Freed from his bonds, Orion lunged forward with murderous intent and without a shred of hesitation.

CRACK!

The Witch's head exploded into a shower of gore.

The moment she died, the cubic ward imprisoning the Deathly Soul-Reaper shattered. The eight blood serpents at its corners popped like bubbles, their power source gone.

But the fight wasn't over.

From the lowest level of the Black Tower, four figures shot upward. They were the Gatewardens—winged guardians who were each arch lords in their own right, tasked with defending one of the tower's four cardinal directions. The battle had unfolded so quickly that their unsealing process had only just completed.

They didn't attack individually. Instead, they cast out their chains, weaving them together to form a spherical cage of energy, trapping both Orion and the Deathly Soul-Reaper inside.

Outside, the demigod from the Cult of Four was already on the defensive, having lost the initiative to Arthas's surprise attack. But he was still a demigod, and the two were locked in a battle of pure attrition.

Within the spherical prison, countless chains lashed out, whipping and coiling toward Orion and his counterpart. The Deathly Soul-Reaper swept its scythe in a wide arc, batting away the first wave. Its shadowy tendrils then writhed and expanded, forming a protective sphere around itself and Orion, deflecting the storm of chains. The tendrils continued to push outward, seeking the four anchor points of the prison. But the closer they got, the denser the attacks became, creating a tense stalemate.

Orion was not satisfied. He had come here for a blitz, to take the Black Tower in the shortest time possible. He couldn't afford a protracted battle, not when the tower had teleportation capabilities. He wouldn't risk himself or Arthas.

He pulled out the token Alexander had given him and crushed it in his fist.

In the next instant, Alexander's will projection appeared before him.

"What's the situation?"

"Bro, we're inside the Black Tower," Orion explained, his words a rapid-fire burst. "Arthas is holding off a demigod, and I'm trapped in this weird prison." He finished his report and stared at Alexander expectantly.

"I see," Alexander muttered to himself. His projection flickered once. "Alright, the ward is broken. Have the Deathly Soul-Reaper stand down."

Trusting him completely, Orion gave the command. As the protective sphere of tendrils receded, he saw the four Gatewardens, now frozen in place, each with an ethereal dagger protruding from their forehead. Orion was stunned. From his perspective, Alexander's projection had done nothing more than shimmer for a fraction of a second, and in that instant, the prison had dissolved and his enemies had been neutralized.

"They're not dead yet," Alexander's voice echoed. "You can have the cleanup. Consider it my fee for this house call."

With that, he transformed into a spectral dagger and shot upward, joining the fray between Arthas and the Cult of Four demigod.

Fifteen minutes later, the battle was over.

Titanion Realm, Stoneheart.

Everyone in the castle knew that a new master had taken up residence. Compared to the Marina they once knew, the new, Legendary-level Marina was indeed a different person. For Elara and Pallas, she was new as well.

"Auntie, I'm Elara!"

"Auntie, I'm Pallas!"

Led by Elara, the two children gave Marina a sweet, formal greeting.

Dressed in a flowing blue gown, Marina smiled and retrieved two unique shells from a seashell pouch she carried.

"These are Whispering Shells," she said, handing one to each child. "No matter where you are in the Titanion Realm, you can use them to speak to each other."

Her expression was full of genuine kindness for Orion's children.

"Really?" Pallas asked, her eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and doubt. She had never seen such a marvelous thing.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Elara said, giving Pallas a light tap on the head before accepting the gift with a sweet smile.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Pallas quickly corrected herself, following her sister's lead.

"Alright, go on and play," Orion said with a wave. The two children clutched their new treasures and scampered off deeper into the castle.

"That little girl is very interesting," Marina said, turning to Orion with a smile.

"That's Elara, my adopted daughter," Orion explained, without going into the details of her past. "She'll be your adopted daughter now, too."

"Really? I would be honored," Marina said. Though she was only a demigod's avatar, she could perceive things that even Lilith and Soraya could not.

Just then, Lilith, now a Lord in her own right, emerged from the castle's depths and waited for them at the end of the hall.

"Welcome home, little sister," Lilith said warmly.

"It's so good to see you again!" Marina ran forward and took Lilith's arm, the two of them the very picture of sisterly affection.

"You two catch up," Orion said. "I have some things to attend to." He turned and walked back toward the main palace at the front of the castle. The war in the Silverwood Realm was not yet over, and he needed to monitor the situation.

"Marina, I've had the maidservants prepare your rooms," Lilith said, ignoring Orion's departure. "This is your home now."

"Thank you."

"Don't be silly. Here in the stoneheart horde..."

The two women walked arm-in-arm, chatting and laughing as they disappeared into the castle's residential wing.

Silverwood Realm, Black Tower.

Orion's surprise attack had crippled the Black Tower, preventing it from sending any reinforcements to the front lines. Clymene, Gustalon, and Tangere had led the undead armies on a relentless march, cutting through the demonic monsters they encountered like a scythe through wheat. They had finally arrived at their objective, right on schedule.

But when they reached the Black Tower, braced for an epic battle, they were met with an unnerving, absolute silence.

"What's going on? Where's the enemy?" Tangere demanded.

"Where is my lord?" Clymene asked a half-second later.

Their different questions perfectly captured their different priorities. Both of them then turned to look at Gustalon. They had come to deeply respect the power and strange senses of the elemental lord.

"I don't know," Gustalon admitted. "There is a powerful field inside the tower that repels the wind. But," he added, his form rippling slightly, "the wind tells me there is no danger ahead."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.