The tide of the battle had completely turned.
The invaders were fleeing in disarray, and the bloodline warriors defending the walls received orders to pursue them. Without hesitation, they poured out of the city in a relentless chase.
To ensure the safety of the horde mbers and guard against any unexpected developnts, Orion commanded the thunderhawk to patrol the battlefield from above. His presence in the skies gave the warriors imnse confidence.
The capture operation, led by Rendall and Thundar, was proceeding with great success.
Inside the city, Delilah had organized the cleanup efforts with precision, and Blackstone City was quickly regaining its vitality.
Even the cave spiders from the underground fissure were being deployed in large numbers, tasked with hauling the invaders' corpses back to the fissure.
---
On the city walls.
Slagor stood atop the walls, watching the retreating icefield snow wolves and frost giants in the distance. His tense expression finally softened.
"We've done it. We've defeated the invaders. My tribe has survived!"
Behind him stood the elder of the lizardman tribe, who had been assisting in the city's defense. The elder had witnessed firsthand the strength of the Stoneheart Horde.
"Chieftain, when will we return ho?"
Slagor didn't turn around. His gaze remained fixed on the distant battlefield, where the pursuit was still ongoing.
"Let's wait a little longer—until the invasion is completely over, or the situation stabilizes."
"Besides, if we return to the Poison Dragon Swamp now, we'll likely run into so of the remaining icefield invaders."
The elder nodded in agreent with Slagor's decision.
"Chieftain, do you think we could build a city like this in the Poison Dragon Swamp?"
The sight of Blackstone City's towering walls had left the lizardman bloodline warriors deeply envious. A city like this could guarantee their tribe's safety for at least a century.
Slagor fell silent, pondering the question.
But as his gaze fell on the massive stone blocks that made up the walls, he quickly dismissed the idea.
"If it were in the past, there might have been a slim chance."
"But now? It's impossible."
Slagor's frustration was evident. He wanted to leave Blackstone City imdiately and take the trolls with him.
The trolls could serve as slaves, giving Slagor the labor force he needed to build a similar city in the Poison Dragon Swamp.
But the trolls had already been gifted to Orion as a tribute, and they now harbored resentnt toward Slagor.
The thought made Slagor want to slap himself.
Besides, if he dared to take the trolls, Orion would likely kill him on the spot.
"Go tell the tribe to start packing."
"We'll leave Blackstone City as soon as Orion returns."
---
To the west, at the desert's edge.
Scorpion Queen Soraya dismounted from her massive scorpion and stepped onto the ground. She extended her hand, catching a fiery red scorpion that had erged from the Black Forest.
The fire scorpion clicked its pincers rapidly, emitting a series of crackling sounds as if delivering a ssage.
The more Soraya listened, the more shocked she beca. Her expression turned to disbelief, and even a hint of regret.
"Your Majesty, is there news?"
"Yes."
Soraya remained silent for a mont before slowly speaking, recounting the information she had received.
"Lumi and Gustalon were defeated and fled north."
"An Alpha-level icefield snow wolf and an Alpha-level frost giant were killed on the spot."
"The invaders are in full retreat. The giants of the Black Forest have achieved a decisive victory."
Soraya's regret deepened. What bothered her most was that she hadn't been able to claim a share of the spoils.
"Your Majesty, should we still enter the Black Forest?"
The High Priestess asked cautiously. Their original plan had been to wait for Orion and the invaders to weaken each other, then swoop in to reap the benefits.
In truth, the scorpion tribe had co to the border purely to take advantage of the situation.
"Let's go back."
"The fire scorpion tells
the Stoneheart Horde has many Alpha-level fighters. We can't afford to provoke them."
With that, Soraya climbed back onto her giant scorpion.
The massive creature clicked its pincers and slowly burrowed into the sand.
Jarex opened his mouth as if to say sothing, but the High Priestess stopped him, shaking her head.
---
To the north, at the Abyssal Chasm.
Lord Gareth's face was pale. She had just fought a fierce battle with Lord Jorik.
Already injured from a previous encounter, she now bore even more wounds.
What puzzled Gareth was Jorik's unusual behavior today—he seed uncharacteristically irritable and furious.
Frowning, Gareth's thoughts drifted to Orion.
"Could it be that the icefield invaders suffered a defeat while attacking the Black Forest?"
"With Orion's strength, it's possible he killed one or two Alpha-level fighters. But with the sheer number of icefield invaders…"
Gareth found herself half-believing her own speculation. Yet the thought of the overwhelming numbers of icefield snow wolves and frost giants made her hesitate.
Just then, a piece of good news arrived, confirming her suspicions.
"Lord Jorik has retreated!"
The ssenger was Arden, his face alight with joy.
Gareth narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Arden as if trying to see through him.
"Arden, do you understand the weight of what you're saying?"
Under Gareth's piercing gaze, Arden quickly clarified.
"My Lord, Lord Jorik has retreated!"
"Jorik and his faction are withdrawing north, likely returning to the northern icefields!"
A heavy silence fell over the room.
After a long pause, Gareth's voice broke the stillness, calm and devoid of emotion.
"Arden, take the Storm Vulture and monitor Jorik's faction."
"Do not return until Jorik has fully retreated to the icefields."
Your journey continues on empire
Arden nodded quickly, accepting the task.
Once he had left the chamber, Gareth's voice echoed softly once more.
"Giants… truly a race capable of creating miracles."
---
In Blackstone City, inside the chieftain's tent.
The invaders had been thoroughly defeated. Now ca the bloodline warriors' favorite part: hunting down the fleeing enemies.
Orion sat in the chieftain's tent, swirling a glass of wine in his hand.
"Chieftain Orion, I've co to inform you that I'll be taking my tribe back to the Poison Dragon Swamp."
Slagor had co to bid farewell. The longer he stayed in Blackstone City, the more uneasy he felt.
He knew that once the Stoneheart Horde's bloodline warriors returned, there was a high chance that Orion would decide to keep the lizardman tribe here permanently.
With the situation now stabilized, Slagor felt it was imperative to leave Blackstone City and return to the Poison Dragon Swamp as soon as possible.
Orion stared at Slagor, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.
To be honest, Orion was debating whether to let Slagor leave—or seize the opportunity to subjugate him entirely.
Still, when Orion thought about Lord Gareth, he abandoned the idea of subjugating Slagor for now.
"Forget it. I'll wait. The day I ascend to Legendary level will be the day Slagor surrenders to ."
Orion sighed inwardly, then smiled.
"You can leave, but you're not allowed to take a single piece of loot with you."
"Slagor, you understand what I an, don't you?"
Orion's tone was light, even friendly, but Slagor could hear the warning—and the underlying threat—clearly.
"Of course. For my lizardman tribe to have survived this calamity, we're already more than satisfied."
Slagor forced a smile, though his heart was heavy with frustration.
But he had no choice. He could only comply with Orion's demands.
"Then, honorable Chieftain Orion, the Poison Dragon Swamp needs rebuilding. I'll take my people and leave shortly."
Orion didn't respond verbally, simply nodding to signal his approval.
Seeing this, Slagor felt a wave of relief wash over him. He turned and began walking out of the tent.
Just as he was about to step outside, Orion's calm voice rang out from behind him.
"Rember, don't take a single piece of loot. If you do, you'll face the consequences."
Slagor froze for a mont but didn't turn back to argue. Instead, he quickened his pace, leaving the tent as fast as he could.
---
"Orion, why didn't you take the chance to extort him a little more?"
Lilith, who had been standing silently behind Orion, finally spoke after Slagor left.
"I've already squeezed him dry of everything he was willing to give."
"As for whatever he's still holding onto, he'd rather die than hand it over."
Orion reached out, pulling Lilith into his lap and letting her sit on his thigh.
"Letting them go is for the best. It saves us the trouble of Lord Gareth coming after us later."
"Besides, Slagor has indirectly offended Lumi and Gustalon. With him back in the Poison Dragon Swamp, he'll draw so of their hatred away from us."
Orion's voice was calm and asured, carrying a hint of cunning. His mix of brute strength and sharp intellect made Lilith fall for him even more.
"Darling Orion, do you think Lord Gareth will launch another invasion to the south this year?"
Lilith suddenly voiced her concern. She feared Orion might head south again, leaving her alone in Blackstone City.
"This year? Judging by the situation, it's unlikely."
"The icefield invaders' attack caused significant losses to all factions. Unless Lord Gareth is a fool, she'll take at least a year or two to recover."
This ant that Blackstone City was about to enter a period of peace and growth—a golden opportunity for developnt.
For Orion and the Stoneheart Horde, this was excellent news.
First, Orion could finally begin his long-awaited flying mount dostication program.
Second, the cultivation of magical plants needed to be prioritized. The resources and blood harvested from this invasion would be enough to grow a batch of Blood Mushrooms.
Third, the plan to train three thousand wolf-mounted warriors was already underway. The horde's bloodline warriors would need ti to ta the icefield snow wolves and learn basic cavalry skills.
At the very least, they needed to master charging and coordinated attacks—sothing that couldn't be achieved overnight.
One by one, tasks began piling up in Orion's mind, almost overwhelming him.
---
Monts later, Rendall and Delilah entered the chieftain's tent together.
Lilith tried to stand up, but Orion held her firmly in place on his lap.
"It's fine. Rendall and Delilah are family. What are you embarrassed about?"
Rendall chuckled heartily as he walked in, his laughter carrying a mix of warmth and mischief.
To be precise, it was the kind of laughter that only soone shalessly comfortable with themselves could produce.
Delilah, on the other hand, smiled knowingly. She didn't seem the least bit bothered by Lilith and Orion's intimate posture.
"Chieftain, we've compiled the casualty report from the invasion, excluding those still out hunting the retreating invaders."
Orion nodded, signaling Delilah to continue.
"The cannon fodder troops numbered 53,720. Of those, 2,871 were killed, all on the city walls."
"The bloodline warriors numbered 10,030. Of those, 283 were killed, also all on the city walls."
"The cave spiders sent 80,000 spiderlings into battle. Over 30,000 were killed."
The atmosphere in the tent grew heavy and somber.
Orion, who had been idly toying with Lilith's chest, stopped and narrowed his eyes in thought.
The losses among the cannon fodder troops and bloodline warriors were acceptable to him.
But losing over 30,000 spiderlings? That stung.
Hatching and raising that many spiderlings had consud an enormous amount of resources.
Now, after this battle, they were all gone—reduced to nothing.
"Damn it. War really is just a contest of resources," Orion muttered, his mood souring.
"What about the spoils?"
Delilah's smile grew more radiant, her tone tinged with seduction.
"The cave spiders dragged 83,200 corpses into the underground fissure, most of them icefield snow wolves."
"Darling chieftain, the horde already has an ample supply of at!"
Thankfully, the spoils of war would replenish the resources consud by the cave spiders. Otherwise, Orion wouldn't have known how to sustain them.
---
"Chieftain, Slagor has already gathered his people. Should we let them leave now?"
This ti, it was Rendall who spoke. As the commander of the cannon fodder troops, he had been responsible for overseeing the lizardman tribe's camp.
"So soon?"
Orion was surprised. He hadn't expected Slagor to move so quickly.
In Orion's mind, even if Slagor was eager to leave, it would take at least half a day to pack up and organize his people.
But apparently, Slagor had wasted no ti.
"Let them go."
"Tell the guards in the cannon fodder camp to keep their eyes sharp. The lizardn are not to take a single piece of loot with them—not one!"
Rendall's eyes lit up. He understood exactly what Orion was implying.
"I'll handle it right away!"
Rendall turned and hurried out of the tent, practically running toward the cannon fodder camp.
---
"Ha! Look at Rendall rushing off like that. He's definitely planning to extort sothing from Slagor," Delilah said with a laugh, easily seeing through Rendall's intentions.
"It's fine. Slagor led the invaders into the Black Forest, costing us so many bloodline warriors and spiderlings. He deserves it."
Orion smirked, imagining Rendall glaring at Slagor and stubbornly demanding compensation.
Yes, that scene would definitely be entertaining.
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