Chapter 495: After the Battle
"Look, that is the obstacle preventing me from returning home."
Just as Haruto's thoughts drifted, Ophis gently lifted her delicate chin and pointed a slender finger toward the distant horizon.
An enormous crimson dragon, so vast it seemed to blot out the sky, slowly drifted across the heavens. The scarlet sky appeared dull in comparison to the vivid red of its scales.
"Great Red..."
Before Haruto could voice his question, Sirzechs spoke first: "How rare. It's unusual to see its presence outside the dimensional gap."
Whoosh—
A brief sound of tearing air echoed as Vali appeared beside them with his Familiar, following closely behind Great Red.
He continued Sirzechs' train of thought, "This isn't its true form, merely a faint projection."
Even a mere projection carried such overwhelming presence...
The hearts of everyone present sank slightly, finally understanding why even someone as powerful as Ophis needed the assistance of the Khaos Brigade.
Whether it was returning to the dimensional gap or transforming the Three Realms to resemble the dimensional gap, there were members within the Khaos Brigade who shared Ophis' goals.
After speaking, Vali's gaze swept over Haruto and Ophis.
Seeing the two nearly pressed against each other, his eyebrow twitched slightly.
Despite having known Ophis for a long time and sharing the same goal—defeating Great Red—he had never seen Ophis show such closeness toward him.
"Defeating it is my objective," Vali said, suppressing his strange sense of comparison. "But merely locating it is difficult enough."
Haruto shrugged, showing no intention of responding.
Unlike Vali, who grew stronger through combat, Great Red held less attraction for him than Ophis did.
Although both were essentially similar—beings composed of pure power without fixed gender—like Tachibana Nanao, they could actively choose their gender.
Ophis currently moved through the Three Realms in the form of a young girl, but hadn't yet fixed her gender.
However, compared to the completely unattainable Great Red, the possibility of Ophis stabilizing as female was much higher.
In the original timeline, Ophis eventually solidified as female—though not in her current youthful form, but as a mature woman with black hair and ample curves.
As they conversed, everyone continued gazing at the sky.
Even as a mere projection, this was a rare sight to behold.
Had intense battles not shattered space in this region, affecting the dimensional gap itself, they wouldn't have been able to witness even this faint projection of Great Red's power.
After just a few dozen seconds, the immense form of Great Red vanished once more from the sky.
In reality, space had healed, separating the dimensional gap from the mortal realm again, causing its form to dissipate naturally.
After Great Red disappeared, Ophis lost interest in remaining.
She turned to Haruto, "Are you sure you won't come with me? Together, we could definitely defeat that being."
Ophis naturally knew about Haruto's dual cultivation abilities, though she hadn't paid them much mind before.
But after their recent contact, she realized it was also a power at the rule level.
Combined with Haruto's current strength, if the two engaged in dual cultivation, their combat power would increase dramatically. Even though Great Red was stronger than Ophis, it ultimately remained at the Dragon God Class.
After dual cultivation, Ophis and Haruto joining forces would certainly be capable of defeating their opponent.
"I'm sorry, but I can't just lie down in the dimensional rift yet."
Haruto also felt somewhat regretful, but still declined Ophis's offer.
"However, if you need my help, please feel free to tell me anytime."
"...Okay."
Though they had just met, the two interacted like old friends who had known each other for years, speaking frankly without any formalities.
"Then I'll take my leave now. I look forward to our next meeting."
Just like when she arrived, no one could detect how Ophis left.
Ophis, being innocent and pure-hearted, saw that Haruto had no intention of joining her and didn't mention dual cultivation either, simply assuming he wasn't willing at the moment.
Meanwhile, Haruto thought she wanted to keep it all to herself, so until he was confident he could win Ophis over, he didn't dare directly bring up using dual cultivation to enhance his power.
Vali gave Haruto a deep look... and glanced at Katerea behind him before quickly following Ophis away.
When Shalba decided to start the war, he had naturally invited Vali too. Though both were descendants of the Four Great Satans, Vali's perspective differed from theirs.
Even if he were to reclaim the position of Satan, he would do it honorably, upholding the dignity of the Satan family.
In his view, Shalba, Creusere, and Katerea had all failed to adhere to the proper conduct expected of Satan family heirs.
Their deaths would sadden and grieve Vali, but he had no intention of seeking revenge for them.
He just never expected Katerea not only to abandon her family's honor but to do so so completely.
After this incident, Katerea could no longer remain with either the Old Satan Faction or the new faction demons.
In fact, if she didn't want to bring disgrace to the Leviathan name, she would have to abandon her family name altogether.
To date, there had never been a Satan or Satan heir who became someone else's dog and betrayed their own people.
Once Vali left, Bikou and the other Familiars naturally didn't stay long either.
However, a certain black-haired, large-breasted cat girl seemed to hesitate several times before leaving, which struck Haruto as strange.
Ever since Koneko let her go, Kuroka's attention during subsequent encounters hadn't been on her adorable younger sister but rather on Haruto, her brother-in-law.
Perhaps because there were too many outsiders present, or maybe because she wasn't ready yet, Kuroka ultimately said nothing.
Not long after Ophis's group departed, the battlefield was mostly cleaned up.
After this event, the Old Maou Faction was completely eradicated.
Due to her contributions in this incident, Katerea received the same treatment as Vali.
Though she couldn't restore her family in the Underworld, the demons would no longer hunt her down.
Naturally, the only place left for her was by Haruto's side.
Coincidentally, Haruto still had vacant Familiar positions, so he went ahead and made Katerea his Familiar.
Her class was Knight.
Katerea's most suitable classes should have been Bishop, which focuses on magical attributes, or Queen.
But there was no helping it - she had arrived too late.
Only the Rook and Knight positions remained, and compared to the purely physical Rook class, Knight was the better option.
After completing the Familiar contract with Katerea, Haruto hurried back to the Underworld.
"...In recognition of the combat achievements and contributions of Rias Gremory's Familiar, Haruto Uesugi, permission is granted for promotion to Special-Class Devil."
After going through the formalities, Haruto officially obtained the most prestigious demon title below Satan.
If he hadn't been disinterested in establishing his own family, Sirzechs and the others had even planned to grant him a noble title and territory.
As for the previously mentioned matter of marriage into the family, everyone tacitly chose to forget about it.
Although Rias is the next head of the Gremory family, she isn't the only member left in the Gremory lineage. Not to mention her father and brother are still around, her nephew—Sirzechs' son—will reach adulthood in a few years.
The situation is similar with Sona's side.
It would have been ideal if Haruto could marry into their families, but Haruto developed too quickly. Everyone involved is intelligent enough to understand some things need not be stated explicitly.
The Underworld's attitude had been made abundantly clear, and Haruto naturally had no intention of breaking this unspoken agreement.
Therefore, he maintained appropriate distance when Odin and Michael extended their goodwill.
Michael showed some grace—after the Holy Sword for slaying dragons he offered was rejected, he didn't press further.
But that irreverent old man Odin was different.
After his gift was refused, he simply followed Michael's example by sending his most capable Valkyrie, Rossweisse, to accompany Haruto back to the human world.
Under the noble pretext of promoting inter-faction exchanges, he was actually executing a seduction plan.
No one could really object to this.
Haruto currently had demons, fallen angels, and angels around him—only Norse mythology representatives were missing. On the surface, Odin's move appeared perfectly reasonable.
Though Rossweisse was somewhat rigid in thinking and a bit clumsy, her appearance was undoubtedly top-tier.
A sexy older sister with long white hair, yet possessing an adorably airheaded personality—this combination was simply... fantastic!
...
Human World, Haruto Residence.
Haruto couldn't recall exactly when, but he'd noticed the placard bearing his family name had been hung at the mansion's entrance.
Though not entirely comfortable with this surname, since it was what his parents in this life had left him, he didn't comment further.
Rossweisse, forcibly assigned this mission by Odin, sat hugging her knees, silently weeping with her face buried.
Haruto felt a headache coming on. After some thought, he decided to leave this matter for Rias to handle.
After the battle with Loki, Rias and Rossweisse could barely be considered friends.
"Rias..."
Though Rossweisse was over twenty years old, she currently clung to Rias, acting spoiled like a little girl.
Surprisingly, no one found this scene out of place.
"Rossweisse, if you don't want to stay here, I can speak with Lord Odin on your behalf," Rias comforted while stroking Rossweisse's head.
Rossweisse shook her head between sniffles. "No, it's not that I dislike this place... I just think Lord Odin is being too unreasonable..."
"I see..."
Rias smiled gently. "Then consider this mission a vacation. You haven't spent much time in the human world, have you? There are many interesting things here."
Sniff... "Mhm!"True to her nature, Rossweisse was as simple-minded as she was emotional—and equally easy to coax."
Seeing the silver-haired Valkyrie had stopped crying, Haruto breathed a sigh of relief.
Truth be told, he was skilled at dealing with wicked women, but felt completely out of his depth with innocent girls like this.
Whenever he encountered such situations, what little conscience he possessed would begin tormenting him, leaving him uncertain how to proceed.
It seemed Rossweisse remained unaware of Odin's true intentions...
Watching the silver-haired Valkyrie calm down, Haruto quietly pondered.
Should he make the first move?
Dealing with a mature woman like Rossweisse, whose years of being single equaled her age and who still yearned for a partner, Haruto was confident he could win her over in just three days.
But... watching the silver-haired Valkyrie still snuggling in Rias's arms, he couldn't shake off a sense of guilt, as if he were deceiving an innocent young girl.
"President Rias, President Sona still has some unresolved matters, so I'll trouble you to help Rossweisse get familiar with the surroundings for now."
Haruto ultimately decided to take it slow, allowing Rossweisse, who rarely visited the human world, to relax and adapt to the environment for a while.
Rias gently held Rossweisse, smiling warmly as she said, "Mm, you can go with peace of mind."
"Uh..."
Seeing her smile, Haruto couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Rias's words, yet he couldn't pinpoint anything wrong.
"Forget it, there's no rush for a day or two. It's been a while since I stayed at home, so I'll go in a few days..."
"No need, no need. You can go with peace of mind."
Rias emphasized once more.
This time Haruto confirmed that Rias was actually quite unhappy about her not returning home these past days.
Having many women brought this kind of trouble - while he wouldn't get stabbed with a firewood knife, occasionally facing such confrontations was unavoidable.
Could he really forbid them from feeling jealous?
Even when willingly sharing with other women, jealousy was inevitable. If they truly stopped feeling jealous, that would actually be problematic.
Haruto rolled his eyes internally and wordlessly went upstairs to his room.
Sure enough, seeing that he wasn't leaving, Rias's powerful aura instantly softened considerably.
After staying home for two days and working hard throughout, before Haruto could actively seek out Sona, Nimura Ruruko and Bennia came to him first.
After the battle with the former Satan, both had deeply realized their inadequacy in strength, having held everyone back.
During their recovery days, scenes from the battle repeatedly replayed in their minds.
Though Sona and other student council girls kept comforting them, it only made them appear resolved on the surface while they actually kept dwelling on the matter internally.
Though Bennia was usually quiet, her personality was actually much more proactive than Ruruko's.
Her quiet introversion was mostly due to sleepiness...
While Haruto stayed home peacefully accompanying Rias and others, Bennia and Nimura Ruruko had reached an agreement.
Led by Bennia, they proactively approached Haruto, requesting dual cultivation with him.
Not just dual cultivation, but also hoping Haruto would provide them with practical combat training.
Not seeking to become exceptionally strong, but at least not to hold everyone back.
Facing the two girls' sincere request, Haruto naturally agreed immediately.
As for being treated as a tool without winning the girls' hearts...
Don't be ridiculous - he was the one getting the better deal here.
Both Bennia and Nimura Ruruko were virgins, and from now on would only have him as their man.
And him?
He probably had enough women to fill a grade level, though only about a classroom's worth maintained long-term relationships - still utterly ridiculous.
Under such circumstances, wanting not just their bodies but also their hearts - even he felt that was somewhat excessive.
Though they reached an agreement, the current time and place weren't suitable for starting dual cultivation.
After discussion, they decided the location would be Bennia and Nimura Ruruko's apartment, naturally during the evening.
This time, Rias didn't get angry again, but instead reminded Haruto to be attentive.
Even as the one who dual cultivated most frequently with Haruto and trained most diligently, she still couldn't keep up with Haruto's rapid progress in strength.
Every time she watched Haruto battle powerful enemies, even knowing he held absolute advantage, she inevitably felt sad and lost inside.
Though perhaps not entirely the same, there must be common ground between their situations.
...
...
Nimura Ruruko sat nervously on the bedside, gazing through the window at the deep night outside.
Haruto had arrived as promised and was currently showering in the bathroom, while she and Bennia waited separately in their bedrooms.
After all, it was the first time for both girls. Young girls' feelings are always poetic - even if not perfectly romantic, they still wanted some pure love.
Haruto moved swiftly like the wind, already spotlessly clean, with showering being more of a habit.
Looking at the two closed doors, Haruto didn't hesitate at all.
Although Bennia and Nimura Ruruko had arrived simultaneously, it had been decided earlier that Nimura Ruruko would come first, followed by Bennia.
Opening the door, Haruto strode straight in, and even though Nimura Ruruko shyly retreated further into the bed, it was of no use.
A deep blush instantly spread across her face, but unfortunately, Haruto did not abandon his next actions because of her current shyness.
"Brother Haruto... I... um... I..."
"Ruruko, no need to be nervous or shy. Just leave everything to me."
"Yes..."
Nimura Ruruko's tone remained soft, but her body gradually relaxed.
Think of nothing, do nothing—just leave everything to Haruto...
Holding this thought, she found herself truly feeling much more at ease.
Haruto directly lifted the sexy nightgown Nimura Ruruko had deliberately changed into, and amid her surprised gasp, his hand went straight to her sensitive little garden.
Nimura Ruruko clearly realized what Haruto was about to do to her next. Though shy, this was something she had long been waiting for.
Amid the girl's exclamation, Haruto directly lowered himself.
Nimura Ruruko had nowhere left to retreat, allowing Haruto to bury his head between her legs.
Her fair, slender thighs and the little garden covered by sheer white lace stockings were fully exposed to Haruto's view.
By this point, Ruruko could no longer refuse Haruto, for he had already taken over her most private and important area.
Haruto used his hands to spread her legs apart, fully revealing Nimura Ruruko's long, smooth legs encased in white suspender stockings and the triangular forbidden zone hidden by thin, white lace panties.
To match Haruto's aesthetic, Nimura Ruruko had not tied her slender twin tails, letting her loose long hair add a touch of elegance and allure to her round, cute face.
Her slender, straight legs paired with the white stockings accentuated all the advantages of her beautiful legs, making one unable to resist the urge to play with them.
Haruto did not restrain his desires, pushing his head under her skirt and extending his tongue to taste the white lace panties that could not conceal the flesh tone beneath.
"Ah... no... Brother Haruto... ahhh... don't use your tongue to lick... haa... this won't do... it's too ticklish...Though Haruto's tongue was separated from Nimura Ruruko's little garden by a layer of panties, the sheer, cicada-wing thin fabric could not prevent the force of his tongue from reaching her delicate flesh.
The techniques—now strong, now weak, licking or nibbling—and the tingling, ticklish sensation felt as if countless ants were crawling over Nimura Ruruko's body, raising goosebumps all over.