— — — — — — —
As Stella hung in the starry sky, Lynn stood there for a moment, observing in silence before exiting the "Devil's Piece" space.
He had an odd feeling.
It was as if this space was nurturing an entire universe.
Shaking his head, he decided to set that thought aside for now. The completion of the starry space within the "Devil's Piece" was still light-years away. It was too distant a goal to focus on at the moment.
One step at a time.
Closing his personal interface, Lynn walked toward Utaha and the others. His gaze, however, shifted to a distant spot.
"I see you~!"
Far away, a blonde-haired loli hiding within the ruins stiffened.
"Ah... I've been discovered..."
Her voice was monotone, almost like a mechanical recitation.
The others followed Lynn's gaze toward the source of the sound.
"A little bug snuck in?" Saeko's voice was calm.
None of them were particularly surprised by the situation. It was natural for someone to come investigate Tokyo's sudden downfall.
But since she was here, leaving wasn't an option anymore~
Tina Sprout's body stiffened.
She hesitantly stepped out of the ruins, making it clear she had no hostile intentions.
"Based on the current intelligence analysis, Tina is completely outmatched. Therefore..."
Tina slowly raised both hands, assuming the posture of a prisoner surrendering herself.
"Tina wants to be captured."
Lynn: "..."
Saeko's lips twitched slightly, and she seemed momentarily speechless.
But... well, at least she knew how to adapt.
Tina had seen everything from a distance—the way Stage V Gastrea had been obliterated in an instant.
She had no choice but to surrender.
And Lynn had, unintentionally, acquired yet another loli.
He sighed, shaking his head subtly before gesturing with his hand.
"Alright, let's go back. Time to update your blessings."
— — —
[Busujima Saeko]
→Rank: Mid-Class Devil
→Race: Devil
→Master: Lynn Valifer
→Stats:
•Strength: SSS 1378
•Agility: SS 1096
•Endurance: SS 1035
•Magic: SS 1028
→Unique Abilities: [Bloodlust] (Details omitted) & [Blade Devil] (Details omitted)
→Development Ability: Swordmaster I
---
Lynn took one look at Saeko's status and nodded to himself.
"Alright, this should be the limit."
He couldn't help but marvel at how fast she had grown.
Saeko let out a soft breath before smiling slightly. "Then I leave it to you, Master."
Lynn pressed a finger against her back.
Level Up!
"Nngh..."
A suppressed moan escaped her lips, causing Mahiru and the others to blush furiously.
Saeko... why did she sound so... seductive?!
She had to be doing it on purpose!
Moments later, her blessing was updated.
---
[Busujima Saeko]
→Rank: High-Class Devil
→Race: Devil
→Master: Lynn Valifer
→Stats:
•Strength: I0
•Agility: I0
•Endurance: I0
•Magic: I0
→Unique Abilities: [Bloodlust] (Details omitted), [Blade Devil] (Details omitted) &[Black Erosion Blade]
—[Black Erosion Blade]—
•Bacterial Resonance: Absorbs trace amounts of Gastrea virus upon weapon attacks, converting it into stamina recovery.
•Blood Massacre Awakening: Consecutive kills cause the weapon to be gradually covered in black erosion patterns, eventually increasing attack range by 200%.
---
Lynn raised an eyebrow.
Seeing abilities related to the Gastrea virus appear, he immediately understood.
It was because Saeko had slain so many Gastrea.
Lynn recorded her updated blessing.
Saeko's eyes were drawn to one line the moment she saw it.
High-Class Devil.
Then, her gaze shifted lower.
[Black Erosion Blade]
A smile spread across her lips.
"This must be because of the Gastrea creatures..."
Lynn briefly explained his theory.
But honestly, anyone who saw "Gastrea Virus" mentioned in the skill's description could make the connection.
After hearing Lynn's explanation, Saeko nodded in understanding.
"However..."
Lynn stroked his chin thoughtfully. "This skill is useful in the Black Bullet world."
After all, it included a stamina regeneration effect.
But it was only effective against Gastrea.
If Saeko left this world, the skill would essentially become half-useless.
Saeko simply smiled. "Better than nothing."
Then she added, her eyes glimmering with a bloodthirsty light, "Besides..."
"Now I can kill even better in this world... and grind more experience."
Seeing Saeko awaken a new skill, Miko suddenly had a thought.
"Wait... doesn't this mean we all have the potential to awaken new abilities?"
A surge of excitement bubbled in her chest.
Her Spirit Devil ability was practically useless!
Sure, it worked wonders against spiritual beings, but when it came to fighting normal monsters?
She was practically helpless!
She had even considered studying magic techniques to compensate.
Unless she could gather powerful cursed spirits...
But...She had yet to encounter anything strong enough.
And even if she did, she probably wouldn't be able to enslave it.
How frustrating!
But if she could awaken a new skill...Maybe things would finally change?
Miko's heart pounded in anticipation.
"A new skill?!"
Hearing Miko's speculation, the others also got excited.
But their excitement was short-lived after Lynn updated their blessing.
---
"Tch."
Utaha clicked her tongue in disappointment. "So it's only Saeko, huh..."
Miko's face fell, her hopes completely crushed.
Lynn patted her back, offering her an alternative.
"If you can't enslave strong spirits, why not befriend them and form contracts instead?"
"Contracts?"
Miko's expression gradually brightened.
Wait... befriending spirits?
Her face instantly stiffened again.
She still hadn't forgotten the times spirits scared her so badly she nearly wet herself.
Spirits... all of them deserved to die!
Recalling her past humiliations, Miko felt her whole body heat up in frustration.
She was burning up!
Meanwhile, Lynn continued updating the blessings for the others.
Utaha and the others, who were already mid-tier Devils, had significant increases in their stats, but they hadn't yet reached the limit for a rank-up.
Lower-tier Devils like Yuuko and Hana, however, successfully ranked up to mid-tier Devils.
Aside from the rank-up, there weren't many other changes.
Possibly due to her frequent use of her fists in combat, Hana developed the [Pugilist I] ability.
As for Yuuko, she gained:
[Netherworld Resistance I] (Grants immunity to spirit-related mental attacks; Increases all stats by 20% in dark environments or areas filled with negative energy.)
"That's a pretty solid ability," Lynn commented.
Yuuko grinned and immediately pounced on him, rubbing her soft chest against his head.
"Master, master~ When will you finally experience the taste of a ghost?"
Her sly eyes gleamed mischievously as she whispered teasingly.
Lynn twitched slightly at her words.
If he ignored an invitation like that, he really wouldn't be worthy of being the protagonist.
He patted her lightly. "Come to my room tonight."
Yuuko's eyes lit up instantly!
The sixty-year-old ghost virgin was finally going to give away her precious first time!
"Then you better not forget, Master~"
Leaving behind those words, Yuuko practically floated away in joy.
Well… she was a ghost, after all.
Utaha, watching this unfold, just smirked without saying anything.
Shiina Mahiru opened her mouth slightly, then pressed her lips together, feeling a bit gloomy.
She had seen this coming for a long time.
Yuuko was way too forward with Lynn!
Always teasing and flirting with him at every opportunity.
This was bound to happen sooner or later.
Still… she had met him before Yuuko did!
The most frustrated one, though, had to be Miko.
"Hey, Miko, weren't you the first to become part of the Familia?" Hana asked curiously. "Have you ever… y'know… climbed into his bed?"
"C-Climbed into his bed?!"
Miko's face turned bright red as she stared at Hana in shock.
That was way too harsh!
Hana ...Are you secretly evil inside?
Seeing Miko's reaction, Hana gave her an "Ah, I see…" kind of look.
Miko's expression darkened.
Don't you dare "understand" me like that!
I'm sorry for not having climbed into his bed yet, okay?!
As she fumed internally, Hana suddenly spoke up with a serious expression.
"Don't worry, Miko. I'll help you!"
"W-What?"
Miko stammered, completely caught off guard.
H-Help her?
H-How exactly…?
Miko felt both embarrassed and a little curious.
Definitely notbecause she wanted to know the details!
Hana, looking determined, patted Miko's shoulder like a true big sister.
"Don't worry, Miko! OnceIget into the president's bed, I'll help you too!"
"...Huh?"
Miko's eyes widened in shock.
So that's what you meant?!
I can't believe you, Hana!
You said you'd help, but you're just trying to get in first!
This friendship is OVER!
Miko glared at Hana with betrayal in her heart.
Hana, you traitor!
Meanwhile, it was finally Tendo Kisara's turn to receive her blessing update.
She looked somewhat expectant as she quickly removed her top, baring her smooth back in preparation for Lynn's touch.
A moment later…
Lynn placed his hand on her back.
Her blessing information surfaced.
---
[Tendo Kisara]
→Rank:Mid-Class Devil
→Race: Devil
→Master: Lynn Valifer
→Stats:
•Strength: C613
•Agility: C687
•Endurance: E437
•Magic: E497
→Unique Skills: [Tendo Sword Style], [Asura state], [Vengeful Devil], & [Lament of the Fallen]
---
Lynn scanned the details.
Her level hadn't increased, but…
"Your stats have risen significantly."
Due to [Tendo Sword Style], Kisara's strength and agility had grown rapidly.
Not to mention all the battles she'd been fighting lately.
And just like Saeko…
"You've also awakened a new skill."
.
.
.