Underworld, Valefor Territory.
"Lord Beelzebub!!"
The general of the Demon King's Army, who had been barely holding on, froze the moment he saw Beelzebub's figure appear. A chill instantly crept down his spine.
If Lord Beelzebub saw him in such a miserable state, there was no doubt he'd face brutal punishment.
He shivered.
But Beelzebub didn't spare them a glance. His gaze was locked solely on Lynn.
His figure flashed like lightning, and a monstrous surge of magic erupted from his body.
A green mist-like wave of magic spread outward.
"Ughhh…"
Demons caught in the area screamed in agony as their bodies shriveled, drained of life in an instant.
Even so, the remaining soldiers of the Demon King's Army didn't retreat.
They couldn't.
Staying might lead to death, but fleeing guaranteed it.
Inukimi trembled violently.
He's the same level as Lynn… and that woman before!
Sensing the danger, she immediately transformed and vanished into Lynn's arms, her canine face fading away into spiritual energy.
Beelzebub's eyes gleamed as he charged at Lynn, exuding terrifying demonic power.
Lynn grinned. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
A faint light ignited from his body, and sparks crackled like mischievous fire sprites.
His black hair fluttered in the invisible wind.
Those crimson eyes were deep, like they held an entire universe.
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted upward like a blade, slicing straight through the underworld's ever-present dark clouds.
The realm, long shrouded in darkness, was bathed in a radiant, sun-like light.
"Haah…"
Lynn exhaled slowly, his breath crackling with arcs of electricity.
Thanks to the [Four Souls Devil], his mind was crystal clear.
Fighting techniques flowed through his muscles as if they had always been there.
Multiple special attack buffs activated.
He raised his eyes and calmly looked toward Beelzebub.
Beelzebub's pupils shrank.
He froze mid-charge.
His magic, which had surged outward with such fury, now recoiled like a frightened rodent under Lynn's pressure.
What the hell is this?!
The sheer pressure Lynn released overwhelmed even his bloodlust.
Sanity quickly returned.
Beelzebub was shocked and confused.
Just a moment ago, they were equal in aura. Now, he was completely outmatched.
That magic earlier—it wasn't even demonic… it was angelic!
He hesitated.
But Lynn wasn't about to give him time to think.
Ever since gaining his strength, Lynn hadn't had the chance to test it in full combat.
Finally, a Maou-level enemy stood before him. It was the perfect time to test his blade.
A glint flashed in Lynn's eyes as he grinned.
In the next instant.
An afterimage streaked past!
Beelzebub's eyes widened in horror as a massive fist filled his vision.
One punch.
Bang!!
It was like a star imploding.
A massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact, sweeping the battlefield like a tsunami.
The once-solid ground was shredded like paper, crumbling away.
Countless boulders were reduced to dust.
The remaining devils bulged their eyes in disbelief as their bodies were distorted and deformed by the aftermath alone.
"AHHHHHHHHH—!!"
Their screams of agony echoed briefly before silence returned.
The Demon King's Army—completely annihilated.
"Urgh—"
Beelzebub took the punch head-on. It felt like crashing headfirst into a falling meteor.
His eyes caved in, his head whipped backward, and his face contorted from the sheer impact.
Then.
Boom!
His body flew back like a broken leaf, slamming into a mountain of crystalsteel.
Crack—
The ultra-dense material couldn't withstand the force. Web-like cracks split across its surface.
Beelzebub coughed heavily among the debris. His nose was crushed, and a fist-shaped imprint was etched into his face.
Lynn's demon-purifying magic still lingered in his body, gnawing at him from the inside out.
His vitality was draining rapidly.
What… what just happened?
One punch?
He was Beelzebub, the Gluttony Maou!
How could one hit do this much damage?
But he wasn't about to give up.
Beelzebub panted heavily.
He was starving.
His innate magic trait—Gluttony—activated.
A cyclone of demonic power formed above him, funneling massive amounts of energy into his body.
Inukimi, who had peeked out to check on the battle, immediately retreated again.
The Underworld is terrifying!
Beelzebub greedily devoured the surrounding magic. The speed at which his vitality drained began to slow.
But—
Damn it!
That light-attribute magic!
With gritted teeth, Beelzebub attempted to use Gluttony to devour the holy magic within his body.
Suddenly—
Pfft!
Blood gushed from his mouth.
His eyes filled with disbelief.
His entire body was swelling unnaturally.
"What… what is this?!"
Even angelic magic could normally be digested bit by bit.
But this.
This wasn't just light-attribute!
At that moment, Lynn appeared.
He watched as Beelzebub tried to consume his power and raised a brow.
"You really tried to swallow all that?"
He was a cruel man.
That was a magic buffed with multiple demon-specialized Blessings. And this guy ate it like candy?
"You… what did you do to me?!"
Beelzebub's voice was hoarse and trembling.
Fear had crept into it.
Lynn smirked and snapped his fingers. A spark leapt from his fingertip, infused with karma fire via [Four Souls Devil]'s soul-linking ability.
Beelzebub definitely had a lot of karmic baggage.
As soon as the flame ignited.
Whoosh!
The karma fire erupted, feeding off Beelzebub's sins like it found dry kindling.
"AAAAAAAGHHHH!!"
Beelzebub howled in pain, feeling his soul being incinerated.
He rolled frantically, trying to extinguish the flames.
But they clung to him, unaffected, devouring him from the inside out.
Desperate, he tried to consume the fire with Gluttony again.
Instead—
The karmic flames reacted like someone had hit fast-forward.
His soul burned away completely.
The Maou of Gluttony, Beelzebub of the Old Maou Faction… was dead.
Lynn shook his head.
"Trying to eat everything… that's what killed you."
Not even ash remained.
He lightly touched his chin and muttered, "Are devils… this weak?"
"No. You're just too strong."
Inukimi cautiously poked her head out from Lynn's arms, still trembling.
She looked around at the devastated terrain.
Twisted demonic corpses were scattered everywhere.
The entire area had changed beyond recognition.
"Haah…"
She exhaled slowly.
Her emotions were complex.
This was her first time witnessing battle at this level.
If she hadn't seen it herself, she wouldn't have believed it only took one punch.
Honestly, that ugly devil from before was terrifying.
The moment she saw him, her instincts screamed in alarm.
Just the residual magic had drained monsters stronger than her.
Especially Beelzebub's final counterattack, it even warped the environment.
Yet…
He couldn't withstand even one of Lynn's punches?
Inukimi's expression became more complicated.
She remembered baring her fangs at him earlier.
Suddenly, she curled up again and became very obedient.
Fear.
After confirming Beelzebub had been completely incinerated, Lynn dispelled all his active buffs.
From this battle, he had gained a better understanding of his own power.
Though they were both devils, Lynn simply had too many trump cards.
Just the stack of Blessings he carried made him a devil-slaying nightmare.
Just in case, he'd even tagged Beelzebub with a mark of hostility.
Then he used [Four Souls Devil]'s soul harmonization to enhance his spark with karmic essence.
With all the karma Beelzebub had built up…
It was a guaranteed ignition.
Different buffs, layered effects.
Beelzebub had no chance.
Now that Lynn had measured his current strength, he nodded in satisfaction.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared at the Valefor estate.
He had purposely controlled the direction of his battle so the Valefors wouldn't be caught in the destruction.
Still…
The mansion's atmosphere was tense.
When the Valefor Patriarch saw Lynn enter, he squeezed out a smile that was worse than crying.
"Y-You're… an angel?"
He could smell the devil's magic on Lynn…
But he dared not say it out loud.
Light magic? From a devil?
Even thinking about Lynn's terrifying strength made the Patriarch tremble.
If he said something wrong and angered him, the Valefors would be wiped out next.
Lynn gave him a flat look.
"I'm a devil."
The Patriarch froze.
It's over.
Seeing his stiff reaction, Lynn said calmly, "You're the head of the house?"
"Yes! I am!"
The Patriarch nodded immediately.
"Then you should know how the Valefor bloodline awakens its magic traits?"
"Magic traits?"
Surprise flashed in the Patriarch's eyes.
But he didn't hesitate and nodded. "Yes. It's recorded in our lineage archives."
"Good."
Lynn nodded, then walked in as if it were his own home and sat at the head seat of the main hall.
The Valefors stood nervously.
This man had just annihilated the Demon King's Army and killed Beelzebub.
Compared to that, their house was nothing.
Still, in the Underworld, power ruled.
They were very aware of the situation.
After a quick order, the records on awakening magical traits were brought to Lynn.
He flipped through them silently.
"I see…"
As he read the devil script, understanding flickered in his eyes.
Valefor magic traits… were transformation and theft?
Lynn kept reading.
"Survival instinct stimulation?"
He hadn't encountered a life-or-death situation in the modern world yet.
Probably wouldn't anytime soon.
So this method was out.
Then he saw another line:
"Family ritual: Moon Theft Offering."
(To be continued.)