Izumi finished organizing the items he had been tinkering with, then lifted his gaze toward the ongoing battle with a pleased smile.
Seven or eight girls were currently exchanging fierce blows with Avrora, their combat going back and forth in a surprisingly even confrontation.
Standing behind them, Sona had given up direct participation, instead falling naturally into the role of commander—directing Rias Gremory and the others' attacks with sharp timing.
Meanwhile, the "idiotic loli," Avrora, was rapidly improving her combat experience in real time.
This kind of fight benefitted both sides; Avrora could finally learn how to properly control the ridiculous amount of power she possessed and acquire practical skills so she wouldn't be stuck as a walking nuclear warhead who couldn't aim.
There were plenty of such people in other worlds.
Like a certain Kaguya Ōtsutsuki in that ninja world—absurdly powerful, yet ended up sealed away by her own children because she didn't actually know how to fight.
Or Sirin from that collapsing world—wielding the might of six Herrschers at her peak, only to get beaten down anyway.
Power without technique was meaningless.
Avrora herself was a being Izumi forcibly synthesized—after eliminating the original, this girl succeeded her and became the Fourth Primogenitor.
And yet, despite being a True Ancestor, she couldn't utilize even a fraction of her potential.
Izumi refused to allow that.
Mascot or not—she was still one of only four Primogenitor in existence.
Having no strength to defend that title was out of the question.
Watching the girls fight so happily, Izumi stopped paying attention to them and instead called out:
"Sakura, come here for a moment."
Hearing her name, Matou Sakura blinked in confusion and jogged over.
Today, Sakura wore a purple bikini, the bright color matching her energetic aura.
With her gradually maturing charm taking shape, Izumi found his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer than intended.
"Is there something wrong, Izumi-oniisan?" she asked, tilting her head.
Izumi smiled faintly.
"Here. Take this."
"Your affinity is Void, so this suits you far better than standard magecraft."
"And when your mentor arrives, she can also teach you Rune Magecraft—your compatibility with it is very high."
He handed Sakura an ancient-looking tome—a complete compendium of Space-Manipulation Magic.
Sakura blinked, startled by the weight of the book—both physically and metaphorically.
The moment she opened the first page, glowing runes burst forth, streams of information pouring directly into her mind.
Everything from the system was auto-install.
Knowledge flooded her consciousness in waves, and soon, the tome dissolved into particles of light, vanishing entirely.
Feeling the information settle in her brain, Sakura's eyes widened.
"Izumi-oniisan… this is too precious."
Her voice trembled.
Could he really just give something like this away?
Izumi only shook his head.
"It's fine."
"I possess far greater power already."
"And you need to raise your strength."
"Spend some time getting familiar with it—you might manage to use it sooner than you expect."
"If not, I'll call in Minamiya Natsuki and have her teach you."
Even though the knowledge had been integrated, that didn't mean Sakura could instantly wield spatial magic.
She had a long road ahead—digesting, mastering, and synchronizing with the information.
Hearing Izumi's calm tone, Sakura finally relaxed a little.
At least it wasn't something he desperately needed.
Yet, her heart was filled with warmth.
She silently vowed—
I'll definitely get stronger.
I'll become someone who can help Izumi-oniisan.
After exchanging a few more words, Sakura ran off to a corner of the beach, closing her eyes and focusing on the knowledge inside her mind.
She didn't return to Tohsaka Rin's lecture, choosing instead to study on her own.
Izumi smiled softly at the sight.
The compendium included every form of space manipulation imaginable—
Locking, Distortion, Teleportation, Defense, and more.
Movement, control, offense, barriers—everything.
Even compared to the ability Minamiya Natsuki gained through contracting with an Ancient Demon, this was superior.
If Sakura mastered it and developed enough mana, reaching S-Rank would be no issue.
But SS-Rank, Transcendent?
That was another story.
Raw power wasn't enough for that.
If it were, the world wouldn't have only a few dozen Transcendents in total—an embarrassingly small number.
On the other side, still lecturing Katou Megumi and the others, Tohsaka Rin witnessed the scene and felt genuinely happy.
She didn't feel jealous.
She had inherited the family's Magic Crest.
Sakura had nothing.
Now, Izumi had given her another path.
Rin was grateful—but being Rin, she wouldn't go over to thank him.
Instead, she simply threw herself even harder into teaching.
Megumi and the others had watched it all, too.
They couldn't help feeling a little envious—but what the sight sparked in them wasn't resentment, but determination.
Izumi had never demanded anything from them.
He invited them into his group, gave them training, guidance, opportunities.
He owed them nothing.
They could offer him nothing.
Yet he still chose to help them grow.
So the girls silently resolved:
We need to work harder.
Someday, we'll be able to help him.
Everyone returned to studying with renewed intensity.
Meanwhile, the battle on the beach entered its climax.
Avrora and the Gremory group were locked in a heated exchange—except the devils were clearly at their limit.
Avrora, on the other hand, was perfectly fine, commanding her familiars to bombard them relentlessly.
Their swimwear was reduced to tatters.
Naturally, that made their movements stiff, defensive.
The once-clueless girl had now learned multiple combat tactics in a single session, and with near-infinite mana backing her, things looked grim for the devils.
Injuries accumulated across their bodies.
They barely had time to breathe, let alone attack.
Avrora's familiars now coordinated—layering suppression fire and bombardment with frightening precision.
The little girl was having the time of her life.
She went all-out—mercilessly.
The airborne devils couldn't get close at all.
Especially Himejima Akeno—her lightning abilities were utterly ineffective against the Lion of Gold, who simply shrugged off her attacks.
In return, the beast's golden electricity shredded Akeno's swimwear further, exposing pale skin beneath.
Izumi, watching from afar, couldn't deny it—
The scene was… stimulating.
And exhilarating.