— — — — — —
BOOM!
With a thunderous crack, the crab's rock-hard shell split apart—fractures spreading like a web of shattered glass.
Juicy, tender crab meat peeked through the cracks, the impact breaking through its massive mountain-like body without even slowing down.
The force behind the blow didn't stop—it shot straight through the giant crab and slammed into the rocky floor beneath it.
CRASH!
The ground exploded into fragments, sending chunks of stone flying in every direction as a massive crater formed beneath its crushed body.
"YAAAAAAAH—!"
The Crab of Weight let out a piercing shriek, shrill and agonizing, like a blade stabbing straight into the eardrums.
The sound tore through the cave, forcing both Yuuki Asuna and Senjougahara Hitagi to flinch from the sheer pain.
Right after—
The starlight flames wrapping around Lynn's foot spread like wildfire, rapidly crawling across the crab's entire massive body.
"ROOOOOAR—!!"
The giant beast screamed and writhed violently in agony, shaking the entire underground cave like it was going to collapse at any second!
Seeing this, Lynn calmly upped the power.
WHOOSH!!
Flames surged higher with a roar, and a pillar of starlit fire shot upward like a rocket.
The stalactites on the cave ceiling began to melt under the intense heat—until finally, a huge opening burst open above.
Sunlight—faint and golden—streamed down through the new skylight.
A few seconds later...The roaring stopped.
The massive creature's body finally went still.
Seeing that, Lynn spoke up. "Luna."
"Coming, coming~!" Luna, the Cancer Zodiac (Crab), replied.
With that, a small translucent figure with long jellyfish-like blue hair drifted down and landed gently on Lynn's shoulder.
She gave a little push with her hands and floated over to the crab's massive head, lifting her arms up gracefully.
Like some kind of ancient celestial symphony, a massive star chart slowly unfolded in her hands—bright, radiant, and brimming with cosmic energy.
The star map shimmered with tiny glowing constellations, each one pulsing with mysterious power.
And then—!
The center of the map twisted unnaturally, like space itself had been torn open… and a pitch-black void began forming.
A black hole.
Its pull was strong—so strong, in fact, that the giant crab's enormous corpse began to get sucked into it, bit by bit.
"Urgh…"
As the body was fully absorbed, Luna let out a soft groan. She could feel it—something within her had shifted. Something subtle, but deeply profound.
At the same time…
A familiar ding echoed in Lynn's mind.
[Ding! Your Zodiac Pilgrimage has undergone a subtle change!]
Lynn raised an eyebrow.
He opened up the [Zodiac Pilgrimage] skill and scanned it quickly—his gaze locking onto the Cancer sign.
—[Cancer Cocoon]—
▸ Summons a stardust cocoon that heals anyone inside.
▸ Power of the Crab of Weight (grants the concept of "Weight").
---
Lynn narrowed his eyes.
"So it did inherit the Crab of Weight's abilities…"
"Don't tell me…"
"Can the Zodiac Pilgrimage evolve by absorbing creatures that match its sign?"
As his thoughts drifted, his gaze rose to the faint red star lingering above—his mind running wild with speculation.
"Wait… are we gonna end up collecting the four fundamental forces of the universe too?"
This change in Cancer really caught his attention.
Lynn's consciousness then sank into the space of the [Devil's Pieces].
And the moment he did, he felt it—his whole body became heavy.
"Huh?" Lynn frowned. "The Devil Piece's space… has weight now?"
So this was what gaining the "Weight" concept did?
"Just like the 'Sun' concept…."
He started to piece things together.
"A new universe…?"
Just the thought gave him chills.
What exactly are you planning, [Devil's Piece]?
Ever since this space was born, Lynn had sensed something unusual about this ability.
Creating pieces to summon followers—that part was fine.
But now it's throwing in Zodiac signs, cosmic elements, the freaking sun, and now gravity?
Is this really something a "Devil's Piece" skill should be doing?
While Lynn was caught up in his thoughts, Luna floated back into the Devil Piece's space.
"Master!"
Snapping out of it, Lynn turned to her. "How are you feeling?"
With a bright grin, Luna raised her arms and beamed. "Amazing! Never felt this good before!"
"Oh—and I think I can control gravity now too!"
She waved her hand toward her constellation's direction with a smug little smile—
But nothing happened.
"...…"
Luna puffed up her cheeks. "Hmph…"
Lynn chuckled and gave her a head pat. "It's probably because this space is kind of special."
After comforting her a bit, Lynn lingered a little longer in the Devil Piece space before returning to the real world.
And what greeted him—was the completely wrecked cave they'd just fought in.
"…Is it dead?"
Asuna stared at Lynn in a daze, still unable to process everything that had just happened.
It had all ended so fast, it almost felt like the whole thing had been a dream.
But no—That crushing aura… that terrifying crab that could shake the earth with a single step…
It had been real.
Just standing near it had made her body go limp from fear.
And yet—Lynn had taken it down with one kick.
GULP.
Asuna swallowed hard, her gaze shifting toward Lynn, eyes filled with awe.
Like she was looking at a god.
That was the only way she could describe it.
And at the same time… she felt a little embarrassed.
Thinking back on how she wanted to escape using teleportation magic just moments ago felt kinda stupid now.
"So this is… what a devil really is…"
Hitagi whispered, eyes still locked on Lynn's figure.
His overwhelming presence had left an unforgettable impression on her.
It also made her realize—
She'd completely underestimated what "devils" were capable of.
Unlike Asuna, Hitagi had actually encountered the Crab of Weight before. She had some history with it.
And over the past couple of years, she'd been chasing down legends and rumors related to it—And from what she learned…In some myths, the Crab of Weight was considered divine.
But now—only Lynn had become that very god-like figure.
Even as just a bystander, Hitagi couldn't stop her hands from trembling in excitement.
Supernatural Research Club?
No—this was Lynn's Familia. His Harem.
She took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling with pure adrenaline.
Very soon, she'd become part of that harem too.
She'd get to experience what it felt like to personally take down something like the Crab of Weight.
What kind of rush would that be?
Hitagi couldn't wait to find out.
Her dull, predictable life—was about to take a wild turn.
Meanwhile, Lynn's figure flashed as he moved deeper into the underground cave.
He rubbed his chin, staring at the massive rock wall that had once housed the Crab of Weight.
"So this must've been where it lived…"
Lynn glanced around but didn't find anything special.
Then something caught his eye in a dark corner.
"Eggs?"
He walked closer and found a cluster of perfectly round, bubble-like transparent orbs stacked together.
A second later—Luna's tiny spirit form popped into view again.
"Master, master! Those are Memory Eggs!"
Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the glowing orbs.
Lynn raised an eyebrow. "Useful to you?"
"Mhm, super useful!" Luna nodded furiously. "If I absorb these 'Memory Eggs,' I can enhance the 'Weight' concept inside me!"
Ever since she'd inherited the Crab of Weight's power, she could tell exactly what these things were for.
"I see…"
Lynn gave her a light nod. "Then I'll leave them to you."
"Yay!! Master, you're the best!!"
Luna practically jumped for joy, did a little twirl midair, then kissed Lynn on the cheek before gleefully flying toward the Memory Eggs.
And then she started suuuuuucking.
Like, hardcore inhaling them.
Eyes closed, looking like she was in pure bliss.
Lynn chuckled and let her enjoy herself while he walked around to check the rest of the cave.
But… nothing else.
Seriously?
Besides the Memory Eggs, there was absolutely nothing in this entire cave.
Lynn clicked his tongue in disappointment. Welp, not much to explore here.
Once Luna finished absorbing all the eggs, Lynn teleported back to Asuna and Hitagi's side.
Poof!
The sudden reappearance startled Asuna.
But when she realized it was Lynn, she patted her chest and let out a relieved sigh.
"Let's go," Lynn said as a black magic circle appeared beneath his feet.
"Eh? That's it?" Asuna blinked. "It's over already?"
Lynn gave her a look. "If you're that curious, I don't mind leaving you behind to explore."
Asuna immediately froze and gave an awkward laugh. "Haha… no thanks…"
Flash!
With a burst of light, the teleportation magic kicked in.
— — —
Shuchiin Academy.
Lynn and the girls reappeared back in familiar territory.
Asuna finally relaxed, her tense nerves unwinding all at once.
That was intense.
Her heart still hadn't calmed down from the thrill.
Though… if she had to go through something like that again?
She probably wouldn't survive the stress.
But if Lynn was by her side…That'd be different.
On the other side, Hitagi clung to Lynn's arm. Tilting her head up, her blue eyes locked onto his face.
"So…" she said sweetly, "isn't it about time you made me part of your harem?"
Lynn glanced down at her, a bit surprised, then chuckled.
"Can't wait, huh?"
"I was already prepared for this back when we made that deal~" she teased, winking at him.
Yeah, she'd definitely changed.
Losing the Crab of Weight's curse had clearly lightened her whole vibe.
Asuna watched her, feeling kinda glad for her… but also a bit concerned.
Maybe she got too cheerful all of a sudden?
Asuna's eyebrow twitched.
— — —
On the Third floor - Girls' restroom.
The atmosphere was… weird.
Ai Hayasaka stood there holding a soaking wet pair of panties with a strange look on her face.
Shinomiya Kaguya stepped out of a stall, having just finished fixing her uniform—only to see what was happening.
Her face instantly turned red.
"H-Hayasaka?! W-What are you doing?!"
Hayasaka was silent for a moment, then calmly asked, "Miss, would you like to keep these?"
Dead serious.
"In the future, these kinds of moments don't really happen outside the bedroom," she said matter-of-factly.
Keep them?!
Kaguya's eyelid twitched violently, then snatched the panties away.
No way in hell!!
This pair must be erased from existence!
Burn it!
No ashes allowed to remain!
.
.
.
---
Yo~
You can check out the new auxiliary chapter that covers all the Zodiac stuff. Also, whenever an ability pops up (whether it's a Special Devil skill or anything else) in a fight, I'll include its details so there's no need to memorize anything!
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(Support me and read advanced chapters at: patreon.com/_Coreal)