He took a deep breath.
Orsaga could clearly feel it—he was standing within the Abyss, surrounded by an indescribable sense of bliss.
Under the effect of his innate ability, [Self-Evolution – Malignant Armament], a massive surge of negative energy flowed automatically into his body, transforming into the very foundation of his growth.
In the Abyss, if there's one thing that exists in abundance, it's negative energy.
As its beneficiary, Orsaga was thoroughly enjoying the sensation—it felt like he was being endlessly nourished.
Just standing still, doing absolutely nothing, he could feel his power gradually increasing.
At this point, within the eight-ranked hierarchy of demons, Orsaga had already climbed into the upper half—standing firmly among the upper echelons of the demonic pyramid.
It could be said that he now had the qualifications to enter and exit the vast majority of regions within the Abyss.
Of course, "qualifications" didn't guarantee survival. Whether he could make it out alive... was another matter entirely.
After all, being an [Greater-Rank Demon] in the Abyss simply meant he now had basic security.
At this Rank, one wouldn't be instantly obliterated by the shockwaves of other demons' fights. One could also withstand most of the Abyss's hostile environments and wouldn't die an inexplicable death.
Still, if you were determined to court death, you could easily get yourself killed at lightspeed.
After a few seconds of adjusting to his new body—
Orsaga flexed the wings on his back, stretching them out casually.
He could feel every vein pulsing with power and could accurately compare his current strength with his pre-advancement stats, thanks to the meticulous records he had kept, allowing him to obtain a detailed readout of his combat capabilities.
Moments later, with a slight exertion from the eight wings behind him, Orsaga shot upward, bursting through over ten thousand meters of solid rock, emerging at the surface.
The sheer speed of his movement caused the layers of earth he passed through to ignite, the intense friction melting them into magma-like flows.
Floating mid-air, he scanned his surroundings.
Within moments, the landscape within tens of thousands of miles came clearly into view.
Eventually, he locked onto a target—a [Greater RankDemon]-class creature.
Judging from the powerful aura emanating from the target's body, it was clearly a high-caliber existence among greater rank Demons—definitely an elite of its Rank.
Sensing Orsaga's unrestrained, malicious gaze, the demon reacted swiftly.
Their eyes met—staring across a distance of over ten thousand kilometers.
No words. No hesitation.
Once the demon confirmed Orsaga's killing intent, it struck first without delay.
Dozens of deep green beams of toxic energy shot forth at near light-speed, slamming into Orsaga before he could even think to dodge.
Yet those rays, capable of melting stone, metal, flesh, and even souls, did no real harm. They left only faint marks on his armor before vanishing like stones sinking into water.
Even those superficial scratches were instantly repaired by the armor's auto-recovery function, leaving no trace behind.
At the same time, in response to the enemy's aggression, the eight wings on Orsaga's back surged with force. His figure, wrapped in a storm-like aura, began charging at the opponent with blinding speed.
The violent winds he stirred up triggered a full-blown hurricane.
Anything in his path—whether demon or beast—was caught in indiscriminate destruction.
Even colossal mountain peaks, towering like sky pillars, were pierced clean through, his body carving massive tunnels straight through their midsections.
The other demon didn't shrink back in the face of this brute force assault.
Its form morphed into a mass of emerald energy and surged forward in a direct counterattack!
When the two collided, a semi-transparent shockwave burst out from the impact, carrying the force of their clash and clearing the area into a temporary vacuum.
At these blazing speeds, the two fighters unleashed a flurry of spells and combat techniques.
Orsaga's eight wings, after a brief adjustment period, quickly adapted to the rhythm of battle. Like eight long blades, they coordinated with his hands and tail to constantly strike against the spikes, whips, and blades formed by the other demon's energy body.
Both were masters of unarmed combat—their very bodies were the ultimate weapons!
Orsaga's fighting style was forged from inherited memories, knowledge spanning multiple worlds, and the experiences of countless lifeforms he had defeated. The result was a level of combat mastery far beyond the comprehension of mortals.
Yet even with all that, he couldn't gain an edge over this opponent.
Because his adversary had lived for untold eons—battling as naturally as breathing.
After countless wars, coupled with demons' innate ability to absorb memories, this demon had accumulated a staggering array of martial techniques. It even possessed something akin to "Combat Intuition", allowing it to effortlessly determine the most optimal attack or defense.
Honestly, if it weren't for Orsaga's innate abilities drastically boosting his comprehension and learning of combat—granting him abilities that bordered on the supernatural—he'd already be on the losing end of this duel.
The reality was clear: their difference lay in experience.
His opponent was a time-hardened veteran.
Orsaga was rising too fast—his foundation hadn't fully caught up yet.
In this high-speed clash, Orsaga's hyper-enhanced body—reinforced through countless upgrades and strong enough to tank planetary explosions—
Faced off against a lifeform that could convert its body into pure energy, dodging most attacks through speed and intangibility.
Neither side could land a decisive blow in the early exchanges.
But after hundreds of back-and-forth clashes, Orsaga's unique talents began to shine.
As his abilities rapidly cycled in real time, he captured extremely subtle patterns in the enemy's movements—key data, invisible to others.
Weaknesses. Gaps. Oversights.
They began to reveal themselves.
In the second of their fight, after thousands of exchanges, Orsaga—who had now fully adapted to the enemy's fighting patterns—was struck by sudden insight.
Using his talent-driven instincts, he detected the core of the enemy's energy circulation—the vital conduit within its ever-shifting form.
His consciousness and instincts instantly calculated the best course of action.
With near-impossible precision, all eight wings lashed out simultaneously, cutting off every escape route with perfectly curved trajectories—then pierced into the enemy's body, disrupting and segmenting the energy flow.
That vast ocean of rapidly flowing energy—
Froze.
Orsaga's right hand shot out without hesitation, piercing up through the demon's jaw and crushing its core—the physical manifestation of its life force, forced into existence due to the energy disruption.
The opponent instantly ceased all movement.
An unknown [Greater-Rank Demon]—
Defeated.
In the third second of its direct clash with Orsaga.
There was only one reason for this outcome:
The enemy wasn't cheating.
But Orsaga was.
With that victory, and by tapping into the memories he'd looted from other demons about the [Archdemon],
Orsaga gained a rough understanding of where he stood.
Against a Archdemon?
Probably still outmatched.
But against an Greater-Rank Demon?
There probably wasn't anyone who could beat him.
Probably. Not definitely.
After all, other demons might be cheating too.
____
T/N:
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