Near the void passage, Orion kept half of his attention on the entrance and sent the other half into the Survivor's Platform.
Orion opened the channel linked to the Champions Alliance. After a brief moment of thought, he drafted a message.
Hulk: "Hey guys, have any of you ever run into a void passage?"
No one responded right away. A few minutes passed before someone finally spoke up to answer Orion's question.
Edward: "A void passage? That's some high-tier stuff. Anyone who can open that must be at least demigod level or higher!"
Hulk: "Is there a way to destroy a void passage?"
Edward: "Technically, yes. But it's formed and sustained by godly power and the laws of the universe. Even most arch lords would find it tough to tear one down."
After reading Deputy Commander Edward's explanation, Orion dropped the idea of destroying the void passage.
Leonidas: "Is the one you found a forward passage or a reverse passage?"
Hulk: "It's reverse—every year, a ton of Dark Beasts come swarming out of it!"
Leonidas: "A reverse passage with Dark Beasts… every year… So your world is being invaded by another world?"
Hulk: "Looks that way."
There was nothing much for Orion to hide on this subject; he needed more information and answers.
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Edward: "Then it's simple!"
Edward: "Most likely, there was a divine war between demigods or gods from both worlds, which opened up a battlefield between them."
Edward: "Since you've just reached Legendary level, you must've been drawn to the nearest passage node by godly power. As long as you guard that Void Passage and keep other lords from descending on your world, you'll be safe and sound!"
Orion stared at Deputy Commander Edward's message, reading it over several times before typing another question that had been on his mind.
Hulk: "So is the Void Passage basically the battlefield between the two worlds?"
Leonidas: "Heh… If you want to step onto the battlefield of two worlds and actually join the war between gods, you'd better have at least old-school Legendary power."
Edward: "Leonidas is right. The Void Passage you're dealing with is probably just one node. Chances are, your world has quite a few of these passages."
Leonidas: "Hulk, in plain English, you're basically a guard dispatched by a god to safeguard that passage—slightly better than cannon fodder, that's all."
Leonidas: "You get what I'm saying?"
Hulk: "…"
Suddenly, Orion understood. It made sense that Gareth and Jorik had never made a move to invade during winter because they needed to protect the Void Passage.
It also cleared up another lingering question Orion had: during those winter Dark Beast tides, no lord existences had ever shown up, nor had they offered any support.
"So it turns out that the Alpha-level Dark Creatures that arrived in the Black Forest a few years back were most likely let in by Gareth herself."
"And the purpose was to have the Stoneheart Horde absorb some of that pressure!"
"In other words, before any Alpha-level beings showed up in the Black Forest, those Alpha-level Dark Creatures just weren't being herded over here."
Maybe that was Gareth's way of protecting the Black Forest.
Orion sighed, realizing that being a lord truly wasn't easy.
"The stronger you are, the heavier the obligations and responsibilities on your shoulders, and some responsibilities aren't exactly optional."
"Maybe, in the eyes of those gods and demigods, someone at Legendary level is just a slightly bigger ant."
With that in mind, Orion felt a surge of complicated emotions.
Edward: "Hulk, a divine war between two worlds is incredibly dangerous, but it's also chock-full of opportunities!"
Leonidas: "Yeah, for sure! Bro, let me remind you—always have a backup plan for yourself."
Leonidas: "If your world loses this divine war, none of you natives are gonna have a good time."
Leonidas: "On the other hand, bro, make sure you kill as many monsters or beasts descending on your world as you can."
Leonidas: "They're carrying a trace of their world's essence. If you take them out, there's a real chance you can gain some serious benefits."
World essence, huh?
After reading Leonidas's words, Orion immediately thought of Dark Source Crystals. The energy inside them was so pure and could directly boost one's power—no doubt because it held the essence of another world.
By the same token, the crystal cores and bodily crystals of Orion's own world must be a priceless resource for Dark Creatures.
With that train of thought, Orion finally understood why Dark Creatures wanted to slaughter all living beings in this realm.
Their ultimate goal was to harvest world essence.
As for this world's gods, the reason they allowed the Void Passage to appear must be that they hoped to consume or absorb more of the Emerald Dream Realm's essence in return.
Orion felt like he was brushing up against something crucial. Perhaps world essence was the ultimate prize that gods in every realm vied for.
Hulk: "There's a lot of info to process here. I'll take some time to digest it. Besides, the enemy just made a move!"
Pulling his consciousness out of the Survivor's Platform, Orion focused on Sophia, who stood at the other end of the Void Passage.
At that very moment, Sophia was channeling her power, trying to tear apart the defensive measures Orion had set up at the passage's entrance.
"Orion, don't you want to have sex with me?"
"Even though I'm the Butterfly Mother, I'm still a virgin. I've never had any sexual experience!"
"I can see the desire in your eyes. Based on your sense of beauty, you must find me irresistible, don't you?"
"Heh heh heh…"
Even as Sophia tried to seduce Orion, her hands never stopped working at the defenses.
Orion waved his arm, sending a few bolts of lightning crashing down on the Dark Creatures swarming through the Void Passage. Each one was struck dead.
But among their falling bodies, a dark silhouette suddenly leapt out and lunged at Orion.
Boom!
In a flash of lightning, Orion brandished his trident and struck the figure down in a single blow.
"Orion, welcome to my dreamy world!"
When that voice rang out, Orion's nerves went on high alert. His expression grew grim and incredulous.
Why? Because right at the passage entrance, Sophia was strolling out, clad only in a sheer garment. Every step brought her closer. Her body radiated a sensual allure—her perfect breasts, her flawless figure, and her exquisite features.
"Orion, why don't we have a nice, long chat about life? Or your ideals?" she said softly, still closing the distance between them. It was as if Orion wasn't her enemy at all.
Only when Sophia was near did Orion notice that she matched his height almost exactly. Their proximity left her naked body fully exposed to his eyes. Her pubic area flashed in and out of view with each step, a blatant temptation to just about any male creature.
"What exactly do you plan on doing?" Orion demanded.