Chapter 297: Katerea's Return
Not only had the villa's upper levels been expanded, but Haruto's underground dark room had also been completely renovated.
No, it could no longer be called a dark room.
The renovated underground space was vast, no smaller than the underground church that Yuuma and the other two had once used as their base.
It was even divided into four zones: equipment area, costume area, comprehensive area, and prison.
The equipment and costume areas need no explanation. The comprehensive area contained everything imaginable, with new additions possible whenever new ideas emerged.
The prison retained the characteristics of the former dark room, with blurred time perception and various magical restrictions.
Its purpose was to detain powerful and exceptional villainesses unwilling to reform.
These villainesses would undergo "reform through labor" in the prison. After showing willingness to change their ways and passing through the baptism of the first three areas, they could obtain new lives.
Of course, this was merely a preliminary concept. Haruto wasn't particularly keen on spending excessive effort persuading villainesses to become good.
Dual cultivation was inherently mutually beneficial - while Haruto might gain slightly more, the other party certainly didn't lose out either. Why force villainesses against their will?
With that time and energy, it would be better to build relationships with other powerful women. Not only would there be no fear of betrayal, but even if dual cultivation wasn't successful, establishing good connections would still be beneficial.
As the old saying goes: More friends, more paths; those who have virtue will have plenty of support, while those without will find little.
During the Three Factions Summit, if Katerea hadn't tried to kidnap him and he hadn't been angered by the attitudes of several Satan-Class beings, Haruto wouldn't have bothered expending so much effort.
Just when Haruto thought the prison and even the underground space would hardly ever be used, a certain dark-skinned female Satan gave him a hard slap in the face that very night.
...
The Abyss of the Underworld, Leviathan household.
Katerea listlessly withdrew her moistened fingers from between her shapely, slender legs. Though she had reached climax, she felt even more hollow inside.
Nearly a month had passed since she returned to her family, and three weeks since she last refused the beautiful subordinates offered to her.
Two days ago, she finally succumbed to what she previously considered shameful - self-pleasuring.
At first, it somewhat alleviated her restlessness, but within just two days, even more violent emptiness and desire assaulted her again.
In her extravagantly furnished bedroom, the dark-skinned beauty bit her lip lightly, gazing at the glistening moisture on her fingers and the unabated ache in her lower abdomen. The last thread of restraint in her mind finally snapped beyond repair.
That thread was called reason and dignity.
A brilliant magic circle lit up beneath Katerea's feet, transporting her along the spatial coordinates that had haunted her dreams.
...
Human World, August 3rd, 10 PM.
After a busy day, Haruto completed his move.
He didn't actually have many possessions - most of the time was spent comforting the girls, especially the three Takamine women who had cared for him for nearly a decade before his awakening in this life.
The Gremory family's expanded villa was spacious, but it couldn't possibly accommodate all the women connected to Haruto.
To live here, one needed at least the potential of someone like Yubelluna, and the ability to recognize their proper place.
Haruto wished he could treat everyone equally, distributing his affections fairly, but in reality, it was impossible.
Nowadays, every gathering seemed to feature new faces, yet somehow didn't.
Many girls felt familiar to Haruto, but upon careful thought, he couldn't even recall their names.
After struggling with this for a while, he ultimately decided to become an emotionless bulldozer.
Bulldozing felt good in the moment, and continuous bulldozing felt continuously good - provided he didn't think too much and remained sufficiently detached.
This move was partly for this reason, serving as a tacit declaration ceremony.
He truly had no extra affection to distribute equally among everyone.
Being able to properly care for top-tier prodigies like Rias, Sona, and Mio already qualified Haruto as quite the romantic.
Of course, if it was just about physical relationships without emotional attachment, Haruto with his dual cultivation abilities could still perfectly fulfill his duties.
Though he had worked hard throughout the day, barely having time to eat, the first night in his new home naturally called for a celebration party.
Haruto lay on the large bed in the top-floor room, dressed in a soft, pure cotton sleeping robe.
With his hands pillowed behind his head, he was just about to contact Rias and the other two through the soul network when a familiar yet unfamiliar magical fluctuation appeared in his perception.
"Hmm?" Haruto voiced his suspicion and focused on sensing it carefully.
"They teleported directly inside, seemingly in the basement, and specifically in the prison..."
His confusion grew. "With such a large house, why teleport there of all places?"
The prison in the underground space was the only place in this Western-style house that allowed entry but not exit. Without breaking the magical restrictions inside, one couldn't teleport away.
When Haruto arrived at the basement and saw the familiar dark-skinned beauty, he finally understood why she had teleported there instead of anywhere else—because this was the place she was most familiar with in the entire house.
Katerea, who had regained her appearance as Satan Leviathan, was now dressed in a capable outfit: a white blouse and a skirt, both dignified and exquisite.
Her classic Southern beauty's refined face showed not a ripple of emotion, as if the lustful, unsatisfied, and promiscuous bitch from before had nothing to do with her.
Although she had resumed her form as a Descendant of Leviathan, her makeup and attire retained the style Haruto had previously molded her into.
Rather than the unappealing image of someone with square-framed glasses sealing her beauty and her hair tied into small braids.
The dark-skinned older sister was wearing black pantyhose, her sexy feet wrapped in smooth black silk and perched in pointed high heels, appearing utterly seductive and alluring.
Upon closer inspection, Haruto noticed that Katerea's skin tone had also changed slightly.
Her originally light brown skin had darkened, taking on an enticing reddish-black hue, though it wasn't very noticeable since less than a month had passed.
By this point, even without exchanging a single word, Haruto had a rough idea why this proud Satan Leviathan had come.
He opened the prison door, intending to lead the dark-skinned older sister upstairs to formally introduce her to Rias and the other women, but she refused.
"I just want to borrow your ability. Don't misunderstand," Katerea said coldly and arrogantly, forcibly suppressing the urge to throw herself into Haruto's arms.
Haruto narrowed his eyes. Had he guessed wrong?
No, impossible. Based on his extensive experience, Katerea was undoubtedly unable to hold back any longer.
That left only one possibility...
His expression hardened, and he spoke just as coldly, "You refuse a face-saving offer. In that case, continue being my bitch."
The dark-skinned older sister's breath hitched, a flush appearing on her lovely face, though it was unclear whether it was from shame or anger.
"You! You! How dare you..." Her clear, sharp exclamation echoed through the spacious underground area.
Haruto maintained a calm facade but secretly prepared his defenses.
If he had truly guessed wrong, a fierce battle would be unavoidable.
However, it turned out that his judgment and insight, honed from spending all his time among women, were reliable.
Katerea breathed rapidly, continuously exclaiming "you," but after half a day, she couldn't produce a follow-up. Moreover, she made no move with her hands, and there was barely any fluctuation in her magic power.
Seeing this, Haruto slowly stepped forward. Katerea instinctively began to retreat, revealing her psychological inferiority.
Entering the familiar little dark room, Haruto directly closed the outer door.
In the confined space, Haruto stood face-to-face with the dark-skinned beauty who was forcibly maintaining her cold arrogance. A peach-colored atmosphere permeated the silent air.
Katerea's breathing grew increasingly heavy. When Haruto's breath washed over her, she could no longer maintain the last shred of restraint.
"Master..."
The dark-skinned beauty panted, her pink, moist lips resembling plump peaches that seemed ready to seep sweet nectar at any moment. Her flawless face was flushed crimson, and even her typically proud eyes now shimmered with ripples of spring desire.
In this familiar environment, facing Haruto's accustomed dominant attitude, the deeply buried subservience and wantonness within her resurfaced.
When the word "master" escaped her lips, it signified that Katerea had completely succumbed, beyond any hope of redemption.
Haruto said nothing. He simply pulled the dark-skinned beauty into his embrace, pressing his mouth against her sensual red lips.
His greedy tongue, coated with sweet saliva, stirred wantonly while his large hands roamed over Katerea's exquisitely sensual body, fondling her ample breasts through the thin blouse.
Moving downward, Haruto skillfully slipped his hand beneath the dark-skinned beauty's dress, reaching the garden between her thighs. Through the lace panties, he caressed the already warm and slick valley.