Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Eight Alpha-level insectoids hemmed in Delilah, Onyx, Rockwell, Earthshaker, and Slagor.

"Damn fools—this loot belongs to the insectoids!"

Those were the words of one particular insectoid among the eight Alpha-level insectoids, the only one capable of speech.

"This was our find first. You came after—the spoils should be ours," Rockwell spat out bitterly. If not for Delilah and Earthshaker's quick intervention, he'd likely have been devoured moments ago by these eight insectoids.

"We've got the numbers, and our fists pack more punch. The treasure should belong to whoever's strongest."

The talking insectoid sounded full of itself, tearing into the group with smug confidence. Eight against five—by its calculations, the insectoids clearly had the upper hand.

"Since we're allies, you can still get out now. Otherwise, we'll eat you."

Noticing Delilah, Onyx, and the others weren't budging, the insectoid tried threatening them outright, its voice turning ominous.

"If you dare lay a single tooth on them, I'll kill every last one of you!" From afar, Orion's cool, level voice drifted across to the group.

"It's Orion!"

"Our lord is here!"

Delilah and Onyx both exhaled in relief, while Rockwell, Earthshaker, and Slagor shouted with delight.

Although Orion's voice had reached them—striking a chord of fear in the insectoids—he himself didn't appear immediately. Part of why he'd spoken up was to rattle the insectoids, and part of it was to send a message to their leader.

Sure enough, less than half a minute later, a fierce gust of wind swept past, and Lokiviria, the insectoid lord, arrived on the scene.

"You plan on slaughtering my people?" Lokiviria demanded, glaring straight at Orion without an ounce of intimidation.

"By the rules, we found this place first. So everything here is ours," Orion countered. "Lord Lokiviria, your underlings stepped out of line."

Without bothering to turn for confirmation, Lokiviria's antennae swayed rapidly. Orion could plainly see the shifting antennae of the insectoids behind Lokiviria as well—their silent way of trading information.

"My swarm insists they found these spoils first," Lokiviria stated, deliberate and false, turning black into white.

"Lord, we were here first," Rockwell sputtered, rushing to warn Orion so he wouldn't be misled. "They showed up after us and tried driving us away to snatch everything!" Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire

"Shut up! Since when do you get a say during a discussion between Legendary-level fighters?"

Whoosh!

A blast of wind suddenly ripped forward, barreling straight at Rockwell. If that gust struck him, he'd be done for. Terror distorted Rockwell's face; death was only a moment away.

Boom!

A flash of lightning shattered that oncoming wind, and Orion saved Rockwell from certain doom.

"Lokiviria, he's my subordinate. Even if he doesn't know his place, it's my right to discipline him—not yours. Or are you telling me that we should all just bow to whoever has the biggest fist?"

The Flame of Will materialized in Orion's grasp, and his cold stare fell on Lokiviria as he leveled the trident at him.

"So you really think you're tougher than me?" Lokiviria snapped. "Perfect. I've been itching to knock you down a peg—let's see what you've got."

"I hear you used to serve Gareth. Any idea that when she headed south last year, I nearly bashed her to death?" Lokiviria added with a harsh laugh.

On the distant sidelines, Gareth—visibly humiliated—had her face turn dark as night. In truth, Lokiviria wasn't lying. He had beaten Gareth before, leaving her badly injured.

Orion sighed. He knew after this, their alliance would be anything but stable—if it could be called an alliance at all.

"Lokiviria, didn't anyone ever tell you that your mouth is downright obnoxious? Now die!"

No sooner had those words left his lips than Orion hurtled toward Lokiviria.

"Bring it on!"

Rather than retreat, Lokiviria charged straight at him. Pressing both fists together like a cannon, he concentrated a blade of wind on them to clash head-on with Orion's trident.

Wham!

A deafening reverberation ensued, and both Orion and Lokiviria flew backward under the force of the collision.

"Impressive… so you're middle Legendary level."

Orion's eyes widened. He kept them trained on Lokiviria, dead serious.

"Middle level? That's impossible!"

Even with just that single impact, Lokiviria had figured out Orion's power stood in the middle Legendary tier.

"Watch this!"

At a distance, Orion raised his trident. An Eightfold Spear Barrage took shape, enveloping Lokiviria with nowhere to run.

Locked inside the Eightfold Spear Barrage, Lokiviria immediately felt a surge of danger. He wasn't clueless; transcendent power flared wildly around him. A moment later, countless gusts of wind circled him, spinning faster by the second.

Within only a few heartbeats, those winds solidified into a protective shield around him. Outside the Eightfold Spear Barrage, Orion manipulated his spider spear, launching a relentless assault.

The clangs and crashes rang out nonstop. Orion had no intention of holding back. If he could stomp out Lokiviria here and now, he could claim another Lord's Stone.

That idea hit Orion hard—after all, fuck it, once he got his hands on a new Lord's Stone, he could simply withdraw rather than plunge any deeper into this mess.

A thunderous din shook the air as Lokiviria, shielded by his swirling winds, darted left and right inside that Eightfold Spear Barrage, unable to break free.

Just as Orion was about to shift the spears into tridents for a finishing blow, Jorik, Gareth, and Ironhoof suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his view.

"Orion, stop—this is no time for us to tear each other apart!"

Jorik's expression was grim, though he was speaking politely.

Everyone could see Orion outmatched Lokiviria. Jorik felt an odd mix of relief at Orion's strength and a swell of unease at the threat it implied.

Orion was his ally and, outwardly at least, had always treated him with respect. Lokiviria, on the other hand, had never gotten along with Jorik. In theory, Jorik shouldn't be intervening now at all.

But Jorik knew exactly why he came: to rally these northern lords and hold off the Blood Elves. And since Lokiviria was one of his strongest allies, Jorik didn't want him dying here.

So, Jorik had to intervene and even invited Gareth and Ironhoof for added support.

"Lord Orion, it's not time for us to be tearing each other apart!"

"Dear Orion, this really isn't a good moment!"

The first line was Ironhoof's, while the second came from Gareth. She was very familiar with Orion, and this time she used an especially intimate way of addressing him.

Orion withdrew his trident, responding to them all with silence.

Off in the distance, the Eightfold Spear Barrage—once controlled by Orion—vanished. Freed from it, Lokiviria charged out.

He strode over to the group, expression grim as a block of ice.

"The spoils here belong to me!"

Orion's voice was cold, with no room for refusal—he wasn't about to negotiate.

"Orion, since your people arrived first, it's only natural the loot here goes to you," Jorik said, trying to smooth things over. After Orion nodded, he said nothing more.

As for Lokiviria, he snorted and then turned to leave.

Shortly after, Jorik, Gareth, and Ironhoof hung around to talk for a bit before they also left.

Aldous alone stayed behind, making no move to go away. When Orion glanced at him, Aldous immediately offered an explanation.

"Don't get me wrong. Beastmen treasures aren't enough to make me lift a finger and fight over them. My friend, I'm just curious what your people found."

Orion nodded, then turned to look at Delilah and Onyx.

Delilah stepped forward and came to Orion's side. She nodded at Aldous before reporting to Orion, "Lord, here it is!"

"Earthshaker found it," she added.

Orion gave Earthshaker a quick glance, then walked over to the cylindrical object Delilah was pointing at. He reached out, touching its cold surface.

But nothing unusual happened.

"Lord, this is a totem pole. It's useful for us buffalofolk," Earthshaker said in a low voice as he moved closer.

Orion nodded. He didn't have any more questions and didn't say much else.

"Dig it up and take it. You've got plenty of slaves — no sense feeding them if they're not gonna work."

Orion turned, shooting Aldous a look. Aldous let out two awkward chuckles and followed him away.

"Man, that was close!"

The moment those Legendary-level powerhouses were gone, Rockwell practically deflated onto the ground like a balloon with the air let out.

Even with Orion present, Lokiviria's pressure had been overwhelming.

"Don't be so reckless next time. If the lord's around, try to keep your mouth shut," Onyx said, placing a reassuring hand on Rockwell's shoulder.

In a life-or-death situation with Legendary-level beings, guys like them wouldn't even stand a chance. Staying quiet was the safest bet.

Rockwell nodded, having learned his lesson.

"Once we're done here, the few of us will work together to pull this stone pillar out, rig up a basic wooden frame, and have the slaves haul it," Onyx said, circling the totem pole a few times. It gave off a strange aura, one he could feel too.

"Leave it to me!" Earthshaker, ever enthusiastic, had already called over some of his tribe to start building the support.

…

Down south lay Starveil City.

Named after the Starveil Giants, the city was part of the Blood Elves' territory, but the Starveil Giants enjoyed significant autonomy.

The main reason was that the Starveil Giants were led by a Legendary-level lord, Balor Starveil.

Right now, in one of the palaces, Balor was entertaining Blood Elf Elanor, Boarfolk Boarion, Blood Elf Faelar, and Gnome Brimli.

"Honorable Elanor, we're right here in Starveil City, within the domain of my giant clan(tribe). I think we should strike back at those invaders from the north," Balor said.

Huge and powerfully built, Balor slouched on his throne, his hulking frame radiating a savage energy. Setting down his specially made goblet, he stroked his long beard with a self-satisfied flair.

"Lord Balor, adding you into the mix really helps us crush the enemy's morale," Elanor replied. "But we still need more, so I'm calling in some additional gnomes and Blood Elves. With their crossbows mounted on the walls, we'll be much safer."

She didn't seem particularly concerned about Balor's attitude. In this world, a true powerhouse was respected wherever they went, and Balor was undoubtedly strong. Even she wasn't certain she could beat him if it came down to a fight.

"Honorable Elanor, do as you please. Giants will neither fear battle nor turn away from lending a hand."

Balor downed another massive bowl of liquor, then wiped the dribbles from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Lord Balor," Elanor continued, "I'm sure you've heard there's a giant among the southern invaders, right?"

She was only asking for confirmation; the war between north and south had already begun, so every side's scouts had spread out long ago.

"I've heard. Apparently, those giants come from a different branch — not Starveil or Shadowabyss. Probably Stoneheart or Ironbone. Maybe even both.

Ha! Giants from the north attacking the south… interesting, very interesting! Goes to show how powerful our giant race really is!"

Balor's hearty voice boomed across the hall. Boarion the Boarfolk, Faelar the Blood Elf, and Brimli the Gnome exchanged looks before finally turning their gazes toward Elanor.

"Lord Balor, we hope you can bring those giants—and that giant lord—under your banner. With them on our side, this counterattack has a much higher chance of success," Elanor said.

Balor swept his huge hand dismissively in the air. "Elanor, you don't need to remind me of that. If they're true giants, they should already be subject to me, their king. Of course, that includes their giant lord."

His deep, raspy voice carried a heavy, intimidating edge. Balor's aura was wild and ferocious, and when he spoke, there was no lack of confidence or threat in his tone.

He lowered his hand and grabbed a barrel of wine off the table, tilting it back as he guzzled it down. As a tipsy haze crept over him, Balor muttered softly, "I never would've guessed there'd be another giant tribe hidden up north. Looks like I'm getting closer and closer to becoming the one true Giant King."