"That's a demigod's will, specifically targeting any entity at Legendary level or higher."

Orion's voice resonated in Lumi's mind. He had kept his will projected alongside her as a precaution.

"This world is strange," he continued. "The demigod's will is spread across the entire plane. It feels… desperate, like a final act of defiance."

Orion didn't know the history of this Godforsaken Land, but he recognized the signs. A demigod blanketing an entire world with their consciousness was an insane waste of divine power. There was only one reason for such a reckless act: the demigod was dying.

"Go on down," Orion instructed. "Bring Soraya and the others through. Once we conquer this place, we'll figure out what the hell happened here."

"Understood."

Lumi dissolved into a flurry of wind and snow, drifting down toward a secluded valley below.

As she descended, snowflakes began to fall from a clear sky. The birds and beasts in the valley panicked, fleeing as if from a wildfire.

"I've never seen animals this skittish," Lumi observed, her form coalescing on a treetop as she watched the exodus. "My snow carries no malice, yet they sensed it and ran."

"I don't think they're sensitive. I think there's a native predator here that hunts the same way you do," Orion theorized. "When the snow falls, a hunter appears. That's a lesson that has been carved into their very genes."

As they spoke, Lumi relayed the spatial coordinates to Soraya. A moment later, a shimmering distortion filled the valley, which was suddenly packed with the bloodline warriors of the Stoneheart Horde.

"Arden!" Orion's voice boomed. "Take a team and scout a fifty-mile radius. Standard procedure. Map the terrain."

Arden, who was once Gareth's messenger, had been promoted. Orion had brought him on this campaign and made him a squad leader in the Sentinel Corps.

"Yes, my lord!" Arden's voice was filled with pride. To be given a command directly from Orion was the highest honor. He had already accumulated enough battle achievements in the last Godforsaken Land to cash them in for the cultivation resources and masterwork gear he needed from the horde's treasury. Here, in this new world, he was certain he could earn enough to finally claim a Lord's Stone.

"This is your shot, Arden," Orion said, loud enough for the man to hear as he eagerly led his squad away. "Before long, you might just be a respected lord like Gareth."

Orion's gaze swept over the other eager faces in the crowd: Selenis, Jarex, Slagor, the fiend serpent Gurnar, Lycan, Rolan, Tarn, and Hammerhoof.

"You all know the drill. Split into teams and establish a defensive perimeter along the ridges. Nothing gets into this valley."

"Yes, my lord!" a chorus of voices answered as they charged off to their tasks.

While the vanguard secured the landing zone, Soraya needed time to prepare. From his aerial survey, Orion had already spotted the monsters from the intel reports.

This was a world of Cretaceous Beasts: Galehorn Triceratops that moved with supernatural speed, the fire-breathing Cinderjaw Rex, the frost-wreathed Rimewing Pterosaurs, and Volt-plate Stegosaurs that crackled with lightning. The fifth type, the Phantom Spinosaurus, remained elusive.

While Orion directed his lieutenants, Soraya placed her Nest on the ground. She disappeared inside for a few moments before emerging, releasing her small scorpions in a chittering tide.

"I need a massive supply of monster corpses," she said, coming up behind Orion and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Their innate elemental abilities can be assimilated, allowing me to hatch scorpions with similar powers. With enough biomass, I might even be able to breed specialized resistances to counter them." She leaned her head against his back. "I like this world. Are you thinking of giving it away?"

"You really want it?" Orion asked, turning to look at her seriously.

"Yes."

"Fine. When this campaign is over, the territory is yours."

He knew what Soraya and Marina were doing. By claiming these Godforsaken Lands, they were building their own power bases, accumulating the resources and faith necessary for their own ascensions to arch lord. He had no doubt Marina, as a demigod avatar, would succeed. As for Soraya, if she had the ambition to reach for that power, he would support her completely.

***

Far away, deep within the active volcano.

While Orion's invasion force prepared for war, a different gathering was taking place in a vast cavern overlooking a lake of magma.

A group of humanoids, the Cretaceous race, prostrated themselves on the stone floor. They were the pinnacle of evolution in this world, descended from the most gifted of the beasts.

"O, peerless mother deity," the lead one chanted. "Your children have answered your divine call and gathered as you commanded."

They worshipped a colossal, seven-colored egg suspended over the lava. It seemed to breathe, pulsing with a slow, rhythmic light. With every exhalation, a fully formed, miniature embryo was expelled from an opening at its base.

Each embryo contained a different type of Cretaceous Beast—green for the Galehorn Triceratops, red for the Cinderjaw Rex, white for the Rimewing Pterosaur, violet for the Volt-plate Stegosaur, and black for the Phantom Spinosaurus. This was the origin of them all.

"Our world has been invaded once again."

A cold, deep female voice emanated from the egg. It held no warmth, no gentleness. Not all mothers, or mother deities, are loving.

"What?"

"Invaders?"

"Where are they?"

"Are they here to destroy us?"

Panic exploded through the assembled race.

"Go," the egg commanded, its voice cutting through the chaos. "The invaders are in the south." A wave of psionic energy washed over the crowd, planting the precise coordinates of the valley in every mind. "Take all my children. Drive them out. Kill them. This world cannot bear the burden of another intelligent race. This is our paradise. The invaders must die."

The deep, gravelly voice was laced with cold fury and absolute killing intent.

Heeding their mother deity's command, the entire Cretaceous race, led by their chieftain, marched out from the great cavern at the base of the volcano.

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