Isilra was Orion’s woman. By extension, she was a mistress of the Stoneheart Horde. Her ascension to demigod status directly bolstered the Horde’s foundation. Veterans like Archelder and Onyx understood exactly how much weight a demigod added to their ranks. Furthermore, they knew Isilra carried an unborn giant prince. No matter the angle, her ascension was deeply tied to the Stoneheart Horde. They had to respond.
"Send the order," Lilith manded. "Congratulate Lady Silvermoon on reaching the demigod realm. The Stoneheart Horde will celebrate for three days. Call upon all citizens of the continent to gather demon-iron and forge a divine statue in her honor!"
She paused, her tone absolute. "Issue a Horde decree. In the name of the Stoneheart Horde and Tian King Orion, we address the continent’s guardian, Lady Silvermoon. The territory belonging to Argentis shall expand outward by thousands of miles. The Horde gifts Lady Silvermoon the Moonlit Palace."
"Go to the Horde treasury. Retrieve ten supreme artifacts in my name..." Ignoring Archelder’s unspoken questions, Lilith rapidly issued arrangements for the newly ascended Isilra.
The Stoneheart Horde recognized only one wife of the Tian King: Lilith herself. However, after deliberation among the Horde’s high mand, they established the title of Lady—an honorary position of supreme rank but no political authority. This title was created precisely for existences like Isilra.
Previously, the presence of Seraphina, a demigod Mistress, had caused diplomatic awkwardness. Seraphina’s strength and status eclipsed everyone in the Stoneheart Horde. Even Lilith lacked the authority to mand her. Isilra wasn’t the first to receive such an honor; Seraphina held the title of Lady Marina. Now, Isilra became the second Mistress of the Horde to bear this title. The Horde used this opportunity to formalize the designation, publicly acknowledging the sheer importance of demigod powerhouses.
Simply put, both the King’s Wife and the Ladies were supreme titles within the Horde. The former wielded true power; the latter did not. Those granted the title of Lady were all demigods. They had no need for, nor did they care about, mortal authority.
"A demigod..." Lilith murmured. Having finished her orders, she gazed up at the ethereal, magnificent silhouette in the sky, her eyes filled with envy.
Within the World Tree, all things returned to life.
As small worlds merged into the Titanion Realm one after another, the first and greatest beneficiaries were not Isilra, but Orion and the other three continental lords.
Atop his throne, Orion slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was perfectly clear.
Though their essence had been drained, they hadn’t truly fallen into a deep slumber, nor were they rendered blind and helpless. Instead, they had embodied the realm’s laws. Alongside the Will of the Realm, they faced all external threats. They understood the changes in the Titanion Realm better than anyone. When the mander and his allies slew the Four-Faced Beast, Orion and the others had watched the battle unfold through an inprehensible connection.
"The Primordial Continent’s defensive barrier is shattered. We lost the initiative." Lifeless Dreadgod was the second to awaken, and he instantly voiced his plaints. "I knew it. They held back just to dig a pit for us to fall into." Losing control of The Primordial Continent felt like having his home burgled.
"What are your thoughts?" Archbishop Kysar and Moriphara, being relatively weaker, were still dormant. Lifeless Dreadgod naturally addressed Orion.
"None," Orion replied. "From their perspective, we did slow down the Titanion Realm’s growth. Of course, from our perspective, our world Authority has been fractured, and we lost the initiative to claim The Primordial Continent."
Orion stared into the void, looking beyond the realm where countless worlds waited to be devoured. "Over a hundred worlds are merging into The Primordial Continent. It’s not just us; no one else has the initiative either. They are merely placing their pieces on the board."
This was Orion’s genuine assessment. If they wanted to assign blame, they could only blame their own weakness.
"You are right. They are only placing pieces."
The sickly voice belonged to Archbishop Kysar. He and Moriphara awoke simultaneously. However, while Moriphara remained unscathed, Kysar’s body was still partially petrified into wood, rendering him immobile.
"Gentlemen, thank you for your efforts." Archbishop Kysar looked genuinely grateful. He was the root cause of this entire ordeal. Having dragged the other three into this mess, he felt no guilt, only the profound gratitude of rades who had shared life and death.
"Fool," Lifeless Dreadgod spat. "If I ever get the chance, I will kill you myself." In truth, he was utterly helpless; for now, all he could do was bark.
"I think this is a good thing." Moriphara’s gaze drifted over the three men before settling on Orion. "If those seniors succeed in placing their pieces, they bee deeply bound to us. It provides an extra layer of security for us and the Titanion Realm. Unless a true god emerges, I can’t think of any entity that could threaten us."
Moriphara was the embodiment of cold logic. She never weighed personal gain, choosing instead to analyze the pros and cons for the collective.
"Although the outside worlds will merge into The Primordial Continent, can’t you feel it? The World Tree is continuously funneling World Essence to us. The Primordial Continent is rapidly expanding. Our four World Tree branches are growing alongside it, and our four continents are evolving. We are profiting."
These weren’t empty words; the proof was evident. Moriphara pointed at Archbishop Kysar and the World Tree branch behind him. The once-withered, petrified branch now pulsed with vibrant life force. Indeed, this surging vitality was the only reason Kysar had managed to awaken from his petrification. However, the Continent of the Pantheon was severely damaged. It would take him a long time to restore the continent’s vitality and shed his current state.
"We must admit that after this ordeal, the four of us need to unite," Moriphara said. "To fend off external enemies, and to guard against those scheming seniors."
She stared unblinkingly at Orion. To an uninformed observer, the expectation in her eyes could easily be misconstrued. She looked at him as though he were a heartless scoundrel who had ruined her and cast her aside.
"Orion, you are the strongest. I am willing to stand by your side."
Half of this statement was meant for Orion; the other half was intended to force Lifeless Dreadgod and Archbishop Kysar into making a choice.
The atmosphere instantly froze. Lifeless Dreadgod remained silent, lost in thought. Archbishop Kysar closed his eyes, seemingly reaching out to some hidden entity.
Orion was equally busy. He stealthily maneuvered the roots of his Divine Kingdom’s World Tree, plunging them into the hundreds of worlds outside the Titanion Realm. If he didn’t force a massive evolutionary leap for his Divine Kingdom now, he would be doing a disservice to the opportunity the mander had created for him.
Yes, without a doubt, the mander had single-handedly engineered this very situation. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and Orion had no intention of letting it slip away.
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