Inside the tallest mountain in the Orna Mountains, an orc knelt before a massive eye.
Champion Lopner, who was sent because of his [Sun Trail] law technique, spoke humbly, "We beseech you, Great Orna, to help the expedition team. They need your assistance to defeat a creature created by another god."
The cave shook as Orna let out a hum, "Like I said before, there is little I can do if I don't know their exact location. The mountain range consists of a quarter of the entire continent, and my laws aren't related to searching. In my current state, I can only cover a little over 500 meters at a time."
Lopner frowned, wondering what else could be done when Orna brought up another question.
"There might still be a way. Is the orc Kirgar or the human Sol there?"
"Yes, Great Orna. The human should be inside the city, while Champion Kirgar is stationed outside to protect the entrance."
"Then I should be able to track them by following the contra–" As he was finishing his sentence, he paused, and soon the cave began to shake in anger.
"WHO DARES ATTACK ME?!"
…
Back in the underground city, the cave root glowed as the fires suddenly froze solid, causing them to drop to the ground and shatter.
"WHO DARES ATTACK ME?!"
The voice thundered through the underground city as everyone felt a cold, oppressive gaze land on them. No one was spared from its gaze as Torben, the expedition team, and even the Bliss Spider were all forced onto the ground from the sheer mental pressure Orna's gaze indirectly caused.
Torben felt a mix of emotions upon hearing the voice but knew that if no one responded, they might all die in its fit of anger. He pushed through the pressure and yelled, "It was me! Torben Badgerun! The last of the Azrem Dwarves!"
As he finished speaking, everyone felt the pressure decrease by a noticeable degree, making them all sigh collectively in relief.
Hearing Torben's declaration, Orna was honestly surprised.
"To think your people built your city underneath my tail… is this what they call hiding under one's nose?"
Orna would have never imagined that the dwarves chose to build the city right beneath him, but at the time it was being built, it made perfect sense to the dwarves. Not only would they be within arm's reach of an unstoppable dragon, but there were many other benefits. One of them was the Heat Inverter, built around the tail to siphon the excess cold energy Orna emitted and turn it into heat that functioned like the sun. It was a free source of warmth and power.
"The last Azrem Dwarf… at least in spirit. I owe you and your people an apology for not protecting you in your time of need."
Torben wasn't sure what to say to the apology or what not to say. He was conflicted between anger at Orna for not saving his people when they needed him, relief that he was finally here to help, and simply being glad that someone he knew was still alive in this world. It was messy and confusing, but now was certainly not the time to dissect it all.
"For now… can you please avenge my people by killing that thing down there?" Torben pleaded, pointing his mechanical arm at the spider that was visibly shaking, knowing that Orna was here. Even its creator feared the dragon—what hope did it have?
Suddenly, the oppressive gaze on the spider intensified greatly, forcing it back onto the ground.
"This… was created by the God of Bliss? That double crosser… I finally understand what occurred on that day," Orna mumbled in shock.
Torben didn't understand what he meant. "Double crosser? Wasn't the God of Bliss one of the Outer Gods? How could they switch sides?"
Orna didn't respond for a moment, unsure whether it was appropriate to divulge this information to mortals. But knowing Torben was the last survivor of the people he was contracted to protect swayed him.
"You deserve to know the truth, and you will in time. But let me first deal with the bastard's spawn."
The Bliss Spider, overhearing Orna's thundering voice, wanted to run away immediately, but where could it go? It had been trapped in this underground city for centuries, and it wasn't going to suddenly find a way out now.
In an instant, the temperature around the spider dropped, and before it could react, it was already frozen into pure ice.
The creature that had easily slain all the Azrem Dwarves and threatened the lives of those present was now frozen completely solid in an instant. Seeing how easily it was resolved, Torben could only let out a hollow chuckle.
He was about to ask what Orna meant by the Outer God that betrayed him, but then remembered that someone was still in a predicament.
Torben pointed at the pit and said, "Sol fell into the creature's trap and hasn't come out yet. Can you please save him?"
Orna hummed in response and turned his perception back to the frozen spider and the pit next to it. He was about to intervene but, when he saw what was occurring inside, he refrained from doing so.
"My intervention is not required; he is in the midst of comprehending a law technique. He will likely be able to escape with it."
"A l-law technique?!" Torben stuttered in shock. "Now? In there?"
"Yes, it would have been dangerous if the spawn of the God of Bliss was still alive. There should be no danger now, and my intervention may instead cause backlash if I interrupt him."
Torben nodded in agreement. Comprehending a law technique tended to be unpredictable, and nobody knew what could occur as each law technique varied greatly. Sometimes it would be an easy and seamless process, but other times it could be a long and excruciating trial. There were even cases where the area around the person would be affected by their technique, transforming during their ascension—like causing a forest to suddenly sprout or creating a black mist of death that lingers for years, making the area a forbidden zone.
Unless one had acquired knowledge of that specific law and it included the ascension process, it was prudent to stay far away from anyone ascending or kill them before they finished. Luckily, the only nearby being, the Bliss Spider, was killed, or it would have ended Sol's life before he could finish comprehending the law technique. Now the only worry was whether or not he could succeed and, if not, hopefully face no backlash.
"Understood. Thank you."
Torben thanked Orna but consciously held himself back from stating the dragon's name or the reverential title the dwarves referred to him by. He still found it hard to hold his emotions at bay after finding out the dragon meant to protect them was still alive and well, but did so as he wasn't foolish enough to antagonize him.
Orna didn't even notice Torben's internal struggle, thanks mostly to his lack of flesh and inability to make facial expressions.
"Then I will leave for now. It's tiresome to maintain my perception here. Once you hand over the method of creating life clusters, you can come to me, and I'll explain what happened to you and your people."
Torben was about to answer, but before he could, he felt the gaze leave, meaning Orna was no longer listening. He clenched his hands and thought to himself, 'I need to know. Why did this happen to us?'
It was then that, from the corner of his vision, he saw Sol jumping out of the pit of gas that still lingered after the death of the spider. Sol appeared ready for battle, with multiple magic hands glowing around him and other skills primed for use, but he paused upon seeing the already dead enemy.
Torben chuckled at the sight and contacted him through the PAL.
"It's already over. Come to the castle so we can talk in person. Also, congrats on ascending."