— — — — — — —
"I'm certain!"
Senhime's voice was cold yet resolute. This was her duty as a princess of the Inu Youkai!
No matter the cost—she would bear it all!
Seeing her unwavering determination, Lynn couldn't bring himself to let her down.
"Alright then, you'll do."
"...Huh?"
Senhime blinked, unsure if she had misheard something.
"What did you just say?" she asked, uncertain.
"You heard me right. I meant you."
Senhime: "..."
W-What did he mean?
Was he saying the price for his help... was her?
Her mind struggled to process it.
Seeing her reaction, Lynn chuckled. "Would you like to become part of my Familia?"
"Familia?" Senhime repeated, tasting the word.
"Like the relationship between a god and their shrine maiden?"
She was well-versed in supernatural matters and immediately grasped his meaning.
Her eye twitched, and her expression darkened.
She, a proud princess of the Inu Youkai, was being asked to serve someone?
One of her subordinates couldn't hold back. "Princess, there's no need for you to make such a sacrifice!"
The other Inu Youkai warriors were equally outraged.
For the sake of their race's survival, offering up their princess? That was unacceptable!
Anger flared in their eyes as they glared at Lynn.
Even Sesshōmaru stepped forward, his expression ice-cold.
He knew this man was beyond their ability to fight, but he would never bow to anyone.
Even if it meant death, he would die standing.
Forcing the Inu Youkai to submit?
Impossible!
Yet, before anyone could act, an overwhelming force erupted from Lynn's body.
"Ghhhhh—!"
The Inu Youkai warriors' eyes widened in terror. A moment later, they all collapsed onto the sand, unable to move.
Sesshōmaru's composed expression finally cracked.
He gritted his teeth, his body trembling violently. Then, with a heavy thud, he too collapsed to the ground, prostrated against the sand.
Sesshōmaru: "...!"
A wave of humiliation and fury surged in his heart.
Damn it!!
Before this overwhelming presence, was he really no different from an insect?
He was forced to bow his head!
On the other side of the battlefield, the Leopard Cat Tribe, still mourning their fallen leader, were caught in the same pressure.
Without understanding what was happening, they too fell to their knees, faces pressed against the sand.
At this moment, only two figures remained standing on the battlefield.
Senhime said nothing, but her heart clenched.
Thankfully, none of her people were actually harmed—just immobilized.
That alone was enough to make her sigh in relief.
This man... was terrifyingly strong.
Like some ancient entity of the Underworld...
She wasn't sure what she was reminded of, but she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Lynn, meanwhile, had no intention of being unreasonable. He had just borrowed the Meido Stone—there was no need to slaughter her people immediately afterward.
But a little punishment?
That was unavoidable.
With a faint smirk, he turned to Senhime. "So, have you made up your mind?"
"Is this the extent of your resolve?"
His words pulled her back to reality, and she stiffened, her fingers nervously rubbing against her thumb.
Resolve...
She never imagined she would end up offering herself.
The Inu Youkai possessed vast treasures, after all. He could have asked for rare minerals, or even a few of the legendary fangs left behind by Tōga.
Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile. "Our Inu Youkai have countless treasures. Are you sure you don't want any of them?"
Lynn shrugged, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If you belong to me, then doesn't everything the Inu Youkai own already belong to me?"
Senhime's golden eyes widened, her cold expression finally cracking.
This shameless man!
Was this his plan from the beginning?!
Her lips parted slightly, unable to find words. Her expression seemed to ask—'How can someone say something so outrageous with a straight face?!'
Lynn chuckled and added, "If you don't hurry up and decide, I'm leaving."
His voice was like a devil's whisper, tempting and pressuring her at the same time.
Could she really gamble everything—her people, her own future—on this man she had just met?
Senhime hesitated.
This was about her entire race. Her entire life.
She had to be careful.
Lynn, however, had no interest in waiting any longer.
Senhime was certainly an excellent candidate for his Familia, but it wasn't like he had to recruit her right this second.
Even Natsuki hadn't officially joined yet.
Without another word, Lynn channeled magic into the Underworld. A deep blue glow burst forth.
A rift split open in midair!
As he poured in more magic, the rift expanded.
In moments, it grew large enough for a single person to step through.
Lynn turned, casually waved at her, and stepped inside.
"Goodbye."
Senhime's eyes widened in shock.
This irresponsible man!
Seeing that Lynn was about to disappear, Senhime panicked. Without thinking, she transformed into a smaller version of her true form and darted after him at incredible speed.
The next second, the portal to the Underworld shut.
The crushing pressure that had held down the Inu Youkai and Leopard Cats vanished instantly. They let out collective sighs of relief and struggled to their feet.
"Where's the princess?"
The Inu Youkai exchanged glances, confused. Their faces had been buried in the sand the whole time, so they had no idea what had just happened.
"She... she didn't really run off with that guy, did she?"
The Inu Youkai: "..."
A deep sense of frustration settled over them.
"Hah! Our chief is dead, and now your princess has been taken away too!"
The Leopard Cats took delight in their misfortune, their grief over losing their leader momentarily forgotten.
As long as the Inu Youkai suffered, it was a good day for the Leopard Cats—even if their own leader had died.
Sesshomaru lifted his gaze and glared coldly at them.
He couldn't do anything about that man, but as for them…?
His hand moved toward his waist—then he froze.
Right. Tenseiga had been taken too.
...He was even angrier now.
"Die."
No longer able to hold back, Sesshomaru lunged at the Leopard Cats.
— — —
Underworld.
Lynn sighed as he glanced at the little demon clinging to his shoulder.
Senhime awkwardly scratched at his coat with her claws.
She had acted on impulse and followed him in.
Now what?
If she remembered correctly, wasn't the Underworld in total chaos right now?
She often used to spy on the Underworld, so she was fairly familiar with the situation.
And the Underworld was terrifying right now!
Senhime trembled.
But she quickly forced herself to appear calm.
"I know the Underworld well. I followed you so you wouldn't get lost."
"Oh? How kind of you." Lynn smirked at her.
"I thought you were just in a hurry to become my Familia."
Senhime bit her lip and turned her head away, refusing to meet his gaze. Her paws, however, clutched tightly at his coat.
Here, in the Underworld, only someone as strong as Lynn could give her a sense of security.
Seeing such a human-like expression on a fox's face was quite amusing for Lynn.
Not bad.
The little fox was actually quite pretty.
Snow-white fur, a crescent moon on her forehead—there was a certain elegance about her.
Senhime lifted a paw and poked Lynn. "Actually… there's nothing really interesting in the Underworld."
"How about we leave first?"
"If you're scared, you can go on your own."
Lynn's words struck like a hammer.
"Who's scared?!"
Senhime frowned. This guy had such a nasty way of speaking!
She was a royal of the Western Inu Youkai.
For a moment, her expression returned to its usual icy composure, as if suddenly remembering her noble status.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted in the distance.
The sheer intensity of the magic made Senhime shudder. Her cool facade crumbled, and in one swift motion, she burrowed into Lynn's collar.
Lynn was speechless.
"Are you really a royal of the Inu Youkai?"
Senhime peeked out with an embarrassed look.
Under normal circumstances, she was graceful and dignified.
But today was different. Given the current situation, she figured she was allowed to be a little cowardly.
— — —
As they spoke, the owner of that terrifying magic appeared.
Grayfia stood there, expressionless, having just wiped out a group of devils.
She fixed her gaze on Lynn.
"Are you here to kill me too?"
This man was strong.
Grayfia could sense it.
But despite feeling his overwhelming power, she had still come to face him.
She had never seen him before.
Not someone from the Old Satan Faction.
Could he kill her?
Tired of everything, Grayfia welcomed the idea of dying in battle.
"Kill you?"
Lynn shook his head and smiled.
"No. Instead of killing you, I'd rather take you in as part of my Familia."
He hadn't expected that his first step into the Underworld would lead him straight to Grayfia.
It would be a shame not to recruit her.
Familia?
What did that mean?
Grayfia frowned slightly.
The Underworld was in turmoil, and the concept of Evil Pieces hadn't been introduced yet.
So she didn't quite understand what Lynn meant.
Senhime squinted at him from within his coat.
Was this man some kind of god of lust?
Why did he always want to make women serve him?
Seeing Grayfia's confusion, Lynn thought for a moment and rephrased his offer.
"Would you like to be my queen?"
"...Queen?"
Grayfia was taken aback.
"Are you proposing to me?"
Lynn pondered for a moment. "You could see it that way."
Grayfia fell silent, feeling oddly conflicted.
This was a first.
For years, she had known nothing but endless battles.
And today, she had encountered… a weirdo.
"Sorry, but I still have unfinished duties."
Grayfia turned down his proposal.
But she made sure to remember the face of the man who had just proposed to her upon their first meeting.
She studied Lynn's features carefully.
Not an unpleasant face.
"If the war ends… I might consider marrying you."
With those parting words, Grayfia headed toward the next battlefield.
.
.
.