Chapter 198: Weak Infinity

Lynn Manor.

After returning from Natsuki Minamiya's place, Lynn began to examine his current condition.

Having reached the Transcendent level, his strength had undergone a qualitative change.

The [Evil Pieces] and [Devil's Summoning] systems did not seem to show any noticeable changes.

However, what caught his attention was the power of the snake that had been fed back from Katerea Leviathan.

Lynn raised his hand, and a shadow began to condense slowly.

Deep within a dark palace, a young girl with long black hair sat on a throne.

Her face was expressionless as she sat quietly, her black eyes devoid of emotion.

Suddenly, Ophis turned her head, tilting it curiously as her eyes calmly locked onto Lynn.

Seeing her, Lynn raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The Infinite Dragon God?"

Lynn was a little taken aback.

The power of the snake he had absorbed from Katerea Leviathan had somehow allowed him to directly manifest a projection of the Infinite Dragon God, Ophis.

…This doesn't seem right.

Lynn frowned slightly.

He recalled that Katerea Leviathan had an ability capable of summoning the phantom of the Infinite Dragon God.

[Serpent Contract of Ophis]

Summon the Phantom of the Infinite Dragon.

Effects: Increases all stats by 30%, casting time reduced to instant.

Activates Space Blockade, preventing enemies within range from using teleportation or escape abilities.

Lynn opened his personal status screen to double-check, then murmured, "As I thought."

He had not mistaken it.

But… in his impression, that projection was supposed to be just a phantom—without expression or thought.

Yet the shadow in Lynn's hand right now was completely different.

It was vivid, lifelike, and…

"…Is that you?"

Ophis's voice echoed, calm and indifferent.

Lynn's expression grew complicated.

She was actually communicating with him through the projection?

But…

"What do you mean by 'is that me'?"

Following his principle of asking questions when unsure, Lynn asked directly, "What's going on with me?"

Ophis stared at him closely and responded flatly, "The power of the snake was severed by you."

Lynn narrowed his eyes.

Although he didn't fully grasp her meaning, that one sentence revealed some key information.

Ophis… her connection to the power of the snake had been cut off.

Was it because of Katerea being reincarnated as one of his Peerage members through the Evil Piece?

Or…

Was it because of the demise of the Old Maou Faction?

No matter the cause, it was clearly connected to him.

Lynn shrugged. "If that's the case, then I suppose I'm the one responsible."

He kept his tone relaxed, but inwardly he remained cautious.

Even though Ophis appeared harmless in the original story, Lynn knew better than to let his guard down.

After all, this was the Infinite Dragon God.

Currently ranked as the second strongest being in the world.

Even as a Transcendent, Lynn didn't have enough confidence to go head-to-head with such an existence.

Tsk.

He wondered whether the power gained from Ingvild Leviathan would be effective against a being like Ophis.

After all, Ophis was a dragon too…

But, of course, Lynn had no intention of testing that theory recklessly.

For now, at least, she didn't show any hostility.

In fact…

Lynn looked at Ophis carefully. There was no malice coming from her at all.

If anything, it felt strangely neutral… maybe even leaning toward goodwill.

Still, Ophis herself didn't seem to notice the thoughts running through Lynn's mind about whether he could "abduct" her.

She quietly continued observing the snake power entwined around Lynn, power that did not originate from her.

That snake…

Was it from her?

As the thought surfaced, a flicker of confusion passed through Ophis's usually emotionless eyes.

But she could not be mistaken.

Yet…

Why?

The power of snakes should belong solely to her.

Now, standing before her was someone who possessed the same concept of infinity.

It was faint, incomplete, but undeniably there.

Family…

The word briefly echoed through Ophis's mind, stirring emotions that had remained calm for so long.

"…How strange."

Ophis didn't understand what she was feeling right now, but she didn't sense any rejection toward Lynn.

Rather, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.

An inexplicable urge to get closer.

But…

She reminded herself of the dream—the being that had driven her away from her home.

Her expression calmed again.

She still needed the Khaos Brigade.

She still needed to reclaim her home from that dreamlike enemy.

With that thought, Ophis waved her hand, dispersing the projection hovering over Lynn's palm.

However, just before the projection vanished, a sphere of energy emerged from it.

At the same time, Ophis's calm voice echoed faintly.

"Your infinity is too weak. Grow stronger quickly."

There was a subtle expectation hidden within her words.

Perhaps if Lynn became stronger, he could stand beside her one day… help her drive the dream from her home.

A few seconds later, the projection fully dissipated.

Lynn stared silently at the gray mist of energy left floating before him, still swirling chaotically.

This projection could actually influence reality?

She really was worthy of being called the world's second strongest.

Lynn let out a soft sigh and fell into thought.

This must be the true power of the snake.

But…

What did Ophis mean by all of this?

Infinity…

Did she intend to pass it on to him?

Just as Lynn was pondering, the snake power within him—fed back from Katerea Leviathan—suddenly surged outward.

A faint sense of longing echoed from deep within his being.

Lynn raised an eyebrow and fixed his gaze on the gray mist of energy left behind by Ophis.

After a brief hesitation, he reached out and touched it.

Buzz—

The instant his fingertips made contact, the gray mist reacted as though called by something, flowing smoothly into his body.

Lynn narrowed his eyes.

Buzz—

However, under his control, the gray mist halted its advance.

Using his magic, Lynn carefully inspected the gray energy.

Confirming that there were no hidden dangers, he slowly released his control.

The next moment, the snake within him, the one gifted through Katerea Leviathan, immediately devoured the gray mist.

A system prompt sounded.

["Ding! You have obtained the skill: Ouroboros Ring!"]

Lynn raised his eyebrows, quickly checking the skill description.

[Ouroboros Ring]

The closed loop of flesh and blood.

Self-Regeneration: Snake-scale patterns will form on injured areas, accelerating regeneration by consuming one's own flesh and blood.

Energy Circulation: After releasing magic or physical power, 60% will flow back into the body, forming the core of the perpetual motion system.

Status: Unfinished.

…

Lynn rubbed his chin, studying the skill carefully.

It appeared to be a powerful self-recovery ability.

Stronger than [Recovery Devil] in its regenerative properties.

But the key difference was clear.

[Ouroboros Ring] was a self-buff skill, while [Recovery Devil] functioned as a group support ability.

Their functions were fundamentally different.

Furthermore…

Lynn's gaze sharpened.

The word "Unfinished" caught his attention.

It reminded him of the [Apoptosis Genome] ability he already possessed.

Somehow, [Ouroboros Ring] felt like it was holding back something even greater.

Ophis had really given him quite the gift…

Feeling a mix of curiosity and anticipation, Lynn closed his status screen, his thoughts drifting back to Ophis's words.

Why had she done this?

What was she thinking?

The logic behind Ophis's actions eluded him.

But if this interaction was any indication, his chances of drawing Ophis to his side had just risen significantly.

"Your infinity is too weak…"

Remembering her words, Lynn smiled faintly.

He really wanted to tell her—

If you, Ophis, join my Peerage, I'll show you how quickly my infinity can grow.

Maybe I should try persuading her next time.

She seems like she'd be easy to convince.

As Lynn continued to entertain the idea of how to lure in the cute Infinite Dragon, his phone suddenly rang.

The caller ID: Yukinoshita Haruno.

Lynn answered.

"Master~"

Haruno's bright voice came through the phone.

"We caught a secret agent trying to infiltrate the company. Are you coming over to handle her personally?"

When she mentioned the word "handle," her tone became particularly suggestive.

Lynn raised an eyebrow.

This woman was definitely implying something.

"Is the agent good enough to be considered for the Peerage?"

"Of course~"

Lynn wasn't surprised.

If the infiltrator hadn't been talented, Haruno would have dealt with the issue herself without bothering him.

Meanwhile.

In the Lynn Group's underground prison—recently expanded for such occasions.

Haruno, still on the phone, turned to look at Kirasaka Sayaka, who was tightly restrained.

The smile on Haruno's face was bright, yet to Sayaka, it looked like the grin of a devil.

And then…

Hearing the clear male voice from Haruno's phone, Kirasaka Sayaka's body trembled uncontrollably.

Punishment?

Wait…

Could it be…

Her thoughts ran wild, imagining all sorts of shameful scenarios.

But given her own circumstances, even the more extreme scenes somehow felt acceptable to her.

So next…

She would be…?

Her breathing grew ragged. Oxygen felt scarce.

Her eyes rolled back.

With a soft thud, Kirasaka Sayaka fainted on the spot.

Haruno blinked.

"…Ah."

"She fainted."

(To be continued.)

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