Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1286 Harvesting Divinity and the Iron Invasion
The remaining wisp of Rule Power carried by the Flower Goddess phantom became Orion's trophy.
Orion was no stranger to wrestling with the Goddess's specific brand of divine law. His [Curse Avatar] was practically a monument to their past skirmishes.
But the phantom had made a fatal miscalculation. She hadn't anticipated that Orion possessed a God-Level ability like [Divine Art: Psionic Morph - Roar of Resolve]. Her divinity, already depleted from fighting the corrosive pressure of the Primordial Void, crumbled instantly under the psychic assault.
She had nothing left.
A perfect vessel. The thought echoed in the stillness of Orion's Mind Realm.
The consciousness of the Flower Goddess had been ground into dust. Orion reached out, his mental projection brushing against the fading silhouette. Instantly, the phantom dissolved into a torrent of pure Faith Energy, flooding into Orion's core like a breaking dam.
Pity, Orion thought, a flicker of genuine regret passing through his mind. I never did get a good look at her face. Wonder if she has a husband back home?
After the sigh came the silence. A deep, infinite silence.
Orion had nowhere to go. His physical form—his Bloodline Seed—was buried deep within the singularity of the Primordial Void. With the obstacle of the phantom removed, the path to demigod status was wide open.
Now, all he had to do was wait for the seed to germinate.
And in the timeless dark of the Void, that moment was approaching fast.
The Abyss, 6th Layer. Foundry Citadel.
"My Lord," Eparus said, his voice grating like stone grinding against stone. "The demon armies from the Iron-Forged Ridge have crossed our borders."
Standing atop the tetra-tower, Eparus radiated a dark, simmering fury. For the Scourge Wardens, an invasion of the Foundry Citadel wasn't just an attack; it was a personal insult.
Around him stood the inner circle: Holrivus, Thronlis, the Wraith Knight Ashreign, General Bidalun of the First Army, Dracolich Phorzak of the Second Army, and Xalathar.
They all looked to Orion.
The enemy was knocking on their door. Patience was no longer an option.
"It seems," Orion said, turning his gaze away from the distant horizon of the Iron-Forged Ridge, "that some people still see us as a free meal."
He recalled the lord of that territory—a demigod he had sensed from afar but never met.
"Fine. If they want war, we give them war."
Orion's presence sharpened, the air around him growing cold and heavy. "We fight until there is no one left to fight. Since they started this, we will be the ones to decide how it ends."
His voice was devoid of emotion, a flat line of absolute intent. He had wanted to build quietly, to stockpile resources for his ascension. But the Abyss didn't allow for quiet. Since his rise, conflict had been a constant companion.
"Eparus, Holrivus, Thronlis," Orion commanded. "Take all the Scourge Wardens. Lead the First Army. You ride with me."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words settle.
"Eparus, Holrivus, Thronlis," Orion commanded. "Take all the Scourge Wardens. Lead the First Army. You ride with me."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words settle.
"My orders are simple: Total extermination of the invading force. I don't care about their race, their lineage, or their rank. If they crossed the line, they die."
It was a brutal decree. Orion needed to send a message. He needed to make the cost of reaching into his pocket so high that the next hand would tremble.
"Ashreign. Phorzak. You hold the Citadel. Until we return, the Foundry Citadel is closed. Raise the barrier. No one in, no one out."
Orion knew he had to lead the charge. The invaders were bold enough to attack openly, which meant they had factored the strength of his Deathly Soul-Reaper avatar into their plans. There would be enemies on the field that even his Arch Lord lieutenants couldn't handle alone.
"As you command, My Lord!"
"By your will!"
The commanders bowed, their eyes burning with anticipation. They knew the rules of the Abyss. You keep what you kill. They had been waiting for a chance to wet their blades.
The war order rippled through the Foundry Citadel.
The citizens didn't panic. In the Abyss, war was as common as breathing. The only thing that changed for the average demon was who held the whip. If anything, the conscription drive attracted a flood of ambitious volunteers. For those looking to climb the social ladder, war was a ladder made of corpses.
21:56
***
Three days later, the army moved.
Orion rode at the vanguard, mounted on Xalathar, who had assumed his true form—a massive Abyssal Dragon.
With a collective, bone-rattling screech, the Bone-Gnawer Beasts took to the sky. Bidalun, leading the aerial unit, let out a roar that shook the ash from the air—a salute to his lord before banking hard toward the Iron-Forged Ridge.
Their mission: Reconnaissance and first blood.
Distant Territory. The Blood-Crow Nest of Donough.
This was the first region Demon Eudan entered after crossing the ridge.
It had once been the domain of a Calamity Lord's vassal race, the Blood Crows. After Orion established the Citadel, the crows had bowed to the Conquest Legion to seek shelter from the Unhallowed Gray World.
When the gray fog receded, they returned to their nest. But recently, peace had been scarce.
Demon armies had probed the defenses here. Two successive Crow Lords had been assassinated by outsiders. Sensing the shifting tides, the Blood Crow race had evacuated the majority of their population back to the safety of the Foundry Citadel, leaving only a skeleton crew of spies.
Orion had known the moment Eudan's boots touched the ground.
"My Lord," a lieutenant reported to Eudan. "The nest is empty. The crows have fled."
Eudan stood atop the highest spire of the cursed city, looking down at the abandoned streets. He felt slighted.
"They ran to Orion," Eudan sneered. "They chose a giant over House Julius."
It was a logical choice for the crows. They had seen the Conquest Legion hold back the apocalypse. They knew who had the stronger shield.
But logic didn't matter to an arrogant noble.
"They insult us," Eudan said, his voice low and dangerous.
"Pass the order," he commanded, turning to his troops. "When we take the Foundry Citadel, I want every single Blood Crow drained dry. We will offer a river of their blood as a sacrifice to the Ancestors."