Lynn's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed it.
Kotoko and the others stared blankly at the surreal scene before them, subconsciously swallowing hard.
To think... someone could change the entire environment of this layer of Hell in an instant.
The Three-Eyed Spider could do that because of its status as a Hell Administrator.
But Lynn?
That was pure, overwhelming strength.
Hiss
Kotoko sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, finally understanding just how terrifying the word "Maou" Devil King really was.
After a long while, the three of them finally snapped out of their stunned daze.
Kukuri stood quietly, staring at the scene before her, feeling just a tiny trace of complicated emotions in her heart.
After all... she had been working under the Three-Eyed Spider until just moments ago.
But she quickly composed herself. Once the area had settled down again, Kukuri bowed respectfully toward Lynn.
"Lord Lynn, shall we go release Ai's parents now?"
Lynn responded with a simple nod.
With his permission, Kukuri floated off with Enma Ai toward the deeper parts of Hell.
Seeing this, Kotoko's eyes sparkled with curiosity. She was itching to explore more of this Hellish world.
"Wait for me! Take me along too!" she called out quickly.
Kukuri turned to glance at Lynn for confirmation.
Since Lynn didn't say anything, Kukuri thought for a moment... then brought Kotoko along as well.
Lynn then lowered his gaze.
That faint glint of silver had caught his eye.
It looked like... some sort of waist token or badge, engraved with the crest of Hell and the words [Hell Administrator] carved boldly into its surface.
Lynn bent down and picked it up.
Was this the source of the Three-Eyed Spider's authority?
As he was thinking, the badge suddenly began to glow faintly.
[Hell Administrator detected deceased. Initiating release of authority]
A cold, mechanical female voice rang out from within the badge.
Lynn raised a brow but didn't interrupt, curious to see what would happen next.
[Authority release complete. Searching for suitable candidate...]
The badge's glow pulsed for a moment before the voice sounded again.
[Suitable candidate found. Do you wish to bind yourself as the new [Hell Administrator]?]
"Oh?"
A faintly intrigued look flashed in Lynn's eyes.
It actually chose him?
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Being a Hell Administrator here... definitely came with a lot of perks.
"What happens if I accept?" he asked casually.
[You will be responsible for completing all assigned tasks within Hell...]
Lynn listened for a while, but quickly lost interest.
So basically... it was just a glorified office job.
A high-level, overworked employee, nothing more.
And Lynn had zero intention of staying in Hell or doing its busywork.
Thinking for a moment, he asked lazily, "Is there a higher position than Administrator?"
The badge's glow dimmed slightly, as if processing the question.
[Upon completing specific requirements, the position may be upgraded to [Enma (God of Hell)].]
Lynn's thoughts were clear.
He wasn't here to become a corporate slave. He just wanted the perks, the rights, and the ownership of this slice of Hell.
He continued, "And what can an Enma do?"
[Oversee Hell. Judge souls...]
The badge went on explaining a whole list of duties.
But the more Lynn listened, the less interested he became.
Administrator to Enma... basically going from manager to CEO of Hell Corp.
He told the badge his thoughts outright.
The glow on the badge flickered like crazy... then went completely dark.
Lynn: ""
"Well, whatever."
He casually pocketed the badge.
Might come in handy for one of his subordinates later.
An unclaimed part of Hell like this? No reason to leave it unused.
—
A while later.
Lynn arrived at the place where the souls were being suppressed.
After personally witnessing the release of her parents' souls, Enma Ai stood there, lost in a daze for a long moment.
Then, turning to Lynn, she bowed her head deeply and spoke softly.
"Lord Lynn... from this moment on, my life belongs to you."
There was a faint trace of expectation shining in her eyes for this new chapter of her life.
Lynn reached out and gently patted her head.
Feeling the warmth on her head, Ai froze slightly.
It was the first time... anyone had ever done something like this to her.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling quietly rose in her heart.
"Come on. Let's head back to the hut. I'll reincarnate you as one of my familia," Lynn said.
Ai snapped back to reality and nodded obediently.
"Yes, Lord Lynn."
—
Inside the straw hut.
Having already gone through Kukuri's experience, Ai quietly removed her kimono, baring only her back.
Even so, exposing herselfjust a littlein front of a man for the first time still made her feel incredibly shy.
Once she was ready, Lynn pressed the devil piece he'd formed onto her back.
The moment the piece entered her body, a wave of transformation began, and she couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.
Not long after, a stream of system info appeared:
—
[Enma Ai]
Rank: Mid-Class Devil
Master: Lynn Valifer
Stats:
Strength: I0 Agility: I0 Endurance: I0 Magic: I0
Unique Skills: [Hell Link], [Sanzu River] & [Hell Devil]
[Hell Link]
Can use spirit power to build a website and establish a link between Hell and the mortal world.
[Sanzu River]
Summons a ghostly boat and ferryman to guide souls.
[Hell Devil]
Hell Projection:
Ai Enma can turn a 100-meter radius into a "Hell Projection," overriding reality.
Within this domain, the terrain becomes blood rivers from the Sanzu River, fields of red spider lilies, and mountains of bones.
All beings inside are suppressed by the laws of Hell.
Yomi Army: Tears open space to summon creatures from Hell.
Devilization: Enma Palace, Throne of Endless Suffering.
(A/N: Enma means God of Hell. Yomi means the underworld.)
"Hell Devil, huh..."
Lynn carefully examined Ai Enma's new skills, focusing especially on "Hell Projection."
It wasn't bad at alla powerful domain-type skill that could both attack and restrict enemies using Hell's laws.
Thinking for a moment, Lynn suddenly took out the waist token he'd obtained earlier and handed it to Ai.
"Try thissee if you can become a Hell Administrator."
It only made sense: a Hell Devil managing Hell.
He was also curiousif she gained the "Hell Administrator" title, would her skills evolve?
"This is..."
Kukuri clearly recognized the token, whispering, "A Hell Administrator, huh..."
Enma Ai took the token in her hand, and it immediately began to glow with an eerie light.
[Suitable candidate detected. Bind identity: 'Hell Administrator'?]
Ai Enma looked up at Lynn. Seeing him nod, she softly replied, "I'm willing."
In that moment
A soft hum echoed.
The token turned into a silver light and merged into her body.
At the same time, a system notification rang in Lynn's ears:
[Ding!]
[Your servant has gained the identity: "Hell Administrator." As a result, you've received attributes related to "Enma."]
.
.
.
Enma Authority
Enma-related Authority?
Lynn's eyes flickered with surprise.
But then, as if something clicked, his expression turned serious in that instant, it felt like the entirety of Hell unfolded in his mind.
Every corner of Hell within Japan's domain was laid bare before him.
Moments later, he slowly opened his eyes.
"So getting Enma's Authority means I can control Hell now?"
Though it seemed like it was limited to just the Japan area for now...
Lynn could sense there were other subtle changes too, but there were more pressing things to handle at the moment.
Suppressing his curiosity for the time being, he proceeded to update Enma Ai's blessing.
"As expected changes have started happening already..."
A new skill appeared before Lynn's eyes, making him narrow them slightly.
[Hell Administrator]
Manages all Hell-related operations
Controls the Hell environment (Limited to Japan Region)
Boosts all Hell-related skills
—
"Hell Administrator, huh"
Lynn rubbed his chin. He didn't expect that holding this title would actually become a skill of its own.
Looking further down, he noticed that the range of his [Enma Palace] domain, a skill from [Hell Devil], had expanded to a radius of over a thousand kilometers.
Other Hell-related skills had also received varying degrees of buffs.
And he even gained a new development ability: Magic Conductor.
Ai raised her hand slightly, feeling the surge of power flowing through her.
Lynn's gaze shifted upward.
Her rank, listed in the status screen, had jumped from a Mid-Class Devil straight to a High-Class Devil.
"Hell's power-up bonus, huh"
Lynn pondered for a moment.
After imprinting the new blessing info, he handed it over to Ai.
She barely glanced at it before setting it aside not really caring too much about her own abilities.
What caught her attention more was the "Master" section on the blessing info. That seemed to make her feel a little complicated.
...
Meanwhile
Lynn opened up his own status panel to check his situation.
Not much had changed, except for one thing in the Authority section, there was now a new trait: Enma.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Authority, huh?
So acquiring Enma's attributes actually meant obtaining a kind of divine Authority?
Lynn tapped on the Enma Authority.
Authority: [Enma] Body of Hellfire
Transforms into the flames of Hell itself, becoming immune to all physical attacks.
However, divine-level attacks of the same tier and causality-based attacks are not included in this immunity.
—
Seeing the ability description, Lynn rubbed his chin thoughtfully before closing his status panel.
With just a thought
Fwoosh!
In the next second, Lynn's entire arm transformed into blazing Hellfire.
"Eh?! Eh?! What the heck?!"
Iwanaga Kotoko, startled by the sudden change, panicked, "Y-You're on fire?!"
"It's fine. This is my ability."
Lynn casually explained and stretched out his other hand
But it just passed right through the flaming arm like it was air.
"Elementalization?"
The scene was a little surreal, and Lynn's expression turned strange.
Still
Not bad at all.
At the very least, physical attacks were pretty much useless against him now.
Though... the drawbacks were pretty clear too.
While divine and causality-type attacks were obvious weaknesses, even ordinary magic-based attacks could still affect his Hellfire Body.
Lynn figured the Enma Authority probably had more hidden potential waiting to be unlocked.
After thinking for a bit, he turned to Enma Ai.
"Alright, Ai I'm leaving Hell's management to you from now on. Make sure you rise up and become a true Enma (God of Hell), yeah?"
He patted her head encouragingly.
Enma Ai stared at him for a moment, then nodded seriously, "I will!"
Satisfied, Lynn suddenly thought of something else her Hell Link ability.
"Hey, about that Hell website of yours think you could turn it into a full-on Devil website?"
Ai blinked, then nodded, "I can."
"Good."
A smile tugged at the corner of Lynn's lips.
"I'll give you permission to use Devil Pieces too. Change the setting from 'only people filled with hatred can access the site' to"
"'anyone guided by a Devil Piece can access it.'"
"What do you think? Can you do it?"
Ai stayed silent for a second, then responded seriously, "I'll do my best!"
"Nice. Love the energy!"
After that, Lynn discussed the Familia situation with Ai and Kikuri, handing both of them their own exclusive Familia smartphones.
He didn't bother hiding anything from Iwanaga Kotoko either during the chat.
Of course he didn't spill the beans about the whole otherworldly blessing system either.
After some casual chatting, Lynn wandered around Hell for a bit.
The current state of the Japan-region Hell was honestly hard to describe.
Aside from the souls forcibly brought in through the Hell Girl program created by the Three-Eyed Spider, there were barely any souls coming in through normal means.
"No Hell staff at all?"
Lynn's mouth twitched.
"...Damn, this place is seriously miserable"
Seeing the current state of things, Lynn fell into thought.
Sure, he didn't have to perform the duties of Enma just because he got the Authority
But technically speaking, he was now the de facto ruler of the Japan region of Hell.
And besideshe had a feeling that once Ai fully awakened as Enma, there might be additional feedback benefits for him too.
Meaning developing Hell was actually kind of important.
As he pondered, he suddenly reached out and patted Ryougetsu Senhime's doggo head.
"Say you folks from the Western Lands"
"Ever thought about moving somewhere else to expand your business?"
Lying comfortably in Lynn's arms, Senhime tilted her head with a question mark floating above it.
"You mean"
"Hell?"
"Yup!" Lynn grinned.
"What do you think?"
She nodded without hesitation."I think it's a great idea!"
"Not bad. You've got the right mindset."
Lynn gave her an approving nod and rewarded her with a gentle head pat.
Then he said, "Once we're done here in Hell, head over to the past. Bring a group with you to start getting used to the place."
Right now, Hell's basically in ruins and needs a full rebuild.
But...
Once things are up and running, the Inuykai (Dog Demon) clan will be among the old guard. With that kind of legacy, they'd easily land themselves official positions.
It's always better to be part of the system than wandering aimlessly outside it.
Senhime had no objections in her heart.
She understood Lynn was someone destined to walk a road with no clear end.
All the Inuykai clan needed to do was follow behind him.
But...
Something suddenly came to mind, and she spoke in a low, thoughtful voice: "So is this why the Inuykai clan seems to have no presence in the modern world?"
Lynn paused, then looked up at the sky. "Let's just say that's the reason"
If the whole Inuykai tribe moved into Hell during modern times, they'd basically be out of sight for a good five hundred years.
Of course the world wouldn't be able to find any trace of them.
