Outskirts of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.
Lynn stood quietly with a group of his Peerage members.
In front of them stood the massive figure of Scorpio.
"So big!"
Shizuka stared in awe, took a step back, and quickly hid behind Saeko.
Saeko glanced at her speechlessly but didn't say anything.
After all, Shizuka was a [Recovery Devil]. As long as she did her job as the nurse, that was enough.
Saeko retracted her gaze and focused on Scorpio. Her thirst for battle surged uncontrollably.
But…
Before that, they needed to clear out the surrounding monsters first.
Saeko looked at the Gastrea charging toward them.
Her target was a Stage IV.
Miko looked a little worried.
Her ability as a [Spirit-Seer Devil] was extremely effective against spiritual beings.
But when it came to physical combat…
She was completely lacking!
It felt like she was the one gaining the least from this monster feast.
Yuuko was eager to go. Her eyes were filled with nothing but excitement.
In any case, Gastrea couldn't see her.
Seeing that they were all ready to charge in, Lynn waved forward.
"Let's go! No opponents ahead of us!"
As soon as Lynn spoke, Saeko bolted forward like an unleashed beast!
Along the way, she cut down a group of Stage I, II, and III Gastrea in succession, charging straight toward the higher-grade ones!
Now equipped with a forged varanium weapon, Saeko was like a goddess of slaughter!
Kisara scoffed and dashed forward, unwilling to be outdone.
Her swordsmanship had always been exceptional. Before becoming a devil, her weak body limited her to brief bursts of strength.
But even then, she could injure a Stage IV Gastrea with a single strike.
Now that she had undergone Devil Transformation, Kisara's combat power had only grown stronger.
Mahiru and Utaha also began making their way toward the Grade IVs.
After all, they were all Mid-Class Devils. They couldn't let Saeko and Kisara steal all the spotlight.
Only Miko looked around awkwardly before grabbing Hana's arm and speaking righteously.
"Hana, let me help you level up!"
"Huh?"
Hana blinked in surprise, then smiled happily. "Okay! I finally get to fight alongside Miko!!"
She placed her hands on her hips, full of enthusiasm, and pointed at a Gastrea ahead. "Let's go take down that big one, Miko!"
Miko followed her gaze, and her eyelid twitched before she forced a smile.
"Um… Hana, that one's still a bit too much for you."
"How about we start with that instead?"
She pointed at a slightly larger but still manageable—Stage III.
"Eh?"
Hana blinked, confused. "But it looks so small…"
"It's fine!"
Before she could protest, Miko dragged her off to pick a fight with the Grade III.
Meanwhile, Yuuko floated in the air, occasionally picking fights with the Gastrea to collect experience.
Although the Gastrea couldn't see her, she also couldn't instantly destroy any above Stage III.
Besides…
Leveling by herself was just more efficient.
Everyone in the Peerage was working hard to gather experience.
Except one person.
Shizuka stood beside Lynn, waving her fists.
"Go get 'em, everyone! I've prepared enough recovery items for all of you!"
Lynn's eyelid twitched. He raised his hand and gave her a hard smack on her plump rear.
Smack!
The crisp sound was strangely satisfying.
"You should be grinding too!" he said unhappily.
"Hmm…"
Shizuka rubbed her behind, then reluctantly shuffled off to pick a fight with the Gastrea.
A short while later, the battlefield was filled with shouts like:
"Thunder Strike!"
"Come on! Let me kill you!"
"You're an enemy too?!"
Lynn observed the chaos for a moment, and after confirming that no one was in any real danger, his gaze shifted toward Scorpio.
With every step Scorpio took, the [Apoptosis Genome] on Lynn's panel grew brighter.
He was very curious, just what kind of change would this ability undergo once Scorpio was defeated?
---
At the same time.
After handing the cursed item to Lynn, Isayama Yomi didn't return to Kyoto immediately.
Although a Grade 1 cursed item did require the escort of a senior official, that wasn't her main reason for being here.
She had come to Tokyo for another mission. Delivering the cursed item was just a side job.
Coffee shop.
A petite, slender girl sat across from Isayama Yomi.
She wore a beret that gently covered her light golden hair, and her clear purple pupils shimmered with intelligence.
Isayama Yomi took a sip of coffee and said calmly, "Miss Goddess of Wisdom, please explain the situation."
"Iwanaga Kotoko. Just call me Kotoko."
Iwanaga Kotoko smiled lightly, her demeanor refined and noble.
"Alright, Miss Kotoko."
Isayama nodded and stared directly into her eyes.
Kotoko sighed. "You've barely touched your coffee since arriving, and you're staring at me like you're interrogating a suspect. How rude..."
"Apologies."
Though Yomi said the words, her expression remained unchanged. Her eyes never left Kotoko.
"Alright, alright..."
Kotoko raised her hands in surrender, then stood up and said, "Instead of listening to me talk, why don't you see it for yourself?"
---
After passing through a barrier, an unassuming shrine came into view.
Yomi's expression grew sharp.
Kotoko said, "When I noticed something wrong here, I had them seal it off."
Yomi looked up, her gaze serious.
A demonic aura surged into the sky.
And...
"...As expected, that is the aura of Hagoromo Gitsune!"
Yomi's heart tensed.
Clang.
She instinctively drew Ranguren and prepared to investigate.
Kotoko quickly pulled her arm back, speaking with a complicated expression, "Are you really going to just charge in?"
Yomi paused, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
Kotoko's mouth twitched. "Are you sure you can handle it alone?"
"Shouldn't you report this to your department?"
Kotoko's emotions were clearly unsettled.
If she hadn't been drawn in by Yomi's identity with the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division, she never would've brought her to a place like this.
And…
Did she just say Hagoromo Gitsune?
Wasn't that a renowned youkai?
Could a high school girl like her really deal with something related to that?
Yomi hesitated, then shook her head. "I don't know..."
"But if we wait any longer, I'm afraid it'll be too late…"
Her expression was firm, eyes filled with determination.
Truthfully.
She was confident.
She had already resolved six incidents involving the scent of Hagoromo Gitsune on her own.
It wasn't a problem.
But still...
She couldn't guarantee she'd never fail.
Sigh… stubborn girl.
Kotoko had a headache.
If she'd known, she wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess.
"But don't worry."
Yomi suddenly thought of something and decided to reassure Kotoko. She pulled out the devil flyer Lynn had given her.
"What's this…"
Kotoko blinked in confusion.
"Devil summoning flyer."
"As long as I inject magic into it, a devil will appear to assist me."
"Of course…"
"There'll be a price afterward."
"Huh?"
Kotoko was stunned.
You're a human. And an exorcist. And you want to summon a devil...?
Even though she wasn't all that familiar with devils, she'd heard a bit from the youkai.
Still...
This was the first time she'd seen something like a devil summoning leaflet in person.
Well—
Even if relying on a devil was disgraceful for a human, at least it was still an option.
At the very least, Kotoko felt a bit more at ease.
Of course…
That depended on whether the devil was strong enough.
"Alright! Then focus!"
...
Black Bullet World.
The sky had grown dark.
Saeko and Kisara were still fighting.
The two had, at some point, started to compete with each other in unspoken understanding.
Other areas were handled by Utaha and Mahiru.
Seeing that they were all panting with exhaustion, Lynn clapped his hands and called them back.
Next—
It was time for Scorpio.
"Leave the remaining Gastrea to Hana and the others."
All the high-level Gastrea had been eliminated.
The leftovers were perfect for Hana and the other Low-Class Devils to train on.
The raid on Scorpio wasn't suitable for them.
Not only were they incapable of damaging it.
Hana's chaotic use of brute force made it painful to watch.
Lynn was honestly worried she'd end up slipping and launching herself straight into Scorpio's mouth.
For the Scorpio raid, he would take the lead.
Partly to test his current strength.
And partly because of the [Apoptosis Genome].
But before that.
He needed to replenish his magic.
Looking at Saeko and the others crying out for food, Lynn began magic replenishment for them, one by one.
"Eh? Why is it always like this…"
Shizuka puffed her cheeks in frustration.
Ever since everyone in the Peerage found out that Lynn's magic replenishment had the same effect as her recovery items.
Her handmade supplies had been completely abandoned.
"I worked so hard to make them…"
She complained while joining the line, looking at Lynn with hopeful eyes.
Utaha rolled her eyes at her and muttered, "Aren't you the same?"
You don't even use what you make, yet you expect others to drink it.
Before long.
Magic supply complete.
Everyone in Lynn's Peerage turned their attention to Scorpio.
Saeko's eyes grew solemn.
The casual air from earlier had vanished.
No matter who you were, facing a beast of this scale would make anyone tense.
Just rolling over could collapse an entire area.
"Hahh…"
"So it's finally time…"
Utaha gripped the Devil Tome tightly.
She wasn't even sure whether her strongest lightning strike could damage it.
As if sensing the group's gaze, Scorpio paused for a moment.
Then it opened its massive mouth and let out a roar.
"YIIIIIIIIIIIIII——"
The sound was sharp and piercing.
The air trembled, whipping their clothes into the air.
Lynn frowned.
That cry…
Sounded more like weeping.
(To be continued.)
***
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