Chapter 985: Nothing for now doesn't mean nothing forever

Chapter 985: Nothing for now doesn’t mean nothing forever

Despite the griping, Makareth had a smile plastered on his face the whole time.

Even though his Gargoyles were completely wiped out, he’d taken down a ton of Legendary-level beings in the fight and raked in a load of Survivor Caches. Cracking those open was going to give him a serious power boost.

Isabella was in the same boat, but she wasn’t planning on heading back just yet. Her dad was keeping an eye on her home territory, so she was all-in on consolidating her new gains on the Dusk Continent. While managing her territory, she also wanted to keep grinding out combat experience on the western front.

With Orion and Kraken setting the pace, and Makareth nipping at her heels, Isabella felt a pressure she’d never experienced before. She was getting addicted to it, to this rhythm. It felt real, substantial.

“Kraken and I have got it covered here,” Orion said. “You guys can go take care of your own stuff.”

Makareth and Isabella were lords, not frontline generals. The smart play was for them to focus on developing their territories and their personal strength. But neither of them replied to Orion. Instead, it was Kraken who spoke up.

“This dropped from the dragon.”

He held out a rolled-up scroll. Orion didn’t take it.

“That was your kill, man. I…”

Orion cut him off, shaking his head. “Dude, don’t even. You slew the dragon, you get the title. This is the reward for the one who does the deed.” He looked at Kraken, his gaze serious. “If you really want to thank me, then help me build up my naval forces. As you can see, these Ocean Hunters are the only decent units I’ve got right now.”

Kraken met his eyes for a long moment before finally pulling the scroll back. Whatever it was, a drop from that dragon had to be Legendary tier. Orion turning it down told Kraken everything he needed to know. This is real. For the first time, he felt the solid foundation of his friendship with Orion.

“No problem,” Kraken said, his voice firm. “Let me get a handle on this power spike, and then I’ll cook up a batch of custom Sea Race units just for you.”

Orion just nodded, a slight smile on his face.

Nearby, Makareth and Isabella listened intently, knowing better than to chime in. It felt just like when Orion and Kraken had stood by silently while Arthas and Leonidas talked strategy. They weren’t there yet. Their relationship with the two powerhouses hadn’t reached that level. Some things just came down to the people and the history between them.

Far to the east of the Dusk Continent, across a vast stretch of ocean dotted with islands, lay the Dawn Continent—the same one Alexander had once invaded. Now, it was a paradise for the evil races.

Within a network of unknown underground caves, several phantoms flickered into existence, gathering together.

“Pollard, you’re looking a little weak,” a cloying, strangely feminine voice echoed from the darkness, dripping with mockery aimed at the Blood-Eyed Black Serpent demigod.

Pollard had allied with the Champions Alliance, and his demigod phantom had been obliterated by the draconic demigods in the great array on Dragonflame Island. It was only natural his projection here would be diminished.

“Are you mocking a hero who made a sacrifice for the greater good?” Pollard’s voice was calm, utterly dismissive of the taunt. “Or perhaps you had a better way of probing the enemy’s true strength?”

When he’d first teamed up with the Champions Alliance, he’d been careful not to truly anger the dragons; that wasn’t his objective. At the demigod level, most things could be negotiated as long as your life wasn’t on the line. But when the Alliance rolled out five demigods at once and pulled him into their spell formation, he saw just how deep their power ran.

And he knew those five weren’t even all of them. A true monster was lurking behind the scenes of this well-equipped faction. Pollard had personally witnessed the blade strike from Commander Thresh that had annihilated the Radiant Dragon King, and he hadn’t sensed a similar presence among the five demigods who descended on Dragonflame Island with him.

As Pollard and the unknown demigod traded barbs, the voice of the evil demigod Tusha echoed from the depths of the underground caves. “Valthor integrated the laws of light into this world, changing it irrevocably. Consuming this realm is no longer possible, and a forced takeover would trigger a massive backlash from the other factions. Perhaps Valthor saw this coming all along.”

“My lord, is there truly nothing we can do?” another demigod asked. They had been preparing to devour the Emerald Dream Realm for ages, pouring countless resources into the plan.

“Nothing for now doesn’t mean nothing forever,” Tusha replied. “The current situation doesn’t allow us to stir up more trouble. The natives on the Chaos Continent, the mystery faction on the Dusk Continent, the sudden arrival of the dragons on Dragonflame Island, and the Sea Race infesting the inner and outer oceans… there are too many demigod-level factions.”

“Can’t you see it?” Tusha’s voice continued. “The Emerald Dream Realm is evolving into a major world. The number of demigods nesting here will only increase.” There was no sadness or worry in his voice, merely a statement of fact.

“If we hold the Dawn Continent, we might reap some unexpected benefits down the line. However, a lone wolf in the dark forest doesn’t last long. It might not starve right away, but it’s only a matter of time before it becomes food for a bigger beast. Only the pack survives.”

It was this understanding that had led them to unite in the first place, forming a powerful, multi-world organization of evil. To face competition, individuals had to cooperate. It was the same for factions.

“My lord,” a demigod in the shadows spoke. “Are you suggesting… we form an alliance with the mystery faction from the Dusk Continent?”

“They are the most suitable partners,” Tusha declared. “The methods they displayed during the Dragonflame Island war… when it comes to being ruthless, backstabbing bastards, they’re not much different from us.

More importantly, their roster is incredibly well-rounded. Their top-tier players include a mage, an undead, a beast master, and warrior. With troops covering land, sea, and air—and even undead units for support—they were able to steamroll our entire setup on the Dusk Continent.”

Tusha was a demigod of evil, a survivor forged in the harshest environments. He knew better than anyone: a lone beast becomes prey; a pack becomes the hunter.