Takumi laughed when he heard Ophis's declaration.
"Good! Then I'll leave this place to you from now on. If anything happens, contact me immediately."
Their contract allowed communication regardless of distance. If anything were to enter this place, Ophis would likely be the first to know.
Having Ophis stationed here was actually a great idea.
With that, the two solidified their agreement.
Takumi didn't return right away. Instead, he and Ophis wandered together through the dimensional rift.
Takumi used his authority to carefully sense the structure of this world's dimensional gap. As for what lay beyond it—he wasn't sure. Likely just a sea of nothingness.
If he wanted to explore the infinite dimensions beyond, he would have to drift through them endlessly.
Just like floating alone through the universe.
Out there, time and space had no meaning. One might feel as though they were standing still, unable to perceive any motion.
Only upon encountering a new world would one finally feel any shift.
But even then, approaching such a world meant confronting its world barrier.
To enter, one needed to find a crack in the membrane.
If it wasn't a particularly strong world, you could barge right in.
But if it was a powerful world, rushing in might just mean death.
Searching for other worlds in the endless void was a daunting task.
Without a method of interdimensional navigation, it was better not to even try.
Rather than wandering aimlessly, Takumi figured it made more sense to examine the area surrounding his current world.
He circled the world membrane and soon spotted a fissure.
This was the entrance to the outside.
Peering through it, Takumi saw something terrifying.
He and Ophis stood at the threshold, stunned by the chaotic scene beyond.
Out there—it was wild. Anyone without strength would be shredded instantly.
Still, Takumi didn't sense any immediate threat.
He studied the crack carefully and frowned.
There were faint traces of residual energy.
Had someone come through here before and entered this world?
The realization made Takumi uneasy.
"Has this world already been marked?"
The lingering aura wasn't native—it came from another world entirely.
Was the spiritual energy resurgence the result of interference from another dimension?
Whatever the cause, this revelation set Takumi on high alert.
"Ophis! I'll need you to watch this place carefully. If anyone comes through, notify me immediately."
"Understood," Ophis replied with a nod.
Just keeping an eye on the area—that was easy.
After issuing his instructions, Takumi took a moment to think.
Then he unleashed his power to create a massive seal around the rift.
He even deployed weaponry from the EXE world—all aimed at the crack.
Each was capable of destroying an entire planet.
This was his way of protecting the gate to his world.
Once everything was in place, Takumi nodded in satisfaction.
He snapped a photo and posted it to the group chat.
Takumi: [Image] [Planet-Buster Alert!]
The image showed the void, the thick membrane of the world, and an array of colossal weapons aimed at a gaping fissure.
Layered over that were massive sealing magic circles.
And countless star-destroying cannons.
The group chat instantly exploded.
Miori Shiba: [?????] [What is this? Where are you now?]
What the hell—was this even their world anymore?
What was Takumi doing deploying so many weapons?
Was there going to be a war?
Was a major enemy approaching?
Chika Fujiwara: [Isn't this a bit excessive??]
Himeko: [Are all those cannons aimed at the rift? What happened?]
Akeno: [And those enormous sealing arrays!]
Sagiri: [ヽ(*.Д)o゜]
Raiden Mei: [Is there an enemy?]
Kaguya Houraisan: [My goodness!!]
Bronya: [(?｀?Д?′)!!]
Suoh Mikoto: [Sssss... Just looking at that gives me goosebumps.]
Boros: [Need help?]
Zhongli: [Did an enemy appear?]
Everyone was shaken.
Had Takumi encountered some monstrous enemy?
This kind of force was unheard of.
Everyone knew what a single planet-busting cannon could do.
But now he had dozens of them lined up like mortar launchers?
That could only mean something terrifying was on the horizon.
Takumi: [Nope.] [That's the rift in our world's membrane.] [I detected some lingering foreign energy there from hundreds of years ago.] [I don't know the details, but better safe than sorry.]
No, there was no enemy.
If there was one and Takumi couldn't win, he'd bail.
He'd just pack up Earth and run.
No need to stick around.
He could always come back later.
He had mentioned before—he was bound to this world, yes. But even if civilization here were destroyed, it wouldn't affect his power.
He could escape anytime.
It would just make future progress a bit trickier.
But nothing too serious.
Everyone digested Takumi's explanation, shocked nonetheless.
Zhongli: [Foreign energy residue? Then your caution is warranted.] [If someone can cross into another world like that, they must be incredibly powerful.]
Zhongli's tone was serious.
Anyone who could move freely between worlds had to be a threat.
Takumi's preparations made sense.
If Zhongli were in his shoes, he would've done the same.
Takumi: [In any case, better to be prepared.] [For all I know, they might already be inside this world.]
[The universe is vast. Maybe they're already here.]
[And the spiritual energy resurgence might be their doing.]
[If that's true, then they're humanity's enemy.]
Because of the spiritual awakening, every human in this world had already perished.
That made them mortal enemies indeed.