"I don't sense her energy signature anymore, so I don't think she's alive. Wait here, let me verify," Aurora said before vanishing from her position, crossing several miles in seconds.
Within a few minutes, she returned and looked at Orion.
"I've checked. She's dead," Aurora said with a nod, her expression firm.
"Take me to see her so I can look," Orion replied.
Noticing the hesitation on her face, Orion frowned and asked, "What is it?"
Aurora's shoulders slumped slightly as she shook her head. "Although she's dead, I'm not certain she won't come back to life through some strange means. I don't think it's a good idea for you to get too close to her."
Orion's face was filled with realization. He remembered slicing Ilse in half after her awakening, yet she could still reassemble herself.
"In that case, we can use this opportunity to test if she's truly dead," Orion said. He summoned the Morphic Puppet and willed it to wrap around his body as armour. He wanted to thoroughly eradicate the enemy to prevent any future trouble.
Aurora furrowed her brows but eventually nodded. "Alright. I'll do my best to protect you if anything happens," she sighed.
She understood her husband's mindset all too well. A good enemy was a dead one, and after facing such a formidable opponent, she couldn't disagree.Aurora and Orion soared forward and arrived above the defeated enemy within minutes.
The woman lay amidst the debris of the Sleeping Fox Runaway City, battered and broken. Her limbs were twisted at unnatural angles, clearly the result of Aurora's Divine Skill.
At first glance, she appeared very much dead. However, given the nature of their enemy, it would be foolish to make any immediate judgments.
Orion narrowed his eyes, noticing that the woman's limbs, which had been wholly shattered earlier, were now partially healed. Nearby, a more petite mechanical halo, similar to the one Ilse had sealed, lay beside her. Despite her horrific condition, it was difficult to determine whether she had also faced the previous battle with the Vylkrspawns and Ilse.
Orion's gaze focused on the mechanical halo. He realized that this more petite halo was responsible for the beam of light that had clashed with Ilse and Aurora's Divine Skill. Considering he had witnessed the more giant halo release beams capable of threatening Ilse, his suspicions grew.
But the power needed to fuel such a weapon had to come from somewhere. It couldn't have been the woman herself, as she was still trying to recover.
Scanning the surroundings, Orion soon found his answer. Several hundred meters away stood an enormous sphere of light encased in a glass-like structure with mechanical tendrils and structures surrounding it.
The enormous sphere of light itself was strange, constantly shifting as if trying to change form while maintaining its spherical shape.
Despite the devastation around the Sleeping Fox Runaway City, the sphere appeared utterly unharmed, which was surprising.
Orion recalled Isadora mentioning an enormous sphere of light acting as a power core for the Runaway Cities. It must have powered the beam of light. Its user's incapacitation, along with the incomplete mechanical halo structure, was likely the reason why the beam was so weak.
"Do you know what that is? I can sense strange auras, and it's making me feel uneasy," Aurora said, a frown appearing on her face.
She had followed Orion's gaze and was now fixated on the encased sphere of light. The more she stared at it, the more discomfort she felt.
"Strange auras? What do you mean?" Orion asked, turning toward her with a frown.
"I can't quite describe it, but the best way to put it is that the auras around the sphere don't seem to be from this world," Aurora replied. "My senses are going haywire. Let's do what we need to and return to Paradise quickly."
Aurora could sense the world's laws like a goddess, making identifying anything foreign to this realm easy. If something made her uncomfortable, it was worth considering.
"Not of this world," Orion muttered, his expression thoughtful.
'What secret do you hold?' He refocused on the encased sphere of light.
Initially, he had planned to destroy the enemy's body completely, but he reconsidered after piecing together their connections. Opportunities like this-securing the body of a being that had nearly wiped out two Vylkrspawns, escaped Ilse's grasp, and somehow used the Sleeping Fox Runaway City to fend off Aurora's attacks-didn't come often.
To survive in this world, risks had to be taken. Orion felt that if he let this chance slip through his fingers, he would regret it.
"Do you have a way to trap her and make sure she can't escape if she comes back to life?" Orion asked, turning back to Aurora.
Aurora frowned but responded, "I can try, but with my mother's help, I might be able to keep her in stasis. Mother has a lot of tricks up her sleeve. Are you seriously considering taking her back with us?"
Orion nodded. "This could be our one chance to uncover secrets that might benefit Paradise. Even if we don't learn everything about the Runaway Cities, I'm sure we'll find something even greater," he said. "Of course, we'll have to wait for Ilse to awaken before bringing her to Paradise so she can be fully suppressed."
If the woman made no strange movements until Ilse awoke, they would no longer have anything to fear.
"Alright, I'll do my best," Aurora nodded, agreeing with Orion's plan. Besides, this could be an excellent opportunity to train her powers. She grabbed the sceptre floating beside her and activated her Divine Skill.
Numerous Vylkr constructs formed around the enemy, the sphere of light, and the halo, while others emerged across the debris of the Sleeping Fox Runaway City. These constructs partially assimilated the objects into their bodies before soaring into the sky and advancing.
Another Vylkr construct appeared beneath their feet, transforming into an inky black platform that steadily rose into the air. Orion looked down, realizing they were not standing on a platform but on the headless, winged form of a towering, tens-of-meters-tall Vylkr
construct.
Orion shifted his attention to the winged constructs around him, impressed by the versatility of Aurora's Divine Skill. Aurora continued to lead the way forward, but their focus was still on the woman, the mechanical halo, and the sphere of light.
...
Zogar, Seth, and Iris stood shoulder to shoulder in the air above the Trekking Flamingo Runaway City, discussing among themselves while intently observing their surroundings.
They had felt the aftershocks of the distant battle, making them realize the scale of the ongoing conflict. Although they had faith in Aurora, who had just ascended to goddesshood, they knew the enemy's capabilities weren't to be underestimated.
"I hope the Chief is successful, or else we risk endangering this territory in the future," Seth
sighed.
If the enemy escaped, they would return for revenge, possibly with enforcements. And if the Vylkrspawns were still intent on coming despite the deaths of their comrades here, Paradise's territory could become a battleground, which wouldn't be good for them in the long run.
"No matter what transpires or who the enemy is, I will stand with the Supreme Leader to defend Paradise, even if it means forfeiting my life," Iris said firmly.
Hearing Iris's words, Seth nodded in approval. Though he was familiar with Iris and the other divine apostles, he was reassured by her convictions. The least a warrior of Paradise should be ready to do is sacrifice their life for it and the Supreme Leader.
Zogar shared the sentiment, nodding with a satisfied smile. "If that's the case, you'd better be ready to do so at any moment." He turned his head, sensing something approaching.
Seth and Iris sensed it, too, immediately turning with sharpened awareness. Countless enormous figures emerged from the distance, advancing toward them and darkening the sky. The three tensed, fists clenched, ready to activate their gifts and battle the
unknown threat.
However, they quickly received a message through their masks, calming their riled emotions. "What is it?" Iris asked, raising an eyebrow as she sensed Seth and Zogar relax.
"No need to worry. The Chief just informed us that it's him arriving with Goddess Aurora,"
Zogar said, smiling. "They've done it. They've defeated the enemy!"
"The Supreme Leader of Paradise and Goddess Aurora have returned!" Zogar's voice thundered through the air, reverberating across the surroundings and the Runaway Cities
below.
Almost instantly, the inhabitants of the Leaders of the Wanderlust Traveling Tortoise, Trekking Flamingo Runaway City, and the previous Sleeping Fox Runaway City emerged from their homes to witness the arrival of the Supreme Leader of Paradise and Goddess Aurora, a genuine goddess of Paradise.
Even the leaders of the three Runaway Cities emerged. Others took to the skies to observe the
situation more clearly.
Gasps filled the air as each one held their mouths wide open, watching the unfolding scene in the sky. Numerous individuals pinched themselves to ensure they weren't dreaming; however, their efforts were futile.
The scene unfolding before them was undoubtedly real.
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