Kapitel 19: 19 Deal?

'Let's focus on the fight first.'

Orion shook his head as he focused all his attention on Famir, ready to intervene if needed.

Liira, seeing Orion's concerned face, understood his intentions.

"You don't think I will allow you to intervene between their fights, do you?"

Orion frowned, knowing she wouldn't allow him. But at this moment, he had no options left.

Looking at Famir, who appeared to be struggling, and Ryfin, who seemed to be using his skill on the red-haired boy to immobilize him, he knew that if Famir were to falter, that flaming sword would be upon them in no time.

If that happened, they would definitely get injured. Even if Ryfin were to escape with his teleportation skill, that would still leave Famir alone in his exhausted state to bear the attack of the flaming sword.

As Orion seemed to be pondering over this, Liira gave him an offer.

"We can stop all of this right now, and your friends will be alright, but the condition is that you three have to follow us to our place. How does that sound?"

Orion frowned as he heard her.

But having no options, he began to consider her offer. As much as he liked to avoid the two, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, the situation demanded otherwise.

Personally, he didn't want to work with them or have anything to do with them. Yes, he was biased towards them, and who couldn't be if the first thing they did was to attack you out of nowhere—an attack that could kill.

The memory of their aggression lingered like a bitter taste in his mouth, fueling his distrust and reluctance to have anything to do with them.

Yet, as much as he resisted, Orion couldn't deny her offer. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but sometimes situations required difficult choices, even ones that went against his instincts.

However, he couldn't understand one thing.

'Why us? What do they need from us?'

He reasoned that he, Famir, and Ryfin would likely be weaker than their team, especially considering Liira's mention of them leveling up soon. Thus, he contemplated the circumstances that would require their assistance.

As he mulled over this, he glanced at her.

"First, tell me, what is it that you need from us? If it's anything we can help with, then I will agree, and if not, then…"

He didn't complete the sentence, for there wasn't a need to.

Liira frowned at his words and hesitated whether to tell him the reason or not. She knew that he would definitely not agree if he were to know their reason, but thinking of the perilous situation her sister could be in, she bit her lips and gritted her teeth as she silently made a decision.

"We discovered a way to escape this place, but there are many monsters guarding that area. So, we needed help from other people. Hence, our intrusion."

Orean's eyes shone as he heard her. He didn't doubt her at all because he had previously speculated that they should have deliberately come to this island fully prepared, as he saw both of them wearing armor that couldn't be found on this island and also because they weren't from the boat they had been on earlier.

Therefore, he thought that if they knew how to come to this place, then they should definitely know how to leave this place as well.

But he still had doubts about something as he turned to ask her.

"Then how do you explain the attack on me?"

In the end, it all boiled down to this moment. If her reasoning aligned with his perspective, he would agree to the deal. However, if it didn't, the agreement would crumble before it truly began.

Despite recognizing the insignificance of their attack in the larger scheme, he couldn't overlook the previous attempt on his life. The mere recollection of it fueled his anger.

Liira, who heard his question, answered him directly, as if she knew he would ask it.

"It was just a bluff to see if you could dodge that attack or not. After all, we will be facing a horde of monsters there, and if you can't even dodge that simple attack, then forget about fighting those monsters."

Orion mulled over her words, finding them somewhat reasonable, yet he still had one pressing question regarding their approach.

They could have simply asked for help, as he, Famir, and Ryfin were also seeking a means of escape from the island.

However, just as he was about to voice this question, Famir's muffled scream pierced the air, drawing both of their attention.

"Aggh."

Turning around, Orion observed Famir kneeling down, grasping one leg while extending his right hand high into the air.

"Don't tell me he is about to use another lightning bolt!"

He exclaimed as he turned towards Liira.

"Tell your friend to stop the attack."

He understood that maintaining one lightning bolt against the flaming sword had already drained Famir, so the idea of conjuring a second one was daunting.

However, his concern grew when he realized he was too late to intervene, as Famir had already summoned another lightning bolt. Witnessing this, Orion's anxiety intensified.

"Famir, don't use it. You will get seriously injured if you do that, and we will make a deal with them so there isn't a need to fight them now."

Hearing him, Famir slowly turned his head toward him.

"Don't…..worry."

Two low-sounding words escaped his lips before he shifted his gaze toward the ongoing clash between the flaming sword and his lightning bolt, which wreaked havoc in the surrounding area.

Famir, observing the spectacle, then hurled the lightning bolt in his hand. It streaked toward the other two attacks like a golden flash, colliding with both the flaming sword and his initial lightning bolt.

"BOOM!"

As a result, an orange light covered the whole area, and a small mushroom-like explosion erupted from the collision.

The force of the blast sent shockwaves rippling through the earth, causing the ground to tremble and crack beneath their feet.

Nearby trees swayed violently, their branches thrashing in the gust of wind generated by the explosion. Some smaller trees were uprooted entirely, while larger ones suffered splintered branches and scorched bark from the intense heat.

The ground itself bore the brunt of the impact, with deep gouges and craters marking the landscape where the force of the explosion had struck hardest.

In the aftermath, smoke and debris hung in the air, casting a pall over the once serene surroundings.