Testing Grayfia was a matter for later. For now, because Ethan had ascended to the rank of a Deity, the girls in his circle received a massive "dividend," and their strength skyrocketed. However, they all tacitly agreed to keep Ethan's new status a secret. The Hero Clan was already wary of the Occult Research Club; adding a confirmed God and dozens of Satan-class powerhouses to the mix would make every supernatural faction in the world lose sleep.
While Ethan was busy helping his girls level up, something big happened within the Hero Clan. The legendary hero, Jin Toujou, had returned, bringing with him his son, Basara Toujou—a monster whose talent surpassed even his father's.
After his sparring sessions with Ethan, Basara had grown significantly. However, because he was a four-race hybrid possessing the "Banishing Shift"—a literal "glitch" ability—Ethan's help had reached its limit. While Ethan was breaking through to Godhood, Basara didn't stay idle. Seeing that Ethan had stopped showing up to Kuoh Academy, Basara asked Mio Naruse about it and decided to drop out as well. High school meant nothing compared to rescuing his mother.
Jin Toujou, recognizing his son's plateau, took him under his wing for specialized training. Jin didn't have the Banishing Shift, but as a man recognized by the Elder Dragons, he understood the power within Basara's blood. He took Basara back to the Hero Clan to sharpen his combat experience and mental fortitude. The Hero Clan, desperate for top-tier combat power, welcomed the "War God" Jin and his son back with open arms, conveniently forgetting their past grievances.
With the return of the War God, the elders of the Hero Clan began to stir. They decided to resume surveillance on Ethan and the Occult Research Club. Since the Japanese branch had already lost two talented heroines to Ethan's harem, the Vatican sent their own ace: Celas Redheart.
Celas was the strongest hero of the current generation in the Vatican. She had lived in Japan as a child and spoke the language fluently. The Vatican elders were confident in her; unlike the Nonaka sisters, they believed her "brainwashing"—her absolute faith—would prevent her from defecting. They clearly underestimated Ethan's "Dual Cultivation" rules. If even a reincarnated Angel like Irina Shido could fall, a mere S-rank hero like Celas stood no chance. Her fate was sealed the moment she accepted the mission.
By late November, with only a month left in the second semester, Ethan finally returned to school. He wasn't there to learn, just to experience a bit of normalcy.
The dividends of his breakthrough were great for the high-potential girls like Rias and Mio, but for those with lower potential, Ethan's life essence had become too potent to digest easily. The threshold to handle his "seeds" had risen to the S-rank.
One person who benefited greatly was Katerea Leviathan, the dark-skinned beauty who visited Ethan once a month. She had previously merged with Abyss energy to reach Satan-class, but after one "dividend" session with Ethan, she jumped straight to Super-Satan class. This left her both ecstatic and frustrated. She regretted merging with the filthy Abyss energy, as it now conflicted with Ethan's pure life force. To reach Godhood, she would have to undergo a "nine-out-of-ten-death" process to strip the Abyss energy away, or risk becoming a mindless Abyss monster.
After their session, Katerea lay limp in Ethan's arms, her long, shapely legs still wrapped around his waist. "Master," she whispered, "the Old Satan Faction is making a move. They plan to assassinate and replace the youngest and weakest Demon King, Leohart."
Leohart was the new Demon King who had inherited the throne of Mio's father, Wilbert. He was a moderate who preferred archaeological research and human-demon coexistence over war. Ethan realized that in this merged world, Leohart sat alongside Sirzechs and Serafall as one of the Four Great Demon Kings.
Ethan also thought of Mio's "uncle," Ramsas, the red-haired noble who claimed to be Wilbert's brother. Many suspected he was Wilbert, but the evidence was contradictory. Regardless, the politics were messy.
"The Old Satan Faction has teamed up with the 'Demon Cardinal Council'—the fossils under Leohart who hate his moderate views," Katerea explained.