The moment the monsters surged into the Dimensional World, everyone from Izumi's world reacted without hesitation.
There was no need for commands.
No need for discussion.
They attacked.
The battlefield erupted into chaos as both sides crashed into one another.
Countless warriors charged forward, while the monstrous invaders rushed relentlessly toward the Dimensional World.
Many of the creatures ignored the defenders entirely.
Their true target...
...was Izumi's world itself.
Like starving beasts, they lunged toward it, attempting to devour it whole.
...
The Single-Digit beings immediately understood what these monsters truly were.
"World Eaters..."
Creatures that survived by consuming worlds themselves.
They fed upon entire universes, turning countless dimensions into nourishment for their own evolution.
And now...
They had set their sights on Izumi's world.
To those monsters, his world was nothing more than a feast waiting to be consumed.
An irresistible source of nourishment.
The realization caused every Single-Digit powerhouse's expression to darken.
Without exchanging another word, they all moved at once.
Their overwhelming power spread across the battlefield as they formed a defensive line before Izumi's world.
No matter what happened—
His world had to remain intact.
It was the very foundation of his existence.
If it suffered damage now, his breakthrough would fail.
And at this critical moment...
Failure was not an option.
...
With the Single-Digit beings joining the battle, the war escalated to an entirely different level.
Every attack aimed at Izumi's world was intercepted before it could reach its target.
Space shattered.
Time distorted.
The void trembled beneath the collision of countless divine powers.
Yet not a single strike was allowed to touch the world behind them.
...
Meanwhile, Rika remained at Izumi's side, standing guard over his motionless body.
Anxiety filled her heart.
She had never imagined the enemy would arrive this quickly.
Or...
Had accelerating the fusion of the remaining worlds hastened the invasion?
If only Izumi were awake...
She remembered the bracelet he had once used—a treasure capable of withstanding even attacks from Single-Digit beings.
If they still had that artifact, the battle would not be so one-sided.
Watching the fierce fighting raging all around them, Rika turned her eyes back toward Izumi.
His aura continued to rise.
Growing stronger.
Growing deeper.
Yet...
There was still no sign of him awakening.
Rika frowned.
"This can't continue..."
"The monsters over there are simply too powerful..."
"If this drags on..."
"...something is bound to happen."
...
As worry consumed her thoughts...
Izumi's aura suddenly reached its peak.
Then—
Everything vanished.
The immense power surrounding him disappeared completely.
"...What?"
Rika's pupils contracted.
"What happened?"
Her mind went blank.
Had he failed?
No.
That couldn't be right.
If his breakthrough had failed, Izumi would have died instantly.
Yet he was perfectly fine.
...
She wasn't the only one who noticed.
The other Single-Digit beings also sensed the sudden change.
Their expressions filled with confusion.
Just moments ago, Izumi's presence had been overwhelming enough to shake the entire Dimensional World.
Now...
It had disappeared entirely.
Nothing remained.
...
Instead...
He felt no different from an ordinary human.
No divine pressure.
No overwhelming aura.
No boundless magical power.
Only an indescribable presence that none of the assembled experts could comprehend.
It was calm.
Natural.
As though he had become one with existence itself.
Even the Single-Digit beings found themselves unable to understand what they were sensing.
...
Izumi calmly looked around at the battlefield.
His gaze swept across the raging war before finally settling on Rika.
Seeing his eyes focus on her, Rika froze for a brief moment before quickly stepping forward.
Her voice trembled ever so slightly.
"...Did you succeed?"
She hesitated.
Then asked the question everyone wanted answered.
"...Or...?"