Just as Rias was about to leave, Izumi suddenly called out to her.
"Wait."
Rias frowned.
For a moment, she thought this shameless guy was about to say something ridiculous again.
Fortunately, his next words immediately dispelled that concern.
"The other Single-Digits will probably arrive in my world soon."
"You know them better than I do, right?"
"Tell me about them."
Hearing that, Rias relaxed slightly.
"So we've finally reached that stage."
She sighed softly before sitting back down.
"I see."
"If that's what you want to know, then ask."
Izumi nodded.
With a wave of his hand, several chairs, a table—
And a large bed.
—appeared nearby.
Rias stared.
Then stared some more.
"..."
"What exactly is the bed for?"
Her eyelid twitched.
Izumi simply smiled as though nothing was wrong.
Ignoring the suspicious furniture arrangement, Rias sat down across from him.
The two began discussing the other Single-Digit beings.
As the conversation continued, Izumi gradually gained a better understanding of the highest-level existences within the dimensional worlds.
Unfortunately, the conclusion was somewhat unexpected.
According to Rias—
They were all hopeless shut-ins.
Or, to put it another way—
A collection of socially dysfunctional recluses.
After reaching the Single-Digit realm, there was virtually no room left for growth.
No opponents.
No challenges.
No meaningful goals.
With eternity stretching endlessly before them, most simply retreated into their own worlds and hobbies.
Unless another Single-Digit actively contacted them, they could remain isolated for absurd lengths of time.
After hearing that explanation, Izumi's expression became rather strange.
But after thinking about it carefully, it made perfect sense.
After all, once someone reached the absolute peak, what was left?
There were no enemies to defeat.
No higher realm to pursue.
No mountains left to climb.
At that point, staying home all day was probably the natural outcome.
The thought gave Izumi a better understanding of what kind of people he would soon be dealing with.
Then another possibility crossed his mind.
Maybe they were all like Rias.
Gaming addicts.
The image fit surprisingly well.
"Hmm..."
That definitely made things easier.
At least now he had some idea of how to communicate with them.
Once his questions were answered, Izumi suddenly looked at Rias with a grin.
"Speaking of which..."
"Would you like to stay a while?"
"I even prepared a bed."
Silence.
A vein immediately appeared on Rias's forehead.
"You shameless idiot."
"So that was your real objective all along?!"
"Get lost!"
She pointed angrily toward the distance.
"I'm leaving."
This time, there was absolutely no hesitation.
A large magic circle appeared beneath her feet.
The next instant, she vanished.
Gone without a trace.
Watching her disappear, Izumi let out a disappointed sigh.
"What a shame."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"A Single-Digit existence..."
"I've never dated one before."
Then a dangerous thought crossed his mind.
"If beings of the same level had children..."
"What kind of talent would they inherit?"
His eyes lit up.
A cute daughter sounded nice.
Very nice.
Unfortunately, there was one major obstacle.
Rias currently had absolutely no romantic interest in him.
The amount of time they had spent together was simply too limited.
Still...
Today's encounter had revealed a side of her he had never seen before.
A hidden side.
A surprisingly adorable side.
The image of the dignified Single-Digit goddess secretly spending her time gaming alone in pajamas resurfaced in his mind.
The corners of Izumi's mouth rose.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Perhaps there was hope after all.
Shaking his head, he decided not to think about it further for the moment.
There were more important matters at hand.
His gaze returned to the approaching world.
Little Garden.
At this point, the fusion had officially begun.
The enormous world was slowly merging into Izumi's universe.
Throughout countless dimensions, anyone with sufficient strength could sense the change.
The world's laws were shifting.
Reality itself was being rewritten.
Within Dimension City, several familiar figures had already gathered to watch the spectacle.
Shiroyasha.
The Halloween Queen.
And Algol.
The three sat together leisurely, looking thoroughly entertained.
After all, unlike most of Little Garden's residents—
They had already experienced life in Izumi's world.
Which meant they knew exactly what was waiting on the other side.
The thought alone made them smile.
What expressions would those old acquaintances make once they realized who had arrived before them?
Just imagining the scene was enough to make the trio eager for the fusion to finish.
The real show was only about to begin.