Chapter Summaries

The Psionic Council approved a plan to intensify the war with the Wizarding World, even at the cost of sacrificing Soldiers. On the battlefield, Orsaga sensed danger as mechanical insects began consuming everything from a Jianser warship, and he vanished before the Wizarding World’s retaliation arrived.

• A councilor reported that Wutoma Ge's Wall blocked Jianser infiltration and that attempts to brainwash wizards had failed.
• The war commander said the Jianser Civilization’s estimated chance of victory was 71.58% and proposed escalating the war to keep Soldiers vigilant and build public hostility toward outsiders.
• The Psionic Council unanimously approved the commander’s proposal, and he anticipated gaining greater authority.
• Orsaga sensed danger while scavenging and traced its source to a Jianser warship.
• A swarm of mechanical insects spread across the battlefield, consuming matter and energy, including souls, and multiplying into a cloud of silver mist.
• Orsaga vanished, expecting the Wizarding World to retaliate.

The Wizarding World countered the Jianser Civilization’s mechanical insect swarm with a hidden Star of Alsop weapon that crushed the machines and a nearby enemy spacecraft. As the Jianser forces retreated, Hewlett held position while Orsaga lamented that the fighting would leave him fewer chances to scavenge souls.

• The Wizarding World unleashed a corrosive mist against the mechanical insects, but the swarm absorbed its energy and overwhelmed it.
• Hewlett Holz activated a concealed Star of Alsop weapon that crushed the insects into powder with an invisible force.
• An unknown attack compressed a nearby Jianser spacecraft and its Soldiers, prompting the Jianser commander to order the warships to retreat.
• Orsaga identified space and pressure as the likely basis of the attack and worried that the battle would reduce his chances to scavenge souls.
• Hewlett refused to occupy the territory the Jianser forces had yielded and ordered his forces to treat surviving Magic Beasts.

Hullet Holz prepared for the Jianser Civilization’s renewed assault, while Saya and Char fought on the front lines and worried about their mortal families. At Silent Heart Academy, Orsaga opened a soul-payment wish shop after battlefield security ended his scavenging business.

• Hullet Holz reported that the war might escalate, then meditated to remain ready for battle.
• The Jianser Civilization’s fleet returned with heavy firepower and new attacks, and Saya and Char watched the barrage while discussing their parents and the war’s likely duration.
• Orsaga decided against looting because it would attract Hate Grabbing and instead chose to use a Demon’s old trade.
• Orsaga hung a sign for the Demon Brand Wish Shop, offering services and goods in exchange for souls near a busy academy entrance.

Hart entered the Sea of Death Flowers to seek its guardian, Orsaga, and asked him to improve his Grade 5 wizard aptitude. Orsaga agreed to grant Hart’s wish but began discussing the fee, leaving Hart afraid he was about to be fleeced.

• Hart entered the Sea of Death Flowers despite knowing its guardian was a powerful and dangerous being.
• Hart followed an instinctive path through the flowers and reached the enormous blossom where Orsaga waited.
• Orsaga’s Weakling Repellent nearly made Hart faint, so Orsaga switched it off and ordered him to state his wish.
• Hart asked Orsaga to give him better wizard aptitude so he could become a powerful wizard.
• Orsaga said he could fulfill Hart’s wish and began discussing the fee, making Hart worry about the cost.

Orsaga altered Hart’s body to grant him the aptitude he had requested, using plague energy to reshape him after Hart signed a harsh Abyssal Contract. Hart left stronger but bound to deliver sacrifices for fifty years or forfeit his soul, while Orsaga expected to profit either way.

• Orsaga drafted a lengthy Abyssal Contract, and Hart signed it to receive the promised improvement to his aptitude.
• Orsaga used the plague energy in Hart’s body to activate latent genes and construct a biological energy Crucible, causing Hart intense pain as his body changed.
• After the alterations, Hart discovered that he was stronger and that energy circulated through his body more efficiently.
• Orsaga ordered Hart to leave and reflected that the contract required him to provide sacrifices equal to three hundred Level 2 Magic Beast souls over fifty years or surrender his own soul.
• Hart left uncertain whether to celebrate his improved aptitude or regret the contract, unaware that Orsaga regarded him as an investment to exploit or recycle.

Ten years into the war, Jianser Civilization debated using the Heart of Jianser, a weapon that could overwrite an enemy’s ideology, against the Wizarding World commander. After the weapon struck his Star of Alsop, dozens of nearby Stars of Alsop attacked it, leaving the Jianser commander unsure whether the target had survived.

• Jianser Civilization's commander studied intelligence locating the Wizard Civilization commander and requested a Psionic Council meeting to decide whether to use the Heart of Jianser.
• The Councilors debated the risks, then voted overwhelmingly in favor of deploying the weapon.
• Jianser's commander activated the Heart of Jianser, releasing the combined thoughts and ideals of trillions of Jianser people toward the commander's Star of Alsop.
• Dozens of surrounding Stars of Alsop suddenly attacked the targeted star, and Jianser Civilization's commander realized their operation had been exposed.

Delta revived after his apparent death and concluded that an area-wide attack had overwhelmed him and the wizards on the Star of Alsop. The Wizarding World’s council withheld Karlu's Hate for now but approved increased intelligence gathering, preparations to awaken the progenitors, and an assault on the Jianser Civilization’s homeland.

• Delta emerged from his coffin on a fog-shrouded island, absorbed energy to restore his body, and found that he had no memory of the events leading to his death.
• Delta reviewed recordings of his final moments and told the council that an unseen area-wide attack had forced him to self-destruct and activate the Soul Return Technique.
• The council considered using Karlu's Hate, but Delta urged them to gather more information before deploying the weapon.
• The council approved increased intelligence gathering and preparations to awaken the progenitors, and proposed compensating Delta with two trillion Jianser Civilization inhabitants after its conquest.
• The Vice Speaker argued that the Wizarding World should strike first, and the council approved an attack on the Jianser Civilization’s homeland.

The Wizarding World invaded Jianser World and used Black Mist to corrode a patch of space, leaving Jianser’s leaders puzzled about their purpose. Forty years later, Orsaga treated Saya by activating an implanted bloodline, curing him but changing his sex, and teleported him and Char away.

• The Wizarding World tore open Jianser World’s barrier and declared war as its forces attacked the three invading wizards.
• The wizards transformed into black spheres and released Black Mist that corrupted space and harmed Jianser’s Psionics when they tried to intervene.
• Jianser’s forces used Galenel’s Blade to cut away the corrupted space, while their commander wondered why the Wizarding World had targeted it.
• Char brought the unconscious Saya to Orsaga and agreed to pay five thousand five hundred Level 2 Magic Beast souls for treatment.
• Orsaga detected Saya’s implanted bloodline, activated it to heal him, and changed his sex in the process.
• Orsaga teleported Char and the sleeping Saya away, and Char eventually wondered whether Saya’s new sex might not matter to his strength.

After his contract ended, Orsaga returned to the Bottomless Abyss and indulged in its violence before revisiting Grig Tavern. He left the tavern reduced to ruins after killing Grig, lamenting that the Succubus he had once known was already dead.

• Orsaga refused Hawthorne’s proposal and returned to the Bottomless Abyss when his contract expired.
• Orsaga kicked a passing Demon apart, then gave a Soul Awakening Potion to an Abyss Dwarf and incited the nearby Demonic Beasts to fight over it.
• Orsaga visited Grig Tavern and revealed his true form to the bartender Grig, who recognized him and realized how much stronger he had become.
• Orsaga attacked Grig, crushed his head, and burned the tavern and everyone inside it to crystalline slag.
• Orsaga walked away from the ruins and lamented that the Succubus was already dead.

Orsaga considered joining a planar war against the Miling World and used a passerby’s teeth to decide by odd or even. After choosing to go, he obtained a teleportation contract at the recruitment site.

• Orsaga read a notice recruiting wild Demons for Lord Karto’s war against the Miling World and weighed the payment options.
• Orsaga grabbed a passerby and knocked out all his teeth to count them, got an odd number, and decided to join the war.
• Orsaga reached the recruitment site, where he found a room strewn with body parts and met a fatty eating barbecue.
• The fatty gave Orsaga an Abyssal Contract that let him activate a teleportation tool and enter the war.

Orsaga sought information about the Miling World so he could prepare before going there. He bought a stored intelligence orb from a wary shopkeeper and left without incident.

• Orsaga decided to gather intelligence about the Miling World and its power system before making preparations.
• Orsaga visited an intelligence shop and asked the shopkeeper for information about the Miling World.
• The shopkeeper nervously quoted a price of three hundred Black Silver coins, and Orsaga paid it without hesitation.
• The shopkeeper gave Orsaga a light orb containing the information and explained how to absorb it.
• Orsaga thanked the shopkeeper and left, while the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to close for the day.

Orsaga studied intelligence about the Miling World, prepared for his departure, and used an item to travel through the city’s blockades. He arrived among a vast horde of Demonic Beasts and followed a token toward an ongoing troop transfer.

• Orsaga read a report about the Miling World, treated it as only partly trustworthy, and considered testing his strength against its gods.
• Orsaga ordered a feast at his hotel and ate the food brought by the staff.
• Three days later, Orsaga gathered enough souls and activated an item that carried him through the city’s barriers toward the Miling World.
• Orsaga arrived in the Material Plane amid countless Demonic Beasts and sensed that a large troop transfer was underway.
• Orsaga controlled a nearby Lesser Demon to use as a mount and followed the token toward the teleportation fluctuations, abandoning the thought of harvesting the horde.

Orsaga reached the teleportation site in the Bottomless Abyss, registered for the invasion of the Miling World, and joined the Demonic Beasts sent through the portal. As the forces of Demon Lord Karto forced them through a golden barrier, Orsaga witnessed a clash between Karto’s power and the barrier’s defender.

• Orsaga arrived at the massive portal and handed the Six-armed Snake Demon his token and ten Soul Crystals to register for teleportation.
• The Six-armed Snake Demon told Orsaga to wait with the Middle Demons and Upper Demons until the group was ready to enter the Miling World.
• When the portal opened, Orsaga joined the Demonic Beasts and experienced their transformation into Information Streams during transit.
• Orsaga saw an enormous golden barrier marked by Black Mist and sensed the power of Demon Lord Karto.
• Black flames tore open a tiny crack in the barrier, but a colossal golden hand tried to crush the incoming forces.
• Black flames shielded Orsaga and the others and pushed them through the barrier before the golden hand and flames dissipated.

Orsaga and the surviving Demonic Beasts crossed into the Abyss-tainted region, where much of their suppressed power began returning. After landing at a camp run by Lord Karto’s Demon Legion, Orsaga rejected the offer to join its unit and set off alone.

• Orsaga saw that only about a third of the Demonic Beasts had survived the passage and inferred that the world’s strongest natives were holding Demon Lord Karto’s forces back above the sky.
• Orsaga and the others entered the blood-red-clouded Abyss region, where the world’s suppression weakened and their Teleportation Spell began to fail.
• Orsaga landed hard, then kicked several falling Demonic Beasts away and killed them before noticing a nearby camp.
• An eagle-headed demon in Lord Karto’s Demon Legion offered the arrivals a choice between joining its unit or going alone under the contract’s terms.
• Orsaga chose to go alone, while the demons who stayed were told to enter the camp and recover their suppressed power.

Orsaga surveyed the devastation around him and found a city destroyed by a Pollution Ritual. He used his Pain talent to absorb the lingering suffering and memories of the dead, learning that the method might reveal useful information in the future, though its intensity overwhelmed him.

• Orsaga flew away from the Demons and surveyed the ruined city, finding it nearly flattened and devoid of survivors.
• Orsaga examined a colossal tower built from skulls and identified the ruins as the result of a Pollution Ritual.
• Orsaga activated his Pain talent on the tower to absorb the suffering and fragmented memories left by the dead.
• Orsaga cut off the ability when the pain of hundreds of thousands of people surged into him and caused his body to spasm and grow numb.
• Orsaga concluded that the memories could provide useful intelligence in places like the Bottomless Abyss once he grew strong enough to withstand them.

Orsaga watched the fortified line sealing in the Land of Pollution and planned to aid the Demons during their assault so he could fulfill his contract. A fellow Middle Demon named Harte recruited Orsaga into a mutual aid association of Demons, and Orsaga agreed to join.

• Orsaga judged that he could not approach the defensive line safely and planned to wait for the Demonic Beasts to attack it.
• Orsaga reasoned that helping the Demons breach the line could satisfy his Abyssal Contract, despite the Holy Spirits gathered among the defenders.
• A gaunt Middle Demon approached Orsaga and proposed forming a mutual aid association to protect Demons from one another.
• Harte told Orsaga that twenty Middle Demons had joined the association, and Orsaga accepted his invitation.
• Harte introduced himself, and Orsaga gave his name and agreed to work with him.

Orsaga joined Harte’s Peace Faction Demons at a venomous swamp base and got to know its eccentric residents. After three months, he had recovered nearly to his peak and learned that several of the Demons were either genuine idiots or elaborate schemers.

• Harte showed Orsaga the swamp he had chosen as the Demons’ camp, and Orsaga tested its venom by tossing in a stone.
• Harte introduced Orsaga to the other Peace Faction Demons living in an underground cave.
• Orsaga introduced himself as a mutated Flame Demon, and the Demons welcomed him as one of their own.
• Three months passed as Orsaga recovered quickly while the other Demons slowly regained their strength without sacrifices for blood rituals.
• Orsaga observed that roughly a third of the Demons seemed mentally unsound and two-thirds were schemers, including Drow and the many-headed giant.

Orsaga and the Demonic Beasts launched an attack on Henry Muer’s defensive sector after months of waiting in the swamp. As the Demon Tide reached the fortress, its defenses struck the advancing monsters, and Orsaga assessed whether he could withstand the attack.

• A mark from Karto signaled an assault, and Orsaga refused Harte’s suggestion to wait until the Demonic Beasts had recovered more strength.
• Orsaga led dozens of Demonic Beasts out of the swamp toward the defensive line.
• Henry Muer ordered his troops to activate the outer defenses and guard against an underground attack.
• The fortress fired a powerful beam across the Demon Tide, and a Hundred-armed Monster met it with a Snake Demon’s spinal column.
• The beam weakened the Hundred-armed Monster and broke many of its arms, but it regenerated them within minutes as Orsaga calculated whether he could endure the strike.

Orsaga studied the holy power in the defenders’ weapons as he approached the city wall, then faced an Orc warrior who attacked him with a rune-carved blade. He left the warrior stunned by removing his own head to evade a supposedly unavoidable strike.

• Orsaga examined the holy powder in a crossbow bolt and found its power too weak to threaten him or most high-level Demonic Beasts.
• As Orsaga neared the city wall, an Orc warrior ambushed him with a curved blade, but Orsaga dodged the strike.
• Orsaga identified the Orc’s many War Totems and asked whether he was Legendary Rank, but the Orc did not answer.
• The Orc attacked with a series of rune-enhanced slashes, and Orsaga evaded the supposedly unavoidable technique by taking off his own head.
• Orsaga bounced his head in his hand, remarked that the view was strange, and put it back on.

Orsaga survived the orc warrior’s strongest attack and was trapped underground by the old man’s Will of the Earth. He broke free, killed the old man, and called the fight a warm-up exercise as the orc escaped.

• Orsaga explained that his will-enhanced body could recover from ordinary physical injuries, and the orc warrior activated a backup measure rather than continue fighting.
• The old man emerged through a gate of light and used Will of the Earth to trap Orsaga beneath the combined weight of the soil in a two-thousand-meter radius.
• Orsaga lifted the massive earth hemisphere and punched through the force binding it together, scattering the land and injuring those above it.
• Orsaga crossed the battlefield at more than one hundred times the speed of sound and struck the old man, destroying him and the surrounding earth.
• The orc warrior teleported away, while Orsaga withdrew his fist and described the battle as a warm-up exercise.