Amano Yuuma's full, pale chest heaved up and down as she glared at Ethan. "Do I look like I'm short on cash?!"
"I'm not short on cash either..." Ethan spread his hands, looking innocent. "I just wanted to make things simple. It's not enough money for me to owe you a favor."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Amano Yuuma regained her composure.
Even though she was a malicious, dark-hearted Fallen Angel, she was still, at the core, a girl.
Women are inherently more emotional than men. With repeated sessions of intimate union, spirit and flesh combining, she might say it was just a transaction, but certain feelings were already sprouting deep inside.
"Fine, we're both people who aren't short on money."
Amano Yuuma retracted her wings and slowly sat back on the edge of the bed. "In that case, you previously offered to help me with one thing within your capabilities. Add one more to that, and I'll lend you the items."
"Deal."
Ethan readily agreed. The difference between one favor and two wasn't significant, and the phrase "within my capabilities" left ample room for maneuver.
"Warnee, take him to the storage room to get the items."
"Yes, Lady Raynare."
Watching Ethan and Kalawarner walk away side-by-side, Amano Yuuma let out a soft hmph and turned toward the bathroom.
She needed to wash away the scent of that man from her body, retaining only the life essence inside her lower abdomen.
Early October, the weather was gradually turning cooler.
Looking at the ritual formation in his courtyard, Ethan wiped the sweat from his brow.
After more than half a month of practice, he had mastered the method of Sacred Gear deprivation.
However, the Takamine house didn't have a basement, so he had to place the formation in the courtyard and cast a low-level illusion spell to avoid startling ordinary passersby.
"All that's left is to wait. Hopefully, I won't need to use this method."
In the past half-month, besides practicing the ritual formation, Ethan hadn't slackened his cultivation. His Primal Ki (Qi) and Magic Power had reached the absolute limit his body could contain; there was truly no room left for a single extra strand.
Akeno Himejima's magical capacity was far beyond her rank; she was a genuine genius. But compared to Ethan, who continuously pushed his limits through dual cultivation, she fell short.
At the A-rank peak, Ethan's Magic Power was equivalent to 1.5 times that of Akeno Himejima, but this was his limit.
Now, with every dual cultivation session, aside from a negligible increase in mental strength, he gained virtually no other benefit.
"While waiting for the Boosted Gear to appear, I must find a way to break through to S-rank."
Just as Ethan was debating whether to spend time perfecting Advanced Magic Power Extraction, slowly relying on persistent effort to break through to S-rank, or to seek out danger...
Ahem, or to seek out powerful opponents, triggering his Martial Art talent through perilous real-world combat to achieve the breakthrough, his phone suddenly rang.
"Hello, Yuuma-chan. Good evening."
Ethan answered the call, teasingly, "Calling me this late? Do you miss me? But we just saw each other last night~~"
"I need your help with something. Meet at Mt. Mitsu."
Amano Yuuma's tone was serious. "Once the matter is resolved, consider it one of your favors fulfilled."
Listening to the dial tone, Ethan frowned. She hadn't even mentioned the details. What if it exceeded his capabilities?
Never mind... I'll go take a look first. If it's not too much trouble, I'll solve it quickly.
Mt. Mitsu is located southwest of Kuoh Town. Crossing this mountain leads outside the boundary of Kuoh Town.
Due to its remote location, Mt. Mitsu is practically uninhabited. Because of its proximity to the border, many rogue 'Devils' choose to enter or leave Kuoh Town via this route.
Fifteen minutes later, Ethan slowly descended from the sky, his broad bat wings gradually fading and disappearing.
Following the directions on his phone, he arrived at the meeting point at the foot of the mountain. Amano Yuuma and Kalawarner were already there.
"Yuuma-chan, what's going on? So sudden."
Ethan looked around. Not seeing Mitelt in her maid outfit, he asked in confusion, "Just the two of you today? Where's Mitelt?"
Since their dual cultivation sessions began, the three Fallen Angels always appeared together. Mitelt was the most energetic of the three. Her sudden absence made the atmosphere feel strange.
"I called you tonight precisely because of this."
Amano Yuuma quickly said, "Mitelt has likely encountered danger in Mt. Mitsu."
"Hmm?!"
Ethan was surprised. Mitelt had successfully broken through to A-rank during last night's session. With her strength, even if she was outmatched, she should have been able to escape.
Before he could ask again, Amano Yuuma continued, "Let's enter the mountain first. We can discuss the details as we go."
While searching through Mt. Mitsu, Ethan learned the general sequence of events.
Mitelt had advanced one step ahead of Kalawarner, successfully breaking through to A-rank during last night's dual cultivation.
She was naturally a lively and active person, and having just broken through to A-rank, she was eager to test her skills. Just this morning, an urgent mission came down from their superiors, and she went to execute it alone.
The mission objective was to seize an item; the danger was minimal. They had all gone on solo missions before, and since Mitelt was now A-rank, she went alone.
She had just broken through, and her power wasn't fully stabilized, but there should be no life-threatening enemies in this region.
Yet, nearly the next day, Mitelt still hadn't returned. Amano Yuuma tried contacting her repeatedly but received no response.
Mitelt's mission location was in Mt. Mitsu. Amano Yuuma initially wanted to come alone, but although her strength was significantly higher than the newly-A-ranked Mitelt, she was still only A-rank.
To be safe, she finally decided to call Ethan, who was also A-rank but could easily fight five people of her level.
With Ethan present, as long as they didn't encounter an S-rank opponent, the mission would be completely foolproof.
As for the possibility of an S-rank appearing in Mt. Mitsu... it was virtually zero.
The destructive power of an S-rank attack was enough to demolish a small mountain. If a rogue Devil of that level appeared in the human world, the Hero Faction would swiftly move to eliminate them.
If not dealt with promptly, an entire city might not be enough to contain the chaos.
The combination of two Fallen Angels and one Devil was extremely rare, attracting the attention of several rogue Devils hiding in Mt. Mitsu along the way.
A few self-proclaimed powerful Youkai (monsters) actively appeared before Ethan and his group. "Hey, stop. This isn't a place you can just stroll through."
"Get out of the way. I don't have time for you right now."
Amano Yuuma was extremely impatient. With Mitelt's whereabouts unknown, she had no time to waste on these weaklings.
"You stinking woman, how dare you talk to me like that! I'm about to... Ah!!"
Before he could finish his threat, a spear of crimson light shot out, directly piercing him. With a scream, the B-rank half-breed wolf Youkai dropped dead on the spot.
The others stared in horror at the hole in the wolf Youkai's forehead, their bodies rigid, subconsciously swallowing hard.
They seemed to have kicked a steel plate—one with deadly spikes.
"Is there anything else?"
Amano Yuuma stared coldly at the group of weaklings. If they continued to pester her, she would just have to spend a few minutes dealing with them.
Seeing that Amano Yuuma had no intention of continuing the fight, the few brutal Youkai felt incredibly relieved.
"No, nothing."
They instantly transformed into obedient pupils, shaking their heads vigorously and immediately stepping aside, clearing the path.
Amano Yuuma dispersed the Light Spear in her hand. Without even glancing at them, she flew past at low altitude.
"Yuuma-chan, wait a moment," Ethan suddenly said. "We don't know how long it will take to find her this way. Why don't we just ask the 'locals'?"
Amano Yuuma and Kalawarner stopped. Following his gaze, they turned their heads to look at the few people who were attempting to slip away into the forest.
"Hmm, that's a good idea."
As her voice fell, four or five materialized Light Spears, condensed from Magic Power, rained down, blocking the group of ferocious Youkai who had only taken a few steps.
Sizzle sizzle—
The Light Spears pierced the ground, leaving only half a shaft vibrating in the air, strategically blocking the path of the local Youkai.
"Three... Three Lords, what are you looking for?"
One of the more quick-witted Youkai was the first to react, offering, "This humble one will tell you everything he knows, without reservation."
The other Youkai quickly caught on and stated their willingness to cooperate.
"Yes, yes, if the Lords need anything, just command us."
Amano Yuuma and Kalawarner exchanged glances. The latter nodded, taking a step forward.
"Did any of you see a blonde-haired Fallen Angel in a maid outfit today?"