The man's lips curved into a frown as he scrutinized them, his gaze narrowing on the woman. "Divine energy... Vylkr energy... How is that possible?" he muttered to himself, his voice laced with disbelief. Then, louder, he said, "You are a goddess?"
Though it was phrased as a question, his tone suggested he sought confirmation rather than inquiring.
The woman responded with a simple nod.
The man's frown deepened further. "The war has only just begun, and I was already surprised that soone managed to get here so quickly. But it makes sense if it was a divine being," he said, his voice filled with grudging acknowledgent and lingering wariness.
After a brief pause, he shook his head. "Regardless of whoever cos, I am glad that after 2,500 years, soone has finally co to kill ."
Hearing the mysterious man's words, Orion and Aurora widened their eyes in surprise. They were taken aback at how he could live that long.
"His strength is comparable to that of a demigod. Stay close to ," Aurora said, glancing at Orion.
She was unsure how to asure his strength since he utilized Vylkr energy, guaranteeing he was far more powerful than an average demigod.
Only once they engaged in battle could she make an accurate judgnt.
Orion nodded in understanding and focused on the mysterious man. "Who are you?" he asked with a frown.
He was particularly intrigued because the mysterious water woman they encountered earlier had been equally perplexing, leaving them unable to determine if she was a divine being or sothing else entirely.
"My na is Rihelm," the man replied. "It has been so long since anyone asked that question that I have forgotten much about my past. However, who I am does not matter. What matters is that you are here to kill , and I will test whether you are qualified to do so." His grip tightened around the giant axe resting against his armrest as he stood from the throne.
Orion frowned. "Do we have to fight? We can help you escape and start a new life if you tell us how to activate the path to the Mirror Realm. I'm certain there are ways to activate it without your death, right?" he asked.
The mysterious water woman had inford him that he would need to kill the Harbinger to awaken the chanism if he wanted to enter the Mirror Realm. However, Orion wasn't willing to give up on such a powerful figure, especially one that even Aurora acknowledged. He wanted to recruit Rihelm to Paradise and add to its growing forces.
After all, there was no such thing as having too many divine beings in one's forces. With the many divine beings already in Paradise, along with the brilliant equipnt they had collected from Naka's laboratory and elsewhere, he was confident that if there were any issues with Rihelm's body, they would be able to resolve them.
A ripple appeared in the man's piercing blue eyes for the first ti, but it quickly subsided.
"I seem to have misunderstood your intentions. Not only are you unwilling to fight, but you're also offering to help ?" the man said, exhaling a long, weary sigh as if Orion's words had burdened him.
"How do you know my death could open a passage to the Mirror Realm? This is knowledge privy only to us, the Harbingers," he continued, his voice rising with intensity, his expression hardening with suspicion and doubt.
Despite the man's reaction, Orion remained calm. With Aurora beside him, a divine being couldn't make him feel fear unless they had mastered the laws. Instead, his thoughts stirred, and he pondered the identity of the mysterious water woman who had provided them with this information.
"We have our ways of obtaining such information, and it's not sothing we can share with an outsider," Orion responded calmly.
Rihelm wore a bewildered expression. He couldn't believe that even now, the mortal before him, whose face was hidden behind a strange mask, was still trying to recruit him. Suddenly, he chuckled briefly before calming down and regaining his composure.
"Why don't you introduce yourselves?" he asked, curiosity flickering in his icy blue gaze. "I am Orion, the Supre Leader of Paradise. This is Aurora, one of the divine beings in charge of protecting Paradise," Orion introduced himself and Aurora.
Rihelm's eyes widened in surprise again, and for a brief mont, an emotional fluctuation crossed his face before disappearing. "Do you have any connection to the forr force known as 'Paradise'?" he asked, his tone cold, his grip tightening on the handle of his giant axe. Now, it was Orion's turn to be surprised. Very few knew of that na, and those who did were either familiar with events from the bygone era or directly tied to its history.
This was precisely why he had chosen the na for his forces. The association would cause others to either steer clear of them or approach cautiously, believing they were connected to the 'Paradise' of the past.
Depending on how knowledgeable or powerful an individual was, they might uncover fragnts of information about Naka and other hidden truths. anwhile, Paradise forces could continue to grow steadily, undisturbed. It was a calculated, strategic move.
Despite this, Orion was curious about how Rihelm knew of Paradise, especially since none of the forces in the pocket dinsion seed to have any information about it.
"It's complicated. I can assure you, we are not like the 'Paradise' you are familiar with," Orion replied.
"You have an unusual connection to the forr Paradise and are masquerading under its na," Rihelm responded in realization as he sighed in relief.
If the individuals before him genuinely belonged to the sa Paradise he knew, he would have struggled to control his emotions and might have descended into a rampage. Rihelm's gaze flickered toward Aurora's fog-shrouded staff, swirling with a ball of Vylkr and divine energy at its head. "I think I understand your connection to the previous Paradise and 'the na that must not be ntioned'-there are no crazier sights that wouldn't have his handiwork written all over them."
Orion and Aurora remained silent. They were sure the figure Rihelm was referring to was none other than Naka.
"Do you have any other questions or prefer to proceed with the battle?" Rihelm asked, refocusing his gaze on the two of them.
Orion nodded and asked, "Can you tell us the goddess's identity in the Mirror Realm?"
"I can't reveal her identity. The mont I do, I lose my life, and my purpose will be forfeit," Rihelm responded, his expression a mix of weariness and bitterness.
"Don't bother asking again because there's nothing you can do to change that," he added, sensing Orion's intentions.
Orion sealed his lips, disappointed though not entirely surprised. He hadn't expected much but was still slightly disheartened that his plans hadn't worked.
"However, due to your persistence and courage, I will give you a piece of advice: don't ntion those nas around her-neither 'Paradise' nor 'the na that must not be called'—unless you have no intention of returning from the Mirror Realm," Rihelm warned, his tone and expression turning solemn.
"Since we're done, I doubt you have any questions left, so let's begin." He stepped down from the throne and stood on the ground, facing Aurora and Orion, who stood on the opposite side.
Seeing there was nothing more they could do, Orion turned his attention to Aurora and
nodded in agreent.
Aurora returned the nod and stepped forward to confront Rihelm.
"Only those who actively participate in killing will be granted entry into the Mirror Realm. This is to prevent freeloaders from riding on the hard work of others to gain entry. And from the looks of it, the two of you are planning on going in at once," Rihelm explained, his gaze shifting between Orion and Aurora.
"That's not a problem. I'll beat you down until you can't move, then hold you in place for him to deliver the final blow. That way, we'll both be involved in killing you and gain access," Aurora responded casually, as though the matter were of little concern. Rihelm's brow twitched. "I'm not that easy to be captured or killed. Be careful not to lose because of your arrogance," he warned.
Aurora didn't reply. She raised her sceptre forward, and the ball of swirling Vylkr and Divine energy at the head of the sceptre pulsed violently, growing larger until it filled the centre.
The space around them trembled, and a heavy, suffocating pressure descended upon the fortress. Even the area outside shook, scaring away the tainteds guarding it. Had Aurora not contained her energy within the fortress, the whole pocket dinsion would have also
quaked.
The pressure bore down on Rihelm, causing him to grit his teeth in doubt and uncertainty. He had already known the goddess before him was powerful enough to storm his fortress, but he hadn't expected her to be this strong.
Aurora remained still as though waiting for him to make the first move.
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