— — — — — — —
Lynn stared at the level display on his status screen and sighed in satisfaction. "Finally... I've reached the rank of Maou!"
He clenched his fist, feeling the explosive power coursing through his body. When he was just an Ultimate-Class Devil, he couldn't fully control his aura. But now? Now he could suppress or unleash it at will.
His mastery over magic had also improved significantly. Just a flick of his finger, and he felt like he could easily wipe out an entire city block. Of course, he still needed to test the full extent of his power, but it was undeniable—he had become much, much stronger.
Next, he checked his abilities.
[Devil's Piece] hadn't changed much, which led him to believe that its growth was tied to the quantity and quality of his familia members who had become special Devils.
However, [Devil's Contract] had undergone an unexpected transformation.
Curious, Lynn tapped on it for a closer look.
[Devil's Contract]
→Worlds Invaded:
•Highschool of the Dead (86.29%)
•Black Bullet (56.73%)
→Invasion Methods:
•Contract Summoning
•Forced Invasion
---
Lynn raised an eyebrow. His familia had already conquered these worlds, and now they were displayed within this skill interface. But what did those percentages mean?
Was it world exploration progress? Or the degree of control he had over them?
He wasn't entirely sure, but one thing was clear: as long as he pushed them to 100%, the problem would be solved.
Whether it was Highschool of the Deador Black Bullet, both had effectively become his familia's playgrounds. It was only a matter of time before he reached full control.
Then his eyes moved down to another section.
[Contract Summoning]—this was the method he had used before to travel between worlds, relying on contracts with individuals to gain access.
But now, there was a new option: [Forced Invasion].
Lynn muttered the words and chuckled. "Now this is what a real Devil's invasion should look like."
Forced Invasion was an exciting option. He was looking forward to seeing which world he could invade next.
"Devil's Contract, find me a new world quickly! I can't wait!"
---
Then just as he finished sorting through his gains, Tendo Kisara arrived.
She approached, carrying a stack of boxes. "Lynn-sama, here are Legacy of the Seven Stars' Relics you requested."
During his conquest of the Black Bullet world, Lynn hadn't forgotten about the Twelve Zodiac Stage V Gastrea. However, it wasn't like he could search the entire world looking for them.
That's where the Legacy of the Seven Stars' Relics came in.
Lynn scanned the boxes—there were a total of twelve.
Even though he had already acquired Scorpio, he had Kisara bring it along anyway.
Just then, a faint illusionary figure appeared on his shoulder—Stella. She was practically clinging to him, her eyes locked onto the relics with anticipation.
"Master!" she called out sweetly, her gaze filled with longing.
Lynn raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying there's a fragment of your soul in these?"
Honestly, he was quite curious about the relics himself.
Click!
He opened one of the boxes, revealing a metallic container engraved with complex symbols. There was nothing particularly special about it—except it was emanating Stella's energy.
Thanks to his [Spirit Devil] ability, he could sense it immediately.
"Mhm!" Stella nodded eagerly, practically vibrating with excitement, but she restrained herself from grabbing it outright.
Now it made sense why the Zodiac Gastrea were so obsessed with reclaiming these relics—without them, they were incomplete.
Lynn thought for a moment, then handed the Scorpio relic over to Stella.
"Yay! Master, you're the best!" she squealed, rubbing her face against him before grabbing the relic excitedly.
As he watched her, something else crossed his mind. "Wait… I remember the Twelve Zodiac aren't all alive anymore, right?"
Stella's movements froze, and a deep sadness, mixed with hatred, filled her eyes.
She spoke softly, "Yes... Taurus and Virgo were killed by humans."
Lynn nodded in understanding. He had never asked Scorpio about her past—if she hadn't mentioned it, it probably wasn't a pleasant memory.
Still, the Twelve Zodiac were valuable to him.
Sensing his thoughts, Stella reassured him, "Don't worry, Master. As long as we have all the Legacy of the Seven Stars' Relics, we can restore them!"
"Oh? What do you mean?" Lynn asked, intrigued.
Stella smiled. "It's all thanks to the special space you created."
She went on to explain that each relic contained a fragment of their souls. If placed within the [Devil's Piece] Space, they could be reborn as their respective Zodiac signs.
"I see..."
Lynn smirked. That was a relief.
"Alright, no need to waste time then. Let's begin."
"Operation: Zodiac Recovery, Start!"
Originally, he had planned to use the relics to help Saeko and the others level up, but now that he knew the Zodiac were going to be his familia and strengthen his abilities, there was no need for them to go through such suffering again.
After all, when he had forcefully placed Scorpio inside, she had complained non-stop for days.
So without hesitation, Lynn activated the ritual.
The next moment, the world trembled.
Eight massive Stage V Gastrea creatures began moving toward Tokyo in unison.
Fortunately, Lynn had already instructed Kisara to inform the familia in advance. Saeko and the others had been mentally prepared for this.
---
"This is quite the sight…" Saeko muttered, watching the approaching beasts.
Meanwhile, Lynn frowned. "Wait a minute… aren't we missing one?"
There were originally twelve Zodiac Gastrea, but since Lynn has Scorpio—real name, Stella—and two of them are no longer alive, that means there should be nine Stage V Gastrea still attacking.
"Hehe~"
Stella chuckled. "Cancer is... a little special after all."
Half a day later—
After some effort from both Lynn and the 8 Zodiac Gastrea, they finally met face to face.
Lynn stood at the center, completely surrounded by 8 Zodiac Gastrea. Yet, he felt no pressure at all. If anything, he was leisurely observing them, casually sizing up their appearances.
That was the confidence of strength.
Even if all the Zodiac Gastrea attacked him at once, the only ones who would end up dead... would be them.
On the other hand, the Zodiac Gastrea themselves were hesitant to act rashly. Seeing how calm and composed Lynn was, they instinctively held back, unsure of what to do.
The air grew tense, filled with an odd atmosphere.
Truthfully, even for them, this was a first.
Summoning all the Zodiac Gastrea at once? No one had ever told them how to handle this kind of situation.
This...
Was this human... different from the others?
Or rather, was he even human?
Just as the silence stretched on, a familiar voice rang out—
"Hey there, everyone!"
It was Stella.
Seeing her, the Zodiac Gastrea immediately stirred with excitement.
"Ahh, it's Stella!"
Clearly, they knew her well.
Finally, after Stella explained the situation, the Zodiac Gastrea began to understand.
And then, their eyes locked onto Lynn with an almost feverish intensity.
The thought crossed their minds— To abandon these monstrous bodies and return to a humanoid form... Well, maybe not exactly human, but at least something close to their past selves.
That didn't sound bad at all.
This world's humans were already doomed. There was no one left to take revenge on.
With nothing else to do, why not start over?
"I see..." A calm, cool voice cut through the discussion.
Stella turned and smiled knowingly. "I knew you'd show up, Luna."
Lynn followed her gaze.
A small girl, about the same size as Stella, emerged from the shadows.
She had soft, jellyfish-like pale blue hair, fading into a pearly white at the tips, with a glowing crescent moon hairpin nestled atop her head.
She wore a frilly, puffed-sleeve dress adorned with wavy patterns and tiny embroidered crabs.
A seashell-shaped bag hung from her shoulder.
This must be Cancer.
Lynn had sensed another presence hidden among the Gastrea earlier but hadn't bothered to call it out.
Now that he saw her up close, he couldn't help but think— No wonder Stella said she was special. She looked completely like a little girl.
Had she been living among humans all this time, disguised as one?
"So, Luna... want to join us?" Stella invited with a grin.
Luna hesitated for a moment.
By now, she fully understood that Lynn was the one responsible for wiping out humanity.
And honestly?
That was amazing.
Not only had he helped them exact their revenge, but he also gave them a way to resurrect Taurus and Virgo.
A part of her was... excited.
Moreover— Luna glanced at Stella.
She looked so happy.
Luna murmured in her heart, "If Stella trusts him, then there's no reason to doubt."
The Twelve Zodiac never betrayed one another.
As fellow victims of human cruelty, their bond of trust was incredibly strong.
So, a small smile formed on Luna's lips. "Why not?"
She giggled. "This big brother who destroyed humanity... is quite to my taste."
With Luna's agreement, the remaining Zodiac followed suit.
Then, with Stella's guidance—
Their massive Stage Five bodies crumbled into dust, leaving behind only their spiritual forms, which were absorbed into the Devil's Piece space.
"I'm Evelyn. Please take care of me from now on!"
"Tess..."
One by one, the little Zodiac girls introduced themselves.
And yeah, all of the Twelve Zodiac were girls, just like the Cursed Children.
Finally, Cancer—Luna—entered the space as well.
At last, inside the space of [Devil's Piece], ten constellations now hung in the sky.
Lynn stroked his chin, feeling that the process had gone surprisingly smoothly.
These little girls... were way too easy to convince.
They trusted him so easily?
Well...
He wouldn't disappoint them.
Back at the Familia base, Lynn returned the Legacy of the Seven Stars' relics to their rightful owners.
The moment he did, a wave of excited cheers erupted from within the Devil's Piece space.
Seeing their happiness, Lynn couldn't help but smile as well.
Then, with a flick of his hand, he tossed Taurus and Virgo's relics into the starry sky.
With that, the constellations of Taurus and Virgo returned to their rightful places.
The Devil's Piece space was now home to the complete TwelveZodiac!
Lynn studied the scene and noted, "Taurus and Virgo look a little dim..."
"That's unavoidable," Stella said, sadness flickering in her eyes.
Lynn gently patted her head in silent comfort.
Then, he turned his attention to his skill—
Gastrea Genome Codex.
At long last, it was complete.
.
.
.