Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

"Let's go!"

At Orion's command, the four senior elders—Onyx, Rendall, Thundar, and Delilah—leapt off the city walls, leading their respective forces to drive back the beast tide.

In the skies above, the piercing cries of eagles echoed continuously. Thunderhawk Rayden, following Orion's instructions, coordinated with the four senior elders, fully committing to the effort of dispersing the beast tide.

Outside the city, the roars of beasts filled the air as the tide of creatures retreated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A stampede of beasts!

It was a rare and awe-inspiring sight, a grand spectacle that left the bloodline warriors guarding the city walls wide-eyed in amazement.

"The walls are pretty badly damaged in some places. We've got a lot of work ahead of us!" Lilith remarked as she surveyed the battered sections of the city walls, her tone filled with emotion.

Orion cast a glance at the walls but didn't seem particularly concerned. If they were damaged, they could simply be repaired. After all, the walls were built for defense, and their destiny was to endure destruction.

"When Onyx returns, have him lead the cannon fodder troops to repair the walls before winter arrives. That should be enough."

With the beast tide retreating, there were still two months left until winter—and two months until the next dark beast tide. This brief respite would allow the horde to recover and rebuild.

Even Orion himself needed to take this time to strengthen his own power.

--- Experience tales with empire

That very night, a council meeting was held in the chieftain's tent.

Council elders Earthshaker and Desdemona, under the envious gazes of many other elders, were awarded Alpha-level resources as promised.

Following this, Delilah led the war debriefing and analysis. The horde had achieved a decisive victory against the beast tide, and Orion declared a three-day celebration. During this time, all members of the horde would eat and drink to their hearts' content—including the cannon fodder troops.

When Orion and the council members appeared by the bonfire in Blackstone City's central square, the gathered tribespeople erupted into cheers.

Orion carried a roasted beast leg in one hand and a jug of wine in the other. He walked among the crowd, calming their excitement with his presence.

"Orion, come on, let's drink!" Rendall called out as soon as Orion sat down, challenging him to a drinking contest.

Orion didn't refuse. Instead, he pulled Onyx, Thundar, Rendall, and a few others into the mix, and they began drinking heavily.

By the time Orion stumbled back to his tent, thoroughly drunk, he unleashed his pent-up desires on Lilith and Lysinthia. He didn't stop until deep into the night, indulging in both women until exhaustion overtook him.

---

The next morning.

The sounds of grunts and shouts from training outside the tent woke Orion from his slumber.

"Does this youngling really have such extraordinary talent?" he muttered to himself, still groggy. "The other younglings in the horde are all weak from the plague, but he looks completely unaffected."

Grumbling under his breath, Orion released the two beauties from his embrace, got up, and changed into a light leather outfit before stepping out of the tent.

"Good morning, Chieftain. Did you sleep well?" Beyn and Torba, the guards on duty, bowed respectfully. They had taken over the watch before dawn, replacing Dace and Otho.

Orion tossed them two bottles of Pet Pills, instructing them to feed the Frost Wolves, then made his way toward Rolan.

"Mentor!" Rolan greeted him enthusiastically.

"Not bad. Keep it up," Orion said, adjusting Rolan's stance slightly before leaving him to his training.

Orion found a spot nearby and began his own light training routine. These actions were part of a ritual Orion had decided to follow before consuming an Alpha-level crystal core to enhance his strength.

The council's decision to allocate Alpha-level resources to Earthshaker and Desdemona had left Orion with two remaining Alpha-level crystal cores. Originally, he had only one, but the horde's victory over the beast tide had yielded additional spoils: one black-armored salamander and two millipede centipedes, all of which had provided Alpha-level crystal cores.

Orion planned to consume one core himself and reserve the other for the horde's future needs. This was his rightful reward and the culmination of his efforts to strengthen the horde over the past two years.

Better days were on the horizon. Orion could feel it—he was close to the day when Alpha-level resources would be freely available to him.

But before that, there was one more task to complete: opening the survivor chests he had collected.

---

Back in his tent, Orion found that Lilith and Lysinthia were gone. He didn't need to guess where they were—they had likely gone to the caves in Moonshadow Valley to try taming the broadskull ravens.

Orion lay down on the fur rug and began opening the 22 survivor chests he had accumulated. The items inside were varied but of mediocre quality. The best item was an elite-grade armor, which Orion had no use for. He tossed it into his Bagbird pouches for storage.

Finally, it was time for the main event: the chest dropped by Ridi, which had been fused with a fragment of will projection.

Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, Orion opened the chest. A small, intricately carved statue fell into his hands. Examining its properties, Orion's face lit up with delight.

---

[Battle Statue]

- Type: Statue

- Quality: Alpha

- Description: Activating the statue summons an Alpha-level demonic dragon to fight for you until its energy is depleted.

- Special Note: Once the demonic dragon's energy is exhausted, the statue requires a sacrificial offering to recharge.

---

This was undoubtedly a treasure—and one that could be put to immediate use. Unlike the Slaughter Tyrant, which required faith energy to activate, the Battle Statue was practical and versatile. Several candidates came to mind, but Orion ultimately decided to give the Battle Statue to Spider Queen Lorelia.

As the horde's only broodmother, Lorelia desperately needed a trump card to protect herself. The Alpha-level Battle Statue was the perfect solution.

Lilith already had the frost giant egg, which would eventually provide her with a powerful guardian. Delilah had the taming collar and her own plans in motion. Lorelia, however, had no such advantage and was tasked with guarding the underground fissure. This statue would fill that gap.

After finishing with the chests, Orion retrieved several vials of a rare potion. These potions were specifically designed to aid in the absorption of crystal cores and were highly valuable. To date, only the horde's high-ranking members were allowed to receive a vial when consuming Alpha-level resources.

Orion then took out a pitch-black crystal core—the core of the mother millipede centipede.

Channeling the power of his bloodline, a crimson aura of blood energy appeared in his palm. He crushed the potion vial, letting the liquid flow into his hand, where it began to corrode the crystal core. Slowly, the core softened, melting into a black liquid.

Without hesitation, Orion swallowed the mixture of potion and crystal core liquid.

The next phase was crucial: refining the violent energy contained within the crystal core.