I sighed as the flurry of thoughts finally settled, turning my gaze back to the gathered Devil Dukes and Goddesses...
"You've explained the origin of the species, but one thing still doesn't add up," I noted... "If demons are born from human malice, why are they so hell-bent on slaughtering humans??? Wouldn't that be cutting off their own lifeline???"
"Humph... That's because modern demons are merely a degradation of the original Devil species," Maxwell explained, crossing his arms... "Think of them as a counterforce born of malice, yet detached from it... They are essentially a trial—a punishment from the World Will to the human race for their ancient follies... While they are indeed formed from malice, they aren't dependent on it for survival... They are like humans in that regard; they need to eat to live..."
Maxwell paused, his expression turning serious... "The Demon King is the only exception... Since he is the focal point of that malice, he is granted power by the World to act as the ultimate antagonist, destined to be defeated by a Hero or a Goddess's Chosen One... Of course," he added with a slight shrug, "all those Authority-Level Rules are effectively null and void before the Law-Level power you possess..."
Vanir nodded in silent agreement... I hummed, processing the logic...
"Then what about the twenty-four planets currently under the thumb of the Demon Kings???" I asked...
"About twenty of them are currently locked in a stalemate, much like the planet you just liberated... The situation there is stable for now," Iridia answered... "However, three have completely fallen due to the interference of a Devil Duke named Helios... As for the last one... it is currently a battlefield between our forces and his..."
I raised an eyebrow... "Helios??? That's a new name..."
"Helios is one of the more malicious Dukes of Hell," Maxwell added casually... "He enjoys supporting Demon Kings in their genocidal tendencies... In his eyes, since there are hundreds of human-populated planets, wiping out a few doesn't really matter... We generally don't interfere with his hobbies since the loss of a few worlds out of a hundred isn't worth a full-scale war..."
I glanced at Vanir, who had been uncharacteristically quiet... "Why so silent, Vanir??? I'd expect you to have some witty comment about the despair of those worlds..."
"Ah—no, it's nothing," Vanir replied, his mask shifting slightly... "I was just thinking about that human, Kazuma... His fate should have been much more... comedic... It's a pity, really..."
I narrowed my eyes... "As an All-Seeing Demon, you can see that far???"
"Normally, your presence obscures the future," Vanir explained with a chuckle... "But since I've been strengthened by your power, I can see the threads of the 'unchanged' future—the one that would have existed if you hadn't intervened... It was quite a hilarious tragedy... Hahaha!"
I shook my head at the idiot and turned back to the Goddesses... "I understand the situation... My companions can handle the twenty worlds currently in struggle... I'll personally take care of the three fallen worlds and the one currently under siege... What about the urgent one??? Shouldn't We Hurry???"
"Not anymore," Alethia assured me... "Ever since the Heaven Plane upgraded to a new power level, the scales have tipped completely in our favor... We've used that influence to slow the flow of time on that specific world to a near-complete standstill... You can depart whenever you are ready..."
I nodded, my mind already calculating the logistics... "So, I'll clear out the demon armies, the Demon King, and then move on to the fallen worlds... One more thing: is there any risk of inter-world reinforcements??? Can these demons contact their kin across the stars???"
"You can rest easy," Maxwell said... "Demons don't possess the capability for inter-world communication, let alone the spatial power to jump between planets..."
Tch... That sounds like a massive flag if I've ever heard one, but I hope he's right... Even if they are strong, wielding continental-level spatial teleportation to jump between worlds is a tall order for anyone without my level of authority...
Still, the prospect of four worlds completely overrun by demons didn't bother me... In fact, it was quite the opposite... A world full of demons meant a target-rich environment... I could likely harvest far more SP from those corrupted worlds than I ever could from a single KonoSuba Plane...