Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

"Damn it, he made me bleed!"

"Kill him, and after that, I'll do whatever you say!"

It was a rare sight indeed: the larger, fiercer head of the two-headed ogre was the one speaking up at this moment.

"You idiot, if you'd listened to me earlier, we wouldn't be dealing with this lizard right now!"

By "lizard," he meant Ssorin, the lizardfolk lord.

In reality, aside from lacking wings, Ssorin wasn't much different from a dragon.

And for someone at Legendary level who could temporarily fly with transcendent power, lizardfolk lord Ssorin had few weaknesses in battle.

"Insectoid Lord Lokiviria, you're absolutely right!"

"This war won't be ending here!"

"Big guy, we're leaving—heading west. I've got friends over there."

It was quite a comical scene: while Aldous was still talking, Bluehide already began running off. After all, they shared the same mind!

The rest of the ogre tribe fled with them.

"Lokiviria, you promised me this region was mine!"

Watching the ogres retreat, lizardfolk lord Ssorin was overcome with joy.

Through a single fight, he'd gained even more territory.

"I keep my promises; I never go back on my word!"

Lokiviria also gazed after the ogres, looking toward the western reaches of the continent—toward the lands of that Giant King.

"Will he get dragged into this?"

Lokiviria wasn't sure.

Lokiviria had been oppressed by Ssorin and lost part of his territory.

Seeking revenge, Lokiviria designed this whole plan so the ogres would suffer losses.

Now, Lokiviria wanted to involve that Giant King too.

Aside from the far southern lands—populated by humans, dwarves, blood elves, dragons, and the Stoneheart Horde, who were at peace—everyone else on the continent was still warring.

Once he arrived in the south, Lokiviria found himself under pressure from every corner.

He needed to shift that pressure elsewhere and find a powerful ally.

If the Giant King entered the stage, Lokiviria might ally with him again.

…

Valkorath Realm, Soraya City.

Through a burst of teleportation energy, Orion arrived here with Lilith, Rendall, and others.

Even though she was pregnant, Lilith had also come to the Valkorath Realm. Orion had made that decision after careful thought.

"This is Soraya City!"

"Secure your troops. Have them stand by right here and wait for further orders."

Ignoring the curious glances from the crowd, Orion gave the order and then led Lilith toward Dusk Castle.

At the castle gates, Soraya was already waiting with a broad smile.

"Soraya is delighted to see my lord and my lady!"

Orion nodded. But before he could speak, Lilith stepped forward and took Soraya's arm.

"Soraya, just call me Lilith!"

"You're also Orion's woman and the Warden of the Stoneheart Horde."

"We've come here this time, and I need your support."

Soraya's smile grew even brighter; Lilith's friendly approach put her at ease.

Moreover, Soraya couldn't sense any envy or jealousy in Lilith—at least not visibly.

"Of course. We need to support each other."

Soraya gave Orion a quick sidelong glance. Seeing no reaction from him, she took Lilith by the hand and led her into the castle.

...

Returning to the Valkorath Realm left Orion somewhat awestruck.

He'd assumed that, aside from the central area having some flora, most of the Valkorath Realm was wasteland and deadlands.

Now, however, he saw tender green grass everywhere. Even the sky seemed tinged with a faint green hue.

"The methods used by a few allies in the Champions Alliance are beyond my current abilities."

Within the castle, in a certain garden, grew numerous magical plants and swarms of lantern bugs. Orion also spotted a few rare elemental sprites.

"Those magical plants and the group of elemental sprites were gifts from a VIP guest who arrived last time at Soraya City," Soraya explained.

"He said these little sprites would help Moonveil Plains recover more swiftly."

Orion nodded, understanding that it must be Deputy Commander Edward's doing.

Only a mage who advanced to demigod level—the likes of Deputy Commander Edward—could pull off something this substantial.

"Tell me about the battles as of late."

Withdrawing his gaze from the elemental sprites, Orion turned his attention to Soraya.

Lilith stood off to one side, playing with the sprites, content to observe.

"Lich Vexis is leading the undead armies and the majority of the small scorpions in pursuit of the fungal creatures."

"During that time, Lich Vexis was ambushed twice but managed to kill the assassins both times."

"We received a large haul of life essence from the front lines, which I've kept in storage."

As she spoke, Soraya presented two boxes, handing them to Orion.

They contained Legendary-level life essence, the spoils of Lich Vexis's victories.

Soraya clearly knew she had no right to handle something so valuable.

Orion stowed away the bone-crafted boxes, realizing that Vexis truly was carrying out Arthas's orders and wholeheartedly supporting Orion with no selfish motives.

It was yet another favor he owed.

"You two continue chatting—I'm going to check things out in more detail."

Putting aside his mixed feelings, Orion headed toward another wing of the palace.

Seated on the throne, Orion focused his mind on the Survivor's Platform and accessed the public channel of the Champions Alliance.

Leonidas: "The slime molds broodmother got pulled away, and I've totally lost my drive!"

Leonidas: "Alexander, what are you up to?"

Alexander: "I'm no longer in the Valkorath Realm!"

Leonidas: "You're not guarding the western region anymore?"

Alexander: "With the slime molds broodmother gone, the slime molds layer won't pose me any real threat.

Alexander: "Hulk and Kraken can handle the rest. Do you plan on settling down in the Valkorath Realm and lazing around?"

Leonidas: "Retire? I haven't advanced to demigod yet! I've got plenty to do!"

Alexander: "As long as you know."

With that, Alexander's one-liner left Leonidas somewhat gloomy.

But Leonidas, being the restless type, bounced back fairly quickly.

Leonidas: "Squiddy (Kraken's nickname), how're things going on your end?"

Kraken was evidently in the midst of fighting, as it took a long while to respond.

Kraken: "Boss, I've hit the peak of Legendary level!"

Leonidas: "Holy fuck, you've finally caught up to Hulk! Keep going—I'm counting on you to grab that freebie from Deputy Commander."

Kraken: "Boss, I won't let you down!"

…

Reading the conversation, Orion was also amazed.

That's fast!

Kraken's rate of advancement didn't lag much behind his own.