Titan King: Ascension of the Giant - Chapter 465

Chapter 465: The other side of the wind
Valkorath Realm, the battlefront.

The wind here is fierce. For a long time ago , Gustalon’s eyes could perceive nothing but ice, snow, and towering glaciers.

After that southern invasion, his view expanded to include flowers, wheat fields, magical plants… and a variety of living creatures.

Now, the scene unfolding before Gustalon features battle flags, slime molds, parasitic creatures… and death, one after another.

Gustalon’s strength has risen significantly, and he is now not far from the Alpha peak.

Bluntly put, aside from Soraya—who has gone into seclusion to break through to the Legendary level—Gustalon is currently the most powerful Alpha-level fighter under Orion’s command.

As the battle continues, what Gustalon sees turns blood-red, and it also turns into death.

Hoo!

A sudden wind blade appears out of thin air and slices an approaching slime molds mutant clean in half.

Just as the severed mutant is about to drop into the slime molds layer to regenerate, a ferocious gust of wind sweeps in and whips it into the sky.

Another wind blade flashes out, cracking open the slime molds mutant’s head and revealing the life essence hidden within.

With a slight gesture, Gustalon summons the life essence into his hand.

Gustalon can’t recall precisely how many Alpha-level slime molds mutants he has killed over the past two days.

As an elemental being, Gustalon’s memory is excellent; he never forgets anything he has seen. Whether it is the northern ice sheets, the Black Forest, Thunderwood Forest, or the giants’ territory in the south—wherever Gustalon has traveled, he remembers it all.

Naturally, he also remembers the creatures living in those regions.

All of them have become part of Gustalon’s ever-expanding vision.

But in this war, one familiar face after another vanishes.

For reasons he cannot fully explain, Gustalon feels anger welling up.

Compared with his previous carefree, arbitrary slaughters, Gustalon now kills with a sharper focus. His wind blades have become even more lethal.

In absolute silence, Gustalon merges into the wind, hunting down the nearest slime molds mutant.

“Elemental life really is the darling of this world!”

“Lord Orion, your subordinate has finally understood the other side of the wind—slaughter, destruction, and death.”

“Wind is a weapon that sweeps away all obstructions!”

Orion makes no reply. He, too, is keeping an eye on Gustalon.

From this moment on, Gustalon’s name has been added to Orion’s short list of those likely to reach Legendary level soon.

“Xalathar, Lumi, Gustalon, Soraya—who will surprise me first?”

Orion looks forward to it. From this latest battle, he has acquired two more clusters of Legendary-level life essence.

He intends to repay one to Leonidas, and he will hold onto the other in case his subordinates need it.

After Gustalon, Onyx and Dirtclaw also have a shot. As long as they stay alive through this defensive engagement, they’ll get their share of Alpha-level resources, which will be quite substantial.

All Orion’s subordinates will see their powers rise.

“Stepping up to the Legendary rank still requires having your own territory. That’s the tricky part.”

“Lumi and Soraya already have their territories; their barriers are gone.”

“But Xalathar and Gustalon might be difficult!”

The effect of life essence is essentially the same as that of a Lord’s Stone.

Orion knows this all too well.

The key to achieving a flawless ascension to Legendary level is holding a lordship, and lordship depends on having territory.

When traveling to this place, Orion had not assigned any lands to Xalathar or Gustalon, so if they want to advance perfectly into the Legendary tier, they’ll have to take a roundabout path.

“Seems like building additional cities needs to happen sooner rather than later.”

Orion has already formed a plan in his mind.

Once Soraya advances to Legendary level, he will begin claiming land in the Valkorath Realm for them to build new cities of their own.

Afterward, he will carve out territories within the Valkorath Realm to grant to his subordinates who have grown stronger. That way, each can ascend to the Legendary level perfectly while also gaining lordship. This smooth path will pave the way for them to break through to the Arch Lord tier someday.

This is the solution Orion has come up with.

“Marnok!”

Just then, a roar from the battlefield below catches Orion’s attention, pulling him from his musing.

The one shouting is Drakthul, an elder of the giants, who is coordinating with an Alpha-level giant named Marnok.

Marnok is pulled into the slime molds layer by a tentacled slime molds parasitic creature, and his fate hangs by a thread.

By the time Orion catches sight of it, it’s too late—Marnok is lost entirely, consumed by the slime molds layer.

Whish, whish, whish!

Orion wields the spider spear, cutting away the part of the slime molds layer that engulfed Marnok. Yet when Drakthul manages to drag Marnok free, he is already devoid of life.

Orion’s expression grows grim. Over the last two days, two of his Alpha-level subordinates have died here—and both were giants.

Marnok and Veldrok were from the Starveil giants, and now both have perished on this battlefield.

With Marnok’s demise, Orion dares not let his mind wander again. He refocuses on the battle ahead.

Farther back, lich Vexis resumes chanting incantations, raising Marnok’s corpse as an undead soldier to rejoin the fight.

For every bloodline warrior in the Stoneheart Horde, this conflict is downright maddening. They are like lumps of meat in a frying pan, each drop of their energy slowly squeezed dry.

Were it not for the half million skeleton warriors and one hundred thousand small scorpions fighting alongside them, and without a rotation scheme allowing them to rest in turns, many bloodline warriors would not have endured this far.

The Valkorath Realm has two suns.

Bathed in sunlight, life ebbs away. Higher beings and slime molds alike contest with all their might.

Even now, after so much combat, the slime molds layer shows no sign of retreat.

That is the enemy Orion and his Stoneheart Horde must continue to face.

Until the third day, at the rear of the battle line, a cloaked skeleton arrives, leading a legion of skeleton warriors that stretches out of sight.

“In accordance with my master’s orders, Lord Orion, we have come to relieve you.”

“In seven days, you will resume your defense of this place.”

Orion nods, fixing the cloaked skeleton with a brief, calm gaze.

“This front is now yours.”

He then sends word to lich Vexis. Only after the cloaked skeleton’s forces assume their positions do the Stoneheart Horde bloodline warriors pull back in an orderly retreat.

Half a day later, Orion leads his subordinates back to Cryptopolis.

Within the palace, Orion sits on his throne; to one side, the lich Vexis stands in silence.

Before them, assembled and awaiting his address, are Gustalon, Onyx, Earthshaker, Gronthar, Dirtclaw, Drakthul, Gormathar, and Thunderclaw.

Orion’s gaze sweeps across them all, lingering on the empty spot where Marnok and Veldrok once stood.

“The departed have gone on. They rest in honor. We shall attend their funeral rites together in just a little while.”