Staring at the man in front of him, Orsaga grinned and said:
"I need you to perform a special ritual for me. In exchange, I'll protect human civilization—for a time."
The man frowned slightly and responded bluntly:
"Let's set aside whether you'd actually keep that promise.
Even at your current level of power, you're not much stronger than I am. Maybe a bit—but nothing game-changing. Your so-called protection doesn't mean much."
Yes, he was willing to admit Orsaga might outmatch him slightly. But only slightly—and certainly not enough to take seriously as a protector of an entire civilization.
Unbothered by the dismissal, Orsaga nodded calmly:
"You're not wrong. But the proposal isn't for right now.
Give it time. My strength is on the verge of a qualitative breakthrough. Once I evolve further, you can reconsider. Besides—I'm open to business. Scientific knowledge, cultivation techniques, supernatural systems… I can trade them all. There might be room for collaboration between us."
Scientific knowledge? Cultivation techniques?
Hearing that, the man's thoughts stirred. He glanced toward the direction of Mars, but didn't immediately respond.
He needed more time to think.
Seeing an opening, Orsaga gestured toward himself.
"Oh, and I never introduced myself properly. You can call me Orsaga—an Abyssal Demon from another dimension."
Other dimension? Abyssal Demon?
Those words struck a chord—far too familiar to be ignored.
The man's gaze turned strange.
He recalled how, long ago, someone had created a religious system based on his existence—calling him "God."
He hadn't been thrilled about it at the time, but since he had been experimenting with religion as a method to guide humanity, he'd let it slide and used it to his advantage.
However, as time passed, he realized religious systems inevitably bred corruption. Eventually, he abandoned the concept entirely—sparking a cultural renaissance and pushing society toward scientific progress.
As for the demons described in holy texts?
They were modeled after the Warp demons he had long fought to contain.
And now, standing before a so-called "Abyssal Demon," his feelings were… complicated.
'What now—are we gathering every kind of demon for a reunion?'
After a moment of thought, the man finally spoke:
"You can call me Mara. Or just 'Ra.'"
The latter being the name of the supreme deity in Egyptian mythology.
Not just Christianity—countless mythologies, legends, and stories had been inspired by his actions. Most of them were simply humans witnessing his power and spinning their own versions of it.
With that, he turned and walked away.
Truth be told, he didn't think there was much of a future for collaboration between them.
That bit about Orsaga "evolving into something greater" later? It sounded too much like empty bluster.
Still, Orsaga didn't press. He simply watched the man disappear into the distance.
Then, glancing at the lingering spatial traces left behind, he looked toward the hidden pocket dimension connected to this world—and whistled.
His lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"I like this dimension."
The moment he laid eyes on that warped subspace, Orsaga knew—this was his kind of place.
What started as a casual visit had just taken a sharp turn.
He was already approaching the threshold of becoming a Archdemon.
Soon, he'd ascend into a Archdemon.
And once that happened, he'd need to start planning his rise to Demon Lord.
One of the prerequisites?
Owning a layer of the Abyss.
You could either seize a claimed layer by killing its current lord, conquer an unclaimed one, or build your own from scratch.
Originally, Orsaga hadn't given it much thought—those goals still felt far off.
But the moment he sensed that unique subspace, an instinctual urge overtook him.
To destroy it.
To ruin this world.
To reshape their remains into the foundation of his own domain.
'This... this would be the perfect place for my Abyss.'
He didn't need proof. He didn't need to investigate.
He just knew.
After standing silently for a few moments, Orsaga licked his lips.
A glint of excitement lit up his eyes.
"No rush... take it slow. A hundred years… a thousand… ten thousand. I've got time."
As a being born with immortality, patience came naturally to him.
"I just need to find a way to get my true body into this world—legally. Otherwise, there'll be too many restrictions."
And he already had a rough plan forming in his mind.
Mara was the key.
In countless mythologies, similar stories appear:
A nobody releases an ancient evil due to selfish desires, triggering catastrophe. Later, after much suffering and reflection, he rises against all odds and defeats the very evil he unleashed—saving the world.
But think about it—how could an ordinary person pull that off?
How could someone unleash such danger… then miraculously find the strength to undo it?
Redemption arcs don't explain away impossible gaps in power.
Unless…
They're the Chosen One.
The truth is, every dimension has its "main characters."
Chosen individuals blessed with overwhelming fortune and cosmic favor. Until they fulfill their destiny, they are protected by absurd levels of luck and survivability.
As an Abyssal Demon, Orsaga possessed a special ability:
At close range, he could sense who the protagonists of a given time and place were.
They didn't need to be all-powerful. They didn't even have to be the only protagonist—just someone important enough to shape an era.
An orphan who becomes the richest man in the world…
A beggar who finds a martial arts manual in the trash and becomes invincible…
Every era has its Chosen.
They're born different—carrying fate, luck, and narrative weight.
Now, technically, anyone can perform a summoning ritual to bring a demon into their world.
In those cases, the world's natural defenses might not expel the demon immediately…
But it would still heavily suppress and restrict them.
However—
If the one performing the summoning is a Chosen One, blessed with great destiny…
Then the demon receives preferential treatment.
Restrictions ease.
Power suppression drops.
You don't need the ultimate protagonist—just someone important enough to change the game.
That's why many Abyssal Demons, when trying to sneak into another world, seek out individuals with powerful fate signatures and try to manipulate them into performing the summoning ritual.
It's a shortcut—a way to bypass the world's natural resistance.
Of course, this comes with risks.
Sometimes, the world fights back.
If the summoned demon goes too far, the world's will might awaken the Chosen One's latent potential—twisting fate to force them to clean up the mess they created.
Thus, many great evils and their vanquishers…
Are actually the same person.
And Mara?
Mara was Orsaga's chosen protagonist.
He didn't know exactly what Mara's backstory was, or what his life path would be.
But he could sense it.
A dense, unmistakable aura of fate surrounded the man.
Even if he wasn't the supreme protagonist of this world, he was definitely one of the key figures of his era.
If Orsaga could manipulate Mara into summoning him directly...
His future plans would become much easier to execute.