Izumi had already made up his mind.
Growth—true growth—came from the evolution of his world itself. Only when his world expanded could his own power rise alongside it. That was the foundation of everything he had built so far.
And now, standing before a cluster of countless worlds scattered like stars across the dimensional void… he knew he had found the perfect place.
Floating in the endless expanse, Izumi gazed ahead.
Before him stretched a breathtaking sight—worlds upon worlds, shimmering like a vast galaxy. Some were faint and fragile, others pulsed with life, but all of them orbited within this dense region of the dimensional sea.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"This… is better than I expected."
Most of these worlds weren't particularly strong. But that didn't matter.
What mattered was quantity.
And more importantly—proximity.
"This place will do perfectly."
If his world were placed here, it wouldn't need to search for growth anymore.
Growth would come to it.
Without hesitation, Izumi reached into his system storage and pulled out the Manifestation Card.
The moment it appeared in his hand, a faint glow shimmered across its surface.
Then—
He crushed it.
For the first time in a long while, the system reacted.
A translucent interface unfolded before him.
Rows of selectable options appeared—everything he possessed.
Abilities.
Authorities.
Items.
Even…
His world.
Izumi raised an eyebrow.
"So it finally decides to show up, huh?"
He let out a small chuckle. It wasn't anything special—just a selection interface.
Still, it was enough.
Without hesitation, he chose the one option that mattered most.
[His World]
The moment he confirmed it—
Everything changed.
The dimensional sea trembled.
A deep, resonating vibration spread outward, rippling through the surrounding worlds like a silent shockwave.
Then—
Izumi felt it.
A strange sensation, as if something vast was being pulled from within him.
"…So this is what it feels like."
From his body, a colossal mass of light began to emerge.
A world.
His world.
Inside that world—
The skies quaked.
The land trembled.
Countless beings looked up in shock.
"What's happening?!"
"Another fusion?!"
"Did we absorb another world again?!"
Confusion spread everywhere.
But three beings understood immediately.
Alaya.
Gaia.
And the Dragon God.
At the summit of the great tree, the three exchanged glances.
"…He found it," Alaya muttered, her eyes gleaming.
Gaia crossed her arms, but there was no fear this time—only anticipation.
"A place… to set us free."
The Dragon God narrowed her golden eyes slightly.
"…Let's go see."
In the next instant—
All three vanished.
Back in the dimensional sea, the massive sphere of light continued to expand.
It hovered beside Izumi like a newborn star.
Then—
Alaya, Gaia, and the Dragon God appeared beside him.
And when they saw what lay ahead—
They froze.
"…That's…"
"So many… worlds…"
Alaya's voice trembled slightly—not with fear, but excitement.
Before them was a dense cluster of worlds, packed together like a living constellation.
Each one represented potential.
Each one was fuel.
Gaia slowly nodded, her earlier hesitation completely gone.
"…This is perfect."
A place like this meant only one thing—
Growth.
Rapid, unstoppable growth.
"If we absorb even a portion of these…" she murmured, "…our world will evolve far beyond its current limits."
The Dragon God's gaze flickered with surprise.
"…To think a place like this exists."
Even she, who had wandered the dimensional sea for ages, had never found such a region.
And yet—
Izumi had.
Whether it was luck or inevitability…
It didn't matter.
Izumi stretched his hand forward.
The massive world of light responded instantly.
"Alright…"
His voice was calm, but carried absolute certainty.
"Let's begin."
Slowly—
He pushed his world outward.
Not into himself.
Not hidden away.
But into the dimensional sea itself.
The moment it made contact—
The void reacted.
Space warped.
Energy surged.
And Izumi's world…
Anchored itself.
Like a star taking its place in a galaxy—
His world settled among the countless surrounding worlds.
And in that instant—
Everything changed.
A faint pull began to form.
Subtle at first.
But undeniable.
The nearby worlds… were reacting.
They were being drawn in.
Izumi watched it happen, the corners of his lips curling upward.
"Good…"
"Exactly as expected."
Behind him, Alaya's eyes shone brightly.
"It's working…"
Gaia let out a low breath.
"…We've truly stepped into the stage of the dimensional sea."
The Dragon God said nothing.
But the look in her eyes said everything.
A new era had begun.
Not as a hidden world.
Not as an isolated existence.
But as something far greater.
A nexus.
A world that would gather, absorb, and evolve.
A world that would stand at the center of countless others.
And at its core—
Stood one being.
Izumi.
He looked out across the endless sea of worlds.
And smiled.
"Now…"
"Let's see how far we can go."