Although he hadn't achieved a direct breakthrough to the Satan-class in one go, Katereia had still provided Ethan with a massive boost in power.
Setting aside the sheer accumulation of mana, the countless sessions of dual-cultivation had allowed Ethan to absorb the Leviathan bloodline traits, Katereia's own unique innate talents, and several of her high-level skills. His Devil bloodline had evolved significantly after integrating the Leviathan heritage, becoming far more potent. Even his physical appearance had undergone subtle, regal shifts—difficult to notice at a glance, but undeniable to the trained eye.
...
July 12th. Less than twenty days remained until summer break.
Ethan sat in his classroom, bored out of his mind as he caught up on missed schoolwork. As his strength grew, so did his cognitive abilities; even after missing nearly half a semester, he could score top marks just by flipping through the textbooks. High school rote memorization was a breeze—except for math. Math was the one thing where knowing the formulas didn't always translate to knowing how to solve the damn problems.
Still, with his science-leaning brain and the foundation from his previous life, passing wouldn't be an issue.
"Ethan, come to the clubroom. Your Evil Pieces have arrived," Rias's voice echoed through their soul network.
"On my way, President."
Ethan stretched, tossed the boring books aside, and rounded up Ravel and Koneko to head to the Occult Research Club.
Inside the clubroom, Ethan received sixteen beautiful, dark-blue crystal-like chess pieces from the silver-haired "Ultimate Queen."
"Lady Grayfia, thank you for making the trip again."
"Red Dragon Emperor..."
"If you don't mind, please just call me by my name. I'm not actually a fan of that title," Ethan interrupted.
After the mess with Vali and Katereia during the Three-Way Deadlock, and the realization regarding Albion, he had soured on the title. His plan was to eventually help Ddraig resurrect once he reached the God-class—or at least find him a new host. He had no interest in wielding a sentient weapon that offered diminishing returns, unless the soul inside turned out to be a beautiful babe—a mature MILF type wouldn't be bad either.
Grayfia smiled softly. "True. Referring to you as the Red Dragon Emperor is a bit formal."
"Just Ethan is fine, Grayfia," he smiled. Being called "Lord" or "Master" by the world's most powerful and elegant maid felt... strange.
"Then you should drop the honorifics for me as well, Ethan."
"Grayfia... Fia."
Ethan's eyes sparkled. He wasn't about to miss a chance to close the distance. He didn't just use her name; he went for the intimate nickname. "Fia... may I call you that?"
The silver-haired beauty blinked, caught off guard by his boldness. She didn't seem to dislike it. For a moment, her mind flashed back to the time she had "inspected" his body in the bathtub while he was unconscious. Shaking off the intrusive thought with her formidable willpower, she smiled. "It is a bit embarrassing... but if that is what you wish, you may."
Initially, Ethan had entered the Devil's radar because of the Azazel incident and his Juggernaut Drive. But with his meteoric rise in power and the combat strength he showed during the summit, anyone with eyes could see that Ethan himself was far more valuable than the Longinus he carried. The Red Dragon Emperor would always have successors, but Ethan's innate talent and peerless combat prowess were one-of-a-kind.
Without the lens of the "Red Dragon," Grayfia found herself truly admiring the young man. Thinking of how he had stepped up to hold back the enemy so she could focus on the barrier, her gaze softened, looking at him with a depth that felt like warm water enveloping him.
Rias, watching the "passionate staring contest" between her sister-in-law and Ethan, finally hit her limit. Looking like a jealous schoolgirl, she snapped, "Grayfia, I'm sure you're busy. You should head back to the Underworld."
Grayfia chuckled, seeing right through Rias's jealousy. "Very well, Lady Rias. I shall look forward to seeing you all in the Underworld."
With a flash of a silver magic circle, the maid disappeared, leaving Ethan confused by her parting words.
"I was just notified," Rias explained. "We have to return to the Underworld during summer break. It seems to have something to do with that old Devil geezer who appeared recently."
She waved the topic away. Right now, the Evil Pieces were the priority.
"Ethan, have you decided how to use these?"
"Hmm..." Ethan rolled the blue crystal pieces in his hand. Before he had the 'Soul Contract' ability, he had looked forward to his own peerage. Now? Evil Pieces felt a bit redundant. "I'm not really in a rush to contract servants."
Rias nodded. Raising a peerage took time and effort, and many High-class Devils chose to remain solo. "However, if you find a suitable candidate, you should take them. Once we enter the university division, resource allocation is decided through Rating Games. You'll need a team."
Ethan realized she was right. "Okay, I'll be picky then."
Most of the girls he was interested in were already under Soul Contracts. He couldn't exactly poach from Rias or Sona. That left three immediate candidates: Mio Naruse, Maria Naruse, and the blonde twin-tailed brat who had been "lost" to him in a bet by a certain fried-chicken-looking playboy.
Ethan looked at Ravel. The blonde Devil princess was blushing, her small fists clenched in nerves. Her eyes practically screamed Pick me! He had worried she might be unhappy about being "handed over" due to a bet, but it seemed he had overthought it. Ravel was clearly attracted to him. Without the "Cuckold Template" affecting things—partly due to Ethan's overwhelming presence and her own strength—her feelings were genuine.
Ravel was cute, kind-hearted, and possessed great potential. Though she wasn't the "thick" type he usually preferred, the Phoenix family genes guaranteed she wouldn't stay petite forever. At sixteen, her chest was already showing great promise.
Ethan gave her a doting smile. "Ravel, would you like to be my Queen?"
"I do!" she answered instantly.