CHAPTER 944: VANISHED OVER THE HORIZON

Lorelia was the darling of the Stoneheart Horde, and to Lilith, she was as precious as her own child. The thought of sending her into a continental war tightened a knot of worry in her chest.

"Relax," Orion soothed her. "I’ll have her go to Soaring Bird City, but she’ll be riding the abyssal dragon, Xalathar. As long as she’s not an idiot and has a basic grasp of combat tactics, she won’t stray far from Xalathar’s protection."

Besides, given Lorelia’s personality, she was hardly the type to foolishly abandon the cover of a melee powerhouse like an abyssal dragon. Orion was confident on that point.

Furthermore, to coordinate with Alexander’s plan to bait and kill Ogu the Clown, Orion had also entrusted the nearly-restored Deathly Soul-Reaper to Lorelia’s care. After investing so much in raising Lorelia, Orion was watching over her very closely.

Hearing that Xalathar would be accompanying her, Lilith immediately relaxed. By dispatching two lords and a sufficient number of cave spider armies, the Stoneheart Horde was more than showing its respect to the human kingdom’s cause.

"Will there be any trouble from our northern territories?"

This was a North-South War. The northern tundra, the Abyssal Chasm, the black forest, and Thunderwood Forest were all northern territories. If war broke out, it was highly likely that ambitious lords with ulterior motives might get ideas about the Stoneheart Horde’s northern borders. As the acting administrator, Lilith naturally had to consider this.

"Don’t worry. Lumi is guarding Blackstone City. If anyone with a death wish makes a move, we can teleport back to support her at any time."

In truth, Orion had already secretly stationed another mirrored avatar in Blackstone City. Ever since he learned that Ogu the Clown had his claws in the Titanion Realm, Orion had been on high alert. He would not allow that creature to destroy the foundation he had fought so hard to build. Not one stone of it.

Lilith looked up, gazing at the face she knew so well. This was her man. In his features, she saw nothing but calm confidence and unshakable resolve.

"What is it?" Orion asked, noticing her stare and looking down with a questioning expression.

"It’s nothing," Lilith shook her head, her eyes shining with pure adoration.

The North, Swamp.

Ever since news of the war had drifted up from the south, the lords of the north had been restless, itching for action. Khan Ironhoof of the centaurs, who roamed the Desolate Plains, was no exception.

As a veteran of the last North-South War, he knew better than anyone the immense spoils that came with victory.

But for all his ambition, he valued his own life more. Before making any moves, Ironhoof decided he needed to clarify a few things first. He traveled to the edge of the Poison Dragon Swamp, hoping to attract the attention of his neighbor.

He didn’t have to wait for Orion.

"Are you planning to invade the Stoneheart Horde?"

After a flurry of wind and snow, Lumi’s form materialized high in the air, her cold gaze fixed on Ironhoof below.

"No, no! This isn’t an invasion!" Ironhoof waved his hands frantically, shaking his head as he felt the chill of her power. "Look, I have no armies with me! Not a single bloodline warrior!"

"Then what do you want?" Lumi’s stare was hard.

She had no fondness for him. They were both northern lords and had known each other for years; they had even been on the same side in the last war. She had personally watched him abandon his allies to save his own skin. If Ironhoof hadn’t fled at the last moment, the Stoneheart Horde would have had more than just the ogre Tribe as a steadfast ally in the south. He had made the wrong choice.

"This new war," Ironhoof asked, getting to the point. "Are you participating?"

This was what he needed to know. He had seen Orion’s ferocity firsthand. He’d heard rumors that Orion had already advanced to arch lord. While he didn’t fully believe it, he knew Orion was a powerhouse he couldn’t possibly face.

"We are," Lumi stated, her gaze unwavering. "We are fighting on the side of the southern coalition."

Perhaps it was a moment of kindness, or perhaps she just didn’t want to see an old acquaintance march to his death in the south. Whatever the reason, she told him the truth.

"Ah... but... how..." Ironhoof stammered, at a loss for words. His plan had been simple: if Orion joined the Northern Coalition, he could ride his coattails to conquer more territory in the south. But the Stoneheart Horde’s stance completely baffled him.

"The centaur tribe," he declared after a moment of shocked silence, "will not be participating in this war."

He wasn’t an idiot. Antagonizing the Giant-King was a spectacular way to get killed. Ironhoof was self-aware enough to know that much.

"I have no further business. I will take my leave."

He instinctively raised his bow in a gesture of salute, then immediately thought better of it, worried it might be misinterpreted. He awkwardly lowered the weapon, gave a short, stiff bow, and retreated back into the depths of the Desolate Plains.

Lumi hovered in the air, unmoving. As a Warden of the horde, Lilith shared all major intelligence with her. During such a sensitive time, she could not afford to be blind.

"The turmoil has already reached this far north?" she murmured to herself, before dissolving into a swirl of snow and heading farther north.

There was a mammoth lord on the great mountain to the northeast. She needed to see if he had any designs on the tundra.

Emerald Dream Realm, Leonidas’s Palace.

When Isabella and Makareth returned, laden with spoils from their latest mission, they were destined for a shock. Kraken’s advancement meant they had lost a peer in their little clique.

Makareth lamented dramatically, standing before Kraken and raising his goblet. "Barnacle, my man! I knew this day would come! I knew you’d eventually leave us behind in the dust!"

His relationship with Kraken was excellent.

"It was a stroke of luck," Kraken said, clinking his goblet against Makareth’s. "And you make it sound like I’m about to die."

"Never! The last time we sparred, I knew the gap between us was huge. Now that you’re an arch lord, it just means there’s one more Big Boss watching my back, heh heh!"

Makareth’s smile was genuine, and his words were sincere. His base of operations was in the Abyss, a place of endless slaughter and competition.

Of course he wanted as many powerful patrons as he could get. That was how he could secure more resources, more trump cards. He knew that with the backing of the big bosses, his own path to power would be faster and easier. Only a fool would throw away an opportunity to network and build rapport with the powers that be.

"You people are just monsters."

It was Isabella who spoke, rising to congratulate Kraken. It wasn’t an insult or a curse. It was a statement of pure, unadulterated awe and respect for both Orion and Kraken.

When she first joined their group, Orion and Kraken were on her level, Legendary-level warriors. Back then, she could at least still see their backs as they moved ahead.

Now, even their backs had vanished over the horizon. Isabella was struck by a disorienting sensation—it wasn’t just that she hadn’t progressed; it felt like she had actually gone backward.