Izumi stared at the Manifestation Card in his inventory.
For once—
He hesitated.
Should he use it?
To materialize his world into the vast dimensional sea…
Even he couldn't fully predict the consequences.
One possibility—
His world would become like the High School DxD world.
Connected to countless other worlds.
Constantly colliding, merging, and evolving.
But there was another possibility.
A far more dangerous one.
Invasion.
Predators lurking within the dimensional sea might set their sights on his world.
And if that happened—
Things could get troublesome.
"…This is a headache."
Izumi sighed.
After thinking it over for a while—
He decided to consult the others.
With that thought, his figure vanished.
Moments later—
After he left—
A少女 appeared in the empty void.
"…Huh?"
"There was supposed to be a world here, right?"
She tilted her head in confusion.
But then—
She sniffed the air.
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
"…Oh?"
"This scent…"
"It carries the presence of multiple worlds!"
A grin spread across her face.
"Fufu… something interesting has appeared."
She memorized Izumi's aura.
Then—
She disappeared.
Meanwhile—
Izumi had no idea he had already attracted the attention of an unknown existence.
He had returned to his own world.
At the top of the World Tree—
He summoned Alaya and Gaia.
As they appeared behind him, Izumi got straight to the point.
"Alaya. Gaia."
"Do you think I should place our world into the dimensional sea?"
Both of them froze for a moment.
Then—
Alaya spoke first, her tone calm and analytical.
"I support it."
"It would benefit us greatly."
She continued:
"Izumi-sama, your world is special."
"Unlike most worlds, it isn't restricted."
"In ordinary worlds, even if they're aware of others, they cannot leave or explore beyond."
"Like the Type-Moon world we came from."
"But this world is different."
"It has incredible compatibility."
"If other worlds collide with it, they won't destroy it—"
"They'll be absorbed."
Her eyes gleamed.
"If we place it into the dimensional sea…"
"It will continuously devour other worlds."
"Growing stronger without limit."
"Like a black hole."
But before she could finish—
Gaia interrupted.
"That's too dangerous!"
Her expression was serious.
"If we do that, we'll expose ourselves."
"To other worlds."
"To beings that travel through the dimensional sea."
"They might try to take everything from us!"
She shivered slightly.
"I've seen it before…"
"Some worlds get swallowed whole… in an instant."
"What if that happens to us?"
Alaya snorted.
"That's just because you're timid."
"Izumi-sama is already incredibly powerful."
"And we're not weak either."
"We're not who we used to be."
"Even if danger comes, we can handle it."
She crossed her arms.
"And don't forget—we're already connected to another world."
"So what's there to fear?"
"Coward."
Gaia immediately snapped back.
"I'm not a coward!"
"You're the idiot, Alaya!!"
"I'm just being cautious!"
"…You are a coward."
"Shut up, you stupid Gaia!!"
"Honestly, you're embarrassing for a World Will."
"Maybe you should just leave."
"YOU'RE THE IDIOT!!"
"Big idiot!!"
"Bleh!!"
And just like that—
The two started fighting.
Rolling around mid-air, grabbing and pulling at each other like children.
Watching this, Izumi couldn't help but twitch.
But he didn't stop them.
Because—
Alaya's words had struck a chord.
She was right.
If he wanted his world to keep growing—
It had to enter the dimensional sea.
Without the World Fusion Card—
Absorbing other worlds manually was nearly impossible.
After all—
His world existed within his soul.
Not within the dimensional cosmos.
If he wanted to continue expanding—
There was only one way.
Place his world into the dimensional sea.
Let it attract and absorb others naturally.
Just like the DxD world.
Izumi's gaze returned to the card.
"…Then there's no other choice."
At the same time—
A new idea formed in his mind.
A blueprint.
"What if…"
"I turn my world into something like that…"
A central hub.
A crossroads between worlds.
A place like a dimensional marketplace.
If successful—
He could establish trade with powerful worlds.
Exchange rules.
Absorb systems.
Even lure entire worlds into merging.
And his residents—
They wouldn't be idle either.
They could explore.
Take commissions.
Earn rewards.
Grow stronger.
The more he thought about it—
The more feasible it seemed.
Clap!
Izumi slapped his hands together.
"Alright. Decision made."
Hearing this—
Alaya and Gaia stopped fighting instantly.
They turned toward him.
Alaya's eyes sparkled.
"Izumi-sama… are you really going to do it?"
Izumi nodded.
"Yeah."
"If we want to grow, this is the only way."
"So why hesitate?"
A confident smile appeared on his face.
"And as for enemies…"
"I'm not afraid of them."