Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

"Sword Skill: Invincible Sword Dancer!"

Blademaster Grommash spat out blood, gritting his teeth as he roared in a hoarse rasp. Every drop of his blood seemed to surge throughout his body and pour into the bones of his left hand. Little by little, those bones were stained a deep crimson, shifting into the shape of a sword.

At the same time, Blademaster Grommash's face turned unnaturally pale from blood loss, his features contorting into something ferocious.

"Ever since I was a kid, my father told me I was born to be unbeatable!"

"Invincible Sword Dance…"

With a clang, a blood-red sword flash shimmered, and a wave of transcendent power pulsed out. The sword light swallowed Blademaster Grommash whole, merging with his very body as he lunged toward Orion in a single mighty slash.

Orion lifted his trident, sensing a genuine threat. A colossal sword attack—nearly 300 feet long—crashed down with a force worthy of a Legendary-level strike. Within it, Orion could feel a faint but unmistakable rush of transcendent power.

Blademaster Grommash had succeeded, rising to Legendary level. Yet he had also failed, because he died in the process.

Splurch!

Orion's trident pierced Grommash's throat, leaving the blademaster with but a single ragged breath.

"I've seen a new light… so bright… so dazzling…"

"I… I can't… die like this!"

Those final words trailed off as Blademaster Grommash breathed his last. With no change in his expression, Orion smoothly swept his trident from the blademaster's throat down to his heart.

Accompanied by a sickening tear of flesh, Orion fished out a faintly glowing Lord's Stone from within Grommash's body.

"Earthshaker, collect his corpse. I'll need it."

After giving Earthshaker this command, Orion pocketed the Lord's Stone. Moments later, Jorik, Gareth, Ironhoof, Bluehide, and Lokiviria all arrived before him.

"I sensed a strange burst of transcendent power," Lokiviria remarked, eyeing Orion with suspicion.

Orion glanced at him but offered no explanation.

"Orion, what just happened?" Jorik finally asked. The others wore expressions of curiosity as well. Orion let out a small sigh and answered calmly.

"Just a moment ago, Blademaster Grommash sacrificed his own life, trying to form his Lord's Stone in a last-ditch effort to challenge me."

"But he failed."

Orion only half told the truth, and after listening, Jorik, Gareth, and the others looked as though it all suddenly made sense.

"If it was Blademaster Grommash, he definitely had the ability to pull something like that off," Aldous said. As he spoke, he gave Orion a quick wink, his expression cryptic. It was clear Aldous knew more than he let on, but he had chosen to keep Orion's secret. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

"The orcs can't threaten us now. Tell our people to feast well, and then we'll keep pushing south."

Without further explanation, Lokiviria threw down that order before turning on his heel and leaving Orion's temporary camp. "Feasting well" had another meaning: distributing the spoils of war.

Jorik, Gareth, and Ironhoof said their farewells and took off as well. Only Aldous lingered by Orion's side without any sign of leaving.

"Orion, do you still need slaves?" Aldous asked. "I can have my people save some strong orcs or beastmen for you."

They say when someone's too eager to do you a favor, you should watch your back. Orion studied Aldous, who simply pretended to blow imaginary bubbles, acting clueless.

"So, you saw it," Orion suddenly said in a steady, casual tone.

Mid-bubble, Aldous froze. A few seconds passed before he turned slowly to face Orion.

"You're not scared I'll spill the truth?" Aldous asked, sounding genuinely surprised, as if witnessing something uncanny.

"Not at all," Orion replied. "After all, we're friends, aren't we, Aldous?"

He gave Aldous a warm, radiant grin.

"That's right, we're friends. And friends would never hurt each other, right?" Aldous responded—though it was unclear if he was posing the question to Orion or to himself.

Orion laughed—loudly and with genuine delight. "Aldous, you're adorable. I like you. I'm glad to have you as a friend."

With that, he clapped Aldous on the shoulder and headed off toward the orc camp.

"I've got myself a friend now!" Aldous muttered under his breath, then took giant strides after Orion.

Meanwhile, in the beastmen camp, everyone was on edge.

"Arch Elder, we need to leave. The orc chieftain next door is already dead. It's dangerous to remain here," advised an elderly fox-woman who had just approached Sylvana.

Sylvana was the arch elder of the fox tribe. Gazing at a freshly broken beast fang in her hand, she sighed and turned around, revealing her breathtaking features—especially her mesmerizing eyes, brimming with natural allure.

She wore a partly sheer white robe and spoke not a word as she led her people out of the tent.

"Fate has altered. Our destiny has become obscure, and I can no longer see what lies ahead," she said softly once they left the beastmen's camp.

Sylvana had a rare occupation: she was a seer, serving as the beastmen's oracle.

"Elder Sylvana, the beastmen race has had its share of ups and downs. Sometimes, a reading can be wrong. It happens," the elderly fox-woman replied, bringing forth a white exotic beast for Sylvana to ride.

Seated on the creature's back, Sylvana looked down at the aged fox and spoke with firm conviction.

"In my original divination, Blademaster Grommash was supposed to rise meteorically in this very battle, becoming one of the most formidable warriors on this continent."

"But Blademaster Grommash is dead. I was wrong about him. I have no idea where my reading failed."

She sounded puzzled, upset, and even a little unwilling to accept it. None of it mattered now, though; the white beast bounded off, carrying Sylvana away from this place of chaos.

Half a day later, the allied forces from the north completely took over the beastmen camp. Pillaging and massacring had become merciful by comparison—wherever the insectoids, ogres, or cave spiders swarmed, not even a single corpse was left behind.

"Lord, we discovered a mysterious totem. It looks like some kind of special structure," a succubus whispered to Orion, approaching him quietly.

"Lead the way," Orion told her, narrowing his eyes. He followed her deeper into the beastmen camp.

The beastmen's training grounds featured a towering totem that exuded a strange aura. But now, two groups had formed at the base of that totem, confronting each other in tense standoff.