The attack had been stopped.
For a moment, everyone could only stare in shock, their hearts still racing.
Inside one of the warships, Avrora was practically glowing with excitement as she looked at her golden lion.
Her eyes sparkled.
Even though the students of Kuoh Academy were inside the ships, they had all witnessed her figure.
In her fully awakened magical state, Avrora's hair shone like molten gold.
Many were completely captivated.
She looked like a goddess descending upon the battlefield.
Even Izumi couldn't help but praise her.
"Excellent. I'll give you extra chicken tonight."
After saying that, his gaze returned to the wreckage of the destroyed battleship.
There—
A mechanical figure over two meters tall floated silently.
The true core of Ruma Idola.
It stared at Izumi with its artificial eyes, rapidly recording his data and transmitting it back to the EXE World.
Izumi chuckled.
Then he vanished.
When he appeared again, he was already in front of the enemy.
His fist tightened—
And he struck.
Ruma Idola raised its arm to block.
But the moment it did—
CRACK.
The mechanical limb shattered instantly.
BOOM.
The entire arm was pulverized by a single punch.
Its mechanical pupils contracted sharply as it retreated.
Izumi followed immediately.
"Why are you running? Come on, let's play!"
He appeared before it again and threw another punch.
BOOM.
Alarms screamed from Ruma Idola's body.
Suddenly, Izumi sensed the change.
It was going to self-destruct.
Without hesitation, he retreated.
The next moment—
The core exploded.
A terrifying mushroom cloud erupted in the dimensional fissure.
This explosion was far more powerful than the previous one.
The entire space shook violently.
Izumi appeared in front of the fleet.
The Dragon's Afterimage expanded, forming a massive protective barrier.
BOOM.
The shockwave slammed into it.
Without his protection, the fleet would have been annihilated.
Avrora controlled the Lion of Gold as it braced against the blast.
Even so, the ships trembled violently.
Inside, panic spread among the students.
Fortunately, the teachers quickly calmed them.
When the tremors finally subsided, Ruma Idola had completely vanished.
Izumi hadn't expected such recklessness.
The enemy hadn't spoken a single word from beginning to end.
That was honestly frustrating.
He withdrew the Dragon's Afterimage and returned to the bridge.
Then he gave the order.
"Resume course."
The fleet reorganized and continued forward.
Toward the dimensional passage Sirzechs Lucifer had entrusted to them.
If they had encountered one of the Four Generals here—
The situation at the front must already be dire.
There would likely be another major battle waiting.
Izumi turned toward Le Fay and the others.
"Get ready."
"We'll probably enter combat immediately once we arrive."
"I didn't expect to meet someone like that here."
Everyone looked at him.
He continued.
"If one of Rezo Roald's Four Generals was stationed there, then the passage has likely already been captured."
"This means the frontline is in serious trouble."
"Just prepare yourselves."
Rias stared at him in disbelief.
"That was… a general?"
Izumi nodded.
"Yes. One of Rezo Roald's Four."
The bridge fell silent.
Then he turned toward the main console.
"Asagi, you're listening, right?"
"Begin full combat preparations."
A voice came through the fleet's system.
"Understood. I will issue the orders."
Asagi Aiba herself was not aboard any ship.
She remained in Izumi's world, controlling everything through the Moonlit Crystal.
In only a few days, she had fully mastered its authority.
She had even fused her Sacred Gear with the system.
Now, she functioned as the fleet's central command.
Because of her, Izumi could act so freely.
Orders spread throughout the fleet.
Preparations began.
The young Valkyries transformed, equipping their combat armor.
Students checked their weapons.
Many of them stared in disbelief at the small girls running across the ships.
Some recognized them.
These prodigies had once become famous in the Dungeon World.
Seeing them again here was surreal.
Only Izumi's classmates remained relatively calm.
They already knew the girls were connected to him.
Still—
They were envious.
The sheer power radiating from those armors was overwhelming.
It felt absurd.
Thirty minutes later, the fleet broke through the dimensional fissure.
They emerged above a vast continent.
A grassland.
But it had already been reduced to ruins.
Mechanical wreckage littered the earth.
In the sky, angels and devils fought desperately against mechanical soldiers.
Izumi narrowed his eyes.
As expected.
This place had fallen.
Ruma Idola's maneuver had been a pincer attack.
To annihilate retreating forces and intercept reinforcements.
He smiled faintly.
"If I hadn't arrived…"
"This might have ended very differently."
The real battle—
Was only beginning.