Orion sat on his bed and rubbed his temple.

  "This will be troublesome."

  A looming feeling of unrest weighted over his shoulder, as if someone were looking at him constantly.

  "I understand why it was impossible for our almighty protector to stop their meddling with our world."

  Nature, the creator of this world, was a great system that developed a will over the course of time.

  The 'Seed of Divinity' was a privilege she gave to him as a reward for correcting the course of history through his countless and unending trials.

  But that same power was part of her intrinsic strength. She gave Orion the ability to rule over the boundaries of Triazils and the rest of the world.

  In return, she lost a tremendous amount of power, and he assumed the responsibility instead.

  "As more and more time passes, I can feel those unwanted stares trying to find us."

  "That's what I get for protecting people with pure souls."

  He smirked and looked at his opened hands.

  "As if I'd let anything happen to them. They greatly underestimate me."

  "Until everyone's ready, I will not let a single one of them find our location. This won't be easy, but that's how it is."

  Leaning backward, he glanced over his shoulder.

  "Did I wake you up?"

  A blonde-haired woman with a slightly lighter color sat in bed while holding the cover in front of her chest to cover her naked body.

  "No. The light woke me up."

  Olivia yawned and placed her free hand over the ray of sun coming through the window.

  "Well, we had no such problem when Horizon was just a made-up realm. Now that it has grown into a full-fledged world, the sun actually feels more natural."

  After standing up, he walked to the table and picked up her clothes.

  For a moment, he stopped and looked at the fabric in his hands.

  "..."

  Recalling the previous night, he smiled.

  "Was your wish fulfilled?"

  Returning to her side, he placed her clothes close to her. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he stared at the door.

  "Yes."

  With a warm smile, she put on her attire before sliding her butt next to him.

  "So, what was it about purity?"

  Wrapping her arm around his, she peered into his gray eyes.

  "Some unsavory beings are looking for their next victims. That's all I'm willing to say for now."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  He extended his free hand over her head and began patting it.

  "I'd rather you keep this in the back of your mind. Until the day is ripe, this isn't relevant to any of you."

  She looked away, her wings dropping slightly.

  "But it is for you, isn't it? Aren't you keeping a lot from us with the excuse that we don't need to know yet?"

  Orion shrugged.

  "You're playing with words. You know exactly what I meant. Everyone knows what's the next goal on our list."

  Letting out a heavy sigh, she laughed it off.

  "I was trying to get it out of you."

  "It was a good attempt."

  Rubbing her head with a stronger grip, he ruffled her hair.

  "Hey!"

  "Haha~"

  Enjoying the morning with Olivia, he stayed until he felt like moving.

  ...

  "..."

  Orion grabbed Amelia's leg, which was directed toward his head.

  "Excuse me?"

  Gently being pushed away, she took another fighting stance.

  "I especially tried to hit you in your blind spot. How did you notice?"

  "Use the void energy to make a layer around your body. Anything entering it will be revealed, giving you the opportunity to strike back."

  Reflecting on his words, she tried to do that.

  "Concentrate on expanding it outside your body. Find the perfect balance between superfluous and important uses of magic."

  Groaning and frowning, she stopped.

  "I can't. It's not possible."

  Her arms dropped lower as a defeated expression formed on her face.

  "It's fine. Nothing is obtained in one day."

  "Right."

  Jumping back on her feet, she prepared to return to the assault.

  "Alright. Show me what you've got. Fight me with everything you have. I want to see the extremes of your power."

  After snapping his fingers, a strong barrier extended in all directions, forming a sphere around them.

  "Will you go all out?"

  "..."

  Orion registered her question and turned his face away.

  "Is it that difficult to answer?"

  Shaking his head, he smiled.

  "No. I was considering if it was a good idea, but I suppose it is."

  Pointing his finger in the air, he changed the properties of the space inside the dome.

  Space stretched, creating a wider plane inside it. What was ten meters became a kilometer, giving enough space for them to go all out.

  "Nothing can be seen from the outside, but we have no onlookers today. Let's do it."

  Surprised by his approval, Amelia began to stretch her arms and legs.

  "Serious... Like, 'serious' serious?"

  "Similar to the fight we've done before, but way worse, yes."

  Orion smiled, his wings gradually growing to their original size.

  'Maybe I'll lower my power slightly...'

  He was about to fight only using the light and dark elements. But as he did, he lightly shook his head.

  "Void against void. What do you think about this idea?"

  A bright smile replaced the confusion she was feeling, as this was precisely what she needed.

  "Yes. Please!"

  An intense pressure built inside both of them as they stared at each other.

  They watched for the first movement of the other while assessing how much strength they would put against each other.

  Orion was the first to move.

  *Warp*

  The echo of his power activating caused Amelia to freeze, as she saw for the first time the speed at which her husband could warp in and out of her sight.

  "Oop-"

  Bending her entire body backward, she dodged a lariat that was coming straight for her throat.

  "That's for aiming at my head earlier."

  He reappeared on the opposite side, perfectly causing discord in her perception.

  With a swift move of his foot, he swiped her right foot, causing Amelia to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

  "Wai- Time out!"

  She tried to make him stop as her back fell to the ground, but Orion clenched his left hand into a fist and prepared to punch her in the guts.

  (I said time out.)

  Orion stopped and immediately glanced over his shoulder after hearing Amelia whisper in his left ear.

  'She's still on the ground.'

  Analyzing the situation in a split second, he forced his body to turn completely. Throwing his hand forward, he grabbed someone who was invisible.

  "That's my Orion. You always pay attention to me."

  The feeling in his hand vanished. Grabbing into the air, he glanced over his shoulder only to see Amelia lying on the ground, trying to get up.

  'Her voice was actually everywhere. Interesting.'

  Lifting his hand, Orion focused on the environment surrounding him.

  "Found you."

  He warped away and appeared in front of a hazy spot.

  "Woah!"

  Dodging his hand, another Amelia jumped out of that same spot with a frustrated look on her face.

  "How did you notice?!"

  "Stop talking and concentrate."

  Pointing his index finger at her, a small sphere the size of a pea began to accumulate energy.

  "Two can play that game!"

  Amelia aimed her right palm toward him, creating a similar sphere in it.

  Before a millisecond could pass, they shot their spheres of void energy at each other.

  *Scratch*

  Amelia's sphere grazed Orion's left temple, while Orion's attack spilled a trail of blood from her right cheek.

  Then, both vanished.

  "..."

  "..."

  They appeared in front of each other, staring at each other with hardened faces.

  Both weren't exactly going all out. Testing if the other was going to actually go out was a priority.

  Slowly, they began to confirm that this battle was no training.

  A strong sense of pride grew inside Orion's heart as he watched his companion and first wife reach his realm.

  On the other hand, Amelia was doubting if he was going soft on her, not realizing that she had developed faster than ever.

  "Serious, you said."

  Lowering his face toward her, he smiled.

  "I'll give it to you then."

  A pointy item suddenly caught her attention. Its tip slowly pressed against her stomach, causing her to feel greatly pressured.

  "..."

  She swallowed silently.

  "Maybe you should be the one to help me test Pleione's full capabilities."

  *Click*

  Amelia and the surrounding space deformed before a monstrous blast ravaged everything in a straight line.

  Leaving behind particles of void magic, he whistled in awe.

  "Incredible."

  He stared at the crossbow with a caring gaze.

  "It's been a long while since I've held one of you. It feels very calming."

  Lifting Pleione, the void crossbow in front of his face, he smiled.

  "Are you trying to kill me?!"

  Hearing a peeved Amelia behind him, he turned around.

  "If you were that weak, you wouldn't have asked for a serious fight."

  "You're not showing everything, are you?"

  "Stop hiding, Amelia. Using afterimages isn't playing fair."

  As he said that, he aimed Pleione at Amelia.

  Or, at least, at the closest one.

  "It's only the beginning."

  With wild grins, hundreds of Amelias began to appear around Orion.