Spreading her pitch-black wings, Yūma Amano slowly ascended. She was skeptical of Caleb's words, but whether true or false, flying up was always the safest bet.
"Yūma-chan, are you leaving already?" Looking at the Fallen Angel girl under the moonlight, Caleb said with reluctance, "I don't know when we'll meet again. Leave me your contact info."
"Hmph." You didn't want it last time, but you want it this time. Are you trying to corner me?
Yūma Amano sneered. While annoyed, she was also driven mad by envy and jealousy over the speed of Caleb's strength increase. She stared down at Caleb from above. This condescending posture made her feel much calmer inside and allowed her to spot more suspicious details.
"Did you intentionally provoke me just to break through during the fight?"
"Not entirely." Caleb felt the brand new power and tried to flap his wide, shiny black bat wings. "I really do like Yūma-chan. And I genuinely want to stab you until you become my shape."
Yūma Amano stared deeply at Caleb, then suddenly reverted to her previous soft, innocent appearance. "If it's Uesugi-kun... I can, you know. I can be your girlfriend." Her provocative attire and Fallen Angel wings transformed the girl's innocence into pure, unadulterated temptation. Not only did it not feel awkward, but it also stirred up infinite desire in one's heart. A blush appeared on her innocent face, and she seduced him. "As long as Uesugi-kun tells me the secret to cultivating so fast, you can do anything you want to me."
After admiring the Fallen Angel beauty's performance for a while, and having seen enough of her provocative gestures, Caleb smiled faintly. "You want to know why I cultivate so fast?"
"Mhm~"
"Telling you is no problem, but I want to change the condition."
Yūma Amano said shyly, "I already agreed to be your girlfriend. What else do you want~"
Caleb curled his lip. A woman's mouth is a lying ghost, let alone Yūma Amano, a Fallen Angel with a wicked personality who liked to manipulate others' emotions through pretense.
"I'm not interested in dating you; I just want to have you." Caleb laid his cards on the table. "And you're not qualified to be my girlfriend. Someone like you... mhm, can only be my sex slave."
Yūma Amano's seductive expression froze on her face. Caleb's utterly insulting words reminded her of her painful past experiences. One day, she would trample this hateful Devil servant and all those who looked down on her underfoot.
To find out why Caleb's strength had increased so rapidly, Yūma Amano forcefully suppressed her violent emotions, striving to maintain her pure and alluring expression.
"Uesugi-kun~"
"Call me Master." A sharp glint flashed in Caleb's eyes. It seemed the fish wasn't going to get away. "Also, I don't like talking to people while looking up."
Yūma Amano's chest heaved. Her innocent expression was close to breaking, but she finally slowly flapped her wings and landed in front of Caleb.
"Very good. Such an obedient girl." Caleb nodded with satisfaction. To Yūma Amano's astonishment, he grabbed her slender waist and forcefully pulled her into his embrace. The Fallen Angel girl subconsciously resisted, but before she could act, Caleb had completely enveloped her. After the breakthrough, Caleb's strength had risen another level. At close quarters, Yūma Amano was completely outmatched.
"Don't be nervous. I don't want to break my cute slave." Stroking the girl's exposed, fair skin, Caleb leaned into her ear, gently nibbling her crystal-like earlobe, and said teasingly, "The reason I can improve so fast is because I have an ability..."
As Caleb explained, Yūma Amano gradually forgot about shyness and resistance. Feeling the hot hand roaming her inner thigh, she questioned, "Are you intentionally making up this ability just to trick me into sleeping with you?"
"Whether I'm tricking you... wouldn't trying it be the only way to know?"
Yūma Amano clamped her legs together, stopping Caleb from going further. "Trying it... that's easy for you to say. Wouldn't I be at a disadvantage if it turns out to be false?"
"At a disadvantage?" Caleb pointed to his own face. "How is this anything but mutual benefit at best?"
"Pah." Yūma Amano blushed and lightly spat.
Caleb blinked, suspiciously. "Are you... a virgin, by any chance?"
Yūma Amano's face grew even redder. She turned her head away unnaturally, flustered. "Of course not... How could I... possibly still be a virgin?"
Caleb was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise. However, the Fallen Angel girl was too skilled at deception. Until he could personally verify it, he remained skeptical.
"Then there you go. You won't be at a loss anyway." Yūma Amano lowered her head, her eyes flickering. If Caleb was telling the truth, giving up her virginity would be worth it. As long as she could rapidly increase her strength, she was willing to be a sex slave. But if it wasn't true, she couldn't do anything to Caleb and would just have to endure the loss without any recourse. Should I take the gamble...
After a long period of contemplation, the Fallen Angel girl still couldn't make up her mind. Looking at the conflicted Yūma Amano, and out of respect for the fact that she might still be an innocent girl, Caleb abandoned the idea of continuing to tease her.
"I won't tease you anymore. What I said is true." He released her from his embrace and said seriously, "My ability isn't a secret. Go ask around at Kuoh Academy, and you'll know. It just might not necessarily help you break through A-rank." Caleb still wasn't sure if he was harmed by the Martial Arts Faction trait or if the Dual Cultivation ability truly couldn't break through bottlenecks.
"I'll think about it." Yūma Amano dropped her pretense, reverting to her cold Queen expression.
Looking at the provocatively dressed Fallen Angel girl, Caleb decided to let her go. Although she wasn't a good person, forcing himself on a girl was too tacky.
"Here's my contact information. Contact me when you've made up your mind." Caleb added, "By the way, my patience isn't great. I hope you can decide quickly."
Whether Yūma Amano agreed to Dual Cultivation or not, Caleb intended to seek her out again after a while. Once he was thoroughly familiar with his new power, his next target would be the Sacred Gear.
[Name: Caleb Uesugi] ★
Talents:
[Devil Bloodline (High-Grade) ⋅ Fragment]
[Physical Mastery (Beginner)]
[Sword Heart (Beginner)]
[Lightning Flash ⋅ Fragment]
...
[Combat Instinct]
[Body Empathy]
Skills:
[Magic Power Extraction (Beginner)]
[Close-Quarters Combat (Intermediate)]
[Sword Zen (Advanced)]
...
After letting Yūma Amano go, Caleb opened his personal panel. Looking at the two extra talents, he finally confirmed one thing. Like the Devil bloodline's tail and wings, the [Combat Instinct] and [Body Empathy] talents also appeared automatically after breaking through to A-rank. Clearly, these were talents he inherently possessed, but like his true Devil form, they had been suppressed. Although they could still exert some effect, like the Devil bloodline, a larger part of them was dormant, preventing them from even being classified as full talents.
What had been suppressing Caleb was none other than the Cuckold Template that had been active since his transmigration. The Cuckold Template had restricted not only some of his external features but also his innate talents. This suppression was finally broken only when Caleb's strength reached A-rank and his life essence completed its evolution. The subsequent Secondary Development (referring to the emergence of wings/tail) also verified this idea.
However, Caleb vaguely felt that the influence of the Cuckold Template had not been completely eliminated. To fully suppress or break it, he would need to undergo another, or even more, evolution. Simply put, he needed greater strength. If he became strong enough to transcend this world, no template would be able to influence him in the slightest.
With his innate talents starting to take effect, Caleb's [Close-Quarters Combat] immediately increased by one level. [Combat Instinct] requires no further explanation; it's a divine talent in practical combat, very useful, but not rare. Many powerful warriors possess similar talents, such as a certain Saber King in Fuyuki City and a certain Spider-Man in New York.