Collecting himself, Orion drew in a shallow breath.

  This… almost turned ugly.

  His heart pounded chaotically, and his hands trembled faintly.

  Without another thought for his own state, his head snapped toward his companions.

  Tetra!

  The sight of his wife hunched over a puddle of blood would not leave his mind.

  His eyes flicked once to the dangerous woman, then back to Tetra.

  I am far enough away, and her attention remains on Malamiris… I might just—

  His wife’s safety mattered far more. With his mind made up, Orion released his Abyssal Sovereign form and returned to normal, warping instantly to Henrietta’s side. She was calmly rubbing Tetra’s back.

  “How is she?”

  Henrietta flinched slightly at his sudden voice. When she glanced over her shoulder and saw him, she let out a breath of relief.

  “It’s you… I thought we were being attacked again.”

  Turning back to the pink-haired woman, who held her head in pain, she added, “You probably know better than I what she did. All I saw was her vomiting blood right after you avoided that strange strike.”

  Orion’s brow furrowed. Kneeling beside Tetra, he placed a hand on the back of her head.

  “Breathe slowly. I’ll take the pain away.”

  Tetra turned her head to look at him. Blood ran from the corner of her mouth, and dark shadows had replaced the usual healthy pink under her eyes.

  She smiled faintly, unable to speak, but Orion needed no words to understand.

  This amount of blood… it isn’t natural. Forcing a change in this world’s laws with her Remnant power must have caused a severe backlash.

  All of that…

  His gaze softened as he healed her.

  “All of that to protect me. Please, think of yourself first next time, alright?”

  She shook her head gently. Her complexion slowly brightened, and strength returned to her body—enough to stand and wipe away the blood at her mouth.

  Orion continued healing her as his eyes turned back toward the figure in the distance.

  Then, he gave his order.

  “Libranil. We’re leaving.”

  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Henrietta exhale in relief and Marie smiling at him with admiration.

  “Alright. There’s no time to waste.”

  He stepped toward the edge and looked down.

  As Libranil beat her wings and lifted from the glassy surface, Orion stared at the strange inverted world below.

  We’re not reflected in it… How?

  The tension on his face made Tetra blink.

  “Orion?”

  But his thoughts were elsewhere.

  As they rose toward the sea’s surface, they witnessed something far more dangerous than Malamiris herself.

  Everyone gathered beside Orion, gazing at the center of the ruined city, where death and ruin mingled in chaotic silence.

  A voice, creeping like vines through the water, echoed again—this time directed at Malamiris.

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  “O Malamiris, pitiful and undone… I hath watched thy struggles fade to naught.”

  “Though wondrous and strange thy life hath been, it now findeth its quiet end.”

  At the cathedral’s heart, the two beings stared at one another—one brimming with life and curiosity, the other hollow and dying.

  Lifting her free hand, the woman with the umbrella gently caressed the Devourer’s broken shell.

  “Even as sustenance, thou art a pitiable thing. Yet to squander thee is a choice I may not claim.”

  “Thou dost understand, I deem. We are but beings moved by the hunger to partake.”

  A faint smile curved her lips, and with it came a pressure so overwhelming that the entire scene shifted.

  The others stared in strange fascination at the interaction—but Orion felt only dread.

  “Everyone, to me! Quickly!”

  His sudden command made them snap to attention. For a single second, they hesitated—then bolted toward him.

  “Libranil! Get us out—now!”

  A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek, tension sharpening his features.

  The dragon obeyed instantly, flapping her wings with all her strength.

  This isn’t fast enough.

  A disaster… We must not stay here.

  Every instinct in his body screamed of a threat greater than anything Miasma could have become—an existence that rivaled him in raw power.

  And then it began.

  “Come forth, and with me be made as one.”

  “Let us be as one, Malamiris. Yield all thou art, and be mine entire.”

  “Thus is it ordained.”

  Countless mirror-like spikes erupted and pierced Malamiris, dragging her down into the inverted world below.

  The water grew heavy. The currents stilled. Even the air felt stagnant.

  The very rules sustaining the area unraveled as Malamiris vanished into the mirrored realm.

  "…"

  Orion’s eyes narrowed, fixed on the woman’s reflection. In the inverted world, only she remained.

  Malamiris’ body was gone without a trace—but a twisted, shadowy figure lingered where the woman stood.

  So that is your true form… Devourer.

  As if sensing his heated stare, she turned her head toward him. Both her graceful fa?ade and her monstrous shadow regarded him with amusement and interest.

  Licking her lower lip, she smiled sensually.

  “Ere long, our paths shall cross once more.”

  “Thou, strange wanderer, who bearest the warmth of Divinity.”

  Reaching out toward him, she extended her hand. A chill ran down his spine at the simple gesture.

  “Fire a beam forward—now!”

  Libranil obeyed without question, unleashing a torrent of void energy ahead.

  The mirrored world flared with light, beginning to swallow the city of madness Malamiris had wrought.

  Orion warped to Libranil’s front, kneeling with one hand on her scales.

  “Warp!”

  The energy burst open into a massive rift in the water. Without hesitation, Libranil dove into it, avoiding the impending annihilation.

  Watching her prey escape, the woman’s smile softened into something almost wistful.

  “Regretfully, I hath not spoken unto thee the name that is mine.”

  Her expression curled faintly into a small pout.

  “It ill pleaseth me that thou didst not gift thy name unto me…”

  As her words echoed through the empty sea, she slowly sank back into the mirrored realm.

  “Think no more on it. As I hath spoken, ere long shall our paths entwine once again.”

  “Verily, I am most eager to fathom the truth of what thou art.”

  Just before her face disappeared beneath the surface, she smiled one last time.

  “This curious bond I hath sensed… mayhap I too might come to feel it.”

  Then, the world flashed white.

  A massive rift tore open in the pale skies of the unknown realm.

  “Brace!”

  Orion’s voice rang out as he wrapped his arms around all three women.

  “—!”

  Startled, they looked up at him—but only for a moment.

  It took a single second to understand why.

  From the sea behind them, a colossal pillar of divine light erupted, obliterating everything from the ocean floor to the heavens.

  The shockwave slammed into Libranil, hurling her forward at breakneck speed.

  “Kh—!”

  Gritting his teeth, Orion poured every last ounce of power into keeping his stance steady on her back.

  “Orion!”

  “Master!”

  Tetra, Henrietta, and Marie called out to him, alarm clear in their voices.

  Ethereal wings burst from his back, wrapping tightly around all three women.

  His body shifted into the Voidwalker form, shielding them from the worst of the cataclysmic energy.

  Libranil fought to stay level, avoiding a plunge into the sea.

  For minutes, the relentless blast raged on—then finally subsided.

  Orion released the women and rose to his feet.

  They turned toward the fading catastrophe, their eyes widening in disbelief.

  “This… power.”

  Henrietta’s words trailed off, but Tetra understood at once. Her face turned toward Orion, pale with fear.

  “…Isn’t this as destructive as yours?”

  He nodded faintly.

  “The entire sea… erased. How is that even possible?”

  Marie blinked in stunned confusion, unable to speak.

  Before them, a gaping void marred the ocean—an open wound that refused to close.

  The city was gone. Every trace of life, extinguished.

  Orion slumped down against Libranil’s back, staring blankly upward.

  A long sigh escaped him.

  “…What was that?”

  “What kind of monster are we dealing with?”

  A dry chuckle escaped his lips under the worried gazes of his companions.

  “I didn’t sign up for this.”

  Closing his eyes, he finally allowed exhaustion to claim him.

  “Let me rest for a while… Libranil, find somewhere to land.”

  Tetra sat beside him, gently lifting his head to rest on her lap.

  “You’ve done enough. Leave the rest to us.”

  “Mhm…”

  Orion murmured in agreement, drifting into unconsciousness.

  Marie stepped back, scanning the horizon.

  “I’ll keep watch for any landmass. If I find one, I’ll let you know at once.”

  “Please do,” Tetra replied, nodding firmly.

  Henrietta lingered, her eyes fixed on Orion’s sleeping face.

  What a man… He only lets himself be vulnerable before his wives.

  With a faint smile, she sat beside Tetra in silence.

  “Rest well, Orion.”

  I am intrigued as to which team you want me to continue from the time being. I can finish Amelia's or Nylon, or could go for May, Karteira, Olivia, or Elliott. All of their arcs are already planned, so I can go for anyone, as there's no 'specific' order. If you have a suggestion, I'm all hear.