But as soon as Miko focused her intent, the creature suddenly slammed into a wall instead.
Her eyes widened in realization.
"Oh! So that's how it works!"
Nearby, Kanoe Yuuko floated over, looking envious. "When do I get a weapon like that?"
Currently, they were all using mass-produced weapons, but those were just temporary.
Lynn tapped his chin in thought.
He really needed to start providing his Familia with better custom weapons.
Right now, aside from Miko's new artifact, even Saeko's katana was just a normal weapon, only enhanced to suppress Gastrea's regeneration.
It had no special properties otherwise.
This made him think of the Sacred Gears from the main world.
Though, those were mostly random, luck-based finds.
What he really needed was a world that specialized in powerful weaponry.
—
A few days later
Lynn's Familia was ready to take on the Stage V Scorpio Gastrea.
Before the battle, Lynn updated everyone's Familia Blessings.
Saeko, Utaha, and Miko all received significant stat boosts.
Most of the other members, aside from Yuuko, and the newly joined ones, had all advanced to Mid-Class Devil rank.
Notably
Shiina Mahiru's Agility and Magic had maxed out at S-rank.
Meanwhile, Marikawa Shizuka's Endurance had also hit S-rank.
"I'm finally a Mid-Class Devil!"
Shizuka, still naked, stretched lazily while holding her status report.
She then cracked her neck and sighed, "That was exhausting~."
Mahiru, gripping her own status sheet, let out a small breath of relief.
She wasn't as fast as Saeko, but at least she wasn't too far behind.
"Alright," Lynn clapped his hands.
"Let's begin the Tokyo Dungeon Raid Boss"
.
.
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Goddess of Wisdom, Iwanaga Kotoko
Outskirts of Tokyo Area
Lynn stood quietly with his Familia, facing the massive form of Scorpio.
"That thing is huge!" Shizuka gasped, her eyes wide with shock as she instinctively took a step back behind Saeko.
Saeko felt she was treated as a shield but she didn't say anything. After all, Shizuka was a Healing Devil. As long as she focused on her role as the team's healer, that was enough.
Turning her gaze back to the towering beast, Saeko felt her blood start to boil. The urge to kill was getting hard to suppress.
But before that they needed to clear out the small fry.
Her eyes shifted toward the approaching hordes of Gastrea. Her main target: the Stage IVs.
Miko, on the other hand, looked troubled.
As a Spirit Devil, her abilities were excellent against spiritual entities, but when it came to physical combat
She was definitely at a disadvantage.
She sighed. Out of everyone, she was probably going to gain the least from this monster hunt.
Meanwhile, Yuuko floated around excitedly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. For her, this was nothing but funafter all, the Gastrea couldn't even see her.
Lynn, seeing that his team was eager to fight, waved his hand forward. "Move out!"
"No one shall stand in our way!"
With that command, Saeko dashed forward like an unleashed warhorse, slashing down countless Stage I, II, and III Gastrea as she made a beeline for a Stage IV.
Tendo Kisara clicked her tongue in annoyance before charging in as well, unwilling to be overshadowed.
Her swordsmanship was already outstanding, even before she became a Devil. Though her old body limited her stamina, her sheer explosive strength allowed her to seriously wound even Stage IV Gastrea.
But now, as a Devil, she was even stronger.
Meanwhile, Mahiru and Utaha also went after their own Stage IV targets.
As Mid-Class Devils, they couldn't let Saeko and Kisara hog all the spotlight.
The only ones left standing awkwardly were Miko and Hana.
Miko hesitated for a moment, then turned to Hana and declared, "Hana, I'll help you level up!"
"Huh?" Hana blinked in confusion before grinning. "Really? Finally, we can fight side by side!"
With her hands on her hips, she pointed at a large Gastrea. "Miko, let's take that one down together!"
Miko followed her gaze and immediately felt her eyelid twitch.
That was a Stage IV.
She forced a smile. "Uh, Hana, that one's a bit too much for you right now Let's start with that one instead."
She pointed at a Stage II Gastrea, which was extremely smaller.
"Huh?" Hana pouted. "But it looks tiny"
"Trust me, it's good enough!"
Before Hana could argue, Miko grabbed her hand and led her toward the smaller enemy.
On the other side, Yuuko drifted lazily through the air, occasionally launching sneak attacks to steal some experience.
Since the Gastrea couldn't see her and it wasn't like she could take on a Stage III head-on.
So why bother? Leeching experience was easier!
—
Everyone else was working hard to rack up experience.
Except for one person.
Shizuka stood beside Lynn, waving her fists. "You got this, everyone! I've prepared plenty of healing potions for you all!"
Lynn's eye twitched before he smacked her plump buttocks with a loud smack.
"Ouch!" Shizuka yelped.
"Go get some experience yourself!" Lynn ordered.
"Uuu" Shizuka whined but reluctantly trotted off to find some Gastrea to fight.
The battlefield soon became a chaotic chorus of battle cries:
"Lightning Strike!"
"Come at me! Hehehe~! Let me kill more~!"
"You are also my enemy!"
Lynn watched for a moment, ensuring everyone was safe, before turning his attention back to Scorpio.
With every step the massive beast took, the Gastrea Factor Codex in his system panel shone even brighter.
Lynn was curious. What would happen to this ability once Scorpio was defeated?
Meanwhile, in the Main World — Kyoto
After delivering the cursed artifact to Lynn, Isayama Yomi didn't waste any time before heading back.
Technically, a Grade 1 Cursed Relic did require a high-level escort, but that alone wasn't enough reason for her to come all the way to Tokyo.
She had another mission.
Right now, she sat in a quiet caf across from a petite young woman.
The girl wore a white hat over her short, light-blond hair. Her deep-purple eyes were bright and full of wisdom.
Taking a sip of her coffee, Yomi spoke. "Miss Goddess of Wisdom, I'd like you to share the relevant details of this incident with me."
The young woman smiled. "Iwanaga Kotoko. Just call me Kotoko."
"Alright, Miss Kotoko," Yomi responded smoothly, staring directly into the other girl's eyes.
Kotoko sighed dramatically. "You come all the way here, barely take a sip of your coffee, and then stare at me like I'm a criminal. So rude"
"Apologies," Yomi said, though her face remained expressionless, her gaze still locked onto Kotoko.
"Alright, alright" Kotoko finally surrendered, raising her hands in defeat before standing up. "Rather than hearing me explain, why don't you see for yourself?"
They stepped through a hidden barrier, revealing a seemingly unremarkable Shinto shrine.
Yomi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Kotoko continued, "When I discovered something unusual, I asked my contacts to help conceal this place."
Looking up at the shrine, Yomi's expression grew serious.
A dense aura of Yokai filled the air.
"...There's no doubt. This is the presence of the Hagoromo Gitsune!"
Her heart tightened.
Shing!
Without hesitation, she drew her sword, preparing to investigate further.
But before she could move, Kotoko grabbed her arm, her voice was filled with amusement and concern.
"You're just going to rush in like that?"
Yomi froze for a moment, looking at her in confusion.
Kotoko twitched the corner of her mouth. "Are you sure you can handle this?"
"You're not even going to notify your organization?"
She was having second thoughts.
The only reason she even brought Yomi here was because she was part of the Environmental Countermeasures Bureau. Otherwise, there was no way she'd drag her into something this dangerous.
If something was related to that demon fox ykai, Hagoromo Gitsune, could a single teenage girl really deal with it?
Yomi hesitated, then shook her head. "I don't know"
"But if we wait any longer, it might be too late"
Her expression turned serious, her eyes filled with determination.
She was fairly confident in her abilities, but she wasn't the type to boast recklessly.
This wasn't the first time she had dealt with an incident involving the presence of such a legendary yokai.
She had already resolved six cases on her own.
No problemyet.
But she also knew that one mistake could mean disaster.
"This girl is so damn stubborn"
Kotoko sighed, rubbing her temples.
If she'd known this would happen, she wouldn't have gotten involved in the first place.
"Still, you can relax."
Yomi suddenly remembered something and decided to reassure Kotoko. She pulled out a black summoning flyer that Lynn had given her.
"This is?"
Kotoko looked at it in confusion.
"A Devil Summoning Contract."
"As long as I channel my energy into it, a Devil will appear and help me through the crisis."
"Of course"
"There is a price to pay afterward."
"Hah?" Kotoko squinted.
A humana Devil hunter, no lessrelying on a Devil??
She wasn't an expert on Devils, but she'd heard plenty from yokai rumors.
A Devil summoning contract was something she'd never seen in person before.
Using a Devil's power was disgraceful for a human, but it was still a possible solution.
At the very least, Kotoko felt a little more at ease.
As long as the summoned Devil was strong enough.
"Alright! Then let's do this with full focus!"
Black Bullet World.
The sky darkened.
Saeko and Kisara had been fighting fiercely for what felt like forever.
At some point, the two had fallen into an unspoken competition, their attacks becoming sharper and more aggressive.
Meanwhile, Utaha and Mahiru handled the remaining threats.
Seeing that they were all panting from exhaustion, Lynn clapped his hands and called them back.
It was time.
Next upScorpio.
"The remaining Gastrea are yours to handle, Hana."
All the high-level Gastrea had already been wiped out.
Leaving the lower-tier ones to Hana and the other lower-ranked Devils was perfect for their growth.
The battle against Scorpio, however, was a different story.
The real battle would be led by him.
Partly to test his current strength. Partly because of the Gastrea Factor Codex skill he had.
Before the battle, though, there was one important matter.
Magic replenishment.
Seeing his exhausted Familia members looking at him expectantly, Lynn smirked and went around, "rewarding" each of them.
"Eh? Again?"
Shizuka pouted.
Ever since everyone realized that Lynn's magic replenishment ability had the same effect as her recovery potions, her items had been completely abandoned.
"But I worked so hard on them"
She grumbled under her breath, but then quickly lined up with the others, her eyes full of anticipation. "Whatever, I'll just drink them later when I feel tired!"
Utaha rolled her eyes and muttered, "You're just as bad as the rest of us."
Even Shizuka preferred Lynn's method over her own potions.
Not long after, the replenishment was complete.
Lynn's Familia turned their attention to Scorpio.
Saeko's expression was grim.
The easygoing attitude from earlier had completely disappeared.
Anyone would feel some tension when facing a monstrous creature the size of a mountain.
A beast of this scale could wipe out an entire area just by shifting its weight.
"So we're finally up against this thing."
Utaha gripped her Devil's Grimoire, wondering if her maximum Lightning Strike output would even scratch it.
As if sensing their attention, Scorpio paused for a moment.
Then, it opened its massive jaws and let out an ear-piercing screech.
The shockwave sent violent gusts of wind across the battlefield, rustling their clothes and shaking the air itself.
But
Lynn frowned.
That sound it almost sounds like it's crying
"Strange!"
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Yo
Now that was 10 chapters for being in the top 20 last week.
Thanks for your support! I'll try to drop another mass release soon.
The Twelve Zodiac!
"Lightning strike!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha flipped open the Devil's Grimoire, and a bolt of brilliant blue lightning cascaded down from the sky, slamming into the Scorpio's black shell with a deafening crack!
Crackle! Sizzle!
Under the immense heat, the black shell instantly turned red-hotthen was pierced straight through!
A surge of deep purple blood spurted out, painting the sky with its color.
But in the blink of an eye, the exposed flesh regenerated at an alarming speed, sealing itself back up with another layer of that impenetrable black armor.
Utaha's face stiffened. Frustration crept into her voice. "That did... absolutely nothing."
"Creatures at this level... Even varanium weapons wouldn't be enough to suppress its regeneration."
Saeko pulled her bloodied katana from the Scorpio's shell, but within seconds, the wound she had inflicted was gone, as if she had never struck it at all.
Faced with such an opponent, even someone like Saeko had to admitthere weren't many viable options.
Thankfully, they weren't here to take it down alone.
Lynn was the main force in this fight.
Having recently advanced to mid-tier Devils, Saeko and the others unleashed their skills on the Scorpio in rapid succession, pouring everything they had into the battle.
Finally, they were all exhausted.
"Huff... Huff..."
Gasping for breath, the girls collapsed into the arms of Kanoe Yuuko and the others, who quickly helped them recover.
Utaha, still panting, forced a smile. "With how much effort we put in against that big thing, we better get a decent amount of experience, right?"
Tendo Kisara suddenly mused aloud, "What if we actually rank up to high-tier Devils after this?"
Utaha shot her a look. "We just became mid-tier Devils a few days ago, and you're already aiming for high-tier?"
Saeko thought for a moment before shaking her head. "We aren't the main attackers in this fight. Let's not get our hopes too high."
"That said..."
Her lips curled into a subtle smile as she recalled the thrill of slaughtering numerous Stage IV Gastrea. Almost instinctively, she licked her lips.
"We did take down quite a few high-level Gastrea. We should see some improvement."
Hearing that, Utaha let out a sigh. "Saeko, if anyone's ranking up today, it's definitely you. You were already close to advancing before the fight."
