The effects of the A-rank breakthrough were ongoing. The two centimeters were just the start, not the limit. It remained unclear how much the A-rank could elevate his ultimate potential.
Four months after awakening his abilities, Ethan had shed many of the restrictions imposed by the Cuckold Template. His Eye of Insight allowed him to discard his black-rimmed glasses, and now, at A-rank, his height and physique were also beginning to shake off the 'submissive' look.
His little Ethan, originally of average size, had, through repeated dual cultivation and the breakthrough in strength, grown into a giant, reaching five centimeters in diameter and eighteen centimeters in length.
Now that his height was increasing, his little Ethan might continue to grow, making a "straight to the stomach" penetration a possibility.
Similarly, since breaking through to A-rank, Ethan's strength was rapidly increasing, driven by the manifestation of his innate talent and the activation of his Devil bloodline.
Following the Mountain Goblin, he continued to carry out subjugation missions every night. He preferred to fight daily than to fulfill those strange contracts.
This was also a way to fulfill his duties as a member of the Occult Research Club, as he hadn't contributed much since joining.
On the other hand, Ethan was also using combat to consolidate and adapt to his sharply increasing power.
School during the day, dual cultivation with beautiful girls after school, and subjugation missions at night—this fulfilling routine lasted for over two weeks.
September 23rd, Sunday.
In a dark, silent alley, a ball of azure flame ignited in Ethan's hand, incinerating a hideous corpse.
"Is this barely even C-rank anymore..."
He looked at the files in his hand. Among the few remaining targets, this one was considered strong.
However, enemies of this caliber didn't give him any experience points at all.
"Forget it. I'll leave the remaining ones to Koneko and Yuuto."
Ethan rubbed his chin, pondering, "By my estimate, Yuuma-chan should be looking for me soon."
Two weeks were enough time for the Fallen Angel lady to investigate his detailed background.
Having confirmed that dual cultivation could enhance her strength, and given Amano Yuuma's desperate craving for power, she would surely not abandon this opportunity to potentially break through to A-rank.
September 25th, 10:00 AM.
Ethan saw the unfamiliar caller ID on his phone and curved his lips into a smile.
"Moshi Moshi~ Is that Yuuma-chan?"
There was silence on the other end. After a moment, the clear voice of the Fallen Angel lady rang out.
"Uesugi-kun, do you have time to meet?"
"Of course. If Yuuma-chan invites me, I'll make time even if I don't have it."
With that, Ethan immediately sent a LINE message to Rias. He was skipping his next class, and it was necessary to inform her in advance about contacting a Fallen Angel, given that Devils and Fallen Angels were essentially hostile factions.
"Time and place."
After informing Rias, he got straight to the point. "Do you want to come to me, or should I come to you?"
Amano Yuuma took a deep breath and looked at her two subordinates beside her. "You come to me. The location is the church. It's my current base."
"No problem. See you in ten minutes."
Ethan decisively hung up, found a deserted area, spread his wings, and flew toward the suburban church, leaving a dark streak across the sky.
He had been coveting the Fallen Angel bloodline for a long time. He actually preferred feathered wings to bat wings.
Jet-black feathered wings were truly cool. If he could be like an Angel and gain more wings as his rank increased, that would be even cooler.
Hearing the dial tone, Amano Yuuma curved her mouth. It seemed she was still very attractive, even an experienced Devil was so impatient.
"Mitelt, Kalawarner," she addressed her two subordinates. "We will proceed according to the plan shortly. If the effect is truly what we've investigated, try to keep him here."
"Yes, Lady Raynare." x2
The blonde Fallen Angel, dressed in a maid outfit, chirped playfully, "Lady Raynare, can we let Kalawarner go first? Mitelt is a first-timer... and a little nervous."
The expression of the curvy, blue-haired onee-san in a tight pencil skirt stiffened. She instinctively retorted, "I don't have experience either..."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Kalawarner, you're a Fallen Angel with such a great figure, and you have no experience?!"
Mitelt revealed her fangs, looking incredulous.
The blue-haired onee-san, whose face was partially hidden by her long blue hair, blushed. "Is that a problem? Who said a good figure means you must have experience?"
As the trio bantered, Ethan arrived outside the church.
Amano Yuuma, disguised as a pure student girl, sensed someone approaching and said sternly, "Alright, he's here. Prepare yourselves."
"Yes."
Mitelt and Kalawarner dropped their smiles and stood by Amano Yuuma.
"Yuuma-chan, good morning."
Ethan pushed open the church door, noticing two unfamiliar people. He was somewhat surprised, as the two of them were about to bare all and become one.
"Yuuma-chan, who are these two?"
"Mitelt and Kalawarner."
Amano Yuuma gave a simple introduction. "They are my subordinates. I want you to use that ability with them first. I want to verify the effect with my own eyes."
Ethan stared at the two fairly cute Fallen Angels for a moment, and long-lost memories slowly resurfaced.
Right, Amano Yuuma did have a few subordinates...
But their screentime was too short, and they were quickly eliminated, which is why he had almost no impression of them.
Ethan wasn't particularly interested in the two, but since Amano Yuuma asked, he didn't mind using them to warm up first.
"Fine." Ethan readily nodded, looking around the empty church. "Right here?"
Amano Yuuma rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Follow me."
Ethan shrugged and followed the three deeper into the church.
"Alright, this is the place."
Upon entering the basement, Amano Yuuma reverted to her Fallen Angel form. "Before that, there's one more thing I need to confirm."
Ethan watched the instant costume change with envy. He really wanted that skill and wished he could teach it to the other girls.
It would not only make role-playing easier in the future but also eliminate the need for cleanup afterward.
"What is it?" Keeping that thought in mind, Ethan asked.
"I want to see what your current strength is."
Amano Yuuma condensed a red Light Spear. Mitelt and Kalawarner also spread their wings, condensing Light Spears of different colors and styles in their hands.
"Oh? A group attack?" Ethan smiled with interest. "Do you think the three of you can defeat me?"
"Just a sparring match."
Amano Yuuma said this, but what she was really thinking was that if the group attack succeeded, she would imprison Ethan and drain him day and night, making him her personal cultivation accelerator.
If they failed, the result would, in any case, be him conquering her.
Ethan was too lazy to guess her thoughts. They were slightly lacking if they intended to overpower him with just the three of them.
Currently, his combat power was second only to Rias in the Occult Research Club.
The advantage of the Martial Way in combat was huge. Even with the bonuses from the Evil Piece characteristics, in a one-on-one fight, Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou were no longer a match for Ethan.
As for Yuuto Kiba, Ethan hadn't sparred with him, but judging by Rias's reaction, Yuuto Kiba would likely be unable to defeat him.
"Come on."
Ethan spread his bat wings, and his jet-black tail extended from his tailbone, its sharp tip glinting with a cold light.
Amano Yuuma and the two others exchanged looks and attacked simultaneously.
Ethan could easily crush any of them one-on-one, but facing three Fallen Angels at once required him to take it seriously.
Three Light Spears of different colors struck from different directions simultaneously. Ethan sidestepped one, used a Lightning Spear he condensed in his hand to block a second, and swept away the last one with his black, tough Devil tail.
The hardness of Ethan's wings and tail was comparable to steel. He had mastered the use of both in his previous subjugation missions.
Their attack blocked, the trio retreated simultaneously. After regrouping, they attacked again in perfect coordination.
Two fists are no match for four hands, and now Ethan was facing six fair, slender hands.
For a moment, he was quite flustered.
But as time went on and he slowly adapted to the rhythm of the battle, Ethan's powerful combat intuition and technique began to take effect.
Amano Yuuma's trio was indeed coordinated, occasionally merging their three Light Spears into one powerful energy blast that forced Ethan to evade.
However, they were fundamentally fighting solely on the basis of powerful physical attributes and Magic Power, completely devoid of technique.
This was true not only for them but also for Rias, Akeno Himejima, and others—or rather, most supernatural beings relied on raw power to overwhelm their opponents.
Even the most exquisite combat technique couldn't bridge a gap of a major rank, especially after S-rank, where the difference between each realm was like a chasm.
An S-rank powerhouse could easily destroy a small hillside, and a Devil King-level being could destroy a city just by having an argument.