Demons!
In the setting of the game Yggdrasil, they are monsters summoned from another world.
They are born with various special abilities and magic. Most possess wings and the ability to fly, and aside from a very small number of exceptions, nearly all of them have extremely low karma values.
Demons do not need food, drink, or sleep. However, perhaps for the sake of biological diversity, they still possess these functions.
Demons have limitless lifespans, yet within the game they still require oxygen to breathe. Like ordinary living beings, they can also suffer from poison and fatigue.
They possess high resistance to fire attributes but relatively low resistance to light and holy attributes.
The existence of demons stems from the continuation of chaos. They are the embodiment of destruction and sin.
On the Tenth Floor of Nazarick, inside the World-Class Item [Depiction of Nature and Society].
A dense aura of evil spread outward as countless roars and shrieks echoed through the space.
The gate connecting to the endless abyss had opened. Pitch-black matter surged like a vast ocean, nurturing the deepest fears imaginable.
Naohara and the other two stood beneath the false starry sky, gazing downward.
Boom! Boom!
As if responding to a signal, the darkness began to swell. An illusory tunnel appeared, followed by thunderous footsteps.
Demons of all shapes and forms walked out from the [Demon Gate], descending into the small world contained within [Depiction of Nature and Society].
Some resembled insects, some were humanoid, others looked like beasts, and a few were nothing more than writhing masses of flesh.
After instinctively roaring, the demons all raised their heads to look toward the sky, where their summoners stood.
The moment they stepped out of the [Demon Gate], an invisible contract had already been established. Though the demons possessed intelligence, they were still unable to resist the commands of their summoners.
This was the power of a World-Class Item. Unstoppable, undeniable, and impossible to resist.
"What a wide variety."
Naohara and the others watched the scene with faint surprise.
Aside from the common Overeating Demons, Scale Demons, Shadow Demons, and Rotting Demons, there were also rarer species.
Among them were Crown Demons, Lava Demon Gods, and other unusual types.
Looking down at the vast black ocean below, Momonga and the others could not help but think of a familiar figure.
Demon of Great Disaster: Ulbert
Among the guild members, this companion who loved demons was the one most obsessed with the concept of evil. He often deliberately played the role of the villain.
After hearing rumors about the [Demon Gate], he became extremely interested in it. When he failed to find it, he even tried to recreate one himself.
In the end, however, he failed.
The best he could do was create an item layered with six instances of the tenth-tier spell [Armageddon Evil].
This spell was essentially an inferior version of [Demon Gate]. At most, it could summon only a few hundred demons, and their strength varied greatly.
Although its effects could be enhanced using cash shop items, greatly increasing both the number and level of the summoned demons, the limits remained clear.
Even under those conditions, [Armageddon Evil] could summon at most around ten thousand demons, and none of them would exceed level 80.
Compared to a World-Class Item said to be capable of summoning enough demons to flood the entire world, the difference was enormous.
This ended up becoming one of the few regrets Ulbert had during the game.
"If Ulbert were here, he'd probably already be waving his arms around and chanting something ridiculously dramatic by now."
Momonga could not help but sigh with emotion. Those really were wonderful times.
Unfortunately, they could never return to them again.
When he had first been transported to this other world, Momonga had actually considered trying to search for the whereabouts of the other guild members.
But compared to the original situation, having Naohara and Herohero by his side this time had changed his mentality somewhat.
He had become more willing to accept the present and less obsessed with chasing the past.
"Momonga, Naohara, you both already did everything you could."
"Back then, you sent a final invitation to everyone. Those who chose not to respond made their own choice."
Herohero spoke slowly.
Compared to Momonga's nostalgia, Herohero seemed unusually calm.
After spending some time thinking things through, Herohero had gradually formed his own perspective. His attachment to their former companions had also begun to fade.
After all, not everyone was like Momonga.
He could not deny that he still felt some nostalgia, but that was all.
Guildmates who could not even bother to log in one last time before the server shutdown?
Honestly, they had probably long since thrown those memories away.
There might have been a few exceptions, but Herohero did not believe everyone had been worse off than he had been back then.
After all, even when he had been working overtime to the point of nearly collapsing, he still chose to log in.
"Perhaps this is simply fate."
Seeing the clear contrast between Momonga and Herohero's attitudes, Naohara grinned and did not dwell on it.
Everyone had their own way of thinking. He agreed with Momonga's perspective and also respected Herohero's.
For Naohara, the only thing that mattered was that he had been happy during that time. That alone was enough.
"Then let's treat this as a memorial. I'll finish it with one of Ulbert's techniques."
Naohara raised both hands as the magic of Catastrophe surged violently within them.
This was the power he had obtained from the class [Catastrophe Dominator] after completely transforming into a dragon.
Although he did not understand the exact mechanism, it was obvious that this class had an extremely deep connection to [World Disaster].
That connection would soon be revealed through the spell he was about to cast.
"Roar, my secret rite! Descend, ultimate Catastrophe! Let tears of despair and hatred fall…"
The familiar chant echoed across the false starry sky.
Within the black ocean below, tens of millions of demons raised their heads.
The World-Class Item [Demon Gate] remained wide open.
The number of demons continued to increase without pause, seemingly without limit, as if it would not stop until enough demons existed to drown the entire world.
But just as the demons were waiting for their summoner's command, a chilling sensation suddenly spread along with the chanting.
Within the black sea, every demon above level 70 showed expressions of terror and immediately flew toward the [Demon Gate], attempting to escape the way they came.
Unfortunately, a transparent barrier blocked their path.
Without the caster's permission, none of these demons could return.
In other words, the current [Demon Gate] had become a one-way tunnel with no retreat.
Bound by the power of the contract, the demons could not escape and could not resist. All they could do was await the arrival of their final fate.
[Grand Catastrophe]
Just as large-scale panic began to spread among the demons, Naohara finally completed the chant.
There was no sound. No flash of light.
In the next instant, a pitch-black nightmare descended.
The curse and resentment left behind by the fallen leaves of Yggdrasil, each representing a world within the game, appeared in this other world for the first time.
"We're going to die!"
Whether powerful demons or weak ones, all of them felt the same fatal threat.
Driven by instinct to survive, the demons hurriedly activated the strongest defensive magic they possessed, trying to grasp even the slightest chance of survival.
But…
"Useless."
The curse born from pure malice solidified into tangible resentment and unleashed its ultimate power upon the demons before it.
A true instant death upon contact.
Its destructive force far surpassed Super-Tier Magic. Even Wild Magic could not compare.
Not even a single second could be endured.
The curse, compressed into a physical phenomenon, formed a vortex of pure destructive energy that engulfed the entire starry sky.
Tens of millions of demons were instantly erased. Not even ashes remained.
The one hundred small worlds within [Depiction of Nature and Society] were also wiped out one after another, disappearing completely.
The overwhelming power even spread into the interior of the [Demon Gate], reaching the demon army that had not yet descended.
"Ah, damn it!"
A furious roar faintly echoed from the other world connected to the [Demon Gate].
Within that distant realm, a terrifying figure was roaring in rage.
His body was covered in armor as black as ink. Beneath strange patterns, dark violet flames wrapped around his entire form.
Long silver-white hair draped over his shoulders, while his face was completely hidden behind a twisted, pure black mask that made it impossible to see his true appearance. The only visible features were a pair of golden-red vertical pupils.
[The Primordial Evil: Anos] Level: lv100
This Demon King could only watch helplessly through the barrier between worlds as his entire army was annihilated.
Aside from roaring in fury, there was nothing he could do.
Momonga and Herohero stood within the void.
Under Naohara's deliberate protection, pitch-black flames wrapped around their bodies, preventing them from being affected.
Within the World-Class Item [Avarice and Generosity] worn by Naohara, the left gauntlet symbolizing avarice began to glow.
An unimaginably vast amount of experience flowed in endlessly, greedily absorbed and stored just as its name implied.
Experience: lv5… lv10… lv20… lv40…
Eventually, the accumulated experience reached lv150 before gradually stopping.