Izumi stepped closer to Rika and gently lifted her chin with a teasing smile.
"My dear Rika..."
"Would you like to discuss the process by which life is born?"
"It's a surprisingly fascinating subject."
The moment those words left his mouth, the corners of Rika's lips twitched violently.
"Let go of me, you shameless pervert!"
"That's completely unfair!"
"If you've got any pride, stop relying on the power of your world!"
"Fight me properly if you're really capable!"
Rika pointed at him and voiced her protest.
What kind of man relied on the authority of an entire world to corner someone?
If he had any confidence, he should settle things through strength alone.
Hearing that, Izumi couldn't help but smile.
"Oh?"
"You really want to fight me?"
Rika suddenly fell silent.
Fight him?
When she thought about it...
Perhaps that wasn't such a bad idea.
Memories of an old promise resurfaced in her mind.
With a sharp motion, she slapped Izumi's hand away.
The playful atmosphere vanished from her expression.
In its place appeared a seriousness he had rarely seen from her.
"Let's fight."
"If I lose..."
"I'll become your woman."
"If you can't even defeat me, then you have no right to call yourself my man."
Izumi blinked.
Then a grin spread across his face.
"Oh?"
"So that's the condition?"
"Are you sure?"
Rika nodded firmly.
Standing straight, she stared directly into his eyes.
"That's right."
"I'm serious."
"I know you're strong."
"Stronger than me, probably."
"But I still want to try."
"If I lose, then I'll accept you."
"If I win..."
"You can keep chasing me."
...
Despite constantly calling him a shameless scoundrel, Rika's feelings about the situation were surprisingly straightforward.
She genuinely wanted to fight him.
And perhaps...
Just perhaps...
She still had a chance.
After all, battles between beings of their level were never decided so easily.
Besides...
If Izumi truly managed to defeat her fairly, would becoming his partner really be so unacceptable?
When she thought about the other single-digit beings she knew, the comparison was almost embarrassing.
Most of them were either reclusive shut-ins, eccentric old monsters, strange obsessives, or simply unbearable to be around.
Compared to them...
Izumi wasn't bad at all.
In fact, he was probably the only candidate she could even tolerate.
...
After hearing her declaration, Izumi laughed.
"If that's what you've decided..."
"Then let's go."
"We'll settle it in the Dimensional Void."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished.
Rika immediately followed.
Neither intended to be the slower one.
...
The two appeared outside the dimensional realm.
Endless darkness stretched in every direction.
A place where even worlds seemed insignificant.
Upon arriving, Izumi suddenly took out a golden bracelet.
Without hesitation, he tossed it toward his own world.
The artifact transformed into a beam of golden light.
A moment later, a massive barrier unfolded.
Like an enormous dome, it completely enveloped Izumi's world.
A flash of surprise appeared in Rika's eyes.
"A foreign artifact?"
"Interesting."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Don't tell me..."
"You've already found a way to reach other dimensions?"
Izumi simply shrugged.
"You can guess."
Immediately, several veins appeared on Rika's forehead.
"Guess your sister."
"Forget it."
"We're fighting."
...
The playful mood vanished.
A staff appeared in Rika's hand.
At that moment, the atmosphere changed completely.
The origin of all magic had revealed herself.
Countless magic circles materialized behind her.
One after another.
Then hundreds.
Then thousands.
Soon, the space around them was covered by an endless sea of magical formations.
The scale was enough to make even gods despair.
...
The next moment—
Worlds began to appear.
Not illusions.
Not projections.
Not symbolic representations.
Actual miniature planets and star systems emerged from the magic circles.
Each one possessed its own complete structure.
Each one radiated the pressure of a genuine world.
The sight resembled countless universes being born simultaneously.
Izumi raised an eyebrow.
For the first time since arriving, his expression became slightly more serious.
"...Now that's ruthless."
Even he had to admit it.
This wasn't ordinary magic.
Rika was effectively summoning countless worlds and preparing to smash them into her opponent.
Such a technique was absurd even by single-digit standards.
But then again...
This was Rika.
The ultimate magician.
The source from which countless magical systems across dimensions originated.
If anyone could push magic to such an outrageous level—
It would be her.
And as the endless constellation of newborn worlds gathered behind her, the true battle between two single-digit beings was finally about to begin.