Grayfia's arrival immediately changed the situation around Izumi.
She naturally took over many of the responsibilities that had previously surrounded him.
As for Vignette, Izumi simply granted her what he jokingly called "maternity leave," allowing her to focus on training without worrying about work.
Naturally, Vignette protested fiercely.
"I don't need that kind of leave!"
However, when it came to Grayfia taking over the role of secretary, Vignette had no objections at all.
After all, as someone from the Underworld herself, she knew very well how famous Grayfia was.
In fact—
Grayfia was even her idol.
The only thing Vignette had never expected was that this legendary "Fifth Maou" of the Underworld was actually Izumi's head maid.
That single revelation nearly shattered her worldview.
If the other devils in the Underworld ever found out that Grayfia served as someone else's maid, they would probably collapse from shock.
Of course, Grayfia's ability spoke for itself.
Before long, Izumi had entrusted nearly all matters concerning this dimensional gate to her.
Meanwhile, Izumi spent most of his days accompanying the others in training and guiding Le Fay and the rest in the use of magic.
Time passed quickly.
Before anyone realized it, more than half a year had already gone by.
During that entire period, the EXE World never launched another attack on Izumi's gate.
Instead, the other gates were occasionally harassed by forces from the EXE World.
However, those conflicts were merely small-scale skirmishes.
No major battles had broken out.
Inside his office, Izumi quietly read a report that had just arrived from the other gates.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly spoke.
"Grayfia."
"Yes, Izumi-sama."
"Inform Sirzechs and the others."
"Ask them to come here."
"We need to discuss launching an offensive against the EXE World."
Grayfia frowned slightly when she heard this.
"Izumi-sama… is that really wise?"
"If we attack them directly, what will happen to our rear defenses?"
Izumi waved his hand dismissively and pointed to the report in his hand.
"Take a look at this report."
"You'll understand immediately."
"Even if we don't attack them, it's only a matter of time before they attack us again."
"The other gates are currently stuck in stalemates."
"The EXE World hasn't launched large-scale attacks against us."
"Instead, they occasionally send small forces just to make their presence known."
"It's obvious what they're trying to do."
"They're deliberately tying down the forces at the other gates."
"If things continue like this, once they've accumulated enough power…"
"They'll launch a full-scale assault against us."
"And when that happens, the battle will become far more troublesome."
Izumi leaned back in his chair and smiled faintly.
"So instead of waiting for that day…"
"Why don't we launch a counter-invasion right now?"
"They've been invading our world all this time."
"So what's wrong with us invading theirs for once?"
After hearing Izumi's analysis, Grayfia turned her gaze toward the report.
She carefully reviewed the contents before speaking hesitantly.
"But… can our world really invade theirs?"
"The EXE World is overall stronger than ours."
"If we fail…"
"The consequences would be unimaginable."
That was Grayfia's greatest concern.
The EXE World possessed a higher overall level of power than their own.
If they attacked recklessly, they might end up at a severe disadvantage.
And if the invasion failed—
The price their world would have to pay would be devastating.
Hearing her worries, Izumi simply laughed.
"You don't need to worry about that."
"If we're talking about overall strength…"
"We're not weaker than them anymore."
Izumi pointed to himself with a confident grin.
"Don't forget."
"You have me now."
Before Izumi had appeared, the High School DxD world had already managed to resist the EXE World's invasions.
Now that he existed—
The balance of power had long since changed.
Not to mention that Agurola was also present.
Did they really think Izumi's Star Beasts were just for decoration?
After Izumi reminded her of that fact, Grayfia finally realized something.
That's right.
Their world now had Izumi.
With that thought, she quickly stood up.
"I'll notify everyone immediately."
After saying that, Grayfia hurried out of the office.
She began contacting Sirzechs and the other leaders to relay Izumi's proposal.
After Grayfia left, Izumi sat on the sofa and looked toward the heavily guarded dimensional gate in the distance.
A hint of anticipation appeared on his face.
If we can actually fight our way into their world…
That would definitely be interesting.
The EXE World probably never imagined that the DxD world would dare to do something like this.
Just as Izumi was waiting—
Good news suddenly arrived from Asagi Aiba's research team.
They had finally succeeded in discovering a mass-production method for mechanical soldiers.
At the same time, they had cracked a portion of the EXE World's database.
In other words—
They now possessed the ability to manufacture the same type of mechanical soldiers used by the EXE World.
However, there was also bad news.
Those mechanical soldiers might be vulnerable to being remotely controlled by the enemy.
After all, Asagi's team had not yet fully mastered the EXE World's technology.
Their computer systems still couldn't compete with the EXE World's network capabilities.
After hearing the report, Izumi remained silent for a moment before responding.
"Then continue the research."
"We don't need to use those things right now."
"Our side already has enough combat power."
Izumi had no intention of producing mechanical soldiers that he couldn't fully control.
If the enemy hacked them and took control—
Wouldn't that just mean working for the enemy?
There was no way Izumi would allow something so stupid to happen.
After giving Asagi several additional instructions, Izumi ended the communication.
Although he felt a little disappointed, the news was still encouraging.
As long as progress was being made, the research was worthwhile.
Once they eliminated the EXE World, these technologies would eventually become extremely useful.
Perhaps someday, Asagi might even succeed in creating SSS-rank mechanical lifeforms.
That would benefit both Izumi and Asagi greatly.
Machines that never felt pain.
Machines that never feared death.
Machines that existed only to fight.
If such things belonged to the enemy, Izumi would find them incredibly disgusting.
But if they were on his side?
He could only say—
Absolutely perfect.
Meanwhile, after Grayfia conveyed Izumi's proposal, the leaders of the DxD world were immediately stirred.
A counterattack against the EXE World.
Izumi's idea suddenly felt very realistic to them.
They were fully aware of how powerful Izumi's forces were.
He had easily secured control over one of the dimensional gates.
He had even beaten the enemy badly enough that they no longer dared to attack his sector.
If they truly launched an invasion into the EXE World—
There was a real possibility of success.
Once that thought appeared, it quickly took root in everyone's minds.
It might actually work.
At that moment, many of them felt their hearts racing.
Especially the more battle-hungry individuals.
When they heard the news from Izumi's side, their eyes practically sparkled with excitement.
They wished they could immediately rush into the enemy's world and conquer it.
If they truly managed to occupy the EXE World—
The rewards would undoubtedly be enormous.
No matter how they looked at it, the potential gains were massive.
Of course, the risks were equally great.
But as long as there was a chance—
They would never give up.
Besides…
Deep down, many of them shared the same premonition.
One day, the EXE World would inevitably launch another invasion.
And if that was the case—
Why shouldn't they strike first?