[][][11][][]

After the meeting, John, Cara, and Sylvia decided to spend more time in the library, taking up a table near the corner hidden partway by a few bookshelves so that they can have some privacy. Once they have settled themselves, they continued to discuss many things both harem and non-harem matters.

Of course, this is also the time when Sylvia, upon seeing John up close, started calling him 'My Emperor' or 'Your Excellency' because she claimed that he reminded her of powerful regal figures clothed in majestic regalia whose aura exuded power and authority. John did not have the heart to tell her that it sounded ridiculous but her earnest sincerity in those frigid eyes made him swallow his rebuttal.

While the three were having fun talking, Janice and the others also had a wonderful time talking with Alice. Which was to say, they started bombarding Alice with strange questions. Like what's her favorite gun or her favorite magic spell. Or what type of boy does she like.

For all their nosiness, they really mean well. I guess I have to face John sooner or later. Alice thought.

With the two parties occupied by their respective discussions, Karl was talking with Lea and Dana regarding their next match this Saturday.

"Um...so Dana. What do we know so far about our next opponent?"

The three of them sat inside the club room of the literature club which was located on the second floor where all the other clubs with the exception of the athletic and martial arts clubs, were located. 

Seated to his left was Lea, the girl with bob-cut hair and amber eyes who was shot unconscious by Angelica a few days ago, still suffering from body aches because of the powerful blow she took at point blank range.

"Yeah Dana. Amelia should've done her reconnaissance by now. Damn, my body is till sore..."

To his right was Dana, a girl who served as Karl's Ace, a blue-eyed girl with short black hair and bangs framing her face.

"Ah...I've talked to her about it and apparently she only has limited information since the opponent's Ranger did a good job concealing her harems own abilities."

Facing them was a wide flat screen where a smudged picture of a group of people was open, the three of them trying to understand the unrecognizable image.

"Hey Zo, can I use the lenses to peel away the smudges on this image?"

"Huh, go find out yourself since you're taking this seriously. Just use your lenses if you want to loser."

"Ouch. Can you at least be a little civil Zo?"

From among the Seven Sins Regalia, Enzo is the one who always insults his wielder, regardless of their talent or upbringing. For him, as the representation of Envy, there is always someone better than his wielder so his insults are a way to motivate them to improve. Or to drag them down to despair. 

"Ha! Now you're pleading to me? You really are a loser but if you want me to respect you that much then I'll you boy instead." 

He just scratched his head, knowing that Enzo can be stubborn when he wants to.

"Alright, I'll try it out."

Using magical energy, the familiar orange lenses appeared, giving him scanning powers that allowed him to see through the smudges in the picture. As he peeled off the covers, he saw eight silhouetted figures, a male and a female standing on a platform and three girls on each side, only their body shapes visible against a dark blue background.

"Huh, I can't see any of their faces except for their body shapes and a dark blue back ground."

"I can't determine their faces but it's clear that we'll be fighting a full-stack harem."

"That's right. This image didn't give us anything other than the fact that it's going to be an all-out harem battle. I sure hope Amelia has any other useful information for us."

As the two girls discussed the possibilities, Karl was also having a discussion with Enzo inside his head.

"Oh, what this? Hmm...well shit...I guess you're in for a difficult battle. The dark blue background belongs to Greg, also known as Greed."

"Greed?"

"Yeah. He has a set of ten rings that each grant an ability. Luscious loved beating the crap out of Greg's wielders because he can just copy all the abilities inside his rings. It was funny when Greg would just sulk because he's a greedy bastard who's also a coward. Wrath would bully him because of that y'know? And only Sloth was capable of stopping the bullying. Luscious too but he was busy having fun with women so yeah."

Wow, they must be close if they can speak to one another like that. Thought Karl. When the two girls' conversation ended, Lea stood up from her chair and told them that since they needed more information from Amelia and that tomorrow is the last day they can plan for their match on Saturday, she will go one ahead to their classroom and tell the others, bidding them a good-bye before leaving the room.

Now that the two of them were the only ones inside the room, Dana made her move and leaned closer to Karl. Then he felt a hand rubbing his pants and felt jolt of sexual stimulation in his body, increasing his body temperature. He turned towards Dana who was now licking her lips with a sultry expression on her face.

"Hmm...it seems you're easily quite aroused, my love~" Dana whispered into his ear, the two of them the only ones remaining inside the room.

"Since it's just the two of us, how about I have some fun with you~? Hmm~?"

When they first met, Karl accidentally groped Dana's breasts when he fell off-balance due to his clumsiness. Too embarrassed to apologize, he ran away, and she found it amusing that a boy like him is easily flustered by a simple thing such as an 'accident'.

As a Harem King, his clumsiness has now disappeared but in exchange, Dana has decided to play with Karl since she found his reactions to her quite cute.

"N-not here D-Dana...t-this i-is bad..."

She just shushed him, slowly licking his ear, making him even more aroused. After a couple of minutes she opened the zipper to his pants, put her hand inside his boxers, and pulled out his manhood, above-average compared to most men. Then she started stroking it with her hand, now licking his neck and using her other hand to play with his nipples that made him even more sexually stimulated.

Enzo just sighed, realizing that his wielder was a wimp and too timid to take control. 

"You really are a loser, aren't you, huh? Oh well, nothing I can do about since there are men like you who prefer dominant women. You're also a masochist so the two of you are perfect for each other. You're still a loser though."

After a couple of minutes, she bent over and used her mouth to stimulate his manhood, eliciting moaned gasps from him.

Bobbing her head up and down, she was relentless, using her tongue with deftness that his throbbing manhood could not handle so much stimulation at once, unloading a load inside her mouth that she eagerly slurped and swallowed, licking her lips in response as she saw the panting expression on his face.

Due to the sheer amount of pleasure that was flowing inside his body, and the fact that he was not used to doing sexual activities, knocked him unconscious, panting for breath.

"Hmm~that wasn't so bad right, My Love?~" To seal the deal she kissed him on the lips, before using her handkerchief to wipe away the white splotches on his flaccid manhood, returning them inside his boxers, zipping up his pants, and tossing the soiled handkerchief on top of his lap, telling him that she will go ahead of him to their classroom.

When Karl regained consciousness, Enzo did not hold back on his insults that he was easily exhausted from a simple foreplay that made him embarrassed. Even when he told Zo that it was his first time and was not used to doing sexual activities, Zo still called him a quick shot because of how easily he came.

They left the room soon after, passing by a group of 2nd year students who stared at his back for a new seconds before returning to their conversation.

[][][][][]

After school, John told the girls that he was going to spend time with Alice because his father requested him as a favor to one of his friends which made the girls jealous including Sylvia that made her feel strange because she has never felt these types of experiences before.

"Look everyone, I'll spend time with all of you after this. Besides, my father asked me to do this and it would be interesting to know her. Janice, you and the other have already become closer to her, yes?"

"Yup~She's a very entertaining girl and would be a good addition to your harem~"

"She's good but she's too stiff. She should just relax and let go."

"Ah...how should I say this...she's a nice person although a bit weird since she sometimes freezes up when we ask her some questions."

"I see...guess I'd better find out for myself who she really is, eh?"

They said their goodbyes to him and he went to the gymnasium to meet up. Meanwhile, Cara and Sylvia were following his movements, hiding near corners, in the bushes, even blending in with the students despite the fact that they were taller than average for girls.

"Uuu...I want to go with him next..."

"Denied. I Will Go Out With Him First."

John did notice that he was being followed and Luscious just told him that it was the two girls whom he conversed with at the library. He just sighed and let them be, passing by a couple of students who waved at him and waved back, earning giggles from the girls.

"He's cool right? RIGHT?"

"Affirmative. He is Indeed The Greatest."

The girls were given queer stares by the other students because of their odd behavior. However, they just ignored it since attractive people usually have odd quirks.

Outside the school, he noticed the change in temperature from a cool breeze to a freezing tundra, making him shiver.

"What's going on...wait. It must be an enemy. There's no people around here."

He noticed that the entire place was devoid of people and the only ones who were present were Cara, Sylvia, and Alice, who sensed a dangerous presence outside the gymnasium and decided to make her way there.

"Yo partner, heads up. It's a harem member from Greg's wielder."

"Who's Greg?"

"He's the spirit residing in the Rings of Greed, a series of ten rings that each grant a specific power. I used to bully him because he's an all-rounder and stole his powers for myself."

"Woah, ten specific abilities? That's powerful Lu."

"It is indeed powerful partner but he's still no match against us because whatever he has, we have it but even better though it'll take a lot of lust energy to use."

He heard foot steps and turned around to see a blue-haired girl wearing a blue headband with blue eyes and wearing the school uniform holding a wand on her hand glowing with light blue energy.

"You must be Karl, correct?"

"...huh?"

"I won't repeat myself twice. You're name is Karl, yes?"

She asked him in a serious tone, a vacuum of cold air surrounding her body.

"You asked the wrong person. No, I'm not Karl, I'm..."

"Hey partner, don't give your name out or they'll find out about you. You're not ready yet and I think you need to ask Angelica for a way to keep your names and true abilities hidden."

He just shut his mouth, knowing that sometimes silence is better than action. Besides, if it's come this far, then he has to be patient and build up his power gradually.

"I see you refuse to answer. Very well then, I will end your life here."

She started casting a spell that turned the air around here into sharp spears of ice leveled at him, thirty in all, and with a flick of her wand they launched themselves at him, catching him off-guard.

Cara and Sylvia were still crouched near the bushes and felt the frigid gust of wind on their skins, making them quiver. As much as they wanted to launch an attack, they knew that against a magic user, it would be very difficult for them to land a hit.

"Well, I guess there's no helping it then..."

Suddenly he saw a strand of blonde hair flutter beside him and saw a flicker of light destroy all thirty ice spears and saw Alice swing down with such speed that he was barely able to see it with his eyes, and cut down the girl, who was now coughing up blood because of a slash from her left shoulder down to her right thigh. She dropped her wand, crumpled to the ground and started bleeding from her wounds, Alice standing in front of her, her sword stained with blood.

"My Prince does not need to dirty his hands with the blood of his enemies. In his name I will cut you down."

She wiped her blade with the incapacitated girl's uniform, sheathing it back in its scabbard.

"Alice?"

She was surprised by his voice and turned to look at him, a shy look on her face.

"Ah...um...I-I just sensed an enemy and I...I...I felt that I needed to protect you, My Prince."

"Nooo!!! Not my prince! Why did I say that?! Why?!"

Deep inside she was cringing because she acted like a knight serving her lord like the European knight's of old.

"Hey now...Prince huh? I'm no prince but..."

"Heh. How about the Dark Prince partner? Your lewd thoughts aren't fit enough for a typical Prince. In fact, you're rather...perverted and sadistic. But that's just my two cents though."

The girl's body just twitched, eyes in shock as she could not feel her presence nor her attack.

"I-impossible. H-how c-could I-I n-not s-sense h-her..." She was now moving in and out of consciousness, her life slowly fading away.

"Tch, that's why you're so reckless Weiss. And now I have to rescue you from a powerful Knight who's stronger than both of us."

Alice stepped back a few paces and stood in front of John. now in a drawing sword stance, her hand on the hilt of her katana, as she observed the new arrival, a girl with red hair tied in a ponytail, blue-green eyes, and wearing two ruby earrings. She had a spear strapped on her back and was dressed in the same school's uniform.

The girl slung Weiss arm over her shoulder, not minding the splotches of blood on her uniform and faced them.

"You're not Karl, right? Well, we made a mistake and we apologize for attacking you. I hope you don't mind if I take her back with me, yes?"

They both disappeared in a flash of dark blue light, the scenery now back to normal, the puddle of blood now gone.

[][][][][]

Karl and his harem also sensed the dangerous presence but they could not investigate since Amelia still has not returned yet with the information, opting to wait in the classroom.

"Hey loser. Looks like your best friend just encountered one of the harem girls from Greg's wielder."

"Shit, I should help John in facing her."

But Enzo's command stopped him from doing so, confident that John and Luscious were more than capable enough to handle any threat thrown at them at their current level.

"No need, boy. Your best friend is better than you so I am confident that he can kick their ass. Plus, I saw two of his harem members stalking him awhile ago while you were lost in your thoughts."

"Oh, Cara and...Sylvia was it?"

"Yeah. Besides you've got better things to do than concern yourself with others. Think about your match with Greg and his wielder."

"True."

They continued to wait inside their classroom, two of his harem members guarding the two entrances.

[][][][][]

The four of them had a discussion regarding the attack and they all decided to stick together and keep their guards up so that they won't be caught by surprise.

Cara and Sylvia were the first to go home, waving both at them, while John and Alice remained inside the school, seated on one of the benches near the school lobby.

"Instead of picking you up, you were the one who fetched me instead, eh? I don't mind it at all since you protected me and all that."

Her heart was beating, feeling the heat inside her rise.

"Ah...y-yes. I-I just felt that an enemy was after your life a-and a-as your protector, i-it's my d-duty to pledge my life to you."

"Now, now Alice. No need to speak uptight with me. We're now companions so at least tone down your politeness."

"Ah...o-okay..."

They spent the next few minutes chatting and only stopped when Alice's limousine arrived to pick her up. They waved their goodbyes to each other and as the limousine became smaller and smaller, he decided to make his way home, now on alert for any enemy that may come after him

[][][][][]

Under the silent skies devoid of stars and the clouds scudding with carefree abandon, John still continued training and this time, reached another milestone, now able to summon three shadows to spar with. This time it was two male and one female, all dressed in martial gear, specializing in kicks, counters, and joint-locks.

Now, as he avoid the woman’s attempt to lock his shoulder and managed to trip the other two men who crashed on the ground, he found that he was starting to improve his fighting skills, especially against three enemies.

Aside from sparring with his father and his martial arts instructors, and knocking out the two girls who were a part of Karl's Harem, that was the extent of his fighting experience, a deficit he decided would focus on. However, this would require John to find other opponents who are more powerful than him, a fact compounded by the reality that aside from Karl, who was also a martial artist but did not excel at it, there was no other opponent that could give him a challenge.

The sparring partners he summoned through his Lust Gear were barely enough, like a skilled intermediate fighter going up against advanced beginner and early intermediate fighters. 

“Yo partner, you’re able to fight against three opponents now. That’s awesome. How about aiming for five next?”

“I’ll try Lu but this is the most I can do right now.”

The kisses he received from Cara and Janice as well as Angelica’s masturbation session that Luscious told him about added some lust energy. However, when Luscious told him that his sparring sessions did not generate lust energy, he understood that he had to do sexual activities with the girls to increase his power.

However, the lust energy he had was enough to reveal Luscious' partial form which made him excited.

“Partner, it’s time to reveal my true form. You’ve got enough lust energy to do it but you have to replenish it tomorrow.”

“Replenish it huh?” He was thinking of going over to Janice’s house this Saturday to…spend time together. Yes. Just to spend time together. Not.

“Damn partner, you really want to mess up Janice huh? I can’t blame you though. She’s really sexy when she’s aroused when you do her. But hey, she’s already a part your harem so you can do whatever you want with her. Stimulate her, blow your load inside her, break her, you know, the usual…”

“…The heck Lu?”

“Hey, I’m just saying. You can do her inside and take her virginity already. Besides, taking her will give you a massive amount of lust energy to manipulate, allowing me to store some for back-up.”

“Wait, you can store lust energy for back-up?”

“Yup. In the off-chance that you’re unable to have some ‘fun time’ with the girls, then you can use your stored lust energy to compensate. However, don’t forget that if the girls masturbate to you then it’ll also provide a lot of lust energy. With my power, they’ll never think of any other man except you. Your clone or future self doesn’t count either so don’t worry about it.”

“That’s convenient Lu. So how can I use the Lust Gear?”

“First is you form lust energy inside you then clenching your arm to reveal my form, a gauntlet.”

“A gauntlet? Is that your true form?”

“Yes and no partner. It is one of my forms but not my complete form since in my complete form, you’ll be clad in armor all over as well as have boosters for flight and boosting the power of your attacks.”

"Alright. Here goes..."

He closed his eyes and focus most of his lust energy to both his hands and he was surrounded by glowing pink lights that swirled like a raging storm, the leaves on the ground swirling and flapping up around him.

As he opened his eyes and the storm died down, he saw that his hands were now encased in a purple-black gauntlet with an amethyst at the center and seven unlit spheres surrounding it. The gauntlets were emitting bright pink concentric bands of energy that glowed and shimmered on top of the gauntlets.

"Finally, you've unlocked my partial form partner. With this, you can now start training my abilities so that the next time you're ambushed, you can fight back."

"But I could've defeated her by myself even without your help, right Lu?"

"You could but that would expose you to Greg since he'll sense my presence inside you. Better to leave the fighting to your girls as you get used to my power."

"Very well. For now, I think I need another sparring partner."

"Go ahead partner. You have more than enough energy to spar one more time before the gauntlet disappears. Might as well make the most out of it."

He summoned three more fighters and, with his gauntlets, he was able to knock them out in one-hit, the power of his attacks shocking him.

"Wow. These gauntlets are powerful."

"I know right? With enough energy, you'll also be able to use the armor that will boost your physical attacks. Oh and you need to take a break now partner. It seems that you're tired already."

John decided to stop his sparring session, feeling a wave of exhaustion flow inside him as he trudged his way to his bedroom.

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