The battle with the Aging Devil takes an unexpected turn in Chainsaw Man chapter 180 as Denji and Asa find themselves transported to a mysterious new dimension. Here, several disturbing facts about their powerful foe emerge, all the while establishing a fascinating situation that our protagonists must find their way out of.

Whenever Devils that represent a primordial fear make an appearance in Chainsaw Man, you know that the proverbial shit is going to hit the proverbial fan. That was true during part one with the Darkness Devil, doubly true when the Falling Devil appeared towards the beginning of part two, and the battle with the Aging Devil so far has been no exception. It honestly feels like Tatsuki Fujimoto has a lot of fun writing about them, which isn’t exactly surprising given how powerful their abilities are meant to be.

Even so, Chainsaw Man chapter 180 shows us a different side to the power of these awe-inspiring beings by focusing on transformation rather than pure action. Following her awesome onslaught with the Gun Devil in the last chapter, Yoru prepares to unleash another volley before the Aging Devil shoots her first. She eventually wakes up from a dream in an idyllic world alongside an unconscious Denji and a man who claims to have been trapped there for over 80 years.

Alongside making a welcome change from the kind of encounters we’ve had thus far with the Primal Devils, Chainsaw Man chapter 180 also reveals some disturbing facts about the Aging Devil’s abilities. The man Asa encounters claims to have come to the world they find themselves in alongside several others after making a contract with the Aging Devil in front of a mirror: not only does this explain how its ability works, but also should lead to a terrifying realization about the politicians’ plans to remove aging from the world. By sacrificing the children and fulfilling the contract, is humanity about to be transported here wholesale?

Before anyone can do anything about that, however, Asa is going to have to find a way out of this deathless purgatory. With the man’s implication that there are others here, it’s possible that we may be in for another multi-chapter story exploring this particular location, but who knows. While Fujimoto does appear to enjoy playing around in puzzle rooms judging from the two separate times he used the Eternity Devil, the locale shift in Chainsaw Man chapter 180 does come right in the middle of a pitched battle.

Staying away for too long might ruin the pacing, but 180 chapters in? You should know to expect the unexpected from this series.

You can read Chainsaw Man chapter 180 for free via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.