— — — — — —
The Three-Eyed Spider had been completely frozen solid — trapped along with the surging sea of lava that had once filled this part of Hell.
"Frozen Mirror" Domain of the Ice Devil showed its amazing power.
Lynn then casually raised a hand and tapped lightly against the frozen surface in front of him.
Boom!
The ice within this layer of Hell exploded into countless fragments of powder-like dust.
Along with it, the Three-Eyed Spider and the overwhelming tide of Hell's magma shattered and scattered like fragile glass.
Shhh—
Snow... began to fall within Hell.
In the midst of the fluttering snow-like ice fragments, a flash of silver flickered briefly, falling gently to the ground.
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 herself—just a little—in 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 all—a 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 this—see if you can become a Hell Administrator."
It only made sense: a Hell Devil managing Hell.
He was also curious—if 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."]
.
.
.