Silence.
Above Shuchiin, the entire area fell into a hushed stillness.
What... just happened?
Even the Old Maou Faction hadn't reacted yet.
Natsuki Minamiya suddenly felt the pressure on her body disappear.
The flood pouring down from the sky had vanished at some point.
She blinked in confusion, murmuring, "The spell failed?"
Wait!
Now wasn't the time to be stunned!
Natsuki quickly looked down at the figure below.
Black hair. Deep wine-red eyes.
There was no mistaking it—Lynn.
So…
Lynn had just taken down a Maou-level woman?
Hiss—
Natsuki drew in a sharp breath.
Was that even possible?
Lynn…
When did he become this strong?
She began to question everything she knew.
She had always guessed his strength was rapidly advancing, but even at her most optimistic, she'd only considered him at the pinnacle of Ultimate-Class Devil.
But now he had overwhelmed a Maou?
Natsuki stood suspended in midair, dazed and unable to process it all at once.
On the ground.
Kitagawa Marin stared blankly at Lynn's back, utterly entranced.
For a moment, that lone figure filled her entire world.
She was… saved.
The rest of the students at Shuchiin were similarly stunned, eyes locked on Lynn's figure.
When they noticed his uniform, their expressions turned even more incredulous.
Wait a second.
Wasn't he from Shuchiin too?
"Ah!"
"I get it!"
Someone shouted, "He's the president of the Supernatural Investigation Club!"
"?"
"!"
"…That's actually true!"
The students were shocked.
Seriously? Wasn't that just the infamous harem club?
The Supernatural Investigation Club…
Kitagawa Marin quietly etched the name into her memory.
---
Just as the students were whispering among themselves—
Boom!
The collapsed skyscraper suddenly erupted with terrifying magic power!
Chunks of debris exploded outward!
Katerea Leviathan floated upward, her left hand clutching her abdomen.
Her brown hair was a mess, red-rimmed glasses gone who-knew-where.
She looked completely disheveled.
"Damn it!!"
Her face twisted with rage as she glared at Lynn.
Her abdomen throbbed painfully.
That bastard actually compressed her magic into a single bead!
And the energy within that bead was identical to her original spell… no, even more powerful due to the compression!
Otherwise, she wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state!
Damn it! How the hell did he control it that precisely?!
Spit—
She coughed up a mouthful of blood and returned to her original position in the sky.
"Big Sis…"
"Shut it!"
Katerea's expression was icy cold, her confidence slowly returning.
That earlier attack had shocked her.
But a large part of the reason she lost was due to being caught off guard!
Now…
The real battle would begin.
Natsuki snapped out of her daze. She didn't have time to dwell on Lynn's strength.
She turned her focus back to Katerea with a tense expression.
This wasn't over.
Shuchiin—
No, all of Tokyo was still under threat!
Katerea didn't spare Natsuki a glance. She simply narrowed her eyes and stared at Lynn.
"Boy, I'll allow you to state your name."
"?"
Lynn looked at her like she was dumb.
She still didn't get the situation?
He chuckled. "You came looking for me, and you don't even know who I am?"
As he spoke—
Lynn gently pressed his foot down.
Crack—
Crack—
The massive magic circle covering all of Tokyo suddenly began to shatter!
Then—
Boom!
The entire formation burst into shimmering fragments of light and disappeared into the air.
Across Tokyo.
The floods dissipated instantly.
The streets, while showing traces of being washed, returned to calm.
One passerby looked around in disbelief. "Wait… we're saved?"
Lion King Organization.
Shirona Kuraki looked up in mild surprise.
"It's over?"
No.
She narrowed her eyes.
There were still strong magic fluctuations coming from the direction of Shuchiin.
"Natsuki Minamiya intervened?"
She guessed, then shook her head.
That wasn't within Natsuki's capabilities.
Still…
Whoever it was, Tokyo had avoided disaster for now.
The rest would depend on what happened at the battlefield.
---
Shuchiin.
Katerea's expression twisted in disbelief.
How did he break the magic circle covering all of Tokyo so easily?
Her gaze grew grim.
This man was definitely no ordinary devil.
But even so—
She still had the power of Ophis' snake. She wasn't afraid.
Even if he was also Maou-level, he would still fall to her.
Still…
Was this guy really the one they were targeting?
Katerea blinked, then snatched the information sheet from Bedeze Abaddon and scanned it.
"…So it is you."
A flicker of recognition flashed in her eyes as she looked Lynn up and down.
"I didn't expect you to be Valefor."
With strength like this, it made sense how Kokabiel had been taken out instantly.
But…
She was no Kokabiel!
"Hmph. You knew we came for you, and you still dared to appear so arrogantly in front of me?"
Katerea sneered. "You really don't value your life, do you?"
Natsuki: "…"
You say that like you weren't the one just smacked into a building.
Lynn looked calm as ever. He casually raised his pinky and picked his ear. "So noisy…"
The moment the words left his lips—
An invisible force pulsed outward from beneath him.
[Gravity Devil]!
"?!"
Katerea froze.
Before she could even respond, she felt her body suddenly being dragged downward.
"Ugh…!"
Her eyes flew wide.
It felt like sinking into the bottom of the ocean!
A crushing weight pressed in from every direction!
BANG BANG BANG!
Behind her, the other devils all felt their bodies plummet.
Bedeze gritted his teeth, trying to withstand the pressure—
But!
Boom!
A few seconds later, even he was slammed into the ground.
Though to his credit, he fared slightly better—only his legs were buried into the pavement.
Natsuki, unaffected, widened her eyes.
What was that?
She hadn't even seen Lynn do anything!
But one thing was clear—this was his doing.
Even a Maou-level devil like Katerea was affected?
Natsuki looked at the struggling Bedeze and her understanding of Lynn's power deepened.
---
Katerea panted heavily. Her condition wasn't much better than Bedeze's.
Gravity magic?
She immediately recognized the type of ability.
But recognition didn't mean she could do anything about it.
"Damn it!!"
She roared as her magic power surged!
A wide-area magic circle began to form beneath her!
If it was gravity.
Then she would use it to amplify her own spells!
Crack—
Wisps of frost began to spread.
All of Shuchiin was covered in a layer of icy mist.
As a descendant of Leviathan, Katerea's mastery extended beyond water—ice was also her specialty.
A glacier slowly rose from the formation, ready to launch.
Natsuki's expression tensed.
She didn't just stand by—she raised her hand.
Golden chains shot forward, rushing toward Katerea.
Lock of Discipline!
"A sacred gear?"
Katerea sneered.
Unless it was a Longinus, it was trash to her.
Normally, at least.
Now…
She glared at Lynn again, feeling increasingly irritable.
Even the little bug was starting to get annoying with him around.
She glanced at her subordinates. Seeing they were still immobilized, she cursed them as useless trash.
Clang—
The chains came crashing in.
Katerea frowned and diverted some of her focus to set up a defensive formation.
A clear clang rang out as the chain struck the barrier but failed to break it in one go.
Still, the spell in her other hand shrank significantly.
Natsuki didn't let up. She continued to manipulate the chains, applying pressure.
Even if she couldn't hurt a Maou, disrupting her casting was still possible.
Lynn, however, had no intention of drawing things out.
He flicked his wrist—
A slashing wave shot forward!
Katerea's instincts screamed.
She would die if it hit!
She didn't hesitate—she canceled her casting and dodged instantly.
But just as she exhaled in relief—
Whip!
Natsuki's chain clung to her again like a stubborn curse.
"Tch!"
Katerea clicked her tongue in irritation. She didn't dodge this time.
She grabbed the chain midair with one hand.
"I don't have time to deal with you. Do you really think you're something special?"
She yanked hard!
The force instantly pulled Natsuki forward—
Thud!
And flung her toward the ground!
Right at Lynn.
Lynn raised a brow, reached out, and caught her in his arms.
Was this a gift?
He stared at Katerea in confusion.
Was she really the enemy?
"…Next time, Natsuki-chan, use your real body when you come down."
Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Stop joking. The enemy's no pushover!"
"Is that so?"
Lynn smiled faintly and glanced at Katerea.
A second later—he vanished.
Katerea's pupils shrank.
She spun around frantically.
Where?!
Where is he?!
Suddenly!
A violent gust and searing heat struck from behind.
Before she could react—
BOOM!!
A streak of sparks lit the sky as Katerea was slammed into the earth without warning!
Buzz—
The entire ground trembled violently!
Cracks spiderwebbed outward from the point of impact!
Then—
BOOM!!
The whole area collapsed into a crater!
"Ugh…!"
Katerea groaned and tried to rise.
Smack!
Lynn's foot pressed her head back down.
Still holding Natsuki in his arms, he said indifferently, "I don't really enjoy looking up when talking."
Natsuki was dazed.
Too fast.
Way too fast.
Even from his arms, she hadn't seen what just happened.
Lynn was… unbelievably strong!
Katerea's cheeks were ground into the dirt, humiliation rising like fire.
She was a descendant of Leviathan!
When had she ever been stepped on like this?!
"You bastard!!"
She clawed at the dirt as a magic circle spread beneath her.
Fwoosh!
A towering pillar of water blasted upward!
It looked as though all of Shuchiin would be launched into the sky!
"Be careful!" Natsuki warned.
Lynn remained calm.
A pitch-black magic circle appeared beneath his feet.
BOOM!!
The water column struck the dark formation with a deafening roar!
But the circle didn't budge, absorbing the impact like an immovable wall.
Katerea's eyes trembled.
Who… was this guy?!
There was no way he was an ordinary Maou!
That damn Shalba had lied to her!
Damn it!!
A manic glint entered her eyes.
She knew.
In her current state, she wasn't his match.
If she wanted to turn the tables…
There was only one choice left.
"…Ophis' snake!!"
(To be continued.)
***
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