The dark sky seemed to belong to someone else besides the stars.
The sky was completely covered by huge, fiery flames, like a phoenix spreading its wings.
"It's really powerful..."
Even with this, Orion didn't feel nervous.
He wasn't planning to fight Kalpas to the death. His goal was to convince him to join the fight against the Honkai.
So right now, he didn't need to defeat Kalpas, but...
A heavy blow, like a meteorite falling from the sky, hit the ground.
It was as if Kalpas had crashed down from the sky.
"Boom!"
The whole village shook from the impact. Built on a mountain, this village was part of a solid foundation that had stood for thousands of years.
From a distance, it might have looked like an earthquake.
The young man knew he couldn't stay here. The fight between the two was beyond his ability to join.
Too bad their destruction sent shockwave and debris that unfortunately ended him before he got too far.
---
Kalpas's fiery impact was avoided by Orion . His quick reflexes let him dodge all attacks.
The giant Creation Engine appeared behind him, swinging its mountains like arms, hitting Kalpas hard.
Kalpas, like a beast, didn't dodge. He swung his small body against the Creation Engine, causing the mountain to shake again.
A cracks were spreading all over the area if this continued, the mountain might fall apart.
"Listen to me, Kalpas. The anger you have should have been burned away with this village's destruction. Why are you still angry?"
Kalpas's movements slowed just a little, and Orion took his chance.
He enlarged his lance to match the Creation Engine's size and struck down like a giant's scepter.
Kalpas crossed his arms and managed to block the blow. But where the attack left its mark.
"GRRRRRRRRAAAA!"
Kalpas managed to resist the spear's power and slightly staggered the Creation Engine back.
But that action took a lot of Kalpas making him momentarily vulnerable.
Orion moved in closer, a dangerous position as Kalpas could easily attack him.
"Your anger shouldn't be spent here. Don't you want a grander stage for yourself?"
Kalpas hesitated again, but then an arm wrapped in flames pierced Orion 's heart.
"Listen to me..."
The closer Orion got, the more his words seemed to impact. Even with his heart pierced, he noticed Kalpas wavering. Victory was near.
Orion 's fingers reached out, and even though Kalpas's arms had pierced his body, he managed to touch Kalpas's head.
"I promise in future battles, your anger will always have a target. I can give you endless war."
Blood from Orion 's mouth evaporated before it hit the ground, but his eyes shone brightly. He saw hesitation in Kalpas.
"If you deceive me..."
A hoarse voice came from Kalpas, mixed with a hint of sulfur.
"You will regret it. I will find you"
Kalpas pulled his hand out, leaving a hole in Orion 's chest. It seemed hopeless, even to Kalpas.
Yet Orion , relieved, sat down on the ground.
Some kind of clear substance began to fill his chest, slowly forming a heart.
Seeing this strange sight, Kalpas trusted Orion's promise a bit more. Though he said nothing, he watched.
After a while, Orion seemed to recover. A glowing ball of light flew toward Kalpas.
Kalpas accepted it, sensing no danger. When the light ball entered his mind, an address appeared.
"Go here; you'll find what you want."
Orion opened his eyes, which now shone brightly. Kalpas said nothing, turned into flames, and left quietly.
Although he agreed to Orion 's request, he wasn't going with him. But the place mentioned was worth checking out.
Once Kalpas was gone Orion relaxed on the ground and looking at the moon.
"This way, there will be one more ally against the Honkai."
Under the moonlight, a tourist bus drove around the mountain. The tourists seemed to dream about a strange village and its odd happenings.
Some tourists dreamed they saw a flaming figure on the mountain fighting.
The bus continued on, moving further away.