— — — — — —
Soul Society
Kisuke Urahara and Shihoin Yoruichi stared at the Devil Contract Lynn left behind, both silent for a long time.
"…To think someone could shut you down completely like that."
Urahara was seriously shaken inside.
He knew just how strong Yoruichi really was.
And more than that… Urahara recalled the barrier that had kept him locked out.
That level of power…
Yoruichi let out a deep sigh, clearly uneasy. "Urahara … I think we've really gotten ourselves into something big this time~."
But Urahara's expression stayed calm. He even had the nerve to joke, "And since when have we not been in deep trouble?"
Yoruichi blinked, then chuckled. "Fair enough."
Her nerves eased a bit.
If trouble comes, deal with it head-on.
Besides… Even though Lynn was crazy strong, he didn't seem that unreasonable?
At the very least… He didn't just kill her on the spot.
With that thought, Yoruichi's golden eyes narrowed, her tone turning annoyed. "You bastard… with all that racket going on, you didn't think to come save me?!"
Urahara shrugged. "What could I do? I was locked out too…"
He lifted his gaze toward the door.
Yoruichi followed his line of sight.
Outside, the scenery had completely changed — like someone had torn everything down and rebuilt parts of it from scratch.
"…Did you use your Bankai?"
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Urahara nodded, his face now a bit more serious.
"There was a barrier blocking me from getting in. Not even my Bankai could scratch it."
"…Tch."
Yoruichi took in a sharp breath.
Seriously?!
Why the hell did someone that dangerous have to come after her, of all people?
"…So, what do you think his goal is?" she asked, still wary.
Urahara paused to think. Then smiled. "Absolutely no clue!"
"…Seriously?"
Urahara just shrugged again. "Does it matter? He's someone we can't go up against. Best to just go along with whatever he wants."
"Wow. Way to have some backbone."
Yoruichi folded her arms, clearly unimpressed. "I must beat that—"
Urahara pointed toward the Devil Contract and silently mouthed a few words: "Careful, he might be listening~"
Yoruichi froze for a second, then laughed nervously. "Ahaha… Actually, he seems like a pretty nice guy!"
Urahara just shook his head.
And who's the one without a backbone now?
Still…He stroked his chin, thinking of Lynn.
A mysterious powerhouse like that… what kind of ripples will he send through the future?
At the very least, Urahara had to make sure this guy didn't end up teaming up with Aizen.
In a weird way, he felt lucky the Devil Contract had found Yoruichi first.
Hopefully, this guy isn't some world-ending lunatic.
Otherwise…
Urahara honestly couldn't imagine what direction the future would take.
— — —
The Next Day - Lynn Group Headquarters
From a hidden corner outside the building, Kirasaka Sayaka was watching intently.
(Sayaka from STB and the spy of Lion King Org.)
After a while, she clenched her fists, clearly irritated. "Is this company seriously using child labor?!"
She watched the lolis walking inside the building and felt a sudden wave of righteous fury.
Also…
Something seemed… off about this place.
Why were there no men at all?
That said… Maybe this place is actually perfect for me?
If she had to infiltrate somewhere, at least she didn't have to worry about running into any gross men.
A few minutes later, she put on a disguise— something like an exhausted office worker and strolled right through the front door like she belonged there.
— — —
At the Reception Desk.
Saya gave her a surprised look.
Sayaka kept a straight face and calmly said, "I'm here for a job interview."
"An interview…?"
Takagi Saya looked a little puzzled.
After all, the Lynn Group never posted job openings publicly.
They already had more than enough staff just from the Familia members alone.
Also…
Saya's eyes flickered slightly with a hint of suspicion.
This woman… she definitely wasn't normal.
As a devil, Saya could faintly sense the spiritual power hidden within Sayaka.
Her eyes darted around for a moment, then she smiled sweetly. "Alright, please hold on. I'll check in with management."
Sayaka nodded.
Completely unaware that the moment she stepped into the building, she'd already been flagged as "not normal."
Or that she'd just entered a whole different world.
To the side, Saya made a quick call to Yukinoshita Haruno.
After hearing the details, Haruno's eyes narrowed, clearly intrigued.
"Interesting. Alright, I'll arrange an interview for her."
After hanging up, Haruno murmured to herself: "How amusing…"
So… Some group's starting to make a move, huh?
She was curious what this woman's real reason for coming to Lynn Group was.
But more importantly—"A woman with spiritual power…"
Haruno seemed deep in thought.
She could be a perfect miko candidate, couldn't she?
Wait… Was Lynn-sama's harem about to grow again?
Haruno twitched at the thought.
— — —
Back downstairs.
Sayaka, now waiting for her interview, was starting to feel a bit weirded out.
That easy?
And after the interview was over, she was even more confused.
That was… way too smooth.
She didn't even get the chance to show off the fake resume and ID the Lion King Organization had prepared for her!
Was this company really that desperate for new hires?
Then again… It kind of made sense?
They're even hiring lolis to work here, after all.
"Nice!"
No matter how you looked at it, phase one of her infiltration plan was a success!
Sayaka pumped herself up silently.
"Just hang on, Yukina. I'll be back soon!"
— — —
Meanwhile — The Underworld.
Shalba Beelzebub waved his hand and gave a cold order.
"Wipe out those rats from Valifer."
"Fufufu…"
Katerea Leviathan licked her fingers with a wicked grin. "So we're finally stepping out into the light again, huh?"
She honestly couldn't care less about Valifer's remnants.
But this whole 'living in the shadows' thing the Old Satan Faction had been doing the past few years? She'd been sick of it.
Now that they finally had the chance to move again, there was no way she'd let it pass.
Clapping her hands, she grinned. "Alright then! I'll lead the strike team myself!"
Creuserey Asmodeus frowned slightly, his tone chilly. "It's just a young Valifer. Isn't that overkill?"
"Oi, oi!"
Katerea slammed the table in annoyance. "We're talking about the guy who one-shotted Kokabiel! You could at least take this a little seriously!"
Creuserey didn't respond directly. Instead, he shrugged. "Why not just send a Satan-class? Should be enough, no?"
Katerea's expression darkened. "You bastard…"
She jumped to her feet, eyes burning with aggression. "You wanna go or something?!"
Creuserey stayed seated on the couch, not even flinching. He just looked up at her with a faint, unimpressed glance.
"Don't think you're the only one who got the power of the 'Snake,' Leviathan."
"Damn you…"
Katerea's aura exploded with power, like she'd lunge at him the next second.
"Enough."
Shalba Beelzebub's cold voice cut through the tension like a blade.
Katerea immediately stopped in her tracks.
"I didn't call you all here to watch some soap opera," Shalba said flatly.
"Tch…"
Katerea clicked her tongue and sat back down in frustration.
Despite her attitude, she and Creuserey both had some respect for Shalba.
Not just because he was the leader of the Old Satan Faction…
But also because, out of the three of them, he was the strongest.
Arms crossed, Katerea huffed. "Whatever. I'm still taking this job."
Shalba didn't object.
'Let her go play if she wants,' he thought.
Based on the intel they'd gathered…
The Three Factions (Fallen Angels, Devils, and Angels) were planning some kind of "peace summit" soon.
Heh… what a joke.
There's no way the Old Satan Faction would ever acknowledge that.
Which meant…
The day of that summit would also be the day they stepped back onto the world stage.
As for Valifer?
That was just the appetizer.
A little warm-up for Katerea to enjoy before the real show began.
"Fine. It's yours," Shalba said, making the decision final.
Seeing this, Creuserey kept his silence. He wasn't interested in arguing anymore.
"Heh~" Katerea let out a smug little laugh, totally satisfied with how things turned out.
— — —
Later that afternoon— Tokyo— Shuchiin Academy
A group of uninvited guests hovered in the sky above the campus.
Katerea Leviathan stared down at the students walking around below. Her eyes shimmered with anticipation.
"What a peaceful little scene…"
She grinned. "Exactly the kind of place that deserves to be destroyed!"
Her laughter rang out across the skies, crazed and gleeful.
The underlings behind her quickly joined in, laughing like maniacs.
Minutes passed.
The laughter died down.
Katerea stretched out her slender fingers and exhaled.
"But…"
"One little school isn't nearly enough to satisfy me."
Her gaze swept across the entire city.
"Hmm… yeah. Thismuch should do it."
The moment the words left her lips—
BZZZZT—
A blinding light suddenly engulfed Tokyo!
A massive magic circle, glowing a deep water-blue, spread out endlessly across the entire city.
"What the hell?!"
"What's going on?!"
Inside Shuchiin Academy, the students were thrown into a frenzy by the sudden phenomenon.
Some were confused.
Some were scared.
Some were… weirdly excited?
"Dude! It's a supernatural event!"
"I knew this world wasn't normal!"
"Heh… looks like it's finally time for my main character debut! I knew it, I'm fated."
"Idiot. Just look up!"
And with that, all eyes turned to the sky.
They saw her.
A tall woman with a long ponytail and stylish red-rimmed glasses hovering above them.
Katerea Leviathan smiled sweetly and gave them a playful little wave.
"Hey there~"
.
.
.