CHAPTER 921: ORION AND KATE (PART-1)

Ziz spread its wings, letting out a shrill, resonating cry that shook the energy field. "You’ve grown bold, little human," it roared, the sound echoing like thunder. "You think you’ve earned the right to stand equal to me?"

Orion’s lips curled into a faint grin. Sweat dripped from his forehead, but his eyes glowed with calm focus. "If you’re still holding back," he said, his voice steady despite the strain, "then you won’t defeat me today."

The golden arms behind him rotated like a great mandala. "Use your full demigod strength, Ziz. Otherwise... you’ll lose."

The divine bird’s eyes narrowed, feathers flaring outward, a gale rushing from its wings. "You are too arrogant, human!"

The next instant, a streak of light split the hall.

Orion darted forward with his thousand arms moving in perfect synchronicity, meeting Ziz’s hydro blast head-on.

BAM! KRAAANG!

Each collision sent out waves that were damaging the walls. Ziz countered with divine wind blades; Orion blocked them with shimmering golden palms that formed midair.

For a moment, neither seemed at a disadvantage. It was a stalemate — a human who didn’t possess soul energy but divine energy, along with a physique that bore the strength of a demigod, and a celestial-grade divine beast with the power of a demigod.

Just as Orion spun into his next strike, a calm but firm voice cut through the chaos.

"Okay, both of you. Stop."

The voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried authority, enough to freeze Ziz mid-flight and halt Orion’s attack as well. The thousand arms behind him faded.

At the far end of the hall, Gideon walked in with a familiar easy gait, hands behind his back.

And beside him was Kate, the woman with long blonde hair, dressed in a refined white-and-blue dress, smiling as if she’d just walked into a garden instead of a battle between two powerhouses.

Orion blinked twice. "This girl?"

He frowned slightly. There was something odd about her aura — faint but pure, like sunlight wrapped in gentle mist. Her body carried a natural energy core, just like his."

However, before he could say anything, Gideon smiled. "You two can continue your posturing later. Right now, Orion, meet our guest."

Ziz tilted its massive head toward Gideon and then toward the girl, giving a respectful nod before flapping its wings once. A gust of wind swirled around the chamber, and in a blink, the divine beast vanished into the painting drawn at the end of the wall.

Orion straightened his posture and wiped the sweat off his chin. "Hello, there."

Gideon gestured toward the woman. "This is Kate Moreau. She’s from the Moreau Family — and an old friend of Aries."

At the mention of Aries’ name, Orion’s expression softened slightly, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

Gideon continued, "And she’s here because she has a job for you."

"Me?" Orion asked, genuinely surprised as he pointed at himself.

*

Later at Hotel Oasis, White City;

At the Presidential Suite, Mark, the tall, muscular man with dark skin, paced back and forth restlessly, muttering under his breath. "Kate... think about this again. Even if he is Tower Master Gideon’s disciple, he is still there only for a few months. Can he be trusted?"

Kate didn’t flinch at his concern, though. She leaned casually against the edge of the marble countertop, arms crossed, a small scoff escaping her lips. "Mark, for starters, you’re too weak to protect me. That is the whole reason I’m doing this. Secondly, I don’t have the time—or the patience—to chase some stranger down while still worrying about their alliance. I don’t intend to hire a known bodyguard either; that’d just leak our location. That leaves me with only one option... Orion. Most importantly, I trust Uncle Gideon and his judgment. That is enough for me."

Mark opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand. "No arguments."

Before Mark could respond, the sharp chime of the elevator bell rang through the suite. Kate’s expression shifted as she walked to the door. Her hand swept the lock, and it clicked open.

Orion stood there, posture straight, a serious expression on his face despite the early hour. As the sunlight from the balcony hit his features, Kate greeted him with a wave. "Morning."

Orion nodded in a flat tone but politely. "Morning."

She motioned inside. "Come in."

Once inside, she turned to Mark and gestured casually. "You know him already. My fiancé, Mark. Make yourself at home."

Orion gave a small nod in acknowledgment, then chose a spot a few steps away from them, sitting with calm composure. He didn’t need to speak to assert his presence to Mark. The latter was already paying attention to him with a bit of uneasiness.

Meanwhile, Kate leaned back slightly in her seat with a faint smirk playing on her lips. "I actually did some research about you last night," she said, her tone casual but curious. "Looks like you are also famous for reaching the semifinals of last year’s Tournament of Power. Your videos were all over the internet."

Orion tilted his head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I’d have been more impressed if you’d actually test my strength in person," he replied smoothly.

Mark’s brow furrowed, his jaw tightening at Orion’s crude response. "You’re being paid 3,000,000 credits for three days of doing basically nothing," he said sharply. "And you think we need to impress you?"

Orion scoffed, leaning back slightly as he met Mark’s gaze evenly. "Do you even know what 3,000,000 credits is worth?" he asked. "It’s not even worth a single Earth-grade weapon."

He then leaned forward, hardening his voice while his eyes glinted with quiet fire as he continued. "I’m only here because of my master’s order. I’m not here for some stupid money."

The room fell quiet for a moment as the weight of his words hit Kate harder than she expected. Kate’s eyes flickered, with a mixture of respect and surprise crossing her face. As for Mark, he stiffened for a moment before opening his mouth as if to retort, but Kate reacted, not giving him a chance to retort as he wanted.

"You talk just like my cousin," she said softly, tilting her head. "I can see why she recommended you." She paused, then added more seriously, "But on a side note... showing off wealth doesn’t exactly mean that we are trying to appear superior to others or something. You see, most of the heirs born in rich households don’t exactly have an easy life. Yes, they have money, but everything else is just filled with compromise."

Orion’s eyes widened in surprise. He couldn’t help but remember his own life on the Irth planet.

Mark’s eyes flickered, but she wasn’t done. "If you’re a boy, your career has limited choices. You can’t just do whatever you want. And if you’re a girl... well, we can’t even pursue a future with the one we truly care about. Instead, we have to go through a curated marriage—an arranged marriage, more or less. Only those who are blessed can have a love marriage."

As Mark’s fists clenched tightly while his expression darkened further, Kate’s smile widened as she asked, turning to him. "Babe... am I wrong?" A pause late, she continued, going further as if wanting to irritate him further with her words. "If your father wasn’t a shareholder of our company, and my mother hadn’t purposely arranged that ball just so we could meet... do you really think we’d be engaged? Even though we’ve been dating for over a year, and officially engaged for three months, I haven’t even slept with you. You should’ve figured out by now that I don’t like you—or this marriage—and I’m just using the pretext of being a good believer of Goddess Hera to keep my distance. Am I wrong?"

Mark’s anger simmered, feeling humiliated at her sharp words, but he tried to suppress it. He then grabbed her arm roughly. "Come with me. Now."

Kate looked at him coolly, tilting her head. "Why? Whatever you need to say, just say it. Don’t drag me somewhere unnecessarily."

Mark’s face twisted with frustration, and Kate didn’t hold back, leaning in slightly. "What? Did you feel humiliated because of a stranger? Imagine how I felt when you let a stranger get away without even trying to fight."

Orion, Mark, and Kate were all caught in a tense tableau, the air thick with unspoken words and frustration. Kate, still seated but bristling, leaned forward slightly.