Chapter 986: Wyrmsbane Gyre

Tusha understood better than anyone that if the Emerald Dream Realm continued on this trajectory, it was only a matter of time before even more powerful beings descended. Between standing alone and forming an alliance, he would choose the latter without a moment’s hesitation.

“My lord, I agree with your proposal!”

The one who spoke up was Pollard. When it came to understanding the demigods of the Champions Alliance, no one was more qualified to speak.

“Those people are chaotic neutral at best. They operate on their own code, don’t give a damn about outside factors, and they certainly aren’t held back by bullshit like ‘the light’ or ‘morality’.”

He continued, “Besides, their power is immense. Aligning with them is a solid strategic choice. And after this last war, I should have earned a measure of their trust.”

Truthfully, Pollard was one hundred percent on board with an alliance. The Champions Alliance’s strength was undeniable. If they didn’t make the first move, they’d be left out in the cold once those zealots from the Chaos Continent finally got their act together. And then, the Alliance wouldn’t be a potential partner, but a definite enemy.

Perhaps even Lord Tusha is wary of that blade flash that shattered the realm formation, Pollard mused.

“Pollard, you will be the point of contact for this,” Tusha commanded, his decision made. “I will make a personal visit when the time is right.”

Not a single demigod in the shadows objected.

“Remember this, all of you,” Tusha’s voice resonated in the darkness. “Our only goal here is to protect what we’ve built and secure our interests in the future.”

Titanion Realm, Stoneheart City.

The grand hall where Orion often meditated was usually silent, a sanctuary rarely entered by anyone except, on occasion, Lilith. Today, however, it was filled with laughter and cheers.

Orion leaned back on his throne, a smile playing on his lips.

Elara and Pallas sat perched on his left and right shoulders, respectively, waving their tiny fists and shouting encouragement for the two young dragons tumbling and wrestling in the air before them. The Black Dragon was Pallas’s, the Inferno Dragon Elara’s.

Though the black dragon was older, it was physically smaller and weaker than the Inferno Dragon. After several rounds of grappling, the black dragon was exhausted, pinned to the floor, and thoroughly dominated.

“Akdir, get up! Get up!” Pallas yelled, standing up on Orion’s shoulder as if to will his dragon back into the fight.

But it was no use. Pinned beneath the stronger Inferno Dragon, Akdir couldn’t move. All he could manage were a few pathetic whimpers directed at his master.

“Hee hee, see? My little dragon is stronger,” Elara gloated. She stood up, reached over Orion’s head, and squished Pallas’s cheeks with a triumphant grin. “Remember this. Next time you make me mad, it won’t just be you getting a beating—Akdir will get one, too.”

“Daddy… Daddy…” Pallas pleaded, turning to Orion for help, but his father remained a smiling observer. It was best to let kids sort out their own squabbles.

Orion took out a grape-sized orb of world essence and popped it into Elara’s mouth as a reward for her victory. Her eyes crinkled with her smile.

Just then, a succubus maidservant appeared in the hall. She bowed to Orion first before speaking.

“Your Majesty, the Mistress has requested the presence of the prince and princess for their lessons.”

Orion nodded, glancing at the two little faces on his shoulders, which had both drooped in an instant. It was almost comical. Both Elara and Pallas were bonded to dragons, and with Lilith being a beastmaster, their early education naturally fell to her.

“Go on,” Orion said. “Whoever does better in their lessons gets to ride Xalathar through the outer city when he gets back.”

At that, both Elara’s and Pallas’s eyes lit up. They reluctantly hopped off Orion’s shoulders, called their young dragons, and followed the maidservant out of the hall.

Only when his children were long gone did Orion take out a Survivor Cache. He pulled out a scroll, crushed it, and learned a new skill.

[Wyrmsbane Gyre]

Quality: Legendary

Description: Combines multiple, differing elemental forces into a spiraling vortex. By skillfully leveraging the fusion and repulsion of these elements, attack power is massively amplified.

Effect 1: Suppresses draconic targets. All hits against dragons inflict bonus damage.

Effect 2: Dragons slain by this ability have their dragon soul obliterated.

Effect 3: Weakens a dragon’s body of faith.

Skill Evaluation: A reward fit for a dragon-slayer!

This was from a cache dropped by the dragon archlord his mirrored avatar had slain during the Dragonflame Island campaign. One of the downsides to the avatars was their inability to learn skills from scrolls directly; they could only inherit them after the main body learned them first.

“Wyrmsbane Gyre… heh,” Orion murmured to himself. Funny, getting a skill designed specifically to kill dragons from a dragon. Very interesting.

With a final chuckle, he focused his mind and logged into the Survivor’s Platform. Opening a private channel, he thought for a moment before typing.

Hulk: Alright everyone, you ready to drop?

He already had a good idea of Aerin, Caesar, and Tangere’s situations, but it was always best to check for any last-minute emergencies.

Caesar: Ready when you are, boss.

Aerin: Please, you guys, get here soon. We had to put someone down today after they got corrupted and exposed our position.

Tangere: I’m good to go.

Orion was pleased. Aside from Aerin’s crisis, which was expected, neither Caesar nor Tangere had flaked. The two he was vetting weren’t the type to talk a big game and then fail to deliver.

Hulk: Okay. Caesar, Tangere, we drop in three days.

Caesar: Got it!

Tangere: Roger that. No problem.

Caesar: Hang in there, Aerin. I’ll be there to help you soon.

Aerin: Thanks, Caesar. It means a lot to have you guys.

Orion closed the channel. He’d set it up to allow them to communicate freely with each other. Caesar, Aerin, and Tangere had no doubt already been talking, getting a feel for one another before they had to work together. Building that team cohesion was essential.

He then sent a direct message to Aerin.

Did you locate a suitable site for the camp?

I’m deploying my people tomorrow.

His sister, Clymene, was a Shade Valkyrie. She needed deadlands—a graveyard or a catacomb—to build her power. He had tasked Aerin with finding a location with a high concentration of death, a place with a lot of bodies.

Her reply came almost instantly. She never slacked on his instructions.

It’s all set, sir. We buried the corrupted ones in the deadlands you specified.

Without him, Aerin felt, she wouldn’t have even survived this long.