Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Dirtclaw swallowed the hellhound blood lingering in his mouth, looked towards the north, his tone chillingly cold.

"I see it clearly now. These hellhounds have encountered stronger beings; they fundamentally look down on me."

"They are unwilling to submit to me!"

"I won't give them another chance."

At this moment, Thundar, riding his dark fiend, came forward and also gazed northwards.

"We need to get moving. We've wasted a considerable amount of time here."

Dirtclaw nodded and was just about to take off when a sudden gust of strong wind appeared, bringing all three of them to a halt.

A violent tornado materialized, and Gustalon's figure appeared within it.

"A group of Windfoot Freaks is attacking from the west. They're likely enemy reinforcements."

"Their numbers are large. By My Lord's order, do not engage them in a large-scale battle. You should lead your troops and withdraw from this area."

Gustalon, operating as a free agent on the battlefield, brought this piece of intelligence; it was crucial and very timely.

Neither Dirtclaw nor Fergus spoke, instead turning their heads to look at Thundar.

Thundar was the Elder of Combat; in Orion's absence, he held the authority of command.

"We go back!"

Thundar did not hesitate, decisively taking a war horn from his waist and blowing it.

The mournful call of the horn traveled far into the distance, and soon, a corresponding horn call echoed back.

Hearing the answering call, Thundar put away his war horn.

"The retreat order has been given. Let's go back!"

Gustalon shook his head, looked back towards the north, then said to the three of them,

"Gathering intelligence on the enemy is my duty. I will continue to stay in this area."

Thundar nodded, said, "Take care," and then led his troops back.

On the way back, Dirtclaw first glanced behind him, then his ears perked up, trying to sense if any wind continued to blow from that direction, before he finally spoke, questioning Thundar.

"Thundar, that fellow's aura gives me a heart-stopping feeling."

"It's not just you; me too."

Though both were at peak Alpha-level, the pressure Gustalon exerted on Dirtclaw was immense.

"Could he have already taken that step?"

"I don't know. As an elemental life form, it's quite normal for Gustalon to step into the Legendary level before us."

"That's true!"

Speaking of elemental life forms, Dirtclaw was reminded of Lumi, who guarded the teleportation array.

She too was an elemental life form and had stepped into the Legendary level very early on.

"Let's go. The hellhounds and demonic wolves in this area haven't been completely driven out. We need to be cautious."

Thundar was not wrong. In this pursuit, many enemies had been left behind as a rearguard, and many hellhounds and demonic wolves had hidden in the forests and caves.

In pockets of resistance, fighting would still erupt from time to time.

Further north, in the Ashenfang Traverse.

"Lestat, an old friend has come to visit. Why don't you come out to greet your guest?"

Hellhound Knight Kian's booming voice echoed through the valley, startling countless slumbering Bloodreavers.

"Come in. I have already poured fine wine for you!"

An old and ancient voice drifted out from the depths of the valley. Arch Lord Kian, mounted on his hellhound, stepped into it.

A short while later, in a cave within the valley, at a stone table, the Bloodreaver Arch Lord named Lestat and Arch Lord Kian sat opposite each other.

"I didn't expect you to be defeated so quickly."

Arch Lord Kian let out a slight cold snort, glancing at the Bloodreaver Arch Lord, whose hair was withered and body shriveled.

"You should recover your blood-qi as soon as possible. Our enemies are two Over-tier beings."

"Two?"

"What else did you expect? If it were just one Over-tier being, would I have been defeated so quickly?"

"Over-tier beings…" Arch Lord Lestat murmured. For two Over-tier beings to suddenly appear on this continent signified that a major change was about to occur.

The so-called Over-tier beings were those entities capable of fighting effectively above their nominal rank.

This category mostly referred to those geniuses at the Alpha-level, Legendary-level, or Arch Lord level who could challenge those of a higher rank.

Such geniuses were not typically born from ordinary racial factions.

"Do you know their origins?"

"One is of the Dragon race, the other is a Giant." Arch Lord Kian answered concisely, then, after a thought, added,

"Their invasion force includes wyverns in the sky, giants riding giant wolves on the ground, also spider beasts, and a considerable number of undead armies."

This was the kind of information Arch Lord Lestat most wanted to know.

Lestat reached out, poured the blood-like wine from his cup into his mouth, and began to murmur again.

"A Dragon race lord, with wyverns as retainers; his bloodline should be very pure."

"Giants… this race possesses a very long history. It is rumored they come from the distant depths of the universe; some also say they originate from the Abyss. I wonder which branch that particular giant belongs to."

"Spider beasts? Also an abyssal race?"

Hearing this, Kian interrupted Lestat's murmuring.

"Those spider beasts are quite ordinary, but they are very numerous."

"In my perception, those spider beasts are likely sacrifices for the undead armies."

"Large numbers of undead crawling forth from the corpses of the spider beasts—that scene was both spectacular and terrifying."

Kian's voice was slightly subdued, his eyes half-closed, as if he were recalling everything he had witnessed on the battlefield.

"Lestat, those who invade us are a group of powerful enemies."

"What has happened here should be reported to that important figure."

Silence filled the cave. The withered Bloodreaver Lestat pondered for a long time before slowly speaking.

"Reporting it is a must, certainly. We cannot disrupt the important figure's plans."

"But before that, we should try to solve the problem ourselves."

"Kian, my friend, we both come from Hell. Would your kind truly fear races from the Abyss?"

Lestat raised his head, fixing Kian with his ancient, world-weary eyes. His turbid pupils, surprisingly, exerted considerable pressure on Kian.

"Infernal beings have never feared war!" Kian declared.

"But, Lestat, you must step up and share the pressure. The enemies are two Over-tier powerhouses."

"Besides, can you guarantee that the enemy doesn't have even stronger forces backing them?"

The atmosphere once again grew silent. As one of the races that had invaded this world, both Lestat and Kian knew very well that demigod powerhouses stood behind them.

The enemy was also an invading race; would they not also have demigod powerhouses supporting them?

"Emerald Dream Realm is getting more and more chaotic!"

After a long pause, Lestat picked up the stone cup of blood-wine from the table and drained it in one gulp.