NOVPUBOrion looked at the Omnithriallian and shook his head.
"Are you going to refuse this proposal I have laid before you, too?" the Omnithriallian asked, its tone filled with confusion.
It couldn't understand what was transpiring within this child's mind.
He had been silent for the past eight years, waiting for it to change its mind. Now that it had finally spoken, and because it didn't see it right to struggle with its descendants, he refused it once more.
Was he willing to struggle for another eight years or more?
Although the Omnithriallian could end this entire conversation and cause Orion to fail his ascension, it couldn't bring itself to do it. Instead, it was more curious to see how far Orion could go.
Could he change their mind like Naka, or had he achieved all of this with the aid of his companions?
Orion shook his head. "I have thought about this clearly and do not wish to fight against the ancestors while my enemies have your support," he said.
They already had the odds stacked against them, from the Divine Corps, the Divine Mysteries, the King-ranked Spirit Beast, and other Spirit Beasts who had noticed them during their time in the Spirit realm, to Naka and the Vylkr spawns.
They were strong, and so were they.
They had an ace, and probably so did they.
They had powerful backers and connections, and probably so did they.
As such, gaining another enemy—humanity's creator—would be nothing more than foolishness.
"You say the reason you support Naka is because his goals align with yours, correct? What if our goals also align with yours?" Orion asked.
"What do you mean?" the Omnithriallian replied, its tone filled with bewilderment.
"I also wish to make a proposal. As long as I ascend, I—and the entirety of Paradise—will kill every other god who refuses to submit or pledge allegiance to Paradise. Naka alone cannot destroy all the gods. If he could, he would have done so already," Orion responded.
"If I don't ascend, Paradise will still function without me. And once they learn the reason behind my failed ascension, they will hunt down the Vylkr spawns along with Naka. Do not underestimate their strength."
"That is an interesting proposal… You are right. It would be better to have the two of you working toward the same goal," the Omnithriallian pondered. "Our goal was to eliminate all the gods in this plane of existence, but after seeing the realm you have built, I am not that foolish to think that it is still realistic."
"No matter which era, there will always be gods in it. However, if you can put a considerable percentage of them under control, dealing with the others will not be so difficult."
Orion remained silent. He remembered that its last words were eerily similar to something it had said during their previous conversation.
"And how will you ensure they pledge their allegiance to you? They are crafty beings who only know how to rule. They do not know how to follow."
Orion summoned his Throne of Infinite Edict and the Divine Medallion of Sovereign Accord.
"I will use this," he said, presenting them before the Omnithriallian.
"Oh, you possess Divine Mandates. You are truly an interesting human," the Omnithriallian praised. "I sense that one is a Mysteries tied to this realm, and the other is connected to the Divine Mysteries. I can understand the first, but what did you do to receive a Divine Mandate from the Divine Mysteries?"
"It was a gift. A Will of the Divine Mysteries took an interest in Paradise and saw potential in me, deciding to grant it," Orion replied.
"These are only given to a rare few whom the Divine Mysteries deem worthy of investing in for their future agendas. Be careful when and how you use it. The Divine Mysteries never give something so valuable for free." 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
Orion nodded in understanding. He had already grown cautious of the strange behaviour of the Will of the Divine Mysteries, who had granted him the Divine mandate.
"Is this proposal acceptable?" Orion asked.
"It is. Do not think that I have struggled with you because you are merely capable. I have done so because you are special, just like those other children. You are just as stubborn as they are. If either of you were to meet, you would probably try to kill each other, or at the very least, part ways differently than you had met," the Omnithriallian said.
"Although it pains my heart to let go of our obsession with our children, this is a situation we cannot avoid."
Orion sighed inwardly with relief.
"However, if you choose to walk this path, I have a condition."
Orion was already prepared for this, so it no longer took him by surprise.
"You must not ask any ancient god, or any divine being who participated in the Great Migration, to follow you a second time. If they refuse the first time after being given a choice, kill them and their children. Only those who hear your words and surrender should you accept," the Omnithriallian said.
It had sensed the presence of other divine beings and various others within the realm and understood that it would be unrealistic to kill every divine being they encountered.
Every society needed a divine to guide it. In the future, other races would surely ascend to divinity as well, and ruling over them would be far more beneficial than constantly purging them and weakening one's own strength.
It was unwise to demand that this realm be inhabited only by humans, who now made up a mere fraction of the population compared to the past, and human divines.
Otherwise, they risked repeating history and falling prey to other divine beings who might possess the strength to break into this realm.
"If you accept this condition, I will have no issue with the path you have chosen."
"I accept," Orion said without hesitation.
Among all the conditions placed before him, this was the most favourable. Refusing it would make him an ungrateful descendant of the Omnithriallian, who had set aside its hatred for the gods for his sake.
He was grateful that the Omnithriallians had a soft spot for the human race. Some might call it a glaring weakness, but it wasn't.
It was love.
Without that love, this conversation wouldn't have made it this far.
"This matter is hereby concluded. I will place a thread of my consciousness within you, so that any of my kin will recognise the agreement made between us, and honour it," the Omnithriallian said.
"Just so you know, I am proud of you. Of all of you. Regardless of the atrocities some of you have chosen to commit on the paths you've walked... You are all our children."
"However, if you choose to continue down this path, you may one day walk the same path as Nakamura. I do not want you to follow in your brethren's footsteps. I will aid you in ascending to divinity and grant you a gift.
Orion's expression lit up. He bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Ancestor."
"If it's possible, I would like to know the ancestor's name," Orion said.
Just as every race had its own identity, Orion believed the Omnithriallian before him possessed one as well.
The Omnithriallian was briefly silent. "It's been a long time since I've used my name... I am Iyriath Zi'ria."
Orion noticed her voice no longer sounded neutral; it had begun to take on the distinct tone of a woman.
"Iyriath Zy'ria... Iyriath Zi'ria."
As Orion tried to pronounce her name correctly, Iyriath Zi'ria let out a soft laugh. Fortunately, he had gotten it right on his second attempt.
"Ancestor Iyriath Zi'ria, I wonder if it would be possible for you to remain in Paradise?" Orion asked, his tone filled with curiosity.
Even if this was only a fragment of her consciousness, having the presence of an Omnithriallian within Paradise was something worth treasuring.
It was also an opportunity to uncover some of the questions she had yet to answer.
"Unfortunately, I cannot. My era ended epochs ago. Clinging to life now would only bring more chaos into the planes of existence," Iyriath Zi'ria responded with a soft sigh.
"There are many who should remain dead so the next era can thrive. The future is built upon what transpires today."
Orion nodded in understanding, his expression filled with a myriad of emotions. He realised that Iyriath Zi'ria and the other Omnithriallians had chosen to remain dead so the future could continue progressing more stably.
If all the Omnithriallians had chosen to return, they would have torn through the realms and dimensions one by one, annihilating all the divines, leading to a calamity far greater than the one they now faced.
Still, Orion couldn't understand why they had left humanity so powerless. Given what humanity had accomplished after the invasion of their dimension, if they had been able to harness even one of the higher ranks of energy, they could have achieved far more than they had.
