The previous overseer likely kept Gasper a secret, hoping to either use the boy's power for himself or sell him to a new master as a bargaining chip.
Gasper was stunned for a moment, then sighed in relief. Thank goodness Ethan had forced him out of the house. If he had waited until university to reveal himself to the Gremorys, they might not have even known who he was.
With everything cleared up, Rias established a formal connection with Gasper. Respecting his wishes, his official records would still list him as female. As for how long that would last, only God knew. Ethan, however, made a mental note to warn the girls—including Akeno and the others he was sleeping with—that Gasper was a boy. He didn't want his women getting felt up by a "girl" who was actually a guy.
Gasper pouted, wanting to complain that this was basically "outing" him, but one look at Ethan's handsome face reminded him of the "physical exam" the night before. He shuddered and kept his mouth shut. Being stripped naked and inspected—especially with the way Ethan had stared at his crotch with such intense interest—was a trauma he wasn't over yet.
Watching the shivering blonde boy, Ethan felt like Gasper was misunderstanding something. He couldn't help it; he was just nostalgic for the days of "flicking birds" and "roshambo" from his childhood.
Ethan, I want to take Gasper as my Pawn. Rias sent a message through the soul network.
Ethan wasn't surprised. Rias was compassionate. Even without considering Gasper's potential, his tragic past was enough to make her want to protect him. As for whether this was the "convergence of timelines" at work... it didn't matter anymore. If Rias had acted without asking him, Ethan might have been annoyed. but since she sought his approval, he was fine with it.
"Go ahead, Rias. Do what you think is right. You are our President, our Master, and our Lady," Ethan replied through the link.
The moment he gave his blessing, Ethan felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. Why spend his life worrying about "potential" rivals or timeline shifts? If he couldn't trust his own women, who could he trust? They were all incredible, and while devils were sexually open, once they chose a man, they were fiercely loyal. If any "NTR" protagonist tried to move in on his harem, the girls themselves would probably be the ones to kill him.
The lingering anxiety in his heart vanished. With his mind clear, his mana began to flow with newfound speed. Even his "Qi," which had been stagnant for a long time, began to pulse with life.
A light breeze kicked up in the clubroom, centering around Ethan. It grew into a small, localized cyclone of pure energy.
"This is..." Before Ethan could even react, Rias gasped. "Congratulations, Ethan! You're breaking through to SSS-rank!"
"So this is what it feels like..."
As the cyclone funneled pure energy into his body, Ethan felt a fundamental change. His martial arts path, which had been stuck at S-rank, was finally dragged into the next realm by his surging mana. His Qi condensed, turning from a mist into a milky-white liquid, then solidified into a small, marble-sized pearl at his danting.
It was tiny, but the power radiating from it was immense. It reminded him of a "Golden Core" from cultivation novels, though it was milky white rather than gold. His martial arts had taken a massive leap, though the path forward still required exploration.
But that was just the appetizer. His deep-blue mana, which had been at its limit, shattered its shackles. Both in quantity and quality, it doubled. The sheer surge of power made Ethan feel invincible, as if he could take on the world. He quickly suppressed that ego—he had felt Sirzechs' power before and knew he still had a long way to go to reach the peak.
SSS-rank was just below the "Satan" or "Great Satan" level. In a world where Gods rarely walked, Ethan was now one of the strongest beings under the faction leaders. Even though he had just broken through, he doubted anyone in the same rank could touch him. And that was without using the Boosted Gear.
With his increased strength, his mastery over the Longinus also deepened. Since his soul wasn't bound to it, he wasn't at the "Balance Breaker" stage yet, but he could see the finish line.
Name: Ethan ★ Talents:
[Fallen Angel Bloodline]
[Devil Bloodline]
[Power of Destruction]
[Lightning Strike]
[Mirror Reflection]
[Combat Intuition]
[Weapon Apprentice] ... Skills:
[Mana Purification]
[Taijutsu Mastery]
[Pocket Space] ... Weapon: Boosted Gear Rating: SSS
As he accumulated more talents and skills, it became harder to get new ones from his "Dual Cultivation" partners. His mana, constitution, and spirit grew, but the system didn't show those raw numbers—he could only feel them.
Ethan checked his status and saw a new talent.
[Weapon Apprentice]: Basic proficiency with all types of weapons.
This wasn't taken from a single girl. It was the result of absorbing the "essences" of the twin lolis, Marion, Burent, and the others, which had finally merged during his epiphany. Before, he had gained fragments of various combat talents that weren't quite enough to manifest. Now, they had formed a cohesive whole.
Ethan liked this one. He had always been a brawler. The swordsmanship he got from Sakura Miyajima had become obsolete as his raw power outstripped it. To master a weapon usually took decades, and since all his points were in "Taijutsu," he was a beast unarmed but mediocre with a blade.
With [Weapon Apprentice], he could pick up any weapon—sword, spear, axe, hammer, whip, or staff—and use it effectively. He might not be a master yet, but the talent was growable. By continuing his "sexual training" with girls who possessed weapon talents, he could eventually upgrade this to [Weapon Master] or even [God of Weapons].
Ethan calmed his mana, feeling satisfied. Epiphanies were wonderful things. He wasn't usually the "enlightenment" type; he was more of a "grind-through-combat" person. He didn't even fully understand why he had the breakthrough. He had just stopped worrying about Gasper and the timeline, and his power exploded.
He looked over at Gasper, who had once again crawled into a cardboard box. The blonde boy was truly his lucky star. Once Gasper was officially reincarnated as a devil, Ethan decided he would be a "big brother" and give him some "special training."
Rias was equally thrilled to see Ethan reach SSS-rank. She wondered if their next session of "Dual Cultivation" would help her break through her own limits.
After much research, the group had mostly figured out how their "sex-based leveling" worked. Aside from the bottleneck of evolving one's life essence, a partner who was an entire rank higher could often pull their lower-ranked partner up through the breakthrough.
There were two conditions: First, the lower-ranked partner needed enough accumulated energy (which the sex itself provided). Second, the physical and spiritual "exchange" had to be deep and intense enough to bridge the gap. With Ethan now at SSS-rank, his "essence" was more potent than ever—a literal treasure for any girl lucky enough to share his bed.