— — — — — — —
Rias stared in shock. "F-Five?!"
Hadn't it been less than a month since she gave Lynn his Evil Pieces?
How was this even possible?
Did he just recruit anyone he came across?
Rias frowned slightly at the thought but quickly composed herself.
After all, it wasn't really her place to say anything about someone else's peerage.
Besides, with someone like Utaha in Lynn's group, it was clear that his peerage wasn't weak.
Of course, what she didn't know was that while Mahiru was indeed the fifth, Lynn's peerage was far larger than just five members.
In fact, he had just added two more to his ranks but was busy making them adapt to the shape of his peerage.
---
Kuoh Academy – Occult Research Club
"Lynn-san, here's your tea."
As usual, Himejima Akeno served Lynn a cup of tea.
Of course, she also handed one to Shiina Mahiru.
"Thank you," Mahiru said politely, accepting the cup.
"Akeno, it's been a while," Lynn said casually.
"Ara, I'm surprised you even remember me, Lynn-san." Akeno smiled playfully, holding the tray with both hands. "I thought you were too busy playing with the cat to remember that the President and I even exist."
Lynn's frequent gaming sessions with Koneko had not gone unnoticed by Rias and Akeno.
At one point, Rias had even feared that Koneko was about to be stolen from her.
Thankfully, Lynn at least had the decency not to poach her directly.
Hearing Akeno's remark, Rias sighed and shot Lynn a slightly resentful glance.
Lynn, however, remained completely unfazed as he took a sip of tea.
"What's wrong with enjoying some cat therapy?" he asked calmly.
Rias responded with a deadpan look. "The problem is, you're petting someone else's cat."
"President, Senpai, I'm right here."
Koneko spoke up, expressionless as ever. "Can you at least consider my feelings?"
Rias gave an awkward chuckle before quickly changing the subject. "So, Lynn, what exactly do you need stray devils for?"
Lynn smirked mysteriously. "You'll see soon enough."
After all, Rias and the others would be coming along too.
It was her territory, so it was only natural that she'd want to supervise.
— — —
Kuoh Town – Abandoned Church
Rias, Akeno, Lynn, and Mahiru arrived via teleportation.
"There's a newly arrived stray devil inside," Rias explained. "It's already at the level of a mid-tier devil."
This was the weakest stray alive one she could find within Kuoh Town.
She pushed open the church's creaky wooden doors.
Creeeak…
The eerie sound echoed through the empty hall, disturbing a few birds perched inside.
"Heh heh heh…"
A sinister chuckle rang out.
"More foolish little things, wandering in just to die?"
The stray devil turned around, revealing its grotesque form.
Its entire body was pitch black, and instead of normal wings, it had massive, claw-like appendages that resembled giant hands.
Its bloodshot eyes glowed menacingly, and drool dripped from its jagged mouth, sizzling as it corroded the floor beneath.
Zzzzt!
The acidic saliva burned through the wood, filling the air with a foul stench.
However, Lynn and the others barely reacted.
After all, this was just a mid-tier devil trying to act intimidating.
That being said, this was Mahiru's first encounter with a stray devil, and she was a little scared.
The Apocalypse world had been terrifying, sure—but those creatures had no real intelligence.
This was different.
She instinctively moved closer to Lynn, gripping his sleeve tightly.
Meanwhile, the stray devil, seeing that its scare tactics had failed, awkwardly froze in place.
Then, it sniffed the air—And its expression immediately changed.
"Devils?!"
It suddenly realized that it had been hunted all the way from the Underworld.
"Damn it! I ran all the way here, and you still won't let me go?!"
It roared in frustration, but its feet unconsciously stepped back.
Clearly, life on the run hadn't been easy for it.
"Ara, looks like there's been a little misunderstanding~," Akeno chuckled lightly.
Lynn ignored the stray and turned to Mahiru. "Mahiru."
"Y-Yes!"
Hearing her name, Mahiru instinctively straightened up.
Then, she realized what Lynn wanted her to do.
You got this, Mahiru!
Don't let Lynn-san down!
She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and stepped forward.
Rias raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about this?"
"Mahiru's power level is only that of a low-tier devil."
"Hmm…" Lynn thought for a moment before snapping his fingers.
Snap!
Suddenly, chains of magic erupted from the ground, instantly binding the stray devil.
"What the hell is this?!"
The stray devil thrashed wildly, but the chains didn't budge—in fact, they tightened even more.
Rias and Akeno's expressions changed.
Akeno, who was usually all smiles, opened her eyes slightly and exchanged a serious glance with Rias.
That spell had revealed a lot about Lynn's abilities.
Not only did it require precise magical control, but the sheer quality of his magic was on another level.
If they tried something similar, it wouldn't be nearly as effortless.
Just how strong was Lynn?
Rias put those thoughts aside for now and focused on Mahiru.
She wanted to see what Lynn was planning.
With the stray devil immobilized, Mahiru relaxed slightly.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, she pulled out…
A gun?
Rias: "???"
Before anyone could question it—
Mahiru raised the gun, and a brilliant white light gathered at the muzzle.
BANG!
"AAAAAARGH!!!"
The stray devil shrieked in agony as the light-infused bullet struck its body.
It convulsed violently, its grotesque face contorting in pain as dark veins bulged beneath its skin.
The bullet hadn't pierced through—but that wasn't the point.
Thanks to its mid-tier devil toughness, ordinary weapons wouldn't have done much damage.
But lightwas different.
The divine energy spread through its body like poison, devouring its flesh from the inside out.
Chunks of its outer skin dissolved in seconds, exposing raw muscle, veins, and even bone.
If it weren't for Lynn's restraints, it might have been able to put up some resistance.
But now…
"Mid-tier devils sure are tough."
Lynn nodded in approval.
"Mahiru, go all out and use it."
Mahiru: "..."
Stray Devil: "@#%&$!!"
.
.
.
PS: Don't forget to drop your stones