The space around the DxD universe rippled with divine power as Takeyo's transformation reached its zenith. His body dissolved into countless particles of light, each one pulsing with primordial energy that predated the cosmos itself.
This wasn't just any incarnation. This was Matsya, the Spirit Fish that could devour worlds.
The incarnation materialized in the void beyond dimensions, a colossal entity dwarfing the entire DxD universe by dozens of magnitudes. Its scales shimmered with the light of a billion dying stars, each movement sending ripples through the fabric of reality itself.
Takeyo had one singular purpose: isolate this universe from the endless multiverse.
The Spirit Fish began its work, circling the DxD universe with movements that transcended conventional understanding of space and time. Each rotation cut another tether connecting this reality to others, severing the threads that bound it to the greater cosmic tapestry.
"Haaaaah!"
A sound like dimensional sand cascading through an hourglass echoed across reality as Matsya opened its maw. The DxD universe, now completely isolated from all surrounding spacetime, vanished into the Spirit Fish's gullet in one swift motion.
"Kurimo! Your turn!"
Even as the universe disappeared into his metaphysical form, Takeyo's strength began hemorrhaging away. The strain of maintaining even one primal incarnation was staggering; using two simultaneously was suicidal.
[Kurma, Incarnation, Original!]
"ROOOOOOAAAAAAR!"
A dragon's roar that could shatter worlds split the void. Silver light coalesced into form as the World Dragon Kurma manifested in all its terrible glory.
Both the swallowed DxD universe and the World Dragon now existed within Matsya's interior space, completely cut off from external influence. This was precisely what they'd planned.
Kurimo had explained the theory with her characteristic clinical precision: to alter an established worldline, two steps were absolutely necessary.
First, Takeyo had to sever the universe's connections to all other realities by literally swallowing it whole. This prevented external timelines from reasserting their influence and dragging events back toward their original conclusion.
Second, Kurimo herself had to directly rewrite the internal worldline while it remained isolated.
Time was their enemy. Kurimo felt Takeyo's power draining rapidly through their connection. She had to work fast.
She didn't understand why her little master insisted on moving heaven and earth for someone who, in her estimation, barely registered as a four-digit entity. But his wishes were absolute. If this was what he wanted, she'd tear apart fate itself to make it happen.
After all, Takeyo was her little master.
Inside the isolated universe, the being Kurimo had so casually dismissed was experiencing an existential revelation.
The God had witnessed the true meaning of "universe" for the first time today. She'd glimpsed countless other realities during the journey through dimensional space, each one completely rewriting her understanding of existence.
What she hadn't anticipated was the sheer magnitude of Takeyo's power, the ability to rewrite timelines and fate itself. The power to swallow an entire universe whole.
"This kind of power can't be obtained easily," the God murmured, her analytical mind racing. "There has to be a cost."
She was right, of course. If Takeyo could casually alter worldlines, why hadn't he used this ability before? Why wait until after confirming she had no intention of returning to the future with him?
The answer was obvious: achieving this effect required enormous personal sacrifice.
Her suspicions proved correct within moments. She felt Takeyo's strength plummeting at an alarming rate, his divine energy hemorrhaging away like blood from a mortal wound.
Outside the DxD universe, or rather, in what used to be "outside", Takeyo reverted from the Spirit Fish Matsya's form. The endless particles of light coalesced back into his human shape, though even the World Dragon armor that typically covered him had vanished.
"Hey... little girl," Kurimo's voice drifted over, gentler than usual. "The little master has opened the Corridor of Time and Space for you. The rest is up to you... hurry and go to the future you want."
Kurimo spoke with deliberate calm. With Takeyo's current strength utterly depleted, using even one primal incarnation had been reckless. Using two simultaneously had nearly killed him.
"Eh?"
The God blinked, not immediately understanding.
"It means the little master can't use any more power right now," Kurimo explained flatly. "Taking everyone back to the future is your responsibility. That's the last step, the one only you can complete."
She was correct. While Kurimo also possessed the right to use incarnations, the system's mechanics prevented her from accessing Takeyo's power when he himself was incapacitated.
Takeyo had accomplished the crucial task: severing the external worldline connections. This was equivalent to removing the old DxD universe from the multiverse's flow and preparing to reintegrate a modified version.
Kurimo had handled the internal work, directly interfering with Grayfia's personal worldline and the God's fate thread.
Unfortunately, Takeyo's strength had lasted only moments. This was already the absolute limit. Kurimo had wanted to do more, but reality had other ideas.
"I understand!"
The God grasped what she needed to do. With the Corridor of Time and Space already open, there was only one choice to make.
Two paths lay before her.
One: follow Kurimo's instructions, enter the Fairy Corridor, and travel to the unknown future alongside Takeyo.
Two: stick to her original decision, find a suitable plane to settle in, then wait for the future to arrive naturally at its own pace.
According to Kurimo, the future where she died had been cut away. Even if she waited in the present, she wouldn't be in danger.
In the past, the God might have hesitated between these options.
But now? No hesitation remained.
"I want to see what the future world looks like... whether it's become what I hoped for."
"If it's not what I envisioned, I'll just have to transform it into what I want later."
With that thought, the God stepped into the Corridor without looking back.
Meanwhile, in the Underworld.
At the invitation of Maou Sirzechs Lucifer, Michael descended into his office in a burst of holy light.
In addition to the Demon King, another figure awaited his arrival: the green-haired Transcendent Devil, Ajuka Beelzebub.
Ajuka had been staring intently at the smiling Archangel since the moment Michael materialized.
Takeyo and Grayfia had been missing for some time now, and this situation was fundamentally different from previous instances.
Last time, the two angels living in Takeyo's house could still sense his presence somewhere in the world.
This time? It was as if Takeyo had completely vanished from existence. Even Est and Jeanne couldn't detect any trace of him.
The search had continued for days without results.
The reason was simple enough: Takeyo no longer existed in this time and space.
"So, Michael," Ajuka said, cutting straight to the point. "Don't you think you owe us an explanation?"
"About what?" Michael maintained his serene smile.
"Why can Takeyo use your Heaven's System?"
Sirzechs fixed Michael with an intense stare.
According to reports from Rias, Sona, and everyone else who'd returned, a battle far exceeding the Transcendent level had erupted in the dimensional gap.
The Underworld's defensive formation had immediately abandoned its position and rushed to Takeyo's side, that alone had been shocking enough. They could barely accept that his understanding of their formation ran that deep.
But then Heaven's formation had also responded. That was another matter entirely.
"I can only say this was the Lord's guidance. Amen."
Michael's standard deflection, delivered with practiced ease.
He'd refined this particular dodge to an art form over the years.
"So you do know something we don't," Ajuka observed, studying Michael's expression.
Takeyo being able to use the Underworld's formation was one thing, he'd demonstrated partial control before, and they could rationalize it as his evil spirit affinity granting access.
But Heaven's formation was supposedly a legacy from the God of the Bible himself. Even activating the Heaven System required at minimum three Serafall plus numerous high-level angels working in concert.
How had Takeyo bypassed those restrictions and summoned the Heaven System to another dimension so effortlessly?
"I can only say that you're thinking too small," Michael said with a slight head shake.
"Too small? Michael, can you speak plainly?"
Ajuka's eyes narrowed.
He'd already determined that Michael absolutely knew more than he was sharing. The fox simply refused to be forthright about it.
"What we should be focusing on isn't Takeyo and his companion," Michael redirected smoothly. "What we need to consider is the entity that fought them."
"After all, if Takeyo is still alive but hasn't returned yet, he naturally has his reasons. If he truly lacked the ability to return, we should be preparing for whoever could defeat the Great Red Dragon God Emperor, don't you think?"
The enemies Michael referenced were Durmado, the Celestial King, and Durmado, the Sea Prime.
The battle's movements had been so massive that numerous mythological systems had detected the disturbance. However, none of them could identify where this mechanical dragon capable of fighting the Red Dragon God Emperor had originated.
"Do you know where that mechanical dragon came from?" Ajuka asked.
In truth, both he and Sirzechs had already discussed this matter extensively. Considering that the sky would fall on the tall first, they hadn't been overly concerned with the Red Dragon God Emperor taking the vanguard position.
"Yes, I know. I once heard the Lord discuss matters concerning other worlds."
Michael nodded.
"The God of the Bible knew about other worlds? What's their power level? Why would they invade ours?"
Ajuka's tone sharpened with genuine concern.
He didn't believe Michael would mention other worlds without good reason. If the Archangel was bringing it up now, it must be critically important.
"I heard the Lord speak of a world she once explored, a world she described as being filled with danger even for her."
"Based on the notes the Lord left behind, I've determined that the life form who fought the Red Dragon God Emperor came from that very world."
Michael withdrew an ancient journal, displaying pages covered in sketches of bizarre life forms. Judging from their appearance and characteristics, they clearly belonged to the same species as the recent enemy.
"Can you determine which side they're on, enemy or ally?" Sirzechs asked, eyes narrowing.
"We can at least conclude they're not friends. What do you think motivated them to attack Takeyo?"
Michael returned the God's notes to his possession and posed his own question.
He trusted the Lord's instincts implicitly. There was indeed a malevolent aura emanating from those creatures.
"The reason is obvious. I'd wager they wanted to capture one of our strongest and take him back for study," Ajuka said.
When it came to Takeyo's unique nature, Ajuka had the most intimate knowledge. After all, he'd been teaching the boy personally.
"I agree."
Michael nodded his concurrence.
In fact, they were entirely correct. The Cthulhu entities from the ExE world genuinely did have the habit of capturing other beings for research. In the original worldline, Hades had been abducted for precisely that purpose.
"So, enemy or ally?"
Silence greeted the question. The facts spoke for themselves. They'd merely been attempting to extract information from Michael.
"Actually, based on my analysis, in the True Scarlet Dragon God Emperor's estimation, Takeyo should face opponents at least at the Beast Emperor level."
Ajuka spoke after brief contemplation.
"If he'd been facing only Transcendent-level opponents, the Underworld's formation would have sufficed. But the Heaven System also flew to his aid."
"Furthermore, afterward, both formations automatically returned to their positions."
"Neither of us has the ability to actively recall them while Takeyo maintains control. Which means Takeyo himself returned the formations."
Ajuka had essentially reconstructed the entire sequence of events through pure deduction.
The implications were staggering, and terrifying.
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