He stared at the dazzling whitish iris of the goddess in front of him, along with her waist-long hair and her two incredibly large pairs of wings.
It would have been an amazing sight if not for her blood-stained hair and wings, which almost matched the colour of the four-meter crimson great sword in her hand.
The winged woman, however, stared at Orion suspiciously and wondered what was so special about him. He was the only one among her creations who seemed unaffected by the overwhelming divine power.
Regardless, she didn't have much time to dwell on it, as there was still a god in front of her that she needed to deal with if she wanted her children to regain their sanity.
"Go, runneth as fast as thou canst, out of this perishing world. Even if I should falter, I shall find solace in knowing that one of my creations hath made it to the other side," the winged woman said calmly. She looked at Orion with a loving expression in her eyes.
Orion, knowing he couldn't leave this place without obtaining the great sword, nodded, but he expressed his concerns, "But... Goddess, how am I supposed to protect myself if I were to leave this dying world and go to the other side? Judging by the looks of it, the other side doesn't seem to welcome our advances."
He tried to maintain a calm demeanour, doing his best to convey his emotions to secure the great sword and make his way out of this place.
The winged woman heard Orion's words and let out a deep sigh.
How could she not understand what her creation was telling her when there was already a god blocking their way?
She bit her lips in a mix of frustration and anger before shaking her head helplessly and responding, "I know not, but as my creation, thou hast already waged countless wars. I do believe that thou hast the capacity to endure, even if thou art alone, so long as thou dost choose thy battles with prudence."
"But...," Orion decided to confront the issue, "if you choose to stay here and die, what will happen to the sword in your hand?"
Orion realized that if the goddess died, the crimson-coloured greatsword in her possession would likely be claimed by White Flame as a trophy and could be used against them.
The winged woman was taken aback by Orion's words. Why hadn't she considered that before?
Now, thinking about it, she realized he was making sense. After all, what would happen if the god currently confronting her decided to use her sword and hunt down her creations after defeating her?
"All right," the winged woman nodded her head in defeat, a deep, helpless sigh escaping her lips.
"Bring thy hands forward, child," she said, scrutinizing Orion as she wondered why she had never noticed such a child among her creations before.
Orion relaxed his racing heart and stretched out both his hands.
Feeling the weight of the four-meter greatsword, Orion almost felt himself stumbling forward. Thankfully, the winged goddess immediately supported the weight of the great sword with her strength, allowing his hands to slide beneath it.
"Child, cut thy hands and let thy blood flow upon this blade," the winged woman said with a small, sweet smile on her lips after noticing that Orion was unable to properly carry the sword.
Orion immediately nodded in understanding and picked up a small rock from the broken rubble. He used it to forcefully cut his palm open, letting his blood pour onto the four-meter crimson-coloured greatsword.
Orion admitted inwardly that it was painful, as it was the first time he had tried to purposefully injure himself.
He bit his lip to stifle any noise.
"That is sufficient," The winged woman said, casting Orion an approving glance as though she was very appreciative of his decisive action.
"What is thy name, child?" she asked.
Given that she had asked for his name, Orion pondered for a moment before responding, "Orion." The fact that she requested his name indicated that she didn't know it beforehand.
If she did, it would have suggested that she recognized him from the beginning, which was clearly not the case.
"I shall no longer be able to safeguard thee once thou departest this perishing world. Hence, I, Aerielia, former goddess of the shining light, do hereby bestow upon thee authority over this blade. I do bless thee – may no foe thou dost smite enfeeble thee. Instead, may they stoke thy strength and endow thee with the valour to continue thy march forward."
As the winged woman, Aerielia, spoke, Orion noticed tears streaming down from her eyes. It was as though she was bidding farewell to a son she would never see again. however, he understood this was a trial orchestrated by Naka, and it was not his place to intervene. Orion remained silent, listening to her words.
"I bind thee and this blade. Mayest thou never bear the same resentment that I have borne whilst wielding this sword. I do bless thee, my child. Run as swiftly as thou canst to the other side and lay claim to the land that doth await thee, for I, thy creator, shall eternally guide and shield thee upon thy journey."
Orion observed as two teardrops fell and landed on the four-meter-long crimson greatsword the moment she finished speaking.
The sword began to radiate an intense crimson light.
Orion closed his eyes, protecting them from the blinding radiance as he sensed the greatsword shrinking. Gradually, he felt the weight of the sword settling in his palms.
"Thou canst open thine eyes, child," the winged woman said.
Orion complied and, when he looked, he saw that the once four-meter-long crimson greatsword was now only about six feet (1.9m) in length.
Just as Orion was about to speak, a thunderous, impatient voice reverberated from above. "Are you done with your preparations, or is this all you have to offer?"
The winged woman immediately directed her gaze upward.
