Chapter 61: Precautions Against The Starbound

​Most had expected her to die shortly after birth. Many considered her an abomination, while others viewed her merely as an ugly curiosity.

​Yet from the moment she learned to walk, it became clear she was neither.

​She was something else entirely. Something greater.

​She was a hybrid who inherited the absolute strengths of both bloodlines while suffering from neither weakness, a monster, a genius, a prodigy.

​Morghanna slowly opened her eyes, the crimson flames within her sockets flickering.

​The memories brought neither sadness nor anger, those weak emotions had long since burned away.

​The only thing she remembered clearly was her mother’s gaze. Not warmth, not affection... but hatred. Pure, unadulterated hatred.

​The human woman had looked down at her as though she were the living embodiment of every misfortune in her life.

​And perhaps she was. After all, Morghanna’s very existence was living proof of her mother’s permanent defeat, a cruel reminder she could never escape.

​The Orc Chief leaned back against her bone throne, a faint, cold smile appearing on her face. Sharp and almost mocking.

​In the end, none of it mattered.

​Her mother had died, her father had died, and the human kingdom that abandoned her mother had eventually fallen to ruin.

​Yet she remained.

​Standing above them all, standing above the Dominion, standing above the countless warriors who once mocked her existence, and standing at the absolute peak of the [Arcane Vessel Realm].

​Soon, she would step into the [Grand Circuit Realm]. And when that happened, even the legendary neighboring kingdoms would no longer be able to ignore her presence.

​Her claws tightened slightly against the armrest of her throne.

​Then, despite herself, her thoughts drifted back toward a certain Starbound Lord. Toward a certain threat, and toward a certain infuriating smile delivered through a swarming wave of worms.

​Morghanna frowned.

​For some reason, she thoroughly disliked the instinctual feeling that a battle against this Lord would not proceed as easily as her arrogant elders believed.

​And she hated that feeling more than anything else in the world.

Morghanna eventually forced those stray thoughts from her mind.

​Dwelling on them any longer would accomplish nothing. Yet, for some reason, a bad premonition lingered deep in her chest.

The more she analyzed the Starbound Intruder, the more uneasy she became.

​The tribal elders intended to wait seven days, that was how long the protective veil surrounding the Lord’s territory would remain active before naturally dissolving.

Once it vanished, the Dominion would launch a crushing, total assault.

​It was a simple plan. A logical one.

​And yet... Morghanna felt it was fundamentally wrong.

​Her crimson eyes narrowed. That Lord didn’t strike her as someone who would cower behind a barrier for seven days.

​He had threatened her. Not begged, not negotiated, and not pleaded for peace.

​Threatened.

​And strangely enough... Morghanna didn’t believe he had been bluffing.

​She exhaled slowly, her raspy voice echoing through the empty hall. "Grukhar."

​Moments later, the heavy tent flaps parted, and a massive figure stepped inside.

​Standing over four meters tall, Grukhar’s sheer presence made the chamber seem smaller.

His body was a mountain of muscle covered in jagged battle scars, with a gigantic greataxe resting heavily across his broad back.

One tusk was chipped near the base, giving him a perpetually ruthless appearance.

​The giant Orc immediately bowed his head. "Chief."

​The greeting was short and respectful, exactly as expected.

​Morghanna gave a slight nod. Grukhar was her half-brother, the only blood relative she had left alive.

​Not because she possessed any warm familial attachment; quite the opposite.

Every other sibling who had ever attempted to challenge her authority had long since become rot beneath her feet.

​Grukhar remained alive for two simple reasons.

​The first was that his brain was approximately the size of a walnut. He never questioned orders, never schemed, and never plotted.

If Morghanna told him to leap into an active volcano, he would probably ask how high she wanted him to jump first.

​The second reason was far more practical: he was strong. Incredibly strong.

​Among the entire Kragmar Dominion, only Morghanna herself could confidently overpower him.

Which made him useful, and useful tools were always worth keeping around.

​Morghanna fixed her sharp gaze on the giant Orc. "Increase the perimeter patrols."

​Grukhar immediately straightened up. "More patrols?"

​"Twice the current amount," her tone left zero room for argument. "Any unusual activity is to be reported to me immediately. Any unfamiliar creature, any movement near the veil, or any spatial disturbance."

​Her crimson eyes sharpened into slits. "And if something appears insignificant, assume it isn’t."

​The giant Orc blinked his small eyes. It was a surprisingly complicated directive for his simple mind, but fortunately, he only needed to hold onto the core objective: report everything.

​He nodded heavily, causing his massive frame to shift. "As you command, Chief."

​"Alert the scouts as well," Morghanna continued smoothly. "They are to observe the intruder’s territory without interruption. Should even a single troop cross that barrier, I want to know about it instantly."

​Grukhar slammed a massive, green fist against his chest with a heavy thud. "It will be done."

​Without another word, the massive Orc turned and strode out of the war tent.

​Morghanna watched him leave before leaning back against the cold throne of bones.

The moment she was alone again, heavy silence reclaimed the chamber.

​The scouts will be monitoring Lord’s Hollow, and additional patrols would fortify the Dominion’s outer defenses.

Every reasonable precaution had been meticulously taken.

​Yet the subtle sense of impending danger in her chest remained, a quiet warning she couldn’t rationalize.

​Morghanna hated uncertainty, which was precisely why she refused to underestimate this target.

​Where the elders saw just another fragile Starbound Intruder, another weak Lord destined to die, Morghanna saw an unknown variable.

And unknown variables had a habit of spiraling into total disasters if ignored.

​Her claws tapped rhythmically against the armrest of her throne.

​No matter what happened, the Kragmar Dominion would be ready. And if the intruder truly intended to make good on his threat... she would personally crush him before he could take a single step into her domain.