"Hell of a kill!"

As Onyx reveled in the glorious carnage, Earthshaker's deep, rumbling voice cut through the air. The massive giant hefted a totem pole, bringing it down with a sickening crunch to finish off a wounded demon Onyx had left in his wake.

Earthshaker lacked Onyx's poetic soul; he had no time for memorizing the classic lines their lord sometimes dropped. When the battle-fury was upon him, a simple, heartfelt "Hell of a kill!" was all the commentary he needed.

"My lord is here!"

"We can't let him see us slacking!"

As one of Orion's personal guards, Dace was among the first to recognize his master's voice and aura.

"Prophet!" he yelled to Onyx over the din. "Let's gather fifty Alpha-level demon skulls! A tribute to the lord! What do you say?"

"I'm in!"

"Count me in!"

"And me!"

Thundar and Ursa, fighting nearby, eagerly joined the bloody contest. For warriors like them, presenting the finest spoils of war was the ultimate expression of loyalty.

Gronthar deflected a blow with his enormous spiked club. The Prophet's aura… it's getting heavier. The pressure is almost suffocating. Is he about to make the leap?

Though they were both giants, Gronthar had always looked up to Onyx. He was big, he was strong, but he knew there was still a massive gap between his own power at the peak of the Alpha level and Onyx's.

He smashed a demon's skull. No point getting discouraged. If a punk like Dirtclaw can make lord, why can't I?

Even though Dirtclaw had ascended, outclassing them all by a country mile, in their hearts, he was still just Dirtclaw. His promotion had become both the benchmark and the single greatest motivator for every Alpha-level warrior in the Stoneheart Horde. If he could do it, anyone could.

***

The North, City of Triumph.

The city was new, a raw settlement carved out of the conquered lands. Caesar had been granted a vast territory in the spoils of war, more than enough for him to make his own bid for ascension. He had poured every last resource into its foundation. His savings, his spoils from the Silverwood campaign—everything had been liquidated for materials. Even his five thousand Shield Warriors had set aside their armor after the war, becoming a legion of drones to raise the city from the mud.

The City of Triumph was built on faith—faith that this total investment now would yield an empire later.

"Aerin, I'm leaving the city in your care," Caesar said, his gaze lingering on the burgeoning skyline. He reluctantly handed over administrative control. "I'll gather more resources when I return. If I could trouble you to help manage their transfer, I would be grateful." He turned from the view and gave Aerin a respectful nod.

"Don't worry," Aerin replied, a simple crown resting on her brow. She was a queen now, the recognized leader of the Wood Elf Race. It was a title still finding its footing, but the authority was real, the territory was hers, and her backing was ironclad. Even the archlord-level Tree of Life had to grant her a measure of respect. "The next time you return, I promise you, this will be a thriving city."

The Tree of Life was too unique, too rooted, to be moved to the front lines. Instead, Orion had tasked it with guarding the Forest of Nature, protecting the vast resource hub for him. With the Tree as its eternal warden, the Wood Elf race living there would never pose a threat again.

"Compared to Tangere, we're still so weak," Aerin said, her gaze drifting south, toward the advancing front line. As Alpha-levels, they didn't even qualify for a ticket to that show anymore.

"We'll catch up, Aerin!" Caesar clenched his fists, pumping himself up as much as her. "You won the entire Forest of Nature, and I have this territory. Once we've fully digested these gains, we'll step into a whole new world."

For them, the war had ended the moment Orion had divided the spoils. Caesar was returning to his own world to bolster his personal strength and, more importantly, to establish a supply line for the City of Triumph. He was determined to strip his home city bare if that's what it took to make this new venture flourish. He knew that beyond the Lord's Stone, this territory was his true foundation for power.

"You too, Caesar. Be strong."

A shimmering portal opened, and Caesar stepped through, vanishing. The fledgling city, once bustling with his presence, suddenly felt much quieter. He had taken half his Shield Warriors with him, leaving the rest to continue their work as builders.

Aerin stared out over the raw framework of the city, her thoughts turning inward. Even Caesar was methodically paving his path to the future. With all the advantages she'd been given, she couldn't afford to fall behind.

How do I leverage the full potential of the Forest of Nature? How do I make the same kind of leap that my Godfather did?

The crown was heavy, but for the first time, Aerin was starting to think like a queen.

***

Godforsaken Land, The Sea of Sand.

The Zephyrwind Desert was just one small corner of the vast, churning sea of sand. Here, golden dunes shifted under a relentless, scouring wind. The sun was a merciless hammer, beating down on a landscape so arid that not a single living thing could be seen on its surface. The sand itself was the color of spun gold, shimmering under the light like a field of fallen heroes.

Suddenly, a single, fire-red sand scorpion blinked into existence on the endless expanse.

In a golden ocean this vast, the appearance of one tiny creature was less than a ripple. It drew no eyes. It made no sound. After a moment, the scorpion scurried in a tight circle before digging frantically, burrowing deep into the dune.

Within its tiny body, two minds conferred.

"This world might have a Desert's Authority," Orion communicated, his thoughts sharp and precise. "Our entry point has to be deep underground, preferably below the sand layer itself. That's the only way we'll avoid detection by whatever controls this place."

Having grasped the power of cosmic rules himself, Orion knew exactly how dangerous a force like that could be. If the Stoneheart Horde was going to invade this world, they couldn't afford to be discovered on day one.

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