Rolan and Tarn shared a look, shaking their heads with a laugh as they started jogging toward another area where an Alpha-level Cretaceous beast had been spotted.

"Hey, don’t sweat it," Slagor called after them. "I know a dragon’s a long shot, but look at the buffet we’ve got right here. You two getting any ideas?"

His question made Rolan and Tarn stop in their tracks. A slow grin spread across their faces.

"So," Slagor said, catching up to them. He pulled out a taming collar, tossing it lightly in his hand. The leather was worn smooth from how often he’d handled it, waiting for this exact moment. "How about we make this a joint operation?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Don’t tell me you two didn’t cash in your points for one of these at the Horde vault."

As if on cue, Rolan and Tarn produced their own taming collars, their eyes burning with the same hungry ambition as Slagor’s.

"Heh... alright, boys," Slagor boomed, clapping them both on the shoulders. "It’s open season!"

He shot forward like an arrow. Rolan and Tarn exchanged a quick, knowing glance and sprinted after him. It hit them both at once: if they’d had this idea, so had every other Alpha in the Horde. The prime Cretaceous stock was about to become a hot commodity.

Even within the Stoneheart horde, it was first come, first served.

***

The Third Layer of the Abyss, Temporary Camp.

"Bidalun pledges his loyalty to you, My Lord. The Third Division of the Bone-gnawer beast race will follow you in your conquest of the Abyss."

As he spoke, a wisp of his very soul detached and merged with the war banner before him. Behind him, three hundred thousand soldiers of the Abyssal regular army knelt in disciplined silence.

"I swear to execute my lord’s every command, to face any foe, and to fight to the very end!" Bidalun’s voice rang with conviction. "Where your scythe points, there I will charge!"

Orion was completely blindsided. Not two weeks ago, they had been locked in a bitter, high-stakes conflict. He never imagined that the Balarun archlord would send his own son—his heir—as an envoy of surrender.

"Does your father know you are here?" Orion asked, stepping forward until he stood directly before the kneeling prince. The soul-pact with the banner was a powerful guarantee of fidelity.

"My father knows, and he respects my choice." Bidalun replied, his head held high. "The higher planes of the Abyss... that is where our destiny lies. We volunteer to follow you in your great conquest. And if we fall along the way, we will die without regret!"

"We die without regret!"

...

The pledge was picked up by the three hundred thousand soldiers knelt behind him, their voices merging into a single, thunderous roar that shook the very ground.

"Very well," Orion said, his voice ringing with authority over the din. "I accept your fealty."

He raised his scythe and laid it on Bidalun’s shoulder, the blade facing outward in the traditional rite. Then, Orion lifted his gaze, scanning the sea of kneeling soldiers. His tone became formal and grave.

"Bidalun has shown great merit in bringing his forces to our cause! I hereby appoint Bidalun as commander of the First Army of the Conquest Legion, with a full strength of one million soldiers."

"The thirty thousand troops of the Bone-gnawer army who followed you here will form the core of this new First Army. All officer positions are yours to assign, based on merit and performance in battle. Effective immediately, all other followers of the Conquest Legion are to prioritize filling the ranks of the First Army until it reaches full complement."

If Bidalun was willing to gamble this much, Orion had no reason not to go all in. This was more than an appointment; it was a message to the Balarun, a gesture of good faith. Repay loyalty with trust, and you build a foundation that can’t be broken. He was planting a seed, hoping that one day, the entire Bone-gnawer race would remember this moment and come to his side without hesitation.

"Rise, Commander. The First Army has just been born. You have much work to do."

"Yes, My Lord!" Bidalun rose to his feet, and behind him, three hundred thousand soldiers stood as one. Orion could see a new sense of belonging and purpose in their eyes.

In truth, Bidalun’s arrival was the perfect catalyst. Aside from the elite Scourge Wardens and Wraith Knight armies, Orion had amassed a scattered following of nearly one hundred thousand troops from the first three layers of the Abyss. Their strength and discipline were wildly inconsistent, and he’d been struggling with how to properly integrate them.

Now, he had his solution. The first of his million-strong armies had its foundation.

As for the Scourge Wardens and Wraith Knights, their numbers were smaller and their roles more specialized. Orion decided they would serve as independent armies, tasked with guarding the Legion’s central war banner.

His command structure was now clear: The First Army, currently numbering around four hundred thousand. The Scourge Wardens army, comprised of one hundred and thirty-three giants. The Wraith Knight army, with a total of sixteen thousand, seven hundred and eighty-three riders.

Crucially, all three were considered elite forces, even by the brutal standards of the Abyss.

"You have half a month to organize the First Army," Orion instructed Bidalun. "After that, I will tear open the world barrier, and we will advance to the fourth layer."

With the Bone-gnawer race dominating this region of the third layer, his recruitment efforts here were finished. Besides, Orion wasn’t about to start poaching from their home turf right after their prince had sworn allegiance. Out of respect for Bidalun, if nothing else, it was time to move on.

***

Titanion Realm, Stoneheart City.

On his throne, the slumbering Orion’s eyes snapped open. As the castle’s master, a peerless archlord on the verge of becoming a demigod, he could sense shifts others could not. And he sensed one now in Elara.

In a flicker, he vanished. A moment later, he reappeared, a small figure now cradled in his arms.

"Daddy!" Elara mumbled, her eyes fluttering open.

"How are you feeling?" Orion asked, gently stroking her cheek.

"Like I slept for a super long time," she yawned. "And I’m so, so hungry!" She licked her lips instinctively, the picture of an adorable, starving toddler. It was heart-meltingly cute.

Orion smiled and produced three of his most prized world essences, placing the glowing orbs into her small hands.

The sight of them banished the last traces of sleep from her eyes. She was awake now. Fully.