DxD: Chapter 226/227

Chapter 226: Why a Cat?
Main World.

Japan, Hell's Domain.

Saito Furofushi followed behind Lynn, looking up at the sea of red spider lilies as she arrived at the thatched hut beside the crystal-clear spring.

Her purple hair swayed with every step, and her uncovered eye darted around, curiously surveying her surroundings.

At the same time, she used her spiritual pressure to sense the environment and the energy in the air.

Hmm...

Confirmed.

This definitely wasn't the Hell she had lived in.

In fact...

Saito narrowed her eyes slightly.

This might not even be her world!

That realization stunned her.

But...

There was undeniably strong energy in the air.

However, Saito was certain—there wasn't a trace of spirit particles.

No matter how she scanned the atmosphere, it was empty of the spirit particles she relied on.

This was the first time she had ever encountered something like this.

Meanwhile...

Yoruichi, who lay lazily in Lynn's arms in her cat form, stretched her head and looked around. A strange light flickered in her golden, vertical pupils.

This...

Wasn't this the "other world" mentioned in the manual?

Compared to Saito, who was utterly clueless, Yoruichi already understood exactly where they were.

After all...

She had personally seen Lynn activate a portal and cross into the World of the Soul Reapers.

So...

It was only natural that there'd be another world on the other side of the gate, right?

Outside the thatched hut...

When Ai Enma and the others saw Lynn return, they all bowed respectfully and greeted, "Master Lynn."

Lynn nodded, but didn't issue any tasks immediately. Instead, he asked, "What's the current situation in Hell?"

Ai Enma, her expression blank and eyes as lifeless as ever, answered in a mechanical tone, "Thanks to the dog demon clan, Hell is now operating smoothly."

As she spoke, she waved her hand, and an image projection appeared.

Compared to the barren state it had been in when Lynn first came to Hell, there were now far more boats traveling the waters.

Each boat carried a soul.

Though it was Hell, the scene strangely gave off a sense of life and order.

Hmm...

Hell was thriving.

Ai Enma pointed at the projection and added, "Hell is in the process of reclaiming soul-reaping operations in Japan. So far, we've made some progress, but..."

She paused. Her tone became hesitant.

Lynn raised an eyebrow. "What's the issue?"

The Hone Onna stepped in and continued, "Because we've taken back control of soul management in Japan, several other mythological underworlds have started protesting. The Miss has received a bunch of complaint letters."

Lynn's expression twitched.

Complaint letters?

"Just ignore them."

He had merely reclaimed what rightfully belonged to Japan's Hell.

And they had the nerve to complain?

Besides...

If they had the strength to do something about it, Ai Enma wouldn't be getting letters, they'd have tried force.

They were just noisy pests.

"Understood."

Ai Enma nodded without any change in her expression.

Hone Onna sighed in relief.

Having a boss like Lynn behind them really made everything easier...

She wasn't the only one who thought that.

Compared to the chaotic, underhanded methods that Hell used in Japan to keep functioning, serving under Lynn was far more straightforward and effective.

On the other side...

Yoruichi and Saito were completely dumbfounded listening to the conversation.

"Wait a second..."

Saito asked in confusion, "This place... is also Hell?"

Hone Onna looked at her like it was obvious.

Saito rubbed her temples.

Confirmed. This really was another world.

Hmm...

So there are Hells in other worlds too...

That kind of makes sense?

But...

Why does this Hell look so different from hers?

Saito looked around again. Red spider lilies, clean springs...

This is Hell?

Compared to that, her version of Hell was basically garbage.

All it had was gray blocks and lava!

Pointless and boring.

She nearly got injured out of sheer boredom!

But here, this Hell had scenery, order, and style!

She mentally compared the two environments and started to get annoyed about how terrible her old Hell was.

Wait...

Was she forgetting something?

Clink—

Suddenly, a crisp sound came from beneath her.

Saito looked down.

The chain on her ankle was glinting coldly.

"!"

Her eyes widened.

Crap!

She forgot—sinners aren't supposed to leave Hell!

Saito's heart tightened.

Her entire body tensed.

She... just wandered off like that?

This... this was the end, wasn't it?

Her brain froze.

If Hell found out...

Wait!

A sudden thought flashed through her mind.

This world's Hell was powerful.

Maybe they had the power to override her own?

With that idea in mind, Saito relaxed a little.

But...

She realized something else.

This wasn't her world.

Lynn had no reason to keep her here.

Unless...

Back to Lynn.

After getting updated on Japan's Hell, Lynn moved on to the situation in the World of the Soul Reapers.

Upon hearing his report, Hone Onna's expression turned odd. "So..."

"A new Hell?"

As expected of Yama—he conquered another Hell in no time.

But...

Wasn't this a bit too fast?

This Hell just got stabilized. Now he wanted to manage a second one?

Also...

There'd definitely be another manpower issue.

"Just have Inukimi bring all her people to the new Hell."

Inukimi: "...?"

Inukimi looked a bit confused when she received the message, but still rushed over.

And when she got there...

She saw something that made her fur bristle.

In Lynn's arms...

When did another thieving cat show up?!

Inukimi's golden eyes locked onto Yoruichi, overflowing with hostility.

Yoruichi tensed up slightly.

This woman...

What's with the food-guarding behavior?

But...

Before she could get nervous, Inukimi's hostility suddenly vanished.

Inukimi sniffed the air, a puzzled look in her eyes.

"No scent of a cat?"

She frowned. "Some kind of transformation spell?"

But...

She suddenly stepped closer to Yoruichi and said coldly, "Why don't you turn into a dog instead?"

"Huh?"

Yoruichi's eyes widened, stunned.

Lynn burst into laughter and casually lifted Inukimi by the back of her neck.

Inukimi let out a little grunt, clamping her legs together in silence.

Yoruichi: "..."

This dog...

What's going on?

She was completely lost.

But...

She had to admit, the variety of species in this place was kind of amazing.

Later.

Lynn briefly outlined the plans for the Soul Reaper World's Hell.

One word.

Copy.

There was already a successful operation model here. There was no need to rebuild everything from scratch.

As for manpower...

Inukimi looked like she was in pain. "Understood..."

In the main world, working in Hell was considered a good job, but...

In another world?

She wasn't sure.

Her eyes flickered with uncertainty.

Good thing she'd told Sesshomaru about this earlier.

At least the dog demon clan wasn't completely wiped out.

Maybe...

It was time to send them to the other world to mine resources or something.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 227: Is That All?

After briefly discussing the development of the new Hell, Lynn and his group began preparing to return to the Hell of the World of the Soul Reapers.

Since the new Hell still required attention, Ai Enma and her group were also preparing to travel to the Soul Reaper World.

They brought along a pack of dog demons who had already formed a structured group.

As for Inukimi...

She needed to return to the Warring States Era to gather additional forces.

After a short while.

Just as Lynn and the others were preparing to pass through the gate, they noticed that Saito Furofushi seemed hesitant.

Lynn raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Saito Furofushi gave an awkward smile and mumbled, "Um… could I…"

"No."

"Hey!"

Saito placed one hand on her waist and complained, "I haven't even said anything yet!"

Lynn shrugged. "No matter what you were going to ask, I'm under no obligation to agree."

"Hmm…"

That… does sound logical.

But still...

"Then think of it as a reward for being your guide!"

"?"

Lynn gave her a strange look. "I have already paid you a reward."

"?"

Saito blinked. "When?"

Lynn responded calmly, "Otherwise, why do you think I let you follow us?"

Saito's eyes widened.

"Wait, seriously?!"

She hadn't even agreed!

Well… it's not like saying no would've stopped her.

Saito bit her lip.

Alright…

She had no more excuses.

Now what?

Lynn just looked at her quietly, though his eyes flickered with amusement.

After a while.

Saito sighed, looking dejected. "If I go back now and Hell finds me, I'll definitely be punished."

Death wouldn't worry her. She was immortal.

She wasn't even afraid of being dunked in molten lava.

But…

Her punishment was imprisonment!

That was worse than dying!

She wouldn't be allowed to go anywhere!

Of course, if it were her previous Hell, then fine. There was nothing fun there anyway.

But now…

After witnessing everything interesting happening here, now that she finally found some excitement, she didn't want to miss out.

"Hell, huh…"

Lynn understood what she meant.

But...

Wasn't he the one in charge of the Hell in the Soul Reaper World now?

Dealing with Hell was easier than dealing with people.

Still...

Lynn didn't say that outright and instead replied, "Yeah, Hell can be pretty inhumane."

"Right?!"

Saito nodded eagerly, then said expectantly, "So… how about letting me stay here?"

Lynn replied without hesitation, "No."

Saito: "…"

You're one to talk about being inhumane.

Lynn gave her a slight smile. "I'm not obligated to help you."

Saito pouted.

But then Lynn added, "Of course, if you become mine, that's a different story."

Saito: "?"

She gave him a look that clearly said, "So that's the kind of person you are."

"Oh, trying to take advantage of me, huh? Just say so!"

Puffing up proudly, she drew her Zanpakutō and declared, "Fight me. If you win, you can do whatever you want with me!"

She had spent enough time with Lynn to understand just how powerful he was.

But…

There was no way Saito would just submit and become his subordinate for nothing.

So...

They had to fight first!

Knowing she was no match for Lynn, she made the first move. In a flash, she appeared in front of him and swung her sword.

Lynn's expression remained calm. He simply raised his hand.

Boom!

Saito felt a sharp pain across her face. Everything went dark and she crashed straight into the sea of red spider lilies.

Saito: "…"

What just happened?

She was momentarily stunned.

But quickly snapped out of it and began to resist.

Boom!

Her spiritual pressure erupted.

Her long purple hair flared upward.

The surrounding spider lilies were caught in the force, their petals fluttering like butterflies.

Yoruichi's gaze sharpened.

As expected of a well-known senior, her spiritual pressure alone was far stronger than her own.

But still...

Yoruichi's expression was complicated.

Even so…

Saito remained motionless, clearly suppressed.

On the ground.

Saito also sensed something was wrong.

Even after unleashing her full spiritual pressure, the oppressive weight on her didn't decrease...

If anything, it got heavier.

Panic started to rise.

Lynn squatted down and placed one hand on her back, pinning her in place. "Are you done?"

Saito: "…"

"Mmmmm—!"

Lynn raised an eyebrow. He couldn't understand a word she was saying.

"Oh well, I'll just take that as a yes."

Lynn let go.

The pressure around her, especially on her head, eased immediately. Saito slowly lifted her head and stared blankly at Lynn's feet.

"Huff..."

She let out a deep breath.

But…

There was a lingering sense of frustration.

That was it?

She didn't even get a chance to breathe.

She didn't even use her Bankai!

But...

With this kind of overwhelming power, even using Bankai wouldn't have changed anything.

Thinking this, Saito pouted, stood up, and brushed off the dirt and red spider lily pollen on her clothes.

After tidying up, she looked at Lynn and pouted. "Fine. I belong to you now."

What a humiliating loss...

She lowered her head in frustration.

Meanwhile...

A human-like expression appeared on Yoruichi's cat face.

That was… fast.

But...

Seeing that even a veteran like Saito couldn't take a single hit from Lynn, Yoruichi felt oddly reassured.

Ai Enma and the others didn't react much. They quietly waited for Lynn to finish handling things.

Seeing that Saito had kept her word, Lynn handed her the admission manual.

"?"

Saito accepted it, confused. "What's this?"

"You'll understand once you read it."

Yoruichi's eyes lit up with understanding.

Yup, that's the process.

Saito flipped open the manual and was instantly stunned by what she saw.

Her eyes widened as if she had never seen the world before, completely absorbed by the contents.

After a while.

She murmured in a daze, "So…"

"This is what you meant by becoming yours?"

Join the Peerage...

Saito clutched the admission manual tightly.

This… actually looked kind of fun.

Excitement flashed in her eyes.

Conquering other worlds!!

What hooked her wasn't the devil transformation or the blessing system.

It was the chance to fight in another world!!

Exciting!

Really, really exciting!

Of course…

The blessing system was also interesting.

And she did want to grow stronger.

But that wasn't what mattered most to her.

This was enough.

After reading through the manual, she snapped it shut.

Without any hesitation, and with clear excitement in her voice, she declared, "I want to join your Peerage!"

Another world! A whole other world!!

Saito was screaming internally with joy.

It wasn't just this one.

His Peerage spanned across multiple different worlds.

And…

They were still searching for new ones to invade and conquer!

Just like her own world!

Saito had read that part of the manual very carefully!

On the side.

Hone Onna wasn't surprised by Saito's decision. She simply shrugged and said, "Looks like…"

"Our trip to the new Hell is delayed again."

(To be continued.)