— — — — — — — —
[Isayama Yomi]
→Rank:Mid-Class Devil
→Race: Devil
→Master: Lynn Valifer
→Stats:
•Strength: I0
•Agility: I0
•Endurance: I0
•Magic: I0
→Unique Skills: [Spirit Sense: Parade of a Hundred Demons], [Sword Heart: Sightless Reverse Flow], [Karmic Devil]
—[Spirit Sense: Parade of a Hundred Demons]—
•Can perceive spirits and malicious presences within range.
•Marks the target's weak points.
•Deals double damage against spirit-type enemies.
—[Sword Heart: Sightless Reverse Flow]—
•Sacrifices vision (fighting with closed eyes) to greatly enhance hearing and spiritual awareness, entering the "Mind's Eye" state.
•In this state, physical attacks gain spiritual penetration and allow the user to predict enemy movements.
—[Karmic Devil]—
•Wields the power of Karmic Flames.
•All attacks inflict "Karmic Burden", gradually accumulating with each strike.
•Whenever the target kills, betrays, or deceives, their sins manifest as black flames that ignite from within.
•The intensity of the flames corresponds to the weight of their sins.
•Devilish Transformation: Hellfire Incarnation.
— — —
Karmic Flames?
Lynn raised a finger, and with a soft whoosh, black flames flickered to life.
"Flames of Sin..."
He carefully examined the nature of the fire.
It adjusted its intensity based on the karma of the target.
In other words, the greater the burden of sin, the stronger the fire.
"Now this... is interesting."
After copying the details of Yomi's blessing, Lynn handed it to her.
"Karmic Devil..."
Yomi dressed herself while reading over the information.
"This... actually fits my abilities perfectly."
She drew her treasured blade, Shishio, and with a mere thought, black flames coiled around its edge.
Yomi examined them carefully. "They don't feel hot?"
A realization dawned on her.
The fuel for these flames wasn't heat—it was karma.
The greater the sin, the fiercer the fire would burn.
After experimenting with her new power for a while, Yomi lowered her gaze and respectfully addressed Lynn.
"Lynn-sama, what are your orders?"
Now that she had become his subordinate, her respect for him had deepened.
The benefits of becoming a devil, combined with the blessing system, were an incredible opportunity.
But... would she be required to sleep with him?
Though her face remained calm, a trace of unease stirred in her heart.
Lynn studied her for a moment, considering what to do next.
Then, he remembered Hagoromo Gitsune.
His fingers absentmindedly stroked the soft, silky fox tail in his grasp, which twitched slightly in response.
A strange expression crossed his face.
"Wait... is this thing still connected to Hagoromo Gitsune?"
He recalled the shadowy figure he had seen before.
The resemblance was unmistakable.
"That was... Otome Yamabuki, wasn't it? So she was revived just like in the plot? Ah! How messy this world will become!"
After thinking it over, he decided to keep Yomi stationed in Kyoto for the time being.
"You'll remain in Kyoto for now."
This arrangement had several advantages:
She could gather intel on Kyoto's supernatural activities.
His Familia's influence would expand into Kyoto.
Most importantly...
Lynn narrowed his eyes, gazing at the fox tail in his hand.
"Wait patiently for me to come get you?"
Yeah, no way. He wasn't just going to sit around and wait for Hagoromo Gitsune to come knocking.
"Understood!"
Yomi answered without hesitation.
With complicated emotions, she left Lynn's apartment.
Before she departed, Lynn handed her a Teleportation Magic Manual.
As a genius from an exorcist family, Yomi had excellent learning capabilities.
"With this, she'd be able to visit Lynn's club anytime, travel between worlds more easily, and gain experience."
"Could she even continue working for that Countermeasures Bureau now that she's a devil?"
Lynn doubted that she could hide her transformation for long.
While human powerhouses in this world were rare, they weren't to be underestimated.
Surely, the Bureau had ways to differentiate between humans and devils, right?
Pondering this, he decided to ask Minamiya Natsuki—and maybe negotiate for a little compensation while he was at it.
---
Natsuki's Side
Receiving Lynn's message about his compensation, Natsuki's expression darkened.
"This damn greedy devil..."
Then, she received another message asking about Yomi's future position.
[Natsuki: "Wait. Yomi is your servant?"]
[Lynn: "Yep! She is now."]
[Lynn: "But she wasn't when you first contacted me, was she?"]
[Lynn: "Two different cases. So my compensation isn't changing."]
[Natsuki: "..."]
Reading his response, Natsuki was at a loss for words.
This devil had no shame.
But arguing with him was pointless.
Whatever.
If he wanted something, she'd just give it to him.
It wasn't her problem to deal with anyway.
[Natsuki: "What do you want?"]
Lynn stroked his chin, thinking about Yurikawa Hana.
So far, Hana's combat style was far too basic—just wrapping herself in Flames and punching things.
What a waste of her potential.
Lynn quickly made up his mind.
Each of his special devils was worth nurturing.
Not only did they provide far more feedback than regular devils, but their growth potential was monstrous.
Ordinary devils had weak abilities, low potential, and even their feedback was negligible compared to the special ones.
So naturally, Lynn prioritized them more.
"A teacher to train my subordinate in close-combat Flame techniques?"
Natsuki read his message and instantly thought of someone.
Perfect.
It was time to give thatperson some extra work.
She agreed without hesitation.
As for whether Yomi could still work at the Bureau?
She didn't even have to think about it before responding— "Don't worry, they're not going to give up on such a useful enforcer."
She understood the situation of humanity far better than Lynn did.
Becoming a devil's subordinate? That wasn't a dealbreaker.
Even if someone were the host of a high-grade cursed spirit, the Bureau would still take them in without hesitation.
Humanity was simply too short on talent.
[Natsuki: "Of course, some highly sensitive intelligence related to humans will be off-limits to her."]
Lynn didn't mind at all.
As long as she could provide intel about potential Familia recruits, that was enough.
As for human affairs?
A devil like him had no real interest in those.
In fact—most non-human races didn't care about humanity at all.
Only Sacred Gear users managed to attract their attention.
That was the sad reality of this world.
Humans were not the protagonists here.
---
Meanwhile—
Just as Yukinoshita Yukino returned home, the doorbell rang.
Outside stood her sister, Yukinoshita Haruno, wearing her usual bright smile.
"Yukino, how about a little chat?"
She blinked at her sister's sudden visit, but after a brief silence, she stepped aside to let her in.
In the living room, Haruno took a sip of water before speaking with a teasing grin: "Yukino, you've been acting strange lately."
She leaned in a little closer, deliberately making her voice playful.
"Don't tell me you actually used my money to hire a boy toy?"
Yukino's expression remained indifferent.
"No need to play dumb. You already know where the money went."
From the moment she asked her sister for funds, she was certain Haruno would investigate.
Honestly, she was more surprised that it had taken this long for her to bring it up.
Haruno, however, was frustrated.
She had gone to the Supernatural Research Club multiple times, only to hit a dead end each time.
The club president was impossible to track down.
Just thinking about it made her grind her teeth in frustration.
But more than that…It left her feeling helpless.
Haruno had always been successful in human society.
But when it came to the supernatural— She was completely powerless.
Without understanding the club's true background, she couldn't make any reckless moves.
One mistake could drag their entire family—and Yukino—into something dangerous.
And yet… Yukino already seemed caught up in it.
Haruno sighed internally but kept her composure, not letting any emotions show.
Tapping her fingers against her forehead, she feigned an exasperated tone:
"You're still as unlovable as ever, Yukino."
Yukino's calm gaze didn't waver. "If you have something to say, just say it."
Haruno paused.
Then, her usual playful expression faded, replaced by something serious.
She decided to be direct.
"Yukino… You've gotten yourself involved in the supernatural, haven't you?"
Her tone left no room for doubt.
Her eyes locked onto Yukino's, refusing to look away.
Yukino flinched slightly but quickly composed herself.
So that's why she took so long to ask… She must've dug deeper than I expected.
Hearing her sister's question, Yukino hesitated.
She wasn't sure how much Haruno had uncovered.
But at this point, there was no hiding it anymore.
She sighed. "Yeah."
Haruno froze for a moment.
Then, she exhaled slowly, her expression complicated. "So it's true…"
To be honest, while she trusted Shizuka Hiratsuka's words, she still had lingering doubts about the supernatural.
But hearing it directly from Yukino?
Now, there was no room for doubt.
It was real.
Her sister would never lie about something like this.
Taking a deep breath, Haruno made up her mind.
If Yukino was involved, then she wouldn't sit back and watch.
Haruno stared at her sister, her expression serious and determined.
"Yukino, I'll help you."
She didn't know what Yukino was going through—
But she could tell her sister needed help.
And as her big sister, it was her responsibility to step up.
Yukino was momentarily stunned.
But—
This was her problem.
She couldn't drag anyone else into it.
Her voice was firm.
"It's fine, Haruno. I already have a way to handle it."
Haruno's eyes widened slightly.
She had a solution?
She fell into deep thought before finally speaking.
"The Supernatural Research Club?"
Yukino pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
Haruno gave a knowing nod.
It made sense.
For both of them, the only real connection to the supernatural was the Supernatural Research Club at Shuchiin Academy.
"You're planning to ask them to fix whatever's happening to you?"
Haruno's expression grew more certain.
"That five million yen—was it for them to solve something?"
"So they take requests for supernatural problems?"
She was piecing it together.
Yukino remained silent.
Haruno sighed.
Then, she finally asked the most important question. "So… what exactly happened to you?"
She knew Yukino was involved in a supernatural event.
But she still had no idea what it was.
At her sister's question—
Yukino's body stiffened slightly.
She wanted to cry.
Don't ask, Haruno…
What was she supposed to say?
That she could see them?
She tried her best to maintain a calm facade.
Because out of the corner of her eye—
Through the window—
A cursed spirit with a twisted, gaping mouth was staring right at her.
Cold sweat ran down her back.
.
.
.