After a brief tour from their host, they got a sense of the layout of their new hideout. It consisted of a single bedroom, the lab, a small lounge, an arena, and a small set of cells.
The two decided they would sleep in the lounge. Orion required no sleep or nutriment, standing watch at the stairway when not occupied by a task. Mammon would be sleeping in the single bedroom, but from his behavior, they doubted he would use it much, preferring to sleep at a desk embedded in his research and experiments of Creation.
The four of them gathered back in the laboratory, the biggest room in the hideout, making it the prime meeting place for the newfound companions.
"So, Liliana, did you miss me as the Sin of Greed?"
"You are more tolerable than the new one, to be honest. He's a real piece of work, going off on his own to collect Edicts."
Liliana rolled her eyes just at the thought of interacting with the new Greed again.
"What's he like?"
"Greedy. What do you expect?"
"Ha! I see you haven't changed, Lady War. I'd like to get back on track with my research as soon as possible. Do you feel up to assisting me?"
"Of course, it's about time. Ratella, how about you train with Orion, and I'll meet with you in the little lounge in a couple of hours."
"Sounds good, see you in a bit then," exclaimed Ratella, overjoyed at the promise of refining the skills he's learned from Luna with a worthy opponent such as Orion.
Orion led him to the grand arena nestled within the hideout, sets of violet and azure armors and weapons lining the walls, used for centuries.
The two stood at opposite ends of the arena, eying each other cautiously, awaiting any sort of signal to begin the fight.
"I don't believe I can afford to take it easy on you. If I did, you would undoubtedly defeat me, and I can't allow that to happen. Expect nothing but my full power," declared Orion, ripping the greatswords attached to his back free from their restraints, bringing them into an offensive stance.
"Then I won't hold back my full power either," announced Ratella, releasing Excalibur from its scabbard, covering his eyes with his wings, listening for the melodies of Excalibur and Orion's greatswords.
Ratella wasn't being totally truthful to Orion. If he used his Edict, he would undoubtedly gain a massive advantage, so he vowed not to use his Edict offensively against the sentient armor. Its use is nothing but a hindrance to his growth as a warrior. Lulling a false sense of strength and security into his mind, doing him no good in the long run of his endless existence.
"You say that, but you cover your eyes, blinding yourself completely. Do not play such trivial games with me."
"My strength blind is far superior. Do not think just because I closed my eyes, I cannot sense your every movement."
"Very well, we shall see if your claims are true. I have to warn you, I am a century made for war. My stamina will never waver. Can you keep up with me?"
"Of course I can! Enough talking, let's fight!" shouted Ratella, bursting forward to the century, slashing with Excabliur as he charged towards Orion.
He dashed towards the song of Orion's greatsword, listening for any disruption to their songs signaling an attack. The towering set of armor slashed forward at an inconceivable speed using both greatswords. He was only able to dodge it by the slight change in the weapon's harmonic song.
"Don't think this will be easy, kid! I may be a set of living armor, but I am far more experienced in the art of war!"
This time, Orion took the lead, following up his counterattack, closing the distance in a flash. Ratella's wings instinctively came to his defense, hardening themselves automatically at the perilous threat, shielding him from the life-threatening double clash.
Orion's greatswords impacted against his wings, inflicting severe pain to shoot through his nerves; he was severely outclassed in martial combat.
"That's interesting, I've never seen an angel or Devil use their life lines as their defense, but how long will your defenses last until I completely chop these wings in half?"
Ratella's eyes were laced with panic; he hadn't expected to be on the backfoot this badly. His strength was nothing compared to Orion's; despite this, he quickly regained his composure. This duel hinged on his survival. If he couldn't meet Orion's standard, he would die crushed by overwhelming power.
He dropped his stance low, withdrawing his wings swiftly, and golden divinity oozed from the gash running along them. From his low position, he planted a kick into Orion's side, using his wings to support his movements, locking into the floor to prevent any movement, and strengthening the impact of his attack.
In spite of this, Orion didn't move a muscle in response to the kick, only bringing his greatswords back down towards Ratella, his intent to cleave the young angel in half. He couldn't react in time to avoid a fatal blow; his only option was to use his Edict to avoid death. He activated the Edict with the sliver of divinity in his eye, allowing him to dodge out of the way, but time didn't stop for twelve seconds this time, only three.
His time limit on the Edict of Time hinged upon the amount of divinity redirected to it. A lesson he had only just learnt.
He was able to dodge out of the way just in the nick of time to avoid certain death, repositioning himself far away from Orion. His mental fortitude, though not completely shattered, still led him to seek a way to defeat Orion's overwhelming might.
"Overwhelming power behind his strikes and the speed to match it. This century might be equal to Luna or at least not far behind her. I have to find a way to beat this monster of battle," thought Ratella, ideas and solutions racing through his head. All his ideas only lead to his death; there is nothing concrete and absolute in the face of Orion.
The towering armor gazed at Ratella, allowing him to reflect on what to do. Orion's mind was made up; he would give him a minute of rest before pursuing the attack once again. Ratella's thinking time was limited.
"Wait! If I can direct divinity to my wings and eye, why haven't I tried the rest of my body? First, I'll strengthen my speed, and once I'm in close proximity, I'll send a burst to my arms and core."
Ratella locked on to the song of Orion's greatsword, sensing their every movement, the song still and serene. He sent fifty percent of his overall divinity to his legs and the rest to his wings, aiding his flight.
He brought Excabliur into both hands, holding its blade facing Orion's direction. He burst forward at a staggering speed just matching Orion's pace. In a matter of seconds, he was floating in front of Orion, already slashing at the beast's head.
The divinity strengthening his wings and legs directed itself to his core and arms, allowing his blow to the Orion's armor to be strengthened tenfold.
Excalibur impacted with Orion's greatswords; he had managed to easily bring his greatswords to his defense. The impact sent Orion reeling backwards for a moment, but no signs of damage were present on his greatswords or armor.
Ratella didn't let the opportunity pass to get another attack in as he recovered from his first attack. This time, he attacked low, aiming for the joint between his armor's right leg. With the aid of divinity, he slashed between the joints, but his blade met armor instead of the azure energy.
Orion had shifted the positioning of his armor, briefly stunning Ratella with confusion. It was now Ratella's turn to be on the backfoot, Orion hastily kicked him in the center of his chest. The attack was unavoidable, landing squarely on target, sending him free-falling through the air, and golden liquid was violently sprayed out of his mouth at the unexpected attack.
His senses were too confused, trying to figure out what had just happened, to aid him as he free-fell, crashing directly into the floor, taking the full brunt of the impact.
Ratella stumbled as he got back on his feet. He hadn't felt such pain since his training with Luna. Confusion was his main emotion at that moment, although a deep sense of anger and determination loomed in the back of his mind. His anger wasn't pointed at Orion but at himself for being so weak.
"Damn it! Why am I so weak!? I won't allow that to happen again!" declared Ratella, a stream of golden pouring from his temple.
Despite his injuries, his mind was set on defeating Orion and knocking the helmet, securing his life force clean off. His eyes burned with a serene fury and a newfound determination not to falter when faced with overwhelming power.
Orion raised his greatsword into an offensive posture, launching forward towards Ratella, not concerned about his injury. He sliced through the air surrounding him and brought the greatsword down from both sides.
Ratella coursed divinity into his legs, focusing wholly upon them, his wings no longer in any state to fly effectively. With minimal movement, he avoided the attacks, slipping under Orion and from his low position, planting another kick into the armor before moving once again, bringing his sword outwards.
He slashed towards Orion's core, infusing his blade and arms with his divinity. The blow impacted his chest, but no damage was dealt, only knocking him off balance. The moment wasn't long-lived; Orion quickly recovered. The same trick would no longer work against the century.
Ratella jumped to a safe distance, sensing a great amount of danger oozing from Orion, the energy growing volatile in the armor.
"I believe we should stop this for now. I am becoming increasingly unstable due to the increasing damage. You are skilled for a new angel; we shall discuss this battle at a later time. I must rest for now."
Ratella wasn't happy to see the fight end, his determination still burning bright in his spirit. He begrudgingly accepted Orion's words, walking back towards the laboratory to see what they were doing.
A newfound excitement replaced his anger; the promise of battling a worthy opponent and such an overwhelming force was exhilarating.