Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

"Giant King Orion, this is truly a bounty for us!"

Up until now, the dwarf Harbek finally recognized Stoneheart Horde's generosity this time around.

Orion stayed silent, scanning the Colosseum's stands.

Today, the Colosseum was at full capacity—with 300,000 spectators.

Men, women, the young and the old—all sorts of people had come to broaden their horizons.

Feeling the crowd's enthusiasm, Orion showed a trace of satisfaction and delight on his face.

Population, commerce, and entertainment, to some extent, are symbols of prosperity.

If prosperity is just a small circle, then true flourishing is the larger environment.

Once you have prosperity, can real flourishing be far behind?

...

"Master, you predicted everything correctly. Shall we go place a bet?"

From the stands, Wyatt asked Torin in a voice filled with excitement.

Moments ago, Torin, relying on his insight and experience, had accurately predicted James and Tordek as the victors.

Wyatt, driven by excitement, urged Torin to place more wagers so they could reap more money.

In truth, Torin was indeed tempted.

He knew that if you become the bookmaker at the Colosseum, you're almost guaranteed to profit.

After watching two rounds of duels, he was sure this challenge was Stoneheart Horde's way of distributing benefits to their people.

"Here—bet on the challenger from the dragon race to win!" Torin had already decided to wager on the challengers every time.

There might be surprises, but in the long run, he felt it was a safe bet.

"Master, why don't we also sign up for the challenge?"

"Any victory would bring a hefty reward—dark source crystal!"

Wyatt's words enticed Torin again.

All three of them—Torin and his two companions—were hero-level fighters; Torin stood at the peak of hero-level.

"Go see if we can participate, too."

Ultimately, Torin couldn't resist.

Following the order, Wyatt stood and squeezed his way eagerly toward the registration area.

In the subsequent match, the half-dragon challenger from the Dragon race also took down the dark creatures in a single strike.

Those first three battles immediately lit up the atmosphere of the Colosseum.

The carnival belonged to all members of the Stoneheart Horde.

The Colosseum's challenges ran one after another well into the evening. Stoneheart was ablaze with lights.

Indeed, it was dazzling.

Humans and Blood Elves had brought various types of magic lamps from their own territories, bathing Stoneheart City in brilliant illumination.

All around the center of Stoneheart, in the trees and among magical plants, lantern bugs flew by from time to time, adorning the city with a brand-new sight.

These lantern bugs were initially brought back by Orion from Soraya City in the Valkorath Realm. At the time, he had purchased them in bulk through Aerin.

In her Forest of Nature, Aerin launched a large-scale bug hunt to fulfill Orion's big order.

In short, Stoneheart City was no longer dependent on bonfires to drive away the darkness, nor did it rely as much on firestones.

However, firestones themselves still served as a very efficient energy source, which could be exported to other factions—dwarves skilled at forging would surely appreciate these resources.

Nighttime, the castle.

Inside Sylvana's bedchamber, Orion had just finished making love to her.

"I will take all Beastfolk bloodline warriors with me!"

Beastfolk, aside from giants, formed the largest population in the southern territory of the Stoneheart Horde.

Orion had unified them by force, for Beastfolk had long inhabited the Meadowland Plains, deeply rooted there.

Apart from Sylvana's branch, as well as subsidiary Beastfolk under the Starveil Giants, Orion had heavily suppressed the majority.

Most of those Beastfolk had been conscripted into cannon fodder troops. Those were the ones Orion was talking about.

His words sought Sylvana's opinion.

She was Orion's woman and warranted a measure of respect.

Moreover, Sylvana was a beastfolk herself, and many in the Beastfolk community regarded her as their new leader.

"They can go wherever. That's…their fate!"

Sylvana spoke with her eyes closed, breath ragged, her words coming out in fragments.

That answer clearly pleased Orion.

After the three-day challenge at the Colosseum concluded, Orion planned to lead Lilith, Rendall, Grulbane, Dace, Otho, Beyn, Torba, Thundar, Ursa, and others back to the Valkorath Realm.

This time, the armies he rotated in would be mostly Beastfolk, along with some Orcs.

Orion intended to use fungal creatures in that other world to reforge Beastfolk faith—he wanted them to realize they were fighting on behalf of the Stoneheart Horde, and more specifically, for him, Orion.

Of course, Orion also had other motives.

He aimed to use war to weed out the stubborn diehards, while giving younger, still-impressionable Beastfolk a chance to be immersed in Stoneheart Horde's culture and spirit, ultimately ensuring they merged seamlessly with the Stoneheart Horde.

"You don't care about their fate?"

Orion reached out to stroke Sylvana's ear—her most sensitive spot.

"I do care!"

"But the Beastfolk's fate largely rests in their own hands."

"Fate is merciless, and Beastfolk must shed blood and lay down their lives to earn the Honey King's trust."

Honey King was the new nickname Kitsune Sylvana had given Orion.

Of course, she only used it during their lovemaking. Whenever Sylvana climaxed, she would call him by that name without realizing it.

"Hahaha…"

"Sylvana, you're so perceptive. It'll make your life easier, and you'll gain even more."

Orion pressed Sylvana down again and drove his cock back into her pussy.

...

Ogre territory, eastern region.

While Orion and Sylvana were making love, his ogre friend was having a far worse time.

This was a flat open area, cut into three segments by a winding, branching river.

The river acted as a boundary, dividing the territories of the insectoids, the ogres, and the lizardfolk.

The lizardfolk were among those who had followed the white dragon Frostsire southward to invade, though they had been assigned to the central war zone.

After the north–south war ended, the lizardfolk leader Ssorin received a large piece of territory.

Through subsequent conquests, they kept pushing southward until reaching Lokiviria's land.

The two sides fought fiercely, and eventually Lokiviria ceded part of her territory. Surprisingly, the pair then joined forces.

They formed an alliance because they now shared a common enemy.

That enemy was their neighbor—the ogre tribe.

Ssorin, the lizardfolk lord, was a mid-level Legendary fighter, gifted with natural advantages that made him more powerful than Lokiviria.

"Ganging up on me two-on-one is disgraceful and vile!"

"Have you no respect for the pact anymore?"

"Lokiviria, I regret ever allying with you!"

Aldous swung his spiked club with transcendent power, temporarily halting Lokiviria and Ssorin.

They had battled for a full day and night, and Aldous was clearly showing signs of fatigue.

"You fool of an ogre—don't you realize?"

"After the north–south war, we were no longer allies!"

"Hand over some of your territory at once, or this fight doesn't end here."