Chapter 265: Karma For The Clan
"To successfully breed a panda, the research staff literally has to show them panda porn so they learn how to mate. If they don’t, the bears are so lazy and clueless they might literally just go extinct."
Finn explained casually as they strolled through the sprawling Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. It was early in the morning, and the massive, fluffy bears were already tumbling over each other, doing ridiculously silly things for the tourists.
Rias and Sona had so many intense, politically charged things they wanted to discuss, but having traveled all the way to Chengdu, they decided to briefly shelve their agendas and actually enjoy the rare vacation.
"Tsubaki-san, Koneko-chan, let’s go get some of those cute panda-shaped ice creams!"
While Finn was heavily occupied with entertaining the two high-maintenance heiresses, Akeno cheerfully dragged Tsubaki and Koneko away toward the souvenir stalls.
As servants to High-Class Nobles, relaxing didn’t come naturally to Tsubaki or Koneko. Tsubaki’s relationship with Sona was incredibly strict, functioning more like a corporate CEO and her executive assistant than family. It was a dynamic born from necessity; Tsubaki had been essentially abandoned by her own human family, who believed she was cursed due to her Sacred Gear, before Sona took her in.
Koneko’s fate was arguably even darker. She had been sitting on death row, actively scheduled to be executed for the sins of her older sister. If Rias’s family hadn’t miraculously intervened and bought her freedom, Koneko would be dead. Because she owed Rias her life, it was incredibly hard for the small, silver-haired girl to ever truly relax around her master. A High-Class Devil literally held the power of life and death over a Low-Class servant.
Yet, with Akeno leading the charge?
"Okay," Tsubaki nodded, a rare, soft smile touching her lips.
"Um," Koneko agreed quietly, her golden eyes lighting up at the mention of ice cream.
"Don’t worry about the prices. Finn-sama is so wealthy, so please, eat and shop for absolutely whatever you want," Akeno smiled softly, casually flexing her master’s terrifying financial dominance.
"..." Tsubaki and Koneko exchanged a slightly overwhelmed glance, but they obediently followed the busty Queen.
Back on the viewing path, the main group continued their tour.
"Do you actually like pandas, Finn?" Rias asked, leaning against the wooden railing, her heavy breasts resting comfortably against her arms as she watched a cub roll down a grassy hill.
"They’re fine," Finn shrugged. "I just constantly wonder how the legendary ’Iron-Eating Beast’—a mythological monster said to chew through the steel armor and weapons of ancient armies—evolved into a lazy, bamboo-chewing fluffball."
"Haha..." Rias giggled, thoroughly charmed by his dry observation.
Later in the afternoon, the group relocated to the vibrant, historically rich streets of Kuanzhai Alley. As they walked past the glowing red lanterns and traditional teahouses, Sona finally broke the casual atmosphere.
"Why exactly do you base your operations out of China?" Sona asked softly, adjusting her glasses.
"Is there a problem with it?" Finn countered smoothly.
"No... well... have you ever actually considered expanding your physical presence into Japan?" Sona asked, her strict eyes looking up at him carefully.
"..." Finn stopped walking.
"That is a brilliant idea!" Rias clapped her hands together, her blue-green eyes lighting up with genuine excitement.
China was beautiful, but Japan was their home turf! If they could convince Finn to visit Kuoh Town, they would hold the diplomatic home-field advantage. Furthermore, as the two heiresses of famous Devil Pillars, they were acutely aware that Finn was footing the bill for this entire extravagant vacation. While their families were rich, their personal allowances weren’t unlimited. They couldn’t casually throw around liquid capital like Finn did. Inviting him to their territory and hosting him properly was the perfect way to repay the debt.
And once he arrived there... hmm~! The romantic possibilities were endless!
"...."
Finn took a slow, incredibly deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Are you two aware that I am officially blacklisted by the Shinto Faction? I am literally forbidden from setting foot on that island."
Given the absolute bloodbath he had orchestrated against the Himejima Clan, it would be madness if he wasn’t blacklisted.
"Who cares?"
Rias and Sona answered at the exact same time, entirely unapologetic.
"..."
Finn fell silent, actually considering the troubles. They were surprisingly correct. Even if he boldly walked into Tokyo tomorrow, what exactly would the Japanese Pantheon do about it? Nothing. The vast majority of the native Gods were notoriously lazy shut-ins. They actively isolated themselves and let the mortals handle their own problems.
As long as Finn remained relatively low-key, he was confident nothing major would happen.
Still, he couldn’t help but look at Sona and Rias with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. They were actively inviting an internationally blacklisted Ultimate-Class threat into their hometown just for a social visit.
"You two are incredibly lucky you are the pampered little sisters of the Maous," Finn noted dryly.
"...."
Both Sona and Rias flinched, deeply annoyed by the comment. They hated having their older siblings brought into every conversation. They wanted to be recognized for their own hard work, not just as the spoiled princesses of Sirzechs and Serafall.
Yet, looking at Finn—who had built his terrifying reputation and wealth entirely on his own, with zero divine backing—they couldn’t really argue.
"Good. Stay jealous of my sister’s influence," Sona huffed, lifting her chin proudly, deciding to completely embrace the unfair advantage if it meant winning the argument against him.
"....." Finn sighed.
Rias giggled at Sona’s stubbornness before looking back at Finn, her expression softening. "So, what do you think? Will you come visit us in Japan?"
Normally, Finn would have instantly rejected the offer. Entering a hostile country was a massive, unnecessary risk. But now?
"Are you two absolutely certain?" Finn lowered his voice, stepping closer to them so the tourists wouldn’t overhear. "If my presence is discovered by the Shinto Factions, it will cause massive diplomatic blowback for your territory. You two might not know this, but the previous Devil in charge of Kuoh Town was violently assassinated."
"....."
Sona and Rias froze.
"...Why are you suddenly bringing up ancient history?" Sona asked, completely thrown off balance by the dark shift in conversation.
"Wait, why was she actually killed?" Rias asked, genuinely curious.
"The official claims she had a forbidden, deeply scandalous romance with a Church Exorcist, so the Vatican and the Devils colluded to quietly execute them both to avoid a diplomatic crisis," Finn explained casually.
"....."
Yet, Finn knew the reality was far more complex. While a Devil sleeping with an Exorcist was technically a scandal, Devils loved corrupting holy figures. Many high-ranking Nobles actively collected fallen nuns and priests for their peerages. If a Devil fell in love with an Exorcist, the rest of the Underworld would just laugh about it behind closed doors. They wouldn’t order an assassination over it.
"If the Shinto factions discover I am there, I will simply handle them myself," Finn said calmly.
With his current power scaling, he wasn’t worried. He now possessed Canis Lykaon, a Longinus literally forged from the divine blade used to execute a Japanese fire god. If the Shinto Pantheon wanted a war, he had the perfect, God-killing tool to give them one.
But his dismissive attitude deeply offended the two heiresses.
"Do not underestimate us!" Rias flared up, crossing her arms defensively, pushing her heavy chest out.
"We are the ones formally inviting you to our territory," Sona added, her strict eyes flashing with genuine pride. "Whatever happens in Kuoh Town is strictly our absolute responsibility. We will protect you politically."
"Are you sure? Even if the True Longinus user or a literal Shinto God suddenly drops into your town?" Finn raised an eyebrow, testing their resolve.
"Even then!" they answered in perfect unison.
Finn stared at the two beautiful, incredibly stubborn women for a long moment. Finally, he let out a short, amused breath and nodded.
"Alright then." He didn’t hesitate anymore. He turned over his shoulder. "Akeno. Pack the bags. We are going to Japan."
"Gladly~!" Akeno practically sang from the ice cream stall, a deeply sadistic, highly anticipatory smile curling her lips. She knew perfectly well that the absolute second Finn stepped foot in Japan, the entire supernatural balance of the island was going to be violently thrown into chaos.
Meanwhile, halfway across the world in Japan, Suzaku Himejima dropped to her knees in absolute, mind-numbing horror.
She had just returned to her ancestral homeland, dragging the broken, entirely powerless body of Tobio Ikuse with her. But as she looked at the sprawling, ancient estate of the Himejima Clan, she didn’t see a home.
She saw a burning, bloody crater.
"W-What is happening...?!"
"SUZAKU! SUZAKU!"
A heavily bleeding, half-dead clan elder crawled desperately through the burning rubble toward her.
"What happened here?!" Suzaku screamed, dropping Tobio and grabbing the elder’s shoulders.
In her mind, it was completely impossible for Finn to have done this. She had literally watched Finn board a private jet headed to Chengdu! He was actively on vacation! So who the hell had systematically slaughtered the Himejima Clan?!
"I-It was a group of young humans... wielding terrifying Sacred Gears!" the elder choked out, blood spilling from his lips. "Their leader... he wielded an absolute, overwhelming spear of light...!"
"...."
In that exact moment, Suzaku’s heart completely stopped. Her blood ran freezing cold.
She realized the horrifying, karmic truth. The ones who had just ruthlessly butchered her family... were the exact same Hero Faction mercenaries the Clan had hired to assassinate Finn Balam.
When the Clan failed to pay the massive bounty, the mercenaries simply came to collect it themselves.
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