Golarial and Alison watched the group of demons flee without even daring to look back.
A trace of confusion flashed across their faces.
They didn't understand what Orsaga was up to.
From what they knew of him, no one who fell into Orsaga's hands ever got away intact.
If you weren't dead, you were better off that way.
Those were the two outcomes—randomly selected based on his mood.
And among them, death was usually the better option.
They had both witnessed some of Orsaga's methods before—and once was more than enough. Neither of them ever wanted to see such things again.
His techniques pushed the very limits of physical and psychological endurance.
As the wielder of the Authority of Agony, Orsaga's methods of torture were utterly unmatched. As long as you were a sentient being, even a robot or someone in a vegetative state, you'd end up screaming for mercy.
One taste of it, and the memory would haunt you for life—even if you got dementia, that trauma would remain crystal clear.
As a side note, mastering the Authority of Agony came with its own cost.
It wasn't just about inflicting pain—he also had to experience it himself.
Many of his "techniques" had first been tested on his own body.
Skinning, gouging out eyes, gutting—those were just the basics.
And whenever he absorbed pain-based energy, he'd passively feel the torment of his victims himself.
Due to the nature of the Authority, he could never become desensitized to pain.
In a twisted sense, whenever he hurt someone else, he felt the same agony.
If necessary, he could even synchronize the physical injuries—meaning their wounds became his wounds.
It was like attacking the enemy… while wearing their pain as your armor.
Without his Unholy Wraith Body regeneration ability—which allowed near-infinite healing as long as certain conditions were met—he would've long ago become a pile of mangled flesh.
Even so, the psychological toll had left deep scars.
It was one of the reasons his mind often veered off into abnormal territory.
The price of power.
Even with the support of his evolution system, some costs couldn't be avoided.
After all, how could one master pain without understanding it firsthand?
Greed-based Authorities make their wielders obsessively greedy.
Lust-based ones create warped, insatiable degenerates.
Wrath-based wielders become explosive lunatics…
And those with the Authority of Agony?
They become walking embodiments of torment—forced to endure all kinds of agony.
Now throw in the inherently chaotic nature of demons…
And it was no wonder Orsaga's sanity was so flexible.
Actually, scratch that—even ghosts wouldn't want to be near his mind.
After all, his personal thermos, "Eternal Agony," was filled with the souls of creatures he'd tortured into madness.
Seeing the confusion in Golarial and Alison's eyes, Orsaga casually explained:
"Just sacrifices. Don't overthink it."
Before they could even ask what that meant, he led them into the building.
---
Upon entering, they were immediately greeted by an endless flow of foot traffic.
A chaotic mess of countless species, all vastly different in form and appearance.
Even the sheer mix of languages—some of which were high-frequency or ultrasonic—created a wall of noise that bordered on physical discomfort.
Golarial and Alison, both with sensitive hearing, took a moment to adjust—ears ringing from the cacophony.
Orsaga, however, remained perfectly calm. His adaptive physiology had already tuned out the noise effortlessly.
That was when a seductive, honeyed voice rang out beside them.
"Welcome. Are you looking to travel to another layer of the Abyss?"
The speaker was a harpy—a two-meter-tall creature standing upright on birdlike talons.
Her upper body was mostly humanoid, with avian features, and she was strikingly beautiful by Abyssal standards.
Her feathers shimmered with a metallic sheen—clearly well-maintained.
She glanced at Orsaga and his companions with curious interest.
'What an odd group. A humanoid greater-level flame demon and his two "portable food rations"?'
That was her initial guess.
Orsaga didn't acknowledge her probing gaze. Instead, he glanced at the badge pinned to her chest—recognizing her as official staff.
So he answered plainly, "The three of us are headed to Layer 7,358,475—Eternal Obelisk Tower."
"Understood. Please wait a moment while I check the fare."
The harpy waved her hand, and a holographic interface materialized in front of her.
A moment later, she replied, "Three tickets will cost 3,500 blood-gold coins."
It wasn't a small amount.
For context, most High-Rank demons weren't even worth that much alive.
And yet, by Abyssal standards, High-Rank demons were considered average.
But what kind of demon was Orsaga?
The kind who started his empire by looting everything in sight and never treated money as real currency.
So without a second thought, he nodded. "Fine. Lead the way."
After all, he built his fortune from zero.
Spending was never an issue—he could always steal more.
Stability through robbery.
The harpy's eyes lit up like stars.
With a flirtatious smile and a wink, she purred, "So generous~ If you've got time later, why don't we meet up for a little… conversation?"
She didn't spare a thought for Golarial or Alison, who were clearly unhappy with her behavior.
But with years of experience under her belt, she had already mastered the art of survival and seduction.
And she could see it clearly:
Orsaga was the one in charge.
The other two? Decorations at best.
Her instincts were spot-on. She instantly outclassed Golarial and Alison in the social combat department—a tactical annihilation.
And just as she expected, despite Golarial's growing irritation, neither of them said anything.
They were clearly pissed, but they held their tongues.
Orsaga, on the other hand, remained relaxed and direct.
Glancing at the birdlike lower half of her body, he asked, "Can you shapeshift?"
She covered her mouth and giggled seductively.
"Of course~ But maybe you should try me in this form first. Who knows? You might find it's even better~"
"Hmm…"
Orsaga stroked his chin thoughtfully, then nodded.
"Alright. Can't say I dislike the current model."
To be fair, by Abyssal standards, she was attractive.
And Orsaga wasn't the type to get hung up on details.
He was a well-practiced connoisseur, after all.
His face and demeanor remained perfectly calm—the very picture of shameless composure.
The whole exchange made Golarial grind her teeth.
She wanted to pull out her bow and put an arrow right through the harpy's smug face.
As for Orsaga?
Don't misunderstand—
It's not that she didn't want to shoot him.
She just knew she couldn't.
With his defense… she probably couldn't even scratch his cornea.
---
After handing over the payment, Orsaga stepped into the teleportation circle with the others.
The harpy waved cheerfully from outside.
"Don't forget~ Come see me when you get back!"
She even threw Golarial a mocking, openly provocative look.
And then, with a flash of light—
The three of them vanished.
___
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