Against the people of the DxD World, the mechanical lifeforms of the EXE World held a massive advantage.
Especially in terms of networks and information systems.
If Aiba Asagi hadn't possessed her Sacred Gear, even she wouldn't have been able to infiltrate their systems so easily.
And now, if she were asked to fully analyze the enormous database stored in the captured EXE base…
It would likely take several decades.
That was with the help of the Moon Spirit Crystal.
Without it, the task would be nearly impossible.
After listening to Asagi's full report, Izumi fell into thought for a moment before speaking.
"In that case…"
"I'll assign the Heroic Spirits to assist you."
He crossed his arms calmly.
"Focus on deciphering the EXE World's language and network structure."
"That information will be extremely valuable to us."
Within the Nasuverse, there were countless legendary Heroic Spirits.
If those brilliant minds worked together with Asagi, they might achieve incredible results.
Asagi's eyes instantly lit up.
"That… would be perfect."
"With the Heroic Spirits helping me, I'm confident we can completely crack the EXE World's systems."
She wasn't exaggerating.
Asagi understood very well what kind of beings Heroic Spirits were.
Countless geniuses throughout history had become Heroic Spirits.
If even a few of those great scientists joined her research team…
Her progress would accelerate dozens of times over.
And honestly—
Working alongside legendary figures like that was an honor in itself.
Izumi nodded.
"Alright. I'll arrange it later."
"Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci—they're all free right now."
"They might not be great fighters, but when it comes to research, they're second to none."
"You'll work together and decode everything—EXE language, networks, all of it."
Asagi nodded excitedly.
After settling that matter, Izumi left the control room.
He called over Vignette Tsukinose April and the others before issuing new orders for the base.
"Vignette, pass the word."
"We're relocating the entire base."
He looked around the massive EXE facility.
"From now on, this will be our headquarters."
"This base built by the EXE World will become our main stronghold."
He continued giving instructions.
"Form combat squads that can deploy at any time."
"I want 24-hour surveillance on the spatial corridor connecting to the EXE World."
"If there's even the slightest movement—"
"Attack immediately. No hesitation."
Since Izumi had driven the EXE forces out of this region, the next step was obvious.
Block the entrance completely.
Every available combat unit would be stationed here.
The goal was simple:
Seal the enemy inside their own world.
After hearing Izumi's orders, Vignette and the others immediately sprang into action.
The entire base entered a state of organized chaos.
Personnel were relocated.
Unnecessary EXE machinery was dismantled.
Protective magic circles, barriers, and defensive formations from the DxD World were installed throughout the facility.
As for the EXE weapons scattered around the base—
Izumi didn't leave a single one behind.
He transferred them all into his own dimensional storage.
Until Asagi completely deciphered the database, Izumi had no intention of using any EXE technology.
After all—
There was no guarantee the machines didn't have hidden backdoors or traps.
The entire base soon became incredibly busy.
...
EXE World
The moment Lugatium was destroyed—
Regalzeva sensed it immediately.
He had also watched the entire battle between Lugatium and Izumi.
Izumi's strength had far exceeded his expectations.
Inside a massive palace of cold metal, Regalzeva sat silently with his head lowered.
In his mind, the combat footage of Lugatium Unit-02 fighting Izumi replayed endlessly.
His supercomputer mind performed calculation after calculation.
Simulating countless battle scenarios.
After running through the data thousands of times—
A conclusion was finally reached.
Izumi could threaten him.
The moment Regalzeva reached that conclusion, his expression darkened.
"I didn't expect…"
"That world to produce another monster like this."
He muttered quietly.
"In that case… we'll have to approach this from another angle."
At the same time, a troubling thought crossed his mind.
Was Izumi somehow related to the mysterious being who had once destroyed one-third of their world with a single attack?
The situation in the DxD World was becoming more complicated by the day.
That only made Regalzeva feel more anxious.
The EXE World's resources were already running low.
If this war dragged on any longer, it would be disastrous for them.
After reaching a decision, Regalzeva sent a message to his younger brother.
He wanted to discuss a new strategy for dealing with the DxD World.
At the same time, he transmitted orders to all his subordinates.
Suspend all attacks on the DxD World.
Focus instead on rest, recovery, and harvesting resources across the cosmos.
Stockpile military power.
He was planning something big.
Waiting any longer was no longer an option.
If the war continued at this pace—
The EXE World would eventually collapse under its own resource shortage.
...
As a result, the pressure on the other three dimensional corridors suddenly decreased.
When the defenders saw the EXE forces retreating and halting their attacks, many of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But that relief didn't last long.
Everyone soon became cautious.
Because they all felt it.
This was merely the calm before the storm.
The real battle had yet to begin.
Commanders everywhere intensified training for their troops.
Preparing for the war that was sure to come.
...
Meanwhile, in the Fourth Corridor, Izumi received a message from Sirzechs Lucifer.
After reading it, his expression grew serious.
"So the next attack…"
"…will be their full-scale offensive."
Izumi sighed.
"That's going to be troublesome."
He rubbed his temples.
Hopefully, the defenders in the other corridors could hold their ground.
Because if even one corridor was breached—
The DxD World would be in serious danger.
The battlefield would shift directly into the Dimensional Rift.
And fighting inside the rift would be extremely disadvantageous for their side.
Only the strongest warriors could survive there.
Weaker fighters wouldn't even be able to remain in that environment.
After all—
They weren't mechanical lifeforms like the EXE soldiers, capable of enduring the hazards of dimensional space.
While thinking about this, Izumi glanced downward.
Nearby, Vignette was currently kneeling in front of him, diligently doing something.
Slurp… slurp…
The quiet sound echoed in the room.
Izumi suddenly spoke.
"Vignette, when you're done, go inform everyone."
"Tell them to intensify training."
"The final battle is coming soon."
The moment he finished speaking—
Izumi suddenly shuddered.
A look of satisfaction spread across his face.
Vignette slowly stood up and shot him a resentful glare.
She genuinely felt like this guy was going to ruin her completely one day.
"Honestly…!"
"I got it! I'll go inform everyone!"
If resisting was impossible, she might as well accept it.
Still—
Vignette felt extremely wronged.
Because it was honestly exhausting.
Seeing her annoyed expression, Izumi couldn't help chuckling.
"Relax."
"I'll give you a surprise tonight."
"Now hurry up."
Vignette snorted.
"Hah. As if I'd believe you."
"I don't trust a single word you say—not even the punctuation!"
With that, the ever-diligent Vignette turned around and left the room.
She still had orders to carry out, after all.