That Day When Suzuki-kun Wasn't the Mob-B! Chapter 296: Evolving Beyond a Devil

"Don't worry," Finn said smoothly, breaking the heavy silence in the Kuoh Shrine's dining room. "If there are people you consider friends in the vanguard, just tell them to stay home. If things get messy, hide behind Bikou. I have no intention of attacking that monkey."

"Understood, nyaa."

Kuroka let out a soft, genuine sigh of relief. It was incredibly fortunate to have a legendary ancestor like Sun Wukong. Since the original Monkey King occasionally hung around Finn, his descendant Bikou was effectively granted a free pass, even while running with a terrorist organization.

Still, Kuroka tilted her head, her black cat ears twitching thoughtfully. "Do you plan to just kill all of them to enforce the peace treaty, nyaa?"

Having briefly analyzed Finn's behavioral patterns, Kuroka knew he absolutely despised tedious, prolonged conflicts. It made perfect, ruthless sense for him to gather as much intelligence on the Khaos Brigade as possible, lure them to one spot, and slaughter them all to permanently eradicate the headache.

"No," Finn replied, his dark eyes gleaming with a terrifying, ambitious light. "I am going to use them as sacrifices."

"....."

The entire dining room froze. The only sound was the gentle clinking of Akeno's teacup returning to its saucer.

"S-Sacrifices?" Ravel stammered, her golden eyes widening.

"Yes." Finn nodded, leaning back against the tatami mat. "I know it sounds unorthodox. But the truth is, I am still not strong enough. I am going to use this ambush—and the souls and demonic energy of every single criminal that steps onto the battlefield—to force my body to evolve. Don't doubt me; I have a guaranteed method. However, during the actual evolution process, I will be incredibly vulnerable. I need you to protect me until it's over."

"...."

No one knew what to say. Their minds were entirely blank, struggling to process the sheer, world-breaking magnitude of his plan. Their hearts hammered wildly in their chests.

"E-Evolution?" Asia whispered, clutching the fabric of her skirt.

"Yes," Finn confirmed. "I am not entirely sure what I will become when the process finishes. I will likely still be a Devil in essence... or perhaps, an existence that completely transcends the concept of a Devil entirely."

An existence beyond a Devil?

Was such a thing even biologically possible? They wanted to doubt him, yet when they recalled his bizarre, obsessive habits—hoarding mythical tomes, gathering forbidden knowledge, and endlessly experimenting with artifacts in the shrine's basement—they knew his ambition was entirely rooted in reality.

"Kuroka," Finn said, shifting his intense gaze to the Nekomata. "Can you protect me during that window of vulnerability?"

Finn knew perfectly well that among everyone in his peerage, this naughty, stray cat was the absolute best candidate for the job. Her spatial manipulation and peerless hiding skills would buy him the exact seconds he needed to complete the metamorphosis.

"...Are you seriously sure you want to believe in me, nyaa?" Kuroka asked. Her chest felt strangely tight, experiencing a swell of genuine trust and validation she hadn't felt in centuries.

"You trust me to clear your name, right? So, I will trust you to watch my back. I am betting my life on you. If I can successfully evolve tonight, you will become one of the greatest winners in this world."

"I will gladly take that bet, nyaa!"

Kuroka's golden feline eyes burned with fierce determination. She silently vowed to burn through all nine of her lives if it meant protecting this man.

Finn thought for a moment, then reached into his spatial inventory and tossed a small, dark object across the table. "Here. Take this."

"What is this, nyaa?" Kuroka caught it effortlessly, her fingers brushing against the cold, metallic surface.

"It's the Sacred Gear: Night Reflection," Finn explained. "I've heavily modified its core mechanics. It will allow you to completely manipulate shadows. You can dive into them to hide perfectly, meld them into barriers, or even weaponize them for stealth attacks."

"Oh?!"

Kuroka didn't hesitate. She channeled a fraction of her demonic energy into the artifact. Instantly, the shadows stretching across the sunlit tatami mats began to writhe and wiggle like living ink. Feeling playful, she commanded the darkness to snatch Finn's own shadow out from under him, hoping to spook him.

The shadows violently grabbed at his feet... and immediately dissipated into a harmless mist.

"I'm immune to it," Finn stated flatly, unfazed.

"...." Kuroka pouted, her ears dropping slightly.

"You are all here, the only people that I trust with this secret," Finn said, his tone turning serious, ignoring Kuroka, who played with the Sacred Gear. 

"We understand, Finn-sama," Akeno said softly, speaking for the group.

Everyone at the table nodded. They finally understood why Finn had specifically targeted the Khaos Brigade. The evolution process required massive sacrifices, and to avoid the crushing guilt of slaughtering innocents, he had specifically chosen a small army of irredeemable criminals and terrorists to fuel his ascension. It was cold, calculated, and perfectly demonic.

But the tension in the room wasn't entirely resolved.

"Kuroka," Akeno's voice suddenly dropped an octave, dripping with sadistic malice. The sweet scent of vanilla in the air was instantly overpowered by the sharp, metallic tang of ozone. Golden lightning crackled visibly in the depths of her violet eyes. "If you betray him, or even mess up slightly... I will personally ensure that the entire Grigori hunts you to the ends of the earth."

"The Phenex Family will reduce you to ash as well," Ravel added, her blonde drill-tails practically standing on end as the ambient temperature around her flared with scorching heat.

Xenovia and Asia didn't say a word, but their hands subconsciously drifted to their laps, their eyes promising absolute, holy retribution.

"Don't worry, nyaa," Kuroka purred, completely unbothered by the heavy, murderous aura directed at her. "My future is entirely tied to him now. Besides, we're all going to be sisters sharing his bed soon enough anyway, right? I'll make sure everything goes perfectly."

"Oh, and one more thing," Finn added lazily. "Tell Vali that I will personally face him once my evolution succeeds."

"...Is that really a good idea, nyaa?"

"With his borderline obsessive, prideful personality? I guarantee he'll swallow the bait whole. He'll happily wait for me to power up just so he can have a 'worthy' fight."

"...You are a truly scary man, nyaa," Kuroka shivered, realizing Finn was actively manipulating the White Dragon Emperor's psychological flaws to buy himself more time.

"So, my mission is to lure as many Khaos Brigade members as possible to the summit, and then play absolute defense for you, right?"

"Exactly."

"Then, I will head out right now, nyaa. Time is limited, and I have a lot of terrorists to gather."

"Thank you."

Kuroka stood up, but before she vanished, she suddenly lunged forward across the table.

She grabbed the collar of Finn's shirt, pulling him in, and violently crashed her lips against his. The kiss was aggressive and overwhelmingly sweet. The hot, intoxicating scent of feline musk wrapped around him as her soft, wet tongue daringly traced the seam of his lips, leaving a lingering, tingling heat in its wake.

"Consider that my down payment," Kuroka whispered against his mouth, her heavy cleavage pressing deliciously against his chest. "I expect a much bigger reward when I finish the job, nyaa."

Without giving him a chance to respond, she sank fluidly into her own shadow and completely vanished from the room.

"...Is it really okay to trust her, Finn-sama?" Ravel asked worriedly, her cheeks puffed out in slight jealousy after witnessing the brazen kiss. "She is an SS-Class criminal, after all."

"It's perfectly fine," Finn wiped his mouth, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Because in the entire world, I am the only person who can actually erase her bounty."

"Is there truly no one else?"

"Not a single one," Finn replied confidently. "The ones smart enough to do it are far too weak to defy the Maous, and the ones strong enough to do it are far too arrogant. More importantly, none of them see her true, terrifying value."

Kuroka might not have possessed world-ending firepower, but she was arguably the greatest spy and infiltrator in existence. If Finn ever decided to establish a black-ops intelligence network, Kuroka would be the indisputable commander. Unlike the relatively sheltered girls in his peerage, Kuroka had survived the darkest, ugliest underbelly of the supernatural world. She desperately wanted to live in the light, and Finn was holding the only key to that door.

If he was completely honest with himself, Finn knew that openly revealing his evolutionary plan was a massive, dangerous gamble. The metamorphosis wasn't something to be taken lightly. If a single miscalculation occurred, his soul could shatter, and he would die. But he trusted the women in this room implicitly. It would have been wildly unfair to demand their protection without telling them exactly what they were risking their lives for.

The hours bled away, and the sun finally began to set over Kuoh. The golden hour bathed the shrine in a deep, bloody orange hue. Finn stood in the courtyard, adjusting his collar. He had had enough of being limited by the biological ceiling of a Devil. If the world refused to grant him a path to absolute supremacy, he would violently carve his own.

The time for the peace summit had finally arrived.

The air in the courtyard shimmered, accompanied by the distinct, unmistakable scent of blooming crimson roses and chilled magic.

Stepping out from a crimson teleportation circle was the absolute most famous heiress in the Underworld.

"Finn, I am here for you."

Rias Gremory stood in the twilight, her breathtakingly gorgeous face graced with a gentle, incredibly alluring smile. Her voluminous, blood-red hair fluttered softly in the evening breeze, framing her impossible, hourglass curves perfectly.

Yet, she hadn't come alone.

Standing half a step behind her was a stunning, mature woman clad in an immaculate French maid outfit. The silver-haired beauty radiated a frosty, unapproachable elegance, her sheer presence demanding absolute respect. It was Rias's sister-in-law, and the single strongest Queen in the entire Underworld.

Grayfia Lucifuge.