Orion sensed a sudden disturbance near the void passage.
The energy fluctuations were complicated—divine power, faith energy, and void rules all churned together, making the void passage unstable.
"My darling Orion, this might be the last time we ever meet!"
Sophia appeared on the opposite side of the void passage. Her voice was soft and brimming with a motherly warmth. Yet Orion heard not the slightest hint of regret.
That is to say, neither Orion nor Sophia had taken their sexual encounter in that dream too seriously.
Sure, Sophia was gorgeous, but Orion felt no fondness for her, nor would he treat her kindly.
If anything, Orion regarded Sophia with hostility.
Yes, the sex had felt nice, but he hadn't been in control at all. Orion definitely didn't want to experience that again.
Orion looked up and gazed into the void passage. The next moment, his figure blurred as he teleported back to Blackstone City.
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Blackstone City, atop the city wall.
Raindrops pitter-pattered down onto snowdrifts that hadn't fully melted yet. With this spring rain, everyone in the Stoneheart Horde was overjoyed.
Boom…
Thunder rolled in the distance as Orion landed on the wall, transcendent power coursing through him.
Hearing the commotion, Delilah, Thundar, and Rendall—who were currently on watch—emerged from the meeting room. Their faces lit up when they saw Orion's return.
"Lord, you're back!"
"It's Orion!"
"Our lord is back!"
When the lightning subsided, Orion's transcendent power disappeared, and all the force emanating from him settled to a calm.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Delilah, Thundar, and Rendall each shook their heads, implying this was simply their duty.
"Spring rain is here; the dark beast tides have ended, and winter is almost gone. Pass the word to the council members to gather at the Horde Hall."
With that, Orion headed off toward the Horde Hall.
Delilah, Thundar, and Rendall exchanged glances, then followed in his wake.
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As soon as Orion showed up in Blackstone City, the other elders of the horde quickly got the news.
By the time he reached the grand stone doors of the Horde Hall, Lilith and Lysinthia were already waiting outside.
"Well done."
Lilith and Lysinthia had both performed admirably in this latest dark beast tide.
Especially Lysinthia—she'd displayed a keenness of perception even Orion hadn't anticipated, prompting him to offer a rare word of praise.
Talking as they walked, Orion, flanked by the two women, made his way into the outer fortress's main hall.
Once inside, the three of them separated. Their positions in the horde hierarchy were not the same.
Orion, with Lilith by his side, proceeded toward the throne, while Lysinthia took her place in the Warden's seat.
Twenty minutes later, all the elders had arrived.
"Thank you all for your efforts."
This was Orion's first statement. It was the first time the horde had claimed victory through collective might without him present.
"These are the spoils our horde collected during this dark beast tide."
Beneath the throne stood a small table, on which sat six wooden boxes.
Two boxes contained strange giant insect specimens from the bottomless abyss; the other four came from a Dark Armored Beetle, a tentacle monster, a Phantom Spider, and a Night Stalker.
Once Orion was sure everyone's attention was focused on him and the boxes, he extended his hand. Transcendent power flared, and he drew two of the wooden boxes—those holding dark source crystals—into his grasp.
"Six Alpha-level resources, and I'm taking two." Find adventures on
In the blink of an eye, the two boxes vanished into Orion's storage ring.
But that wasn't all. With a flick of his right hand, the wooden box containing the strange giant insect crystal cores flew straight toward Elder of Stewardship Delilah.
"These two go into the reserves, as part of the horde's treasury."
No one spoke up in the meeting chamber. Not a single person dared challenge his decision.
Even the Alpha-level fighters who had contributed heavily in the war showed little concern about how the spoils were divvied up, as if it had nothing to do with them.
Then Orion gave a slight shake of his hand, and another wooden box appeared—one he'd previously displayed to motivate everyone. It also held Alpha-level crystal cores.
"This fulfills the promise I made before the battle."
The box floated onto the table. Now there were three wooden boxes there in total.
"I've entrusted the distribution order of Alpha-level resources to our four senior elders. They'll announce which three among you will receive these."
As soon as Orion said that, the meeting room erupted in chatter—buzzing conversations overlapping all at once.
Unfazed, Orion let them talk. He delegated the final details to the four senior elders.
He was already splitting the pie; who got the cherry on top or the swirl of whipped cream was not something he had to personally decide.
Gathering in a corner, the four senior elders pulled out a small record book and began cross-referencing entries.
Eventually, the most level-headed among them, Elder of Prophecy Onyx, stepped forward with the results.
"Fellow elders, after comparing war contributions, verifying combat strength, and assessing loyalty, the top three in the resource order are Vespera, Slate, and Samson.
"You should have at least some idea of your own ranking. I won't belabor the point.
"If anyone's unsure, you can work with the Elder of Stewardship to confirm your number."
Before Onyx finished speaking, most of the elders had already turned to look at Vespera, Slate, and Samson.
The three of them were seated, unable to hide how excited they felt. Their bodies subtly trembled in anticipation.
Up on the throne, Orion, too, shifted his gaze to these three elders.
Vespera was an elder of the succubus clan. Besides fighting on the front lines, she belonged to the Sentinel Corps strategy team.
She ranked just behind Lilith, Delilah, and Desdemona in terms of potential within the succubus tribe.
"Vespera joined us back when the black forest was still divided. Through all the minor wars I've led the Stoneheart Horde through, she's hardly missed a single one."
"Elder Vespera, this is your due."
Orion waved a hand, and one of the boxes on the table floated gently into Elder Vespera's hands.
Vespera's long record of war contributions made her a natural fit among the council's eight elders.
As for loyalty, that was beyond doubt—she'd signed a contract with Delilah.
With Delilah's support, Vespera had advanced swiftly despite previously lagging behind in power.
Next were Slate and Samson, both giants from the blackstone tribe.
Even before Orion was of age, they had already served as giant elders.
Since the Stoneheart Horde's founding, the council had undergone several restructures. Slate and Samson still managed to climb higher every time—clear proof that their achievements and abilities had been solidly tested.