Izumi had already made up his mind.
The growth of his world came first—above everything else.
Only when his world evolved could he continue to grow stronger.
And besides… with his current strength, there were very few beings left in the multiverse that he truly needed to fear.
Danger?
So what.
If growth required risk, then he would walk straight into it.
Gaia fell silent after hearing his decision.
Since Izumi—the very ruler of this world—had no fear, then what reason did she have to hesitate?
After all, the world he governed had already fused with countless others:
- High School DxD
- Date A Live
- Honkai Impact
- KonoSuba
- A Certain Magical Index
- No Game No Life
- TYPE-MOON
With such overwhelming foundations, their combined strength was far from weak.
Without further hesitation, Izumi took action.
If he was going to manifest his world into the dimensional sea, then he needed the right location.
Not too strong.
Not too weak.
A place dense with worlds—so his own could attract, collide, and absorb others efficiently.
And so—
Izumi stepped once more into the Dimensional Sea.
An endless void.
A place without time, without direction, without meaning.
He wandered.
And wandered.
And wandered.
Even he couldn't tell how long it had been.
The scenery never changed—only emptiness stretched endlessly in all directions.
If not for the occasional ruined world drifting silently in the void—dead, hollow, devoid of life—he might have thought he hadn't moved at all.
Then—
At last—
Another world appeared before him.
Izumi's eyes lit up slightly.
"Hmm…"
"This one… looks high-level… but it's already on the brink of collapse?"
Before him floated a massive world—vast, ancient, yet… decaying.
Its mystery—the supernatural essence that sustained it—was nearly gone.
Only a small fragment remained, clinging desperately to existence.
At the edge of the world, a portion had been cut away—preserved separately, like a final sanctuary.
Everything else…
Was already dying.
Izumi grew interested.
"Let's take a look."
He stepped forward—
But just as he was about to enter—
The world reacted.
The sky above the planet twisted violently.
Clouds churned.
Energy surged.
And then—
A colossal Eastern dragon emerged, coiling across the heavens.
Izumi raised a brow.
"World will?"
"It even took the form of a dragon?"
The dragon shimmered—
Shrank—
And transformed into a small girl.
She had pale green hair, golden slit pupils, small horns, and wore a delicate kimono. White stockings covered her legs, giving her an oddly elegant yet childish appearance.
She glared at Izumi.
"Leave… dis place."
"We don't welcome outsiders."
Her childish voice carried absolute authority.
Izumi smiled faintly.
He observed her… then glanced at the fragmented portion of the world.
Pieces clicked together in his mind.
Memories from his previous life surfaced.
One by one… possibilities were eliminated.
Until only one remained.
"Dragon God?" Izumi asked.
The girl blinked.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Who… are you?"
"You know me?"
Izumi chuckled softly.
That reaction confirmed it.
This world…
Was none other than Gensokyo.
A world where fantasy and reality had already begun to separate.
A world where mystery was fading… and extinction loomed inevitable.
Izumi looked at her—the small Dragon God—and sighed inwardly.
This world didn't have much time left.
If things continued like this…
The best possible outcome would be its transformation into a purely technological world.
And the worst?
Complete annihilation.
Gensokyo itself would vanish into nothingness.
"Hello," Izumi said calmly.
"My name is Izumi."
"I come from another world."
The Dragon God frowned.
"I know."
"You are an outsider."
"If you want to enter this world… I refuse."
Her tone was firm.
"This world… cannot withstand someone as strong as you."
Izumi paused.
Then gave a helpless smile.
That was true.
His very existence carried overwhelming world-level authority.
If he forced his way in—
This already fragile world might collapse instantly.
He slowly sat down in the void instead.
"Well… that's unfortunate."
"I wanted to take a look around."
"Hmph."
"Then please leave."
Her guard lowered slightly.
At least…
He didn't seem hostile.
But instead of leaving—
Izumi looked at the world thoughtfully.
Then spoke again.
"Your world is dying, isn't it?"
The Dragon God froze.
"Have you ever considered… moving?"
"…Moving?"
She blinked, confused.
"To where?"
There were no nearby worlds.
The closest one would take hundreds of millions of years to reach.
That was precisely why beings like Yukari Yakumo had resorted to cutting away a portion of the world—to preserve what little mystery remained.
If relocation were possible—
Why would anyone stay and wait for extinction?
So she truly didn't understand.
Why was this man… asking such a strange question?
Izumi smiled faintly.
His eyes reflected something far deeper than she could comprehend.
"Of course," he said,
"To my world."