— — — — — —
"Wait!!"
Katerea Leviathan's eyes went wide as she quickly opened her mouth to say something—
—but the next second, a gust of wind shoved itself right down her throat.
BOOM!!
The "Katerea Special Edition" javelin-style entrance blasted straight through the Old Satan Faction's front gate!
"Enemy attack!!"
The Old Satan Faction's response was lightning-fast. The moment the gate was breached, the devils inside immediately sounded the alarm.
But then—
When they saw who had broken down the door, all of them froze.
"Ha?"
"Lady Leviathan?!"
Katerea Leviathan scrambled to her feet, coughing and spitting out dust, then shot a nasty glare at the devils nearby.
"What the hell are you all staring at?!"
Instant silence. No one dared say a word.
"Katerea?"
Creuserey Asmodeus hurried over when he heard the commotion. He stared at the disheveled Leviathan, frowning.
"What kind of mess did you get yourself into this time?"
Katerea rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and didn't bother responding.
Tap, Tap.
Footsteps echoed from the distance, gradually getting closer.
Creuserey turned toward the sound, still frowning.
A tall figure with black hair and crimson eyes stepped into view.
But what really caught Creuserey's attention wasn't the guy's looks—it was the overwhelming pressure rolling off him.
At least Maou-level?
Creuserey narrowed his eyes.
Did Katerea bring him here to join us?
He turned to look at Katerea again.
Katerea just shrugged. "Valifer. I brought him back."
Creuserey: "...Valifer???"
Wouldn't it have been easier to just kill him?
But then he took another look at Katerea's condition.
Hair a mess, face covered in dirt, her usual red-rimmed glasses missing entirely.
What really stood out, though, were her arms and legs—blood dripped down from wounds that still burned with traces of holy light, searing into her flesh.
Yeah, no doubt about it. She got the crap beaten out of her, and now she came back dragging him along.
"Useless."
Now that he understood what happened, Creuserey—who already didn't like Katerea much—didn't hold back on the insult.
"Hmph."
Katerea snorted and snapped back, "Weren't you the one who said I didn't need to get involved?"
Creuserey conveniently ignored that and turned his sharp gaze toward Lynn.
He didn't think much of Katerea, but her strength? That, he acknowledged.
Especially since she had the power of the 'Snake.'
To leave her in this state… Creuserey knew he couldn't afford to underestimate Lynn Valifer.
"Shalba!"
Just to be safe, Creuserey immediately called for backup.
Fwoosh—
A sudden gust of wind blew through, and a man with medium-length brown hair appeared at his side in the blink of an eye.
Shalba Beelzebub frowned. "Creuserey? You couldn't handle this on your own?"
He'd already sensed the base being invaded and thought Creuserey would be enough to deal with it.
Guess not.
"...He did this to Katerea, and she has the Snake," Creuserey said flatly. "I'm not confident I can handle it alone."
Hearing that, Shalba turned to look at Katerea—then saw the wreck she'd become.
Katerea gave a strained smile and waved, "Hey Shalba, I'm back."
"Oh, and I brought a guest~"
Shalba's face twitched slightly. He shifted his gaze to Lynn.
The moment he saw him, Shalba's eyes narrowed.
"Valifer?"
Unlike Katerea and Creuserey, Shalba had actually seen the reports.
So he immediately recognized Lynn.
What he didn't expect was the pressure this guy gave off.
That wasn't in the intel.
But based on how easily he killed Kokabiel, Shalba had already guessed Lynn's strength.
Still…To think even Katerea got wrecked?
This guy—Valifer—he was either absurdly confident in his strength…
Or completely insane.
Marching into the heart of the Old Satan Faction's base alone?
Does he think he can take them all on by himself?
Lynn scanned the crowd of devils with a blank expression.
After a few seconds, he clicked his tongue in boredom. "Let's wrap this up quickly."
Shalba's brow twitched.
Did this punk just look down on them?
Been a while since someone dared to do that.
"You little—"
He was just about to snap back when Lynn vanished on the spot.
A blazing trail of starlight streaked through the air!
In a split second, Lynn appeared right in front of him.
BAM!
A foot wreathed in stardust flames slammed straight into Shalba's face.
BOOM!!
Shalba Beelzebub went crashing down without warning, carving a tunnel like he was trying to reach the core of the underworld!
Crack—crack!
The sound of his skull breaking was crystal clear!
Creuserey Asmodeus froze, eyes wide, staring ahead in disbelief, like his brain hadn't caught up with what just happened.
BOOM!!
The next moment, he was also sent flying through the air!
"So strong!!"
Creuserey's mind reeled.
He was on Maou-level, and yet—he couldn't even react in time!?
Meanwhile—
Katerea Leviathan's expression shifted strangely. But deep inside, she felt relieved.
When she had just returned to her base and saw Shalba and Creuserey again, she had felt a bit conflicted.
Thankfully, that's all it was—a passing thought. She hadn't done anything reckless like attacking Lynn again.
Thinking back on it, she let out a quiet breath of relief. And then, watching the two of them get beaten, she felt a strange, complicated emotion rise up.
So... even when Lynn fought her before, he wasn't going all out?
---
Somewhere far below...
After who knows how far he fell, Shalba Beelzebub finally came to a stop, half-conscious and coughing up blood.
Bones shattered all over.
Internal organs crushed from the sheer impact.
But the worst of it—the direct blow to the head.
His brain was barely functioning. It felt like it was about to leak out of his skull.
And to make it worse—
That searing, burning pain just kept getting worse!
It was like his whole body was being eaten away by some kind of starfire—a flame that shimmered like the night sky.
"H...w?!!
Shalba was horrified.
Even he couldn't tank a single hit?!
No way!!
Absolutely impossible!!
Only someone who'd surpassed the Maou level—a Super Devil—could do that to him!
But—
He was sure of it. Lynn Valifer wasn't on that level.
So then... what the hell is going on?!
Even if he was facing a Super Devil, he shouldn't have gone down like some chump!
Damn it all!!
Shalba could barely hold himself together.
The Valifers... they're all damn monsters!!
He suddenly remembered what happened to his grandfather five hundred years ago—killed instantly in battle.
A shiver ran through him.
Was he about to follow in his grandfather's footsteps?
No, no, nooo!!
Shalba forcefully shook that thought from his mind!
He wasn't like his grandfather!
He had the power granted by the Infinite Dragon God!
With that thought, his aura exploded out—
BOOM!!
His magic power surged, enough to warp the skies themselves, bolts of lightning slamming down from above.
CRASH—!!
Shalba tore apart the rock around him and clawed his way out of the crater.
His wounds were already starting to heal.
But...
The burning pain on his face was still there—and it was driving him insane.
Why...
Why the hell hasn't that fire gone out yet?!
It was eating away at his sanity, but he had no time to worry about that now.
BOOM!!
His magic flared again as he launched himself into the sky!
In a blink, he was standing in front of Lynn again.
Shalba turned to glance at the battered Creuserey.
With a deep voice, he called out:
"Creuserey!"
"Yeah... I got it..."
Creuserey responded weakly, then released his own power—also calling on the strength of the snake.
BOOM!!
Another wave of massive magic burst out!
Power surged through Creuserey's body as he caught his breath and steadied himself.
Then, with a strange look in his eyes, he stared at Lynn.
Terrifying...
No wonder Katerea had that look earlier.
Now he understood. And he was glad—damn glad—he got Shalba to join the fight.
But... Would even that be enough?
Creuserey still wasn't so sure.
Suddenly—Lynn raised his hand toward him. "Universal Pull!"
A wild suction force instantly pulled Creuserey off his feet!
"What the—!?"
Before he could react, he was yanked straight toward Lynn!
"!!!"
Creuserey panicked, unleashing magic to try and break free from the pull—
SMACK!
Lynn grabbed his head with one hand, grinning. "Later."
Creuserey's eyes went wide.
And the next second—
BOOM!!!
An explosion of flames and beams of every magical element burst out, completely engulfing him!
"AAARRRGGHHH!!"
His blood-curdling scream echoed through the entire Old Satan faction stronghold!
Shalba's heart sank.
"Creuserey?!!"
.
.
.