After a brief wait, more demons began to arrive at the meeting hall one after another.
Some came alone, while others—like Orsaga—brought followers.
Although judging by the way some of them casually grabbed a subordinate and began munching, Orsaga figured they probably just saw their underlings as walking snacks.
When the number of Greater-Rank Demons present reached 23, the scheduled time arrived.
Suddenly, a tall and emaciated figure, standing around three meters high, appeared at the center podium of the room.
From its appearance, it looked humanoid, possibly even human—but none of the demons present cared about specifics.
They only cared about the reason they were summoned.
The figure gave a polite bow to the Greater-Rank demons, then rasped out an introduction with a voice like dry, cracking wood:
"I am Ailorel, Vice President of the Chloroya merchant guild. Thank you all for coming. The true purpose of this meeting doesn't need much explanation—but I'll briefly go over it anyway. Our guild has acquired the coordinates to a Mid-tier Plane and successfully opened a portal to it. However, due to the extremely high cost of planar transmission, we're unable to send in large numbers of forces."
"Therefore, we're seeking five powerful Greater Demons to act as allies—to eliminate key threats and initiate a Demonic Summoning Ritual on-site. Each participating Greater Demon will receive 10% ownership of that world. Alternatively, if you're not interested in ownership, we can offer equivalent compensation—such as 60 billion intelligent souls, bloodline enhancement serums, or custom-made enchanted gear…"
The mention of 60 billion intelligent souls sounded like it might exceed the total population of the target world itself.
Offering that much for just 10% ownership made it seem like the Chloroya merchant guild was taking a massive loss.
But the true value of a world extended far beyond intelligent life—there were natural resources, magical plants, rare minerals, and even fertile land teeming with vitality.
And with ownership secured, as long as there was ample food and basic supplies, raising populations of low-grade sentient beings was never an issue.
There were plenty of hyper-fertile races in the multiverse. With time and effort, the scale could be expanded easily.
If one were to calculate long-term value, world ownership was clearly the most profitable option.
Unfortunately, many Abyssal Demons didn't have that kind of patience. They weren't interested in cultivating a domain—most preferred one-time, high-profit deals.
Orsaga was no exception. He could tolerate managing something solo, but joint investments?
No interest.
After Ailorel finished his explanation, Orsaga grinned and asked:"So the real question now is—how do we narrow this group of Greater Demons down to five?"
None of the Greater Demons in the room reacted. This had all been made clear beforehand.
Only the weaker individuals nearby grew tense.
If these 20+ Greater Demons were about to throw down, they themselves might be fine, but anyone nearby without sufficient strength would surely die.
Ailorel nodded at Orsaga's question.
"Indeed. But we won't have you all fighting it out here. Our facilities simply can't handle that level of destruction."
He snapped his fingers.
Five circular platforms, each tens of meters in diameter, materialized around the hall.
"These are special constructs purchased by our guild," he explained. "As long as you channel your power into one, it will generate a combat projection of you within a virtual arena. Please use your projections to compete. The last five standing will be selected as our partners for this operation.
One note: due to functional limitations, these platforms cannot replicate certain powers—such as those tied to time, fate, causality, divine right, race-specific authority, etc. If anyone feels this is unfair, feel free to speak up."
He paused for a moment, but no one raised objections.
With a wave of his hand, Ailorel declared, "Since there are no complaints, let the trials begin."
In the next moment, the Greater-Rank Demons each began infusing the platforms with their power.
Their projections began to appear one after another and were randomly paired for combat.
As one of the quickest to act, Orsaga was selected in the first round.
He casually tested the strength of his projected form and shook his head with indifference.
The energy levels were equivalent to a High-Rank Demon.
His opponent's projection was similar—though there were subtle differences.
Even though all projections were capped at High-Rank Demon level, there was still variation—some just barely reached the threshold, while others were at the upper limits of High-Rank power.
Additionally, attributes such as physical strength were normalized through scaling—preventing demons who relied purely on physical enhancements from gaining an unfair edge.
After familiarizing himself with the system, Orsaga chuckled.
"Not bad. Pretty thorough for a simulation~~"
His gaze drifted to his opponent—a multi-headed serpent demon with over a dozen snake-like heads.
Its massive body looked bulky, yet oddly well-coordinated.
Sensing Orsaga's attention, the serpent demon didn't hesitate. It lifted its heads and unleashed a barrage of murky energy beams from its gaping maws.
Under the serpent's control, the beams twisted and curved in mid-air like living creatures, angling from all directions to strike Orsaga.
A foul, noxious stench wafted through the air—the beams clearly carried potent toxins.
Snakes don't forget their roots—poison was essential.
Orsaga's response was immediate. His fist flew forward, expertly predicting the incoming beams' trajectories.
Air currents, dust, and energy surged under his control to form layered barriers, intercepting the attacks head-on.
Before the lingering energy could even dissipate, he spread his wings and flashed forward, instantly closing the distance and appearing directly in front of the serpent demon.
All of its heads simultaneously narrowed their eyes in shock. It hadn't expected Orsaga to move that fast at this power level.
While this speed would be mediocre among Greater Demons, it was absolutely top-tier for High Rank Demon.
If this projection wasn't being controlled by the serpent's real body—whose perception far surpassed standard High-Rank levels—it likely wouldn't have even been able to react.
Years of combat instinct kicked in. The serpent demon quickly poured demonic energy into its scales, reinforcing them as thick, filthy smog erupted from its body in all directions.
Even the air and space around it began to corrode with sickening noises.
Faced with the looming poisonous fog, Orsaga didn't flinch.
His right arm tensed, muscles aligning with precise efficiency to release maximum power.
A crimson blaze surged forth. Heat radiated outward, and his internal energy structure shifted—becoming unstable, volatile.
This triggered a chain reaction, activating the radiation-pollution effect buried within his power.
The wave of heat and radiation immediately dissolved the toxic miasma, transforming it into something far more twisted and chaotic.
The serpent demon instantly realized—it couldn't take this punch in its current state.
A flicker of decision flashed through its eyes—it gave up on any further resistance.
With a thunderous crack, Orsaga's punch pierced the serpent's body like tearing through tissue paper.
His force was perfectly channeled through every part of the serpent's massive frame.
In an instant, its entire body began to glow, as heat and energy erupted from within.
Moments later—detonation.
Every molecule of its body exploded on the atomic level.
The resulting shockwave blasted outward, a massive mushroom cloud rocketing several kilometers into the sky.
Everything touched by the blast began to twist, distort, and mutate—transforming into corrupted extensions of Orsaga's power.
Calmly withdrawing his fist, Orsaga—now reigning as the platform's champion—casually signaled the next match to begin.
"Next."
____
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