With his ambitions set on expanded towards the region of South Reno in the hopes of establishing a solid foothold in the area. Zane had begun to make his first major ploy against the Horde King Bartholow.
This was, of course, while his scouts were also searching for the whereabouts of another Tier I Horde King to slay. But while Zane was beginning to make his own moves against the nearby Horde Kings, Bartholow himself had problems of his own to deal with.
Bartholow was what one called a Tier II Horde King. aning he was in charge of a horde that had between 100,000 and 500,000 undead within it. As the man in charge of the ruins of Old Reno, he easily t these criteria.
Not only was his horde significantly larger and more powerful than those which Zane and his party had directly fought against so far. But he himself was a terrifying existence, even to those of his own level. After all, he was damn near the point of reaching the power of a Tier III Horde King.
If Zane were to encounter Bartholow at this mont and, in doing so, wage a life and death battle with the monster, he would most certainly die. That is, if Bartholow and the other Horde Kings had not already mistaken the man to be their brother, one who is acting as their mother's personal agent.
Of course, Zane knew nothing about this. anwhile, Bartholow had begun to suspect Zane's plans to annex a small portion of his territory. After all, more and more humans from Gravestone were visiting South Reno, scouting out the area to see which was the best portion to build an outpost on.
And though Zane didn't realize it himself, this would most certainly be considered a declaration of war against Bartholow. Such were the rules and regulations that the Horde Kings had enacted to ensure that they do not break into infighting like the pathetic humans they had now mostly conquered.
And while this was a real concern, Bartholow's attention was elsewhere. Specifically drawn towards a pesky new developnt that was taking place across the country.
While most living beings had developed new powers and abilities that the Horde Kings could not possibly explain the origin of. A specific group of humans appeared to have shunned these mysterious powers in favor of developing new technology that was quite efficient in fighting off the Undead.
At least those below the Rank of Horde King, more specifically those who were not of spectral origin. These humans, clad in steel skin, which was painted in olive drab green, were becoming a serious nuisance for many of the Horde Kings whose territory lie within the borders of the Remnants' many bunker complexes.
Because of this, Bartholow had been distracted by his siblings who were raging over their losses against this new class of enemy. Which had proven difficult to destroy. Bartholow had received a request for aid from one of his sisters, whose territory lie in the North West in what was once known as Oregon.
Specifically, the girl was asking for him to send her his Banshees or what remained of them. After all, Spectral Undead were sothing that a Tier I Horde King would not be able to get their hands on. Hell, even most Tier II Horde Kings would not have such powerful minions beneath their command.
Bartholow was different, as a Horde King who was at the Pinnacle of the Second Tier. He could command a small number of Spectral Undead, and because of this, he had at most a dozen beneath his command.
Having preferred the feminine Banshees, who were excellent scouts and assassins. Bartholow invested most of his resources into acquiring these. Six of which went missing after being ordered to follow Zane around.
Because of this, Bartholow was hesitant to lend what were essentially his most powerful minions to his sister in the Northwest. And thus he was carefully negotiating with her over what she would give him in return.
"Elenor, my dear sister, I understand that you are having difficulties with this pesky new breed of human. But… My Banshees are the lifeblood of my horde! How could I very well lend them to you without so form of proper compensation?
Do you have any idea what those pesky humans will do if there is not so spectral undead watching over them? The humans to the south have begun eying a piece of my territory, and their power is no joke.
If I were to hand you my Banshees, or even just a few of those I have left, my authority over my domain would be severely weakened. Do tell you have sothing to trade in exchange for my servants?"
As a Tier I Horde King, what could Eleanor possibly have to offer soone like Bartholow who was significantly more powerful than she was? She remained hesitant to answer, but shockingly, a familiar voice spoke up on her behalf.
Unlike Lilith, whose voice was sultry and charming, so much so that any living human male would fall head over heels for her is she simply whispered in their ears. This voice was the direct opposite.
It was youthful, almost like that of a small child. And though she sounded adorable in the most wholeso way possible, there was an intense chill that went down Bartholow's spine when he heard the girl speak.
"Big Brother Bart! If Big Sister Elenor can't provide you with proper compensation for your Banshees, then maybe Ophelia can pay the price on her behalf?"
Though the feminine Horde King referred to Elenor and Bartholow as big sister and big brother, the reality was that she was their senior, and by quite a large margin. This was the reason that Bartholow felt terrified when he heard this girl's otherwise cutesy voice, which just so happened to refer to herself in the third person.
Because he knew making deals with a Tier V Horde King was sothing that would never end in his favor. It was this fear that made Bartholow imdiately offer to give up his Banshees for free. Whereas prior to Ophelia's intervention, he had been most hesitant to do so.
"Ophelia, my dearest sister, you don't need to go to such lengths for soone as lowly as . It would be my greatest honor to give little Elenor my Banshees free of charge!"
Among all the Horde Kings in the world, only two had the right to reject a demand from Ophelia. One of those was, of course, the mighty Balthasar who was referred to as "My Lord" by his siblings. An honorific that none of the other Horde Kings could claim for themselves.
You see, though, she may take the form of a small child, one where she put on a cutesy act by speaking in the third person, and referring to all of her siblings as her elder siblings.
Ophelia was the Horde King in charge of Shanghai, the world's third largest city by population. And by now she had reduced its living population to a re 100,000. The rest of its 26 million plus residents had beco her undead minions.
Her power was unquestionable, and even the likes of Damian and Lilith, who fought with one another for control over North Arica, would not dare to reject one of Ophelia's demands. At least not without thinking of an alternative to please her.
Because of this, Ophelia imdiately questioned her "Big Brother" in a way that terrified him, and everyone else who was privy to their conversation via the Hive Mind, which all Horde Kings had access to.
"Oh? Big Brother…. You wouldn't be denying Ophelia's kindness, now would you? After all, Ophelia has a great present for Big Brother! It will help him break through!"
Though Ophelia referred to her offer as a kindness, the reality of the situation was that it was a way to get Bartholow under her control. Now what could a ager Tier II Horde King offer the likes of a powerhouse such as Ophelia?
Well, he could be used as a puppet to interfere with Lilith's growth and expansion. After all, if Lilith wanted to advance eastward, she would need to deal with Bartholow in so way or another. At the very least, Bartholow could be used as a spy to keep an eye on Lilith.
One might wonder the exact reason soone based on another continent would be so concerned with a rival who operated halfway around the world. But such was the nature of the Horde Kings. They were all competing with one another for power and influence over the world. And more importantly, for their absent mother's favor.
Though Lilith's power may be contained within the boundaries of LA for now, it was unknown when she would beco a threat to the likes of Ophelia. Now, as far as Bartholow was concerned, Ophelia had just tossed him a huge bone.
It wasn't simply a matter of getting his hands on more minions to beco Tier III. No, the Undead had to level up and expand their power in their own ways. While similar to humanity's current progression, it was also very different.
So, if Ophelia had sothing that could help Bartholow advance to Tier III in exchange for his current Banshees being given to Elenor for aid. Then, by all ans, it was a tempting offer. Of course, he would need to make sure that Lilith didn't find out about this.
The woman was, after all, obsessed with Bartholow in a way that even he didn't quite understand. And she would go completely haywire if she found out her favorite toy was being snatched away by another. Because of this deeply disturbing reality, Bartholow was forced to weigh his options quite carefully before agreeing to Ophelia's request.
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