Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Leonidas's eyes held an excited glint, a thirst for war, a love for slaughter.

It was an emotion Orion sometimes shared.

"As for those Archlords, they're all extremely cunning. They'll only commit their true bodies to the fray if absolutely forced."

"They all fear death, all want to live on, desperately seeking the chance to ascend to the demigod level."

"What's more, with demigods active in this world, they're even less likely to show their true faces."

Leonidas grew more animated as he spoke, as if he'd found a familiar, disdainful topic, his words vivid and colorful.

"Bro, are you like that too?"

Orion's sudden interjection, however, made Leonidas immediately stop his tirade.

"Uh… Hulk, that's not how this is supposed to go. You should be despising those cowards with me."

Leonidas's torrent of words ceased. Under Orion's unwavering gaze, he couldn't just ignore the question.

"Ahem… Hulk, today I'll teach you a proper lesson."

"You'll definitely need this when you advance to Archlord."

"Did you know, among Archlords, there's a saying?"

"An Archlord must learn to keep a low profile. Remember: lie low and endure. Lie low and endure until the very end, until you become a demigod…"

Leonidas chattered on and, as if fearing Orion wouldn't trust him, added at the end,

"Arthas is the same as me. That guy is even better at lying low and enduring than I am!"

After saying this, Leonidas chuckled slyly, his gaze towards Orion holding a hint of shared understanding.

In fact, Leonidas wasn't lying in the slightest.

Not just him, but even Arthas and Alexander, when invading other worlds, would, in most cases, only dispatch avatars or projections of their will.

Only with the backing of a demigod, or when accompanied by trusted partners, would they possibly descend in their true forms.

The invasion of the Godforsaken Land a few years ago was one such example; Leonidas and Arthas descended in their true forms because of their mutual trust.

Of course, the thought of meeting Orion was also a factor back then.

In truth, all these actions were about reducing the risk of death.

Orion understood this principle.

"When I advance to Archlord," Orion mused, "perhaps I can send out two avatars, while I myself oversee the Stoneheart Horde, focus on developing our territory, and collecting faith energy."

The thought arose in Orion's mind. He didn't know that many Archlords in other worlds made the same choice.

Managing one's main base well and expanding territory when opportunities arose—that was the way of Archlords.

Awakened ones like Leonidas and Arthas would also immerse themselves in the Survivor's Platform, using their vast wealth to snap up goods on the trading platform.

"Regardless, we've won this battle."

"This half-continent is pretty much in our pocket now."

Leonidas roared, a gust of air rushing from his mouth as he unleashed a high-level spell, blowing away the Dark Sacred Chalice's residual dark aura.

As the dark aura dissipated, the entire battlefield came into their view.

The tragic sounds of slaughter, the howls of various strange beasts, the blare of horns and the thunder of drums from both sides, echoed across the land.

The earth looked as if it were covered with a vivid, intense red carpet.

A chilling, blood-tinged wind blew over them, causing Orion and Leonidas to pause their conversation.

"Damn it, how have my wyverns become so few?"

The battle had been brutal; the losses for wyverns and cave spiders were the greatest.

The survival rate of the wyverns was less than ten percent, which pained Leonidas deeply.

Apart from the contingent guarding Lorelia in the rear, no cave spiders remained on the front lines.

The outcome was plain to see.

"It's time for them to pay the price!"

Orion raised his trident, lightning coalescing upon it with tremendous momentum. The enemy's Legendary powerhouses sensed it immediately.

"Who are they?"

"More enemy reinforcements?"

"No, weren't those two being held up by Lestat and Kian?"

"They broke free? Then where are Lestat and Kian?"

"No… no… impossible!"

…

Lords who could advance to the Legendary rank were no fools.

A wild, unbelievable thought took root in their minds.

The eight lords amidst the battle felt a surge of terror; their very souls trembled.

"Run for your lives!"

It was unknown who, in their agitated and unstable state, had shouted what was truly in their hearts.

The eight Legendary powerhouses turned and fled in different directions.

Unfortunately for them, their pursuer was none other than the Stoneheart Horde's deadliest trident thrower.

In Orion's eyes, these individuals were merely helpless prey.

In the sky, lightning boomed and echoed continuously, tridents falling like starlight.

With every flash of lightning, a lord met their demise.

Watching the corpses fall in arcs, Leonidas was quite envious.

"Bro, your trident-throwing skill is truly exceptional!"

Orion smiled, noncommittal.

Orion's intervention swiftly ended the conflict between the Legendaries.

His purpose was simple: to reduce the attrition of his own lord-level powerhouses.

Because among that group of lords, Orion had sensed the auras of Gustalon, Soraya, and Clymene.

Since he could act, Orion didn't want them to bear any additional risk.

"This battle should be over now!"

Leonidas spread his wings, transforming into his fire dragon form, his terrifying wingspan momentarily blotting out the sky.

With a roar, Leonidas swept towards the ground, his dark shadow descending, startling countless combatants lost in the frenzy of slaughter.

Leonidas actually has quite a penchant for showing off! Orion muttered to himself, gaining a deeper understanding of his friend.

With a flicker of electricity, Orion appeared at the rear of the battlefield, beside Vexis and Soraya.

"What happened to her?"

Orion reached out and gently touched Lorelia's forehead. After fainting, she had completely lost her ability to defend herself.

"Orion, Lorelia overexerted her spirit and fainted. She'll likely need to sleep for some time to recover."

Vexis respectfully explained Lorelia's condition. Orion nodded, checked Lorelia's physical state, then withdrew his gaze.

"Experiencing a war of this intensity might actually be a good thing for her."

Orion looked at Soraya, his eyes full of affection.

"I arrived on the battlefield a day ago. My sister and I are fine."

Mentioning Clymene, Orion glanced towards the battlefield. She was clearing the area with other Stoneheart forces.

Judging by Clymene's aura, she had indeed successfully advanced to the Legendary level.

"Very good!"

"You two continue to command. I'll be watching over you."