With her magic pouring into the circle, a glacier slowly began to take shape, emerging from the summoning array.
Seeing this, Natsuki's eye twitched slightly.
She wasn't planning to sit back and do nothing, nor was she going to rely solely on Lynn.
Chains of golden light burst forth, shooting straight at Katerea Leviathan like arrows.
Shackles of Holy Steel!
"A Sacred Gear?"
Katerea Leviathan scoffed with a smirk of disdain.
As long as it's not a Longinus, everything else is just trash to her.
Or at least, that was usually the case.
Right now Katerea's gaze shifted to Lynn, her eyes narrowing.
With him around, even that little bug of a girl suddenly became a lot more annoying.
She glanced at her subordinates, seeing them completely immobilized, and cursed under her breathuseless trash!
Clank!
The golden chains came flying in fast!
Frowning, Katerea had no choice but to divert some of her focus. She raised one hand and summoned a magic circle for defense.
Clang!
A sharp, metallic sound rang out!
The Chains failed to break through her magical shieldat least for now.
But the other magic circle in her opposite hand was visibly weaker!
Natsuki noticed this and immediately doubled down on the chain assault.
She knew it might not hurt a Maou-level opponent, but at the very least, it was disrupting her ability to cast the glacier spell.
However
Lynn had no intention of playing a drawn-out game. With a flick of his hand, he unleashed a slashing wave of magic!
I'm going to die!" Katerea's instincts screamed.
Without the slightest hesitation, she acted purely on instinctabandoning her spell, she vanished in a blink, narrowly avoiding Lynn's slash.
But before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, Natsuki's chains clung to her again like some kind of cursed glue.
"Tch."
Katerea clicked her tongue in annoyance. This time, she didn't bother dodging.
With a snap, she grabbed the chain barehanded.
"I don't have time for this. You seriously think you're important enough to slow me down?"
With a sneer, she yanked hard.
Natsuki suddenly felt an overwhelming force pull through the chainthen
Whoosh!
She was flung straight through the airher trajectory aimed right at Lynn!
Raising a brow, Lynn casually caught her mid-air and pulled her into his arms.
"Huh. Not bad," he muttered, shooting a strange look at Katerea.
At this point, he was starting to wonder if she was really the enemy.
"Next time you wanna fly into my arms, at least come in your original body, Natsuki-chan."
Natsuki rolled her eyes at him, then said with a serious expression, "Enough jokes. This enemy's the real deal."
"Oh yeah?"
Lynn shrugged, clearly unfazed. Then, turning his eyes to Katerea, he cracked a crooked grin.
And in the next instant
Boom!
A fiery burst of magic explodedLynn vanished in a flash of sparks!
Katerea's eyes widened in shock as she frantically scanned the battlefield.
Where?!
Where is he?!
Suddenly, she felt a hot breath rush up from behind!
She tried to turnbut too late.
BAM!
A brutal strike smashed into her lower back!
CRASH!!
Katerea was sent flyingsmashed into the ground with a thunderous impact!
BOOM
The ground quaked violently from the crash.
A spiderweb of cracks spread from where she landed, the shockwave rippling through the ground.
"Urgh!"
Katerea groaned, trying to push herself up from the crater
BAM!
Her head was stomped back down into the dirt.
With Natsuki still in his arms, Lynn looked down at her with a cold expression and muttered: "You know I really hate talking while looking up at people."
Natsuki stared in shock, still trying to process what had just happened.
That speed!
Way too fast!
Not just Katereaeven she, who had been right there, didn't catch what Lynn just did!
Such power!
...
Katerea's face was crushed into the dirt, the humiliation boiling in her chest.
A descendant of Leviathanreduced to being stomped into the ground like this?
"You bastard!!"
She clenched her fists, digging into the dirtthen suddenly, a wide-area magic circle spread out beneath her.
WHOOSH!
Water surged upward like a boiling hot spring, ready to launch Shuchiin Academy into the sky!
"Watch out!" Natsuki warned in a sharp voice.
But Lynn remained calm. A jet-black magic circle unfurled beneath his feet.
BOOOOM!!
The water pillar slammed into the black shield with explosive force!
But no matter how violently it raged, the barrier stood firm like an unbreakable wall.
Katerea stared in disbelief as her attack was completely blocked. Her pupils shrank.
Who the hell is this guy?!
There's no way he's just a normal Maou!
That damn Shalbahe totally lied about this guy's strength!
Damn it!
A glint of madness flashed in Katerea's eyes.
Like this, she couldn't win.
If she wanted a chanceShe had to use that power.
"Snake!!"
.
.
.
The GuideKaterea Leviathan
"Snake!!"
Inside Shuchiin Academy, Katerea Leviathan let out a hysterical scream.
In that instant, a terrifying, bone-chilling aura erupted from her body and shot up into the sky.
Crackle!!
Black lightninglike angry serpentsdanced wildly around her, sparking and snapping through the air.
The entire atmosphere trembled violently.
Katerea's hands were planted firmly on the ground as an overwhelming power surged from her like a broken dam.
"Raaaghhh!!"
Her face twisted in agony, expression twisted and fierce.
Even though Lynn had her pinned beneath his foot just moments ago, her body was now slowly rising from the ground.
BOOM!!
The earth beneath them rumbled as if a giant invisible hand had grabbed the land and shook it hard.
Minamiya Natsuki stared at Katerea in shock.
What the hell just happened?
Why did this woman suddenly explode with that kind of power?!
Instinctively, she clutched Lynn's shirt tighter, her voice low and serious. "Be careful she just activated some kind of forbidden spell."
Natsuki didn't know what this "Snake" power was.
But Lynn, on the other hand, watched Katerea's transformation with interest.
So she used the power of Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God, huh?
Still...
His expression didn't change.
Just the Snake's power alone isn't enough to shift the tide here.
"Hmph."
Katerea grinned wickedly, her eyes flashing with madness.
"Do you see this? This is infinite power! With this, nothing I do can possibly fail!"
As she spoke, she braced her hands against the ground, trying to rise against Lynn's pressure.
But then... her arms started trembling violently.
No matter how hard she pushed, her body wouldn't budge even an inch.
Panic hit her like a wave.
Still unwilling to accept it, she roared and tried again with everything she had.
And the next secondBOOM!an even heavier force slammed down on her.
BAM!!
The slight gap she had managed to create between herself and the ground vanished instantly.
She was crushed right back down, her cheek mashed against the cold floor, her face twisted in pain and humiliation.
That's when Lynn's calm voice floated down from above her.
"Maybe try getting up after you finish boasting."
"...Damn you!!"
Katerea's heart sank. She couldn't believe it.
Why?!
She'd already used the Snake's power, so why couldn't she break free?!
Natsuki looked confused.
Didn't Katerea just go full "boss fight" mode a second ago?
And now she was still pinned under Lynn's foot?
"Boss lady!!"
Bedeze Abaddon saw Katerea's miserable state and erupted with a powerful aura. Without thinking, he charged straight at Lynn!
Lynn didn't even bother looking at him.
He simply raised his hand.
Buzz
A brilliant spear of light instantly formed in his grip.
BOOM!
Without delay, Lynn hurled the spear of light forward like lightning!
As it approached, Bedeze froze in place, a chill shooting up his spine.
He was going to die!
That sense of danger screamed in his mind.
He wasn't dumb. He knew he couldn't take that hit head-on. So, in a split second, he flickered out of the spear's path with a teleportation move.
But Lynn just crooked his finger.
With shocking precision, the spear curved in midair like it had a mind of its ownthen shot straight toward Bedeze again, even faster than before!
"Shit!!"
Feeling the searing heat closing in, Bedeze's pupils shrank in terror.
"Damn it!!"
He shouted, throwing up several green defensive magic circles in desperation.
Crack, crack
Like glass under a hammer, the green shields shattered the moment the light spear hit them.
Bedeze's eyes went wide in horror.
And in the next breath, that spear of light pierced through him.
"GAAAAAAHHH!!"
A pained, pitiful scream echoed through the air!
As the light spear exploded, Bedeze Abaddon was instantly swallowed by a blinding brilliance!
Katerea Leviathan blinked as she muttered his name under her breath.
"Bedeze "
A chill crept into Katerea's heart.
Sure, Bedeze might've been weaker than her, but he was still a freaking Maou.
And he got one-shotted just like that?!
This this is bad.
Really bad.
Maybe this is where she dies.
After wiping out Bedeze Abaddon, Lynn raised his hand again. Four new spears of light shot forward, pinning Katerea's limbs to the ground like a crucifixion.
"AAAHHHH!!"
Katerea's head snapped back, eyes rolling as her body convulsed in agony.
It felt like venomfiery and ruthlesswas flooding her entire body from the wounds in her limbs, sending burning pain through every nerve.
Gasping for air, she clenched her teeth so hard that blood started seeping through the gaps.
"Bas..tard!"
She threw every ounce of her strength into struggling against the spears holding her down.
But
Just like before, it was useless.
A deep sense of helplessness settled in.
She was a Leviathan. A true descendant of the line. A Maou who had even used the power of the "Snake".
When had she ever suffered something this humiliating?!
She thought this mission was supposed to be easy. Just a little outing.
And now she was stuck dealing with this absolute monster?!
Damn it!!
This was all Shalba's fault!
Why the hell didn't he tell her how strong this Valifer guy really was?!
If she'd known, no way in hell would she have taken this mission!
Katerea's heart swirled with resentment.
Regret. Fear. They coiled around her like chains.
Even with the "Snake's" power she wasn't invincible.
That brutal truth hit her like a slap to the face.
And now it was probably too late.
There's no way no way to fight back!
She slumped, the strength to resist completely gone.
Lynn crouched beside her, grabbed her by the hair, and yanked her head up to meet his gaze.
"You know where the Old Satan Faction's base is, right?"
Her eyes twitched slightly.
He's planning to take on the entire Old Satan Faction?!
This guy he's insane.
Insanely bold.
But A strange light flickered in her eyes.
Her expression leveled out as she responded calmly, "I know."
"If you want to go, I can take you there."
Katerea had already made up her mind.
Time to throw the Old Satan Faction under the bus.
Better them than her.
Besides Shalba fed her fake intel!
And hey, if Shalba can beat this Valifer freak, then maybe she'll be rescued in the process?
Katerea's mind was spinning with ideas.
On the other side, Natsuki raised a brow. "You're really planning to head straight into the Old Satan Faction's base?"
As one of humanity's top battle mages, she had at least some understanding of how powerful the enemy factions were.
And just this attack alone had two Maou-level enemies involved.
So wouldn't the main base have even more?
Lynn's crimson eyes turned toward her, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Is Natsuki-chan worried about me?"
Natsuki scoffed and looked away. "I just don't wanna be the one picking up your corpse when you get yourself killed."
Lynn stood up and, out of habit, ruffled her head like she was a pet. "Relax. I'm a lot tougher than I look."
Natsuki: "??"
What was with that head-patting like she was some kind of cat?
Smack!
Natsuki smacked his hand away with her folding fan, glaring. "Just be careful"
From the look in Lynn's eyes, she knew nothing she said would stop him anyway.
Besides
She glanced at the beaten and broken Katerea pinned to the ground, along with the other devils who were already dead, and rubbed her forehead with a sigh.
Things had already gone way past the point of no return.
Even if Lynn didn't go after them, the Old Satan Faction was definitely gonna retaliate.
Still
Sending Lynn in alone? That didn't sit right with her.
But she knew if she tagged along, she'd only hold him back.
Battles at the Maou level were out of her league. She wouldn't be able to make a difference.
Tch.
A pang of frustration hit her.
It had been a while since she'd felt this useless.
—
Meanwhile
Lynn hoisted Katerea up and activated a teleportation spell beneath his feet.
"Natsuki-chan, make me some black tea. I'll drink it when I'm back."
Natsuki: "?"
Before she could say anything else, Lynn vanished with Katerea.
She stared at the spot where he'd disappeared for a long time in silence.
Then turned her gaze to the chaos left behindconfused, dazed, terrified, and overexcited students all around the school grounds.
Her headache intensified.
"Well whatever. Might as well go make the tea first."
On the rooftop of the school building
A girl with braided twin-tails and round glasses silently watched the spot where Lynn had vanished.
"Lynn"
She whispered his name, committing it to memory.
"I didn't expect"
"That Shuchiin had someone this powerful hiding in it."
Koyomi Shizuka's heart was a mess of emotions.
A Maou-level beingor maybe even beyond that.
What was someone like that doing, hiding among humans?
StillThanks to him, Tokyo avoided a disaster today.
As for how to deal with him
She'd talk it over with the others first.
One thing was for sure
He was not someone they could afford to make an enemy of.
In the Underworld.
With Katerea pointing the way, Lynn carried her effortlessly, flying straight toward their destination without a care in the world.
