After all, even if his stamina had been increased due to his Incubus bloodline, Lilith was simply in a different league.
It wasn't just her appearance and the way she could manipulate people, but her knowledge and her true strength was also far beyond his.
Even if she did not use her superpower, it was as if his entire existence was designed to make him unable to refuse her.
She had always had that effect on him, and now, his desire was even stronger.
As if responding to his thoughts, the door slid open, and a familiar voice echoed.
"Morning, baby," Lilith greeted, her long silver-white hair falling in waves, her crimson eyes shimmering.
"Morning, Mom."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Like a log," Ethan chuckled. "You know, because we—"
"Shhhh. We don't want your sisters to hear."
Ethan blinked. "Why? They know what happened yesterday. Hell, I think they might've even expected it."
"I'm sure they did, but we don't need to rub their noses in it, do we?"
"I suppose not," he agreed.
"That's my boy. Now, come here," she murmured, leaning forward and kissing his cheek.
"Mom," he protested, his cheeks reddening.
"What? You don't like your mother giving you a kiss good morning?"
"Of course I do. It's just—"
"Just what, baby?"
"You're making it difficult for me to keep my composure," Ethan replied, averting his gaze.
"Difficult, hmm? I guess I'm going to have to fix that, aren't I?"
After an hour or so, Lilith left with a content expression as Ethan followed behind her, ready to go back to training.
But before that he needed to eat, and get his energy up.
When he arrived at the dining room, his steps paused.
There, he found Isabella cooking.
'Well, isn't this rare,' Ethan thought, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
"Morning, Sis," he greeted, approaching the counter.
Isabella glanced over her shoulder, her violet eyes narrowed. "Don't get used to it," she warned, her voice sharp.
"I wouldn't dream of it," he said, holding his hands up defensively.
"Hmph." She hummed as she went back to preparing the meal, and Ethan leaned against the counter, watching.
"So, what's the occasion?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Nothing. I just felt like cooking," she replied, her tone clipped.
"Uh-huh."
"Don't give me that look," she snapped, glaring at him.
"What look?"
"The look that says you know something," she huffed, turning her attention back to the pan.
"I don't know anything."
"Bullshit. I can see right through you."
Ethan grinned. "Okay, fine. Maybe I have an inkling of what's going on," he conceded.
"And that would be...?"
"Hmm...Don't feel like telling," he teased.
"You little—"
Before Isabella could finish her sentence, Ethan slipped away, taking the plate of food from the counter and quickly heading out the door.
"Thanks for the meal!" he called over his shoulder, a triumphant smirk on his face.
Isabella scowled.
'You little...'
Still, the corner of her mouth curved upwards, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Fine. Two can play this game, baby brother," she murmured, her fingers drumming on the counter.
'Let's see who gives up first...'
Back in the training facility, Ethan prepared himself.
Ethan inhaled deeply, steadying his breathing.
But unlike yesterday, instead of choosing the standard training bots, he selected a Bio-Dummy.
Unlike the mechanical Black-Iron dummies, the Bio-Dummy had artificial intelligence. It could predict patterns, react, and even mimic an opponent's fighting style.
They are like ordinary humans but with no soul, which means that he is able to use his illusion abilities and practice them without having to involve an actual person.
"Let's get this," he murmured as the machine whirred to life, generating a humanoid figure with synthetic skin, muscle fibers, and a brain-like processor.
The Bio-Dummy moved smoothly, its limbs flexing and stretching.
Ethan exhaled, his fists clenching, his heartbeat quickening.
This was a whole new level of training.
As bio-humans have a similar structure to humans, their fighting is more flexible and unpredictable compared to the robot that he fought against yesterday.
If the robots were like machines, the bio-human was like a living being.
"Start training program: Basic Combat," he ordered.
"Affirmative," a mechanical voice chimed.
A moment later, the Bio-Dummy surged forward, its fist flying toward Ethan's face.
Ethan, who was anticipating this, moved to the side and then used the opportunity to test out Queen's Veil.
Activating the ability, he focused on manipulating the dummy's perception, attempting to influence its decision-making. It started off subtle—delayed reactions, slight hesitations—but as he continued practicing, he could feel a shift.
The Bio-Dummy hesitated mid-attack.
'Gotcha.'
Seeing this opening, Ethan lashed out with a kick, connecting with the dummy's torso.
The machine stumbled back, its sensors assessing the damage.
"Basic Combat, Level 2."
"Got it," Ethan murmured.
'Let's try some other abilities.'
With his improved physical attributes, the Bio-Dummy became an effective training partner.
Each fight pushed him to the limit, his mind and body adapting, his strength growing.
After an hour or so, sweat dripped from his brow, and his muscles burned, but the rush of adrenaline kept him going.
"Start training program: Basic Combat, Level 4."
"Affirmative," a mechanical voice chimed.
The Bio-Dummy moved swiftly, its movements fluid and precise.
Ethan matched its pace, dodging and blocking attacks while striking back when the opportunity presented itself.
And as he did, he noticed the smaller movements that he was not able to yesterday even though he bought the Sensory Expansion, and to this he can only conclude that it was due to him still getting used to his strength.
This is because he was mostly focused on his body and tried to maximize his own strength and speed, but now that he has, he was able to notice the finer details that he had ignored yesterday.
And abilities like Sensory Expansion can only be noticed in these situations, as the opponent he fought yesterday was a powerful robot that used its brute force and speed to defeat him compared to the bio-dummy, who fights like a normal human.
So, as such, it allowed him to see the minute movements that he could not detect before.
And it was this that made his training much more efficient.
He continued fighting, the minutes turning into hours, his body moving on its own.
"End training program," he ordered after another successful match.