This was Ethan's first real fight since reaching the Demon King class. Since his opponent was a "budget" Demon King like Kokabiel, he decided to test his raw baseline power.
He didn't plan on using the Boosted Gear immediately.
As he mobilized his internal energy, he felt the true difference of his new realm. All his various bloodlines and energies—except for his Qi, which was still stuck just before the threshold of the Immortal Path—began to resonate and fuse.
His exterior began to shift. It could no longer be called a "Devil Trigger." It was a complete integration of his powers—his Battle Form.
Ethan's form was no longer that of an ancient, monstrous devil. The thin ancient devil genes had been overwhelmed by his other bloodlines. The only thing that remained was a single, pitch-black whip-like tail, but it was no longer coarse or grotesque. Instead, it was slender, flexible, and colored a deep black with crimson highlights—it looked deceptively elegant, almost inviting to the touch, until mana surged through it, turning it into a blade harder than diamond.
His messy black hair now held faint streaks of crimson and silver-white. The three sigils on his left cheek had vanished, replaced by a single, glowing, blue-gem-like beauty mark—an erotic tearstain—under his eye. This small detail added a layer of mysterious, lethal attraction to his already peak-tier handsomeness.
Irina and Xenovia, despite being suppressed by Kokabiel's aura, found their eyes drawn to Ethan. Their gazes grew hazy, and a faint blush crept onto their cheeks as they looked at his transformed state.
Ethan's height had reached a solid 180cm (nearly 6 feet) in his human form, but in his Battle Form, he grew even taller, looming over the already large Kokabiel.
The biggest change, however, was his wings. Twelve wings fanned out from his back. They were arranged in alternating pairs: one pair of pitch-black feathered wings, followed by a pair of slender, scythe-like devil wings, repeating down his spine.
Ethan checked his reflection in a conjured mana mirror and nodded. It was a good look. Once his powers fully fused, even the minor imperfections would vanish.
Kokabiel's arrogance was replaced by growing dread. Even if he was the weakest of the leaders, he was still a Demon King class entity. He could feel that Ethan's raw stats were now rivaling his own. He glanced nervously at Ethan's left hand, relieved to see no sign of the red gauntlet.
Balance Breaker is triggered by emotion and will, Kokabiel reassured himself. He can't just turn it on like a switch.
Kokabiel didn't know that Ethan could brute-force the Sacred Gear with his own mana.
"Even if you've reached the Demon King class, you're just a greenhorn!" Kokabiel sneered, aiming his giant light spear. "You think you can beat me?"
Ethan smiled but didn't speak. He wanted Kokabiel to fight with everything he had so he could test his limits.
"DIE!"
The massive Spear of Light descended like a falling star. The impact carved a crater dozens of meters wide into the earth where Ethan had been standing.
As Ethan and Kokabiel's battle began, Yuuki and the two Holy Sword girls engaged the Rogue Priests. Valper Galilei was a researcher, not a fighter, but the mad priest was surprisingly fierce with his three Holy Swords.
Seeing the situation, Kokabiel summoned two massive beasts. Two green magic circles appeared, and out stepped massive, flame-wreathed Cerberus hounds. Each was A-rank, but their sheer size and ferocity made them much harder to handle.
Yuuki and the others were forced into 1v1 battles against the dogs and the priest, and they quickly found themselves in a desperate struggle.
In the crater, Ethan unfurled his twelve wings, which had shielded his body. He glanced at Yuuki's fight, confirming she wasn't in immediate danger, and decided to let her handle it. She needed this struggle to grow.
Watching the Cerberus hounds, Ethan briefly entertained the idea of getting his own familiar. A summonable beast would be convenient. He wondered if the contract could be used on humans... Rias, Sona, Akeno...
He shook his head, clearing the "wicked" thoughts. He'd visit the Familiar Forest later.
Back in the air, Kokabiel was becoming increasingly desperate. His ultimate attack had done zero damage. Ethan's twelve wings had a dual nature that dampened both Devil and Fallen Angel mana. In a focused defensive state, Kokabiel couldn't even break Ethan's guard.
"My turn," Ethan said.
He retracted his wings and tail, preferring his "humanoid" form for mobility. Even if it was slightly less powerful than the full Battle Form, it was more than enough to dominate a fraud like Kokabiel.
Ethan's speed, power, and reaction time were on a completely different level. Kokabiel tried to manifest another spear, but Ethan was already in front of him. A single punch sent the Fallen Angel leader hurtling through the air like a discarded rag.
Ethan didn't chase him immediately. He hovered in the air, analyzing the feedback from the blow.