17. Others

As the blazing red streak hurtled towards him, time seemed to slow to a crawl for Orion.

With no time to summon his flying swords for interception, he focused all his energy on one thing: defense. Concentrating intently, his head began to glow with red hues.

In a split second, the streak collided with his head, but instead of causing an explosion or impact, it was deflected to the side, ultimately striking a nearby tree.

"Boom!"

As the blazing red streak struck the tree, the trunk erupted into flames, engulfing it in a fiery blaze.

'Thank god the repulsion worked timely.'

Orion thought.

"Oh, you can change its direction. That's pretty good. But sadly for you, you have already lost."

At that moment, a sneer echoed from the direction where Ryfin stood.

Orion's unease deepened as he registered the sound. Swiveling around, he caught sight of a woman with black hair pulled back into a ponytail, brandishing a black dagger at Ryfin's throat.

Beside her stood a boy of their age, his fiery red hair drawing attention, his hands confidently placed on his hips, a sneer etched on his face.

The dreaded scenario Orion had feared had become a reality.

'Damn it.'

Orion frowned as he saw this.

However, Ryfin being the one held hostage instead of him and Famir was a relief, considering Ryfin's ability to teleport at will. Thus, Orion didn't feel overly concerned about Ryfin's safety.

What did unsettle him, though, was the sudden appearance of the two individuals. Recalling their brief time on the boat, Orion was sure he hadn't seen them among the shackled kids.

"Who are you two?"

Observing their passive demeanor, Orion inquired about their intentions.

In response, the red-haired boy burst into laughter.

"Who are we? Hahaha, if you don't want to die, then kneel down and throw your weapons away."

Orion frowned upon hearing this. He couldn't grasp the necessity of fighting in this situation.

Most importantly, he sensed that these individuals were stronger than their group, prompting him to avoid confrontation.

This wasn't merely a gut feeling; rather, it was evident from the formidable armor they wore.

The red-haired boy sported orange braces and body armor, much like the woman accompanying him. However, to Orion's eyes, their armor appeared more futuristic compared to anything he had seen on Earth.

This observation led Orion to believe that they weren't just lost ones like themselves; rather, they seemed prepared, as if they anticipated encountering monsters in this place.

Hence, he was adamant about avoiding any conflict with them, fully aware that they would be vastly outmatched in a confrontation.

"Why are we even fighting? We can talk here. Just let our friend go, and we can see what we can do for you."

The red-haired kid chuckled at his words, as though he had just heard the most amusing joke of all time.

"Hahaha. Are you kidding me? We are going to have a talk with mobs now?"

As he finished speaking, he raised his hands, and a flaming bow materialized within his grasp, casting an illuminating glow across his face.

"Now, will you surrender or not?"

Orion cursed inwardly, reluctant to engage in combat but feeling as though they had little choice in the matter.

Surrendering willingly to them wasn't a viable option, was it?

Glancing at Famir, who had been observing the situation in silence, Orion conveyed his readiness for battle through a serious look in his eyes.

Recognizing the gravity of Orion's expression, Famir nodded in understanding.

Observing Orion and Famir bracing themselves for the impending confrontation, the previously silent woman seized the initiative to speak up.

"Do you really want to fight us? You should know that we are about to reach iron rank—a rank above bronze rank that you guys seem to have just arrived at. So, it will be better to come with us than fight instead."

Orion laughed at their hypocrisy.

"It was you guys who started it first. You attacked me right in the head, and if it weren't for my talent, then I would have been dead already, and now you want us to listen to you guys. How generous of you."

He couldn't deny feeling anger rising within him. A mere second's delay in activating his powers would have resulted in his head exploding like a watermelon.

The lady's expression soured at Orion's words, her frown deepening as she heard him.

"You don't know the situation at all."

Orion sneered at her.

"Oh, then tell us. We also like to know what excuse you two have to first attack us and then kidnapping and asking for us to follow."

At this juncture, Orion had already mentally geared up for a confrontation with them. He reasoned that at least in a fight, they would have a chance to escape, whereas surrendering left their fate uncertain.

The red-haired boy grew increasingly irritated by Orion's stubbornness at this moment.

"Liira, do it."

The lady, whose name was Liira, sighed heavily, steeling herself to use the dagger to threaten Ryfin, intending to employ torture to coerce surrender from Orion and Famir. She despised resorting to such tactics, but their circumstances seemed to leave them no choice.

However, just as she poised to drive the dagger toward Ryfin's neck, her weapon met nothing but thin air, and the body she had been holding disappeared into thin air.

'What happened?'

Turning around, she found the individual she had been holding until now had reappeared beside the other two.

'Space related talent? Sigh, it seems like a fight is inevitable.'

She hadn't anticipated that one of them possessed a talent related to space, considering its rarity.

Meanwhile, both Orion and Famir breathed a sigh of relief as Ryfin successfully teleported himself to safety. Even though they were confident in his abilities, witnessing his escape from the clutches of the lady brought them relief.

At this juncture, Orion turned his attention to the boy and the girl.

"Now, we can both leave and pretend like nothing happened, or we can only fight."

The lady shook her head.

"We don't have the choice to go back. So, prepare yourself. Although we won't kill you, it will definitely be painful."

'Can't they just go away?'

Orion heaved a sigh as one of his swords began to levitate in the air.

The red-haired boy wore a crazed smile as he gazed at the trio.

"You guys will regret your decision to fight."

He declared as three flaming arrows materialized on his blazing bow, poised to shoot at the three of them.