Staring at the now-silent Golarial in front of him, Orsaga reached out, gently pinching her smooth chin as he looked calmly into her eyes.
"You don't really need me to say it. You already know deep down… this world is beyond saving."
"Unlike those narrow-minded commoners…
Someone like you, with your status, has access to far more information than they do. You should understand the severity of the situation better than anyone."
"Countless nations have already fallen. A quarter of the gods who once reigned above the skies are dead. Meanwhile, the assault from the Abyss is fiercer than ever. With the balance tipping this heavily… the outcome is all but set in stone."
"..."
Golarial opened her mouth under his gaze, but in the end, said nothing.
She knew Orsaga wasn't the type to lie about something like this. If he claimed the world of Myling was unsalvageable, then he truly believed it.
"Is there really no hope at all?"
The silence was broken by a clear, elegant voice that echoed through the room.
It was Alison.
She had already been in the room before the conversation began.
The original plan had been for her and Golarial to go support one of the remaining nations, so she had come looking for Golarial to discuss their next moves. She hadn't expected to arrive at just the right moment—hearing everything.
Like Golarial, Alison had long suspected Orsaga's identity. She had even tried—more than once—to secretly persuade Golarial to sever ties with him. But she had never succeeded.
And later, seeing that Orsaga hadn't caused any real trouble, she had silently accepted his presence.
Now, unlike Golarial, who had fallen into despair and silence, Alison still hadn't given up hope.
She went straight to the heart of the matter.
Yes, asking a demon how to fend off an Abyssal invasion sounded like asking the wolf how to guard the sheep—an invitation to disaster.
But she understood Orsaga's nature. If he was willing to answer at all, then he wouldn't lie or toss out some perfunctory excuse.
And sure enough, Orsaga didn't hide anything. He replied plainly,
"There's no such thing as absolute certainty. So yes, technically, there is a way. But the chances of success are close to zero."
"The most realistic option is to contact other high-tier worlds—offer them whatever you can, and ask for their aid."
"But even putting aside the issue of how to make contact, the demonic blockade surrounding this world is a huge problem in itself."
"Normal communication methods can't get past them."
"And even if you do make contact—what do you have to offer that would make anyone help you?"
"You're up against an Demon Lord. Provoking someone like that is a disaster in the making. I doubt your world can afford that kind of price."
Alison shook her head in disagreement. "How would we know unless we try?"
Her eyes lit up slightly as she looked toward Orsaga. "Do you know a way to bypass that blockade?"
"If you can tell me, I'll find a way to repay you with something of equal value."
That was, without a doubt, asking Orsaga to sell out his own kind for a reward.
After all, she knew all too well how "united" demons were.
But Orsaga refused without hesitation. "No."
Don't get him wrong—it wasn't that he didn't want to sell out Ignarok and the others for a profit.
If not for a binding Abyssal contract with specific clauses that prevented him from causing trouble…
He'd have sold Ignarok out in a heartbeat, even if there were no rewards. He'd even pay to do it, just for the fun of it.
He was a demon, after all. Betraying teammates was practically tradition.
Though he did feel a bit regretful over the lost opportunity—both for the missed rewards and the rare chance to sell out an Demon Lord.
Seeing the disappointment on Golarial and Alison's faces, he adjusted his tone slightly and explained,
"I can give you a general idea, but I can't share any specifics."
Alison didn't question that answer at all—she accepted it outright.
After all, that was likely the only kind of reason that could stop a demon from backstabbing another demon. In nearly two hundred years of conflict, not one had ratted out Ignarok to the Myling world.
So she changed her question.
"Then do you think, assuming the current situation holds steady, that it's possible to wear down the Demon Lord until he withdraws?"
Orsaga could only scratch his head helplessly at that.
That kind of question could only come from someone who had no idea what the Abyss actually was.
Generally speaking, the only ways to repel an Demon Lord were either to intimidate him early on with overwhelming force—or have multiple worlds band together and fight him off.
Trying to wear one down with the strength of a single world?
Not impossible, technically. But the odds were so abyssal they'd make you cry. Especially once an Demon Lord starts enjoying the invasion.
"You guys might not fully understand what the title 'Demon Lord' really means," Orsaga explained. "It's not just a title of respect. It's a Rank. And it also signifies control over a layer of the Abyss."
Alison frowned. "And?"
She had once heard a demon mention that the Abyss had many layers, but never learned much beyond that.
Orsaga stroked his chin and asked, "It's been 194 years since the Abyssal invasion began. Has anyone ever calculated how many demons have died on this world?"
Alison thought for a moment, then replied,
"A few years ago, some scholars compiled rough estimates based on various records. They calculated that about 75 billion demons have died in our world. More than half of those were probably killed by other demons."
Honestly, that number—if you were talking about ordinary creatures—wasn't all that much.
Not for the [Myling Plane – Prime Material World], a world whose surface area far exceeded that of the sun's surface from Orsaga's last life.
But the problem was… the Abyss didn't have ordinary creatures.
Every living thing in the Abyss was supernatural, steeped in magic.
Even the lowest, most useless demon—practically walking meat for others—could easily overturn a wagon and rip tigers or wolves apart.
And a step above them, the [Lesser Demons], had bodies covered in scales tougher than steel, regenerative powers, and could cast spells or use innate abilities. One of them alone could slaughter hundreds of elite mortal troops.
Then there were the [Minor-Rank Demons], [High-Rank Demons], [Greater-Rank Demons]…
You could imagine what 75 billion of those creatures were capable of.
Most worlds wouldn't survive even a fraction of that.
As for Orsaga—he didn't feel the slightest sorrow over that number. If anything, he felt a bit cheated.
He hadn't gotten to kill them himself.
If he had, he might've earned enough evolution points to ascend to Demon Lord himself.
'Billions in missed profit. What a tragedy.'
Suppressing those greedy daydreams, he asked a follow-up:
"Alright then. Would you say that number is a lot… or a little?"
Thinking of the sheer damage demons had inflicted on her world, Alison answered without hesitation:
"Obviously, it's a lot!"
Orsaga nodded—and dropped the real truth bomb:
"When Abyssal creatures enter a world, they first have to pass through the interception of the outer gods. The majority of demons are actually killed before they even reach this land. So the number that have died on your soil—that 75 billion? The real death toll is at least three to five times that."
"But even that number isn't much from an Demon Lord's perspective. That's barely a scouting force."
"Take the [Lava Wastelands], the layer of the Abyss currently invading your world, ruled by the demon lord Ignarok."
"That layer sees over a trillion internal deaths per year, just from demons killing each other. Because in the Abyss… demons are food for other demons."
"That should give you an idea of how vast that layer's population is."
"With that kind of numbers at his back, the lord of the [Lava Wastelands] doesn't need to worry about troops. He's got more soldiers than there are pebbles on a beach."
At this point, looking at the pale faces of both Golarial and Alison, Orsaga added one final jab:
"So yeah. Your whole 'attrition strategy' isn't realistic. Unless you plan to bankrupt him with teleportation array fees, that is. Those things are pretty expensive. Might hurt his feelings a little."
That last bit was technically true, but the way Orsaga said it made both women feel deeply uncomfortable.
Demons were worthless. Travel expenses were more valuable than lives.
And the crushing realization that all their years of resistance didn't even amount to one-tenth of the demons' natural losses left both Alison and Golarial feeling a bone-deep despair.
The kind of hopelessness that makes all struggle feel meaningless.
Watching their shattered expressions, Orsaga only shrugged.
"You don't have to despair too much. I won't make any big promises, but saving you two is well within my power."
That brought a spark of light back to Alison's eyes. "Then… is there a way to save more people?"
Orsaga looked at her—and didn't disappoint. He answered calmly,
"There is. Take their souls, and reconstruct their bodies in the Abyss."
This little trick of "sneaking souls out the back door" wasn't particularly difficult for someone like him. The only real hassle was building new vessels.
After all, while other worlds might reject outsiders, the Abyss didn't. It welcomed everyone.
Of course, that didn't mean people wanted to go there.
The Abyss's infamy wasn't just for show.
For most folks, even a barren, dangerous alternate world was better than ending up in the Abyss. At least it was safer.
____
T/N:
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