, hitting her in the head. Both of them stop and spectate Tōjō and Izuma, whom had both apparently been returning from the supermarket and have spotted the two fighting. The girl introduces herself as Yuka Hanazawa, whom realizes that she and Kanzaki live close to each other. Seeing Shizuka from afar, she thinks that Tōjō and Izuma are in a love triangle with her and are fighting for her. Kanzaki asks her who is winning. Yuka believes that since she saw Izuma got a black shadow coming out of him, he’s been stronger than Tōjō. Her prediction is true, as Tōjō is seen much more heavily bruised than Izuma since their last clash. Kanzaki is surprised at this, as Izuma declares the fight will be over after he performs a finishing blow on Tōjō. A splatter of blood is seen, however, not from Tōjō, but from Izuma. From behind, a figure had kicked him. The figure, whose face is similar to Hecadoth's, proves to another that it was indeed pointless coming to the Human World. Another figure comments that she sensed Demonic energy and came over only to find it a waste of time. The figures are revealed to be General Graphel and Commander Nāga of Behemoth’s 34th Division. Nāga finds that Izuma was probably a descendant of a lower class demon who escaped to the Human World, while Graphel regrets not following Hecadoth. Both plan on leaving Izuma alone. Everyone around them is surprised by their appearance, while Izuma realizes that Demons are among them.
In a flashback, the Saint Ishiyama Academy principal had called Izuma into his office to warn him of Demons about to strike the town and not to touch them. Recalling this, Izuma pleads for forgiveness to the principal. It is revealed that in his old school, Izuma became an outcast after using his Demonic powers there. Since being transferred to Saint Ishiyama Academy, he found his place there with other people like him. Realizing his motivation to fight Graphel and Nāga came from the people he found at Saint Ishiyama Academy, Izuma stands up and taunts the two into battling him. Insistent that Izuma is no match for him, Graphel easily rushes by Izuma to grab his head and slam it into the ground, to the horror of Kanzaki, Yuka and Shizuka. Graphel crawls on top of Izuma, whom regrettably realizes that as a part Demon, he is unable to fight Graphel. Just as Graphel is about to deliver a finishing blow on Izuma, Tōjō manages to grab his arm. Graphel threatens Tōjō, whom is irate over Graphel stealing his prey Izuma. He delivers a powerful punch on Graphel’s face.
Characters in order of appearance[]
- Hilda
- Tatsumi Oga
- Aoi Kunieda
- Hecadoth
- Beelzebub IV
- Hajime Kanzaki
- Hidetora Tōjō
- Kaname Izuma
- Yuka Hanazawa
- Shizuka Nanami
- Graphel
- Nāga
- Genma Isurugi (flashback)