The meeting was set for May 1st in the Underworld. Sakra and a host of elite gods returned from the front lines. Leaders from every mythology—Sirzechs, Michael, Odin—converged. The Underworld had never been this crowded with powerhouses.
Hades had removed his throne, replaced by a massive long table. Ethan sat at one end, Sakra at the other. Ophis and Riveal stood behind Ethan, while Lilith—in her loli form—sat comfortably in Ethan's lap.
Serafall took the seat next to Ethan, followed by Sirzechs and the others. On Sakra's side were the warriors of the Eternal Battlefield, including a familiar-looking figure who Ethan suspected was this world's Sun Wukong.
"Red Dragon Emperor, we've waited a long time," Sakra greeted him with a smile.
"Call me Ethan," he replied.
"Fair enough. Though given your current status, a title like 'Dragon Master' might be more appropriate," Sakra noted, eyeing the three Dragon Gods surrounding him. He didn't know Lilith was at the peak of Super Dragon God rank yet, but he felt her terrifying aura.
Sakra skipped the small talk. "Are you and the three ladies truly at the Super Dragon God rank?"
Ethan leaned back, stroking Lilith's hair. "Yes. And not just the rank—we are all at the Peak."
"The Peak?!" The room erupted in hushed, disbelieving whispers.
"Want a demonstration?" Ethan smirked.
Sakra didn't back down. "I've recently broken into the Super Dragon God rank myself. I believe I can handle a test."
Ethan didn't hold back. He raised a hand and fired a simple, brute-force mana beam at Sakra. It lacked technique but carried the weight of a collapsing star. Sakra's face went pale. He erupted in golden light, chanting Buddhist mantras and clasping his hands to intercept the beam. He barely managed to dissipate the aftershocks without destroying the palace.
Before he could breathe, Riveal raised her hand, a sphere of crimson destruction forming in her palm. "My turn."
Sakra didn't dare face her alone. He called upon Wukong and three other Super Dragon God-level warriors to help block the successive attacks from Riveal, Ophis, and finally, Lilith. By the time the fourth blast was neutralized, the gods were disheveled, their robes tattered by the sheer pressure.
No one questioned them anymore.
"We need you," Sakra said, his voice grave. "The enemies at the Eternal Battlefield are getting stronger. We are losing ground."
He explained the situation: the dimensional walls were thinning, and invaders from other worlds were pushing harder. If the battlefield fell, the DXD world would be erased.
Ethan contemplated. He didn't want to spend his time fighting in a wasteland; he wanted to build his harem. However, if the world ended, so did his plan. After consulting with his girls, he reached a compromise.
"I will stay here to guard the home front and build my world," Ethan declared. "But Ophis, Riveal, and Lilith will go to the Eternal Battlefield. They can handle the front lines and perhaps find the pressure they need to break through their own limits."
Sakra was overjoyed. Three peak Super Dragon Gods were more than he had hoped for. Sirzechs also volunteered to join them, driven by a sense of duty and a desire for growth.
The summit ended in success for everyone—except Hades. The God of the Dead had spent a fortune on the meeting, gained no revenge for his beating, and was told he had to stay behind to manage the logistics of the "waypoint" while everyone else went off to gain glory and power.
The era of the "Crystal Palace" and the final war of the "Eternal Battlefield" had begun.