"Amazing," Seth whispered under his breath, his voice barely audible over the sound of the wind.
Several other warriors, also perched on the Orion skies, marvelled at the sensation of gradually ascending into the sky, carried aloft by the flying contraptions.
Once they had ascended to a certain height in the sky and were still within the sight of the Village Chief and Hanan, Seth seized the moment to bellow loudly into the open air.
"FOR THE SAKE OF THE VILLAGE, I WILL BRING ORION BACK!"
His words echoed in the vastness of the sky as determination welled up inside him. His anger flared at the thought of the turmoil in the village and the person partly responsible.
"AND IF I ENCOUNTER DRAKAR OR EVEN CATCH A GLIMPSE OF HIS SHADOW, I WILL BRING HIS HEAD TO YOU, DEAD OR ALIVE!"
Every warrior on the flying contraption shared these sentiments, excluding Fifi. Unlike the others, she had only one outcome in mind for Rightward Stronghold Leader Drakar – death, so her sisters and the tree nymphs could exact their vengeance by fully dismembering his corpse.
'I will kill him,' Fifi thought once more, her thoughts consumed by a burning desire for vengeance. Her nails dug into her palms as her hands clenched into fists.
"I will find you," she whispered through gritted teeth, her voice a chilling promise, "and then, I will kill you."
…....…
Within the mountains
The Prismerian kingdom
"Go on, what are you waiting for, Clan Mistress Olivia?" Orion asked with a raised brow.
He had expected her to walk toward the previous position and strike the pillar immediately after he was done displaying his strength.
However, she had been quiet and motionless for over a minute now.
Hearing Orion's question, Olivia subtly took a deep breath, shaking her head inwardly.
'What am I thinking?' She thought. There was no way she was letting the young man in front of her think that he was stronger or could compete in strength with any of the Major Clan Heads.
Olivia locked her gaze with his as she released a sigh. "I was just surprised. After all, it seemed so unreal for a young man like you to have such an incredible amount of strength. In fact..." She paused, narrowing her eyes at him as she scrutinized him from head to toe. "I am even beginning to think that you are not as young as you seem," she said, her eyes widening at her own words as she came to such a realization.
Staring at the woman who was coming up with her own irrelevant imagination, Orion shook his head wearily and said, "No, I can boldly say that I am several years younger than you think, if that's what you're probably thinking."
"Oh!" Olivia said, squinting her eyes at Orion. "How many years are you then?" She asked with immense curiosity burning in her eyes. Diverting this conversation to another topic entirely was the only excuse she could use to waste time now until it was time for them to return to the closing banquet.
Orion, however, immediately furrowed his brow with a frown appearing on his face.
"I can consider telling you during our next conversation and exchange it for information that I want. However, I believe that, in order for that to happen, we first need to finish our initial agreement," he said, "So please, Clan Mistress Olivia, strike the pillar with all you have because I would also like to get a glimpse of your strength."
Seeing that her plan wasn't working or having any effect, Olivia nodded her head seriously and forced a thin smile across her lips.
"Humph! Okay, stand back then. I don't want you to get injured or suffocated by my magical energy," Olivia said. She walked towards the pillar and stood in front of it, her mind racing as she tried to think of different ways to avoid the upcoming situation. However, realizing that she couldn't come up with any, she decided to give her all first and figure something out later.
Calming her breathing down, she quickly regained her composure and immediately channelled her magical energy. The air around her grew dense and suffocating as every pore on her skin opened, releasing an immense amount of thick magical energy from her body.
Slowly, the magical energy began to condense into a dark green hue, causing Orion to widen his eyes in surprise.
"...Crystal Sage Rank," Orion muttered under his breath, not wanting to miss a single detail as he locked his gaze onto Clan Mistress Olivia's form.
Her entire aura had transformed as the dark green energy condensed around her, giving her the appearance of a dormant but powerful demon awakening.
With all the magical energy in her body reaching its peak, Olivia thrust her fist forward with full force.
Just as her fist was about to make contact with the pillar, a sharp, invisible glint flashed across Olivia's pupils, and she immediately unleashed one of the Quartzwraith Clan's intermediate specialties.
"Spectral Fury!"
A quick burst of sharp, invisible magical energy shot forth from Olivia's fist, possessing enough power to tear through the defences of another being of the same rank if left unguarded. It collided with the pillar just moments before her fist did.
The result was a resounding explosion!
"BANNGG!!" "BOOOMM!!!"
The impact, while not as awe-inspiring as Orion's own, still packed a powerful punch. The pillar hummed for several moments before it lit up, starting with a light cyan colour that transitioned to a dark cyan, then to a light green, before finally settling on a radiant dark green.
Orion's eyes widened with realization. "You're at the Crystal Sage Rank!" he exclaimed, confirming his suspicions about the Clan Mistress of the Quartzwraith Clan standing before him.
Orion's words naturally drew Olivia's attention, and her disappointment was palpable. She had hoped her immense strength would have at least allowed her to touch the surface of the Crystal King Rank. She turned her head towards Orion, who was regarding her with a contemplative gaze. Her frown deepened, ready to respond to what she perceived as a demeaning remark.
However, Orion's next words caught her off guard, causing her to purse her lips and withhold her retort.
"You're weak! How can you be this weak?" Orion questioned, disbelief lacing his voice.
