Everyone present understood the concept of creating a world.
For beings of their level, even creating life itself was not particularly difficult.
But to do what Izumi had accomplished—
To fuse countless independent worlds into one—
That was an entirely different matter.
First of all, none of them possessed the Core of the Dimensional World.
Nor had they received the recognition of the Dimensional World itself.
Without those prerequisites, even if they created a new world, it would never become a true, self-sustaining universe.
It would forever remain incomplete.
Without complete world laws, such creations could never truly evolve.
At best...
They could only be used as weapons.
Just as Rika had once done.
She could create worlds—
But only to hurl them at her enemies.
Because of that, everyone understood one thing.
Izumi's path could not be replicated.
Watching the aura surrounding him continue to grow stronger, several of the single-digit beings couldn't hide the envy in their eyes.
The power Izumi was releasing had already surpassed their own.
And it continued rising.
With every world that completed its integration, his strength climbed even higher.
At this rate...
His breakthrough was only a matter of time.
Rika silently observed him.
Then, from the corner of her eye, she glanced toward the dimensional rift.
Her expression immediately changed.
"...This is bad."
"The crack is expanding even faster."
The moment she spoke, everyone looked toward the rift.
Sure enough—
It had widened considerably.
The expressions of every single-digit existence darkened.
Even worse...
From time to time, indistinct silhouettes could now be seen moving beyond the opening.
Each fleeting figure radiated an aura that spoke volumes about its terrifying strength.
"...We don't have much time left."
One of the single-digit beings muttered grimly.
Everyone instinctively turned their gaze back toward Izumi.
No one knew how long his breakthrough would take.
Nor did anyone know whether they still had enough time.
At this point, Izumi had completely entered a state of cultivation.
His consciousness was immersed in his evolution.
Everything happening outside had become impossible for him to perceive.
Seeing this, Rika immediately made a decision.
"Prepare for battle."
She looked around at everyone present.
"Gather everyone above the two-digit level."
The instant she finished speaking, her figure disappeared.
She had gone to gather reinforcements.
What came next...
Was no longer something a handful of single-digit beings could handle alone.
The others exchanged glances before nodding.
Without another word, they also departed.
Each of them commanded powerful factions of their own.
Now was the time to summon every available combatant.
Within moments, almost everyone had scattered.
Only a handful of single-digit beings remained behind to guard Izumi.
No one dared leave him unprotected during such a critical breakthrough.
...
Rika returned directly to Izumi's world.
Without wasting a second, she called out,
"Alaya. Gaia."
As soon as her voice rang out, the two planetary wills appeared before her.
Naturally, they already knew that Rika had become Izumi's newest companion.
Still, they couldn't help looking puzzled.
The ongoing integration of countless worlds had kept them extremely busy.
Why summon them so suddenly?
And...
Where was Izumi?
Rika didn't bother with pleasantries.
She got straight to the point.
"Gather everyone in this world who possesses three-digit strength or above."
"Our entire dimension is facing a crisis."
The expressions of both Alaya and Gaia changed instantly.
"...What happened?"
Gaia stepped forward anxiously.
"Explain."
"What kind of crisis are we dealing with?"
Their hearts sank.
What could possibly threaten the entire Dimensional World?
Could it be...
Another single-digit existence had appeared?