Slowly, but surely, Orion's consciousness surfaced through his actions.

Although in his berserk state, which was by itself unusual compared to what Amelia and Karteira experienced before, most of his attacks were only meant to push his companions past their limits.

There was no reason behind his actions. He simply listened to the deeper instinct moving his soul.

Deep, deep inside the farthest layer of his soul, a tiny seed known as the 'Core of Divinity' took shape as his mind drew power from it.

Spiraling into complete chaos before, the Remnant power of 'Purity' protected his bearer from falling down the same path as before.

Taking notes of what had happened to Miasma, his mind remained secure at every time.

What was the 'Core of Divinity'? Orion had an inkling about this new creation.

This was a gift from Nature. The reward for saving the world she so dearly loved and wished to protect.

It was by no means the power of 'Creation', which was in her hands alone. Nevertheless, it gave Orion the power to face his greatest opponents.

A reward too great for a mortal, but definitely worthy for a Hero.

As his mind dove into the finer details of his developing power, the bones and flesh that composed his body hardened.

His magic system, entirely reworked from scratch, traveled his body like roots, feeding the forged body of a Divine.

Invisible nerves of magic stretched from the open wounds of his back, directly into the wings that sprung from his shoulder blades.

With the last pair finally out, Orion's control over his void magic became almost perfect.

Representing the passionate and wishful ideal of a man that desired 'Control', his evolution was near completion.

With skin growing over the visible muscles and bones of his wings, Orion stood alone.

Or so he thought.

A flashing image, engraved in his retina, entered his soul.

Nine women, desperately holding back his power. Friends and family, supporting his endeavor.

The burning passion in his core exploded as he once again acknowledged that he was not alone.

'For them...'

'I will grow stronger!'

—

One of Orion's fears was losing his family.

Before undergoing his evolution, he went ahead and used his Remnant power on the group.

For the first time, he considered Miasma's thoughts to be close to his.

As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, nine blinding lights, so intensely pure, entered his sight as he readied himself for his new trial.

The idea that the purest beings were targets made Orion perplexed.

His entire family was as pure as can be. They were, in his eyes, the embodiment of the Valkyries themselves.

And Orion, the Leader. The one who influenced their fates.

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With the threats of the overworldly beings ever invading Horizon to devour his companions and bring chaos to his life, a choice had to be made.

As he turned around to look at the scenery, he clarified his mind.

Protecting his family was a priority with no precedence.

—

The last pair of wings, which curved downward under the tinier fourth one, entered the family's sight.

May, who was slowly getting over her raging emotions, joined the rest of the group.

"He's not moving..."

"It's been at least ten minutes..."

Olivia and Senia, alongside the others, watched as Orion stood motionless, his gaze turned to the sky.

A dark spot above his head confused them greatly, but so far, nothing happened. All it did was cause them to grow even more cautious than ever.

"A silent and still Orion is a threat."

"Just be alert for any movement on his part."

Nia and Mia, flying above the group, watched from above.

"If he has stopped entirely, could it mean that he is close to controlling his power?"

May, the corners of her eyes still red, approached Karteira, who had helped Amelia recover from her concussion.

"Probably. Still, I have a bad feeling about this."

Amelia glanced in her direction with an anxious frown.

Internally, she wanted to warn her not to ever do something as stupid as forcefully use her weapon, but she didn't.

In her situation, she would do the same. May wasn't to blame for her mistake, only herself. She left her alone to deal with him, which was actually an incredible feat.

But more than ever, she was also relieved, knowing she was fine after hearing what had happened.

The person most devastated by a loss would be most certainly Orion, and knowing he would have been the cause, he would have never forgiven himself.

As they all wondered about what to do, Orion suddenly dropped his chin.

His eyes wandered toward them at the same time.

Inside them, they noticed an emotion that shattered their expectations.

'Get ready.'

Their bodies froze under the intense gaze. In their minds, they knew something major was about to happen.

With a movement of his hand in an arch above his head, nine void crossbows glitched in and out of existence.

"It's..."

Karteira immediately looked toward Amelia while swallowing her words.

"That's Pleione."

A cold bead of sweat dropped from their forehead as they recognized the crossbow.

They recalled Orion screaming that name while crashing both Alcyone and Taygeta together in his furry.

The void crossbow, Pleione, was again brought to the realm of existence it failed to remain in previously.

Aimed at each of his companions, the copies of the real Pleione, which warped in Orion's hands, cocked an invisible energy in the form of an arrow.

But before firing, Orion aimed Pleione, not at the women, but at Elliott.

With a faint smile, the man tried to draw Vanitas.

*Click*

A powerful blast of energy traveled toward him. The instant Orion fired, he turned to Nylon.

*Click*

The first blast met Vanitas' scabbard, pushing Elliott backward. Then, Nylon followed the same pattern, defending with shadows.

Three more triggers sent Marie, Eden, and Alice backward, before two others followed.

Shocked, Olivia turned around, watching the next two arrows push Titania and Henrietta backward.

Lastly, Stella also followed, frustratingly defending against his attack as much as she could before being dragged backward.

These eight people were forced outside the dome Orion had set up after starting this trial.

None of them were actually harmed, as not a single arrow had any potent power behind it. All it did was drag the concerned party out of the dome.

The only people left were Orion and his nine partners.

"..."

With cold sweat running down their spines, they looked at Orion, who lowered his stance.

Then, very slowly, he lifted Pleione over his head, pointing it toward the small black dot above him.

An impulse condensed at the tip of the void crossbow, ready to be released anytime.

*Click*

Nine triggers were pulled at the same instant, forcing the group to panic.

Their reaction time was great, but the tracking of the void arrows was greater.

They all had their chests pierced by the arrow.

"Huh?"

Deveralna looked at her chest, but there was nothing stuck in there.

They heard a piercing sound behind them, and as they turned around, they noticed that the arrows had turned into anchors, deeply stuck into the ground.

A long chain, barely visible to the naked eye, and starting from the copies of Pleione, ran through them.

These chains were intangible but anchored them from the darkness of what was about to happen.

Orion then fired Pleione.

The void energy raptured through the air, rapidly joining the black spot.

Instead of engulfing the spot, the inverse happened. The spot began to devour the void energy, feeding on it as it rippled through the space above everyone.

Rapidly, the spot enlarged. The small opening grew into a larger, more oppressing energy.

The singularity Orion faced after facing Miasma once again revealed itself, pulling everyone toward it as it attained an outrageous size.

"What is happening?!"

Forced to stay in place by the chain coursing through their bodies, they watched as Orion fed the black hole more void energy.

The only one standing with a straight face was Amelia.

Her eyes stared into his, watching his every move.

Something called her.

As she peered into the abyssal eye of pure darkness, devourer of light, she felt compelled to stare at it.

Her core released energy as her mind focused on it.

The 'Key' rattled in her core, reacting to the 'Shackles'.

Alone in front of such a singularity, Amelia clenched her fists as her mind peacefully drifted away.

"What is she doing?!"

Tetra glanced at Amelia, who opened her arms widely at her sides.

Suddenly, as her eyes turned to the singularity, her power reacted. The sigil appeared in her eyes, and visions of the past flashed in her head.

As if in synchronicity with everyone, the vision of Orion fighting back a similar black hole played back.

An event that was unknown to everyone, frozen in the sands of time, one that Orion never told anybody, was unveiled.

With dread in their hearts, they stared at the ever-destroying force that swallowed matter and light equally.

'What happens behind it?'

This dangerous question formed in their minds. Then, as if the answer itself developed independently of their will, they looked at Orion.

The answer was Orion.

Behind everything, they would find him. All they had to put their trust in was Orion.

Behind the singularity, it didn't matter what it was.

As they stood with determination in their eyes, they walked next to Amelia, letting the intangible chains move through them.

Fighting back the incessant pulling force of the singularity, they lined up in front of him.

At last, Amelia opened her eyes.

Her body released void particles while her eyes fell on the black hole.

Lifting her right hand toward, while seemingly holding a weapon in it, she moved instinctively.

*Chime*

The sound of a bell echoed as Orion and Amelia's power reacted to each other.

Stars flickered in her eyes as a revolver glitched into existence in her hand.

Then, a sigil morphed into the symbol of a bright star.

A crown, in the shape of a spinning galaxy, gleamed a deep mixture of black and white periodically.

With all eyes turned to her, Amelia pressed the trigger.