[Aukruriel].
In the Seven Seas Realm, this name symbolized divinity and nobility.
And the one to bear this name was none other than the tallest mountain in the realm, a towering peak nearly 200,000 meters high.
At its summit, temperatures hovered around minus 200 degrees Celsius, cold enough to instantly kill most living beings. This mountaintop once served a noble purpose, it was the gathering place of the gods.
Thus, every structure atop this peak was constructed to the highest of standards. A sprawling cluster of divine palaces adorned the summit, resembling a skyborne city among the clouds.
Pools and fountains brimmed with milk, juice, and fine wines. Cuisine from every culture in the world lay strewn about like pebbles along the roadsides, replenished at regular intervals by divine attendants.
Even the ornamental flames and incense were extracted from rare magical beasts, each carrying effects like extending lifespan or replenishing energy.
But all of that grandeur and splendor, had faded with the fall of the gods. With their divine barriers gone, howling winds and piercing blizzards had invaded the mountaintop.
The freezing temperatures swept through everything,
turning the once-luxurious sanctum into a frozen grave.
Not only the majestic temples, but even the divine attendants themselves had become frozen sculptures,
crystallized under the pale sunlight like a city of glimmering ice statues.
---
At the pinnacle of the divine palace, Orsaga sat casually, watching scenes from across the realm with growing boredom. The one-month deadline given by the Chloroya Merchant Guild hadn't yet expired, and the mortal kingdoms of the Seven Seas Realm remained in utter chaos.
The gods' sudden demise had struck this faith-based world like the collapse of the heavens. Many people were undergoing a complete collapse of their worldview. Especially in a realm that had, without warning, been taken over by outsiders. It was emotional devastation on a societal scale.
But that was just one part of the population. Others took the opportunity to fish in troubled waters. With law and order in shambles, plenty of opportunists saw chances that had never existed before.
Things they had always wanted to do, but never dared,
they now did without hesitation. Madness, depravity, senseless carnage, all sorts of chaos spread like wildfire.
After all, the revered gods were dead. They'd been traumatized. Weren't they entitled to vent?
"Hey, everyone's doing it. You can't blame just me, right?"
In this twisted logic, a thousand petty rebellions were justified. Human nature, at its worst, blossomed in the lawless environment.
It takes years, decades, sometimes centuries to teach creatures kindness, reason, and order, but only a single scene, a single moment, to awaken chaos, evil, and madness. Especially when the excuse was handed to them on a silver platter.
From where he sat atop Aukruriel, Orsaga could feel the evil saturating the world, growing exponentially by the day.
Even a lazy glance across the realm revealed countless chaotic scenes in his mind's eye. At first, he found the grotesque performances amusing. But after a while, it all began to feel dull and repetitive.
---
Ever since he had seized the gods' legacies a few days ago, Orsaga had been stationed atop this peak, quietly digesting his gains.
And now, both his power and knowledge had advanced once again. If he were to release his full form now, his height would be revealed to have reached 50 meters. And was still increasing, as he continued absorbing the fruits of his conquest.
Raising a hand and looking at the pale, flawless skin of his human guise, Orsaga could almost see the countless souls it had cost him to attain this power.
Frankly, he'd long lost count of how many beings he'd slaughtered. Aside from a few notable opponents,
most of his enemies weren't even worth remembering.
That thought caused him to space out for a moment…
Then chuckle quietly to himself.
"Pathetic, isn't it?, The weak die and aren't even remembered by their killer. Just proves—only the strong matter in the end."
As for feelings like remorse, sentimentality, or guilt?
As a demon of the Abyss, such emotions were simply beyond his reach.
__
A few more days passed.
As the Chloroya Guild's deadline crept ever closer—
some regions, locked in internal disputes, had devolved into civil war, between pro-surrender and anti-demon factions.
Law and order continued to deteriorate. In contrast, other regions had already reached consensus.
Whether they chose to surrender or resist, at least their internal factions had aligned, and the resulting unity had caused their law enforcement to stabilize.
Meanwhile, the Abyssal demons that had been summoned via [Demonic Summoning], were going absolutely wild.
As the all-you-can-eat buffet drew to a close, they shifted their attention from minor villages to major cities.
Everyone was hoping to pull off one last big score before returning to the Abyss. Some succeeded, turning their wooden carts into war chariots. Others failed, becoming corpses and free alchemy ingredients.
All in all, the world was ablaze with unrest.
All except for the five Greater-Rank Demons and the Chloroya Merchant Guild.
As the undisputed victors, they remained seated firmly atop the world, these tremors little more than a breeze to their ears.
---
Atop Aukruriel, at dawn.
The sun rose once again.
And Orsaga, too, had finally finished digesting all his newfound power. Stepping atop the glazed tiles of the divine palace's roof, he stretched leisurely and even ran through an entire broadcast exercise routine, activating every limb like an athlete warming up before a match.
He looked utterly relaxed.
"A'ight, baby! Power spike achieved! I'm ready to take on ten!"
Only issue?
He was muttering complete nonsense.
Once his morning routine was finished,
he took a step forward and instantly teleported tens of thousands of kilometers away.
---
He appeared in a garden—what was left of one, anyway—
in the ruins of a once-beautiful city. The scorched black remains still held the faint outline of what had once been a scenic locale.
Golarial and Alison were seated atop a stone slab, seemingly deep in thought. Orsaga walked up to them and asked casually:
"So, did you two gain anything from all this?"
Back when the battle against the gods had begun,
he'd tossed the two elven women into a safe zone,
giving them free rein to do whatever they liked.
He hadn't paid them much attention since,
so he truly had no idea what they'd been up to.
---
Recognizing the visitor, Alison dazedly shook her head, while Golarial answered cheerfully:
"We ate a lot of delicious food!, Oh—and I bought some really cute outfits!"
"…"
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"As expected of my woman."
__
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