I get what you're saying... but look at it this way. If Eric gets hogtied and launched across the city with a trebuchet... then what happens to the game? The struggle between Max and Eric IS the game. You are fighting for supremacy against him. Losing that struggle ends the game, but winning the struggle wins you the Harem. If Eric gets erased from the fabric of time, then that takes any fulfillment and sense of accomplishment away. It takes the
game away.
I do not want to see this game turn into a VN with extra steps, I honestly don't. There needs to be some kind of conflict to give the player something to do aside from hunting for nudes. The nudes are the reward, not the objective. Replace Eric with someone else, I honestly do not care, just give me something to do so that this game stays a game.
Edit: I might have misunderstood the spirit of your post. This is more for the people that want Eric gone completely, not for you specifically.