Izumi watched their stiff expressions and let out a small laugh before continuing.
"Don't look at me like that. If you don't believe me, you can ask Ophis."
"She should know better than anyone just how strong the EXE World is."
At those words, everyone instinctively turned toward Ophis.
Ophis blinked once, then gave a small nod.
"Very strong."
Just two simple words—yet the weight behind them revealed everything.
Rias and the others froze, stunned.
If even Ophis judged them as strong, then what were they supposed to do on the front lines?
Wouldn't they just be… cannon fodder?
How were they supposed to fight something like that?
Sensing their unease, Izumi chuckled.
"You don't have to panic that much."
"For now, just focus on getting stronger."
"And besides—there's no guarantee you'll ever have to fight those monsters directly."
"As the saying goes: king vs. king, general vs. general… and cannon fodder vs. cannon fodder."
"So relax. None of you will be thrown at the enemy to die."
"And honestly? You might not even encounter anyone from EXE in the future."
"Because the worlds invading this one aren't limited to just them."
"There are other worlds eyeing this place."
The world Izumi currently lived in resembled a sieve—full of cracks and holes.
Countless worlds were drifting closer, trying to merge, only to be blocked by the residents here.
After all, if a foreign world was allowed to merge, the consequences would be catastrophic.
In history, countless worlds had been destroyed by Transcendors.
Some worlds were contaminated with lethal viruses—if those were allowed to blend in, this world would be finished.
No one here would ever allow something that dangerous.
And so, the enemies they would face were not necessarily EXE.
There were many others.
No need to panic.
Izumi had already given EXE a rather harsh "greeting" recently.
They were probably too busy licking their wounds to do anything here.
Their rear lines had already been raided—of course they'd rush back to defend.
Even so, everyone listening couldn't help feeling their own insignificance.
Power. Without power, they were nothing.
Without strength, they could only be treated as expendable.
Without strength, they would die on the battlefield.
After hearing Izumi's explanation of just how dangerous this world truly was, silence fell upon the group.
For now, all they could do was train.
If they slacked off, they might die tomorrow.
The invaders from other worlds didn't care at all if someone was the heiress of the Gremory household or the next head of the Sitri family.
Killing them would be no different from stepping on an ant.
Their noble identities meant nothing outside this world.
Their elders had never told them this.
Perhaps they feared damaging the girls' confidence.
But Izumi didn't care about that.
Only by showing them how small they really were would they find real motivation to grow stronger.
Without a sense of crisis, they were far too complacent.
Especially Rias and Sona.
Their birth alone commanded respect within the Underworld.
Within this world, they were privileged.
But knowing how dangerous the outside truly was—if they still didn't push themselves…
Then they were beyond saving.
Even Izumi would look down on them.
Fortunately, after hearing his blunt words, they threw themselves into training with renewed determination.
Izumi was pleased with the result.
Feeling relieved, he returned to working on his newest personal project—the magical girl transformation device.
He had been making steady progress for some time now, and the prototype was finally nearing completion.
On this particular day, Le Fay suddenly arrived.
Her previous duties had been fully taken care of.
Izumi's eyes lit up the moment he saw her.
"Le Fay! Perfect timing. It's your turn to educate them today."
"Go spar with Rias and the others!"
The moment she reached the beach, Le Fay heard Izumi's cheerful order.
She froze.
"Eh?"
"You want me to fight… them?"
She stared blankly at Rias and her group.
Izumi nodded.
"Exactly. It's a good chance for you to test yourself too."
"You rarely get real combat opportunities. Isn't this perfect?"
"Don't hold back. Go full power."
"As long as they're not dead, Asia can revive them."
Le Fay nodded seriously.
She looked at Rias and the others, eyes sparkling.
"In that case… please take care of me, everyone."
Hearing this, the others instinctively stopped training.
Even Aglorora—who had been the one sparring until now—perked up immediately.
Someone was finally replacing her.
A day off at last!
Cheerfully humming, Aglorora ran to Izumi's side to watch the show.
Rias and the others exchanged glances, then nodded.
"Please take care of us, Le Fay."
They all knew the young sorceress well.
Le Fay was strong—very strong—but none of them had seen the true extent of her power.
She rarely fought seriously.
But the fact that Izumi was confident enough to pit her against all of them at once…
That could only mean her strength was terrifying.
And judging from her excited expression, she herself was quite confident.
Without hesitation, Le Fay raised her transformation device.
"Hen~shin!!"
With her shout, a burst of magical light enveloped her, swapping her clothes into a full magical-girl–style combat outfit.
Sona's face twitched at the familiar sight.
A magical girl?
More importantly—that was definitely the same transformation chant Grayfia used when activating that sacred gear…
No wonder her elder sister was so obsessed with the power of magical girls, even creating the "witch" system as a substitute.
Unfortunately, it didn't grant an actual transformation.
Grayfia had only gained her power through a contract with a powerful being.
Meanwhile, Le Fay floated into the air, smiling brightly at the gathered devils.
"Well then—pardon the intrusion!"
As her sweet voice rang out—
Dozens—no, hundreds—of magic circles manifested behind her.
"Fire!"
With that command, all the magic circles unleashed a torrent of blasts toward the group.
Izumi had said it clearly.
As long as they were still breathing, Asia could bring them back.
So Le Fay didn't hold back at all.
The sheer pressure of the magical barrage drained the color from Rias and the others' faces.
How were they supposed to fight this!?
"Defend!" Sona shouted, immediately taking charge.
Everyone hurriedly activated defensive magic circles.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The beach lit up as if fireworks were erupting everywhere.
Floating overhead, Le Fay widened her eyes in surprise.
"Eh? They blocked that? They're pretty strong!"
"In that case—"
She raised her staff, chanting:
"O stars that shine across the heavens, grant me your power!
Let your might descend, and erase the foes before me!"
The moment her spell concluded—
Several planets in distant space suddenly shone with dazzling brilliance.
A massive magic circle manifested high above Rias and the others.
And just like that, Le Fay prepared to annihilate them all in one blow.