Meanwhile, Leona and the other gods' chosens watched the scene above them wide-eyed.
…....
Garden
Pixie Kingdom
"I think this is the last one," Prince Alden said, exhaling in relief.
Finally, they had reached the end of the task and were now ready to return home.
High Prince Kael nodded. "The last thing we need to do is deposit this at the Gardeners Guild, then we can return to the castle," he responded.
Orion moved to raise the sacks filled with the remains of the two sacks before High Prince Kael quickly stopped him.
"You don't need to do that, Mr Orion. Let them handle the rest for you," High Prince Kael said, gesturing towards the three Gardeners already on their way forward.
He had the Gardeners accompany him to show Orion what he needed to know about working in the Garden.
The Gardeners arrived before them and collected the sacks from Orion before heading towards the Gardeners Guild. They would wait for Orion and the High Prince until they caught up with them.
Despite not having any problems carrying a sack as big as this, Orion didn't oppose their help. He knew that with High Prince Kael's personality, this would only give him more headaches if he refused.
He appreciated that he didn't have to return to the castle for the High King's remaining 'Dust Morphosis' to maintain his tiny form; instead, they delivered it for him.
"Let's go," Orion said, taking the lead as he flew forward.
High Prince Kael and Prince Alden nodded and followed suit beside him.
As they approached the Gardeners Guild, a cloaked figure dashed out from the corner of a nearby building toward them, a dagger aimed at High Prince Kael's chest.
Luckily, High Prince Kael had already sensed the danger of the incoming attack and instinctively attempted to move out of the way quickly. However, he wasn't fast enough.
Despite the dagger missing his chest, it still managed to pierce straight into his stomach, causing him to stumble in the air as searing pain spread from his stomach.
"ARRGG!!" High Prince Kael groaned loudly in pain as he descended from the sky.
"BROTHER!" Prince Alden exclaimed in shock and reacted swiftly, catching High Prince Kael before his body could collide with the ground.
Meanwhile, Orion swiftly pursued their assailants. He activated his gift to envelop his right arm.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
Bluish sparks of lightning erupted from his right arm, coating the spear in his grasp with a brilliant hue. Without hesitation, Orion hurled the spear forward.
SWISH!
It shot through the air like lightning, covering vast distances within seconds.
"AARRGHH!!"
The lightning-coated spear pierced through the assailant's stomach without obstruction, tearing through their insides until it collided with the bark of a nearby tree.
'I should have held back a little more,' Orion thought, observing the lifeless body of the assailant falling from the sky as he deactivated his gift.
However, as the assailant's corpse touched the ground, it exploded, scattering charred remains around it and momentarily stunning Orion.
"BROTHER!" Another resounding voice echoed behind Orion.
He turned to see another assailant emerging to attack Prince Alden, but High Prince Kael intercepted the strike with his palm.
Prince Alden was frozen in shock as he witnessed the scene unfold before him.
Without wasting a second, Orion approached them in mere moments, tearing his artificial wings apart with the dense Celestial energy channelled through them.
The assailant's eyes widened as Orion suddenly appeared before him.
Just as the assailant prepared to launch an attack at Orion, intending to use it as cover to administer the poison and end his own life, Orion caught his, wrapping his hand around his neck, and swiftly activated his gift once more.
A bluish streak of ferocious lightning erupted from his arm, directly electrifying and charring the assailant.
Orion ensured that the assailant was unconscious and not dead before surveying his surroundings. The street was empty, with only a few brave souls lingering to witness the shocking events unfolding.
"ARRGG!!" High Prince Kael's pained scream pierced the air.
With a tight grip on the assailant's neck, Orion swiftly turned and bent down to assess High Prince Kael's condition.
"Can you make it until we return to the castle?" Orion asked urgently, his gaze shifting to the two areas where the assailants had attacked and where the injury was slowly turning green.
Orion couldn't shake the suspicion that the assailants' weapons might have poisoned High Prince Kael.
Prince Alden had also arrived by his side, his expression tense as he awaited High Prince Kael's response.
High Prince Kael nodded, "Yes. But I think their attacks were poisoned," he responded.
Orion nodded, his eyes shifting to the sides as he scrutinized his surroundings.
"Come on, I'll carry you back to the castle as fast as I can," Prince Alden said, helping High Prince Kael rise to his feet.
He wrapped his arms around him, using his body as support before rising into the air.
However, before he could move an inch forward, Orion held him back.
"Hold on. I think several others are waiting in hiding," Orion said with a frown.
Prince Alden's eyes widened in shock. He had just been saved by his brother from another hidden assailant and had almost forgotten to consider that there might be more lurking in hiding, waiting for the proper time to strike.
Prince Alden gulped deeply, "What are we going to do then?" he asked nervously.
Despite High Prince Kael's assurance that he was okay, Prince Alden knew that the more time they spent there, the more his brother's chances of survival decreased.
"We either wait for reinforcements from the guards since they might be close by, or we face them head-on," Orion responded.
"Whoever you are, come out and surrender. I won't repeat myself twice. However, if you don't, I'll find you myself, and you'll regret making me do so!" Orion shouted. However, no one responded.
Orion furrowed his brows, contemplating whether the attackers had already fled or were biding their time in hiding to strike again. It seemed they were too resilient to be swayed by his threat.
