Baduum! Baduum! Baduum!!
Orion's heart pounded in his chest as he saw the familiar figure step out of the gate.
White Flame!
"Who's that?" Princess Crystalia asked, her eyes fixed on the mysterious figure who had just emerged from the gate.
"We need to go," Orion urged as he turned to address the other participants beside him. "EVERYONE, WE NEED TO GO!" Orion shouted, rallying them, before turning around and taking flight away from the massive stone gate, with Flintor closely following.
They couldn't afford to die now!
Aegis of the Arctic Deity had already made it clear that death equalled certain failure.
As for how Princess Crystalia and Flintor had failed the trial on their first and second attempts, after seeing the man in his hospital attire, Orion didn't need an explanation of their past failures.
However, the other one hundred and twenty-one participants gazed at him, puzzled and bewildered, not yet grasping the situation.
Meanwhile, recognizing that Orion likely understood what was happening, given his reaction, Iris shouted urgently, "WHAT ARE YOU STILL WAITING FOR? WE NEED TO GO NOW!" She swiftly turned and started to follow Orion and the others.
The rest of the group quickly realized that something was amiss and hurried to follow Orion and the others.
At the front of the group, Orion clenched his teeth and pushed himself to fly at top speed, determined to put as much distance as possible between them and White Flame.
Suddenly, another rumble reverberated from the ground below, and he glanced downward to witness a chaotic scene: the green figures, which turned out to be goblins, orcs, and other related subspecies, were engaged in a full-blown battle. It was a war zone down there.
"FALL!!"
A booming voice echoed in their ears, and in an instant, Orion realized he was plummeting from the sky along with the other participants and every other winged creature.
"EVERYONE, BRACE YOURSELVES!" Orion shouted loudly, alerting those nearby to prepare for the impending impact.
He held Princess Crystalia close as they descended toward the ground.
"BAANNGG!"
"BAMM!!"
The jarring impact sent a shockwave through Orion's spine. His body collided with the ground, contorting his wings and inflicting excruciating pain that forced a mouthful of blood from his lips.
"Ahh!" Orion moaned briefly in pain before quickly regaining his composure.
"...Orion, are you okay?" Princess Crystalia asked, her eyes filled with worry.
"Cough! Cough! I'm okay, don't worry," Orion assured her as he sat upright and scanned their surroundings.
Fortunately, Flintor had also survived, albeit with his wings twisted at an odd angle, similar to Orion. Unfortunately, when he looked at the other participants, he saw that some of them had met a grim fate, landing on a pile of bones that had pierced through their bodies, while the rest were in the same condition as he was.
Although Princess Crystalia could see that Orion's current condition was far from okay, she knew there was little they could do at the moment.
She bit her lip and helped him to stand up.
As Orion looked around, he noticed the other participants slowly getting back on their feet, apparently realizing that things were about to take a turn for the worse.
Just then, a piercing, majestic voice echoed across the desolate landscape.
"WHO DARES?!"
The towering colossal swords, gleaming with an otherworldly light, vibrated and hummed violently, as if responding to the commanding voice.
Orion's eyes were immediately drawn to the parting clouds, and the blinding, shimmering figure descending from them.
She seemed untouched by the mysterious force that had sent them plummeting to the ground.
As the intense light dissipated, a bloodied figure of a winged woman emerged. Her wings were significantly larger than any he had seen before, and she was adorned in flowing garments that left her arms and chest covered but revealed her stomach. Her attire extended into a long skirt that reached just above her ankles.
"WHO ART THOU?" the majestic voice thundered again in anger. "WHAT GIVETH THEE THE RIGHT TO BLOCK MY CHILDREN'S PASSAGE?!"
"YOU ARE NOT WELCOME ON EARTH!! HALT YOUR ADVANCES WHILE YOU CAN, OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!!" echoed through the battlefield, and Orion recognized it as White Flame's voice, having heard it in a private conversation before.
"ART THOU A GOD ON EARTH? ALL RIGHT, I HAVE SLAYED OTHER GODS, AND I SHALL DO SO ONCE MORE!" The majestic voice responded, and in the blink of an eye, several exquisitely crafted weapons materialized, surrounding the woman.
These weapons bore a striking resemblance to the colossal swords looming in the distance.
"YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED?!"
On that day, the Prismerion race beheld the sky for the first time in millennia, and on that same day, they watched as the sky itself quaked.
"BBOOOOMMM!!"
"BAMM!!!"
The sky erupted in blinding flashes of light as both gods collided, while the battle below continued to rage fiercely as both races fought among themselves.
Orion observed the ongoing battle on both sides, frustration gnawing at him. 'Divine blood,' he thought. To defeat White Flame, they needed divine blood.
As for where they were going to find it, Orion didn't need to be told.
He watched as the god and the man-made god clashed head-on in the sky.
After a while, Orion witnessed the bloodied winged woman fall from the sky, crashing onto one of the highlands with a resounding, "BOOM," enveloping the sky in dust and ash.
"We need to go there?" Orion said, turning to face Princess Crystalia. Seeing her wielding a crystalline-carved sword, he immediately realized that their abilities were effective in this place, whatever it was.
As for their strength, it seemed that he would need to find out for himself.
Princess Crystalia frowned a little as she slashed down another goblin that had attempted to attack them.
Then, she nodded with a stern expression on her face.
At this point, she had come to trust Orion to the extent that she didn't doubt whatever he said or did.
