Chapter 1629: Grim Arithmetic
"And the second matter?" Arthas finally asked after another stretch of silence.
"It concerns the Emerald Dream Realm. I plan to drag it into the Titanion Realm to expand my world Authority." Orion met their eyes. "We conquered the Emerald Dream Realm together. You all have a stake in it. To pull it across the void, I’m going to need your help."
It was a genuine request. The Emerald Dream Realm didn’t belong solely to him; it held a share of his brothers’ interests as well. Furthermore, they had only fully secured The Dusklands. The Sunward Reach and The Continent of Chaos remained untamed. With Orion effectively grounded in the Titanion Realm, seeing his vision through required their combined strength.
"Before we hash out the details, I need to lay out some hard truths."
In reality, none of them had batted an eye at the prospect of cannibalizing the Emerald Dream Realm. It was the mention of "hard truths" that made their brows furrow.
"As you all know, the Titanion Realm is now an Ascendant Plane," Orion began. "The only thing in it capable of drawing the attention of apex powerhouses is a Divine Mantle. For anyone at the sixth stage, a Divine Mantle is the absolute prerequisite to achieving true godhood."
Silence reigned. They waited for Orion to drop the other shoe.
"When the Titanion Realm coalesces its first Divine Mantle, the priority to claim it falls to me. Then, the Commander." Orion swept his gaze over his brothers. The unbroken silence was their unanimous consent.
"If my strength falls short, or if the resulting Divine Mantle is simply a better fit for him, the Commander bumps up to first in line."
From what Orion understood, the Commander was an absolute monster standing at the pinnacle of the demigod sixth stage. Given his current trajectory, Orion wasn’t entirely certain he could reach the Commander’s current heights by the time the Mantle materialized. It was a necessary contingency. Furthermore, securing that first Divine Mantle was impossible without the Commander’s sheer martial might.
"Next in line are the supreme powerhouses joining our faction—those ancient monsters at the fifth and sixth stages. A Divine Mantle is the only bait capable of hooking them. We have to give them Hope that they can claim one."
It was a harsh reality. If they wanted to rally enough heavy hitters to survive the coming war, they had to be willing to carve up the cake.
"And only after all of them... will it be your turn."
Orion met their eyes again, searching their faces for the inevitable resentment or frustration. But he found nothing. The only sound in the cavern was the roaring draft of the Ever-Burning Volcano.
"If, during this time, any of you can push your strength high enough to earn a seat at the table with those ancient monsters, the Commander and I will back your claim with everything we have."
Bluntly put, it was a pure meritocracy. Might made right. In the days to come, every member of the Champions Alliance would be pouring their blood, sweat, and fortunes into the Titanion Realm. Orion refused to let them bleed for nothing. He had to lay the grim arithmetic of their odds bare.
"Isn’t it a little early to be worrying about this?" Leonidas scoffed. "I’m only at the first stage of a demigod. Reaching the Commander’s level? Who knows how many centuries of grinding that’s going to take!"
To be completely honest, Leonidas hadn’t thought nearly that far ahead. His only immediate goals were to breach the demigod second-stage, hold The Bastion Wall, and flex on whatever poor bastards tried to invade his turf.
"Are you completely missing the point?" Arthas shot back, glaring at Leonidas. "What Orion is actually saying is that, aside from the Commander, the rest of us are dead weight. We are too weak to even qualify for the opening bloodbath over the first Divine Mantle. Because we’re weak, we can’t step into the ring to help him or the Commander. Weakness is the original sin."
Arthas understood Orion perfectly. He also understood his own limits, and the limits of their crew.
"Arthas is right," Orion agreed quietly. "Myself included, we are weak. The number of supreme powerhouses flocking to our banner on the Titan continent is going to explode. No one can guarantee that those monsters will stay loyal. When the time comes, I am not entirely confident the Commander can suppress all of them by himself."
The Commander was absurdly powerful. Unbeatable, even. But as the wielder of the world’s Authority, Orion had to view the board differently. Even the sharpest minds miscalculated. Not even the Commander could genuinely claim to be invincible against the entire world.
"If the situation deteriorates, there’s a very real chance they could put a leash on me and use me as a puppet to farm Divine Mantles," Orion warned. "Brothers, I’ll be blunt. The entire Champions Alliance is currently being carried on the Commander’s back. Past, present, future... do you really think the man won’t eventually break under that weight?"
His brothers exchanged silent looks, entirely unsure of how to answer that.
"So," Deputy Commander Edward finally spoke, distilling Orion’s point, "earning a shot at a Divine Mantle requires both absolute strength and seniority within the faction?"
Orion nodded. That was exactly why he had made this trip. He needed to lay the brutal politics of the Divine Mantle bare so no resentments festered between them down the line.
"We still have time to grow. A Divine Mantle isn’t going to condense overnight. We still have a window to increase our leverage within the Titanion Realm," Edward stated evenly. "As long as that first Divine Mantle lands in either your hands or the Commander’s, I have zero complaints. Furthermore, I will lend my full support to securing it for you."
Edward’s priority wasn’t himself. It was Orion and the Commander. He understood the assignment perfectly. As long as Orion or the Commander ascended to the Divine Mantle, the rest of them could use that ladder to keep climbing higher. The Champions Alliance was a true fellowship, not one man’s private mercenary band.
"Same here! Just point me at whoever needs killing!" Leonidas aggressively voiced his support.
"If you claim the Divine Mantle, will you leave us in the dust?" Alexander asked quietly.
Orion immediately shook his head.
"Then the matter is settled," Alexander replied.
Finally, Orion turned to Arthas. This man was his mentor, his guide. His opinion mattered immensely.
"By the time I finish devouring the Ever-Burning Volcano, I will emerge as a fourth-stage demigod at the absolute minimum," Arthas said smoothly. "I might not be strong enough to sit at the table and bleed for a Divine Mantle, but I’ll have more than enough power to lock down the Titan continent and stabilize the rear for you. I can wait my turn."
Orion grinned. That was his Arthas. Steady as a mountain.
"Speaking of the situation on the Titan continent, allow me to interject," Deputy Commander Edward suddenly cut in, interrupting the moment.
