Chapter 261: A Hound’s Submission
Taiwan was a beautiful island, but it was infamous for one highly unpleasant reality: earthquakes. Sitting directly on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the region suffered thousands of seismic tremors every single year.
However, the violent shockwave that just tore through the alleyway was entirely different.
Finn’s fist carried the devastating, undeniable force of a natural disaster. It was a primal terror that humanity was never meant to experience up close. And the frightening truth? Finn had actively held back. If he hadn’t pulled his punch at the very last microsecond, the sheer kinetic output would have leveled the entire city block.
"Fortunately, we’re near the sea," Finn murmured softly as the shockwave dispersed over the dark ocean waters.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!
The moment Finn’s fist connected with Tobio’s body, the fight was instantly over. Everything the assassin had tried to do was utterly meaningless. Despite Tobio’s intense training, his magical enhancements, and the terrifying power of his Longinus, his fragile human body simply couldn’t withstand the impact.
When faced with the overwhelming, cataclysmic power of nature, humans could do nothing but drop to their knees and pray. They could only beg the heavens for the disaster to pass.
But what could humans do when that disaster walked among them in a tailored suit?
Was it arrogant for Finn to view himself this way? Perhaps. But it was an undeniable fact. If he wanted to, he possessed the raw, untethered power to erase a city from the map—and the ability to vanish completely unseen right after. When the Biblical God flooded the earth to punish human foolishness, mankind had simply accepted their fate. Finn believed those who provoked him should do the exact same.
He hadn’t sought out this fight. Tobio and Suzaku had tracked him down and actively tried to cause him trouble.
Tobio was a master assassin, arguably ranking among the top five strongest humans alive. His Longinus, Canis Lykaon, allowed him to manipulate shadows and erase his presence flawlessly. But assassination required stealth, not a head-on brawl against an Ultimate-Class monster. Even Cao Cao—the wielder of the strongest Longinus in existence—had terrifiedly avoided taking a direct punch from Finn. Tobio had greatly overestimated himself.
"Well, it’s time to end it," Finn said coldly.
He hated loose ends. The only reason he had kept a crushing grip on Tobio’s wrist was to prevent the assassin from using his incredible speed to slip away into the shadows. Finn knew that raw speed wasn’t his absolute best trait—though he mused that if he ever managed to replicate the Projection Sorcery from the Jujutsu Kaisen universe using his Demonic Power, that weakness would vanish entirely.
If Issei could somehow use Demonic Power to magically communicate with breasts and strip women naked through sheer perverted imagination, Finn knew the limits of the Devil’s magic were practically non-existent.
But those experiments could wait. He needed to execute Tobio first—
"Wan!"
Before Finn could deliver the final, crushing blow, the terrifying shadow hound shrank down. The small, black puppy frantically threw itself at Finn’s feet, bowing its head desperately against his polished shoes.
"You want me to let him live?" Finn asked, pausing his fist.
"Wan," Jin nodded weakly. Despite being badly injured, the puppy’s glowing red eyes were resolute. It was begging for its master’s life.
Why should Finn show mercy to a man who had just tried to kill him?
"Will you submit to me entirely?" Finn offered a dark, uncompromising deal.
"Wan," Jin nodded instantly, making its choice. It swore absolute, eternal loyalty to the Balam Devil in exchange for Tobio’s survival.
Finn smirked. It was the perfect hostile takeover.
Through the multiverse network of the Manager, Finn recalled an incredibly unique, terrifying skill developed by the Suzuki from the Arifureta universe: Hostile Takeover. It was an ability designed to literally rip the magic, status, and essence out of a target’s body.
He didn’t need to slaughter Tobio. In fact, he could simply drain the boy dry. By utilizing the Solo Leveling System mechanics layered into his soul, Finn could absorb the energy and grow his own power in a stable, healthy way—much like a lord taxing his subjects, rather than butchering them.
Reaching his hand out, Finn hovered his palm directly over Tobio’s broken, unconscious body. He activated the skill, making a slow, deliberate grasping motion.
A violent surge of dark energy ripped from Tobio’s chest, flowing directly into Finn’s palm. Finn systematically stripped away the Longinus, the magical circuits, and the boy’s connection to the supernatural world. In a matter of seconds, the once-feared Captain of the Slash Dog team was reduced to a completely ordinary, powerless human.
"I’m turning him into a fragile mortal. You’re okay with that, right?" Finn asked the dog.
"Wan," Jin agreed.
Finn felt a dark sense of satisfaction. In a way, he was showing incredible benevolence. Losing their powers was the ultimate punishment for arrogant heroes. Without their Sacred Gears or divine bloodlines, they had absolutely nothing. None of them had even finished high school. Now, Tobio would be forced to find a normal job and live a mundane, boring life. Given his decent looks, maybe he could become an influencer or a model. Either way, his life in the supernatural underworld was permanently over.
Satisfied, Finn poured his Demonic Power into the black puppy.
Jin’s shadowy form twisted and stretched, solidifying into a breathtaking, oversized Japanese blade. The O-katana measured nearly 150 centimeters long. It featured a slightly curved, gleaming silver blade with a traditional kawazuko choji (clove) temper line, and a dark, asymmetrical crossguard. The handle was beautifully wrapped in black silk tightly wound in a classic diamond pattern.
Deep, crackling blue lightning surged along the edge of the dark steel, proving that the legendary weapon had fully accepted Finn’s dominant will.
"Wan?" A soft voice echoed in his mind. Jin was asking if Finn wanted the Longinus to magically alter his clothes into a sleek combat uniform.
"No need, Jin. I prefer a classic, manly silhouette anyway. A well-tailored suit suit me far better than flashy armor," Finn replied smoothly.
"Wan," the blade hummed in agreement.
From the shadows of the alley, Akeno watched the entire exchange with heavily lidded eyes. Seeing Finn effortlessly crush a legendary hero, strip him of his pride, and forcefully subjugate a divine weapon sent a frantic, boiling heat straight to her core. Her thighs pressed tightly together under her skirt, her breathing ragged and sweet. The sheer, unapologetic dominance of the man she loved was the ultimate aphrodisiac, leaving her flush with a dark, deeply erotic anticipation for what he would do to her once they were finally alone in their home.
Finn casually unsheathed the massive blade, letting the blue lightning illuminate the dark, ruined street. He turned his golden eyes toward a seemingly empty, untouched corner of the spatial barrier.
"I am grateful that you helped reinforce this barrier so the city didn’t collapse," Finn said, his voice echoing loudly. "But do you want to step out into the light, or should I test my brand-new toy on you while you hide?"
"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! WE’RE NOT HIDING ANYMORE!"
Slowly, sweating bullets, Azazel and Baraqiel stepped out from the darkness, their hands raised in awkward surrender.
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