Orion felt someone coming through one of the portals in Horizon.

'From Albriar? Could it be Florian?'

Elliott seemed to have caught on too, just by looking at his expression.

"Do you mind if I join you? I have a weird feeling about the whole thing."

"I don't mind."

After taking a portal to where the guest was, they found Florian, waiting with a severe frown on his face.

'I was right. It is indeed Florian.'

Noticing Orion in his line of sight, he suddenly approached them.

"Orion, Elliott. It is good to see you."

With a quick bow, he greeted them.

"Same, Florian. Something tells me you have a critical matter to discuss."

After straightening, Florian nodded.

"There is something I have to report to you."

...

The three move inside Orion's house to discuss in detail.

Orion led them to the living room, where Florian began to explain the situation.

"It appears Miasma found an entrance to Horizon."

"!"

A shocked expression replaced Orion's neutral face.

"How is that possible?! I'm supposed to be- Amelia and I are the only ones able to use the void element."

"Allow me to explain what happens, and we'll discuss in more detail after. Are you fine with that?"

"..."

Weighting his options, he finally nodded.

"Sure. Please, go ahead."

"Thank you."

Florian told everything his soldiers stationed near the purple dome managed to see. The appearance of two individuals, a woman of small stature, rather young, and a tall and imposing man, who barely showed emotions.

They explained that the woman began to cover the whole area in a cloud of dark purple energy, until a crack in the air appeared.

In that crack, they could barely see stars sparkling in it from their position. At one point, they even heard the name 'Orion'.

After hearing something related to an invasion, the two figures left the area.

...

Orion placed one hand on his forehead, and leaned into the couch.

"The portal I used before my battle against Elliott. I was too preoccupied to bother closing it."

Thinking, Elliott placed a finger on his chin.

'I know who the woman is, but the man, I have no idea. Father definitely found ways to rebuild his army, which doesn't make it easier for us.'

"That's all I can tell you. From the looks of it, it might happen today, or this very week. We have no idea when exactly, but we've still made it in time before you were ambushed."

"Florian, you have my thanks. Without you, this plane would've been ravaged by Miasma."

"I'm doing the obvious. Posting a few units around there was your idea. We haven't found any trace of the dragon, though."

Elliott suddenly lifted his head, and stared at Florian.

"A dragon, you said?"

"Yes. There was a case of a dragon disappearing inside the dome, with the whole point of having guards there to find signs of its passage in case of a sudden attack."

"..."

A bead of sweat dripped down his temple.

"This is terrible... I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"Why?"

Orion glanced toward him, and asked.

"Do you know how corrupted Lords are created?"

"They eat corrupted cores of other corrupted? It happened once on the battlefield."

"Exactly. But now, do you know how giants are made from those Lords?"

"..."

Oblivious to the answer, both Florian and Orion shook their heads.

"A tremendous number of lives have to be taken to make them evolve. I'm talking about 'any' lifeforms. Animals, humans, beastmen, even marine creatures."

"We're talking about thousands here. Do you know how many people lives in Paraviel?"

Elliott made a difficult face. You could see his eyes wander for an instant.

"I should say 'lived'. There's probably no one alive in that city anymore."

A sudden shiver ran down the others' spine.

"Are you saying that Miasma forced the dragon he captured to eat five thousand people?!"

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Florian suddenly stood up from his seat and asked.

"Probability wise? I'd say a hundred percent. I know him, and I know his method. From what Orion explained to me previously, he has already found a way to bypass Nature's chains by removing the cores from his new creations."

"That eel certainly missed visible or even internal cores. Its body was made of corrupted matter instead."

Listening to Orion, Florian pushed his glasses back up his nose, and sighed.

"This is getting dangerous... Not only for you, but for Triazils as a whole."

"You are right about that."

Elliott confirmed his worries.

"Say, what if this whole plan was a double act?"

Orion, his head deep in thought, asked.

"What do you mean?"

Confused, they looked at him.

"On one hand, he enters Horizon to keep us at bay, and tries to get rid of us completely, while on the other, he attacks Triazils at the same time?"

"!"

Stunned, Florian sat back. He hid his mouth with his hands, and pondered on the matter.

"You might be right about this. His plan hasn't changed, even after being sealed for so long. Even after suffering many setbacks, he still works to eradicate the lives of every living beings of Triazils to invoke whatever creature he thinks exists."

A long silence replaced their talks. The speed at which they racked their brain to find ways to counter this whole ordeal was unparalleled.

"Florian."

Orion suddenly broke the silence.

"I know. I'll have a talk with Kamala and Eric. We will focus on protecting the continent."

Still in thought, Orion nodded. Then, he added something else.

"I'll talk with everyone, but I'm thinking of sending Amelia, Olivia, May, and Deveralna back to the continent."

"Why? Isn't splitting forces a bad thing for you?"

But he shook his head.

"This sounds like an act to me. He doesn't need to get rid of me to win, he needs to kill everyone else. I have a feeling only a few of his underlings, and probably himself, will invade."

Elliott also agreed with his assumptions.

"Father will want to deal with you himself, like he did with Noah. He will be the first to step inside Horizon."

Orion stared into his eyes, and asked carefully.

"What about you, Elliott? What do you intend to do?"

"..."

At first, Elliott thought of keeping quiet, but against his better judgment, he spoke frankly.

"You remember what I've told you before joining you?"

Pondering for a second, Orion recalled an important detail.

"The voice?"

"Yes. I want to free Layla from my father's manipulation. From what I can tell, she might have been freed from corruption. I managed to get a second chance, but she should too, even if she made mistakes in the past."

He said that because he noticed the faint anger on Orion's face. The moment he spoke her name, Elliott knew something happened to her.

"If you do save her, and she regains her common sense, I'll have her apologies to someone."

"Fair enough. I did apologize to you for what I've done."

"And I will never forgive you. The things we lost were too great to simply let bygones be bygones. You do understand that, do you?"

"I do, and I don't blame you for that. I robbed you of a life with your parents, and nothing I will do will change that fact. Yet, I want to believe our story isn't simply one of hatred."

Florian felt the tension in the subsides.

"We're allies now. I'll help you when the moment arrives."

"You have my thanks."

They smiled at each other and nodded, before focusing back on the subject.

"With that said, we need to think carefully. We can't protect every corner of the continent. The dragons will remain neutral unless we find their kidnapped member, while most of the humans capable of fighting back are you, and Eric and his army."

Florian agreed.

"I have a proposal, but I don't know how it will be received."

"What about the beastmen? Can't we ask them for help?"

Orion pondered for a moment.

"Dylan and Nylon might be disposed to help. They would probably act anyway the moment they notice attacks on other villages. It might be best to notify them now than later to avoid creating more casualties."

The other two nodded.

"I'll immediately go and talk to the others. Eric's army will be absolutely needed to drive off the corrupted, as they are more experienced. Kamala and I will have our forces to his."

"Good idea. I will call everyone after this, and decide on what to do once I get their opinions on the matter. Then, I'll go talk to the beastmen."

With that said, the group broke up. Orion went looking for everyone separated in the plane, Elliott returned to his room to prepare himself, and Florian moved accordingly to his words.

...

"We're going to get attacked?!"

May suddenly stood up and slammed her hands on the table in the dining room.

"That's precisely what I said. That's why, I wanted to speak with everyone."

The entire group was brought together, along with Henrietta and Tetra.

"I will give you roles you will need to fulfill."

"What?"

Suddenly, they all glared at him.

"Aren't we going to fight alongside you?"

"No."

He shook his head, causing further anger among the group.

"Before you say anything else, let me explain."

Orion told them about Miasma’s supposed double plan.

"I see. Since only a few will come in Horizon, you want to focus on protecting Triazils... I understand, but it doesn't make me willing to go through your plan."

"Amelia's right. You are asking us to leave you alone fighting Miasma. We can't agree to that!"

Dramia seemed rather displeased by his idea.

"Let me be clear."

His words caused the air to grow heavier.

"I am not arrogant enough to think I will win alone against Miasma. What I'm asking you to do isn't a hidden way to protect you from him."

They all gulped loudly, except for Henrietta and Tetra.

"What I'm asking is for you to stop his plan. If Miasma is trying to kill people across the continent, we can't expect Florian, Kamala, and Eric to do it alone. The surface area is too great for three people to protect."

He looked at Amelia and Karteira.

"Do you remember that family we helped in Lavira, on our way to Hocride? Are you prepared to accept their death? Because that is what you are insinuating by refusing to follow my orders."

They both looked down, recalling the children, Leon and Lila, and their mother, Crystal. After a moment, they seemed to have made up their mind.

Not only them, but everyone around the table. The thought of letting innocents die suddenly seemed to have entered their mind, instead of focusing on Orion's wellbeing.

"I like those eyes better."

He nodded, smiling warmly at them.

"Alright, let me explain what I want from you."

"Amelia, you will wait with the armies. I want you to find that dragon, and kill it."

"Wha- Wait! You want me to kill a dragon?"

"Yes. A dragon disappeared from Ormrdivin, and entered the dome covering Eogis, never to be seen again. Elliott, Florian, and I are on the same opinion. Miasma captured it, and transformed it into a corrupted creature."

May and Deveralna gasped.

"Monolavir and Ruminona will support you, so don't hesitate to call them out. You are free to use the invocation at that point."

After gazing into his eyes for a moment, Amelia made up her mind.

"Alright. If you believe in me, I have no reason to doubt you."

"Thank you. Next, Karteira."

"..."

She waited for his order.

"You will remain in Horizon. Someone needs to protect the arachnea, and no one is better than you in that role."

"Yes! After saving them, it would be a shame to let them die."

"I wouldn't be able to look Silka in the eyes if anything happened to them, so I'm counting on you."

A determined nod signaled the beginning of her mental preparations.

"Dramia, Drania."

"Both of us?"

"Yes. Protect Tiohr-nam and the fairy village. I want you to lead your army and defend the plane as much as possible, while limiting the number of casualties. If possible, reduce the number of deaths."

With a frown, Dramia stared in his eyes.

"That is easier said than done. What you are asking us is akin to a miracle."

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

"For believing in us? Definitely."

Drania smiled childishly, before suddenly becoming serious.

"If you want a miracle, then us fairies will bring you one. Just you wait!"

"Drania... Fine. I guess I'll take it more seriously than usual."

Joining her sister's mentality, Dramia became serious. With that, their only task was to prepare the fairy army, and prepare to join them in battle.

"What about us?"

Tetra asked for her and Henrietta.

"Are we also joining in battle? We can help."

"No. I need you two to hide. I haven't forgotten the promise I made to you. Until the very end, you are under my protection."

"..."

Henrietta breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. The last thing we need is Miasma finding about us."

"Meh... I wanted to fight, but I suppose there's no way around it."

Tetra crossed her arms, pushing her breasts higher at the same time.

It made a few of the women's around the table wish for them to disappear, but they stayed quiet.

"Alright, next..."

Orion continued to share his plan.