Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

"What a pity it is to watch my hard-earned Blackstone coins trickle away one by one. Do you have any idea how painful that is to witness?"

Kadir ignored Nico's complaint. At the moment, his thoughts weren't focused on making money, but rather on how to truly take root in Stoneheart City—and whether he and Nico should fully bind their fates to the Stoneheart Horde.

Clearly, these decisions would affect his and Nico's futures.

…

Valkorath Realm, front lines.

Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted in the slime molds layer.

A lone figure shot skyward. In his left hand, Orion held a cluster of Legendary-level life essence, and on the trident in his right hand was a skewered slime molds parasitic creature. He rose like a god before everyone's eyes.

In that moment, not only the Stoneheart Horde armies but even the charging Tail-Swing Behemoths lifted their heads to behold Orion.

The battle had ended far too quickly. A Legendary-level fungal creature's presence had just appeared in the slime molds layer—and within three breaths, an explosion sounded, and the Legendary-level fungal creature was slain.

"How terrifyingly powerful…"

The werewolf Lupin stood next to Rumbold; his job was to keep Rumbold safe.

"Indeed, it's frightening,"

Rumbold muttered, staring intently at Orion. The shock in his heart was far beyond what Lupin could imagine. He still remembered their time in Godforsaken Land, back when Orion, at mid-Legendary strength, was already challenging and defeating powerful upper-Legendary foes.

And now? Orion had effortlessly killed a slime molds parasitic creature at upper-Legendary level.

"So this is the man my master calls a friend, huh? His strength must be enough to rival an arch lord, right?"

Unlike Rumbold or Lupin, the bloodline warriors from the various Stoneheart Horde armies grew deliriously excited seeing Orion rampage across the battlefield. They cheered and shouted, and their morale soared.

This time, accompanying Orion—besides Rendall's Hunting Party—were the guard armies led by Dace, Otho, Beyn, and Torba, plus Thundar's cavalry regiment, as well as the Beastfolk armies and Orc armies.

Altogether, they numbered over three hundred thousand, nearly two hundred thousand of whom were Beastfolk.

Orion had already decided not to take those Beastfolk back. Many in their ranks were halfhearted or undisciplined fighters, and Orion intended to use this slime molds trial to weed out the dregs.

His plan was for the Beastfolk to settle here in the Valkorath Realm, on the Moonveil Plains, and grow into his fervent supporters and loyal followers.

Naturally, after the trial, Orion also planned to bring over a number of Beastfolk women and children. At that point, Valkorath Realm could vigorously expand its population and agriculture, while Titanion Realm would develop commerce and outside relations.

Meanwhile, war efforts would be opened up in Emerald Dream Realm. In accumulating believers, they would also continually strengthen and refine the Stoneheart Horde's military power.

This was Orion's blueprint, and it was being implemented step by step.

"This time, whoever achieves the most battle merits in this trial shall be rewarded with a cluster of Legendary-level life essence."

"This is a path leading toward Legendary level—do you want it?"

Standing tall, Orion raised his trident high and promised every bloodline warrior on the battlefield. The response was immediate:

"WAAAGH…"

"All hail My Lord!"

"The Giant King's glory shines upon the Stoneheart Horde!"

"…"

Further down the line, Rendall swung his spiked club and smashed in the skull of a slime molds mutant. He glanced at his daughter, Ursa, who fought just as boldly by his side. She had already grown to Alpha level, very nearly catching up to him.

"Am I really going to be surpassed over and over again by the younger generation in the Giant Tribe?"

"No—that's not what I want!"

"How could the Arch Elder of the Stoneheart Horde become a laughing stock?"

With a furious roar, Rendall unleashed all his pent-up frustration. Another layer of blood shield manifested around him. Shielded by that blood shield, Rendall ignored the swarming fungal creatures, swung his spiked club with ruthless power, and anything in its path was smashed to pieces.

"I can still fight; I can still swing my club; I can still charge forward for the Horde…"

Rendall tore through the slime molds mutant horde like a madman, a living engine of slaughter. From his vantage point in midair, Orion watched it happen.

His eyes misted over with memories—he recalled the very first time he had stood atop the stone walls at the entrance of Moonshadow Valley and seen Rendall leap over those walls, fearlessly charging the dark creatures.

"I don't know where my mother and father have gone, and my older sister chose a different path in life—nothing I could do about that. "

"But Elder Rendall, I can't bear for you to vanish from my sight someday, too. The Giant Tribe needs you, and so does the Stoneheart Horde."

Orion gazed at Rendall, silent yet hopeful in his heart.

"Mr. Rumbold, Mr. Lupin, please pay special attention to these subordinates of mine."

After telepathically directing Rumbold and Lupin to watch over the Arch Elder, Dace, and the others, Orion darted into the depths of the slime molds layer. He was already at a level that could stand against an arch lord, so simply holding the line here didn't suit him.

Going it alone and hunting down Legendary-level fungal creatures was exactly what he should be doing—both as a personal quest for power and to gather crucial resources for the Stoneheart Horde.

"Rest assured; Lupin and I will remain on the front line. We'll make sure they're never in real danger,"

Rumbold and Lupin both promised, settling Orion's mind.

Back on the battlefield, the wolves howled ceaselessly. Axes and greatswords ripped and cleaved through the air. With the support of the Frost Wolf, Dace and Otho leapt and dodged nimbly among the fungal creatures, slaying them one after another side by side.

"I knew it! So that's why the prophet and Dirtclaw advanced so quickly and became so powerful."

Dace fed a lump of life essence to the Frost Wolf beneath him, and his companion grew fiercer and stronger by the moment.

Ever since the Frost Wolf reached hero level peak, it had been stuck there, not able to advance any further. Naturally, for the Frost Wolf to mature and reach its peak strength would normally take decades—if not a century—under natural conditions.

But thanks to a steady diet of dark source crystals, crystal cores, Pet Pills, and magical plants, the Frost Wolf had reached hero level peak in just a few short years. Even so, hoping to push it on to Alpha level any time soon wasn't realistic.

Nevertheless, upon arriving in Valkorath Realm, Dace, Otho, Beyn, and Torba each found their hopes renewed. The life essence here could boost not only the Frost Wolf, but themselves as well.

"As the Giant King's guards, we can't afford to lag behind the others!"

Otho shouted in response, echoing Dace's resolve.

Fighting fungal creatures was dangerous, but it was also rich with opportunity, granting them access to valuable resources time and again.