The day after the summit, the three Dragon Queens—Ophis, Riveal, and Lilith—departed for the Eternal Battlefield. At the peak of the Super Dragon God rank, their lives were rarely in danger; beings at the Saint level seldom intervened personally. Even if the unthinkable happened, the Soul Contract served as their ultimate safety net.
Before they left, Ethan had ensured the contract was active for all three. Having reached the peak himself, his contract capacity had expanded to thirty-six slots. He didn't fill them all at once, choosing to save the remaining spots for a future phase of the Crystal Palace project.
News soon arrived from Rias that Sirzechs had also officially departed for the front lines. After handing over the administrative duties of the Underworld to Grayfia, the Crimson Satan joined the volunteers. Unlike the original timeline, Grayfia didn't try to stop him; she simply told him to come back safe. Though her heart and body now belonged entirely to Ethan, she still held a lingering respect for the father of her child.
Following Sirzechs, the Hero Faction led by Cao Cao and the Vali Team also headed to the battlefield, driven by Ethan's earlier provocations. With Ethan sitting at the apex of the Three Realms, there was no room left for them to stir up trouble at home. Kuroka, however, chose to stay behind, moving into Ethan's Crystal Palace world with Koneko. For her, "dual-cultivation" was a far more efficient way to grow than bloody combat.
The Three Realms entered an unprecedented era of peace. Many mythologies tried to curry favor with Ethan, even sending their finest "Heavenly Maidens" as tributes. Ethan rejected the formal invitations but accepted every girl offered. Once they entered his Crystal Palace, they were his. No matter how loyal they were to their clans initially, a few sessions of his divine dual-cultivation ensured they would never want to leave.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
On the Eternal Battlefield, the three Dragon Queens became legends. They grew stronger with every battle, though the threshold of the "Evil God" rank remained elusive. Achieving Sainthood through the Path of Strength was the ultimate challenge of the multiverse.
In the Human Realm, a new era dawned. Technology leaped forward into the information age, bringing mobile games and live streaming—luxuries that entertained Ethan during his long hours of world-building. The standard for power also shifted; the old S-rank was no longer the ceiling, replaced by SS and SSS tiers.
The International Rating Game tournament became the most watched event in history. While the Vali and Cao Cao teams were away at war, and Rias and Sona's teams were too powerful to compete, the younger generation kept the spirit alive.
Ethan's progress on the Crystal Palace was substantial. With the help of Rias, Sona, and Shizuru Hasegawa, the laws of his small world were nearly perfected. Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon, was successfully resurrected into a physical form, freeing the Boosted Gear for Ethan's ultimate plan.
However, Ethan realized that to turn the Crystal Palace into a self-sustaining, portable multiverse, he had to break through his own bottleneck. For ten years, despite daily orgies and cultivation with his army of beauties, his raw power hadn't budged. Meanwhile, Rias and the others had all reached the Super Dragon God rank thanks to his essence.
He decided it was time to leave. There were no female "Saints" in his current reach of the multiverse, but the infinite Void surely held them. He needed to find a woman of Saintly power to dual-cultivate with.
"Be careful, Ethan," Rias whispered during their final night together.
"Don't worry. With the Soul Contract, I'm never truly gone. And with time dilation, I might be back before you know it."
Ethan set his sights on a world connected to the Root—the Nasuverse. If he could conquer the Root itself, he would surely ascend. He considered the Primordial World (Honghuang), but decided to save the high-tier battle against the likes of Hongjun for later.
Standing at the center of a deep blue magic circle, Ethan waved goodbye to his crying, lustful "wings" and vanished into the dimensional rift.
Epilogue
Misaki City, Japan. The Aozaki Estate.
The silence of a late night was shattered by the cry of a newborn. The head of the Aozaki family sighed as he looked at the baby girl in his wife's arms.
"It seems Touko's talent was a one-time miracle," he muttered, disappointed by the lack of a male heir with high Magic Circuits.
His exhausted wife smiled. "At least she's healthy. But... I wish we'd had a boy."
"We'll call her Aozaki Aoko," the father said.
As he walked out into the courtyard to clear his head, the father stopped. Under the bright moonlight, he saw a bundle on the porch. A baby boy, wrapped in strange, high-quality fabric, was staring up at him with eerily intelligent eyes.
"Where did this come from?" he gasped. There had been no one around just moments ago.
The baby didn't cry. He was fair-skinned and perfect. The Aozaki head felt an inexplicable pull toward the child. He picked him up and laughed. "A boy! And what a fine one at that!"
Inside the infant's body, Ethan was swearing internally. He had successfully crossed over, but why was he a baby? His power was still there, but it was locked behind his developing physical form.
Whatever, Ethan thought. At least I'm not dead.
The Aozaki patriarch brought the boy to his wife. "We'll raise him as our own. A twin for Aoko. We'll call him Aozaki Shiryu."
Ethan blinked. Aoko? Aozaki?
Aozaki Aoko?!
He hadn't missed his mark. He was in the Nasuverse. But he was early—very early. Touko and Aoko were just babies.
As he contemplated his future, the "Aozaki Mother" brought him to her breast. Ethan's instincts took over. He latched onto the plump, tender nipple, his tongue working with a rhythmic, experienced flick that made the woman gasp and blush.
This baby... his technique is better than my husband's, she thought, her face flushing crimson as the infant licked and teased her areola.
Ethan, full and satisfied, began to drift off to sleep. He had a new plan. He would grow up as Aozaki Shiryu. And since he was starting from scratch, his first goal was simple:
Nurture his new "sister" Aoko and the yet-to-be-seen Touko into the ultimate brother-complex addicts.
The journey to conquer the Root had just begun.
[THE END]