Finn examined the Sacred Gear he had just extracted, thinking of items with powerful abilities bestowed upon Humans by the God of the Bible over his mind.
"Unknown Dictactor."
It was a unique and special Sacred Gear. Why? Because in his mind, this Sacred Gear conceptually possessed capabilities that rivaled even a Longinus. While it might not have been overwhelmingly powerful in ancient, primitive times, in the modern era? With the rapid, global advancement of human technology and the death of the Biblical God who originally capped the system, this Sacred Gear contained limitless, catastrophic potential.
It was the ultimate cheat code for the modern world.
'Hmm...'
While he felt he was lucky, he couldn't help but try his best to think about the origin of this Sacred Gear, as his memory was quite faint, and the user of this Sacred Gear was just a minor character, but in the original timeline, its wielder was a CIA agent who eventually joined the Phenex Clan's Rating Game team after the apocalyptic war with the beast 666 (Trihexa). Finn wondered if the True Longinus had subtly brainwashed the agent into joining the Hero Faction's ambush tonight, or was it something else?
Yet, he had never thought much of the humans, as they didn't possess any threats that could possibly change their status quo or harm him, since even if they had the Sacred Gears, the humans were weak.
Instead, the thought of the original character, the Phenex Clan, made him ponder in deep thought.
The geopolitics of High School DxD were complicated, but the economics were simple. The Phenex family was arguably the wealthiest noble house in Devil society. This extreme wealth was precisely why the Gremory family—despite having Sirzechs Lucifer acting as the Satan—had arranged Rias's engagement to Riser Phenex. The Gremory family was politically powerful, but notoriously bad at generating liquid capital.
Just like human nobility, Devil houses could easily go extinct if they mismanaged their lands and drowned in debt to fund their idealistic, vanity projects.
Regardless, the canon story of High School DxD wouldn't officially begin until 2008. Finn had years left to exponentially multiply his wealth and consolidate his power in the human world.
Especially now that I have the Unknown Dictator.
For a corporate mastermind living in the digital age, a Sacred Gear that absolutely dominated information networks, electronics, and mind-control frequencies was a weapon of mass destruction.
If I combine this with the Manager's processing power...
Finn actually shuddered, a cold thrill running down his spine as he calculated the sheer, monopolistic possibilities. But before he drafted his next corporate takeover, and secret domination and monopoly over everything, he looked down at the surviving humans groveling on the blood-soaked pavement.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you running away?"
"..."
Finn had dropped his Absolute Redaction, revealing himself once again, yet no one dared to move, speak, or even breathe too loudly.
"Don't worry, I'm not a monster," Finn smiled pleasantly. "If you want to run, I'll give you a generous five-minute head start. You can run as far and as fast as you possibly can, and I will only start hunting you after the timer ends. Isn't that fair? I might be a Devil, but I'm incredibly kind, right?"
"..."
Finn genuinely believed he was being fair. After all, they had ambushed him with the explicit intent to claim his head for a bounty.
"If you want to blame someone, blame your leader. He ordered you to kill me. Since you tried to kill me, it's only fair that I kill you in return, correct? But because I see how utterly broken, useless, and cowardly you are, I'm offering you a chance to run. Should I start the countdown?"
"..."
Every word he spoke felt like a physical weight crushing their chests. Blinding headaches split their skulls. Their bodies screamed at them to flee, yet their legs were turned to jelly.
The alleyway was slick with the blood and pulverized viscera of their friends. Bits of flesh clung to their clothes—flesh they desperately wanted to wipe away, but they couldn't muster the strength to even move their hands.
In the presence of this Devil, all they could do was freeze, hoping to become inanimate objects that he might simply step over and ignore.
"Really..." Finn sighed, his polite smile fading into profound boredom. "Do you truly want me to kill you that badly?"
"Yeah..."
Finn raised an eyebrow as a broken whisper answered him.
"Please... just kill us, Devil-sama..."
That single, defeated plea resonated with the remaining survivors. They had proudly labeled themselves 'Heroes'—special beings born with unique powers and a divine purpose. Yet, the brutal reality was that they were just outcasts. They had flocked to Cao Cao because they had nowhere else to go.
Did they genuinely want to be heroes fighting evil? No. They just wanted a place to belong. And right now... the afterlife seemed like a very peaceful place to rest.
Finn stared at the broken teenagers for a long moment. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he opened a shadow portal.
"Are you okay, Finn-sama?!"
Akeno burst from the shadows, her face streaked with tears. She was an absolute mess. From her pocket dimension, she had watched the Holy Light melt his flesh, turning him into a charred, burning skeleton before his miraculous regeneration.
"I'm perfectly fine," Finn said calmly. "Take care of them. I'm going back home."
"Yes..." Akeno sniffled, hastily wiping her eyes.
Without another word, Finn's body vanished, completely erasing his presence.
Yet, even with the terrifying Devil gone, not a single Hero Faction member dared to attack Akeno or flee. It felt as though invisible, golden eyes were still watching them from the shadows. One wrong move, and they would be dragged straight to Hell.
Or rather... wasn't this world already Hell?
They remained perfectly still, instinctively knowing their survival depended entirely on Akeno's next command.
"You are incredibly lucky that Finn-sama decided to spare your miserable lives," Akeno said, her voice dropping to a freezing, sadistic octave as she glared down at the kneeling humans. "But remember... everything in the Underworld has a price. And you will pay a very, very steep interest rate for daring to target him."
Shiver!
Meanwhile, miles away in a highly secure, underground safehouse...
Those who had successfully escaped via Georg's Dimension Lost stumbled out of the portal, collapsing onto the concrete floor, completely breathless and trembling violently.
"That Devil..."
Cao Cao gripped the True Longinus so tightly his knuckles turned white. It was the only object in the room that offered him any semblance of peace—the ultimate divine weapon to defeat evil!
Yet, despite his fanatical desire to be humanity's savior, deep in the darkest, most heavily guarded corner of his heart, a cold, gripping terror had taken root. It was a primal fear that could never be erased.
He knew the invisible Devil was out there. Watching. Waiting.