22:30, Takamine Residence, Master Bedroom on the Second Floor.
Glancing at the bright moonlight outside the window, Ethan gently pushed aside the tender, smooth body entwined around him.
Two days had passed in the blink of an eye. In these two days, besides attending class, he had spent his time soothing the restless bodies and minds of his many beautiful girls.
When he contracted Rias and the other two, the girls were affected to varying degrees.
The stronger they were, the more they felt.
Reina Hamasaki and her three companions, the Takamine mother and daughter, and Sakura Miyajima and Yui Obata—the girls he had practiced Dual Cultivation with the most—bore the brunt of the influence.
Although their strength was no longer keeping pace with Ethan's progress, he was not one to abandon those who had helped him.
In his weaker days, it was thanks to the talents they provided and their participation in Dual Cultivation that the current Ethan existed.
So, for these two days, Ethan had wholeheartedly satisfied them, knowing he would be busy again soon.
"Akira, the match starts in an hour, meet at the club room."
Just as Ethan finished dressing, Akeno Himejima's seductive voice came through the soul network.
With her increased strength, Akeno, known as the Lightning Miko, had been eager to test herself. Now, with a ready-made prey delivered to her doorstep, she was incredibly excited.
After a simple acknowledgment, Ethan quickly headed to the Occult Research Club.
Inside the room, decorated in a retro European style, the darkness was broken only by the orange flames flickering on the candle on the coffee table, adding to the medieval atmosphere.
Although the lighting was dim, everyone present was a Devil, and their vision was not only unaffected but even sharper.
Choosing this time for the Rating Game was, firstly, to minimize the impact on the human world, and secondly, to allow them to unleash their full combat power.
The strength of a Devil at night versus during the day differs by at least ten to twenty percent, and some Devil techniques can only be used at night.
"Akira, good evening."
Rias sat in the chair behind the desk, her beautiful legs crossed, holding a cup of black tea. She greeted Ethan with a cheerful smile, showing no signs of nervousness about the imminent battle.
This was not only because of the powerful confidence Ethan gave her but also due to her innate personality.
She maintained composure and calmness at all times, reassuring her Servants, and only silently bearing any immense pressure by herself.
As soon as Ethan sat down, the white-haired loli Koneko Toujou, who was tidying her gauntlets, settled into his lap.
After finding a comfortable position in her 'exclusive seat,' Koneko happily narrowed her eyes.
Asia and Mitelut watched Koneko with a hint of envy, but one was a tsundere and the other was shy, so they could only secretly feel envious without making a move to compete.
Smelling the faint fragrance of the white-haired loli, Ethan could only smile helplessly and let her be.
With still some time left, Ethan held the tempting cat-eared loli in his arms, quietly waiting for the time to arrive.
Screeech—
The door to the club room was pushed open, and Sona Shitori and Tsubaki Shinra appeared before everyone.
Gazing at their long, graceful figures illuminated by the candlelight, Little Akira, who had only just rested, seemed to be stirring again.
Sensing the movement beneath her, Koneko unhappily wiggled her little rear several times.
He held her for a long time with no reaction, but the moment the President and Vice President appeared, he was already getting hard...
Hmph!
Ethan clicked his tongue, finally managing to soothe the cat-eared loli.
He couldn't really blame himself. Cuteness was nice, but it paled slightly in comparison to sexiness.
While Tsubaki Shinra's and Sona Shitori's figures weren't as exaggerated as Rias's and Akeno Himejima's, it was precisely their slender build that made their beautiful legs even more alluring and tempting.
While plump, sensual thighs were good, long, slender, straight legs really hit Ethan's Kinks.
"President Sona, and Tsubaki, why are you here?"
Rias put down her black tea and explained to Ethan, "The Rating Game will be broadcast to those who are related to the participating parties. They are the broadcast personnel."
"I suggested it myself, as this is Rias's first Rating Game."
Sona Shitori said formally, her exquisite face expressionless.
"I can't let you, my rival, witness an embarrassing battle."
Rias smiled faintly. The two were friends, but also rivals.
She wondered what expression Sona Shitori would have after seeing their current strength.
As soon as her words fell, a silver-white magic circle appeared, followed by the silver-haired beautiful wife, whose conservative maid outfit could not conceal her fiery figure.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Yes, anytime."
"When the time comes, please use this magic circle to teleport to the combat-use space."
"Combat-use space?"
Maria, who was there to cheer them on, asked in confusion. Mio Naruse, who was also only there to offer support, had the same puzzled look.
Remembering that there were two 'country bumpkin' Devils who were unaware of things, Akeno Himejima kindly explained, "It's an extra-dimensional space specially created for Rating Games."
"Since it's a created space, it doesn't matter what spectacular things we do~ Hehe~"
As she spoke, Akeno Himejima couldn't help but narrow her eyes, resting her alluring face on one hand.
A drop of cold sweat appeared on the Succubus-Loli's forehead, thinking: Spectacular?... She clearly means maximum destruction...
"I'm heading back to the Student Council room, which is the broadcast point."
Sona Shitori said, "Good luck, Rias."
"Thank you. Make sure the broadcast is fair."
"Of course."
Sona Shitori paused, turning back to Rias. "But personally, I just don't think that person from the Phenex family is worthy of you."
Speaking the harshest words in the most neutral tone—truly worthy of the Student Council President.
Hearing Sona Shitori's words, Ethan and Rias's group all smiled.
"By the way, the Devil King Lucifer will also be watching this battle."
Grayfia's single sentence ended the relaxed atmosphere.
Ethan pursed his lips, highly disdainful of the way Devil Kings couldn't show partiality to their relatives.
Unfortunately, with his current strength, it was impossible to shake the upper echelons of the Underworld. No matter how displeased he was, he could only keep it to himself for now.
Rias also couldn't gauge her brother's intentions.
Logically speaking, after Ethan appeared, Sirzechs should not continue supporting the marriage alliance with the Phenex family.
However, Grayfia's attitude throughout had been very ambiguous.
Especially since she used the title 'Devil King Lucifer' this time, clearly hinting that he was taking the perspective of the Underworld's interests, not the Gremory family's...
Shaking off the distracting thoughts, they had already come this far. Even if Rias gave up, Ethan would not.
If someone had to wear the cuckold's horn, it definitely wouldn't be him!
"Time's up."
As they talked, the match time had arrived, and the silver-white magic circle turned bright red.
The blood-red light and the dim candlelight complemented each other, truly embodying the Devil aesthetic.
Ethan mentally commented before the teleportation.
The spatial fluctuation flashed, and after a moment of dizziness, Ethan found that the surrounding environment hadn't changed at all.
Only the Naruse sisters and the silver-haired beautiful wife were gone, indicating that the teleportation was complete.
"It seems the setting here is the same as in the original timeline..."
The subsequent magical broadcast confirmed Ethan's thought.
[I am Grayfia Lucifuge, the Gremory family's maid, who has been appointed the referee for this match between the Gremory family and the Phenex family.]
[The battlefield for this match, decided based on the opinions of Lady Rias and Lord Riser, is a replication of the human world school attended by Lady Rias, Kuoh Academy.]
Ethan pushed open the window. Sure enough, the sky outside was replaced by a strangely fluctuating blue-green spatial barrier.
[Both sides, please listen carefully.]
[Your designated teleportation point is your home base. Lady Rias's home base is the Occult Research Club room.]
[Lord Riser's home base is the Headmaster's office in the school building.]
[Therefore, you will be able to use the Pawn's Promotion ability if you can successfully infiltrate the opposing side's building.]
Ethan didn't pay too much attention to the rules. Anyway, he didn't have the benefits bestowed by the chess pieces, so all the rules were useless to him.
Moreover, he didn't need the rule-based advantages.
If Akeno Himejima and the other girls hadn't all expressed a desire to stretch their muscles, Ethan had planned a 1 vs 16 showdown to let that 'blonde fire chicken' experience true despair.
[Now, Game Start!]
The silver-haired beautiful wife's voice vanished, and both participating sides immediately began to move.