Time blurred. Half a year passed. In the Human Realm, the cherry blossoms bloomed as Rias and Sona entered their second year of university at Kuoh Academy. Simultaneously, Koneko, Yuuma, and Mio Naruse also stepped onto the campus as fresh college students. Rias immediately re-established the Occult Research Club at the university level, keeping it exclusive to their circle. Sona, as ambitious as ever, reclaimed her seat as Student Council President.
In late April, as the cherry blossoms carpeted the ground, Rias was outlining the year's plans when she received a shock: all of Ethan's avatars had suddenly vanished. Before she could panic, a surging, almost hyper-energetic message vibrated through the soul network. Ethan was calling everyone to gather in Kuoh Town.
In the coastal dimension, after half a year of intense cultivation, Ophis and Lilith had fully mended their origins and reached the peak of the Super Dragon God rank. Ethan and Riveal were also at that peak. However, they found that breaking through to the Evil God rank (equivalent to a Saint in the Primordial world) was monumentally difficult. There was no "Merit-based Ascension" or "Primordial Purple Qi" in this world. The only way was the Path of Strength—brute-forcing the laws of the universe.
Ethan realized that to break through, his power had to be "Whole." This meant he had to recall every avatar. Having his power spread across the world, even if it was just a tiny fraction, prevented his core from reaching the absolute density required for a Saint-level breakthrough.
During this time, Ethan also devised a permanent solution to the problem of wanting to be with all his women at once. Inspired by his memories and the coastal dimension, he decided to create a Portable World—a "Portable Crystal Palace."
He would use the coastal dimension as the foundation. It was currently imperfect, lacking a proper ecosystem and day-night cycle, but with his power, fixing that was just a matter of time. The real challenge was making it "portable"—binding a thriving world to his own soul or an artifact.
He decided to pursue two paths: breaking through to the Saint rank while simultaneously inviting his "wings" to move into the coastal world. While he refined the laws of the space, girls like Rena Hamasaki could build the infrastructure inside. It would be a male-free sanctuary where he was the sole king.
For the "portable" aspect, he considered turning it into a fourteenth Longinus—a God-Slaying Tool specifically for himself. This required a powerful, loyal soul to act as the world's consciousness (an artifact spirit). Ideally, a female soul of Heavenly Dragon rank who was completely devoted to him. While he didn't want to sacrifice any of his beauties to become a spirit, he figured he would find a solution once the world was ready.
A day later, Ethan's villa in Kuoh was packed. When he announced the Crystal Palace plan, the stronger girls like Rias understood, while the more "ordinary" girls from his harem were stunned by the sheer scale of it. Trust won out over doubt, and many girls—Asia, Yuuma, Koneko—chose to move into the coastal world immediately to be with him. Rias and Sona stayed behind for now to manage external affairs and their own growth.
The news of Ethan's return and his "Crystal Palace" plan spread like wildfire. Some thought he was insane; others thought he was the ultimate degenerate. But women like Serafall, Grayfia, and Venelana saw it as a sign of his deep devotion—he refused to leave a single woman behind.
Hades eventually found him. The God of the Dead had been desperate, and after offering massive bribes, he convinced Serafall and Sirzechs to lobby Ethan. Serafall even went as far as to visit Ethan personally, using her body to "beg" for his cooperation. Interested in the Eternal Battlefield, Ethan finally agreed to a meeting.