After the violent lightning destroyed a few large trees, the Formation began to dissipate.
The open space ahead shimmered like a water surface, and then the graceful figures of Amano Yuuma's group slowly materialized before Ethan.
Looking at the familiar scenery, Amano Yuuma let out a long sigh of relief. "We're finally out."
"Yeah, yeah!" Mitelt bounced, skipping slightly. "I can't believe I'm so lucky~ to run into such a rare thing~~"
"Oh? You haven't reflected at all, have you?"
The blonde little maid guiltily avoided Amano Yuuma's hostile gaze. "This wasn't entirely a bad thing... Warnee reached A-rank, and Mas... Uesugi also made great strides in power. He might even reach S-rank soon."
Ethan laughed. "So, you think we should thank you, then?"
"No, no need," Mitelt quickly said. "It's all my duty!"
Thud!!!
"Ow... that hurts..."
Amano Yuuma delivered an Iron Fist to the mischievous little maid. Mitelt whimpered, holding her head as she squatted to the side to "reflect."
"I'm going home first. I don't know how long has passed. I hope it's only the next day..."
Looking at the pale dawn in the sky, Ethan said, "One matter is settled. Once we settle the other, we'll be even."
Amano Yuuma nodded. "We'll discuss the other matter when I return. Warnee has also reached A-rank, so I want to take them back to headquarters for a trip. You won't need to go to the church for a while."
"No problem."
Ethan made an OK sign, unfurled his bat wings, and flew into the sky.
"Wait a minute!" Seeing Ethan about to leave, the aloof, blue-haired onee-san suddenly called out.
Ethan looked down at Kalawarner and asked, "What is it? Is there something else?"
"N-nothing," Kalawarner twisted a strand of her hair around her finger, her face slightly red. "I just wanted to thank you... Thanks to you, not only did I not die in there, but I also successfully broke through."
"Oh, that..." Ethan chuckled. "If you really want to thank me, remember to wear those stockings I mentioned next time."
"I'm off. Let me know when you get back."
With a powerful flap of his wide wings, Ethan vanished like a black streak from the three girls' sight.
Gazing in the direction he disappeared, Kalawarner murmured, her face flushed, "Perverted stocking fetishist..."
Upon returning home, Ethan checked the time and instantly felt much lighter.
After spending so long in the Formation that Kalawarner was weak from hunger, only one night—to be precise, six hours—had passed in the outside world.
After washing up and changing clothes, Ethan sat cross-legged in the courtyard. There was still some time before school, and while the previous feeling was still strong, he wanted to try gaining insight into the true Heavens and Earth.
With his prior experience, Ethan's insight went smoothly this time. He could feel the S-rank bottleneck becoming increasingly fragile, but a complete breakthrough still required some accumulation. It would be best to get a few more bouts of actual combat to fully absorb the insights.
"The effect is only mediocre..." The sun had fully risen. Ethan rubbed his chin as he stood up. "Perhaps I should try gaining insight while dual cultivating later. Mmm... I'll call Sis' Ayame and Sis' Yuri tonight and try!"
...
Late October.
More than half a month had passed since the accidental entry into the natural Formation. During this time, Ethan diligently worked on gaining insight into the world.
Methods like dual cultivation insight and combat insight were used over and over again. Finally, during a combat session where Rias chased and beat him, he successfully broke through.
Just a few days after Ethan reached S-rank, Amano Yuuma and her group sent a message: they had returned from the Fallen Angel headquarters.
At 10 PM, in the basement of the large church, Ethan easily parried the coordinated attacks of the three Fallen Angels.
"Hey, hey, Yuuma-chan, even if we haven't seen each other for so many days, you don't have to be so enthusiastic."
He used his Lightning Spear to block a vertical slash, asking curiously, "It seems like a lot happened on this 'homecoming' trip, huh?"
Having vented some of her frustration under the guise of sparring with Ethan, Amano Yuuma calmed down slightly. She dismissed her Light Spear and turned to walk towards the bedroom. "I'm not fighting anymore. Hurry up, wash up, and let's cultivate."
"You're done already?"
Ethan looked at Mitelt and Kalawarner, asking, "What happened during your return?"
The blue-haired onee-san maintained her usual serious expression, shaking her head. "I'm not entirely clear, but it's likely related to Dohnaseek's betrayal."
"It's not just Dohnaseek. Even though the three of us are A-rank now, and Lady Raynare is strong even among A-ranks, Lord Azazel still acted the same way..."
Dohnaseek... Azazel....
Ethan pondered these unfamiliar names, yet found no memory of them in his mind.
He put his arms around Kalawarner's and Mitelt's slender waists. "Let's go, we'll shower together. Explain things thoroughly to me while we wash. You don't want Yuuma to stay like this, do you?"
"Master~~" The blonde, tsundere loli giggled. "Is this shower going to be proper?"
"I can certainly be proper. I'm just worried you two won't be."
Ethan shrugged, completely unconcerned. "There will be plenty of opportunities for dual cultivation. Right now, I'm more interested in what happened during your trip back."
He had never given up on the idea of completely conquering Amano Yuuma. More than a partnership, he desired to make all three women his own.
This was clearly a perfect opportunity. Even if he couldn't fully conquer her, he could take advantage of the situation to deepen their relationship.
...
"Stop it, you naughty boy! Stop playing with my mouth!"
In the bathroom, Mitelt's face was flushed pink, and she whined. "How am I supposed to explain things to you like this~"
"No, I'll just listen to Warnee."
As he spoke, Ethan pressed down on the girl's small head. His behemoth plunged into her cherry lips again, savoring the licking and sucking of her tender, fragrant tongue.
Compared to the lively, tsundere, blonde, fang-toothed loli, the words of the serious, large-breasted, blue-haired onee-san were more reliable.
Who knew if Mitelt might slip in some biased information when her emotions were running high?
"Wuu..." The twin-tailed blonde loli rolled her eyes at Ethan, trying hard to take him in.
Kalawarner smiled and said, "The matter is actually not complicated, but it might have been upsetting for Lady Raynare..."
Leaning against the blue-haired onee-san's soft, large breasts, Ethan slowly gained a deeper understanding of Amano Yuuma's situation.
First, Dohnaseek was Amano Yuuma's third subordinate—the strange man in the original story who wore a thick coat and a bowler hat in the middle of summer.
He reportedly betrayed her because he was dissatisfied that Amano Yuuma only elevated Kalawarner and Mitelt to A-rank through dual cultivation, directly defecting to a Fallen Angel faction that was at odds with Amano Yuuma's.
As for Azazel, he was Amano Yuuma's superior and the Governor-General of the Fallen Angel central organization, the "Grigori" (Watchers of God).
As Kalawarner narrated, long-sealed memories gradually resurfaced.
Azazel's interest was in researching and collecting Sacred Gears. He had a deep understanding of various Sacred Gears, knew the details of most that existed, and was an Artifact enthusiast.
He had also created many Artificial Sacred Gears.
Amano Yuuma deeply admired Azazel. She had been working hard to increase her strength, and her attempts to steal the little nun's Sacred Gear—done in secret from the higher-ups of the Fallen Angels—were an effort to gain Azazel's attention and approval.
Unfortunately, in the original story, Azazel showed no reaction even after her death. Furthermore, after the three great factions achieved a peace treaty, he went on to serve as the advisor for the Occult Research Club at Kuoh Academy.
He heavily mentored Rias and the others, teaching them not only combat skills but also a great deal of other knowledge.
He showed absolutely no affection towards Amano Yuuma, his former subordinate.
Therefore, even though Amano Yuuma had completed her mission and reached A-rank, he couldn't even be bothered to praise her, simply waving his hand, assigning a new task, and sending them back.
Coupled with Dohnaseek's betrayal, Amano Yuuma's mood was absolutely terrible.
If she could previously console herself with the excuse that her low strength meant Lord Azazel looked down on her, this time she finally began to face the truth.
Amano Yuuma wasn't stupid; on the contrary, she was quite intelligent. After spending so much time with Ethan and then observing Azazel's attitude toward her, the contrast made many things clear.
The small affection she held for Azazel, before it could even fully blossom, was completely extinguished.
Regardless of the side effects of the dual cultivation ability, women with particularly wicked and selfish personalities often possessed a clearer view of romantic relationships.
Not loving means not loving.
However, once a woman like her confirms her true feelings, she tends to be more tenacious than an ordinary girl.