Erina was wonderful as always.
After spending some quality time with her and deepening their relationship, Izumi finally left her residence and continued his usual rounds throughout Dimension City.
The effects of Kayo's announcement had already begun to show.
The atmosphere throughout the city was gradually returning to normal.
Many of the people who had fled after sensing Est's overwhelming sword aura had cautiously returned.
Even so, the number of visitors remained noticeably lower than before.
The reason was simple.
The pressure released during Est's evolution had been far too terrifying.
Many weaker beings still hadn't completely recovered from the psychological shock.
Some were even afraid that another similar incident might occur at any moment.
As a result, traffic throughout most districts remained somewhat sluggish.
There was one exception, however.
The Battle Zone.
As lively as ever.
For the combat fanatics gathered there, danger wasn't something to fear.
It was something to celebrate.
The stronger the beings within Dimension City became, the happier they were.
In fact, many warriors had become excited after sensing Est's aura.
To them, the appearance of such an overwhelming power only meant one thing.
More challenges.
More opportunities.
More worthy opponents.
As expected of battle maniacs.
Izumi didn't pay much attention to the area.
After all, the same familiar faces could always be found there.
People like Saitama.
Or Son Goku.
Occasionally, even Gilgamesh would join the battles for entertainment.
Though these days, the King of Heroes had become something of a running joke among the stronger residents.
While Gilgamesh had grown far more powerful than before, Dimension City's standards had risen even faster.
His strength no longer stood out as much as it once did.
In fact, there were stories circulating that had become legendary among the Heroic Spirits.
One involved Rin Tohsaka chasing Gilgamesh across half the city over an unpaid debt.
The situation had supposedly escalated until Rin's younger sister joined in and thoroughly defeated him as well.
Whether the story was exaggerated or not, nobody knew.
What everyone did know was that Gilgamesh had somehow become a universal unit of measurement for Heroic Spirit combat power.
Whenever a new Heroic Spirit appeared, someone inevitably asked:
"How many Gilgameshes is that?"
The unfortunate king's reputation had suffered greatly because of it.
After wandering around the city for a while, Izumi eventually left.
His destination this time was Gensokyo.
Under Yukari Yakumo's management, Gensokyo had expanded considerably.
It had become far larger than it once was.
Many powerful women from various worlds had even chosen to settle there permanently.
Among them was the Halloween Queen herself.
Over time, Gensokyo had transformed into something unique.
A paradise inhabited almost entirely by women.
Ordinary men weren't even allowed to enter.
Naturally, none of those rules applied to Izumi.
After all, Gensokyo belonged to him.
Even if someone wanted to stop him, there was nothing they could do.
Not that anyone seriously tried.
While relaxing in Gensokyo, far beyond the boundaries of Izumi's world, another event was unfolding.
A massive world was approaching.
From the outside, it was an enormous realm.
Although still smaller than Izumi's ever-expanding universe, it remained an existence of astonishing scale.
That world was none other than Little Garden.
After all this time, Little Garden's integration process had finally reached its final stage.
From a cosmic perspective, the world itself appeared several times smaller than Izumi's.
Even so, its importance could not be underestimated.
Interestingly, the process seemed to have accelerated.
Perhaps Shiroyasha and the others had unintentionally contributed to it when they previously crossed over and caused a tremendous commotion.
Whatever the reason, the merger was happening sooner than expected.
Inside Little Garden, every major faction had already noticed the signs.
The gods, demons, and countless powerful beings all stood ready.
Everyone could feel it.
Another world was about to merge.
And nobody knew what would happen afterward.
The last major integration had brought Algol and several dangerous entities into the spotlight.
The resulting chaos had caused enormous losses for many factions throughout Little Garden.
Because of that experience, nobody dared to lower their guard this time.
Every major force prepared for the worst.
Many worried that Algol's faction might attempt something again during the transition.
The atmosphere throughout Little Garden became increasingly tense.
Everyone waited.
Watching.
Preparing.
...
Meanwhile, far away in Gensokyo—
Izumi was resting peacefully.
His head lay comfortably upon Yuyuko Saigyouji's lap.
The ghost princess hummed softly as she gently stroked his hair.
Then, suddenly, Izumi opened his eyes.
He had sensed it.
The disturbance beyond the world.
The approaching convergence.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So it's finally happening."
"Earlier than I expected."
He clicked his tongue lightly.
The peace and quiet seemed destined to end once again.