Valkorath Realm, Bone City.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Arthas stood atop the throne, a cryptic emotion brewing in his deep-set eyes.
Just monts ago, Arthas sensed a newly born presence—the aura of an Arch Lord. Unexpectedly, it ca from the region where the sli molds' main nest was located.
Arthas let out a quiet sigh and shared this news.
Arthas: "There's a new Arch Lord aura in the northern region!"
Alexander: "That soon? Did that Broodmother recover already and spawn a new Broodmother counterpart?"
Arthas: "It appears so!"
Previously, Alexander heavily injured the sli molds' Broodmother, and no one expected it to recover so quickly.
Leonidas: "I'm baffled. Can the sli molds really produce Arch Lord–level beings that easily?"
Leonidas: "Don't they have to condense a body of faith?"
Edward: "Under normal circumstances, when a Broodmother spawns an Arch Lord counterpart, it has a backup body ready."
Edward: "That sli molds Broodmother probably hasn't fully recovered, but for its own safety, it chose to nurture a new counterpart first."
Edward: "The speed of this new Arch Lord's ergence is likely connected to their control over vast stretches of sea."
Deputy Commander Edward was a Demigod-level being. He was also partly responsible for attracting the sli molds in the first place, so naturally, he knew more.
Leonidas: "We're at a critical juncture. Are we still planning to activate the Realm Formation?"
Edward: "Nothing can stop
from activate the Realm Formation."
Arthas: "We'll need to be on guard. Once the Realm Formation appears, every sli molds Broodmother might leave the main nest."
Alexander: "It's bound to happen sooner or later. You all have been holding back for so long; I'm sure you're itching for a good fight. Let's take them head-on."
Leonidas: "Yeah, fuck them! Kill them all!"
Edward: "We'll raise the Realm Formation within the next two days. No one on the rotation gets any rest—ramp up the offense, give it everything you've got."
Soraya City. With only a minimal garrison left behind, the Stoneheart Horde had all but emptied out. Orion and Vexis led large numbers of small scorpions and undead troops to the front lines, relieving the undead forces stationed there.
Having received advance notice about the imminent activation of the Realm Formation, the entire battlefront was pressing in hard. Not just in the north, but in the other three regions as well, efforts were redoubled these past few days, restricting the fungal creatures' mobility.
The goal was to ensure that once the Realm Formation rose, the battlelines would have more defensive room, slowing any sli mold invasion.
At this critical mont, Orion also received Arthas's instructions.
"If the front lines can't hold, do not force yourselves."
"Fall back to Soraya City; rely on its walls and arrow towers to defend."
"Wait for the right opportunity to cut off the sli molds layer that's invading our rear."
Orion knew perfectly well that if the sli molds launched an all-out attack, the front lines would be forced into a fighting retreat. The defensive area was enormous, and even with masses of skeleton warriors and undead support, not every point could be covered.
For a stronger overall defense, the circle of conflict had to shrink. Shrinking that circle ant fighting and retreating simultaneously.
"I understand."
Orion saw the ongoing discussion among Arthas, Alexander, Leonidas, and the Deputy Commander in the public channel. A newly appeared Arch Lord in the northern region was definitely no good news.
Orion was indeed powerful—capable of holding his own against an Arch Lord—but that didn't an he would choose a direct confrontation with such a formidable enemy.
This was war: be brave when necessary and never cower, but also never make pointless sacrifices when retreat is the wiser option.
Exiting the Survivor's Platform, Orion refocused on the battlefield, his gaze settling on Gustalon.
At the front lines, under the support of massive black scorpions and scorpion soldiers—stirred up a vast cloud of sandstorms.
Gustalon beca a raging wind, concealed within these sandstorms, relentlessly reaping any sli molds mutants caught within.
Ghostlike in his assassination thods, Gustalon posed a trendous threat to the fungal creatures.
During one of the earlier rotations, five sli molds mutants ambushed him. They nearly succeeded in trapping him on the battlefield. After that painful lesson, Gustalon learned to stay hidden in the sandstorms, never revealing himself easily.
On the battlefield, Gustalon fought more fiercely than ever. Compared to the free-spirited Gustalon who once loved flowers, he seed like a completely different being now.
Experience, emotion, power, and status—they can all alter soone's temperant. Clearly, Gustalon had been changed by his ti in the Valkorath Realm.
Another factor that influenced Gustalon was Soraya.
Lumi's advancent to Legendary rank in Blackstone City fueled Lilith, Delilah, Rendall, Lorelia, and others with motivation.
anwhile, Soraya's step into Legendary status had an impact on Gustalon, Onyx, Earthshaker, Gronthar, Dirtclaw, Drakthul, Gormathar, Thunderclaw, and the other central mbers of the Stoneheart Horde.
Gustalon, being an elental lifeform, had inherent advantages. Among these Alpha-level beings, he was one of the strongest. Soraya's promotion offered him hope that he too could reach Legendary rank.
"I need battle achievents."
"I need a Lord's Stone."
"As long as I demonstrate loyalty and accumulate enough victories, I can exchange them with Orion for Legendary-level life essence."
"As a child of the wind, I can certainly ascend to Legendary rank."
That was Gustalon's thinking—and the reason he continued his endless slaughter on the battlefield. To him, battle achievents were now one and the sa as Legendary-level life essence.
Indeed, Gustalon had caught Orion's attention.
"After this war, it'll be ti to grant so territory to Gustalon and Xalathar."
"That would give the Stoneheart Horde two more Wardens."
"With Legendary-level warriors stationed in those territories, I can safely start interrealm wars."
Orion shook off those thoughts and turned his gaze to Onyx, Earthshaker, Gronthar, and Dirtclaw. These Alpha-level fighters had all been personally grood by Orion.
Without the kind of treatnt Soraya received, they couldn't possibly reach Legendary rank in such a short span.
Even Soraya, who needed the advantage of being a Broodmother along with an unlimited supply of life essence from Arch Lord Arthas, struggled to advance.
anwhile, Lumi and Gustalon were elental lifeforms, and Onyx and the others simply couldn't compare to that.
Background, talent, strength… none of it was equal, and such comparisons could be disheartening.
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