The power radiating from Izumi's body felt almost like a summons.
Kuko stared blankly at him, silently sensing the aura overflowing from within him.
Then, she froze.
One after another, figures began appearing around her.
All of them were women.
And every single one of them was one of her kin.
They, too, stared at Izumi in utter shock.
"The aura of Lord Azathoth…!"
"That presence… it's truly Lord Azathoth's!"
One cool-looking beauty with an icy expression stepped forward, her face overflowing with excitement.
Kuko nodded slowly.
"Yes…"
"It really is Lord Azathoth's aura."
"But why is it coming from him?"
"What connection does he have to Lord Azathoth?"
Azathoth—the supreme deity of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Before his fall, he had stood at the peak of the One-Digit realm.
But during his attempt to break through to an even higher domain, he had perished.
And yet now…
They could sense his presence once more.
How?
For a moment, every member of the Cthulhu faction fell silent in disbelief.
Even Nyarlathotep, back in Izumi's world, was stunned.
"So that's why…"
"So that's why he always felt so familiar…"
Recalling the strange feeling she'd experienced when she first met Izumi, she finally understood.
The reason she found him so appealing…
The reason she instinctively wanted to stay close to him…
It had all been because of this aura.
Now that Izumi was attempting to ascend into the One-Digit realm, that hidden presence had completely surfaced.
And it had drawn every Cthulhu deity toward him.
...
What emitted the aura of Azathoth… was Izumi's system itself.
As Izumi fused the two primordial forces within his body, the hidden power embedded deep inside the system finally awakened completely.
That force merged perfectly with him.
Waves of terrifying power erupted from his body one after another.
His aura became deeper.
Stronger.
Vast beyond measure.
At the same time, the beings who stood at the One-Digit level also noticed the change.
"So… that one has returned?"
"No. Not him."
"This is his successor."
"The inheritor of Azathoth's power."
"No wonder this child grew so quickly."
"How interesting."
"So after failing, he still left behind a contingency plan…"
"Is he trying to start over?"
"Most likely."
"But the road ahead is far too difficult."
"He probably abandoned the attempt himself. That's why this successor exists."
"Still… I'm curious whether this one can truly surpass the One-Digit realm."
"That world of his…"
"It's that world, isn't it?"
"Help him."
"Let all worlds merge into one."
"I object."
"If he truly unifies every world, we'll also be affected."
"Objection denied."
"Then shut up already."
"The path ahead has already been severed."
"Now someone has finally stepped forward again."
"If you had the ability, we'd support you too."
"But since you don't, keep quiet."
...
Far beyond the boundaries of ordinary existence, the One-Digit beings began arguing amongst themselves.
A few especially short-tempered women nearly started fighting on the spot.
In the end, however, the opposing side fell silent beneath the pressure of the others.
And then…
They made their decision.
An immeasurable power spread throughout the entire dimensional multiverse.
Worlds everywhere began responding to that call.
Countless realms started drifting toward Izumi's world, merging with it one after another.
The first to fuse were the smaller worlds surrounding his own.
If Izumi had seen it himself, he would have witnessed countless worlds becoming streams of light—shooting across the dimensional void like meteors before merging into his ever-expanding realm.
And with every world absorbed…
His world grew stronger.
Larger.
More complete.
At the same time, Izumi's aura continued rising endlessly.
Then—
BOOM!!
An overwhelming explosion of power erupted from his body.
Even Kuko and the others were blown backward several steps by the pressure alone.
Their pupils contracted violently.
Their hearts trembled in disbelief.
"One-Digit…"
"He actually reached the One-Digit realm…"
"The aura of Lord Azathoth has completely fused with him!"
Kuko cried out involuntarily.
The change had happened far too quickly.
Just moments ago, Izumi had merely stepped into the Two-Digit realm.
And now…
He had ascended directly into the domain of the One-Digit beings.
...
Izumi slowly opened his eyes.
As he sensed the transformation within himself, he couldn't help but sigh.
"So this was… Azathoth's legacy."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
He finally understood everything.
The system had never simply been a cheat ability.
It had been a method of inheritance.
A way to cultivate a successor.
Only by continuously exchanging treasures through the system could he obtain the "keys" needed to unlock its hidden power.
And the Primordial Light and Primordial Darkness…
They had been fragments of Azathoth's original source.
Separated long ago.
And now, Izumi had finally reunited them completely.
At the same time, the system itself fused into him and vanished forever.
From this moment onward—
The system no longer existed.
The road ahead would belong solely to him.
Still, although the system disappeared, Izumi gained a new Authority.
"Equivalent Exchange…"
If he wished to continue growing stronger in the future, then this power would become his foundation.
By collecting items from countless worlds and activating this Authority…
He could obtain treasures and powers from dimensions even greater than this one.
Because the dimensional multiverse was not unique.
Beyond this multiverse…
There existed even higher-dimensional worlds.
And only by completely unifying this current multiverse could he one day open the gate leading to those greater realms.
At that thought, a powerful light flashed through Izumi's eyes.
He finally understood.
No one in this dimensional multiverse had ever surpassed the One-Digit realm.
The other One-Digit beings had all become trapped there.
Azathoth alone had attempted to move beyond it.
And he had failed.
Completely.
Yet at the same time…
Perhaps he had succeeded.
Otherwise, he never could have left behind this inheritance.
Never could have brought Izumi from another world.
Never could have entrusted him with that system.
Izumi let out another quiet sigh.
"So there are eight One-Digit beings…"
"One day, I might end up opposing them."
And he already understood their intentions.
They wanted him to continue forward.
To become the pioneer who would break through the limits they themselves could not surpass.
Izumi clicked his tongue softly.
"Well… we'll think about that later."
There was no need to rush.
Not yet.
And then—
His thoughts drifted toward a certain place.
"Little Garden…"
The other core of the dimensional multiverse.
A world similar in nature to his own.
And somehow…
He had the feeling that one day—
He and Little Garden would inevitably stand against each other.