— — — — — — —
"Lightning strike!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha flipped open the Devil's Grimoire, and a bolt of brilliant blue lightning cascaded down from the sky, slamming into the Scorpio's black shell with a deafening crack!
Crackle!Sizzle!
Under the immense heat, the black shell instantly turned red-hot—then was pierced straight through!
A surge of deep purple blood spurted out, painting the sky with its color.
But in the blink of an eye, the exposed flesh regenerated at an alarming speed, sealing itself back up with another layer of that impenetrable black armor.
Utaha's face stiffened. Frustration crept into her voice. "That did... absolutely nothing."
"Creatures at this level... Even varanium weapons wouldn't be enough to suppress its regeneration."
Saeko pulled her bloodied katana from the Scorpio's shell, but within seconds, the wound she had inflicted was gone, as if she had never struck it at all.
Faced with such an opponent, even someone like Saeko had to admit—there weren't many viable options.
Thankfully, they weren't here to take it down alone.
Lynn was the main force in this fight.
Having recently advanced to mid-tier Devils, Saeko and the others unleashed their skills on the Scorpio in rapid succession, pouring everything they had into the battle.
Finally, they were all exhausted.
"Huff... Huff..."
Gasping for breath, the girls collapsed into the arms of Kanoe Yuuko and the others, who quickly helped them recover.
Utaha, still panting, forced a smile. "With how much effort we put in against that big thing, we better get a decent amount of experience, right?"
Tendo Kisara suddenly mused aloud, "What if we actually rank up to high-tier Devils after this?"
Utaha shot her a look. "We just became mid-tier Devils a few days ago, and you're already aiming for high-tier?"
Saeko thought for a moment before shaking her head. "We aren't the main attackers in this fight. Let's not get our hopes too high."
"That said..."
Her lips curled into a subtle smile as she recalled the thrill of slaughtering numerous Stage IV Gastrea. Almost instinctively, she licked her lips.
"We did take down quite a few high-level Gastrea. We should see some improvement."
Hearing that, Utaha let out a sigh. "Saeko, if anyone's ranking up today, it's definitely you. You were already close to advancing before the fight."
It hadn't been that long since their last battle, but Saeko had been steadily growing stronger with every kill.
Utaha bit her lip, a hint of frustration in her eyes.
Saeko only chuckled in response. She had no complaints. Her ambition was clear— She wanted to become the familia's sharpest blade.
There was no room for hesitation. No time to slow down.
Whenever she had free time, unless Lynn had other orders, she was always training, always fighting, always killing.
It wasn't boring to her.
On the contrary, it was a kind of joy.
After all—[Bloodlust]wasn't just the name of her ability. It was a part of who she was.
"Hmph!" Kisara crossed her arms and declared, "I'll be the sharpest blade!"
Saeko: "...?"
She glanced at Kisara with a confused expression.
What's with this girl stealing my line?
Still, she only smiled softly.
Words were just words.
Saeko knew the true test would come when they clashed in battle.
At that moment, as Lynn stood alone before the massive Scorpio, something unexpected happened—the colossal creature suddenly stopped moving.
"Whoa... So cool…" Utaha murmured, completely entranced by the sight. "As expected of Lynn!"
There was something about his lone figure standing against a mountain-sized monster that was simply breathtaking.
A single man against a titan.
They stared each other down, locked in a silent battle of wills.
"Wait... Did it just back down?" Utaha's eyes widened.
Why?
The Scorpio had been fiercely attacking them just moments ago. What changed?
Lynn was also puzzled.
Though its cry earlier had sounded like one of distress, perhaps even intelligence, there was no room for mercy.
Lynn stared at the hideous, twisted behemoth before him and sighed.
A massive, slow-moving target like this was nothing more than the perfect training dummy for him.
Even against Saeko and the others, the Scorpio had struggled to land a single hit due to its lack of mobility.
Aside from its terrifying regeneration and destructive capabilities, it was utterly useless.
There was no need to prolong the fight.
Lynn spread his arms wide—
Buzz!
Above the Scorpio, an enormous black magic circle materialized, stretching across the sky and enveloping the entire monster within its range.
"Eeeyaaaahhh—!"
Sensing an imminent threat, the Scorpio let out a screech and unleashed a concentrated beam of violet energy from its mouth.
Boom!
But the moment the beam neared Lynn, it struck an invisible wall—A magical barrier.
A simple yet powerful defensive technique.
With his current strength, Lynn's barrier wasn't something the Scorpio could even scratch.
Rumble...!
Above, the magic circle crackled with raw energy, sending tremors through the sky.
Then—A wave of black lightning crashed downward.
The sheer force of the attack turned the very sky dark, swallowing the battlefield in a fierce explosion of energy.
It was enough power to obliterate all of Tokyo in an instant.
The resulting shockwave sent violent gusts rippling outward, shaking the earth beneath them.
Utaha and the others could only stare in awe, their mouths slightly agape at the sheer magnitude of the destruction before them.
It was the first time they had seen Lynn unleash an attack of such overwhelming scale.
Saeko tightened her grip on her sword.
"Lynn-sama… is truly powerful..." Shiina Mahiru's eyes were blank, her gaze fixed solely on Lynn's figure.
Yuuko clung tightly to Saeko's shoulder, fearing that the monstrous winds would blow her away.
Even ghosts had weight, but that didn't mean they couldn't be swept up in this chaos!
"So cool!!"
Hana's eyes sparkled like a pair of bright bulbs.
She vigorously shook Miko's shoulders, her excitement overflowing. "Miko! Miko! Do you think we'll be able to fight like Lynn-sama one day?!"
Miko, still rattled by the spectacle, was forced out of her shock. "Umm… maybe?"
After all, they had the Blessing System.
"Yay!"
With the answer she wanted, Hana jumped up in excitement.
She wanted to be just as cool as Lynn-sama!
With her antics breaking the tension, the girls finally snapped out of their daze.
Their gazes turned to Lynn's back, filled with admiration.
This was their Master! This was their Lynn-sama!!
"Haa…"
After a while, the roaring black lightning finally subsided.
Lynn exhaled slightly, relieved.
Casting such a large-scale lightning spell had consumed a considerable amount of magic.
But…The result was more than satisfactory.
Lynn surveyed the now-empty space before him.
Scorpio was gone. Completely erased.
Standing in place, Lynn opened his personal interface to check the changes in the [Gastrea Genome Codex].
---
[Gastrea Genome Codex (Factor Genome)]
→Status: In Development (1/12)
→Gene Archive (Recorded: Mole Factor, Hedgehog Factor,...)
→Gene Fusion (Dual-Factor Fusion Available)
→Factor Assimilation (Can parasitize other living beings and implant a 'Gastrea Seed,' turning them into puppets under the host's control)
→Twelve Zodiac: Scorpio
---
Lynn's eyes narrowed.
Twelve Zodiac, Scorpio?
What the hell? Did he just collect a Stage V Gastrea as a genetic factor?!
Curious, Lynn focused his mind and entered the "Devil's Piece" space.
Suddenly, the moment he arrived, a surprised yelp echoed through the void.
"Master! That hurts!"
Lynn: "?"
He blinked in confusion.
And then, from the starry sky, a small and delicate figure emerged.
As the image became clearer, Lynn finally saw her face.
Her long, dark violet hair had wine-red highlights, styled into uneven twin spiral curls. A gothic hair accessory sat on one side, its edges resembling tiny thorns.
Her eyes shimmered like amber, deep within them a faint, scorpion-tail-shaped pattern.
Lynn blinked. "You're… Scorpio?"
"Yep! Master!" she chirped sweetly, looking up at him with bright, innocent eyes.
Lynn: "..."
Seriously?
Was he some kind of loli magnet now?!
Why did every strange thing end up as a loli in his presence?!
"And you are…?"
"Stella O'Brien."
"Just call me Stella, Master."
Lynn rubbed his temples. "So… what exactly is happening here?"
Stella tilted her head cutely, tapping a finger against her lips. "Hmm… well, Master, you and I have already formed a contract!"
"A contract?"
Lynn frowned.
After listening to her explanation, he sighed and gave her a look of exasperation.
Basically, she was now something akin to a Familia member under his command.
"Alright, so what can you do?"
Stella thought for a moment, then beamed. "Right now, I can summon a phantom projection of Scorpio!"
Lynn: "…That doesn't sound very useful."
Stella pouted. "It'll be different once all the twelve Zodiac arrive!"
Lynn narrowed his eyes. "Wait… are you saying you want me to collect the rest of the Zodiacs?!"
Stella blinked innocently. "Master doesn't want to?"
Lynn hesitated.
…Damn it. He kinda did.
It wasn't his fault! The collection list in his skill panel was practically taunting him!
A grand Twelve Zodiac title, and only one acquired?
The sheer imbalance made his skin itch—it was a nightmare for his completionist tendencies! Tsk. As a gamer, he couldn't stand seeing an unfinished panel; everything had to be maxed out.
Stella giggled sweetly, then added, "Oh, and Master, I have another function too~!"
As Lynn raised an eyebrow, Stella transformed into a radiant light and floated high into the starry sky.
Lynn froze.
Then, rubbing his chin, he muttered with an odd expression, "So now… this starry sky has Scorpio?"
He turned to look at the vast, empty space surrounding it.
The Twelve Zodiac! Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
So yeah.
It did feel a little empty…
.
.
.