Yeah even in story any shread of personality that Ethan had (even if there was little to begin with) has slowly turned into a complete player insert which comes out of nowhere and feels weird especially after that character moment on Karen's floor. Player inserts aren't inherently bad but it feels weird that someone who was getting more character has been reduced to below square one come the next second. He felt like he was about to become something but for whatever reason, the devs don't want to tap more into that. The underutilization of Ethan's CGs (which he has a lot of) post Karen feels like a waste of dev time in retrospect because of it.
Though this could be at least explained as story element. Even if this is not their intention, you could have it as headcanon that the higher Ethan walks into the tower, the more his personality will be molded into a subserviant tool for those mistresses.
That would explain why the warden let challengers just go upward without so much problems and why Jessica will redirect those if they move downwards from a certain floor. Because the week guys will give up and flee on a low floor and so they do not provide much problems (in the future) while those are strong will feel from the victories a sense of acomplishment and as a proof of their reighteousness and strength. But when they come to their limits and see they can not go further they will trapped with Jessica where they can not leave without victory. So when they are already exhausted the have to surpass another strong enemy. And for those that have the strength there is still her personality and frustrating fightingstily where she lures them to continue fight with her to proof it whas not mere luck but skill. So she supply even more grinding down.
Then there is another even more dangerous enemy. The tower makes it, that your will get slowly erroded. Together with the fact, that you are already in a hurry to rescue someone that is suffering and so even faster exhaust your mental fortitute it will happen to feel naturally. And even if you could come to have such a great understanding of your own psyche so you could come to see, that there is something slowly attacking your mind, this recocnation is prevented by having the higher mistresses being playing psychogames.
So you will come to think, that their answers are doing this effect on you and that mayby they where right, that you always where a submissive bootbitch and only did not (want to) recocnize it before and so surrender better and live a more joyfull live.
That it is really the tower that is slowly poisen you and makes sure, you will never suceed, that will never come to your mind because for that you need to leave and get some steps away from it to look at it from a more neutral view.
But because leaving means failing you will likely not come to this recocnation because you will have to live with a guilt that you where not strong enough to save your brothers (and sisters) and so the trap is perfect.
Of course there could mayby a woman challenging too. But if we assume that Lily whas not an exception but most sects are not taking women (equally) then we can assume that those feelings of anger about unjustice will get feed by the tower to turn women into such Dominas. And even if she has pure heart the tower will just make her shift her reasoning and if she is able to free her beloved he will likely already be a sub wanting and needing a mistress taking care (and mayby abusing) him. Then the tower will make her think, it is actually nice having been treated like a goddess and that it turned out as a blessing so she will not think long about the change but actually encourage him to worship her more and so will not have much reason to think about it but continue living the happy live as mistress and slave.
So yeah the Tower is the nearly the perfect trap. The only weekpoint would be, if a fighter is strong enough to breezing through the tower like fighting trainees or at least without struggle so all the mindgames about him being so weak that they need to hold back are not working on eroding his selfassurance and he is not staying and struggling long enough that the tower can erode his will.
But because of this they made lightning strikes only leaving the disciples behind that provide no danger.
In the meantime they groom even stronger women until they are unstopable. So in this sense of Rose having feeling for him and the hybris of higher wardens making it that Ethans true strength is not reconized and they continue to think, that the trap will going to work.
So with Ethan having still an unrecocnized power that could get lured out by Rose would be the perfect story element of why this gamble could fail.
It would actually even provide a good explanation of why the story will get wrapped up so fast.
Because Ethan is going on even longer without sign of him slowing down meaningfull anytime soon Karen will give him another visit.
Then he is even able beat Karen which makes the boss nervous. But because out of fileality she gives in to her daughters request thinking that where hard force is failing, instead her daughter that already has a connection to him is mayby able to end his streak and break him. If she makes him submit she is allowed to keep him which gives her enough motivation to convince him because as she obviously cares for him she would want to see him with her and so mostly fine instead of for example as a living toilet.
But if she fails to convince him she will let her connection work and bring him immedeataly to mother because the warden get slowly nervous because of his unlimited resolve while she sees, that Ethan actually do not make it longer so he need to end it now.
Of why they not fight him together so that as an example Ethan would have to fight Reaper and Iris together this plothole can be filled with the explenation, that those women that are gifted by the tower can not fight intruders together or the magic would not work anymore.
Sorry for the wall of text, my brainstorming turned out longer then expected.
I noticed long ago that some people have a "blue Ethan" but I never managed to unlock it and I've already cleaned all floors. Does anyone know how to get it?
Beat Karens floor with rescuing everyone including the already tortured one.
