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Endless darkness. Only Orion's consciousness existed here.
This darkness was the 'after-death world' Orion had experienced. It was here he had received the Gift of the Evil God's Mother.
At a thought, a male humanoid form materialized within the darkness. He was tall, his frame seemingly slender yet containing boundless power. Black hair, black eyes, features possessing a demonic beauty that seemed less human and more otherworldly. This was Orion's humanoid form, his appearance in the 'cyberpunk' reality before entering the game.
Within this darkness, Orion felt invincible, possessing the full power of the Evil God's Mother. But only *here*. Outside this void, what Orion currently possessed was merely the capability of one of the Six Great Demons.
"Even becoming one of those Six Great Demons represents incomplete power," Orion whispered.
Behind him, a throne reaching towards the heavens manifested. Orion sat upon this throne of the Evil God's Mother, one hand propping his chin. With each breath he took, this absolute darkness and evil seemed to breathe in unison, as if the void itself possessed consciousness.
If one had to describe it, this darkness was like a mother's womb, and the current Orion was the embryo – an unborn, undeveloped embryo. Normally, the mother would absorb nutrients and nourish the fetus, allowing it to grow strong. Tragically, the Evil God's Mother had perished. Orion, growing within her, had lost the ability to draw sustenance.
In essence, Orion existed within this dark womb. Theoretically, he was one who was conceived but not yet born. Only by drawing in sufficient nutrients to fully form here could he break free from this darkness and be truly born into the world. Without nutrients, he would not grow; his power would stagnate, losing its infinite potential.
Thus, obtaining the nutrients needed for his growth was Orion's most urgent matter. Unfortunately, he did not know *how* to acquire them. They were certainly not proteins or carbohydrates. A newborn infant acts on instinct to suckle its mother's milk. Previously, Orion had instinctively used the power of this darkness to send 'Invitations' out into the endless worlds.
He didn't know what purpose those Invitations served, but since his instinct drove him to do it, it likely related to the required nutrients. From the moment he sent out the Invitations, Orion had been waiting. Yet, after all these years, there had been no response, no influx of the nutrients he craved. This made him doubt his assumptions. Perhaps those instinctive Invitations had nothing to do with his growth after all.
He had exhausted his intellect, conducted various experiments, yet found no results, no path forward for his growth.
"Forget it. I shouldn't rush. As I am now, I am utterly a demon. Theoretically, my lifespan is endless. I will search slowly; one day, I will find what I need."
"...Besides, even as the Demon of Decay, though my power is incomplete, it should suffice to face most threats."
Orion comforted himself, striving to maintain calm.
He flipped his wrist, and 『Avatāra』 appeared in his hand. This simulated Star Atlas, embodying the Zoroastrian cosmology, held unimaginable power and recorded the myths of Zoroastrianism within its texts.
In the Zoroastrian creation myth, the story spanned only twelve thousand years, divided into four periods of three thousand years each. This simulated Star Atlas was similarly sealed; at the very least, the current Orion could not unleash its full power, only utilizing the strength of the first three thousand years.
"In the first three thousand years, the universe contained only a mass of Light and Darkness."
"...Within the Light dwelt the One True God, the God of Good. Within the Darkness dwelt All Evil, the Mother of Evil!"
Orion's voice was low and majestic, reciting the contents of 『Avatāra』.
'Avatāra' translated meant 'knowledge'. It was here Orion learned of the Evil God's Mother's existence and understood he had received her Gift. He also learned everything related to her, such as the six demons she had created:
* 『Malice』: Possessing sky-shrouding wings, three heads and six eyes, commanding a thousand magics.
* 『Chaos』: Symbolizing the heat death of the universe, obeying the Second Law of Thermodynamics, causing order to collapse.
* 『Destruction』: Said to be the incarnation of the Evil God's Mother, the spirit that annihilates everything.
* And the current spiritual rank Orion inhabited, the most powerful among the ten forms of death: 『Decay』, and so on.
These were all facets of the power differentiated by the Evil God's Mother. Even if only one form were completed, achieving the '**Realm of Omnipotence**' and tearing apart stars would be effortless!
However, Orion's other demonic forms remained sealed. Even the 『Decay』 domain hadn't reached the 'omnipotent' level. If he had to evaluate his current self, it would be: **Promising Future!**
"Though exactly how long that future will take..." Orion muttered. He shook his head and stood from the towering throne. "...Never mind. I should return to **Nazarick** for now."
"...With my current power, self-preservation shouldn't be a problem, at least temporarily."
With a thought, the darkness dissipated, and Orion returned to his room within the Great Tomb.
...
**Teyvat Continent**, atop a high mountain, a man in a long white robe, his face obscured by a hood, stood tall. A single ponytail tied behind his hood swayed in the mountain breeze, lending an air of effortless grace.
In his hand, he held a piece of pitch-black paper. He remained silent, his hooded eyes intently focused on it, deep in thought.
Beside him, a dragon formed of pure Geo energy watched the black paper with its vertical reptilian pupils. The dragon resembled a colossal tortoise, horns upon its head, its body sturdy and imposing like ancient bedrock standing atop the mountain peak.
"**Morax**, that thing is dangerous," the Geo Dragon's voice rumbled like terrifying thunder. Seeing the man seemingly entranced by the black slip, it couldn't help but warn.
The man called Morax stirred. He nodded slightly, his voice as inscrutable and steady as ancient stone. "...Objectively speaking, it is indeed dangerous. It is a thing not of this world."
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