— — — — — — —
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 besides—he 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 Inuyōkai (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 Inuyōkai 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 Inuyōkai 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 Inuyōkai 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.
Wait… was this a time-locked isolation?
Was he actually the reason the Inuyōkai 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 then—Lynn brought up the Inuyōkai 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!?"
.
.
.