MTLNOVEL Chapter 220: You’ll pay for this
Abyssal Chasm, inside a cavern.
Lord Gareth's eyes suddenly snapped open, a flicker of murderous intent flashing through her pitch-black pupils.
"He's got some skill, I'll give him that."
"So, back at the settlement, when he claimed he had a chance to kill me, he wasn't bluffing."
"Interesting… the giant Orion of the Black Forest…"
Lord Gareth murmured to herself, her eyes gleaming with a sinister light. Those disobedient subordinates of hers would have to be punished. After all, just the fact that her will projection had been destroyed by one of her own was enough to make it impossible for her to hold her proud head high in front of Orion.
"And that idiot Ridi… completely useless, wasting the entire fiend serpent clan!"
To be fair, Ridi's decision to head south had been his own. However, Lord Gareth had noticed his intentions early on but chose not to stop him. She had wanted to use Ridi to test the strength of the Stoneheart Horde and gauge Orion's true power.
Unfortunately, the cost of this test had been steep. Not only had her Alpha-level confidant Ridi fallen in battle, but even a fragment of her will projection had been destroyed. And let's not forget the loss of over 200,000 fiend serpents—a blow that made Lord Gareth's heart ache.
"Orion, just wait. You'll pay for this."
---
Black Forest, Blackstone City.
The battle raged on. Orion sat atop a massive boulder on the city wall, calmly observing his people as they methodically resisted the beast tide. He showed no intention of stepping in.
In truth, Orion's mere presence was the greatest morale boost for his people.
The beast tide had been attacking the city for three days. Thanks to the rotation system, most of the bloodline warriors who had been pulled back for rest and treated with disinfectant smoke showed no signs of plague infection. Only a small number of injured warriors, whose resistance had weakened, had unfortunately been infected.
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However, after dissolving a large quantity of medicinal pills into water and distributing it among the tribe, those infected with the plague began to recover by nightfall. When this news spread, the horde's determination to fight the beast tide grew even stronger.
The legendary plague, which was supposed to bring about the tribe's destruction, had failed to do so. It was almost unthinkable.
So, when Orion appeared on the city wall to oversee the battle, his presence was akin to that of a god descending upon the battlefield. Everyone knew that the medicine that cured the plague had been discovered by their chieftain, Orion.
"Chieftain, our bloodline warriors have been rotating shifts for three days straight. Most of them are completely drained of energy. Shouldn't we consider driving the beast tide away now?"
Delilah stood not far from Orion, her tone calm but firm. As the Elder of Stewardship, she had a clear grasp of the horde's current strength and the limits of their endurance. She could tell that the bloodline warriors were nearing their breaking point. For the sake of the tribe and the horde, Delilah had to voice her concerns.
"Chieftain, I agree with the Elder of Stewardship's suggestion," said Onyx, who had recently been rotated out of his post guarding the underground fissure. In times of peace, guarding the fissure was practically a form of rest. During the last rotation, Rendall had been sent to replace Onyx, allowing him to join the battle.
"Chieftain, as an obsidian golem, I'd like to think my stamina is among the best in the Stoneheart Horde. But even I can see the exhaustion on the faces of many of our warriors."
"This beast tide… it's time to drive it away."
Orion nodded silently, his gaze shifting to Delilah.
Delilah understood Orion's thoughts perfectly. Their tacit understanding was unmatched.
"Chieftain, the caves in Moonshadow Valley are already overflowing with beast corpses. The cave spider clan in the underground fissure has not only eaten their fill but also stored a significant amount of food."
The horde had hunted enough beasts during this tide to secure a substantial food supply—exactly the outcome Orion had hoped for.
"Send the order. At dawn tomorrow, our Alpha-level warriors will take the field and drive the beast tide away."
This announcement sent a wave of excitement through the bloodline warriors. The relentless fighting was finally coming to an end. For some of the more ambitious warriors, however, it also meant that their time to earn glory for the horde was running out.
Take Dirtclaw, for example. Ever since his failed attempt to ascend to Alpha-level, he had been acting like a madman. Every time a battle broke out, Dirtclaw would ruthlessly exploit the cannon fodder troops under his command. By doing so, he could claim a larger share of the credit.
The more merit he earned, the more resources he could exchange with Orion for another chance at Alpha-level ascension. For Dirtclaw, who dreamed of reaching Alpha-level, the end of the battle meant the end of his opportunity to earn merit.
That night, Dirtclaw, like a rabid dog, drove all the resting cannon fodder troops back to the city walls to continue fighting for his glory.
On the city walls, Dirtclaw wasn't the only one with such thoughts. Many others were also pushing themselves to the limit.
Earthshaker, the representative of the Buffalofolk and one of the horde's veteran elders, was also fighting fiercely. Having reached the peak of hero level, he sought to earn enough merit to justify receiving Alpha-level resources in the next distribution.
Similarly, Desdemona, the succubus elder, was also at the peak of hero level. Despite her age, she fought tirelessly for the same resources.
Among the crowd, a striking figure stood out—Lysinthia. With the help of the Twilight Viper, she had already earned far more merit than most of the tribe. However, as a slave and Orion's woman, she was not entitled to the horde's resources. Anything she needed had to be granted by Orion himself.
Lysinthia's unique status made her an exception in the horde. Many tribe members understood this, including Earthshaker. Sometimes, Earthshaker couldn't help but wonder if his own status as a former slave might disqualify him from receiving resources in the next distribution.
By now, Earthshaker's past as a slave was almost forgotten by the tribe. Only a few still remembered. To most, he was simply one of the eight council elders, a figure of great authority.
In truth, even within the council, there were hierarchies.
Tonight was destined to be restless. On the city walls, the sounds of battle echoed endlessly.
---
The next morning.
Aside from Lorelia and Rockwell, who were stationed at the underground fissure, all of the horde's Alpha-level warriors had gathered on the city walls.
Orion, Lilith, Onyx, Rendall, Delilah, and Thundar—six Alpha-level warriors—stood together, their overwhelming auras unleashed. The sheer force of their presence swept across the battlefield, pushing the beast tide back nearly half a mile. Many of the beasts cowered on the ground, too terrified to move.
This wasn't just because of the Alpha-level warriors' power. Earlier this morning, Orion had cut off the scent emanating from the pink seed. With the source of the strange fragrance gone, the lingering traces in the air were no longer enough to incite the beasts into a frenzy.