Ultimately, Ethan did not sign a contract with the Red Dragon Emperor (Ddraig). The general sentiment was that at such a level of strength, if one did not wish to fulfill an agreement, there were too many ways to break a contract.
Ddraig's willingness to negotiate was due to Ethan's prior attitude; a person with such an attitude might not be a good person, but they were unlikely to be a dishonest rogue.
However, because it was only a right of use, Ethan couldn't absorb the Boosted Gear into his body. Instead, the handsome red dragon claw transformed into a fingerless glove.
The cool, deep-red athletic glove covered his left palm. Ethan clenched his fist; it fit perfectly and didn't restrict his movement at all.
With a thought, the glove instantly transformed into a red steel dragon claw.
"Alright, I'm going back to sleep. With your abilities, you don't need me to instruct you on how to use it."
Ddraig's voice sounded tired. He was originally only supposed to communicate with the host. Being forcibly awakened and communicating until now had nearly exhausted the power he had accumulated for a long time.
"Once I'm asleep, you can use all the Sacred Gear's abilities, but the extent of your mastery depends on your own ability. I hope that when I next wake up, your strength will be sufficient to support my power consumption."
The emerald embedded in the center of the red dragon hand dimmed. Ddraig's soul-will fell completely silent, and the basic usage of the Sacred Gear was automatically transferred to Ethan's mind.
Ethan looked at the unconscious Issei Hyoudou and turned the Boosted Gear back into the athletic glove.
There were a few unexpected developments in tonight's plan, but overall the result was excellent. Not only did he successfully acquire the Longinus, but he also didn't have to constantly worry about being spied on by Ddraig.
Ethan preferred inanimate weapons over ones with a soul-will.
Unless the spirit was a long-legged beauty, that would be a different matter.
"It seems the resurrection preparation won't be needed."
"Indeed." Rias withdrew the barrier surrounding the Takamine family's home. "The Red Dragon Emperor seems to truly favor this young man. He actually specifically returned his life energy."
Ethan hadn't expected Ddraig to have this ability, but it saved him the trouble.
"President, I'll leave Yuuma and the others to you. I'm going to send Hyoudou back."
Rias nodded slightly. A red magic circle expanded beneath her feet, and she and Akeno Himejima teleported back to the Occult Research Club, taking the four women with them.
Ethan took Issei Hyoudou, whose face was only slightly pale and who was otherwise unharmed, back home. After casting a simple cognitive influence spell, he quietly returned to the Takamine family garden.
Looking at the scattered broken equipment and the cracked, large, bizarre cross, Ethan pondered whose bill it should be.
He wasn't sure if it was the backlash from the failed ritual or the overwhelming pressure when Ddraig appeared, but the tools required for the ritual were almost entirely destroyed. If Amano Yuuma wanted to attempt to seize a Sacred Gear again, she would have to collect a new set of ritual tools.
After practicing in the garden all night, exhausting a significant amount of Magic Power and stamina, Ethan had a basic grasp of the Longinus's fundamental functions.
After taking a shower and eating the breakfast prepared by Sayuri Takamine, he headed to Kuoh Academy.
He first checked on Issei Hyoudou and found him recounting his 'dream' from last night to the other two members of the Perverted Trio.
After observing for a while, once the conversation started to drift towards which girl had the biggest chest and which girl's breast shape was the best, Ethan leisurely left.
For an ordinary sixteen-year-old boy, leading a carefree life might not be so bad.
Well... given Issei Hyoudou's lustful nature, if he got to choose, he would probably still want to rub up against beautiful girls.
Leaving the teaching building, Ethan headed straight to the Occult Research Club's room.
He wondered if Amano Yuuma's group had completed their reincarnation overnight.
"Little Ethan, good morning."
"Uesugi-kun, good morning."
"Morning, Koneko, and Kiba."
After greeting them, Ethan asked, "Kiba, why are you here so early today?"
"With three new companions joining, of course I had to come meet them."
Yuuto Kiba spread his hands, sounding helpless. "While I personally dislike Fallen Angels and Priests, and you could say I hate them, since it's President Rias's decision, I will get along with them."
Ethan stared at Yuuto Kiba's delicate face for a moment. He vaguely remembered a 'Holy Sword Project' storyline involving Yuuto Kiba, but he couldn't recall the details.
Seeing that Kiba had no intention of elaborating, he didn't pursue the topic.
Sitting down next to the white-haired loli, Ethan smiled. "Koneko, eating such a sweet adzuki bean bun so early in the morning. Be careful of cavities."
"I am a Devil. I don't get cavities." The white-haired loli was unfazed, silently nibbling the bread in her hand, expressionless.
"Alright, then eat slowly." Ethan stroked her soft, silver hair, satisfying his cat-petting urge, then said, "I'm going to see the President and the others."
Amano Yuuma's group's reincarnation was generally smooth. However, three Pawn pieces were slightly insufficient, and eventually all eight Pawn pieces were used up for the three to successfully complete the reincarnation ritual.
Amano Yuuma alone used four Pawn pieces, while Mitelt and Kalawarner each used two.
Ethan arrived at the training ground, where Amano Yuuma's group were getting familiar with their new powers under the guidance of Rias and Akeno Himejima.
"Yuuma-chan, I'll join you for practice."
After watching for a while, Ethan felt a bit restless. He also wanted to see the Longinus's performance in actual combat.
"Boost, Boost, Boost."
"Explosion."
That should be enough, right...
Ethan secretly calculated. Triple the power boost, without using Magic Power or Qi. He wondered if he could handle a three-on-one fight.
The battle ended much faster than expected. After the triple boost, Amano Yuuma's group couldn't handle Ethan's attacks at all. Every time they clashed head-on with the red steel dragon claw, the counter-force rattled them, making it impossible to hold onto their weapons.
In the end, they were forced to resort to long-range magic attacks, but these were all successfully blocked by the Boosted Gear.
Because the power gap was too large, Ethan couldn't fully gauge the Longinus's offensive power, but its defense was definitely top-notch.
As long as the attack range didn't exceed his left hand and forearm, he could block it without injury.
If he could master the full armor mode, Ethan thought he could try a Berserker style of attacking only and never defending.
In short, a reckless brute.
"Transfer"
Ethan transferred his triple-boosted power to Amano Yuuma. After testing the Red Dragon Emperor's Gift ability, the practice session officially concluded.
...
January 1st, a new year began, and Kuoh Academy's second semester ended, bringing the winter break.
Time flowed like water. Two months had passed since Amano Yuuma and the others became Rias's servants.
During these two months, the three Fallen Angels reincarnated as Devils primarily stayed at the club room, occasionally disguising themselves to check on the church headquarters.
The result was exactly as Ethan had predicted: after they lost contact, the Fallen Angel faction didn't even send anyone to investigate. They didn't see a single soul.
It was as if Amano Yuuma's group had never existed.
It wasn't until the start of the new year, possibly due to year-end reports, that a few Low-Class Fallen Angels were sent back to the church's base.
Amano Yuuma, who had initially felt guilt over betraying her faction, was now completely disillusioned. She abandoned the name Raynare, adopting the name Amano Yuuma, which Ethan had consistently used.
Mitelt and Kalawarner also wanted to change their names, but their foreign appearances made a Japanese-style name unsuitable, so they dropped the idea.
Ethan wasn't idle during these two months. While raising his Magic Power to S-rank through dual cultivation, he also extracted several excellent magic skills.
Additionally, he encountered and acquired new talents from several of the hentai protagonists who came his way.
With the complete mastery of the Boosted Gear added to his repertoire, his overall power once again touched a bottleneck.
Attribute,Name,Notes
Name,Ethan Uesugi,★
Talents,Devil Bloodline (High-Class) · Remnant,
,Physical Mastery (Intermediate),
,Sword Heart (Beginner),
,Lightning Flare · Remnant,
,Insight Eye,
,Mental Resistance,
,Combat Instinct,
,Body Aura,
,Spiritual Contract,
Skills,Magic Power Extraction (Intermediate),
,Martial Arts Proficiency (Beginner),
,Existence Erasure,
,Lightning Spear,
,Light Spear,
Possessed Item,Boosted Gear (Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet),
Overall Rating,S-Rank Peak,
After reviewing the panel, Ethan silently added two points.
After merging several body-related talents, his Physical Mastery, which he had shortly after awakening his ability, had leveled up to Intermediate.
Intermediate Magic Power Extraction was extracted from Kalawarner, replacing the Beginner version.