"What's wrong with her now?"
Orsaga glanced at Alison's changing expression, puzzled, and turned to ask Golarial.
Golarial shrugged. "I'm not sure either."
Unlike Alison, who had a tendency to overthink things, Golarial lived with far more ease and spontaneity.
That difference had a lot to do with their upbringings.
Though both were from the elven nobility and had received elite educations, Golarial's responsibilities were far lighter compared to Alison—who was essentially royalty.
Country, race, clan, faith—what the two of them had to carry and consider couldn't be more different.
The expectations of the people weighed on Alison like a mountain.
Still, after so many years together, Golarial had learned to understand Alison's burdens. She stood up and gently embraced her.
"Don't overthink it. Just rest for a few days…"
At that moment, the sky lit up with countless blazing lights.
Massive, flaming meteors—each more than ten meters wide—descended rapidly from the heavens, trailing long, fiery tails.
Their target: the city they were in.
With a casual glance, Orsaga immediately recognized the spell—Meteor Flame Shower, a classic fire-elemental magic.
On the Lava Wasteland, this spell was practically part of the natural weather cycle—it popped up every so often without warning.
Uncontrolled, it wasn't especially dangerous.
Whether you got hit or not mostly came down to luck.
But this time, it was clear the spell was being deliberately cast.
Which meant whether it hit or missed came down to skill.
As the meteors closed in on the city, a shimmering blue barrier suddenly flickered to life above them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The meteorites slammed into the barrier like torrential rain, each impact sending rippling waves through the magical shield.
It was like raindrops striking a calm lake—surreal, strangely beautiful.
Though few had the peace of mind to appreciate the beauty in that moment.
The majority of the city's civilians—and even many soldiers—looked up in pure terror as the burning meteors crashed down one after another, sliding off the barrier.
None of them knew exactly how powerful the meteors were or how strong the city's defenses could hold. All they knew was, if one of those things hit them, there wouldn't be a second chance. They'd die on the spot.
To Orsaga, it was just a light drizzle.
To them, it was life or death.
Orsaga let his gaze sweep casually over the city. In just a few moments, he had a full grasp of the situation inside and outside the walls.
He could see where the Abyssal Demons were hiding outside the city, how the energy of the protective formation flowed within the barrier, and even compare the strengths of both sides.
He grinned and turned to Golarial. "This city's done for. Got anything important you need to pack up?"
"Is the defense that hopeless?" Golarial asked calmly, without much surprise.
She was one of the strongest beings in this plane—standing firmly at the peak of mortal power. Other than actual gods, few could challenge her. That was exactly why she understood how helpless ordinary people were against Abyssal Demons.
Orsaga didn't bother hiding anything. He laid it out plainly:
"Three high-Rank Demons, plus a few dozen Lesser-Rank Demons. Their combined power is more than twice that of the city's defenders. And I've caught the scent of corruption inside the city. Looks like they've planted an insider. With internal betrayal and external siege, defeat is almost guaranteed."
Golarial listened quietly, then nodded in resignation. "I see. In that case… let's leave."
Though reluctant, she understood there was nothing she could do to change this outcome. Walking away was the wisest choice.
Orsaga had no reason to object. With a casual flick of his tail, he tore open a spatial gate.
"Let's go find a theater or something. Haven't been to one in a while~"
He was just muttering to himself as he prepared to step through.
But then a voice stopped him.
"I want to stay. I want to see how this city ends."
"..."
He turned to look at Alison, tilting his head in confusion. "I thought you didn't care about stuff like this?"
Alison bit her lip and looked a little conflicted. "I don't. But I want to see what happens to the defeated."
"...I see. A kind of resolve, then?"
After thinking for a moment, Orsaga's tail swished once more—and with a sound like a zipper being pulled, the spatial gate snapped shut.
Effortless and casual.
Demons were a race born able to cross planes of existence. Even if their primary affinity wasn't space or time, they all had some innate talent for it. And Orsaga, blessed with multiple abilities, had an exceptional mastery over spatial manipulation.
Opening or closing a portal like this was no more draining than taking a stroll.
He sat back down where he had been, looking at Alison with clear interest. "Now I'm curious what you're thinking. Alright—we'll stay and watch."
Golarial glanced at Alison, seeming to notice something, but said nothing.
She sat down beside Orsaga once again.
Whooosh!
A howling wind surged through the air.
With the Meteor Flame Shower still roaring overhead, waves of searing orange-red fire—dozens of meters high—rolled in from the distance like an ocean tide, carried by the wind.
And just like crashing waves, they slammed into the city's defensive barrier with tremendous force.
The barrier blocked the flames, but the heat wave pierced through. Just the breeze brushing against one's skin was enough to cause stinging pain.
The soldiers on the city walls were horrified.
As mere mortals, none of them had ever experienced anything like this—even in nightmares.
Only their grueling training kept their hands steady on their weapons, allowing them to remain at their posts.
Seeing the fear on their faces, an officer shouted:
"Hold the line!. Don't be afraid!. That barrier is strong—normal attacks can't break through it. We've already sent a distress signal to nearby cities. We just need to hang on…"
He tried to rally their spirits, to keep them focused on the fight.
But before he could finish speaking, his eyes widened in horror.
The barrier protecting the city—until now resisting the flames—began to rapidly fade like diluted ink.
'What's happening? Wasn't there still a ton of energy left in the reserves?'
He didn't have time to make sense of it.
Instinct and survival kicked in, and he began to retreat—
But the flames were faster.
The moment the barrier vanished, the inferno came crashing down like a tidal wave, engulfing him and the soldiers nearby in an instant.
And it didn't stop.
It continued to spread, surging toward the inner parts of the city.
The moment the flames broke through, countless residents screamed in terror and ran blindly toward the city's center.
Many people—who had no idea what was going on—panicked at the sight and started running too, even if they didn't know why.
Like a flock of sheep sensing a wolf, they ran in chaos, directionless and desperate.
Those who had some will to fight began doubting themselves after seeing the panic of the crowd.
Their resolve crumbled.
Like a landslide in defeat.
One man breaks, and everyone follows.
Fear spread like wildfire.
There was no turning things around anymore.
__
T/N:
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