Wait was this a time-locked isolation?
Was he actually the reason the Inuykai clan faded into obscurity!?
As the two chatted casually, they arrived at the edge of Hell.
Staring at the shimmering veil in front of them, Lynn squinted his eyes.
Ever since becoming "Enma," he realized that just beyond this membrane was the Hell of another mythological system.
He poked at it and found it surprisingly resilient.
After touring Hell, Lynn returned to the small thatched hut to discuss official business with Enma Ai.
At the moment, the biggest problem Hell faced was a manpower shortage.
No matter what task needed doing, there simply weren't enough hands to handle it, so naturally, no operations could really get off the ground.
But thenLynn brought up the Inuykai clan.
Hearing that, Kukuri's eyes lit up. "As long as we've got people, we can get Hell's operations running again in no time!"
As an avatar of the Three-Eyed Spider, she had a deeper understanding of Hell's workings.
So Lynn let her continue serving as Enma Ai's assistant.
"Oh, right," Enma Ai suddenly remembered something. "I've still got a few helpers."
Not long after Two men and one woman showed up at the hut.
"Hone Onna, Ichimokuren, Wanyuudou."
Enma Ai introduced them one by one, then said to them, "This is our new boss."
Hone Onna: "..."
Ichimokuren and Wanyuudou exchanged glances before falling into silence.
New leadership already?
But
Since Miss Ai said so, there wasn't much to say they all bowed to Lynn. "Greetings, Boss."
Lynn twitched a little at the title.
Why did this feel like he was some Yakuza?
After explaining the future plans for Hell, Lynn prepared to leave.
Before he left, he decided to make Hone Onna a follower as well.
"Take off your clothes."
The room was quiet. Hone Onna froze for a moment, then casually replied, "Does Master want to try a taste of Hone Onna's charms?"
Lynn rubbed his chin, a bit amused."I am a little curious."
"But just showing your back will do."
She blinked, then chuckled. "So that's all it is. Looks like I was overthinking it."
She loosened her kimono, revealing a beautiful, pale back.
Lynn pressed a Devil's Piece onto her.
A moment later, blessing information popped up.
—
[Hone Onna]
Rank: Mid-Class Devil
Race: Devil
Master: Lynn Valifer
Stats:
Strength: I0 Agility: I0 Endurance: I0 Magic: I0
Unique Skills: [Bone Storm], [Vengeful Bone Armament] & [Bone Devil]
[Bone Storm]
Summons a storm of bone spikes from the ground to impale enemies.
Spikes inflict a "Frostbite" effect, slowing their movement.
[Vengeful Bone Armament]
Every time she kills an enemy, she can convert their skeleton into temporary weapons like bone blades or bows.
Weapon strength scales with enemy level.
[Bone Devil]
Bone Arsenal: Can break apart her own bones into weapons (bone blades, spears, whips). Injuries caused will grow "bone coral," which continues to corrode the victim until death.
Death Rouge: Burns her own bones to greatly increase attack speed and critical rate for a short time. Afterward, she needs significant mental energy to recover.
Devil Form (Formless)
—
"Bone Devil, huh"
Lynn raised an eyebrow. Another Special Devil.
He copied down her Blessing info and explained the abilities to her.
Hone Onna's eyes sparkled with interest as she listened.
Then Lynn asked about her past.
—
"So that's how it was"
Before the man she loved could sell her to a brothel, she chose to end her own life by drowning her spirit left behind, too full of resentment to find peace.
That's how she became the legendary Hone Onna.
They chatted a bit more.
Lynn explained his follower system to her, then handed her a phone before leaving.
Watching the spot where Lynn had vanished, Hone Onna's eyes gleamed. She murmured, "This time I've really pledged myself to someone amazing"
Iwanaga Kotoko followed behind Lynn, still a bit dazed.
After Leaving Hell
"Can't believe I made it out of Hell in one piece"
Back when she first entered, she was pretty anxious especially after seeing Kukuri's creepy vibe.
But
She'd come out completely unscathed.
Kotoko looked at Lynn with admiration. "No wonder you're called a Maou. Truly a Devil King."
The way he'd handled everything in Hell was just overwhelming.
And somehow he'd even become the ruler of Hell itself.
Today had been more exciting than anything else she'd ever experienced even more than the day she first became a god of wisdom.
Suddenly, Lynn stopped walking.
Kotoko, still deep in thought about him, didn't notice in time and smacked right into his back.
She clutched her forehead and crouched down with a little whimper. "Owww, ow ow ow!"
It was like running into a steel wall!
Lynn turned to look down at her, smiling. "Well now, Miss Goddess of Wisdom I think it's time we talked about payment for your little request."
"Ehh!?"
.
.
.
Devil Link Nakiri Erina
Thanks to Lynn's reminder, Kotoko Iwanaga finally recalled that little detail she'd completely forgotten and her expression instantly froze. Even the pain on her forehead seemed to vanish for a moment.
But Lynn took her small request, got himself a Hell, even picked up a few capable (and surprisingly adorable) subordinatesAnd now she still had to pay him?
She was the one spending money, but Lynn was the one reaping all the benefits.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Kotoko forced a composed expression.
"...Lord Lynn, what exactly do you want?"
She hadn't forgotten the price list hanging in the Supernatural Research Club.
This Devil before her was absolutely the type to charge depending on the mood!
Lynn rubbed his chin, his eyes falling on the glowing Devil Piece in his hand.
"Naturally, I want you to become part of my Familia."
Knew it!
Kotoko felt her heart sink into darkness.
This guy's serious!?
But Lynn went on casually. "You saw how Hell looks for yourself. That three-eyed spider might not be all that strong, but in Hell's environment? It's a real pain to deal with."
Kotoko pursed her lips.
He wasn't wrong.
That entire Hell Girl system was pretty much the work of that spider. If she wanted to take down the Hell Website, dealing with that spider was unavoidable.
"Sigh."
Kotoko let out a quiet sigh and fell into silence, clearly struggling inside.
"Of course"
Lynn suddenly changed the subject, grinning.
"I'm still a Devil, sure, but us modern Devils do pride ourselves on keeping promises."
"So this time I'll let it slide. But next time..."
A magic circle lit up beneath Lynn's feet, his voice echoing in Kotoko's ears.
"...Don't go throwing something like this onto my plate again."
As his words faded, so did his figure vanishing right before Kotoko's eyes.
Staring dumbfounded at the empty space where Lynn disappeared, Kotoko muttered blankly,"...He just left?"
She honestly thought she was about to lose her virginity right there...
But...
With Lynn gone, she could finally let out a small sigh of relief.
Still... the way he left so cleanly and decisively... it left her feeling strangely empty.
"No, no, no!"
Kotoko quickly shook her head and forced a self-deprecating smile.
"What, am I really thinking about becoming someone's mistress now?"
That Supernatural Club of his... in Shuchiin Academy, they were practically famous for their harem-like reputation!
But then again...
For a Devil King, building a harem did seem perfectly reasonable.
"Ah well... I'll deal with that when the time comes."
Kotoko quickly convinced herself.
If fate really did have her becoming Lynn's little mistress... then there was no avoiding it anyway.
Future problems could stay in the future.
But still...
Looking around at the pitch-black streets, Kotoko's eyelid twitched.
"...He really just left a beautiful young maiden like me here alone!?"
Walking down dark alleys all by herself yeah, that was kinda scary!
"Princess! Princess!!"
Suddenly, a chorus of quacky, duck-like voices rang out.
Hearing those familiar sounds, Kotoko finally let out a small breath of relief, though her expression darkened when she saw the small group of little yokai floating over.
"Oh, now you guys dare to come out just because the Devil's gone?"
Looking at these utterly useless little yokai, Kotoko's eyes were filled with disdain.
"Princess..."
A little red-skinned yokai shivered. "That Devil guy was way too scary!"
"Mhm! Mhm!"
The other yokai all nodded like crazy, faces still pale with lingering fear.
"We don't wanna end up as Devil food!"
The dark street echoed with their wailing cries.
"Alright, alright, enough."
Kotoko waved her hand dismissively.
"Let's go. We're heading back to base."
Leaning on her cane, she hobbled forward.
Even if Lynn didn't demand her body as payment, she still owed him a reward.
Kotoko knew that very well.
Just because he didn't mention it didn't mean she could just pretend it wasn't necessary.
Especially since she'd just made a deal with a Devil King she needed to tread very, very carefully.
Pissing off Lynn was definitely a death wish.
Especially after seeing his power firsthand in Hell, Kotoko knew that now more than ever.
"Guess I'll go dig around and see if those old geezers back home have any valuable treasures left..."
Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, Kotoko started plotting who she could squeeze some treasure out of.
Suddenly, she spoke up. "Hey... what do you guys think..."
"If I became a Devil myself?"
The yokai around her instantly froze in shock.
"Princess!? Are you abandoning us!?"
The little yokai immediately burst into frightened sobbing, their wails making Kotoko's head ache.
Still, even though it started as just a random thought, Kotoko realized she might've figured out the perfect reward for Lynn.
Since he liked collecting subordinates so much...Why not just give him one?
Yup!
That's it!
Now she just needed to figure out...
What exactly was that "Blessing" thing Lynn mentioned?
Kotoko was definitely curious.
Back then, Lynn only said it was a power his reincarnated Familia members got but he didn't go into detail. He also used the word ''familia' instead for 'peerage' for it.
The strange symbols carved onto Kikuri and the others she couldn't understand any of them.
Even when Lynn copied them down, Kotoko didn't dare look too deeply into it.
Somehow, she just knew that digging too much into that would bring serious trouble...
That was probably Lynn's biggest secret.
Kotoko fell silent, lost deep in thought.
The next day
Ryougetsu Senhime finally left her cozy little spot and returned to her beloved Era.
This time, she wasn't coming back alone she was taking a group of Inu-Yokai with her, heading straight for Hell.
Later on, she planned to bring the entire Inu-Yokai tribe into Hell as well.
Sure, that might mean the Inu-Yokai would completely vanish from the world for the next 500 years...
But so what?
Once they entered Hell, they'd officially be part of the system government jobs and all!
Most Yokai wouldn't even get this kind of chance!
Even if Lynn-sama's Hell was still in its early stages, Senhime had absolute faith in his grand ambitions.
The Inu-Yokai... would rise again, starting from Hell!
—
At the same time.
Muroto Sumire sent a message to Lynn.
"Lynn-sama, during our research on Yokai, we discovered a new use for their flesh and blood."
"Oh?"
That immediately caught Lynn's interest.
Sumire explained further: "We found that after processing Yokai blood a certain way, if it infects ordinary animals, their flesh becomes incredibly delicious... and eating it can actually boost a Familia member's stats."
"We've decided to call it Demonic Beast Meat."
Lynn rubbed his chin. "Well damn... they actually managed to come up with something interesting."
Extraordinary ingredients, huh?
Normally, because of the negative properties of Yokai blood, their flesh was basically unusable.
In fact, any animal contaminated by Yokai blood would usually die from miasma poisoning or similar side effects.
But these girls... actually figured out a way to make it edible?
"Not bad at all."
For Lynn's Familia, Demonic Beast Meat would be a huge upgrade.
Lynn was already starting to notice it aside from grinding monsters for EXP, there were other methods his Familia could use to get stronger.
World invasions were one thing.
Just yesterday, little Ai was proof of that.
Simply because she gained the title of Hell Administrator and received Hell's blessing, she instantly leveled up once.
And now? Eating extraordinary ingredients could boost stats too?
But Sumire's next message clarified things: "Right now, the Demonic Beast Meat produced through Familia methods can only boost low-rank devils. We believe it's related to the quality of the meat."
Lynn nodded in understanding.
After all, it was just ordinary animals contaminated by low-level Yokai blood.
The fact that it could even boost low-rank devils was already impressive.
After asking a few more details about their research, Lynn's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Maybe... I should consider invading worlds that have high-end ingredients?"
Sure, Demonic Beast Meat could only boost low-rank devils for now... but there were plenty of worlds out there with top-quality ingredients.
Lynn fell deep into thought.
In the Familia group chat
[Hell Girl: "Lynn-sama, the Devil Link network is officially online."]
"Oh?"
Lynn snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes lighting up in surprise.
That fast?
Clicking on the link Enma Ai sent him, a website similar to Hell Link popped up.
Ai had already set Lynn as the site's highest-level administrator.
Just like Lynn requested, the website could automatically search for people guided by Devil Pieces.
Unlike Hell Link, it wasn't limited to midnight appearances either.
But...
Whether people would actually use Devil Link to request deals from devils that was still unknown.
Only through making deals with devils could Lynn slowly bring them all into his Familia.
But hey...
One step at a time.
Lynn rubbed his chin, staring at the Devil Link motto on the site: [Do you need the help of a devil?]
