Orion observed with attention as a blade scratched his cheek.

"..."

Slowly moving his head away, he closed his eyes.

'She's fast. Faster than Amelia was before mastering her elements.'

'For a human, this is quite a feat in itself.'

Remaining with his eyes closed, he moved his head and dodged each piercing attack sent his way.

Marie noticed how unbothered Orion looked as she gave her everything. Somehow, she felt conflicted but never frustrated.

It was obvious that Orion wouldn't allow her to lend a hit on him. If he were a pushover, he wouldn't have survived the horrors that happened to him.

"!"

She stabbed the sword in her right hand into the ground, and, using it as a pylon, she spun around to kick him.

"Resourceful too."

Orion grabbed her ankle and pushed it upward, forcing Marie to flip.

Her skirt traced her movement as she fell to the ground, one knee planted in the cracked dirt.

She smiled while instantly rushing toward him. Grabbing her weapon planted in front of him, she widely swiped.

It forced Orion to grab the incoming sword with his fingers, which was what Marie wanted.

Using his own power against himself, she pulled on the sword to get even closer, aiming her second blade at his chest.

At that moment, Orion released the strength in his finger, expelling a powerful blast out of his core to push her backward.

But Marie gritted her teeth, fighting back against it with her entire strength. It was unusual to see such determination, even to Orion's standards.

The shockwave stopped, but when Marie thought she had resisted, another came. She wasn't prepared for it and ended up being pushed back a meter away.

Her disheveled silky black hair, which was usually perfectly attached in a high ponytail, was freed from its constraint. Flowing in front of her eyes, her hair hid her face for a moment as she picked herself from the ground.

Spinning both weapons to her side, she dragged her left foot behind her and crouched slightly. She aimed both blades at Orion before lifting her face up.

"Here I come."

The light in her eyes was gleaming powerfully. It was as if she needed to prove herself right here, right now.

As she leaped forward, her body once again vanished.

'I wonder if Olivia taught them this technique. This appears to be a demon-based strike where the user disappears for a split instant.'

Glancing toward his wife, Orion saw the shock on her face.

'It's probably best to ask her later.'

Facing his head forward, he looked at Marie.

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She jumped and dropped both blades over his head.

'This attack leaves you greatly vulnerable. Why would she do that?'

Lifting both hands to catch her blades, he suddenly noticed his mistake.

"Haha~"

With a wild smile, he saw Eden and Alice crouch inside the circle, ready to punch his stomach.

Eden adjusted her glasses as she smiled, while Alice shook her head in disapproval of using such underhanded tactics.

But Orion didn't mind. In fact, he was happy.

As Marie's sword fell into his hands, the other two punched him.

"..."

"Shit!"

Both fists were stopped by a whip-like matter wrapped around their wrist, stretching from Orion's shadow.

The blonde-haired Alice, always looking bored out of her mind, tried to pull her hand free, with no success.

Next to her, Eden shrugged. Dropping her head, her light brown bangs covered her eyes as she gave up resisting.

"Good try."

"But you should never forget."

Both whips pulled in the opposite direction before returning to their original spots. Eden and Marie crashed into each other before Orion pulled Marie downward.

"The enemy always hides his potential. Always consider other options."

Marie fell on top of the two and lost her breath.

"Kah!"

Saliva escaped the three maids' mouths from the shock. They remained on the ground without being able to do anything else.

"Are you hurt?"

Concerned, Orion lifted his hand over them, bathing them in a warm light.

The other maids looked at this in shock, thanking Orion for not being so ruthless with them in their hearts.

"We are... fine."

Struggling to stand up, Marie wobbled.

Alice and Eden kneeled with one knee on the ground, holding themselves to avoid fainting. They were heaving loudly, as they were still struggling to breathe correctly.

"I guess that's it."

Orion's pressure immediately diminished as he spoke.

"W-Wait!"

Marie suddenly looked at him with a defeated expression. He could see that something was weighting on her but couldn't form the actual words to speak to him.

"..."

Staring directly into her eyes, Orion waited.

"Ah... Nothing..."

She looked away and picked up her swords. With a bittersweet look, she turned around.

Seeing that, Orion looked at the sky.

'They are unpolished diamonds. With a little care, they would shine even brighter.'

'But to achieve that...'

He turned to Olivia, who sighed in relief as the battle came to an end.

'They have to give up their humanity.'

Orion turned his entire body toward his wife. Noticing his gaze, she exchanged stares with him.

"Olivia. Can I do something stupid?"

"Huh?"

She blinked as she heard his voice as if he were next to her.

"Something stupid? What's on your mind?"

"Would you allow me to strengthen them?"

"..."

Her frown cleared Orion's mind. Obviously, it was a bad idea.

'I hope that request didn't damage our bond...'

As he closed his eyes and began to look away, he heard a response.

"Do what you think is right."

The warm and calm smile she returned soothed his worried mind as he looked at her in shock.

"Thank you."

Orion returned the same smile before a serious expression replaced it. His gaze then went to Marie's back.

Lifting his hand, he used the same move he used before and pulled her toward him.

"Wha-"

Feeling her feet lift the ground, Marie flailed around.

Everyone looked in shock as she floated above the ground, toward Orion.

Her body moved above Orion's head. Pointing his left index finger at her, he smiled.

"Ready to have a fighting chance against me?"

His smile betrayed his intention, as a dark sphere with stars enveloped Marie entirely.

"What are you doing to Marie?!"

Eden and Alice stood up and glared at him. They were very protective of their leader, but most of all, they had no idea what he was doing.

Even if they trusted him, they weren't going to be used as playthings or test subjects.

But as much as they wished to rebel, they were powerless in front of him.

That's when the sphere began to liquefy. Marie appeared from its center and slowly dropped toward the ground.

"Marie!"

When her feet touched the ground, she opened her eyes.

Countless stars shone inside her irises. The purple hue in her eyes slowly dissipated as the last star popped.

"..."

She looked down at her hands. Inside her, she could feel something different. A new power that she somehow felt comfortable using.

But more than that, she smiled.

In her soul, she could feel a bond form between her and Orion. A form of kinship that shouldn't be possible.

Only a Divine and an inferior being could create such a bond.

"I supposed it's a success."

Marie nodded with her back turned toward Orion. Then, as she lifted her face, her figure evaporated into small stars.

She appeared next to Eden, then next to Alice.

Both failed to lay their eyes on her as she reappeared next to another maid. At last, she returned in front of Orion.

Without hesitation, she kneeled in front of him.

"Thank you. I will make good use of this power, Master."

Olivia smiled dryly.

'He stole my maids. I knew it would happen.'

She was fine with it, since she became his wife. It was obvious that her friends had no romantic feelings toward him. Only a peculiar adoration that she couldn't pinpoint the origin of.

Nonetheless, what was hers was his, and what was his was hers. Entrusting her friends to him was already decided.

Marie lifted her head and stared into Orion's eyes. Out of nowhere, a large bird fell from the sky and landed on her right shoulder.

"What?"

A large owl with shining eyes opened its wings wide and hooted loudly.

"Hoo~"

It was the howl Orion had given void power the previous night. Surprised, he leaned toward him.

"Hi?"

"..."

The owl suddenly closed its wings and eyes before remaining on Marie's shoulder, motionless.

"..."

Marie and Orion looked at each other.

"You've gained a companion."

"I... suppose so."

She lightly scratched the bird's head with one finger, only to enjoy the soft feeling of its feathers.

Standing up, Marie felt perplexed.

"Alright. Time to get back on track."

Orion slammed both hands together before pointing his finger at each maid.

"Wait!"

"Wha-"

The twenty-six maids were all caught into spheres of energy, each different. Depending on their needs and constitution, they were separated into three groups.

"Six void users, thirteen dark users, and eight light users. Interesting."

As each sphere vanished and returned the women to the real world, Orion smiled.

"I'll have to confirm with Mia and Nia later, but it's possible you all became something different."

Feeling a sense of pride in his heart, he looked at each of them.

'If my thoughts are correct...'

'I brought back the angel and demon factions through these women.'