"This is a gift from Commander Ava. It's a belated welco present for joining our Rose Knight Regint."
"Thank you!"
"No need to thank . You should be thanking our commander!"
Coal Knight Galahad gripped the reins, feeling a surge of excitent that made his hands tremble slightly. In his knightly heritage, there were certain sword techniques that required coordination with a mount. Now that he finally had one, Galahad was undeniably thrilled.
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"Galahad, you're even more outstanding, more powerful, than I imagined," Arthur remarked. Staring at the still-youthful face of Galahad, he suddenly felt a touch of regret.
"He's so young… Maybe I shouldn't have dragged him into this war."
But then Arthur rembered the one he had to protect—Princess Ava—and his resolve hardened once again.
"For Ava's safety, I need reliable allies—strong knights. We'll definitely make it back in one piece!"
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Beastn territory, along the route of the allied invaders.
Orion was half-reclined on the back of his abyssal dragon, his thoughts fixed on the newly ford Lord's Stone that Blademaster Grommash had just handed over.
This Lord's Stone was smaller than any he'd received before, but sothing about it tugged powerfully at Orion's senses. That strange aura felt important to him on an instinctual level. Yet every ti he tried to focus on it, he found nothing at all.
"What am I missing? Why is this Lord's Stone calling to
like this?"
He took it out again, studying it carefully. It glead with dazzling light, and when he stared at it, it was as if stars and sword light flickered within. After a dizzying mont, the vision disappeared.
"Is it so kind of transcendent power related to swords?" he murmured, brow creasing with thought.
"Lord, what's on your mind?" Delilah was curled up against Orion like a cat. Hearing him mutter, she looked up, noticing the tension in his face.
"It's nothing. I just can't figure so things out."
Orion tucked away the Lord's Stone and tilted his head down to kiss Delilah. Five minutes later, Delilah—her cheeks flushed—slumped bonelessly into his arms. Propped against his chest, she felt a tremor of excitent surge through her.
"I can't resist Orion's kisses anymore…" So unspoken secret lingered inside her. She found herself more and more fascinated by Orion, less and less able to resist him. If Orion ordered her to die right now, Delilah suspected she might not refuse.
"Any ti we kiss, I just catch fire and can't help myself," she thought. "What should I do? I want him all to myself!"
She raised her head, a trace of longing in her eyes. "Is this the man I'm dood to love forever?" Seeing him up close, she couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
"Lord, an Alpha-level icefield snow wolf showed up outside. He says he's Lord Jorik's ssenger." The speaker was Dace, one of Orion's sentries. He kept his voice low as he relayed the information. "The wolf asked
to deliver a ssage. The united armies plan to pitch camp on that open ground up ahead, and their lord wants you to join them to discuss how to deal with the giants."
Hearing the word "giants," Orion and Delilah instantly snapped out of their playful mood.
"Tell him I got the ssage," Orion said.
Dace bowed and withdrew, going off to deliver Orion's reply.
"My dear, will you be facing another giant king in person?" Delilah asked softly, standing up to straighten Orion's clothing.
As a mber of the Stoneheart Horde, she knew better than anyone how powerful Orion—her own giant king—truly was. Now that he faced a rival giant king from the south, Delilah's heart churned with anxiety. Not just for Orion's safety, but for the horde's future.
Win or lose, the Stoneheart Horde was about to change. If Orion won, the transformation would be on their own terms. If Orion lost—or even fell in battle—Delilah could already imagine this unknown giant king seizing the chance to annex them.
At that point, every major race of the Stoneheart Horde—succubi, obsidian golems, buffalofolk, cave spiders—would see their fate rewritten.
"Don't worry. Even if I lose, I won't die here. That so-called giant king isn't strong enough to finish
off." Orion could sense Delilah's thoughts. They were lovers, and her emotions were more or less laid bare to him.
"If I do fall, I'll drag you down with . No point wandering the endless shadows by myself," Orion added, his unsettling promise enough to rattle most people.
But Delilah rely smiled and gave him a devoted kiss. There was a kind of love that wasn't sweet, yet gave her a sense of absolute certainty.
"Keep an eye on the others. Let
know if anything happens." Orion patted Delilah's backside, then vanished in a bolt of lightning toward the center of the allied camp.
Once he was gone, Onyx, Rockwell, Earthshaker, and Slagor gathered around.
"Elder of Stewardship, did our lord leave us any instructions?" Onyx asked. Among them, he was the strongest and held the most authority. He posed his question delicately, avoiding any direct ntion of final requests.
All four of them had long since grown comfortable with Delilah's intimate relationship with Orion—only by staying close to her could they glean answers to questions they dared not ask Orion outright.
Seated on the back of the abyssal dragon, Delilah was already fully dressed in her bone armor, exuding a calm and serious air. You'd never guess she'd just been lting into Orion's arms minutes earlier.
"The lord says don't worry—there's no chance he'll lose. He also says there's no way that southern giant king is strong enough to kill him."
Delilah's voice was full of confidence and fervor as she relayed Orion's words.
"We must have faith in our lord! Even if Lord Orion should lose, I'll stay by his side. We made that commitnt the mont we set foot outside Blackstone City!"
Delilah's words brought silence from Onyx, who lowered his head and stared at the now-miniaturized battle axe in his hands.
Rockwell's face took on a feverish glow, as though he was already picturing himself dying in a blaze of glory. Earthshaker, anwhile, said nothing, rely gazing at the slaves hauling the totem pole in the distance—he looked as if it had nothing to do with him.
Only Slagor spoke up, letting out a sigh before voicing his sincere thoughts.
"If I die in this war between north and south, at least it won't be a regret."
————————
When Orion reached the allied camp, Jorik was already seated in the place of honor. Gareth, Ironhoof, Lokiviria, and Bluehide sat on either side inside the makeshift tent.
Orion glanced around. Seeing Bluehide's smaller head taking charge of his body, Orion walked over.
"My friend, how's the little treat I gave you taste?"
"Tasty—better than coffee beans!"
Orion and Bluehide had beco good friends. Orion had offered him a few bottles of Pet Pills to see how interested he was.
If Bluehide really liked them… well, Orion had been half-jokingly pondering whether an ogre could be turned into a pet. It was an intriguing question.
Without another word, Orion pulled out a bottle of high-tier Pet Pills and handed it to Aldous. Seeing how easily Orion and Bluehide got along made both Lokiviria and Jorik grow more serious. Especially Lokiviria—neither Orion nor Bluehide was soone he could ever hope to beat.
Jorik's hint of unease flashed and was gone. After taking a quick look at everyone, his gaze settled on Orion.
"Orion, the giants' territory is just ahead, and there's a giant king there. How do you want us to help?"
The implication was crystal clear: they wanted Orion to face, and potentially subdue, that giant king. If the southern giants pledged loyalty to Orion, never mind stalling the Blood Elves—the City of Blessings wouldn't stand a chance.
"Heh… if there really is a giant king, he's my quarry. Anyone who tries to steal him from
shouldn't be surprised if I'm less than polite."
Though Orion's voice was lazy, his tone was undeniably forceful. Hearing him, Jorik looked pleased. Everyone knew the farther south you went, the stronger the lords beca. A giant king who lived beside the Blood Elves without being totally subjugated spoke volus about his power. Now Orion was volunteering to take him on—a developnt they all welcod.
Just as they were exchanging satisfied looks among themselves, Orion interrupted with a new remark, his tone still casual but carrying a cautionary edge.
"Don't start celebrating too soon. Think about Blood Elf Elanor, Boarfolk Boarion, Gno Brimli, plus another Blood Elf lord. Even if you have five Legendary-levels against four, you're not gonna have an easy ti. You haven't forgotten just how strong Blood Elf Elanor is, have you?"
Blood Elf Elanor was upper Legendary level, requiring both Lokiviria and Bluehide together to restrain her. And that still left Gareth and Ironhoof each to handle Boarfolk Boarion and Gno Brimli on their own. Basically, every single person in this tent was risking their neck.
A hush settled over the temporary pavilion. Nobody spoke for a while until at last, Jorik slowly opened his mouth to ask, "Orion, how long will it take you to defeat that giant king?"
It wasn't an easy question. Orion couldn't really provide an answer without risking so of his secrets. He turned a puzzled stare at Jorik.
"Lord Orion," Jorik went on, "if you can kill that giant king—or make him submit to you—sooner rather than later, I believe we can start turning the tide right there. We'll do our utmost to keep everyone else occupied so they can't interfere with you."
As Jorik spoke, he glanced at the others, wordlessly urging them to declare their own positions.
"My friend, I'll handle that Blood Elf." Aldous twisted his head around, speaking in an almost cloyingly friendly tone. "If she slips up, I'll grab her and hand her over to you, let her bear your children."
He was half-joking, half-boasting, but it showed his stance.
"I'll do my best," Gareth chid in next.
"Count
in," Ironhoof added without hesitation.
Finally, every gaze landed on Lokiviria.
"What are you all staring at
for?" he scoffed. "I'm not an idiot. If Orion kills the giant king, that's our victory. If we fail to keep the others at bay, he'll be the one who ends up collapsing."
With that grumble, Lokiviria made his own viewpoint clear.
"In that case, Orion, the turning point of this invasion now rests on you," Jorik said.
Orion just nodded, silent. In the coming conflict, the major shift would indeed revolve around Orion and that other giant. Both the northern alliance and the southern alliance led by the Blood Elves believed so. In many tribes, after all, when kings clash, either you die or you surrender. Of course, there was the possibility of submission, but then the loser could kiss all power goodbye.
"At any rate, there's sothing I need to say before we're done."
As everyone nodded, mulling things over, Orion spoke up again. This ti his voice was cold and forceful, each word ringing with finality.
"From the mont this war ends, you are forbidden from touching any giants—except those who actively resist us. You get what I'm saying? If I win, they're my people. They belong to the giant race. Anybody who raises a hand against my giants, I'll kill them and wipe out their entire clan(tribe)."
Then and there, Orion unleashed his middle Legendary-level pressure upon everyone without restraint.
Lokiviria and Bluehide, both middle Legendary themselves, could hold their own. But Jorik, Gareth, and Ironhoof clearly had a rougher ti under Orion's aura, feeling both physical discomfort and a sting of insult.
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