Learning the truth behind the dark beast tides made Orion’s resolve grow stronger in an instant. Yet, his mind was also flooded with countless questions.
He stared at the lightning crackling and streaking across the entrance to the void passage, feeling both relieved and slightly at ease.
"Who are you, anyway?"
He finally spoke, opting to respond with a question when he had no desire to reveal anything about himself.
"Heh heh… Such a clever male."
There was something in her tone and choice of words that made Orion suspect this being belonged to a race other than the typical demi-humans.
"You can call me Sophia, the most powerful Butterfly Mother in the Emerald Dream Realm."
"So then, Orion from Titanion Realm—you do go by Orion, don’t you?—who exactly are you?"
Butterfly Mother Sophia’s voice was relaxed, even gentle. Long as Orion blocked the void passage, she stood no chance of transporting herself through it, because if she tried, he could unleash a full-force assault and snuff her out mid-transit.
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Furthermore, Sophia was weaving some other dream illusion elsewhere, so all she could do was chat with Orion, hoping to distract him.
Orion stayed silent for some time, though inwardly he was stunned. Up until now, he’d never known his world was called Titanion.
After a long pause, Orion finally replied, hoping to glean some useful info through trivial conversation.
"You can call me Orion, a king of giants."
After his words, Butterfly Mother Sophia’s voice grew even softer.
"So, Orion, back in my dream illusion, you were tempted, weren’t you? Didn’t you want to mate with me?"
Her voice was warm, though her words carried a lurid bite. Yet from her perspective—perhaps among her butterfly race—mating was perfectly natural and not the least bit shameful.
"Orion, the dream illusion may have been a dream, but the mind-mesmerizing butterfly there is my avatar. She was real."
"I think we’d be a great match, wouldn’t we?"
Orion locked his eyes on Butterfly Mother Sophia at the far end of the passage, his first time encountering someone who could speak with such divine maternal warmth yet utter such brazenly erotic ideas. And she was far from shy—if anything, she almost reveled in it.
Boom, boom!
Without a word, Orion charged more transcendent power into the void passageway, layering it with additional defenses.
"Well, aren’t you a cold one," she teased.
"We were just a hair’s breadth away from mating. I heard your heart pounding. I could sense just how big and hard your cock is."
"Hmm, I wonder: if a giant and a butterfly mother had a child, would it have an even more extraordinary bloodline?"
"… …"
Her lilting maternal tone was more seductively mature than even Delilah’s, as Butterfly Mother Sophia continued to probe Orion’s state of mind.
Orion had been so easily pulled into her dream illusion mainly because his heart held a vulnerability—his lingering guilt over Violet, who had become a seed after conceiving his offspring. That had affected Orion deeply. Seizing that emotional weakness, Sophia had dragged him into the dream illusion in an instant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Relentless thunder reverberated, drowning out Sophia’s voice and helping Orion’s mind regain its calm.
Meanwhile, back in Blackstone City, inside the Horde Hall:
All four senior elders—Onyx, Rendall, Delilah, and Thundar—were present. The Wardens—Lilith, Lorelia, Rockwell, Slagor, and Earthshaker—had gathered as well.
"Dace," Rendall said in a rough, heavy voice, "explain again exactly what happened earlier. What do you mean the lord just vanished?"
Centering his hard stare on Dace, Rendall’s irritation was obvious. Based on Dace’s account, their lord had disappeared before their very eyes without making a sound.
If something out there could just hide away—or worse, instantly defeat—a Legendary-level being, that was deeply unsettling.
"Elder Rendall, our lord honestly did vanish just like that!"
Surrounded and under pressure from these Alpha-level powerhouses, Dace and the other three guards had no idea what else to say. They were telling the truth, but the oppressive aura bearing down on them made it hard to speak.
The four senior elders exchanged glances, each of them frowning before turning to Lilith. Lilith was scowling too, but after a moment’s thought, she formed a seal with her hands. From her brow, she drew out a sliver of Orion’s will projection.
A flash of lightning flickered, and Orion’s silhouette—though indistinct—appeared inside the Horde Hall. Before anyone else could speak, Orion’s projection spoke first:
"This all happened so suddenly, so let me be brief. The dark beast tides are upon us!"
"My disappearance isn’t Dace’s fault or his squad’s. I was whisked away by a massive force."
"I can’t join you in fighting the dark beast tides this time, so you’ll have to handle this yourselves."
"Elder of Stewardship Delilah, you’re in charge—take command. Lilith will assist you, and Thunderhawk Rayden will back you up."
From somewhere deep within Moonshadow Valley, a high-pitched hawk screech echoed—Thunderhawk Rayden responding to Orion’s call.
"Lorelia and Rockwell, keep watch over the underground fissure. The bottomless abyss is sure to cough up dark creatures soon. Remain vigilant—the defense of Blackstone City is up to the others."
"Rendall, Prophet, and Thundar, have the Hunting Party, the cannon-fodder units, and the cavalry all stay in the city. For these dark beast tides, we’re focusing on defense."
"Rockwell, Slagor, Earthshaker—you three Wardens act independently. Stay flexible and move wherever you’re needed."
That last command delivered, Orion’s will projection transformed back into lightning before returning to Lilith’s brow.
Everyone in the meeting room glanced at one another. After a long moment, Delilah’s solemn voice rang out:
"It’s clear Lord Orion’s mysterious disappearance is tied to these dark beast tides. That said, he’s assured us he’ll be fine."
"It’s we who might be in trouble."
She swept her gaze around, landing on Rendall, Prophet, and Thundar.
"Rendall, Prophet, Thundar—raise Blackstone City’s defense and alert systems immediately. Our three main armies must stay ready for combat at any moment."
Then she turned to Lorelia.
"Warden Lorelia, send your little spiders outside the city. We need to sacrifice some of them to gather intel as early as possible."
Lorelia nodded, agreeing to the plan. Thanks to the abundant resources she’d received, she had a huge spider population by now—losing a few wasn’t a big deal.
"Also, keep a close watch on the underground fissure. If Orion specifically mentioned it, then something’s bound to happen there. Lorelia, you and Rockwell stay sharp. If you run into any trouble, sound the alarm right away, and I’ll send backup."