That Day When Suzuki-kun Wasn't the Mob-B! Chapter 291: Planning an Evolution

"So damn cold..."

Finn let out a long, heavy sigh as he sank deeper into the bubbling waters of the private, indoor hot spring beneath the Kuoh Shrine. The scalding heat of the mineral-rich water seeped into his skin, finally fighting back the phantom, biting chill left over from Serafall Leviathan's devastating attack.

"It seems I am still not strong enough."

To the spectators, his battle against the Maou might have looked like a casual, effortless victory. But Finn knew better. In those first few microseconds of being encased in that glacier, his body had been horrifyingly cold. Serafall's ice hadn't just frozen his skin; it had violently invaded his internal organs, slowing his heartbeat to a crawl. It would have been incredibly easy to die right there on the spot.

Fortunately, he had a wealth of life-threatening experiences to fall back on. Compared to the scorching, holy light of the True Longinus, Serafall's ice was relatively gentle. Cao Cao might have been statistically weaker than Serafall, but his attacks consumed his actual lifespan, and the Holy Light was the absolute bane of any Devil. That, combined with the lingering will of God, meant Cao Cao's spear could effortlessly erase ninety-nine percent of all Devils in existence.

If I didn't have the Self-Made ability... Finn thought, splashing some hot water over his face.

But he did have it. As long as he could hold on just long enough to adapt, he would survive. Yet, mere survival was far from enough.

His mind drifted to the multiverse, specifically to the 'Suzuki' of Tensura. He often tapped into that parallel existence's abilities. He couldn't help but recall how the Tensura Suzuki had managed a massive evolutionary leap—evolving into a Sage simply by engaging in some intense snu-snu with a beautiful dryad.

Is it possible for me to pull off something like that? Finn wondered.

He immediately shut the idea down. It wasn't completely impossible in theory, but he had already reached the absolute upper tiers of this world's hierarchy. Finding a female entity powerful enough to trigger a mutual evolutionary leap through sheer physical intimacy was a tall order.

He briefly considered seeking out the absolute strongest female entity in existence—the ancient dragon who had floated in the dimensional gap since before the world began—but immediately scrapped the thought. If he tried to pull a stunt like that, the very universe (or perhaps the author of his reality) might just banish him from existence for crossing the line.

Evolution.

That was his ultimate goal. It might have sounded absurd for a Devil to think about "evolving." After all, in the world of Tensura, demons possessed clear evolutionary paths. But in the world of High School DxD, evolution wasn't a standard feature.

"Well, if the other 'me' in another universe can evolve, there's no reason this Devil body can't do the same," Finn muttered, staring at the rippling surface of the water.

Yet, to force an evolution, one required a catalyst—a profound, life-threatening crisis. Tensura's Suzuki only evolved into a Sage because he was on the absolute brink of death, completely drained of his essence.

Through his unique connection to his alternate selves, Finn understood the power of their shared existence. While he might not instantly gain their raw physical stats or their exact looks, he gained their potential. Being separated across universes meant they could share techniques, skills, and absolute limits, all seamlessly calculated and integrated by his Manager skill.

"If I didn't have the Manager running constant probability calculations, this would be a suicide mission," Finn mumbled, letting the thick, mineral-scented steam fill his lungs.

He leaned his head back against the smooth stone edge of the bath, reflecting on the grim reality of his power. Why was he so strong right now? It was primarily because of the mutated King Piece inside his chest. But if that piece were violently extracted, what would he be left with?

Finn certainly wouldn't be weak. He still possessed Senjutsu, allowing him to endlessly siphon the ambient energy of the world to replenish his Demonic reserves. For most, Senjutsu was a terrifying double-edged sword. While positive energy was fine, absorbing negative energy was like opening a floodgate to hell—inviting the screams, frustrations, and dark malice of the entire planet into your mind. There were tragic tales of reincarnated Devils going completely insane from Senjutsu, slaughtering their masters and leaving their siblings traumatized.

But with the Manager perfectly filtering the intake, Finn was completely immune to such madness.

Still, he wanted something more. He didn't want to just rely on clever techniques, stolen artifacts, or borrowed powers like Issei Hyoudou—a protagonist who essentially leveled up through the sheer power of plot armor and being handed abilities by everyone else.

Finn wanted a terrifying, absolute power that was entirely his own. He wanted raw, incalculable Demonic Energy similar to Sirzechs Lucifer—a power so immense it could passively erase the Underworld just by existing.

He wanted to evolve into a true anomaly.

But how? Devils in this reality were born with a fixed ceiling. Unless he completely discarded his current body and built a new, obscenely expensive vessel from scratch—something he absolutely refused to do, as he was quite fond of his original face—there was only one other path.

He needed perfect timing, and a massive, chaotic war.

He had silently hoped the Grigori or the Shinto Faction would lose their minds and wage an all-out war against him, or that the Hero Faction would return for a suicidal second round. But realistically, they wouldn't. The cost of fighting Finn was astronomically high, and even if they somehow won, there was no tangible benefit. He had become the supernatural equivalent of a "Too Big To Fail" corporation. Nobody wanted to touch him.

So, would he give up?

Absolutely not. The upcoming peace summit in Kuoh—the very meeting Azazel, Michael, and Sirzechs had just begged him to attend—was the perfect powder keg. He would use their precious political summit as the ultimate crucible for his evolution. He would grasp the chaotic catalyst with both hands and never let go.

Slide.

The sudden, soft clack of the wooden shoji door sliding open on its tracks instantly pulled Finn from his dark, ambitious thoughts.

"Finn-sama... allow me to wash your back?"

A sweet, slightly nervous voice echoed through the humid, echoing chamber.

"......"

Finn turned his head, the warm water splashing softly against his chest. Standing in the misty, dimly lit doorway was Ravel Phenex.

The heavy steam of the bath clung to her fair, flawless skin, making it glisten invitingly in the low light. Her signature blonde, drill-like twintails were pinned up to keep them dry, exposing the delicate, flushed curve of her slender neck. But what immediately drew the eye was her attire—or lack thereof.

Ravel's petite, yet sinfully curved body was barely concealed by a single, thin white bath towel. The damp fabric clung desperately to the heavy, generous swell of her chest and the soft flare of her hips, looking as though a single, errant breath might cause it to slip and fall to the wet tiles.

The sweet, intoxicating scent of expensive rose bath oils instantly mixed with the heavy sulfur of the hot spring.

Beneath the bubbling, opaque surface of the water, a certain part of Finn's body reacted violently, instantly forgetting all thoughts of world domination and evolutionary theory.