Chapter IX
Everything that happened turned out to be different from the truth. Orion was originally an inhabitant of an alien planet who wandered through space to save himself from his planet, which was undergoing mass extinction until none survived. He visited various planets, but none were inhabited. To avoid leaving empty-handed, he absorbed energy from every planet he visited as a power source to fly further. It was not uncommon for a planet to be destroyed by him. Until finally, he found Earth. Several human settlements were visible from space, making him excited, hoping that he could finally speak with other living creatures. To avoid frightening anyone, he landed on an empty island and built a tower-shaped dwelling there. Since no owner of the island felt their property had been seized, Orion claimed the small island as his own.
Everything went well until the entire Demon race army landed on the island. Orion thought they were the original owners of the island who wanted it back, but Zamboss ordered a battle without negotiation. A fierce battle between the demons and Orion ensued. This was the cause of the Demon race's extinction, as their fire, dark magic, and all their weaponry were no match for Orion. Zamboss was defeated and immediately knelt before Orion, becoming Orion's first follower. Meanwhile, Orion didn't even expect things to turn out this way. Feeling something was wrong, he immediately began to absorb a small amount of Earth's energy, which turned out to be truly abundant and would not run out for years. Orion did this to escape to another planet, feeling that people would no longer trust him. However, this action triggered the arrival of the other world kings. Turamus, Bedjo, and Frankos immediately attacked with full force. They were defeated and then became Orion's followers without any command from Orion. The world kings, who gained the terrifying name of Orion, instead turned to torment all mankind with their cruelty. Everyone thought Orion had changed them, but in fact, those were their true natures. The world kings were hypocrites, as were the state officials who began to follow their desires. Propaganda was spread throughout the world to scapegoat Orion as the one who created division in a world full of goodness.
Orion tried to clear his name. He secretly traveled around looking for those marginalized by the world's cruelty. He helped them rise by giving them a little power, which actually gave birth to the Seven Sinners who were crueler than the people who hurt them. Orion's name became even worse. As a result, he just stayed on the island for years. The only good person he ever met during that time was Aydir. A potter who was appointed Sultan by his own student. Indeed, no one would believe it even if Aydir told the truth, because the flow of information worldwide was already controlled by those who indulged their lusts. Therefore, Aydir tried another way by gathering his closest people, Este and Zato, to find exceptional talents who could fight Orion.
Everyone was shocked to hear the story from Orion, including Eliana. Although her expression was already vacant, deep in her heart, she was just realizing all the plans she had never known about. Kaizo was actually hoped to be the hero who defeated Orion, because everyone thought that even though he was strong, Kaizo would not possibly kill Orion. But in reality, as we know, Orion was truly dying after that intense battle. The real goal was to make Orion the one who repented and wanted to improve himself so that his name would be cleansed on its own. Even Kirito, Zen, and Bones did not know this plan. Only Fatih among them understood this plan. But unexpectedly, a traitor appeared in Orion's camp. He took the cosmic armor that Orion had made as a precaution against Kaizo, whom he felt was very strong. But it turned out that this was what became his disaster.
Since Iriana came through the portal created by Fatih, Fatih still hasn't been seen; he went somewhere unknown. The same goes for Vernizel and Calabras, who disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, Kirito was still fighting desperately against the armor thief. From the screen, he reported that the one he was fighting was Hanzo. Zen was shocked to hear this, recalling that he was the one who had killed Hanzo last time. With the power of the holy staff, Kirito fought as a magnificent dragon knight. He could use all magic, create new magic, and even transform the magic staff into a magic spear, able to slash and cast spells. Dozens of black spears flew to finish off Kirito, but none hit him. Even so, Hanzo's durability was truly extraordinary. According to Orion's confession, the armor Hanzo was wearing was made of a mixture of cosmic materials that make up space, so it would take a huge amount of potential energy to destroy it. Kirito couldn't even scratch Hanzo.
Eliana was lying down, hugging Kaizo's body, remembering everything she had dreamed of with him. Stefania, Haruka, Iriana, and even Maria only bowed their heads, watching this and feeling a deep loss. Although she had no connection to this plan, Maria had secretly made a private deal with Kaizo: she wanted to kill the world kings in exchange for Kaizo being able to fight Orion in a balanced way, and also to train his friends for the coming battle. Whatever Kaizo meant by the coming battle, what was clear was that everything had already happened.
Orion, still severely wounded, tried to walk closer to Eliana. He stood next to her and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry for everything. If I had never come, Kaizo would not have ended up like this. You don't have to accept my apology, but the fact that I've asked already brings me peace."
Eliana replied, "If you had never come, then I would never have met Kaizo. I don't feel any hatred for you, even from the beginning when the news of your evil deeds spread. There is no need for forgiveness because nothing is wrong."
Hearing that, Orion was immediately touched. A smile was etched on his face, and his spirit burned again. He immediately handed over the Ryuuken sword. Eliana accepted it, and immediately the black lines etched on Kaizo's face disappeared. For a moment, the lines appeared on Eliana's face and then faded again. Eliana immediately felt a very strong presence. Ryuuken spoke to her, "My master's last message to Eliana, 'I know you are great, but I will always be involved, no matter what, to keep you away from the evil of this destiny. That is my death oath to allow you to live a better life.' Master Kaizo said he was inspired by song lyrics when creating that sentence, so do you understand now, Eliana?"
The words brought tears to Eliana's eyes. She immediately stood up and ordered everyone to rise. "Everyone stand up! There are no tears for a great warrior, no grief for him who fought for happiness. He wanted us to be happy, so we must protect our happiness! Rise up!!!!"
Bones immediately let out a high-pitched scream, raising his axe to the sky repeatedly. Everyone laughed seeing that.
Orion then said, "Fortunately, that armor was just made. It takes ten years to adjust, so its condition is very unstable. It's not a slash that can kill him, but a devastating potential energy is what can destroy it."
Zen laughed, playing with his hair. His confidence returned. Lightning appeared around him for a moment. Stefania, who looked very angry, immediately activated her limit-breaking power. Now she was not just a Telekinesis user, but a very dangerous Esper. Haruka also used her limit-breaking power. It was not yet clear how strong she was, but in terms of combat, she should be considered. Iriana and Maria were also willing to join the fight. Orion, although not as strong as before because he had sacrificed a lot of mana and energy to survive Kaizo's attack, still stood up to fight Hanzo.
Kirito was thrown and fell. He was starting to be unable to withstand the great power he was using. Just in the nick of time, the space behind him was torn. Eliana and Orion walked together. Zen and Bones followed behind. Iriana and Maria followed suit, as did Stefania and Haruka.
The world is currently threatened, so let spirit and hope erase the threat.
A world without sadness
We don't want to surrender to love
As for our tears
They will surely dry
We will change the future
This bond will not be broken
In a light that is eternal forever.
These are the war of Orion Island.
The Ryuuken sword began to absorb natural energy, while everyone advanced together, attacking and ganging up on Hanzo.
Orion fired several energy balls, forcing Hanzo to dodge them. Bones ran and hit Hanzo repeatedly. Although it didn't hurt him, it was enough to distract him. Kirito fired a destructive beam, pushing Hanzo far back. Stefania folded the land, turning the place where Hanzo was leaning into a giant wall-shaped field that prevented him from running anywhere other than moving forward into the fight. The land was lifted to form a right angle, changing many things on the map because the length of the wall was twice that of Orion Island. Haruka jumped and opened many magic circles. From there, hundreds of thousands of sharp weapons emerged from nowhere. The clanging of iron was heard as Hanzo parried them all. But Zen immediately darted like lightning, burning the air and penetrating all obstacles with quantum shift. Zen stopped very quickly and immediately channeled very high potential energy to Hanzo through his punch. The destructive power of the punch even destroyed the colossal wall created by Stefania.
Hanzo was thrown back and immediately hit by a meteor from Maria, but it immediately ended when Hanzo released a very large energy blast. Hanzo darted forward and slammed into the ground. Everyone was thrown back as a result. Iriana touched the ground. Hundreds of giant chains emerged like trees from the earth. All had very sharp and pointed blade tips. The giant chains stabbed towards Hanzo. But he managed to dodge to throw another black spear, straight at Orion.
It almost hit, but Eliana stepped forward and used Ryuuken to parry it. The black spear vanished without a trace. However, Hanzo's power would not stop there. He duplicated his body into millions, not just as a diversion but as missiles that could launch into the ground and explode everything. Everything was utterly destroyed. Hanzo, who looked exhausted, was still standing among the ruins.
Eliana, who was starting to recover from her injuries, began to lose hope. Everyone was still alive but severely injured, making it difficult to continue fighting.
"BOOM"
A gigantic cannonball slammed into Hanzo very hard, throwing him far back again.
Orion stood up with difficulty and looked in the direction the cannon came from. It turned out to be the giant warship of the Oruman Sultanate. Aydir personally led the kingdom's elite troops to bring the ship and the most feared war weapon in the world, the "Sultan's Cannon," a cannon that had a cross-ocean launch power with a large, 2-ton cannonball.
Meanwhile, everyone also noticed something hovering in the sky. It was not clearly visible because its body was illuminated by the slightly setting sunlight. But his robe was fluttering, and he seemed to have his arms crossed.
Fatih? Yes, but now, he was a hero. Dozens of portals opened. Dozens of ships appeared from behind the shadows. All came from different origins: sailors, holy knights, fearless soldiers, barbarian fighters, the elf nation. They all came for one thing:
The world is connected by smiles
We don't want to surrender to the future
Whatever the hope is
Let's build it
Our future will come true
As long as we trust each other
Towards the land of light that never fades
The entire world alliance gathered with their best forces, advancing to attack Hanzo. They moved forward to fight the enemy of the world. Many were injured, many fell, but none retreated. Hanzo struggled continuously to fight back, not to defeat everyone, but to survive. Every clone was slaughtered by Zen and Orion. His efforts to retreat would be in vain because of Maria and Stefania. If he fought, he had Bones and Kirito against him. He also had to be careful not to get entangled by the endless iron chains.
Hanzo jumped and punched the ground, creating a large explosion and sending hundreds of soldiers flying. But even after falling repeatedly, no one wanted to retreat. Everyone was fed up with evil. Everyone wanted to restore world peace. Eliana also joined the fight, delivering repeated slashes using the Ryuuken sword. Each time it hit Hanzo, it would cause an impact that would feel very painful for Hanzo.
Ryuuken changed shape into a mace, saying it could absorb an unlimited amount of potential energy. Eliana called Fatih and asked him to lift her as high as possible. Fatih charged at Eliana, caught her, and carried her flying very high, piercing the clouds, and still continuing.
Orion realized the movement and ordered everyone to retreat. All the forces retreated. Hanzo charged directly at the unsuspecting Orion, but Aydir arrived just in time and kicked Hanzo, sending him flying and tumbling.
Seeing that, Stefania immediately exerted all her strength to increase the gravity around Hanzo, immobilizing him. Iriana's chains immediately wrapped around Hanzo's body. Zen also continuously slashed from various directions non-stop and mercilessly. Hanzo was completely helpless.
Everyone looked up at the sky. Eliana descended like an arrow from hell. Her body burned the atmosphere repeatedly, but she kept going. Her eardrums kept bursting but grew back, all for one attack, for her revenge because Hanzo had killed Kaizo. The Ryuuken mace shone very brightly, indicating that it had absorbed a tremendous amount of potential energy and multiplied that energy repeatedly.
Vernizel and Calabras witnessed everything from the remnants of the Bermuda continent. The two were eating sandwiches made by Yggdrasil.
"Isn't that cool!!?" Kaizo asked.
"Cool my eye. They are fighting for survival!" Calabras said.
"Their lives are already set. This was destined," Yggdrasil replied.
Eliana finally saw Hanzo, who was still struggling to free himself. With one movement, Eliana swung the Ryuuken mace from top to bottom, hitting Hanzo's head exactly, and...
"BOOOOOMMMMM"
A huge tremor occurred. The Earth itself shook. If Vernizel hadn't been there, the Earth would have been destroyed. Everyone was thrown back by it. Even Orion was shocked to witness it.
A tsunami wave occurred on the nearest mainland of Orion Island, its height reaching three meters. Fortunately, Stefania was able to contain the impact so that no buildings collapsed.
Eliana woke up, seeing everyone shocked while looking at Hanzo, while Fatih, who was carrying her, looked really gloomy and couldn't bear to see Eliana wake up. Eliana turned to her right. There, someone was trying to stand up but kept falling. Around him were the remnants of cosmic armor. It was clearly Hanzo, but why did he feel familiar?
A man in his fifties, with white hair and a white mustache, and dark blue hair. Clearly, these were the characteristics of a person from Notton.
Why? Was Hanzo actually not a ninja from the village of swordsmen? Was he actually a Notton person who learned ninjutsu? No, more than that. Hanzo was someone known to everyone in Notton, known by Aydir, Fatih, the world kings, known by Eliana.
Leo Notton, the sixteenth King of the Notton Kingdom. Husband of the great queen Zernia Maximus Notton, father of the new great Queen, Eliana Notton.
Eliana slowly descended from Fatih's arms. She staggered towards her father. The person who had tormented her body and soul all this time. Took away her will to live and placed the heavy burden of the kingdom on her when she was only seven years old. For ten years, he had disappeared from the Kingdom, leaving behind a hidden crime for having murdered his own wife, who was a great queen. He used his power to disguise himself as a ninja, then joined the Seven Sinners. When defeated by Zen, he had time to transfer his consciousness to another body he left far from the fight. Currently, he did not use that trick because the armor would immediately reject a body without a soul.
Remembering all his actions, Eliana hated her father very much. Her life was a mess, full of pressure and loneliness. Now that Eliana had met the person who filled the void in her heart, that person was murdered by her own father.
Eliana hugged Leo, crying, and said, "I miss you, Father..."
Eliana did not forget what Aydir had taught her: no matter how evil Leo was, he was still a father, and a child had no right to hurt him.
But Leo rudely pushed his own daughter away until she fell, and with full emotion, he said, "Don't touch me, you bastard!!!!"
Eliana was speechless. Fatih in the background tried to suppress his anger. Orion was truly shocked when he witnessed this. Aydir even prayed for forgiveness to the Almighty. Zen and Bones were stunned. The others felt sad and annoyed. Kirito just shook his head.
"Father, why did you push me? I just missed you," Eliana said softly, tears streaming down her face.
"Don't call me Father! You are not my child! I don't want you to be my child!!" Leo shouted.
Eliana was immediately slapped by that sentence. Her soul was torn. Disappointed? Clearly. Sad? Perhaps. Now her heart was filled with black mud.
"Kaizo, that boy, should have been defeated by Zamboss and handed over to Frankos. You would have died in the worst way. That's how people who have no power should end up. You are low-class and disgusting, dirtying my lineage! I had hoped your younger sister could cure my shame, but she sided with you, and so did your mother! Truly sickening!"
Iriana, hearing this, was also hurt. Her legs immediately went weak, and she fell. Fortunately, Zen next to her managed to catch her.
Bones, who was fed up, immediately went berserk. The barbarian soldiers held him back so he wouldn't interfere this time, leaving Bones writhing.
"But Father, I am carrying your grandchild now..." Eliana said with a deeply wounded smile.
Everyone was speechless hearing this, but Leo just laughed loudly, "Hahahaha, you turned out to be a prostitute!"
A direct slap to Eliana, she immediately froze with a vacant stare.
"SLAP"
A hard slap hit Leo's face. He was thrown back and stumbled. His cheek was bleeding. That was the slap of a Sultan. Fatih stepped in.
"Enough! Shut up! Your mouth can't say anything good. You better be quiet," Fatih advised.
"What the hell are you, you bastar—"
"SLAP"
A second slap.
"You bas—"
"SLAP"
Leo stumbled to the ground. Orion, who had been witnessing evil all this time, was now silent, watching human malice.
Eliana stood up, her gaze vacant. At the same time, amidst the crowd, Calabras appeared.
Eliana walked closer to Leo, but she was immediately stopped by Fatih, "Stop! Just capture and imprison him. Don't hurt your father."
But Eliana didn't answer at all. Her gaze was empty, cold, and deep. Eliana extended her index finger, pointing directly at Leo.
"When he is on the verge of death, his power awakens to welcome whomever He desires," Calabras said.
"You damn sow, if you kill me now, it's useless. I have pulled out my life heart from my chest and hidden it in a place impossible for you to find. I will return and torment you again! Hahahhahaha!" Leo said confidently.
"Die!"
Instantly, Leo's life heart burst. His soul was burned from within. Leo writhed in pain, begging for forgiveness. His body flopped like a fish out of water, in agony and torment. Calabras's power was not to destroy the body; it was to destroy the soul. Leo would not be remembered and would forever disappear into the void. After several minutes of that terrifying suffering, which felt like a hundred years to Leo, he finally died.
Leaving everyone in silence. Aydir immediately moved and embraced Eliana, who was submerged in tears, trying to calm her down.
Fatih stared intensely at Calabras, who only shook his head slightly in return. Rain fell as the sun set. Everyone began to pack up to leave the island.
Aydir finally said goodbye to Eliana, who had stopped crying. Now she was just contemplating.
All the ships sailed toward Oruman, as it was considered the best place to rest. For the whole world, they would think the terror of Orion had ended and Kaizo left as a hero. But for Eliana and her friends, including Orion, it was a very bad day.
The post-battle part with Orion was not broadcast by Vernizel. The broadcast stopped when Eliana slammed into the ground powerfully.
Fatih knelt in front of Eliana and asked, "Are you really pregnant?"
Eliana nodded.
"Kaizo's child?"
Eliana nodded again.
Fatih understood and stood up again, while Orion watched closely with Kirito, Bones, and Zen.
Stefania stroked Eliana's head, revealing that they essentially had the same problem, and so did Haruka. Kaizo left both of them before, at their best moment, to pursue power from Vernizel. After that, he did not return to them, feeling ashamed and unworthy. Although he didn't leave anything to Stefania and Haruka, the feeling remained and was deeply embedded.
Eliana then asked Orion, "Are you going to leave after this?" she said without turning to him.
"I will let the mood settle down, maybe after Kaizo's funeral ceremony is held," he replied.
"That means the day after tomorrow. If so, can we talk privately tonight, in my palace?" Eliana asked again.
The question immediately stabbed Orion's heart. He broke out in a cold sweat hearing it, as he was terrified. For a moment, he looked at Fatih. Fatih only nodded slowly once.
Orion looked back at Eliana. "Alright," Orion replied.
Feeling that everything was settled, Orion opened two portals. Eliana and Orion returned to the capital of Notton, while the others went to the city of Angkara, the largest city of the Oruman Sultanate, and brought Kaizo's body there.
Leaving Orion Island in silence.
The city of Vasilia, the capital of Notton, where Eliana's palace was located, stood firmly on a very large hill, surrounded by the large city that encircled it. The gloomy atmosphere due to the hero's death was quite normal there. People would turn off the lights and close all facilities to stay quietly in their homes.
Eliana brought Orion to her room. She immediately took off her robe and leaned against the window, letting the moonlight illuminate her body.
Orion looked at Eliana. Her eyes no longer radiated the aura of life, but her expression still smiled.
Eliana said, "This is bad for me, and bad for you too. I can help clear your name by explaining everything, but you have to help me."
"Are you okay? You should rest, you're very exhausted."
"No, don't advise me. Just answer, listen to me, and give a response, speech, or movement."
"What do you want?"
"Replace Kaizo's role for me!"
"No! Of course not, I don't want to!"
"Then I will force you."
"Hey! Watch your pregnancy, idiot! Don't torment your soul anymore!"
"Then just accept it. I won't change my mind."
"How far do I have to play the role?"
"As far as needed."
Orion pushed Eliana to the window. His hands squeezed Eliana's clothes. His gaze was sharp and disappointed, but he realized Eliana was just not okay. Eliana didn't really want it either, but she knew Eliana needed it. Political matters? Mostly, yes. Losing Kaizo meant her throne was threatened. Eliana had also lost everything, so what did she need to think about for herself?
Orion stared at Eliana's face. A smile full of regret and wounds was marring her beauty. Eliana had lost many things in this world, but losing Kaizo was the peak of her sadness. Slowly, water flowed down her cheeks. Eliana was crying, but her smile did not fade at all. Orion was speechless. He just moved his hands and hugged Eliana, allowing her to be immersed in his warmth. For the first time, the queen of the frozen world complained, "It's cold~"
The night ended with a snowstorm. Eliana was cold. Could Kaizo still provide warmth?