After returning from Akeno Himejima, Ethan began contemplating the extent of the necessary killing.
Unsurprisingly, due to his previous bait-and-switch, the opponents certainly wouldn't give up. The moment they initiated an attack, he would feel free to unleash his power and eliminate every threat.
However, saying he would "kill them all" naturally didn't mean slaughtering every employee of Kazuya Miura's company, as most of them were just ordinary workers.
As for the executives, at least the board members and the department head who had troubled Kasumi Takamine, Ethan had no intention of sparing them.
As for the future of Miura Corporation, and the fate of its employees, Akeno Himejima said she could handle it, so Ethan didn't need to worry about those details.
As for the possibility of the opponents figuring out Ethan's background and backing down...
That possibility wasn't zero, but it was highly remote. The Gremory family could easily investigate them, but for them to investigate Ethan in reverse would not be an easy task.
First, their investigation would likely focus on Sayuri and Ayame Takamine, completely failing to connect to Ethan. Even if a careful individual did look into Ethan's information, they would most likely come up empty.
The fact that Ethan had become a Devil servant was generally known only to members of the Occult Research Club and the Student Council. As a secret weapon, his existence was strictly protected by Rias and Sona Sitri.
Furthermore, given the failure of his Devil Piece reincarnation, before signing a contract through other means, news of his existence getting out would be trouble for all three parties.
Rias and Sona Sitri, as the future heads of pure-blood Devil families, would suffer reputational damage, and Ethan himself would become a target for numerous Devils.
It wasn't impossible that some rash individual might one day simply kidnap Ethan and take him to the Underworld for research.
As for the Sacred Gear, only the Occult Research Club members knew about it. Ethan hadn't even disclosed it to Sona Sitri yet.
When exerting his full power, with the exception of Devil King-class individuals, the so-called EX-rank powers, Ethan could contend with even the SS-rank Ultimate-class Devils or the SSS-rank Dragon King-class powers.
If he used the Boosted Gear without regard for the consequences, defeating a Devil King-class power was not impossible.
However, the cost afterward would be immense, potentially more than Ethan could bear.
Akira Miura, the Blonde Guy, did not disappoint Ethan. Just two days later, he brought men to the house again, ready to regain his honor.
It's worth noting that before the enemies arrived, Ethan received a tip-off from the two girls, urging him to flee quickly, as the people coming this time knew magic.
The girls who tipped him off were the sisters Ethan had helped last time. Since that incident, they had maintained contact with the Takamine sisters.
Ethan wasn't very interested in the specifics of what they talked about and didn't ask. He had almost forgotten what the two looked like.
However, Sayuri and Ayame Takamine seemed to deeply sympathize with the sisters. Had Ethan not enforced a strict rule, they would have probably wanted to bring the pair into the organization as well.
In reality, once a girl has been with Ethan, no matter how casual or "gyaru" she is, she essentially loses sexual interest in other men.
However, compared to a consistently faithful beauty, they were always less trustworthy, making Ethan constantly worried about being cuckolded.
Especially among his women, there were succubi who feed on life essence and certain girls who were practically sex addicts, unhappy without intimate affection.
Ethan couldn't possibly satisfy them every day, so he couldn't treat all these girls equally.
They could only be convenient tools, summoned and dismissed at his will.
Ethan expressed his thanks for the two girls' warning, but continued with his plans as usual.
He was practically wishing the opponent would strike quickly. As long as a supernatural being attacked first, everything would be under his control.
In reality, if he weren't planning a major move—to thoroughly resolve the deeply repressed Cuckold Template's influence, which was now violently resurfacing—Ethan could make the Miura father and son vanish instantly at any time.
However, to move against the entire Miura Corporation's executives, the supernatural beings, and potentially the Sanda-kai members, he needed a legitimate reason.
Put plainly, he needed an excuse.
The Gremory family might be the local power in Kuoh Town, but they couldn't just launch a massacre without reason.
Moreover, Tokyo is divided into many districts and towns, and the Gremory family is not the only power.
Due to the parallel world setting, the specific geography and political landscape differ entirely from the Tokyo on Earth, and when involving other districts and towns, the influence of the Gremory family, which primarily controls Kuoh Town, is significantly diminished.
Miura Corporation and the Sanda-kai are forces based in the Meguro district, with their headquarters there as well.
But with a legitimate reason, any faction, regardless of location, would have to show respect to the few high-ranking pure-blood Devil families. Selling out two mere ordinary human organizations would be an easy decision.
Furthermore, neither of these two organizations were good in the first place. Both the Miura Corporation and the Sanda-kai had plenty of shady dealings under the surface.
Leaving aside murder and arson, they had been involved in everything from kidnapping the wives and daughters of rival company presidents, manipulating bids, to bribing government officials.
The department head who had troubled Kasumi Takamine alone had used his authority to sexually assault over a dozen female employees and secretaries.
The so-called "sexual harassment" on his record was only because his actions were so egregious they couldn't be suppressed anymore.
If a department head was like this, the even higher-ranking board members need no further mention.
Ethan had uncovered these facts over the past two days. With his power, no one could detect him during his stealth investigation.
Although he wasn't a good person, he didn't want to kill the innocent.
After confirming that all the target individuals, including the hired supernatural beings, were bad people, Ethan felt relieved, yet also couldn't help but sigh with regret.
In a capitalist society, especially in a country like Japan (Nippon) where conglomerates are rampant and the Yakuza is quasi-legal, most people who climb to high positions are not good folks.
Good people were eliminated in the successive power struggles. The lucky ones returned to ordinary life. The unlucky ones were either fed to the fish in Tokyo Bay or cemented into walls.
Ethan considered himself a total scumbag, with a flexible moral compass and ruthless in dealing with enemies.
But compared to this group of people, he realized he was practically a saint.
Two in the afternoon. A group of beautiful girls, each with their own unique charms, gathered at the Takamine house.
Lena Hamasaki, Yukina Sasaki, Ruri Kurumisaka, Yuki Shinomura, Sakura Miyajima, Yui Obata, Misaki Shinohara, Akino Sakagami, and the Takamine mother and daughters—a total of eleven people, all having achieved B-rank power.
Ethan looked at the beautiful girls before him and nodded with satisfaction.
They were the backbone and core of the organization, as well as the eleven most talented and powerful members. Ethan planned to use this opportunity to let them properly learn to work together.
The girls already knew each other to some extent, but they were split into three small cliques, with limited familiarity outside their own group.
Ethan planned to let them handle the opponent's B-rank supernatural beings this time, and also to let them get their hands bloody.
Since they had followed him into the supernatural world, they needed to be mentally prepared. If they couldn't adapt, they should leave sooner rather than later.
This would be a better choice for both themselves and Ethan.
Just as the girls were playing and joking, the low roar of engines was heard outside the house—not just one, but a series of noises.
Everyone present was a formidable supernatural being. Yui Obata, who specialized in detection, instantly reported the exact number.
"Fifteen cars. They've completely surrounded us."
"The A-rank one hasn't come, and only three B-ranks showed up. One is missing... Looks like the opponent really didn't investigate me, or failed to find anything."
Ethan's perception was clearer. He scoffed, "I'll go out first. When they attack me, I'll feign a serious injury, and then you can attack freely."
To preserve evidence, before opening the door, he set up the high-definition camera he had bought specifically for this, carefully adjusting the angle.
"Is this the place?"
"Yes, Master Nue."
"No, there are many presences inside, definitely more than four people."
"They probably called for bodyguards after those two little sluts tipped them off."
Listening to the conversation outside the front door, one voice was Akira Miura's, and the other belonged to a B-rank supernatural being.
Judging by the name and the feedback from his detection magic, this guy was a bird type yōkai (demon).