Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Valkorath Realm, the battlefront.

Aside from Soraya—who remained in the Nest attempting to break through to Legendary level—and the fifty thousand small scorpions stationed on the city walls, Orion led everyone else to the front lines.

Five grand armies, one hundred thousand small scorpions, and five hundred thousand skeleton warriors—a total force slightly over seven hundred thousand—were all positioned to defend an twenty-mile-long defensive line.

Awooo!

Having transformed into a Hellhound, Dirtclaw fought alongside Gronthar to hold a portion of the line. At the moment, Dirtclaw looked even more ferocious and bloodthirsty than Gronthar.

The Hellhound's body was wreathed in flames that burned through any slime molds layer in its path. Hissing sounds of scorching flesh and plumes of smoke followed wherever it went.

Hellhound tore the head off a living-flesh undead in a single bite, swallowing both the life essence and flesh in one fierce gulp.

That undead had evolved from an Alpha-level ghoul overtaken by slime molds, forming a hideous slime molds mutant.

"Dirtclaw, watch our lines—keep an eye on the defenses. Don't let those fungal creatures surround you!"

Behind Dirtclaw, Gronthar brandished a warhammer, bludgeoning any slime molds mutants that leapt forward. His booming voice reminded the blood-crazed Dirtclaw to be wary.

Awooo!

The Hellhound growled in response.

But just then, another fungal creature at Alpha level burst through the slime molds layer, lunging straight for the Hellhound.

With keen instincts, the Hellhound sprang aside and engaged that multi-armed parasitic creature in fierce combat.

Elsewhere, Onyx and Earthshaker joined forces to protect another stretch of the defensive line. Between Onyx's Blood Spirit Summoning and Earthshaker's Blood Sharing, they held their sector firmly in check.

Earthshaker's Blood Sharing skill connected more than a hundred bloodline warriors of the Stoneheart Horde in their vicinity. With this enhancement, those warriors fought with savage courage, throwing aside all fear for their lives.

"Earthshaker, don't just rely on brute force. You need to pace yourself! We have to hold out for three days—this is a long fight."

Seated atop a Dark Armored Beetle, Onyx was further bolstered by Earthshaker's Blood Sharing. Within a hundred-foot radius, anything that came near was slaughtered. They had already taken down three Alpha-level slime molds mutants.

But victory always comes at a cost. And here, defeat meant death.

Near the area Onyx defended was a giant named Veldrok. Fortune was not on their side. Veldrok was dragged beneath the slime molds layer by a slime molds mutant, where he was swarmed and killed.

Nor was Veldrok the only casualty. Countless skeletal warriors also perished when they were overwhelmed in the slime molds layer. Even the small scorpions from the scorpion tribe suffered heavy losses in the initial rush.

Hovering in midair, Orion and Vexis overlooked the entire battlefield below.

"Lord Orion, this is the war we must face."

Vexis's voice drifted into Orion's ear. She was long inured to such sacrifices beneath her feet.

In Vexis's eyes, only the final outcome of war—victory or defeat—truly mattered.

"Vexis, you handle overall command. I'll stop any fungal creatures that try to interfere."

"As you wish."

Lich Vexis gave a slight bow. She fully understood that Orion was commander here, and she must carry out his orders. Besides, the ongoing battle clearly required a powerful figure supervising from the rear. And furthermore, Vexis had her own tasks—like summoning the living dead and setting up undead formations.

Undeniably, Vexis made the perfect candidate to command.

"Go on, and leave the front line to me!"

Vexis nodded and then flew toward the rear of the battlezone.

Orion took a deep breath and raised the trident Flame of Will in his right hand. A layer of ice armor formed from that hand, covering the entirety of his armor. At the same time, Orion activated his Berserk Aura. Allies in his vicinity went into a berserk state.

"WAAAGH! Destroy every last enemy!"

With that thunderous roar, Orion shot like a meteor into a distant sector behind the slime molds layer.

Boom!

A mighty explosion rocked the battlefield as three Legendary-level slime molds mutants leapt from the slime molds layer. Their forms were a serpentine parasitic creature, an undead tyrant bristling with blades, and a flying slime mold dragons.

To confront Orion and Vexis, the slime molds brood mother had teleported these three Legendary-level mutants into the fray. Apart from the serpentine parasitic creature—which was mid Legendary level—both the undead tyrant and the slime mold dragons were at upper Legendary level.

As soon as they appeared, the parasitic serpent and the undead tyrant rushed in for the kill, charging at Orion. The flying slime mold dragons soared skyward, heading directly for where lich Vexis was located.

"Leaving so soon? Did you ask for my permission?"

Pop!

A sharp noise sliced through the air. With that single pop, Orion seemingly blinked into place above the slime mold dragons' back. At once, he unleashed a combination of lightning and sonic attacks.

Amid crackling electricity, the slime mold dragons dropped to the slime molds layer below like a mass of rotting flesh. Moments later, it broke free from the layer, took to the skies once more, and roared at Orion, none the worse for wear.

"That giant wants to die? Then let's surround him first!"

That mental vibration transmitted the fungal creatures' strategy with pinpoint clarity. They couldn't speak aloud, but they communicated telepathically.

Looking down at the perfectly intact slime mold dragons, Orion's brow furrowed. His sudden assault a moment earlier had failed to finish it off.

Given that Orion's strength stood at Legendary-level peak, and the slime mold dragons had survived his attack, it must have an extraordinarily high defense.

"Lord Orion, the slime mold dragons are formed from a bone dragon fused with slime molds. Its weak spot is in the head—its life essence is there."

Just then, lich Vexis's voice echoed from behind, guiding Orion.

"The serpent parasite and the undead tyrant share the same weakness—the skull. If you don't smash their heads and retrieve their life essences, they'll keep regenerating."

High above the battlefield, Orion heard Vexis's warning and raised his trident high. An array of tridents appeared in the void, enveloping the entire area around him. Also caught in that area were the three Legendary-level fungal creatures and a portion of the slime molds layer.

Facing three at once, Orion was brimming with confidence—this was the very battle he'd been craving since ascending to Legendary level peak.

He longed to celebrate his breakthrough by claiming the life essences housed within these three Legendary-level fungal creatures.