ORT

Higashino Makoto stood on the edge of the fifth level of Mictlan, with a bottomless Abyss below.

In the distance, the sun, formed from the heart of ORT, hangs in the dome, radiating a warm light.

The dinosaurs moved through the city, their enormous bodies making dull thuds as they stepped on the stone slabs.

He looked down at the dinosaurs for a long time, then turned away.

"I've been watching it for three days now, and it's getting boring."

Utaha stood behind him, her black maid outfit fluttering gently in the wind.

She held a cup of hot tea in her hands, which she had brought from Novas Etier.

"Then let's go back?"

"Okay, you go back first."

Utaha's fingers paused on the rim of the teacup. She looked at him, her eyes devoid of emotion.

"You're about to make your move."

"Yes, it's inconvenient to bring you along. I'd be heartbroken if something happened to you."

Utaha was silent for a moment, then nodded. She put down her teacup and straightened her skirt.

"I'll be waiting for you in Novas Etier."

"Good."

Higashino Makoto sent Utaha back to the small world, then turned and walked back to the ninth floor of Mictlan.

The air here is dry, carrying a smell of sulfur and metal.

There was no sky overhead, only thick layers of rock, with some luminous minerals embedded in them, gleaming with a faint blue light in the darkness.

In the distance, the enormous crystal mountain range stretched across the horizon.

Its surface is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the surrounding darkness, like a polished mirror that is slowly breathing.

ORT lies dormant deep within those mountains.

Higashino Makoto walked in that direction.

The boots made a dull thud as they stepped on the dark red ground.

He stopped before the crystal mountain range; something was flowing beneath the smooth crystal surfaces.

Each pulse was accompanied by a faint tremor, emanating from the depths of the mountains, reaching the soles of his feet, and penetrating deep into his bones.

Without a doubt, ORT lies dormant here.

He raised his hand and unleashed the Demon King.

The Law Demon King, Eternal Miasma Prison.

The black laws surged from his palm and spread in all directions.

Wherever the law passed, the surface of the Crystal Mountain Range began to tremble.

Cracks appeared on the smooth crystals, extending deep into the crystals and spreading out like a spider web.

Then, the mountains awoke.

A huge crack appeared in the ground, and strange light poured out from it, illuminating the entire underground space.

The light was intense and scorching, like staring directly at the sun.

Higashino Makoto squinted at the crack, where something enormous was rising.

First came a limb, covered in dark red carapace, its surface shimmering with a fine sheen. Then came another limb.

Next was the torso, a massive, mountain-like torso.

ORT crawled completely out of the crack, allowing Higashino Makoto to see what it looked like.

Spider form. Eight segments, each resembling a moving tower.

Its body swayed slightly in the dark red light, each sway causing a subtle distortion in the surrounding space.

Its head has no real eyes, only a smooth, mirror-like surface that reflects Higashino Makoto's image.

Its body began to glow, and the light seeped out from the gaps in its carapace, spreading in all directions.

Wherever the light touched, the ground began to change.

Rocks turned into crystals, soil turned into crystals, and dust in the air began to solidify, turning into tiny, shimmering particles.

Crystal Ravine.

It is rewriting the laws, replacing the physical rules around it with another order.

The density of the air changed, the direction of gravity changed, and the flow of time also shifted slightly.

His body tilted slightly during that change, then he regained his balance.

The Law Demon King also possesses the power to alter the laws of nature.

It surged within him, clashing with the power of Crystal Ravine.

The two laws collided in the air, producing a deep hum.

The space around him returned to normal in an instant, then was eroded in an instant, then returned to normal, then was eroded again.

Higashino Makoto did not wait.

He raised his other hand.

The Death Demon King, the Altar of Extreme Death.

Black particles surged from his palm, like ashes scattered by the wind, drifting towards the ORT. The particles landed on the ORT's carapace, not lingering, but seeping directly into it.

ORT's body shuddered violently. All eight of its limbs contracted simultaneously, as if pierced by something. The expansion of Crystal Ravine also paused for a moment.

Higashino Makoto sensed that the concept of "death" had appeared in ORT.

It was very faint, like a lit match swaying in the gale, about to go out at any moment.

But it did exist.

If there's a health bar, things will be much easier.

If I remember correctly, it was originally impossible to kill; it could only be stopped by physical attacks.

In other words, physical attacks are more effective?

Calamity Torrent surged from his body, and crimson and black magic enveloped his entire being.

Instead of being released as a ranged attack as before, it adheres to the skin's surface, like a layer of flowing armor.

He clenched his fist and pushed off with his foot.

The ground exploded beneath his feet, and his body vanished from its original spot, reappearing in front of ORT.

He threw One Punch Man.

The fist, carrying Calamity Torrent, slammed into the ORT's carapace.

The sound was swallowed up the moment his fist touched the carapace; he only felt a violent shockwave travel up his arm, making his bones go numb.

A crack appeared on the shell.

It's very thin, as thin as a hair.

But ORT's body contracted once again.

Higashino Makoto didn't stop.

He charged forward again, throwing a second punch, then a third.

His fists rained down on the ORT's carapace, each blow carrying the corrosive force of Calamity Torrent.

The cracks are becoming more numerous and denser.

ORT's arthropods began to move, sweeping towards Higashino Makoto.

He did not dodge; his body was enveloped by the Calamity Torrent, and when the limbs struck him, most of the impact was neutralized by the Calamity Torrent.

He felt something hit his chest, very heavy, like being struck head-on by a mountain.

His body slid backward for more than ten meters before he regained his balance.

He shook his numb arm and looked at ORT.

It began to transform; its spider-like exoskeleton contracted, and its limbs folded inward, like a flower closing.

Its body is shrinking, compressed from the size of a mountain to only a few stories high.

Then, it unfolded. In disc form. A smooth, mirror-like disc hung in mid-air.

The surface shimmered with a fine, flowing light, and the erosion of Crystal Ravine accelerated dramatically.

Higashino Makoto's lips twitched slightly.

These multi-stage guys are a real pain.

Hmm, me too?

That's alright then.

He enveloped his entire body in the Calamity Torrent, replenishing what he had previously consumed, and then charged forward once more.

This time, he opened his palm, his fingertips gathering the "Void" of the Void Demon King, and reached out to grab the surface of the disc.

The disc is its true form!

The moment his fingertips touched the surface of the disc, he felt a burning pain, as if he were putting his hand into boiling water.

But the power of Void is indeed eroding it.

A small dent, like a crack, appeared on the surface of the disk.

ORT did not retreat; instead, its body began to rotate, and light burst forth from the surface of the disc, transforming into countless fine crystal spikes that shot towards Higashino Makoto.

Higashino Makoto raised his hand, Void Demon King unfolded a Void before him. The spikes struck the Void and melted away silently, like ice cubes falling into boiling water.

He continued charging forward, closing the distance between himself and ORT, each step cracking the ground beneath him.

He felt his magic power being rapidly depleted. Although the spikes were blocked by the Void, each block required a drain on his power.

His breathing became rapid, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He extended his other hand, palm facing the center of the disc.

Calamity Torrent erupted from his palm, like a giant red and black dragon, crashing against the surface of the disc.

The disk trembled violently under the impact, and several cracks appeared on its surface.

Then he heard a hoarse, broken hum, like countless sounds overlapping together.

A wide grin spread across his face, and then he charged forward again.