Chapter 262: Chengdu Retreat
Akeno stared at the two men speechlessly. She gracefully walked to Finn’s side, wrapping her arm around his bicep as she narrowed her violet eyes. "What exactly are you two doing here?"
"Why do you say it like that, Akeno?!"
While Baraqiel immediately looked away, far too awkward to meet his daughter’s fiery gaze, Azazel quickly threw his hands up, exaggerating his concern. "When we realized Tobio was tracking you two down, we rushed here as fast as possible!"
It was partially true. The Governor-General of Grigori and his Vice-Governor had rushed to Taipei to stop Tobio if he actually managed to threaten Finn. They knew it sounded highly improbable, but humans were creatures of absolute, unpredictable miracles. Sometimes, through sheer willpower and the sacrifice of their own lives, human heroes pulled off the impossible.
Unfortunately for Tobio, there was absolutely no miracle today. No matter how desperately a human hoped for divine intervention, raw, insurmountable power crushed miracles into dust.
It’s a shame, but that’s reality, Azazel thought grimly.
If it had been Vali, his beloved surrogate son, Azazel’s heart might have swayed him to do something incredibly stupid to save the boy. But Tobio? Watching Tobio’s utter, devastating defeat invoked zero emotional response. Azazel simply watched it happen.
It was a cold, brutal reality. As Finn had so accurately stated, Tobio had absolutely no political backing. Finn, on the other hand, was not only the absolute master of the Great King Faction’s economy, but he had recently established highly favorable ties with Sirzechs Lucifer. If Tobio had somehow managed to injure or kill Finn, the entire Devil race would have declared an immediate war against the Fallen Angels.
It was a nightmare Azazel and Baraqiel absolutely refused to entertain.
The Fallen Angels had suffered casualties during the ancient Great War against the Devils and Angels. Furthermore, because the Archangel Michael had tightly sealed the system, the angels could no longer ’fall.’ Their population was permanently stagnant. Worse still, despite their highly active sex drives, Fallen Angels possessed a horrifyingly low reproduction rate.
They simply did not have the numbers to survive another war.
That was exactly why they had rushed here to stop the conflict. Yet the result? It was entirely beyond their wildest imaginations. Tobio wasn’t even a minor inconvenience for Finn. He had been brutally, effortlessly crushed like a cheap sandbag.
So, why didn’t Azazel or Baraqiel intervene to save their subordinate from being crippled?
Because actively stopping Finn meant officially declaring themselves his enemies. Sacrificing the fragile peace of their race to save one emotional human simply wasn’t a profitable trade.
Yes, it was incredibly cruel. But to the leaders of Grigori, Tobio was completely disposable. If Finn had executed him, they would have simply turned a blind eye, walked away, and pretended they hadn’t seen a thing.
Yet, walking away proved impossible. When Finn finally decided to end the fight by unleashing his devastating ’Balam Fist,’ the kinetic shockwave was so catastrophic that Azazel and Baraqiel had to desperately channel their power into Suzaku’s fragile barrier. If they hadn’t, the entire island of Taiwan might have literally fractured and sunk into the ocean.
That kind of geographical disaster was terrible for business.
Both Finn and Grigori had massive, highly lucrative investments in Taiwan. Following Finn’s brilliant economic model, Azazel had recently invested heavily in Taiwanese real estate and local technology firms. He was immensely relieved Finn had pulled his punch at the last second, saving their portfolios.
But geopolitical real estate was the least of Azazel’s current worries.
His eyes were locked entirely on the massive, dark O-katana resting lazily against Finn’s shoulder.
He actually tamed, conquered, and stole Canis Lykaon... Azazel swallowed hard.
An Ultimate-Class Devil perfectly wielding the absolute, God-killing power of a Longinus?! It defied every established law of the supernatural world! While Canis Lykaon wasn’t the absolute strongest Longinus, its shadow manipulation granted perfect, undetectable stealth, and its blade could theoretically sever anything in existence.
For a Balam Devil—a creature already defined by monstrous, mountain-crushing physical strength—to suddenly gain the flawless stealth and lethal penetration of a master assassin? The tactical implications were absolutely terrifying.
Gulp. Both Azazel and Baraqiel stood in profound, silent terror as Finn casually called them out of the shadows. If Finn was currently angry, could either of them actually stop him?
If Finn got serious, nobody could catch him. He could systematically slaughter humanity, angels, and Fallen Angels entirely unseen. Hell, if he wanted to assassinate his political rivals within the Devil factions, it would literally be a walk in the park.
"Thank you."
Finn’s voice broke the heavy, suffocating silence.
"N-No, it’s absolutely fine. Don’t worry about it," Azazel replied, forcing a painfully awkward chuckle as he accepted the unexpected gratitude.
"I mean it," Finn said casually. "If you two hadn’t reinforced the space, this island would have likely sunk. The barrier created by that pathetic bitch was incredibly weak."
"..."
Suzaku, who was still desperately kowtowing against the cracked pavement, flinched violently. She knew Finn was explicitly insulting her, but she had absolutely no right or power to speak.
Nobody paid her a single shred of attention.
"You aren’t going to kill him?" Azazel asked carefully, his eyes dropping to Tobio’s unconscious, powerless body.
"No," Finn replied smoothly, casually stretching his broad shoulders to work out the stiffness. "I made a very specific deal with this little guy."
"Wan!" Jin barked happily, obediently rubbing its massive, shadowy head affectionately against Finn’s tailored pant leg.
"....." Azazel and Baraqiel were completely speechless. The legendary, God-killing hound was acting like a pampered golden retriever.
"I leave the cleanup to you," Finn stated, adjusting his cuffs.
"Consider it done," Azazel nodded deeply. "Just go back to your hotel and rest, Finn. We will personally handle everything here."
If anyone was at fault tonight, it was Tobio. He had completely overestimated his own value and recklessly thrown his life away for a foolish, hypocritical woman. But then again, that was the ultimate flaw of men. Adam had gladly accepted exile from Eden just to stay with Eve. Women were the ultimate source of absolute ruin, yet men couldn’t stop themselves from chasing them.
Before stepping into the shadows to leave, Finn paused. He turned his head slowly, his golden eyes locking directly onto the Governor-General.
"Azazel..."
"Yes?!"
Azazel felt every single muscle in his body instantly tense. The sheer, suffocating dominance radiating from the young man was genuinely terrifying, making Azazel realize that Finn’s true danger level had likely already surpassed Sirzechs Lucifer’s.
"This is the absolute last time," Finn said, his voice dropping to a freezing, absolute whisper. "I am not a warmonger. I do not enjoy unnecessary slaughter. But if your people continue to cross my boundaries... I will absolutely stop holding back."
He didn’t wait for Azazel’s terrified agreement. He simply pulled Akeno close, and the two of them seamlessly melted into the shadows, utilizing the Longinus’s perfect shadow manipulation to disappear without a trace.
"How terrifying..." Azazel exhaled a long, shaky breath.
What terrified him wasn’t Finn’s explicit threat. What terrified him was how casually and flawlessly Finn had utilized Canis Lykaon to teleport away, as if he had been the master of the weapon for centuries.
If he could forcefully rip a Longinus from a host and master it instantly... what happened if he decided to take the others? And more importantly, how was a Devil biologically capable of housing a holy relic?!
"Oh, God..." Azazel sighed, looking up at the smog-filled night sky with absolute, helpless exhaustion. "Why the hell did you have to die and leave us in this mess?"
For Finn, the geopolitical headache was officially over. He decided he needed a genuine vacation to wash away the stress.
He skipped South Korea—the corporate hustle and aggressive, fast-paced lifestyle of Seoul was too depressing and reminded him too much of his previous life’s corporate grind. He wanted a city with a genuinely laid-back, profoundly relaxing culture.
He chose Chengdu, China. The land of the Pandas.
Frankly, watching the incredibly lazy, soft pandas perfectly healed his soul. Akeno found the trip delightfully romantic, and Jin, the shadowy Longinus hound, was surprisingly obedient, happily enjoying its new life as Finn’s pampered pet.
Finn had recently purchased and lavishly renovated a sprawling, traditional Sichuanese Heritage courtyard estate in the heart of the city. It was the perfect, serene getaway.
Sitting peacefully on the veranda, feeling the gentle afternoon breeze, Finn lazily ate a bowl of authentic, spicy Dan Dan noodles while Jin slept soundly by his feet.
It was absolute, undisturbed peace.
Until he stopped chewing, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air as he stared blankly at the completely unexpected guest standing in his courtyard.
"What exactly is with that look on your face?"
Sona Sitri stood there, adjusting her strict rectangular glasses, glaring at him with a deeply unpleasant, irritated expression.
---
As I have said before, I will need to go to another city for two or three days, but I will try to return as soon as possible, and upload it. At the same time, think about how Finn’s evolution will be.
What do you think he will become?
Still, I am sorry and thank you~!
From your lovely author, Akikan40!
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