Noah''s gaze turned to Orion with a perplexing expression.


    ''Orion. Truly, this man is full of surprise.''


    Recklessly absorbing an element did put Noah''s life in danger, but both situations were caused by and resolved by Orion himself.


    The idea of merging with his elements never occurred even once to Noah. This was totally out of his viewpoint, and only thanks to Orion, who underwent that strange peak of energy signature, was he able to understand.


    There was no doubt in Noah''s head. Orion was clearly knowledgeable about subjects he kept undisclosed.


    He knew that the idea of bringing knowledge about the future to the past was dangerous. His memories recalled stories of paradoxes and things to avoid to negatively influence history in books he had read.


    And he felt it. Noah''s body, for the first time since appearing in Triazils, suffered damage. He saw his blood, which he hadn''t seen in years.


    His muscles clenched, and his bones cracked. For a moment, he regretted his impetuous action and thought of stopping the process, unsuccessfully.


    Without Orion''s quick reaction to his situation, he would''ve died with certainty.


    ''An ''Elemental Mastery''.''


    The expression of Orion relaxed as he looked at Noah, which helped the latter understand that his state had stabilized.


    Clenching his fists a few times, he nodded to himself.


    "Good."


    "I can feel the flow of magic in me."


    The problem that caused Noah''s self-destruction was that he wasn''t from this world.


    It was one thing to bestow elements on him, but it was another to create the entire system to support the elemental mastery.


    This was the main reason why the elements never settled entirely in his being. The five natural elements always appeared behind his back for this very reason.


    Noah had no magical circuit in him.


    The energy he brought out, even though destructive, wasn''t coming from him but from the elements themselves. He was a simple host to the seven elements.


    Due to the little change from Henrietta''s writing in the ''Book of Fate'', Noah''s body rapidly adapted to the energy intruding in his veins.


    With the help of the seven elements, who desired nothing more than to be of use to him, they rapidly created a magical circuit inside him capable of withstanding their monstrous power.


    This was the birth of the first ''Elemental Mastery'', way earlier in the course of history than it was expected.


    Nevertheless, this caused nothing major to occur apart from avoiding someone''s death. The first person who underwent an ''Elemental Mastery'' exploded from the overload, just like Noah almost went through.


    This earlier process saved the life of that person in the future.


    But now, Noah was in full control of the energy swirling in his body.


    Switching his gaze to the giant sphenodon, whose eyelids finally opened after recovering their sight, Noah lifted his hand.


    "I suppose I should test this newfound power."


    He grabbed hold of an invisible item. Noah placed his right foot forward, gently rotated his waist to the side, and aimed his right hand in front of him.


    Light gathered in his hand, slowly turning into a weapon Orion once saw in a shop.


    It was way more complicated-looking, with way more parts attached to it. This was Noah''s most trusted weapon when working in the field.


    A weapon that could save a life and end someone else''s in return.


    Noah''s handgun.


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    His focus became unwavering. The time he had passed training to become an officer returned to him, and the giant creature became his target.


    With his breathing steady, Noah patiently waited for an opportunity.


    The sphenodon hissed at Noah''s and fired a beam of concentrated water at him.


    Unflinching, Noah kept his aim true. The beam grazed past him and crashed a few meters behind, creating a large crater that filled with water instantly.


    "Fuuu~"


    Enveloped in a light aura, a long cloud of hot air escaped his mouth.


    His enemy began to rush toward him, stomping its giant, reinforced claws on the ground.


    It rushed toward Noah, and when it was close enough, it breathed out a stream of fire that engulfed the Hero.


    But, the earth element stood strong to defend its master. The rotating element spun wildly to spread the fire on all sides, while Noah kept his gaze on the giant squamate.


    The light energy kept gathering inside the barrel of the handgun, unbothered by the events happening around it.


    When the fire subsided, a giant mouth full of teeth was inches from Noah, ready to crunch him.


    At that instant, the clip of the handgun flashed a bright light, signaling to Noah that it was fully loaded.


    *BANG*


    Without hesitation, Noah pressed the trigger.


    A flash of light incomparable to the one that happened earlier enveloped the continent.


    For less than 0.5 seconds, the light engulfed everyone before a beam of pure light energy left the handgun''s barrel, evaporating the entire sphenodon''s existence from the surface of the planet.


    Orion and Tetra looked at this with their heads empty. The sheer amount of magic energy released was on par with what Velridar had once released.


    The laser of light pierced the sphenodon from mouth to tail, widened, and traversed the entire sky in a straight line, vanishing into the atmosphere.


    All the while, Noah remained entirely motionless, only his clothes thrashing around from the intense gusts of wind created by his terrifying power.


    ''Woah!''


    Tetra was unable to contain her emotions.


    "Right."


    Orion was simply standing, his gaze anchored on the man known as the first Hero.


    The difference between them was so flagrant that he felt ashamed of bearing the title of Hero.


    This power was something Orion thought was impossible to obtain, even after training for countless years.


    Noah was simply that breathtaking of an entity.


    The wind battered his face, his clothes, and his skin, but Orion was unbothered by it.


    ...


    After a few minutes, the energy lessened, and the world returned to its peaceful state.


    Noah dropped his arm and released the light element from his body, successfully returning to normal.


    "That brought me back."


    He looked at the handgun slowly disintegrating in his hand with a faint smile.


    When the gun entirely disappeared and emptiness filled his hand, he stretched his worn body.


    At that point, Orion and Tetra were out of their stupor, and Orion began to walk toward him with a frustrated look.


    "You''re injured?"


    Thinking that Orion had perhaps damaged himself while fighting the ''Corrupted Lords'', Noah turned to him worriedly.


    "I''m fine. There''s nothing wrong with me."


    The answer was enough for Noah to relax. Once Orion came closer, he noticed the look on his face more clearly.


    ''This is the same face as those recruits.''


    The expression of inferiority.


    ''Compared to their seniors, rookies always dream about becoming like them.''


    With a kind smile, Noah approached Orion and tapped on his shoulder.


    "Do you know where strength comes from?"


    Confused by the sudden question, Orion blinked a few times. He pondered for a few seconds before giving the answer that felt the most natural to him.


    "Other than training, I have no real answer to give you."


    Noah nodded, but looked slightly dissatisfied.


    "That is true for everyone. We all train hard to become better selves. To break limits and achieve greater deeds."


    It was Orion''s turn to nod in agreement.


    "Still, let me tell you something else."


    Intrigued, he listened to Noah''s words.


    "From what I could gather, you fight for everyone. You shoulder the responsibilities of all living beings, just like I do."


    "Yet, there is a fundamental difference between us."


    Opening his eyes wide, Orion looked at him.


    "I fight for myself. I fight to return home, even if the reward is death. The center of the world is me, alone."


    "Of course, it is exaggerated. What I''m trying to say is that I fight for my own goal. At the same time, I help those around me."


    With a melancholic look, he stared into Orion''s eyes.


    "I''d do anything to return home..."


    As Noah released his shoulder, Orion remained on the spot, frozen.


    ''The look in his eyes...''


    Tetra shared the same thought.


    Orion touched his left cheek, right below his eye.


    ''I probably have the same look.''


    As he turned around to return to the beastman village alongside Noah, he thought deeply about the meaning of his words.


    Those words would become the start of a new change in Orion.


    The beginning of his journey toward divinity.


    ...


    The moment they entered the beastmen village, the two Heroes felt the terrified gazes of the beastmen.


    At first, they looked terrified of the two human-looking men, until a child accidentally stepped in front of them.


    "..."


    With a confused look, the young boy, who looked no older than five years old, stared at Noah, whose shadow was cast over him.


    Orion worriedly took a step back, feeling the beastmen suddenly becoming agitated.


    ''One wrong move, and we''re going to have to flee this place...''


    A child was everything for a community, and no one was authorized to harm them.


    Even against a monster like Noah, they would rebel.


    But the situation was instantly calmed down by the first Hero.


    "Hi."


    Noah crouched down while greeting the child.


    "Were you separated from your parents?"


    "Hmm~"


    The boy nodded shyly, seeing that Noah was at the same eye level as him.


    Confusion echoed inside the village as gazes turned from feral to neutral.


    "Are you fine if I pick you up so you can point to your parents?"


    "Huh?"


    Orion exclaimed, thinking that this would be a bad idea.


    ''Let him be. You''ll soon get it.''


    Calmly trying to ease Orion''s worries, Tetra caught his attention. Silently, Orion relaxed, but still cautiously, and watched over Noah.


    The young beastman nodded, which gave Noah the approval needed to pick up the boy.


    He gently placed his hands under the boy''s armpits and sat him on his left shoulder.


    "Ooh~"


    The stars in the child''s eyes caught Orion off guard.


    ''Stella...''


    His daughter''s image flashed in his mind.


    "Orion."


    Noah called his name, bringing him back to reality.


    "There!"


    The boy pointed toward a woman, frantically looking for something behind the crowd of beastmen.


    As Noah began to walk toward her, and as the child pointed toward the woman, Orion followed.


    "Have you ever taken the time to exchange with the people you protect?"


    "..."


    Silently, Orion shook his head.


    Noah, who was glancing over his shoulder, noticed it.


    "You have to learn what you are truly trying to protect."


    The hatred for humans was still etched in Orion''s entire being, yet, at this time, they weren''t aggressively trying to kill everyone.


    His hatred had no reason to exist in this era.


    "The people under your care, the families that live on this continent, the countless lives snuffled out by the corruption."


    "Those need to be on your mind when you fight. Not only yourself, or your family."


    Noah arrived in front of the crowd.


    "Excuse me. Would you please create a path for me to deliver this child to his mother?"


    Hearing the man''s words, the beastmen looked at each other before looking over their shoulders.


    "Oh..."


    "We''re sorry."


    All tension disappeared from their faces as they realized that Noah was actually going to help them and not antagonize the beastmen like other humans tend to do around here.


    They broke apart, giving Noah and Orion a way past them.


    "This is a great community. I hope you will excuse


    us for intruding."


    Holding the child carefully on his shoulder, he continued while smiling at the people.


    ''That''s how Noah does things.''


    Tetra put the last nail in the coffin.


    ''I understand now.''


    With a defeated smile, Orion followed behind Noah as he reunited the two family members.