"Okay, then tell me what you know if you understand what just happened," Orion said eagerly.
Even if Aerialia looked confused, any explanation he could get about what had occurred would be welcomed.
Aerialia raised a brow at Orion as she stared at him intently.
"Why should I tell thee? I believe I possess no reason to do so," she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "And even if I did, why should I tell thee after thou granted that remorseless god's request?"
Orion was about to open his mouth to respond when he quickly snapped it shut, noticing storm clouds gathering above the mountain and gradually spreading into the distance.
At this moment, Orion was stunned by the scene above him.
Since he had appeared in this world, this might as well be the first time he had witnessed such a phenomenon. Judging by what he had just done, Orion knew it wasn't anything natural. So, he stood rooted in his spot, watching the unfolding event.
Storm clouds gathered, darkening the sky with their ominous shade. Gradually, the sky thundered as bursts of thunder and lightning streaked through the heavens, booming continuously in his ears.
"RUMMMBBLLEE!!"
"CRRAACCCKKLLEE!!! BOOOMMM!!!"
"It's the Divine Mysteries!" Aerialia stated as she gradually advanced, stopping beside Orion with her head raised toward the sky. "Each time a god doth meet its demise, the Divine Mysteries unleash their wrath, typically in the form of fury against the world for permitting one of their own to perish within it. Although I know not how the Divine Mysteries ventured this far into the world, it is not an impossible feat. However, that doth only affirm my suspicion about how he might have ended up in the state he is in."
Divine Mysteries!
The first time Orion heard about the Divine Mysteries was from White Flame during the battle within the independent space. He kept that information in mind, realizing it was an important piece of knowledge he needed to hold onto, as it might become crucial later.
As the storm clouds rumbled with life, plunging everything into darkness as though it were night, the clouds opened, and the rain poured down.
As the rain slowly descended, hitting Orion's body, he stretched out his left hand and cupped it, catching the rain within. His eyes widened in shock when he stared down to see the water he had caught.
Blood!
Blood and water!
The rain that poured down from the sky wasn't ordinary; it was mixed with blood and water. Was this the calamity that Aerialia was talking about?
He could have said that the sky was bleeding, but it felt as if… it was crying. Tears so painful that they turned into blood rained down onto the earth from the heavens.
On the ground below him, within the gaping holes in the jagged rock, Orion could see a pool of blood and water forming.
"Incredible," was the only word that could come out of Orion's mouth at this very moment.
Ever since he had become accustomed to this world, although he had yet to explore it entirely, there were little things that could send a tremble of surprise through his heart, and this had become one of them.
Still, what bothered him was that he knew White Flame was a man-made god. That meant he should be different from other gods.
However, given what Aerialia had said, something she should have experienced during the 'Great War' since she had only just stepped into this world recently, it seemed that White Flame possessed something not much different from other gods.
As for what it was, Orion knew that he would have to find a source of information, considering that Aerialia didn't seem as though she would be opening her mouth to respond to any of his questions anytime soon. Fortunately, he knew another god who owed him an explanation, so Orion wasn't worried.
He just watched the darkened sky as the lightning and thunder streaked through it, producing enough force to boom into the ears of any being within several thousand miles and more.
Meanwhile, Aerialia, who had been silent all this while, couldn't help but stare at Orion from the corner of her eyes.
Even if Orion had mentioned that White Flame was different from the god she knew, from what she had just witnessed, it seemed as though he was not far from becoming a true god; the fact remained that he had just slain a god.
A mortal had slain a god!
And yet, instead of relishing in the glory that even demigods would have to toil for with their blood and sweat, he seemed so… so… amazed that the sky was pouring with rain and blood, as though that in itself was even more magnificent than slaying a god.
'Hah!' Aerialia exhaled deeply within her heart.
At this moment, she really wanted to find out who this god, Naka, was and what had happened in this world for it to look the way it was.
"Come on, let's go; the others are waiting for us," Orion said. His words rang loudly amidst the 'pitter-patter' of raindrops of blood and water, snapping Aerialia out of her thoughts.
She noticed that he had already turned around and begun to walk back into the cave. Wordlessly, she nodded and followed beside him, hoping to discover other strange things hidden within this world.
...
Fifi and the others exhaled in relief as they saw Orion's figure approaching until he arrived in front of them.
Before Fifi could open her mouth to speak, Seth had already said, "What happened to White Flame?" His fixated gaze lingered briefly on the four-meter-long Crimson blade within Orion's grasp.
"He's dead," Orion said, his words echoing through the air, unleashing an uncontrollable wave of intense emotions within the hearts of the Crystalforge warriors.
The continuous sound of armour clashing against the earth instantly resonated in the air as every Crystalforge warrior dropped to their knees, facing Orion and the rest of the warriors.
