While Finn completely ignored the sudden arrival of the two interlopers, casually enjoying the last bite of his sweet taro, Akeno's expression instantly turned vicious.
Despite her identity as a reincarnated Devil, the suffocating, highly unstable pressure she released was a terrifying mix of crackling lightning and raw Holy magic.
"What are you two doing here? Get the hell out!" Akeno hissed, her violet eyes burning with absolute hatred.
"Akeno..."
The young woman standing before them looked deeply hurt and profoundly guilty, yet she didn't step back. "I-I know that I couldn't save Aunty, or you, and I know how incredibly corrupt the Clan is... but I am trying to fix it—"
"Who gives a damn about that Clan?!" Akeno snapped. She couldn't care less about the Himejima. If they were burned to the ground, she would gladly dance in the ashes.
She had been waiting for the clan's utter ruin, yet here they were—shameless as ever. Did they honestly think they could simply walk away from attempting to assassinate a High-Class Devil? Yet somehow, these two had the absolute audacity to track Finn down in a foreign country and beg for forgiveness.
If this wasn't the absolute pinnacle of shamelessness, Akeno didn't know what was.
Even though it had been years since Akeno had last seen her, she remembered her cousin perfectly. This was the ultimate hypocrite who merely offered empty words while doing absolutely nothing to change the status quo of the clan: Suzaku Himejima.
Standing this close, the genetic resemblance between the two women was staggering.
They both possessed long, silky black hair tied into high ponytails. They both had breathtakingly beautiful, incredibly lush, voluptuous figures—immense, heavy breasts, narrow waists, and soft, plump thighs that pushed sensually against the fabric of their clothes.
Yet, the atmosphere they projected was entirely different. While Akeno usually radiated a soft, alluring, deeply seductive "ara ara" energy, Suzaku appeared strict and cold. Her crimson eyes burned like fire, a physical manifestation of the legendary Vermilion Bird she was destined to inherit.
"Akeno..." Suzaku's voice trembled, her chest tightening as she stared at her cousin. She knew exactly what her clan had done, and despite her best efforts, changing the ancient system from within had proven nearly impossible. "I know the Clan has wronged you beyond measure. Please... you can do absolutely anything you want to me, but just let the Clan go."
"I believe you are under a great misunderstanding."
Finn placed his spoon down, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He looked at Suzaku, entirely immune to the desperate, tearful allure she was projecting. "She is my Queen. Do you honestly believe the geopolitical decision to destroy your Clan rests entirely on her shoulders?"
"....." Suzaku froze.
While Finn's words were logically correct, explicitly defining Akeno as a subordinate stung Suzaku deeply. Yet Akeno's face flushed a deep, incredibly lewd pink; hearing Finn assert absolute, dominant ownership over her sent a sudden, hot shiver straight down to her core.
When Finn entered the conversation, the entire atmosphere shifted violently.
With Akeno, Suzaku believed she had a chance. In Suzaku's mind, they were still bound by blood. If she cried, begged, and showed enough desperate remorse, she believed Akeno might eventually forgive her. As long as the Clan promised to never harm Akeno again, everything could go back to normal.
But Finn Balam?
As Finn turned his dark, golden eyes onto her, Suzaku's body began to violently tremble. A heavy, suffocating pressure instantly crushed down on her shoulders. It was so terrifyingly absolute that she couldn't even force her lungs to scream. She felt like an insect trapped under the boot of an apex predator—
"Is that how the heir of the Balam House treats a guest?"
The young man who had been standing silently in the background suddenly stepped forward, placing himself directly between Finn and Suzaku. He aggressively flared his own aura, shielding her from the brunt of Finn's crushing pressure.
Finn leaned back in his plastic chair, mildly confused. "And who exactly are you?"
"My name is Tobio Ikuse."
"Tobio..." Finn rolled the name around in his head for a second before nodding. "Ah. The Captain of the Slash Dog team from Grigori. The wielder of the Canis Lykaon Longinus."
"Yes, that's me," Tobio sighed in relief, glad that Finn recognized his status. He thought it would give him some diplomatic leverage. But before he could continue—
"So, let me clarify," Finn interrupted smoothly. "Are you here as an official representative of Azazel, explicitly declaring the Fallen Angels as my enemies? Or are you here entirely on your own?"
"I..." Tobio blinked, momentarily stunned by the immediate escalation.
"What's wrong?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Are my words too complicated for you?" Finn asked, tilting his head with genuine doubt.
"No?"
"Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Finn sighed softly. He often forgot that the so-called 'heroes' of the supernatural world rarely possessed a basic education. They spent their entire lives brawling, recovering in hospitals, or chasing romance. When did they ever have time to study geopolitical logistics?
"....." Tobio gritted his teeth, feeling entirely talked down to.
"I will speak plainly," Finn said, resting his elbows on the table. "Are you here under the explicit orders of the Governor-General of Grigori? Or did you go rogue to play knight-in-shining-armor for this dying Clan?"
"I am here entirely on my own. I came to help her," Tobio answered firmly.
"I see," Finn nodded slowly, his eyes shifting back to Suzaku. "You really are a clever woman. Seducing a high-ranking asset from a foreign superpower to act as your personal meat shield."
Suzaku's face burned with absolute, scorching humiliation. Unlike Tobio, who was painfully naive, Suzaku understood the exact corporate insult Finn was implying.
Slut. If she wasn't trading her body for Tobio's protection, then what exactly was she doing?
"She has absolutely nothing to do with it! I offered to help her myself!" Tobio quickly stepped forward, furiously defending Suzaku's honor.
"So, you have no actual ties to her Clan?" Finn asked, genuinely wondering why he was being so patient. His tolerance for naive heroes was incredibly low, especially those who actively protected people trying to kill him. Yet, despite Tobio being older than him, Finn couldn't help but pity the boy's absolute stupidity.
"I do!" Tobio took a deep breath, bowing his head slightly. "I know that you have suffered deep grievances, and you have every right to hate them. But not everyone in that Clan is corrupt! Please, I am begging you to forgive them!"
To show his sincerity, Tobio bowed his head deeply. Suzaku immediately followed suit, trembling beside him.
However—
"Do you happen to know what race I am?" Finn asked casually.
"..." Tobio raised his head slightly, answering with confusion. "A Devil?"
"Correct," Finn smiled. "So tell me, Tobio. Do I look like an Angel who hands out free forgiveness just because a human asked nicely?"
"....." Tobio and Suzaku froze.
Akeno couldn't help but giggle, leaning her heavy breasts warmly against Finn's arm as she thoroughly enjoyed his brutal, unapologetic sadism.
"But contrary to popular belief, I am not entirely unreasonable," Finn said, completely ignoring Suzaku and focusing entirely on Tobio. "I already explicitly laid out my terms to Azazel. As long as the Clan fulfills those requirements, I will officially call off the bounty. So, tell me... have the tasks been completed?"
If he didn't demand absolute, crushing compensation after a direct assassination attempt, the rest of the supernatural world would view him as weak. In both business and Devil society, weakness invited death.
Watching the two humans remain dead silent, Finn's golden eyes grew freezing cold.
"Have you executed every single Elder and Clan member involved in the assassination attempts against Akeno and myself?"
"....." Suzaku bit her lip, unable to meet his eyes.
"Have you successfully transferred all of your Clan's ancestral wealth, magical texts, and real estate deeds to my corporate holdings?" Finn pressed.
"....." Suzaku remained silent.
"What about the Sacred Beast? I explicitly demanded the Vermilion Bird as a pet. You didn't even bring the bird with you?"
Suzaku clenched her fists, bowing so deeply she was practically groveling against the dirty pavement of the alley.
Finn didn't bother speaking anymore. The negotiation was over. He casually tossed his crumpled napkin onto the table and stood up. "Let's go, Akeno."
"Yes, Finn-sama," she purred.
Neither of them spared the kneeling humans a single glance as they walked past. But as they did, Suzaku snapped.
"My body!" Suzaku cried out desperately, throwing her pride away completely. "Can you please just forgive the Clan if I give you my body?!"
"...." Tobio froze, his eyes widening in absolute horror.
Finn merely yawned, completely unimpressed by the offer. However, he noticed Akeno's expression twist into a highly disturbing, intensely lewd smile. Recognizing the dangerous NTR fantasy brewing in his Queen's degenerate mind, Finn firmly slapped her soft, peachy buttocks to snap her out of it.
Akeno let out a cute, breathy squeak, pouting slightly, but she dutifully continued walking beside him.
They were just a few steps away when Tobio finally broke.
"Are you really just going to walk away after we sincerely apologized to you?!"
Tobio violently grabbed Finn's shoulder, his eyes completely bloodshot with humiliation, heartbreak, and boiling anger.
Finn slowly stopped. He didn't look at the hand gripping his shirt. He simply turned his head, locking his cold, golden eyes onto the desperate hero.
"And if I do?"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!
The entire alleyway violently exploded! The sheer, concussive force of the sudden impact shattered the pavement and blew the surrounding food stalls to splinters!
Yet, as the dust cleared, Finn stood perfectly unharmed. Compared to the world-breaking punch of the Red Dragon Emperor, dealing with a highly emotional dog was incredibly easy.