Boom!
A jagged bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, striking down onto Thunderhawk Rayden's body.
Orion lifted his trident, its prongs already sheathed in a layer of frost.
Crackle…
An electric current sparked, and the frost peeled away. Flame of Will once again flared brilliantly.
"Master, you're back!"
Only after Orion dispersed the ice did Thunderhawk Rayden realize Orion had returned to its back.
"Mm. We're heading back now, but first we swing east of Poison Dragon Swamp."
Orion stowed his trident and pointed out their next destination. Thunderhawk Rayden beat its wings, picking up speed and rising higher into the sky.
"Master, did you beat that giant dragon?"
They flew for a while before Thunderhawk Rayden, sounding a little anxious, finally plucked up the guts to ask if Orion had been hurt.
"No, I didn't win."
Thunderhawk Rayden couldn't help trembling at those words.
"But I didn't lose either."
It wasn't until Orion finished that sentence that Thunderhawk Rayden felt strength flood back into its body. If Lord Jorik hadn't beaten Lord Orion, that meant the thunderhawk was free to roam the skies however it pleased—an idea that made Rayden want to sing on the spot.
"Master, hang on tight. I'm about to speed up again!"
Thunderhawk Rayden's excitement rose until it yearned to challenge the open skies. Orion gave a soft grunt in acknowledgment and fell silent, his mind elsewhere.
In his confrontation with Jorik, Orion certainly hadn't come off the worse; in fact, it was Jorik who'd been on the back foot.
Of course, neither of them had shown their true aces in the hole, both holding back part of their power. Orion attacked only once and then withdrew, never giving Jorik the chance to engage further.
"At least Poison Dragon Swamp should stay peaceful next year," Orion thought.
His reasons for coming north hadn't just been about testing himself against a Glacial Dragon—he also wanted Lord Jorik to feel the threat of his power and think twice before trying to invade Poison Dragon Swamp in the spring.
If that dissuasion worked, the Stoneheart Horde would get another chunk of time to develop. If Jorik decided to attack the Abyssal Chasm instead, that would be Gareth's problem, not Orion's.
Moreover, the skirmish gave Orion a better sense of what other Legendary-level beings might be capable of. At this point, he was pretty confident that no one in the surrounding area could actually beat him—or force him to use his unique skill, Blood Sacrifice.
In other words, Orion finally felt truly secure in this world—secure enough to survive come what may.
He quietly observed the transcendent power coursing inside him. His supernatural might created a consciousness, which harvested faith, which in turn shaped his supernatural power.
Now that he'd used some of that transcendent energy, Orion noticed its recovery rate was linked to how much faith energy he'd garnered—and that was in turn tied to the population of intelligent races in his territory.
Such deductions were still rudimentary; Orion was brand-new to Legendary level, with plenty left to learn.
"Next stop: the neighbor on the eastern edge of Poison Dragon Swamp."
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Wind whipped by his ears as Orion lifted his gaze toward the east.
Past Poison Dragon Swamp lay the Desolate Plains, home to large populations of centaurs, minotaurs, and ogres—or at least that was the gist Orion had picked up when he became lightning and scouted his domain. Undoubtedly, there were other races there as well, but judging by the numbers, they didn't compare to those three major groups.
Orion didn't yet know who ruled that region. His plan now was to swing east from the north and pay them a visit—best to learn more about one's "neighbors."
As Thunderhawk Rayden gradually angled south, the landscape below changed bit by bit, shifting from glacial terrains to tundra, then snowy forests, then coniferous woodlands.
Two weeks later, once Orion spotted the scattered lakes dotting Poison Dragon Swamp, the same sense of belonging he'd felt before washed over him.
"Master, that sky down there is my domain, too!"
Quiet until now, Thunderhawk Rayden spoke up, clearly in higher spirits. In its mind, Poison Dragon Swamp belonged to Orion, so the swamp's skies belonged to Rayden. Letting out one shrill cry after another, the thunderhawk proclaimed its dominion across Poison Dragon Swamp.
By a lake hidden deep in the swamp, a hunting party comprising giants, succubi, lizardmen, buffalofolk, cave spiders, and gnolls all heard that familiar cry. Glancing upward, they spotted the thunderhawk.
Standing among them, Ursa—a half-squint to her eyes—was watching the bird in the sky.
"Check it out—that's our Horde's thunderhawk, right?"
"Sure is. Think Lord Orion's back from scouting the territory?"
Ursa, Rendall's eldest daughter, was also one of the Horde council's eight elders. She'd led this hunting group to wipe out a type of beast known as the swamp beaver. Little did they know they'd arrived just in time to witness Orion's thunderhawk ripping across the heavens with its signature cry.
The thunderhawk wasn't slowing or showing any sign of coming down; Ursa deduced Orion hadn't planned on visiting them. She let out a thoughtful hum and then spoke up:
"Send a message to the Sentinel Corps. Let them know we saw the thunderhawk streaking east across Poison Dragon Swamp—looks like Lord Orion's back on a territory patrol."
For a giant, Ursa was handling things with practiced tact. After so many meetings and battles, she'd learned a thing or two. Passing along this information immediately would put minds at ease—especially those of Onyx, Delilah, Lilith, and the other higher-ups.
After all, Orion had been gone to the north for nearly two months. Without word, the senior figures of the Stoneheart Horde might have been outwardly calm but quietly worried. Of course, Orion had left a will projection behind in the Horde, or the tension might have been even worse.
"All right, folks. Let's get these traps laid and scatter the bait!" Ursa then turned to the waiting lizardmen. "You guys, get ready. Once the traps are in place, we'll start driving the beasts!"