The night continued, as did the time belonging to Ethan and the two girls. After tasting every inch of Vania's skin, Ethan brought Ruruko Nimura onto the balcony as well. From the balcony to the living room, then the kitchen, the bathroom, and even atop the toilet... it wasn't until the horizon turned the color of a fish's belly that Ethan finally let the two limp, exhausted beauties go.
...
A month later, Rias and Sona graduated smoothly, followed by spring break. During this month, Ethan was busy with the handover of the Occult Research Club and the Student Council, while also helping Sona's peerage improve their strength to catch up with the girls in his own club. Despite usually being a hands-off boss, the constant work left him feeling mentally drained.
Spring break was short—only about ten days. Just as Ethan planned to rest, Sirzechs and the other faction leaders knocked on his door again.
"You've got to be kidding... You want me to go? And with Vali?" Ethan groaned after hearing their request. "And why now of all times?"
"We only just finished the investigation," Serafall winked, acting cute. "Please, Ethan-chan? No one is more suited for this than you."
The issue was a lingering threat from the previous war. When Great Red—the True Dragon God Emperor—had projected his power, the faction leaders noticed something wrong. Normally, even shattering space wouldn't reveal Great Red's form because the Dimensional Gap is a separate concept from physical space.
They discovered that Loki's residual power was actively eroding the boundaries between dimensions. Loki had intended to trigger Ragnarok; although he failed and was killed by Ethan, he had anchored his remaining consciousness and power into this scheme. His goal was to collapse the dimensional barriers, causing parallel worlds to collide in a literal Twilight of the Gods.
Sirzechs and the others wanted Ethan to enter the Dimensional Gap and neutralize Loki's lingering malice. They wouldn't go themselves because they were too high-profile and, frankly, not strong enough to survive a potential encounter with Great Red. Since Ophis seemed fond of Ethan, they hoped the "Red One" might also show him some kindness.
"For years, Great Red has sat in the Gap, maintaining the peace between worlds. If he notices this interference, he might even help you," Sirzechs encouraged. "If it's too dangerous, just come back."
Ethan sighed, glancing at Rossweisse standing among the girls. Rias had been recruiting the silver-haired Valkyrie to the Underworld with better pay and benefits. Rossweisse, the future "100-Yen Valkyrie," was indeed weak for money, though her stiff personality kept her from being easily fooled.
"Ethan-chan, do it as a favor to big sister~" Serafall clung to Ethan's arm, rubbing her soft breasts against him without a care for her status as a Maou. "If you succeed, I'll let Sona give you a special reward~"
"Sister!" Sona blushed and glared. "If you want to give a reward, give it yourself!"
"Oho~ that works too~" Serafall teased.
Ethan looked down at the soft pressure on his arm, making no effort to hide his desire. "It's a deal then. I hope Lady Serafall doesn't go back on her word."
Serafall froze, realizing Ethan wasn't joking. She quickly let go, laughing nervously. She was a "Keyboard Warrior" of intimacy—bold with words, but she had never even held a man's hand.
Ethan spent an hour preparing, mostly reviewing the intel. He was actually quite interested in the Dimensional Gap. As top-tier entities, the Maous knew about other worlds, and Ethan knew that DXD was flanked by worlds like EXE and FXF.
"Alright, let's go," Vali said impatiently as Ethan said his goodbyes to Rias and the others.
"You could have gone ahead without me," Ethan shot back.
"Hmph. Without us to lead the way, you wouldn't even be able to find the entrance," Vali sneered.
Beside them, Arthur Pendragon summoned a golden magic circle. A sword radiating golden aura—Collbrande, the Holy King Sword—began to form. "This sword can dominate space and cut through dimensions," Arthur explained seriously.
Ethan looked at the weapon. In this world, powerful artifacts like the Longinus were often more significant than raw personal power. Even Great Red was eventually decapitated in the Gap by a human wielding a God-Slaying weapon powered by sheer "will and emotion." Because of this, Ethan had never unbonded the Boosted Gear, knowing that in a world of "hacks," feelings were the ultimate power source.
As they moved, a faint golden light enveloped the group, and they slipped into a space filled with swirling, multicolored light. There was no up or down, no passage of time.
"This is the Dimensional Gap..." Ethan looked around. In the Underworld or the Human World, he felt restricted, like he couldn't use his full power without damaging the world. Here, that restriction was gone. He reflexively clenched his fist, channeled a large portion of his power, and threw a punch forward.
"Ha—" Arthur exhaled as the transport ended. "As long as we stay within this field, we won't be swallowed by the dimensional currents—"
CRACK!
The spherical barrier shattered like glass. Vali's team stared at Ethan in stunned silence.
"Uh... I didn't do that on purpose... do you believe me?" Ethan scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. He had clearly been holding back, but his "Half-Step Dragon God" strength was simply too much for the barrier to handle.
Arthur sighed and reopened the field. "This field only lasts for about one hour of human time. If we don't find the source by then, the field will automatically pull us back. If it breaks again, we could be lost forever."
"A strong will and intense thoughts of home can also guide you back," Arthur added as a failsafe. "The strength of the Gap reacts to one's emotions."
"Will and emotions again... how very Shonen," Ethan muttered. "One hour is too short, Arthur. Can't you make it last longer?"
"I could have done two hours, but you broke the first one, wasting half my energy," Arthur said tonelessly.
Vali rolled his eyes. "This is a long-term mission that requires luck. Why do you think those old geezers sent us... and you?"