It was a scaling weapon. As long as it was used to kill Doomguard, it would absorb their apocalyptic power, growing stronger with each life it took. In essence, now that Orion had unequivocally chosen his side, he needed a weapon like this to properly lead the Scourge Wardens. Conversely, the stronger the blade became, the more Doomguard he must have slain, a fact that would only deepen the reverence and awe the Scourge Wardens held for him.

"We swear our lives to you, my lord!" Eparus roared, dropping to one knee. "To conquer the Abyss, we will pay any price!"

"We swear our lives to you, my lord! To conquer the Abyss, we will pay any price!" The chant was picked up by every Warden, a thunderous oath that shook the scorched earth.

At that moment, Orion knew, they had truly become his. He didn't need to state the obvious. Their absolute loyalty was a powerful asset.

"For the Conquest Legion, and for yourselves, we will subjugate the Abyss!" Orion raised the flaming sword high, his voice ringing out over the legion. "We will claim its territory and seize its resources. Anything that stands in our way," he declared, his voice dropping to a deadly growl, "dies."

Three days later, Orion stood beside Eparus, observing the massive Coalescence Formation. Before their eyes, a fully formed Alpha-level Scourge Warden emerged from the pyre. It let out a guttural roar before striding forward and kneeling before Orion.

It was a race that inspired a deep sense of envy in him. They were born Alpha-level. The starting point for a Scourge Warden was the finish line for many of the Stoneheart Horde's bloodline warriors—and likely for some Survivors as well.

"Eparus, a question," Orion said, his gaze fixed on the towering newborn. "Is it possible for Scourge Wardens and Doomguard to reduce their size?" He figured such powerful, ancient races must have countless secret techniques. Shrinking should be a simple matter.

"My lord, it is," Eparus replied respectfully. "But we do not do so until we reach the rank of archlord."

"And why is that?"

"Before we ascend, my lord, our physical bodies and the Wheels of Scourge on our backs are the vessels of our power. The larger they are, the more power we accumulate."

"So the bigger you are, the stronger you are."

"Yes, my lord."

It was a simple concept, one that held true for many races, including, for the most part, his own giant tribe.

"Then why shrink after becoming an archlord?" Orion pressed. Now that the Wardens were truly his, he found himself genuinely invested in understanding them.

"Upon ascension, my lord, we gain a body of faith which can bear a far greater portion of our power. And even then, we only reduce our size when tactically necessary. A larger form allows us to more efficiently absorb the ambient abyssal energy that sustains us."

The explanation was insightful. Orion felt he had learned a great deal.

"Eparus, between you and the Doomguard… who is stronger?"

The question seemed to catch Eparus off guard. He hesitated, unsure how to answer.

"I mean in terms of natural aptitude," Orion clarified, gesturing to the new Warden. "Take a newborn of each race, for example." He knew that training and experience were often more important than raw talent, but he needed a baseline.

"We are evenly matched, my lord. We are both larger and more intelligent than most common Abyss Demons. We are the favored children of this realm. If you were to place a newborn Warden and a newborn Doomguard in a colosseum, the outcome would be a toss-up."

Eparus continued, "The Doomguard are born with wings of flame, allowing them to fly at any level. This is their primary advantage. We Scourge Wardens, however, have the Wheel of Scourge. It can manifest as any weapon we desire, allowing us to counter them. But for those among us who dislike ranged combat with bows or tridents, a fight against a Doomguard is a losing proposition more often than not."

The explanation was clear. You couldn't judge the strength of an entire race by a single duel. The very fact that both races coexisted proved they were in a state of equilibrium, neither able to fully eradicate the other.

Orion felt a quiet sense of relief. He had the information he needed. He had worried that by siding so completely with the Scourge Wardens, he might have lost the chance to command a potentially superior force. If the Doomguard had been inherently stronger, his actions would have been a net loss. Knowing they were roughly equal, with their true differences lying in their specific military doctrines, made him secure in his decision.

Sometimes, he thought, you just can't have your cake and eat it too.

"Do you require supplies?" This was another critical question, though he already suspected the answer.

"We require no supplies, my lord. We need only territory and faith. The ambient abyssal energy is all the sustenance we need."

Orion nodded. The Scourge Wardens were powerful and even lower maintenance than the Wraith Knight army. Their only real drawback was the constant, existential threat from the Doomguard. They were, he mused, a nearly perfect warrior race.

"Will three months be enough time to replenish your numbers?"

"More than enough, my lord."

"Good." Orion had to reach the sixth layer as soon as possible. He had not forgotten his primary mission: to find the Abyssal Springhead.

***

Silverwood Realm, Staghelm City.

Deputy Commander Edward stood on the city ramparts, holding the War Golem's skull. The outer casing was now bleached bone-white, with only a single, pulsating core of light visible within.

"Is it still not over?" he murmured. He was, admittedly, deeply invested in the outcome of the duel between Clown and Alexander.

If Clown won, his fate was sealed. He would die. Edward would see to it personally, though it would be a shame to have to destroy such a rare and powerful War Golem chassis.

But if Alexander won, he would gain an incredibly powerful new demigod avatar. The War Golem, wielding the demigod-level Alexander's Blade… the combined power wouldn't be a simple one-plus-one equation. It would be exponential. Alexander would instantly become the core DPS of the Champions Alliance.

In the commander's absence, they could build entire battle strategies around him.

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