Shalba Beelzebub did not stand there frozen.
He immediately raised his hand and cast a killing curse at Lynn.
Lynn raised an eyebrow.
Sensing the powerful curse energy contained within the attack, he didn't bother to dodge. Instead, he allowed it to hit him directly.
Shalba's eyes lit up with excitement.
Success!
But…
One second, two seconds, three seconds passed.
Shalba's expression stiffened.
Why… why is it not working?!
Lynn calmly brushed the dust off his clothes, completely unfazed.
Curse immunity was not something to be underestimated.
Shalba quickly realized he had fallen into a trap.
Meanwhile, Creuserey Asmodeus was growing weaker by the second.
Even with the power of the ophis' snake released, he still looked like a helpless child in front of Lynn.
There was simply no room to fight back.
"Damn it!!"
Unwilling to give up, Shalba roared and waved his hand again.
Buzz—
A swarm of insects filled the air, flapping their wings as they surged toward Lynn.
"Swallow him whole!!" Shalba bellowed, his face contorted with rage as he directed the swarm.
Lynn cast a casual glance toward the incoming insects.
Fwoosh—
In the next moment, flames erupted, engulfing the sky.
A rainbow-colored blaze, mixed with sparks, demonic fire, karmic fire, and other energies, swept toward the swarm.
Hiss—!!
The swarm let out a series of pitiful screeches as they were consumed by the fire.
Shalba clenched his fists tightly.
Damn it!
Nothing was working!
Lynn remained expressionless as he withdrew the flames with a flick of his wrist.
At the same time, Creuserey Asmodeus, still held firmly in Lynn's grasp, completely vanished.
Shalba's heart sank.
With Creuserey gone, their already dire situation became even worse.
Even Creuserey, empowered by the ophis' snake, couldn't put up a fight.
"Katerea!!"
Shalba called out sharply, his voice grim. "Are you just going to stand there and watch?!"
"?"
Katerea blinked, then immediately raised her bloodied hand and smiled awkwardly.
"Sorry, there's really nothing I can do~"
Shalba's eyelids twitched violently.
It was obvious Katerea was stalling, completely unwilling to get involved.
Was she… scared stiff?
But with the situation falling apart, it was clear that everything now rested on him alone.
Shalba felt increasingly uneasy.
The way Creuserey had gone down made it hard for him to maintain confidence, even with the Snake's power.
His gaze swept over the remaining Old Maou Faction members, then he quietly sighed.
Useless. Completely hopeless.
He had already begun considering retreat.
Subtly, Shalba moved his fingers, preparing to cast space magic.
Lynn, watching him, vanished in a flash.
Shalba's pupils shrank in horror.
He couldn't see him!
How is this the speed of a Maou?!
No longer hesitating, Shalba hastily activated his teleportation magic.
But.
His speed could not match Lynn's.
Bang!!
A punch infused with flames and anti-devil properties slammed straight into Shalba's body.
In that moment, his eyes widened in terror, as if overlapping with the memory of his grandfather's death from five hundred years ago.
Boom!!
In an instant, an entire section of the Old Maou Faction's stronghold, along with Shalba himself, was obliterated.
Gulp!
Katerea, witnessing the scene before her, couldn't stop herself from swallowing hard.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying!!
Neither Creuserey Asmodeus nor Shalba Beelzebub could last even a few moves against Lynn.
So then…
Whose brilliant idea was it to make Valefor their target?
Katerea's body trembled.
She began to seriously worry about her own fate.
After all, she was the one who brought Lynn here.
Would she… still be able to live?
Katerea's mind raced.
Her instincts screaming at her to think of a way to survive.
Suddenly.
An idea sparked.
She quickly spoke up, her tone respectful. "Lord Lynn."
Lynn turned toward her with a slight smile.
Calling him "Lord" now? Quite the quick change of attitude.
Katerea smiled nervously, then said, "Lord Lynn, there's someone in the Old Maou Faction I wonder if you might be interested in."
"Oh?"
Lynn raised an eyebrow.
Katerea didn't dare keep anything hidden. She immediately revealed the name.
"Ingvild Leviathan."
The moment she said it, Lynn's eyes narrowed.
That name…
He remembered it.
The wielder of the Longinus-class Sacred Gear, Nereid Kyriea.
"Take me to her."
"Yes, right away!"
Katerea's heart finally settled a little.
Good.
At least he's interested.
Quickly, she led Lynn deeper into the Old Maou Faction's headquarters, toward a more secluded area.
Before long.
"Lady Leviathan!"
The stationed guards saluted Katerea as they passed but stared warily at Lynn.
Katerea waved dismissively. "This is Lord Lynn. Show some respect."
The guards exchanged glances but didn't dare say more. They lowered their heads obediently.
A short while later, Katerea guided Lynn into the depths of the stronghold.
There, in an ice coffin, lay a sleeping girl with long, flowing purple hair.
Even lying down, her figure was eye-catching—tall and elegant.
Lynn narrowed his eyes.
As expected of the Leviathan bloodline.
Katerea gestured, putting on a smile like a hostess showing off her best product.
"Lord Lynn, this is Ingvild Leviathan."
"She has been asleep for over a hundred years due to demonic sleeping sickness."
Katerea watched carefully, hoping Lynn would show interest.
If he wanted Ingvild, maybe… just maybe… she would be spared as a fellow Leviathan.
Lynn stroked his chin, his gaze fixed on the sleeping girl.
"How long until she wakes?"
Katerea froze, then replied with uncertainty, "…It should be soon, right?"
Though in truth, she wasn't sure at all.
Lynn gave her a glance, easily seeing through the lie.
But he had no intention of waiting.
"Open the coffin."
"Yes!"
Katerea wiped the sweat from her brow and carefully opened the ice coffin.
Lynn stepped forward.
He reached out and gently traced his slender fingers along Ingvild's delicate body.
Then—
Rip—
The fabric of her clothing tore apart in an instant.
Katerea's lips twitched.
Is he…?
But Lynn said nothing.
Instead, he gathered magic energy into his palm.
A large Evil Piece slowly condensed in his hand.
(To be continued.)