Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

With the last Legendary-level powerhouse on the battlefield slain, the battle did not end, but it could be said that the tide had begun to turn.

Vexis returned to the rear, reclaimed command of the undead armies from Lorelia, and began to hunt down the demonic wolves and hellhounds that had not managed to withdraw from the battle in time.

A war doesn't conclude merely because the top-tier combatants cease fighting. On the contrary, this is often a rare opportunity to cull the enemy's ranks and diminish their underlying strength.

The war would shift from a standoff to a pursuit, and this pursuit would continue until the hellhounds had fled this territory entirely.

"Don't just stand there in a daze. Chase the enemy! Those are all food for your kinsfolk."

Vexis glanced at Lorelia, whose gaze had not once left the scepter in Vexis's hand.

Having had a taste of its power, Lorelia truly coveted Vexis's scepter.

"For the Horde! For Lorelia! For Master! Charge!"

Lorelia reluctantly withdrew her gaze, raised her longbow high, and shouted, urging all her young spiders to surge forward in attack.

Vexis shook her head. She felt that the personality of this subordinate of Lord Orion's was a contradictory combination.

This spider broodmother was clearly very timid, yet at times, she appeared excessively flamboyant and excitable.

An interesting little girl!

Orion saw Lorelia's display. He withdrew his gaze, glanced at Gustalon and Dirtclaw leading the pursuit at the very front, and then responded to Leonidas.

"Such a throwing technique can only suppress those whose strength is lower than mine."

"Against those Arch Lords, it's pretty much like tickling them."

Leonidas remained noncommittal. When one's strength reached their level, problems couldn't be solved merely by throwing a trident or a spear, unless that weapon carried some special power.

"Bro, what was that black shadow just now? It looked a bit like a body of faith to me."

"It wasn't a body of faith, nor was it a spiritual entity. I'm guessing it was something akin to a soul."

Leonidas's flame chains, whose full name was Flames of Dual Lock Spirit Seal, could seal both physical movement and spirit, so the black shadow just now was definitely not a spiritual entity.

And Orion had his reasons for asking.

It was the first time Orion had encountered a mysterious power capable of bypassing his Battle Will Surge defensive shield.

This was incredible. If his Titan's Roar hadn't played a countering role, Orion suspected he wouldn't have come out of that last exchange unscathed.

"Bro, that roar of yours just now was quite something. The intensity of the sonic attack was even more terrifying than a typical dragon's roar."

"Since that black shadow was destroyed by your sonic attack, it must indeed be something soul-related."

Leonidas stated his deduction, his tone now somewhat more certain.

Orion nodded. He had similar thoughts but wasn't entirely sure.

"Bro, what should we do next?"

Facing a single Arch Lord, neither Orion nor Leonidas had managed to secure a decisive victory. Next, they would be facing two Arch Lords; the situation would be even more difficult to handle.

Leonidas reached up, cupped his chin, and gazed down at the earth, lost in thought.

Truthfully, the difficulty of invading the Dusk Continent was proving to be even greater than Leonidas had initially imagined.

The tenacity of the enemy also exceeded his expectations.

Leonidas could even imagine that Alexander and his forces on their side were probably not faring much better.

"Bro, the blitzkrieg has failed. We need to consider a protracted war of attrition."

Hearing this, Orion's brow furrowed slightly.

It wasn't that Orion was dissatisfied with this outcome, but rather that a war of attrition meant both he and Leonidas would have to send reinforcements here.

Otherwise, facing two factions each possessing an Arch Lord, the cave spider armies and wyvern armies alone would not suffice.

Even with the addition of Vexis's undead armies, it still wouldn't be enough.

They lacked sufficient combat personnel and top-tier powerhouses.

If, this time, there had been another powerful lord to tie down that demonic wolf, perhaps Orion and Leonidas could have truly finished off that Hellhound Knight Arch Lord.

"Hehe… No need to be tense. At worst, we'll temporarily halt the cleanup mission in Valkorath Realm and bring Skeleton General Rumbold over as well."

"With Rumbold's death ripple assisting, the battles between Legendary-level combatants will be somewhat easier."

Orion turned his head, looking at Leonidas with a puzzled expression.

"I'll also transfer two more of my Legendary-level subordinates over. Then, we probably won't need to participate in the Legendary-level fights ourselves."

"However, the cannon fodder needed for those large-scale battles—that's something you'll have to take care of."

Leonidas chuckled. Although he also had many beast subjects, their growth period was too long, making them unsuitable as cannon fodder.

Leonidas would also feel the pain if too many of those beasts died.

He still hadn't replenished the beasts lost during the last confrontation with the fungal creatures.

Orion understood. Leonidas was telling him to bring Soraya and her scorpion armies over as well.

Only with a Legendary-level broodmother joining the battle would they have the confidence to wage a war of attrition.

As for Lorelia, she was still a bit too weak at present.

"Don't worry, I'll transfer Soraya here as soon as possible."

Leonidas nodded, a smile on his face. Interacting with Orion now felt somewhat like being with Arthas.

Some things didn't need to be explicitly stated; they could both arrive at the same understanding and consider the other's situation and feelings.

It was complementary: Leonidas would provide the Legendary-level powerhouses, and Orion would provide the cannon fodder, each playing to their strengths.

"Bro, when the time comes, it'll be you and I facing the Arch Lords alone. Do you have the confidence?"

Leonidas smiled broadly. He knew Orion had the strength to withstand pressure but still wanted to solicit his opinion.

"Make the arrangements. I won't hold us back!"

Orion's expression was composed. As long as he wasn't facing a peak Arch Lord with profound foundations like Arthas, he too had his confidence.

"Hahaha… Then it's decided!"

"Oh right, Bro, those territories we've conquered, you should take them for yourself first. Develop them."

Leonidas's words stunned Orion.

Orion realized something. He looked at Leonidas, meeting his gaze.

"This war of attrition won't end anytime soon. Those territories we've taken, find a way to develop them quickly, gather faith."

"I have a feeling that the other half of the continent, beyond those mountains, will also be an exceptionally difficult war."

"Bro, this period is your opportunity."

Develop territory, gather faith, and then what?

Of course, it was to break through to Arch Lord!

During this special period, with vast swathes of ownerless territory available, Leonidas saw the opportunity and had pointed it out to Orion.

"Bro, I…"

"Want to thank me? Then hurry up and break through to Arch Lord. Conquer the other half of the continent, and then we'll split this entire continent, half each."

Orion nodded, his heart filled with gratitude.

Although Leonidas said it this way, he was the one taking a significant loss.

Because the Emerald Dream Realm would be destroyed sooner or later, the later Orion advanced to Arch Lord, the fewer benefits Leonidas would receive.

Furthermore, even if Orion did advance to Arch Lord, whether he could successfully conquer the other half of the continent was still far from certain.