"They have earned it?" Aegis of the Arctic Deity asked, his voice filled with confusion.
"Yes, they've earned it," Orion affirmed.
"Before they became a treacherous race worthy of scorn, remember, they were once under Naka's wing. In essence, they were Naka's children. Regardless of their past actions, consider that they were sealed within this mountain as a curse. The only way to break free and redeem themselves was to survive and complete the trial designed for them, all under your supervision," Orion explained.
The Aegis of the Arctic Deity questioned, "What are you trying to say?"
"Shouldn't it be obvious by now that the Prismerion race no longer deserves to be called a treacherous race because they have been redeemed? They can no longer be looked at with scorn or hatred for whatever they had done in the past, as they have completed the trial and have become Naka's children once more," Orion asserted, his gaze piercing straight towards Aegis of the Arctic Deity.
"And as the only being tasked with supervising such a trial, Aegis of the Arctic Deity, are you trying to say that they are not free from their punishment, or perhaps you are trying to say that Naka had no idea know what he was doing, or his words or rules didn't matter?" he added.
As Orion finished speaking, he felt the space around him briefly shake before quickly stabilizing.
Orion witnessed this scene and inwardly sighed in relief. This was what he had expected.
He had been attempting to uncover the identity of Aegis of the Arctic Deity or gather some snippets of information about him, intending to figure out more later.
Aegis of the Arctic Deity's reaction confirmed that he was some kind of helper to Naka, not just a friend overseeing his friend's children and the outcome of their punishment, whether they would succeed or not.
"You truly have a way with words, human," Aegis of the Arctic Deity said, narrowing his eyes at Orion.
"It's been ages since someone questioned my words. Besides..." Aegis of the Arctic Deity's words paused, and suddenly, a divine pressure rolled down from the heavens like an enormous flood, pressing heavily against Orion's shoulders and almost causing him to collapse on his knees, as his legs were already bent toward the ground.
Orion felt this pressure was even greater than anything the Crystalforge Elite warriors had experienced the last time they were here.
"What gives you the right to believe you can challenge my words or talk to me like that?" Aegis of the Arctic Deity's words thundered through the inky black void, causing visible ripples to appear on the large mass of water above them.
Orion gritted his teeth as the pressure descended several times more, forcing his right knee to collapse on the ground.
"Bang!"
His left knee soon followed suit with a resounding "Bang!" that echoed through the inky black void, cracking the rocky plain below him and causing several inches of web cracks to spread around him.
Feeling the pressure forcefully rolling against his back, Orion understood that he couldn't continue to resist it any longer. Without hesitation, he immediately summoned the four-meter-long crimson great sword.
"Bang!"
The sword landed on the ground, collapsing and causing numerous web cracks to form around it before it suddenly began to glow with a soft, pulsing, milky light.
Instantly, as though it was never there, the pressure that had descended from the heavens immediately vanished into thin air as though it had never existed.
"Haaa… Haa…. Haaa…." Orion took several deep breaths in and out as he gradually regained his composure.
He stretched his hand to his forehead, wiping off the sweat beads that had formed before shifting his attention to the four-meter-long crimson greatsword within his grasp. He then looked at Aerialia, who was staring at the large pair of slitted golden eyes in the sky with a serious expression on her face.
Orion had chosen to address Aegis of the Arctic Deity in the way he did because he had a 'goddess' behind him who surely did not want him to die at this moment. He might have considered a different approach if it were a god like White Flame.
However, considering that Aegis of the Arctic Deity didn't seem to have a body, with only his powers extending to control the mountain, and Aerialia, a divine soul whose abilities were linked to the Crimson greatsword—a divine artefact—he couldn't help but admit that they were genuinely perfect opponents for each other.
Aerialia noticed his gaze and turned her head in his direction, scrutinizing his figure from head to toe before asking, "Are you alright?"
Orion nodded in response, exhaling as he returned to his feet.
"I'm fine now," he responded. Sure enough, only a god could go against a god.
Before Aerialia could say another word or figure out what was happening, Aegis of the Arctic Deity's voice resounded through the air.
"I don't think it would be wise for you to get involved in this matter, goddess of the hunting moon," Aegis of the Arctic Deity stated, his eyes narrowed towards Aerialia. He then shifted his gaze towards Orion.
"Since he dares to challenge a god with his words, he should naturally possess the strength to back it up or bear the consequences for doing so," he added with a firm tone that echoed through the inky black void.
Aerialia furrowed her brows upon hearing Aegis of the Arctic Deity's words before shifting her gaze towards Orion. "Is he speaking the truth?" Aerialia asked with a serious expression on her face.
While she didn't particularly care about what happened to Orion, considering their current deal, he needed to stay alive and healthy for the agreement to be successful. Therefore, she couldn't just stand by and watch him be threatened to the point of severe injury.
However, that didn't mean she could overlook it if Orion had blatantly disrespected or challenged a god. After all, she was a god, too, and within the natural hierarchy, a mortal challenging a god was akin to challenging all the other gods.
