With his ambitions set on expanded towards the region of South Reno in the hopes of establishing a solid foothold in the area. Zane had begun to make his first major ploy against the Horde King Bartholomew.
This was, of course, while his scouts were also searching for the whereabouts of another Tier I Horde King to slay. But while Zane was beginning to make his own moves against the nearby Horde Kings, Bartholomew himself had problems of his own to deal with.
Bartholomew was what one called a Tier II Horde King. Meaning he was in charge of a horde that had between 100,000 and 500,000 undead within it. As the man in charge of the ruins of Old Reno, he easily met these criteria.
Not only was his horde significantly larger and more powerful than those which Zane and his party had directly fought against so far. But he himself was a terrifying existence, even to those of his own level. After all, he was damn near the point of reaching the power of a Tier III Horde King.
If Zane were to encounter Bartholomew at this moment and, in doing so, wage a life and death battle with the monster, he would most certainly die. That is, if Bartholomew and the other Horde Kings had not already mistaken the man to be their brother, one who is acting as their mother's personal agent.
Of course, Zane knew nothing about this. Meanwhile, Bartholomew had begun to suspect Zane's plans to annex a small portion of his territory. After all, more and more humans from Gravestone were visiting South Reno, scouting out the area to see which was the best portion to build an outpost on.
And though Zane didn't realize it himself, this would most certainly be considered a declaration of war against Bartholomew. Such were the rules and regulations that the Horde Kings had enacted to ensure that they do not break into infighting like the pathetic humans they had now mostly conquered.
And while this was a real concern, Bartholomew's attention was elsewhere. Specifically drawn towards a pesky new development that was taking place across the country.
While most living beings had developed new powers and abilities that the Horde Kings could not possibly explain the origin of. A specific group of humans appeared to have shunned these mysterious powers in favor of developing new technology that was quite efficient in fighting off the Undead.
At least those below the Rank of Horde King, more specifically those who were not of spectral origin. These humans, clad in steel skin, which was painted in olive drab green, were becoming a serious nuisance for many of the Horde Kings whose territory lie within the borders of the Remnants' many bunker complexes.
Because of this, Bartholomew had been distracted by his siblings who were raging over their losses against this new class of enemy. Which had proven difficult to destroy. Bartholomew had received a request for aid from one of his sisters, whose territory lie in the North West in what was once known as Oregon.
Specifically, the girl was asking for him to send her his Banshees or what remained of them. After all, Spectral Undead were something that a Tier I Horde King would not be able to get their hands on. Hell, even most Tier II Horde Kings would not have such powerful minions beneath their command.
Among all the Horde Kings in the world, only two had the right to reject a demand from Ophelia. One of those was, of course, the mighty Balthasar who was referred to as "My Lord" by his siblings. An honorific that none of the other Horde Kings could claim for themselves.
You see, though, she may take the form of a small child, one where she put on a cutesy act by speaking in the third person, and referring to all of her siblings as her elder siblings.
Ophelia was the Horde King in charge of Shanghai, the world's third largest city by population. And by now she had reduced its living population to a mere 100,000. The rest of its 26 million plus residents had become her undead minions.
Her power was unquestionable, and even the likes of Damian and Lilith, who fought with one another for control over North America, would not dare to reject one of Ophelia's demands. At least not without thinking of an alternative to please her.
Because of this, Ophelia immediately questioned her "Big Brother" in a way that terrified him, and everyone else who was privy to their conversation via the Hive Mind, which all Horde Kings had access to.
"Oh? Big Brother.... You wouldn't be denying Ophelia's kindness, now would you? After all, Ophelia has a great present for Big Brother! It will help him break through!"
Though Ophelia referred to her offer as a kindness, the reality of the situation was that it was a way to get Bartholomew under her control. Now what could a meager Tier II Horde King offer the likes of a powerhouse such as Ophelia?
Well, he could be used as a puppet to interfere with Lilith's growth and expansion. After all, if Lilith wanted to advance eastward, she would need to deal with Bartholomew in some way or another. At the very least, Bartholomew could be used as a spy to keep an eye on Lilith.
One might wonder the exact reason someone based on another continent would be so concerned with a rival who operated halfway around the world. But such was the nature of the Horde Kings. They were all competing with one another for power and influence over the world. And more importantly, for their absent mother's favor.
Though Lilith's power may be contained within the boundaries of LA for now, it was unknown when she would become a threat to the likes of Ophelia. Now, as far as Bartholomew was concerned, Ophelia had just tossed him a huge bone.
It wasn't simply a matter of getting his hands on more minions to become Tier III. No, the Undead had to level up and expand their power in their own ways. While similar to humanity's current progression, it was also very different.
So, if Ophelia had something that could help Bartholomew advance to Tier III in exchange for his current Banshees being given to Elenor for aid. Then, by all means, it was a tempting offer. Of course, he would need to make sure that Lilith didn't find out about this.
The woman was, after all, obsessed with Bartholomew in a way that even he didn't quite understand. And she would go completely haywire if she found out her favorite toy was being snatched away by another. Because of this deeply disturbing reality, Bartholomew was forced to weigh his options quite carefully before agreeing to Ophelia's request.