Pelion looked at Garion.
"You can co with us," he said. "The deal is a one-on-one fight, after all."
He lifted his hand slightly and gestured ahead. "So co along. There’s nothing stopping you from watching."
Garion nodded once. "...Alright."
He didn’t hesitate further.
He and the others followed behind Pelion as he began walking toward the main structure.
For the first few minutes, no one spoke.
The only sounds were their footsteps and the faint noise of the battlefield fading behind them.
Dahlia walked beside Pelion, her pace steady.
After a mont, she glanced at him. "...Sir Pelion."
Pelion turned his head slightly.
"Don’t call that," he said. "Just call Pelion."
Dahlia nodded. "Alright... Pelion."
She paused briefly, thinking. "Then let ask you sothing."
Her tone shifted, more serious now. "How strong is my father right now?"
She looked straight ahead as she spoke. "...Is there any chance he’s stronger than you?"
Pelion glanced at her, then raised an eyebrow slightly. "Stronger than ?"
He gave a short, almost amused breath. "Of course not."
Dahlia didn’t look convinced. "...But you said he’s a problem for you. And even for your master."
She frowned slightly. "Doesn’t that an he’s stronger than you?"
Pelion’s expression tightened just a little. "No."
He answered simply. "It just ans I don’t want to deal with him myself."
Dahlia’s eyes narrowed slightly. "So..."
She turned her head a bit toward him. "You’re using us as your blade."
Pelion didn’t deny it. He kept walking forward at the sa pace.
"...If you want to see it that way," he said calmly, "then sure."
There was a brief silence after that.
Dahlia walked a few more steps, then spoke again. "...Then let ask sothing else."
Pelion didn’t slow down. "Go on."
Dahlia glanced at him, her expression more serious now. "Is Black Chira an evil faction?"
Pelion didn’t answer imdiately. He stayed quiet for a mont, thinking.
"...That’s hard to answer," he said at last.
He tilted his head slightly. "We are a demonic faction. But that doesn’t automatically make us an evil one."
Dahlia frowned. "...Aren’t those the sa thing?"
Before Pelion could respond, Garion stepped forward, moving beside her.
"Of course they’re different," he said calmly. "A demonic faction is just a group that cultivates using demonic mana."
He continued without rushing. "But an evil faction is defined by what they do, not what kind of energy they use."
He glanced briefly at Pelion. "Isn’t that right?"
Pelion nodded once. "Yeah."
He looked at Dahlia again. "You could say Black Chira has evil elents... but not all of us are like that."
He paused briefly. "The ones who commit those acts are usually the lower-ranked mbers. The ones who failed to properly cultivate our demonic path."
His tone remained steady. "They lose control. They beco unstable."
He continued walking as he spoke. "But those at the higher levels... we’ve fully mastered the path."
He tapped his chest lightly. "We remain sane. We think clearly."
A short pause. "So we don’t go around doing aningless things."
Garion nodded slightly, then turned his head toward Dahlia. "So if you’re saying demonic equals evil..."
His tone stayed calm, but there was a hint of challenge in it. "Are you saying God Gym is an evil faction too?"
Dahlia stopped instantly. "...What?"
Clara blinked, clearly caught off guard. "...Wait, what are you talking about?"
Pelion also stopped, his brows lifting slightly. "...Don’t tell ..."
He looked at Garion more carefully. "Did you train in a demonic path as well?"
Rachel stepped forward imdiately, her expression turning more serious than before. "Garion..."
Her voice lowered slightly. "What exactly do you an?"
Garion looked at all of them and smiled. "Relax."
He raised one hand slightly. "Let explain first."
He paused for a mont, making sure they were listening. "You all know our main base, right? Demon Gate Island."
He glanced between them. "That island used to be filled with demonic mana. Not just a little but extrely dense one."
Rachel listened quietly, her expression still serious.
Garion continued, calm as always. "And the mont I started cultivating in that environnt... the effects were better than anything else."
He shifted his stance slightly. "So yes, Rachel... in a way, you could say we are demonic cultivators."
Rachel’s eyes narrowed just a little.
Garion raised his hand again before she could respond. "But only in thod."
He spoke clearly. "Demonic mana is just a training tool for us."
He pointed lightly toward Pelion. "Unlike our friend here, who uses demonic mana as his core source... as his actual mana."
Pelion stayed silent, watching him closely.
Garion continued. "Our mana isn’t demonic."
He tapped his chest once. "It’s our own, refined and strengthened through exposure to demonic mana."
A brief pause. "So don’t worry too much, Rachel."
Rachel exhaled slowly, though she was still processing it. "...You’re saying we use it to temper our mana, not replace it."
Garion nodded. "Exactly."
Pelion, on the other hand, looked genuinely surprised. "...You can actually do that?"
Garion glanced at him. "Of course."
He shrugged slightly. "That’s just how our cultivation path works."
Pelion frowned slightly, still trying to understand. "...No wonder you’re all this strong."
He let out a quiet breath. "To think you’re using demonic mana as a training tool..."
He shook his head. "Even we wouldn’t dare do that."
His tone beca more serious. "Demonic mana is too aggressive and strong."
He looked at Garion again. "That’s why we use it as our source instead."
A short pause. "But you..."
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "You use it to refine your own mana instead."
Garion didn’t deny it.
Pelion let out a small laugh, shaking his head again. "...You really are insane."
Garion chuckled. "Maybe."
He crossed his arms loosely. "But it works, doesn’t it?"
He glanced at the others briefly. "And the results speak for themselves."
Pelion laughed softly, clearly amused now. "Interesting. Very interesting."
He looked at Garion with a bit more respect this ti. "You otherworlders..."
He paused slightly. "...you’re all a little crazy."
Garion laughed as well. "Yeah."
He nodded once. "We are."
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