Abyss Demon of All Realms (TL)

Olthagia didn't know much about technology.

Nor did he have much interest in learning about it at the moment.

Whether it was magic or technology, the processes might differ, but the results they achieved wouldn't be substantially different in the end.

Fundamentally, it all came down to the same principle—different paths leading to the same destination.

Standing motionless yet dodging his attacks—since the Lizardman before him wasn't using spatial techniques like hiding in dimensional gaps or phase shifting, the range of possible methods he could employ narrowed considerably.

By systematically eliminating possibilities, Olthagia could figure out how his opponent was evading his attacks—and once he did, he'd have a way to kill him outright.

Not that he lacked the means to deal with him now.

The simplest method would be to freeze him in place with Space Imprisonment, but Olthagia wasn't inclined to end things so easily. This was the first time he'd been ambushed and injured—he wouldn't be satisfied until he skinned the bastard alive.

Though the Lizardman hadn't spoken a word, as a Demon, Olthagia could clearly sense the negative emotions emanating from him.

That was the distinct flavor of an intelligent being—not something a puppet or construct could produce.

His tail lashed out, piercing through the Lizardman's body in an instant—yet Olthagia still felt no solid impact, as if he were striking empty air.

Through his vision and spatial perception, he could clearly discern the Lizardman's body standing right there, not using any visual distortion tricks to evade.

If something was hit, there should be tactile feedback.

No feedback meant no actual contact—a simple truth.

What kind of technique could achieve this effect, making it impossible to land a hit even when the target stood still?

Ignoring the Lizardman, who had broken free and was now circling him, Olthagia fell into brief contemplation.

As if sensing Olthagia's momentary helplessness, the Lizardman grew bolder in his movements.

His body vanished without a trace one moment, only to reappear behind Olthagia the next, his hands reaching out once more.

He was attempting the same trick again.

This time, however, he put everything he had into it, determined to leave a lasting impression on Olthagia.

Just as he was about to strike, a slender tail shot out from an impossible angle, aiming to impale both his hands at once.

The Lizardman's expression shifted—he immediately tried to retract his attack and employ his previous evasion method again.

But the strike came too suddenly. Before his brain could issue the command, the automated counter-program in his arm armor activated, adjusting to intercept.

Screech!

A sharp, grating noise filled the air—like a cutting machine grinding against hard metal.

The moment they made contact, sparks flew.

Flicking his tail—now bearing not a single scratch—Olthagia smirked. From that brief clash, he had sensed a cutting force emanating from the Lizardman's fingertips, akin to a chainsaw but vibrating at a frequency so high it was nearly imperceptible.

In that single collision, he had detected hundreds of thousands of vibrations.

This reminded him of a high-tech weapon often mentioned in sci-fi works from his previous life—the High-Frequency Blade.

He recalled that the weapon's effect relied on rapid high-frequency vibrations to disrupt the molecular structure of matter, turning the target into a fragile state. Combined with the blade's inherent sharpness, it could effortlessly slice through obstacles.

However, unless the frequency reached a certain threshold, such an attack couldn't possibly cleave through his exoskeleton.

Because his exoskeleton was essentially part of his body, functioning as an organ. With his innate talents, he could perfectly integrate it through sheer willpower, controlling it like his own muscles! Unlike ordinary matter, its structure couldn't be easily compromised.

There was another issue. Since sparks had flown during their earlier clash, it meant one side must have suffered wear.

As for his own tail, Olthagia could clearly sense no damage whatsoever.

That meant the Lizardman's High-Frequency Razor Nails had been worn down!

Perhaps the wear was negligible, but it still indicated that while the opponent might be nearly indestructible when idle, the moment they attacked, they became vulnerable.

'Lure him into attacking, then finish him...'

This thought instinctively surfaced in Olthagia's mind. After a moment's consideration, he set it aside as a backup plan.

'Still, crushing him head-on would be more satisfying.'

After another round of probing, neither side had sustained any visible damage.

But unlike the utterly unfazed Olthagia, the Lizardman Glenvar was growing restless. He knew all too well what it meant to be delayed this long in enemy territory—the outside world must already be a tightly woven net waiting for him.

Gritting his teeth unconsciously, he muttered in his native tongue, "Damnable savage species..."

He didn't think the other could understand his language.

But what was Olthagia?

A Demon capable of Unimpeded Communication with any species!

The words reached him clearly.

With disdain, Olthagia retorted in Demonic, "Tech-users mock the supernatural as barbaric, while the supernatural mock tech-users as weak. Truly an ancient chain of contempt."

Though Glenvar didn't fully grasp the meaning, Olthagia's ability to converse with him was unsettling. For a moment, he even wondered if he'd left his translator on.

Before Glenvar could respond, Olthagia added with a grin, "I caught a whiff of fear earlier. You're afraid of being swarmed outside, aren't you? Don't bother worrying—I won't give them the chance. I plan to kill you myself. I'm curious what Lizardman brains taste like. After all, it's my first time being ambushed. I'd be displeased if I didn't collect some interest..."

Sensing Olthagia's undisguised killing intent, Glenvar tensed and spat, "Try it..."

In response, Olthagia merely flashed a mocking smile.

Through their earlier exchanges, he'd already uncovered some of his opponent's weaknesses.

Under the perception of plague power, the Lizardman before him was not a single entity at all, but composed of countless microscopic machines.

Were these nanomachines? Or something else?

Olthagia didn't care. He now understood why his attacks had been ineffective—whenever his strikes landed, those machines only visible at a microscopic level would automatically separate to evade his blows, then rapidly reassemble, creating the illusion that he couldn't touch his opponent.

Splitting and reassembling, mimicry and camouflage, high-speed movement, rapid repair, energy resistance.

These were just the detected properties of these machines.

Yet Olthagia remained unconcerned. Everything had its limits. Just because he hadn't managed to burn them earlier didn't mean that was the extent of his abilities.

As he thought this, the barrier formed by Doom Blossoms began rapidly contracting.

The temperature of the Blood Flame he unleashed also multiplied—10,000 degrees, 20,000 degrees, 40,000 degrees...

All this thermal energy was compressed together under Olthagia's control.

Then, a crimson point of light was born.

Smiling at the restrained Glenvar, he said, "Hope you like this..."

The flexibility and convenience of microscopic machinery meant nothing before spatial power, because spatial force didn't change based on an object's size—it acted on the entire area simultaneously.

Finally, he gently pressed that crimson point of light into Glenvar's chest.

Light and heat began spreading...

Under his will, that thermal energy precisely distributed itself across every microscopic object, with not a single joule wasted.

In an instant, the micro-machines capable of withstanding hundreds of thousands of degrees were dissolved.

Even their automatic rapid repair couldn't keep up with the speed of destruction as flames and light poured from every pore of Glenvar's body.

Without waiting for his opponent to fully char, Olthagia gently plucked off his head, smiling as he said, "I told you I was curious what lizard brains taste like. Hope you don't disappoint me."

———

Watching the human-form Olthagia emerge from the Doom Blossom barrier holding a lizardman's head, Hawthorne frowned and asked, "What happened? Why is there such intense energy residue?"

"Just an interesting intruder." Smiling nonchalantly, he displayed his trophy and asked, "Did you bring what I messaged you for?"

Glancing at the lizard head, Hawthorne produced a packet of barbecue seasoning and a spoon with complex emotions, handing them to Olthagia.

Accepting the items, Olthagia's smile widened. "Thanks."

Then he casually tossed Hawthorne a crystal. "Extracted memories. Thought you might find them interesting."

With that, he turned away smiling, off to find a place to enjoy his meal—leaving a still-baffled Hawthorne standing there.

Even now, he didn't fully understand what had transpired, and could only look down at the Memory Crystal in his hand...