Rias watched Izumi casually erase the Gastrea that launched themselves through the rift.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"…So this world really isn't dangerous at all," she murmured.
"Then—what's our plan?"
Izumi didn't even hesitate.
"I'm taking Koneko and the others with me."
"You all stay here and guard the rift."
He pointed at the swirling distortion in the air.
"We can't let any Gastrea slip through and spread the Varanium-resistant virus into our world."
"And honestly, there's nothing in this world that would benefit you all. No reason for you to come."
The world of Black Bullet held no notable treasures.
Bringing Rias and her group would be pointless.
Leaving them on standby to maintain the barrier was the optimal choice.
As for Izumi—
he would take Koneko, Jeanne, Leffey, Sakura, and the others inside, train them…
and of course, gather lolis along the way.
Rias accepted the plan without argument.
After glancing once more at the distant wasteland landscape beyond the rift, she realized he was right: there was nothing here worth exploring.
Besides, their power levels were simply too high.
In this devastated world, Rias and the others would be invincible—and gain nothing from fighting.
To test it, she fired a single orb of Demonic Power toward a Gastrea attempting to cross the fissure.
The monster evaporated like wet paper.
Rias let out a bored sigh.
"…Lame. They're too weak."
Izumi could only twitch a corner of his mouth.
This woman never changed.
But he didn't comment.
After a short wait, Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Matou, Megumi Kato, Eriri, Asia, and Leffey emerged from the villa—each of them geared up and ready.
Izumi's team was complete.
Koneko and Xenovia followed behind them.
Xenovia possessed a Holy Sword, but… her actual combat power remained questionable.
Joining them as well was Momoe Hanasaki, the white-haired cat-themed girl from Sona's peerage.
Seeing everyone gathered, Izumi nodded.
"All right. We're heading in."
"Rias, Ophis—I'm leaving this side to you."
Then he turned.
"Avrora, you're coming too."
This time, he planned to bring Avrora— the scatterbrained vampire girl—
because if he needed someone to win over lolis, a loli conning a loli worked best.
The moment she heard she was coming along, Avrora lit up like a sparkler.
"Hehehe, I knew you wouldn't abandon me!"
She hopped over to him, practically radiating joy.
Izumi sighed and ruffled her head with a firm, slightly irritated hand.
Then, gathering the group, he activated space magic—
and they appeared directly at the entrance of the dimensional fissure.
Without a hint of hesitation, Izumi stepped inside, his party following close behind.
On the outside, Rias and the others began setting up layers of defensive magic circles—
barriers to prevent any Gastrea from sneaking into their world.
The Black Bullet World
The moment the spatial tear appeared on the outskirts of the Tokyo Area, countless residents noticed it—
especially the Cursed Children who lived in the decaying outer districts.
The sight of the swirling rift terrified them.
When the Gastrea attempted to cross through and were instantly annihilated by mysterious attacks from the other side, panic rippled through the group.
A few braver girls pushed the frightened children behind them, shielding them.
One of them—a petite girl with short sandy-blonde hair tied into twin shoulder-length braids—stared intently at the fissure.
What is that…?
Before she could think further, a small girl tugged on her sleeve.
"Enju-oneechan… someone's coming out!"
Hearing that, Enju Aihara blinked and turned sharply toward the rift.
A group of unfamiliar figures had already appeared—
and they were floating in mid-air.
Enju's pupils shrank.
"Hide! Everyone, hide—now!"
The children scrambled, rushing into the nearest storm drain.
Enju herself leapt behind a collapsed concrete pillar, keeping watch.
She needed to determine whether these newcomers were enemies.
Izumi's party stepped into the world—
and for a moment, everyone fell silent.
The air was thick with dust and the stench of decay.
The land itself seemed dead.
Megumi, who had lived her entire life in peaceful Japan, trembled at the desolate scenery.
Even Eriri and Sakura stood speechless.
Everything outside the towering Monoliths was wasteland.
Ruins stretched as far as the eye could see.
Izumi scanned their surroundings and spoke.
"Leffey, take Megumi and the others to hunt Gastrea."
"Avrora, Asia—you're with me."
"When you're done, return here. I'll stay near this location."
"Oh, and—if you find any wandering Cursed Children, bring them back."
"That's our real mission here."
Leffey saluted energetically.
"Leave it to me, Lord Izumi!"
"Alright everyone—let's go!"
With that, she cast a teleportation circle and pulled Kato, Rin, Eriri, Sakura, Koneko, Xenovia, and Momoe Hanasaki with her, heading deep into the outer region.
They didn't need further explanation.
Their eyes shone with anticipation—this world was the perfect testing ground for their recent growth.
Soon, only Asia and Avrora remained at Izumi's side.
Watching the others depart, Izumi smiled faintly.
With Leffey in charge, he had nothing to worry about.
Not to mention Sakura could now handle large-area teleportation spells herself.
Hanasaki excelled at healing magic, so Asia didn't need to accompany them either.
There was something far more important he needed Asia for.
Asia looked around nervously.
"Izumi-sama… where are we going now? To meet the leader of this world?"
Given their arrival, that seemed logical.
But Izumi shook his head.
"Nope."
"We're here to gather the lolis."
He flashed a mischievous grin.
"They're the most precious people in this world—and the ones waiting for you to save them, Asia."
"As for this world's rulers?"
He snorted.
"Who cares about them."
After he collected every single loli he could find,
Izumi fully intended to deliver this world a proper Grand Order cleanup.