After Rei saw that Orchid was beginning to get used to her new body and her strength had returned, he gently set her down from his arms.
At first, Orchid stumbled a little, but she quickly regained her balance and managed to stand on her own.
Rei then walked toward Orchis, who was still unconscious, with Apollonia crouched beside her, looking extremely worried.
He knelt beside Orchis on her left and carefully checked her condition.
He could feel that Orchis's soul transfer had been successful, and he reassured Apollonia not to worry.
"She'll wake up in a day or two, so don't worry too much," he said calmly to Apollonia.
"You can take her to the bedroom next to yours. Once she wakes up, we can start the reconstruction of this island," he added as he stood up and began walking away.
"Rei!" Apollonia's voice suddenly stopped him in his tracks.
He turned around and saw her still crouched beside Orchis, holding her hand tightly. Her gaze was now fixed on him.
"Thank... you. And I'm sorry..." she muttered softly, her voice barely above a whisper. If Rei were an ordinary person, he wouldn't have heard her.
But thankfully, Rei wasn't ordinary, and he caught every word clearly.
"No problem," he said with a faint smile before continuing to walk away.
As he walked, Rei could see the town and the area where the Grandcypher had landed. Both were nearly destroyed.
The birth of a Primal Beast had caused massive destruction to the surroundings, especially with the intense wind released when Orchid floated in the air.
Well... He would fix it later. For now, there was a more pressing issue to handle.
"Everyone, I have a plan regarding Amalthea Island," he announced.
Hearing him, everyone turned toward him with serious expressions.
"I'm sure the Grandcypher isn't fast enough to reach Amalthea Island in time. My suggestion is that I'll fly there myself," Rei explained.
"If I fly at full power, I can probably reach Amalthea within a few hours. After helping them, I can return here to assist in rebuilding the city."
"I can come with you," Sandalphon said firmly.
"No, Sandalphon. You, Halluel, and Malluel need to stay here. With the power of the Primarchs, I'm sure rebuilding the town can be done quickly," Rei replied, glancing around at the damaged Grandcypher.
"Especially since I unintentionally caused most of this destruction... I didn't realize creating a Primal Beast would have such an impact on the surroundings."
"With the Tetra elements under your control, Sandalphon, you can assist Lyria, and Halluel and Malluel can support you."
Sandalphon wanted to protest, but she understood Rei's reasoning.
The city had already been in ruins after a decade of neglect, but the phenomenon caused by the birth of a Primal Beast had made things even worse.
"Alright..." In the end, she reluctantly agreed.
"Then we'll try to find any injured people. You head to Amalthea Island and return quickly when you're done," Djeeta said.
Rei simply nodded. With his twelve purple wings still spread behind him, he prepared to leap into the air and fly away from the Grandcypher.
But just as he was about to take off, he felt a small tug on his shirt.
"Hmm?" He turned around and saw Orchid standing behind him, holding onto his shirt to prevent him from flying away.
The others had already scattered—some heading down from the Grandcypher to look for injured people, while others helped Apollonia move Orchis inside the airship.
"Can you bring me along?" Orchid asked softly.
"Huh? Why do you want to come with me, Orchid? For now, you should rest and let your body adapt to your new powers," he said gently, patting her head.
Hearing that, Orchid shook her head.
"I want to help too. The first thing I want to do after getting this power is to help you..." Orchid said softly while fidgeting with her fingers.
Hearing her earnest words made Rei smile, but he quickly realized Orchid was still wearing a thin, white, short gown.
The clothing she had on was something Rei had created while constructing her body, meant only as a temporary outfit.
"You also need to change clothes, Orchid. Just wait here with the others for now, alright?" Rei said gently.
Orchid then looked down at herself, focusing on her body and the simple gown she was wearing.
Orchid slowly let go of Rei's shirt, her fingers lingering for a moment before she stepped back, putting some distance between them. Her sky-blue eyes stayed locked on Rei's.
Taking a deep breath, Orchid closed her eyes, and a radiant white light began to envelop her entire body. The glow was soft yet intense, casting shimmering reflections across the deck of the Grandcypher.
As the glow disappeared, Orchid stood there in her new attire—a stunning white dress that flowed elegantly down to her knees, paired with a sleek black cropped jacket that gave her an air of sharp sophistication. Her legs were adorned with thigh-high black socks that reached just below the hem of her dress, seamlessly paired with polished black high heels.
[IMAGE]
Her long, smooth white hair cascaded down her back like a silken waterfall, catching the light as she shifted slightly.
Orchid opened her eyes, meeting Rei's gaze once more.
"Now... I'm ready," she said softly with a smile.
Rei's eyes widened after seeing Orchid's transformation.
Her outfit suited her perfectly, highlighting her long, flowing white hair and sky-blue eyes. She looked both elegant and powerful, radiating an aura befitting a Primal Beast.
"Haha... Alright then, let's go, Orchid," he said while extending his hand toward her.
Orchid immediately reached out, grasping his hand tightly. Rei pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her in a firm embrace.
"Are you ready?" he asked softly.
"Yes," Orchid replied with a small nod.
Without another word, Rei spread his twelve deep purple wings wide, their menacing aura crackling with energy, and launched them into the sky. The force of his takeoff sent a gust of wind rippling across the deck of the Grandcypher as the two shot off at incredible speed toward Amalthea Island.
------
Rei flew at an incredible speed, breaking the sound barrier with ease as shockwaves rippled behind him. Yet, despite the sheer velocity, the wind didn't bother them at all—Tiamat's power enveloped both him and Orchid, shielding them in a protective current.
"Can you use your power already?" Rei suddenly asked.
"Probably… I don't know if I can, but I have this feeling, like an instinct, telling me I definitely can help with this," Orchid replied after a brief pause.
She wasn't entirely sure if her powers would be useful in this situation, but something deep inside urged her to follow Rei—an unshakable conviction that she needed to be here.
"Alright, just be careful. Even though I created the concept of your core, I don't know what kind of abilities you're going to develop," Rei said with a concern.
At Rei's tremendous speed, it only took them two hours to reach Amalthea Island.
However, even from a distance, the sight that greeted them was one of devastation. The once-beautiful town, with its unique scenery and vibrant air, was now in ruins. Smoke billowed into the sky, buildings lay shattered, and chaos engulfed the streets as people ran in panic. Soldiers clashed violently, and war machines from the Erste Empire rained cannon fire upon what little remained of the town, reducing it to rubble.
"What the…" Rei stopped mid-air, his sharp eyes scanning the destruction below.
"How can this…" Orchid's soft voice trembled with disbelief as she took in the horrifying scene.
Amidst the chaos, debris crushed fleeing citizens, and lifeless bodies lay scattered across the streets. Each explosion, each crumbling building, only deepened the weight of the tragedy.
"This Erste Empire!" Rei's voice was filled with anger as his aura flared violently, his overwhelming pressure growing more intense with each passing second.
But before he could act, Orchid suddenly tugged at his shirt again, stopping him in his tracks.
He turned to look at her, still holding her in his arms, and noticed her sky-blue eyes beginning to glow faintly. Orchid gave him a small nod before gently slipping out of his embrace.
"Eh? Orchid, what are you doing?" Rei asked, his voice filled with concern.
Instead of falling, Orchid hovered in place, standing firmly on the air as if it were solid ground. Below her feet, glowing circles of intricate patterns pulsed with light, supporting her effortlessly in mid-air.
"You can walk on air??" Rei exclaimed, surprised by the sight before him.
But then he realized—almost all Primal Beasts possessed the ability to fly or defy gravity. For Orchid, this was merely another aspect of her new form. Still, seeing it firsthand was undeniably striking.
Orchid took a few slow steps forward, her sky-blue eyes glowing faintly as she observed the devastation across Amalthea Island. Her gaze lingered on the ruined city, the soldiers of the Erste Empire wreaking havoc, and the war machines unleashing relentless destruction.
Then, Orchid raised both her hands forward, her expression calm yet determined.
Her long, snow-white hair began to sway gently, as if caught in an invisible breeze. The strands glistened faintly under the dim light, and an ethereal aura surrounded her slender frame.
From the tips of her ten fingers, thin silver threads began to materialize, shimmering faintly in the air. They extended forward, dancing and weaving through the sky like serpents gliding through water.
Rei's sharp eyes caught the threads immediately, their delicate yet impossibly sharp forms splitting again and again. From ten threads to twenty, then forty, and continuing to multiply exponentially until an intricate web of countless threads spread out before them.
To anyone else, the sky would appear unchanged, but Rei could see it—a shimmering tapestry of silver lines stretching out toward the ruined island below.
The threads shot forward at incredible speed, descending upon Amalthea Island in a matter of moments. They weaved through the broken buildings and war-torn streets, wrapping tightly around the soldiers of the Erste Empire and their war machines.
The soldiers froze mid-action, their limbs locked in place as the invisible threads bound them like marionettes caught in an unyielding grasp. Cannons stopped firing, gears in the war machines ground to a halt, and the chaotic noise of battle began to fade into an eerie silence.
The civilians, who had been fleeing for their lives just moments ago, began to slow down, looking around in confusion. They couldn't see the threads restraining their enemies—only the sudden stillness of the once-unstoppable forces before them.
"What… What's happening?!" one soldier shouted, his voice trembling with panic as he realized he couldn't move.
"Are we… under attack?!" another stammered, eyes darting around wildly.
Meanwhile, Rei watched silently from above, his gaze locked onto Orchid as she held her hands forward, her expression serene yet focused.
The threads continued to spread, wrapping around more targets, immobilizing soldiers, and halting war machines as if time itself had frozen.
Orchid's power, Governance of Thread, was not merely an ability to manipulate physical strings—it was an absolute dominion over existence itself, threading her will into the fabric of reality and binding her targets with an authority they could not defy.
Rei let out a soft breath as he muttered to himself, "So… this is her power."
But suddenly, Orchid did something that Rei didn't expect at all.
She began to move both of her hands in a deliberate, commanding manner, as if she were orchestrating an unseen performance. The silver threads shifted and twisted in response, weaving through the battlefield below with eerie precision.
Rei's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her movements, sensing the weight of her intent. Orchid's expression remained calm, but there was a cold determination in her glowing sky-blue eyes.
Finally, after a few moments, Orchid stopped moving her hands and clenched both fists tightly.
In an instant, screams erupted from below.
The soldiers of the Erste Empire, who had been bound by her threads, convulsed violently. Orchid had used her threads to wrap around each soldier's heart, binding them in a vice-like grip. And with that single gesture, she crushed them simultaneously.
The soldiers fell silent as their lifeless bodies collapsed to the ground, their hearts destroyed in unison.
At the same time, the war machines that had been immobilized by her threads groaned and screeched as their internal mechanisms were shredded apart, their towering forms crumbling into heaps of twisted metal and debris.
The once chaotic battlefield was now eerily still, save for the faint sound of wind passing through the ruins.
Rei's gaze remained locked on Orchid, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before it softened into understanding.
Her power wasn't just about control—it was about absolute dominance. And in that moment, she had chosen to end the battle in the most efficient way possible.