Enter ExE

I

Dimensional Gap

Naruto had always viewed the structure in front of him as a piece of art rather than a sealed gate, one so formidable that it locked up an entire universe. In his defense, he had never seen an intricate structure such as this.

Billions of crimson cogwheels and azure trees merged to create a simple yet elegant shape. And the constant motion of these cogwheels and trees was mesmerizing. But now they were behaving erratically as, bit by bit, pieces of them were disappearing. Of course, new pieces were automatically created to replace the destroyed ones, but the process was not fast enough.

And the worst part was that Naruto could sense it. On the other side of that door, beings with incredible power were waiting. And he was not the only one. He knew others sensed it too.

Without moving his focus from the gate, Naruto asked the question that was on everyone’s mind, “What happened?”

It was quite nerve-wracking to see Great Red, the Beast of Dreams, be so quiet and still. This alone was enough to warn them about how serious their situation was.

A moment later, too long for Naruto’s taste, he answered, “This gate was carefully designed by Ophis for a single purpose, to deny the inhabitants of ExE entry to the Dimensional Gap. As such, no one should be capable enough to damage the gate. No one other than Ophis and I.”

Naruto finally moved his focus and looked at Great Red. He just waited since he could see that the Beast was not done.

“The only other way this restriction can be bypassed is if someone used Ophis’ powers. And seeing how the gate was damaged, along with the fact that the inhabitants of ExE are already on standby on the other side, that method was most likely used. As for how much of her power was used, that I do not know.”

That piece of information made everyone on Naruto’s side to be on high alert since all of them were aware of ‘Blessing of Ophis’. For Naruto, it also raised many questions – Was ‘Blessing of Ophis’ just a test product? Was the main goal of the Khaos Brigade to destroy the ExE gate? If so, did it not mean that there was a spy from ExE in their universe?

“But a spy from ExE?” Naruto wondered if it was even possible because of the seal. Naruto did not need to look at his friends to know that everyone had similar concerns and questions.

“Fret not,” Great Red finally moved, capturing everyone’s attention, “It remains to be seen if Ophis is directly involved with this shenanigan. Regardless, I will create a similar gate when this one breaks down.”

That statement alleviated some concerns, but still, “What about repairing the gate?”

“Powers originated from the Beasts do not play well with each other,” Came the swift reply.

It made sense. Otherwise, Great Red would have tweaked all the gates long ago.

“How can we help?” Shiva asked as he moved closer to Naruto, who immediately got the message.

“It will take some time for me to create a new gate, and I need to focus,” Great Red pointed at the door, “I am not sure whoever is on the other side will allow me to do that.”

“You wish for us to keep them occupied.”

Great Red let out a throaty chuckle, “It will be quite a messy situation if they annoy me too much and I accidentally wipe them out.”

Even though the gigantic dragon said it with mirth, no one laughed. Because the glint in his eyes was not fooling anyone. Everyone knew that he would take the easiest and least troublesome route to tackle the issue on hand; if it meant destroying everyone that would step out from that gate, he would have no problem with it.

Naruto knew he had to tread carefully, but he needed to let it out, “Great Red, how will you create the gate?”

Great Red turned his enormous head to meet Naruto’s gaze. Naruto knew that the Beast understood the hidden meaning behind that question.

For a few seconds, no words were spoken. It was an uncomfortable silence, but Naruto held his ground.

“You can always persuade me later to change the purpose of the gate.”

Naruto let out a tiny smile before backing down. He knew there was a reason for ExE and other universes to be locked tight. But there was also a possibility that whatever Ophis saw in these universes might have been fixed or disappeared entirely. After all, according to Great Red, Ophis had created all these gates millenniums ago.

Naruto glanced at Shiva before going to the next point, “Great Red, I believe Shiva and I should be enough.”

Great Red did not say anything back, which he took as a good sign.

“Shiva and I will stay here and give you backup as much as you need while the rest should return to our own universe and see if they can find the culprit,” Naruto relaxed his posture and smiled, “I mean, we need to make sure our backline is covered as well.”

“You have, what was the term… Ah, a gameplan?”

Naruto chuckled at Great Red’s question, “Almost, give us a few minutes and we will iron it out.”

“Be quick,” With that, Great Red focused on the door again.

Releasing an audible breath, Naruto moved where the rest of them were, Shiva following alongside him.

“Great…”

“I do not like this.”

While Yasaka’s tone was calm, her posture was anything but that. Naruto smiled softly at Yasaka and then moved closer to her. Others got the cue and moved further away from them.

“I know…”

Yasaka raised her hand to stop Naruto, but he still went for the hug. Only when he felt her relaxing did he loosen his grip. He repositioned himself before touching her stomach gently.

She grabbed his hand before looking away, “They really choose the perfect time to make an appearance.”

“What are you worrying about, my love? We have Great Red on our side.”

She finally looked at him. The fear in her gaze angered Naruto. Yasaka was pregnant. She should be relaxing and staying in a comfortable environment. She should not be stressing out about the problems caused by lunatics. Of course, he would be making sure to solve these issues so quickly that the supernatural world would not even notice them occurring.

Naturally, none of his real emotions showed on his face. And luckily, Yasaka was too distracted to notice it.

Naruto felt the telepathic knock from Shiva and immediately gave a quick reply.

Giving his best smile, Naruto raised Yasaka’s hands before kissing each of her knuckles, “Shiva and I will stay here and ensure that the situation is contained within the Dimensional Gap. But we also have to consider the possibility that this may be a distraction. That is why all of you need to go back, inform the rest, and keep an eye out. Amun-Ra will also pass Shiva’s message to Brahma and Vishnu.”

This got another reaction out of Yasaka which widened Naruto’s smile, “So, you see, my love, all the top of the top individuals are on our side. And I highly doubt that these troublemakers are aware of this fact.”

It was just a twitch, but seeing Yasaka cracking a smile was enough. He gave her one last hug before sending the telepathic signal. And not a second later, everyone came over.

“My apologies for…”

“Please,” This time Amun-Ra interrupted her, “There is no need for any apologies. We understand your situation; frankly, you should not be out here, Yasaka. Luckily, the situation on our hands is not out of control yet,” Amun-Ra glanced toward Great Red’s direction before refocusing his gaze, “So, let us make haste.”

With that, he created a portal and without another word, went inside it.

Thor came toward Naruto and raised his fist. Smiling, Naruto bumped his fist with him. As always, this gesture was more than a hundred conversations. Satisfied, Thor left as well.

Scáthach, as usual, remained quiet. But it was easily noticeable that she was standing closer to Yasaka. Naruto and Yasaka shared one last glance before Scáthach and her entered the portal.

The moment the portal disappeared, Naruto frowned. Immediately, Shiva came close to him and patted his shoulder, “Relax Naruto, she has everyone beside her.”

Times like these would always make Naruto appreciate all the true friends that he had. Yes, he was the king of a powerful kingdom and one of the leaders of a high-tier faction, but he learned from experience that there was a difference between an ally and a true friend. This was why when they found out that Yasaka was pregnant with their second child, he only informed a handful of people, including everyone from this gang, all of whom kept this knowledge to themselves.

Of course, they would need to announce the pregnancy formally, but it was a thought for the future.

Giving Shiva a nod of appreciation, Naruto flew toward Great Red. Yasaka was right.

“They really chose a bad time.”

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X

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Underworld, the Devils’ territory

1 hour earlier

“Winner, Issei Hyoudou!”

The cheers and praise Issei received from the stadium were quite intense. On the other hand, devils from the Underworld were not so enthusiastic. Ajuka’s lips twitched as the contrast in applause could not be any more evident to him since he was watching both sides through his monitors.

In this inter-factional tournament, one devil reached the final, and another was in the semi-final. This should have been enough for the devils to celebrate. But the fact that one was a reincarnated devil while the other was a semi-exiled one did not sit so well with the purebloods.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Ajuka smiled wryly as his gaze landed on the monitor, which was showing the live tournament. Even through the screen, he could tell that most participants and many in the audience section respected Issei’s power.

He shook his head. He should not be greedy. The culture and the society of the Devil faction were moving in a brighter direction. The process was slow, yes, but the progress was quite visible.

With that, Ajuka focused on the first monitor again. The arena was going through a few checks for the next match which was considered to be the most anticipated one – Sairaorg vs Arjuna. Sairaorg was extremely strong, there was no doubt there. But the problem was Arjuna’s affinity. If the son of Indra would use any Divine artifacts, the battle would be short. Fortunately, he did not use any such weapons throughout the whole tournament. Of course, many would argue that Sairaorg could balance it out by using ‘Regulus Nemea’. Yes, it would give him an edge but the Divine weapons from the Hindu faction were not something the younger generation of devils were prepared to face.

Ajuka could not help but grin as the camera focused on Sirzechs in the VIP section, who was waving. The camera then zoomed to the group he was waving to: Rias and her peerages.

He did not have the luxury to join Sirzechs, even though he was pretty eager to explore the newly established academy. Luckily for him, the tournament was live.

His smile faded when he focused on the third screen, which showed no signs of life. That was good. It meant no reports of any irregularities so far.

Everything was in order as usual, but there was this minor uneasiness that Ajuka could not disregard. It might be nothing, but he was not taking a single risk after what had transpired between the Devil faction and the Avalon Kingdom. And right now, it was the perfect time for their enemies to conduct any unwanted actions since a considerable part of the supernatural world was focused on the tournament.

Rizevim was dead. It was confirmed, but there were three more out there. While they did not pose a threat of Rizevim’s caliber, they weren’t exactly harmless either.

That was why he had sent additional units to the border and a handful of scouts to cover the gaps. He also requested Serafall Leviathan and Falbium Asmodeus to be on standby, just in case.

For the next twenty minutes, nothing happened.

But just as the semi-final match was about to start, his third screen came to life. And what was shown there made him immediately jump to action.

Twelve enormous bear-like creatures were being led by a single dragon-like monster which was twice as large as the other ones.

Ajuka was already on his feet. All other screens shut down as the third one enlarged to occupy all the space. Two emergency summons were sent to Serafall and Falbium, and two encrypted messages were sent to Diehauser and Roygun. He also sent a message to the patrolling units there to fall back. For the last step, he dispatched his private squads, soulless puppets that he had created to be used as an expendable force.

He did all that within a second.

With the initial steps taken, he focused on the message sent by the scouts.

“13 total… 100 meters… 200 meters… unknown species… can create smaller copies… high magic-resistant… appeared out of nowhere… waiting orders…”

Just as his hands touched the communication device, two magic circles appeared a few meters away from him. He knew who they were without even seeing the symbol on the circles.

For a brief moment, Ajuka felt the weight on his shoulders lighten.

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Diehauser’s POV

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“ETA 15 minutes.”

As the earpiece fell silent, Diehauser began meditating. Even without the heads-up, he could tell the precise location of their enemies. It was hard not to with how the ground was shaking.

Once again, he recalled the data that was provided to him by Ajuka Beelzebub. 13 monsters of unknown origin had entered the Devil’s territory from the northwest approximately fifteen minutes ago. Of course, the border guards intercepted these creatures but unfortunately, they were outmatched and suffered heavy casualties.

The rest of the units were ordered to fall back and monitor these monsters' movement from a safe distance.

As for the monsters, there were two types. Type 1 – these creatures were 100 meters tall and quite dexterous despite their large sizes. They were covered in pale, shaggy fur with a wide mouth that had multiple rows of teeth and a long tongue. It was reported that they had high resistance against magic and could make copies of themselves which were usually around 10 to 20 meters tall. The copies were extremely agile and had high magic resistance.

The problem was Type 2. This creature was enormous as it was roughly around 200 meters tall. This bipedal reptilian creature had rough, dark-grey scales with a relatively small head. It had long humanoid arms, thick muscular legs, and a long-segmented tail. It looked like a mix between a prehistoric creature and a Western dragon. Unfortunately, there was no data regarding its battle capacity. Still, it was easy to guess that this pack leader would probably have all the buffed-up variations of type 1’s abilities… and more.

The plan was simple. Diehauser’s team was given the task of stopping the creatures.

Of course, their role was not to act as sacrificial pawns. If the enemy were too formidable, the Satans would step in.

Yes, the plan sounded simple… in pen and paper. But there was no way Diehauser was going to pit his team against these unknown creatures. Fortunately, the strategy that he had in mind did not require his team to come out for a direct confrontation. Of course, he needed to do the heavy lifting since he was the strongest one on his team.

The problem was not the enemies in front but the ones behind, but the ones pulling the strings. Ajuka deduced that the mastermind behind this attack might be the Old Satan faction. The possibility was extremely high since these creatures were summoned when everyone was busy with the tournament held at the Elemental Academy. Fortunately, they were summoned at the edge of their border and not in the middle of a city. Possibly because the summon itself could have alerted the authority.

“ETA…”

“I can see them.”

A scene that one had to witness to believe. It was as if an entire mountain range was advancing toward you, devouring the lands and blocking the sky. The noise, the shake… the sight, they were enough to instill fear in any army. Many would just outright flee.

But he was Diehauser Belial.

He raised his right hand and closed his eyes as he dulled his physical senses while sharpening his magical one.

“3…”

These creatures had high anti-magic resistance. But that should not be an issue if the magic was used against them indirectly.

“8…”

After all, he was the undefeated rating game champion. Coming up with various battle strategies on the fly to match his opponents’ unique battle techniques was something he was good at.

“13…”

The moment all the monsters entered the range, he dropped his hand, giving the command.

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Roygun’s POV

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She was livid.

Two decades. She had been trying to make Diehauser look in her direction for over two decades. Finally, after years of pursuing, she had landed a date with him only for the enemies to choose this day to show up.

“I am going to grind the mastermind’s head to fine dust.”

Diehauser did not play the ‘Hard to get’ game. Many might have thought so, but she had known better. Since she had been looking at him closely for all these years. And for as long as she could remember, he had this unnatural determination and tenacity as if he was on a mission.

Turned out, he was.

It was to expose the Great King faction’s corruption of the Rating Game and the King Piece scandal. Roygun was surprised at how much information Diehauser was able to dig out, some of which should only be known to the ringleaders. Such as how many King pieces were seized and by whom. It was as if he received external support.

After that, with Ajuka, they rounded up everyone involved and punished them accordingly. The only reason Ajuka did not face much resistance in capturing the members was because many, if not all of their positions were weakened after the battle with Avalon Kingdom. Of course, the general Devil populace became furious when they learned about the corruption. After all, the rating game was like a sacred event to them.

There was also this rumor that Diehauser personally had executed some of the devils. And when she learned that they had a hand in the death of his cousin, Cleria Belial, she knew it was not a rumor but a fact.

She was only spared because there was definite proof that she was being blackmailed. Plus, Diehauser had vouched for her. So, the fact that she was also one of the parties that had received the King piece was kept a secret.

Since Diehauser had completed his self-given mission, he had let his guard down. And she immediately struck… and scored.

Then, this happened.

“Team A had taken down half of the monsters.”

Roygun smiled when she heard the report from the earpiece. There was no way some overgrown monsters could pose a challenge to Diehauser. Still, “How?”

“Casters of Diehauser’s team had softened the ground to hamper the enemies' movement and created fog to disrupt their vision. The rest of the team created noise to separate the monsters, after which Diehauser swiftly took them down one by one.”

Roygun smiled, “He tested if the insides of the monsters are as resistant as their outside, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

Well, then she should also finish up her part.

Diehauser’s team was to stop the monsters. Her team was to investigate how these monsters came to be. Honestly, her task was more dangerous than Diehauser’s. After all, those that could summon creatures of this caliber would not only be powerful but cunning as well. And they would also have the surprise element since her team was unaware of their capabilities.

She looked down at the bracelet she was wearing. The only reason she took up this task was that Ajuka assured her that he would teleport to her instantly if she were to send out a distress signal. This device would work under any condition, even if her team were imprisoned inside a portal dimension.

Roygun knew why Ajuka had mentioned that specific scenario. After all, it was how Naruto Ōtsutsuki had defeated their strongest Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer.

“Lady Roygun.”

She turned to face her queen.

“There had been traces of ‘Space’ type ability being used here.”

Roygun frowned, “Ability? Not magic?”

Her queen nodded, “And the residue energy is not matching any from our database.”

“Is there a match with youkai energy?” Her earpiece came to life, but it was a different voice.

It was Ajuka.

Seeing her queen hesitantly nodding her head made Roygun almost start panicking. But she immediately calmed her nerves.

“It seems my hunch was right. Retreat.”

Roygun did not need to be told twice. She motioned her team to fall back.

So many questions started to go through her head at that moment. Was it stray youkais? Was it the Kingdom? If so, then why?

“The youkais are not involved,” Ajuka spoke from the communication device, “It is the Old Satan faction. They probably want to use the same tactic as the last time. I have already informed Sirzechs, and he should be…”

Out of nowhere, his voice was replaced by the scout, “Diehauser has killed all Type 1 creatures, but another Type 2 has emerged. He requested backup.”

With a determined look, Roygun motioned her team to change their direction.

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X

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Unknown location

He was going to miss this place, his cozy office filled with two centuries worth of memories.

Yes, the room was enormous and was created using the most expensive materials out there, fitting for his current role. In his defense, in the beginning, the place was filled with furniture and decorations, each of which could be exchanged for a manor. But over time, all of them were replaced with objects and artifacts of his liking.

Of course, he made sure that his personal touch to his office matched his current identity.

As he sat on the chair one last time, his eyes immediately fell on the picture frame. He picked it up gently, his thumb caressing the frame. He put the picture here to add another layer of credibility to his present persona. But somewhere down the line, he did not know when he genuinely opened up… to the point where he needed to alter his plan.

He was being sentimental, a notion that would have surprised all acquaintances that knew his true identity. But then again, no one, be it from the past or the present, truly understood him. No one other than her.

“Wait for me, I am almost there.”

Burning the picture to ashes, he looked around one more time. And finally, he allowed his gaze to land on the chessboard. As if it was given a silent command, the flat board started to transform, and within seconds, it branched out and created multiple levels of layers. As for the pieces which were neatly organized, they multiplied and were now all over the board; all taking their own unique appearances, some more so than others.

In the middle, one of the largest pieces, emitting intense red particles, was facing rows of dull grey pieces. Behind the red piece were two more unique pieces.

“I knew you would be troublesome,” He tapped the silver-gold piece which was emitting silver-gold particles, “But I did not think you would be as troublesome as Great Red. Well, the Beast will be out of the way soon, and you will be following him as well. But,” His gaze landed on the purple-blue piece emitting a different type of red particles, “I wonder, how did you get involved?”

He let out a wry chuckle. He expected unforeseen variables making appearances, but he did not want ‘Trimurti’ level irregularity, “And here I thought you were supposed to be the most reclusive one.”

Then his gaze fell on the third obstacle. On another layer, rows of white pieces wearing identical golden crowns positioned in unison, “Alliance Faction.”

Anyone in the supernatural world, at least those that had a bit of common sense, would agree that this newly established faction was the most dangerous one in the current era. It had the second-highest firepower, the most extensive and efficient spy network, had a base on all the continents, and was currently the center of attention because of the introduction of the academy. But what truly made them dangerous was their lack of inaction.

When facing a problem, they had always chosen the best solution for them, even if it meant squeezing the neck of one of the prominent factions. Unlike other factions who would always take the subtler and safer routes.

“Well, in the end, the center of it all is a single individual,” He picked up the silver-gold piece and stood up. Immediately, the layered chessboard shattered to pieces, “Just to be on the safe side,” He pocketed the piece as he made some distance from his chair, “Let me personally handle you.”

“Now,” He turned around and focused on the empty spot beside the chair, “For the next part of the play.”

A transparent casket materialized, inside which the body of real Indra rested. The body was still in pristine condition, even the wounds did not age. It was as if he was killed moments ago, not a few centuries. With a wave of his hand, the casket shattered, and only the body remained, which he levitated and placed on the chair. After that, he went around the table and started to restructure his office to make it seem like Indra was caught off-guard and was assassinated.

He knew that while most of the Hindu faction would not be able to see through the illusion, it was only true until Trimurti personally stepped in. Luckily, he had destroyed Indra’s soul, so he was safe from that angle, but he was never one to underestimate his opponents.

For the next part, he carefully coated his personal cup with a special element. He also replaced a few other objects on his table.

When he was done, he took one last look at his office. His last haven. Then he took out a transparent orb containing black flames from a realm beyond and threw it at his desk.

“And it begins… the rebirth.”