"Hulk, I heard you're coming to the Abyss!"

The message popped up on the Survivor's Platform. It was from the Demon Makareth.

"On my way now," Orion replied. "News travels fast."

As a member of the same team, and a senior one at that, Orion's trip to the Abyss was always going to include a visit to Makareth's territory. This wasn't just his own idea; it was something the Deputy Commander and Alexander had pushed for. Makareth was only at the Legendary level, struggling to hold his own in the Abyss. The team had a responsibility to help him establish a firm foothold.

With the Deputy Commander, Alexander, Arthas, and Leonidas all having ascended to demigod, the only members suitable to provide on-the-ground support were Orion and Kraken. And since Kraken was of the Sea Race, operating in the Abyss would be inconvenient.

The mission, therefore, fell to Orion. Alexander had already given Makareth a heads-up, and the Demon had been waiting on pins and needles for his arrival.

"Hahaha! Alexander told me ahead of time! Hulk, you gotta get here quick. I'm waiting for you on the second layer." Makareth was clearly ecstatic. Orion's arrival meant he was getting some serious backup. The rivals who had been bullying him and encroaching on his turf were about to be cleared out.

"I'm still in a tributary," Orion explained honestly. "This is a pioneering run for me, so it might take a little longer. I don't know the way."

"Pioneering? Hulk, are you planning to set up a permanent base in the Abyss?"

"Yeah, I'm planning to carve out a territory and see how it goes."

"Even better! I've got several powerful jerks on my borders. You can set up shop here, we'll waste them together, and we can be neighbors!"

"We'll see when I get there," Orion replied, neither agreeing nor refusing. It was Makareth's home turf, after all. If he really became his neighbor, his own territory would inevitably hinder Makareth's future development.

"So, Hulk, what's your approach going to be? How are you planning to establish your presence?"

Makareth's question stumped him. Were there different ways to do it? There had to be, or Makareth wouldn't have asked.

"Give me a detailed rundown on the Abyss," Orion requested. "Are there rules or something I should know about?" A true leader is never too proud to ask questions, especially when out of their element.

"Heh, it's not exactly a rule, more like a suggestion for you, Hulk."

"Just spit it out. Don't beat around the bush." Orion knew nothing about the Abyss. Makareth was a native; his intel would be invaluable.

"Alright, it's like this," Makareth explained. "If you're just a tourist here to smash things and see the sights, then you do you. Go nuts. But if you want to build a permanent presence in the Abyss, the best way is to fight your way up from the first layer. If you do it that way, when you start driving out other abyssal lords to claim your territory, you won't get ganged up on by everyone else. It's an unwritten rule, a consensus that most of the lords here respect."

Orion was surprised. He never would have guessed that a place as chaotic as the Abyss would have such a subtle political system.

"Is that rule for real?" he asked, a bit skeptical. "Does everyone have to follow it?"

Powerhouses, after all, could ignore unwritten rules. Orion was sure that the deeper layers of the Abyss held terrifyingly strong beings who couldn't be bound by such conventions.

"It's real, but no, not everyone is bound by it," Makareth clarified. "Hulk, if you only plan to set up on the second layer, you're strong enough to ignore all of it. But if you want to push for the higher levels, you'll want to do it the way I suggested."

That answer satisfied Orion. It made sense that the true titans of the Abyss wouldn't be so easily restricted.

"Alright, then tell me," Orion said, cutting to the chase. "What's the advantage of fighting my way up layer by layer?" He wasn't stupid. Makareth was a teammate; he wouldn't recommend a path that didn't have some serious benefits.

"Hulk, to establish a territory, you need subjects, right?"

"Right."

"And you're coming into the Abyss alone this time, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Orion's replies were clipped. He was already starting to form a theory.

"Exactly!" Makareth's excitement was palpable. "You can go to the first layer, plant your banner, rally the masses, and recruit an army in your name! As a lord, you can issue commands and wage your war across the Abyss. All those ambitious races and powerful warriors stuck on the first layer, desperate for a chance to move up, will flock to you. You'll become their ticket to the higher floors. Think about it, Hulk. If you recruit forces on every layer you conquer, by the time you stabilize your main territory, you'll already have a massive population of loyal abyssal subjects, right?"

Orion was sold. What he needed most right now was Faith, which, to put it bluntly, meant he needed people and territory. The method Makareth was suggesting would allow him to gain both in abundance during this expedition.

Makareth, for his part, knew that a powerhouse like Orion was just passing through. His ultimate goal wasn't the second layer of the Abyss, but far, far beyond it, where the Abyssal energy was richer and the resources rarer. It was because of this understanding that he was comfortable with Orion setting up a territory near his own. He could foresee that any base Orion built on the second layer would, at most, end up as a forward outpost, not a long-term threat.

"Tell me what I need to watch out for with this method," Orion said, officially adopting the plan.

"It's simple. Before you can even raise your banner, you have to prove your strength by personally punching open a passage to the second layer. The longer you can hold that passage open, the stronger you'll appear, and the more abyssal races will be willing to swear fealty to you."

Makareth's explanation made sense—it was a public display of power. But there was one thing Orion didn't understand.

"What do you mean, 'punch open a passage to the second layer'?" He had latched onto the key phrase.

"Hulk, the Abyss is huge. Each layer is practically its own world. There are no fixed, stable passages between them. If you're strong enough, you can just shatter the world barrier and enter the next level. Those barriers exist to separate and contain the weaker abyssal life forms. The higher up you go, the tougher the barriers get."

Now Orion understood completely. The world barriers weren't just obstacles; they were a form of protection for the weak. It was a brutal system of stratification, a division based on power and access to resources. Even in a place as chaotic and murderous as the Abyss, a certain kind of order prevailed.

Or perhaps, chaos was its own form of order.

"I get it," Orion said. "Send me the coordinates of your territory. It'll give me something to aim for when I break through."

"You got it!"

Makareth then gave Orion a few more warnings and pointers before the two of them ended the conversation.

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