Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Bang!

The stone axe was knocked back, leaving Rendall firmly rooted where he stood, totally unscathed. The blood shield protecting him quivered slightly, then stabilized.

"Hahaha… Prophet, isn't my blood shield solid as a rock?" Rendall shouted gleefully.

Onyx lowered his stone axe, staring at Rendall with a hint of envy. "It's not just sturdy—it even bounces some of the impact right back."

Rendall chuckled, clearly already aware that his blood shield had a built‑in counterforce.

"Dear Lord," Delilah said, her voice trembling as she stood next to Orion, "did Elder Rendall get that blood shield from the Heroic Altar's inheritance?"

Her question instantly hooked the others' attention. All three turned their gazes on Orion.

Orion sighed, shook his head, then replied calmly, "It's not as easy as you think."

"Yes, if you offer enough sacrifices, the Heroic Altar can indeed grant some sort of bloodline ability," he continued. "But it's not as simple as it sounds, and you can't just roll it out to everyone."

Delilah's voice had shaken with excitement because she'd been picturing the idea of having the entire Horde benefit from the Heroic Altar. Orion and Delilah were not only bedmates but also shared a like mind; he had a pretty good idea what she was thinking.

"Although the Heroic Altar doesn't have a hard limit on how many times it can be used," Orion explained, "every use devours loads of sacrifices. Not to mention it also drains the Horde's accumulated faith energy and transcendent power. Right now, having just been built, the Heroic Altar is only capable of handling four inheritance rituals. We've no clue how long we'll have to wait before a fifth time."

After Orion's explanation, Onyx, Rendall, Delilah, and Earthshaker realized how lucky they were.

"We got these four chances only because the giants, succubi, buffalofolk, and obsidian golems all provided their tribal relics," Orion went on. "From here on out, for any member of our Horde to enter the Heroic Altar and trigger an inheritance, they must be one hundred percent loyal and have rendered truly great service."

He glanced at the four elders, making it clear that for others in the Horde, the bar was now set high. They all nodded in agreement—it was a fair rule.

"Lord, I believe we should add one more criterion," Onyx said.

Orion nodded for him to continue.

"The Heroic Altar's inheritance really ought to be given either to Alpha-level powerhouses or to outstanding young talents," Onyx suggested. "Especially the latter. The Heroic Altar can unlock greater potential for our Horde's young bloodline warriors."

It was hard to argue with that logic. Orion took the suggestion seriously: giving an inheritance to a rising star meant investing in the Horde's future. Then again, bestowing it on Alpha-level beings strengthened the Horde's power base in the present.

"Delilah, do you have any other ideas?" Orion asked, knowing she was the most meticulous thinker among them.

"If we're talking about future generations of the Horde," Delilah replied, "I recommend saving up until we've got at least two inheritance chances before we activate the altar again. Then we could give one slot to a seasoned Alpha-level warrior and the other to an up-and-coming talent."

Orion, Onyx, and Rendall all brightened at the suggestion.
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"All right," Orion said, "pull together a draft plan like that for me."

"Certainly, my dear Lord," Delilah purred, dipping her head in a graceful bow.

"Onyx, you're up next," Orion said.

Delilah and Earthshaker both waved off their turn, allowing Onyx to be the second to receive an inheritance. Orion handed him a bagbird's satchel—packed to the brim with C-level crystal cores.

"Scatter the crystal cores on the altar," Orion instructed. "Then close your eyes, empty your thoughts, and wait for the inheritance."

Nodding, Onyx climbed the steps of the Heroic Altar. What happened next mirrored Rendall's earlier experience to a T.

"This…this is incredible," Onyx whispered, staring at his own hands. Clearly, his body looked no different, but he spoke as though he'd laid eyes on a god. A few moments later, he returned to the group.

"Prophet, how do you feel?" Rendall asked.

Onyx nodded, then shook his head, unlike Rendall, who had immediately shown off his talent. Orion cut in before Onyx could reply. "Prophet's new ability can't really be demonstrated on the spot, so he'll just describe it."

Onyx looked at Orion in surprise, but Orion merely shrugged and tapped the altar and then his own chest, indicating that when each inheritance finalized, he himself could sense what power had been granted. After all, the Heroic Altar was bound to him via his mind.

Calming himself, Onyx spoke in that deep, resonant voice of his: "I inherited a power called 'Blood Spirit Summoning.' Once I kill a foe, I can use their blood and flesh to conjure a blood spirit that looks exactly like them."

He paused, bright-eyed. "The blood spirit's power can be on par with mine, all the way up to Alpha-level."

Effectively, that meant Onyx had gained a personal Alpha-level companion at will. Of course, the ability came with limits.

The summoned spirit couldn't surpass Alpha-level—unless someday Onyx himself broke through to Legendary level, then used transcendent power to upgrade Blood Spirit Summoning. Only in that case might he manage to conjure something mightier than an Alpha-level being. As for whether the summoned spirit itself might reach Legendary level…it seemed pretty unlikely.

In fact, there was a hidden benefit that Orion didn't share: The Altar's inheritance powers typically matched the inheritor's nature.

Quiet as Orion was about it, the Heroic Altar could only grant five types of abilities at the moment: Blood Sharing, Blood Spirit Summoning, Blood Shield, Blood Shadow Split, and Blood Energy Siphon—all tied to blood synergy. The reason for this was that, when the Lord's Stone had evolved into the territory core, the transcendent power it contained happened to be keyed to blood.

"You're next," Orion said, nodding at Delilah.

Among the four elders present, Delilah was also Alpha-level, outranking Earthshaker. As for the buffalofolk's tribal relics, strictly speaking, Orion had seized them in battle. He'd invited Earthshaker here because Earthshaker was his slave, meaning part of his inner circle. Orion had no problem handing out perks to someone who belonged to him outright.