The searing heat unleashed by the Immolation Burst dissipated entirely into the void.
With no more interference, the space gradually returned to its original form, regaining stability in the surrounding area.
Seizing the moment, Orsaga swiftly repaired his body and returned to the world once more.
"What a waste…"
Hovering mid-air, Orsaga gazed down at the massive pit beneath his feet—over a thousand meters deep and pitch black—and a flicker of regret passed through his mind.
He regretted not harvesting more souls… and also regretted burning away all that knowledge.
Still, by his logic—"If I don't gain, that's a loss. If no one else gains, then that's a win"—he came out of this net zero. No gain, but also no loss.
At the very least, it should be enough to scrape by and collect his mission reward.
"Sniffle sniffle…"
He stood in place and gave two seconds of silence for his unfortunate, fallen teammates. Then, still smiling, his eyes suddenly narrowed—he had discovered something new.
After a careful inspection, he reached out his hand. A barely perceptible layer of magical runes shattered instantly.
These runes had been concealed so well that even Orsaga's eyes couldn't detect them under normal conditions. But after being subjected to the indiscriminate onslaught of the Immolation Burst, most of their energy had been forcibly drained, greatly weakening them and inadvertently revealing faint traces.
A flash of red light flickered across his hand, and the contents hidden behind the rune formation were revealed.
It was a pocket dimension, roughly the size of a basketball court.
Once likely a very stable construct, its structure was now as fragile as a thatched hut in a thunderstorm—swaying violently as if about to collapse at any moment.
Within, items shimmered with various lights—triggered by chaotic space-time currents, their innate powers automatically activated in self-defense.
Naturally, ordinary objects didn't have such capabilities. Anything capable of doing so was at minimum of Legendary Rank.
And in this hidden vault, there were over a hundred such items—about three-quarters of them were various magical tomes, while the rest were staves, mage robes, rings, magical components, and the like.
After all, this was a library. Naturally, books made up the bulk of the hoard.
Upon seeing what was stored within, Orsaga let out a low whistle and grinned with satisfaction. "Misfortune and fortune truly go hand in hand. I never expected a loot box bonus round. As they say, good things happen to well-balanced and cheerful Demons like me."
Without hesitation, he swept all the items into his personal storage space.
A blissful smile even appeared on his face.
"Hahahahahahaha—"
Hiccup "Alright, tone it down a bit."
After tidying up the scene, Orsaga flapped his wings and flew off to find a place to rest.
He gave not the slightest care to the surrounding buildings, where countless civilians were howling in agony from being blinded by the blast of light.
Ordinarily, he might've taken the time to harvest a few lives—but after signing a contract with the Abyss, the city's civilians had been removed from his list of viable prey.
Whether they hated him or resented him, these powerless beings—who had no say in the matter—were simply not worth his attention.
Once Gewa finished off the native powerhouses of Augustus, these civilians would only face one inevitable fate:
Tragedy. Brutal tragedy.
So there was no point in wasting a thought on them.
Not far off, Orsaga could still feel powerful energy fluctuations erupting and clashing in waves.
The battle was clearly far from over.
In fact, it was growing more intense—deadlocked in a stalemate that wouldn't be resolved any time soon.
Suddenly, within one of the chaotic battle zones, Orsaga detected a familiar aura.
After a moment's thought, he changed direction and headed straight toward it.
---
Ruins of the City Lord's Manor.
The clash hadn't lasted long, but with twenty or thirty combatants at the Legendary and Demigod Ranks all fighting in close quarters, the destruction they caused turned the entire area into a disaster zone.
Corpses littered the battlefield in every direction, lying in disjointed and awkward postures.
Truthfully, if one side hadn't been trying to preserve sacrificial offerings, and the other hadn't been working to protect civilians, both parties would've already razed the entire city of Augustus to the ground.
It was like adults smashing a Lego house.
At this moment, gasping for breath, Sarah pulled out a vial of potion and downed it.
After an intense round of combat, her usual elegant and glamorous image had completely vanished.
Her luxurious clothes were reduced to bloodstained rags, and her carefully groomed hair was now half gone—what remained hung loosely over her shoulders.
"Damn bastard…"
She clenched her teeth, glaring at a High-Rank Demon locked in battle not far away.
Earlier, she'd been holding her own with the help of her allies.
But a sudden flash of intense light had nearly blinded her, throwing off her rhythm entirely.
Although the blast had been indiscriminate, demons—born and raised in the harsh, unforgiving conditions of the Abyss—were much better adapted to such extremes. For them, meteor showers and acid rain were considered part of the natural climate. Sure, it might sting their eyes, but their innate regenerative ability let them recover in a second or two.
On the other hand, natives of this world weren't nearly as resilient.
Their bodies couldn't handle the same environmental shocks, and both their adaptability and recovery lagged far behind abyssal creatures.
Some even needed potions just to regain their sight.
So, inadvertently, Orsaga had done the Abyss' side a bit of a favor.
Not that he cared in the slightest.
If anything, he wished his teammates would just die.
That way, he could scavenge their loot and helpfully repurpose their corpses.
If the opportunity was right, he might even bag an enemy or two while he was at it.
A two-for-one deal—perfect.
Just imagining it filled him with satisfaction.
Feeling the potion's energy circulate through her system, Sarah didn't rest any further. She got ready to return to the fight.
Not because she was particularly selfless or brave—it was just that the current situation didn't allow for selfishness or infighting. Maintaining the strength of their group was critical.
Otherwise, they'd just be picked off one by one.
In this respect, she could be considered a good teammate.
Certainly better than any of the demons present.
With demons, everyone hoped their teammates would die. That mindset made them one of the strangest factions in the entire multiverse.
Just as Sarah was about to rejoin the battle, a sudden gust of wind behind her drew her attention.
She instinctively turned to look—
—but never got the chance.
Everything went black.
Orsaga came to a stop mid-flight.
Glancing at the head he now held in his hand, he immediately recognized the face.
"Huh. Isn't this that hot chick from earlier?"
"That angle was just too perfect… and my hand slipped…"
"Such a waste!"
"Oh well. Might as well read her memories, see what kind of background her God has."
____
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