Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1300 The Call of the Horde

The Merchant District of Soaring Bird City was alive with activity. Along a crowded thoroughfare permeated by the heavy aromas of roasted spices and caramelized sugar, Pallas was occupied with the destruction of a gargantuan flatbread wrap. He tore into the fire-roasted meat with the ferocity of a famished wolf, sauce staining his chin as he chewed vigorously.

Suddenly, Pallas went still in the middle of a bite. It was as if a realization had struck him with physical force.

Quickly wiping the grease from his mouth using the back of his hand, he gulped down the massive mouthful of food and began digging through the spatial pouch hanging at his hip. He pulled out a scroll crafted from thick, dark parchment and shoved it toward Kronos.

"Second Brother, Mom told me to give this to you before we left!" Pallas admitted, looking quite sheepish. "I was so excited to see you, I almost completely forgot."

His curiosity piqued, Kronos accepted the scroll. He passed the various bundles Elara had purchased to a servant following behind them and broke the wax seal right there in the center of the street.

It was a military mandate.

A Conscription Order issued by the Stoneheart Horde.

Furthermore, it was addressed specifically to him.

To His Highness, Prince Kronos:

The Civil War in the North is imminent. A gathering threat now looms over the northern territories of the Stoneheart Horde.

In accordance with the Horde’s strategic defense, Blackstone City, acting on behalf of His Majesty the Giant King, hereby issues this formal Call to Arms.

We believe that the Prince’s enlistment will provide our ranks with new vigor and inspire the populace to take up arms. You are commanded to begin immediate preparations. Within fifteen days, you must report to the military barracks at Stoneheart City as specified in this mandate.

We look forward to your response and your service to the glory of the Stoneheart Horde.

Salute.

— The High Command, Stoneheart Horde.

Though it was a draft notice, the wording made it sound like a royal invitation.

Kronos stared at the dark parchment, his thoughts momentarily blank.

This was an outcome he had never dared to envision.

He was a Giant Prince of the Stoneheart Horde, and his destiny was irrevocably bound to that lineage.

It was a fate that neither Princess Ava nor the Human Kingdom could obstruct.

"Oh, it's just a draft notice," Pallas remarked through another mouthful of meat. "I thought it was something cool."

While Kronos studied the document, Pallas and Elara—ever the inquisitive siblings—had leaned over to get a look.

To Pallas, the matter was trivial. Hadn't he and Elara been sent out specifically to gain experience? In his blunt, simple view of the world, Kronos belonged to the Stoneheart Horde. It was only logical that he would be summoned when the war horns sounded.

Dismissing the matter, Pallas returned to his urgent search for dessert.

Elara, however, reacted differently. A sharp, perceptive light gleamed in her eyes as she observed Kronos.

She grasped the hidden meaning behind the scroll.

Since birth, Kronos and Pallas had walked divergent paths. Within the Stoneheart Horde, the title of "Giant Prince" was synonymous with Pallas. Even the youths of the various vassal tribes recognized only Pallas as their prince.

Despite carrying their father’s blood, Kronos had been raised far from the Horde. An invisible, impenetrable barrier stood between him and his people.

Due to that barrier, Kronos lacked access to the Horde’s vast resources. He possessed no war pets, no magical flora, no artifacts, and no secret Cultivation techniques. He had nothing.

During their childhood, such things were irrelevant. But as they neared adulthood, that gap would widen into a vast chasm. Eventually, Kronos would realize the truth. Left unaddressed, that realization could fester into bitterness, inferiority, and paranoia.

No one wanted such a result.

This draft order served as the solution.

War was the furnace that would forge Kronos. To harden his spirit, he needed the experience of battle and the proximity of death.

More importantly, this was the Stoneheart Horde finally opening its doors to him.

By serving as a soldier and a Bloodline Warrior, Kronos could prove his loyalty to the Horde. Through service, he could accumulate Merit. With enough Merit, he could enter the Horde’s Treasury and trade his glory for whatever he desired.

It was his path to legitimacy. Without this official status, the Horde had no justification for pouring resources into an outsider. With it, he became one of them.

Where Pallas saw a mere piece of paper, Elara saw a lifeline.

"You'd better do your best," Elara said, hopping from Pallas’s shoulder onto Kronos’s. She reached out with a tiny hand to pat his head, adopting the persona of a stern elder sister.

"Don't disappoint Daddy. And don't disappoint Mom." She hesitated, her tone softening slightly. "And make sure you don't disappoint your mother, either."

"We're rooting for you," she added with a grin. "Just remember, you're a Giant Prince of the Stoneheart Horde. Don't go wetting your pants the first time you see an enemy charge!"

It was a tease, but it was her way of stoking his resolve.

Initially, Elara hadn't cared much for Kronos. However, after witnessing his persistent efforts to connect and the faint, lingering solitude in his eyes, she had softened. Her dislike had faded, replaced by a budding sense of protectiveness.

"I won't, Big Sis," Kronos replied, returning to the present. He gave a heavy nod, a fire starting to burn in his chest. "I'll give it everything I have."

"That's the spirit!" Pallas cheered, caught up in the mood. "We'll crush them together! I’m going to get the most kills in this Civil War. Then I’m going straight to the deepest vault of the Treasury to buy the best gear they’ve got!"

The mere mention of the Treasury energized Pallas. Despite their high status, neither Elara nor Pallas had unrestricted access to the Horde’s Vault. They had only heard rumors of the mountains of treasure kept there—ancient weapons and artifacts from other worlds. They had only ever received small trinkets gifted by High Commanders or Elders.

"With your clumsy skills? You'll be lucky if you don't trip over your own feet," Elara teased, leaping back to Pallas’s shoulder and tugging on his ear.

"Ow! Hey!"

The tension evaporated instantly. Kronos pushed down his rising emotions and spent the remainder of the day leading his siblings through the city, though his thoughts were already wandering toward the north.

Night fell over the Palace.

Following a banquet prepared by Princess Ava herself, Elara and Pallas—full of food and drained from the day's excitement—went to bed early.

Silence descended upon the palace.

Just as Ava was about to retire for the evening, there was a knock at her door.

Kronos walked into her study. He moved directly to her desk and set the parchment down on the polished wooden surface.

"Mother," Kronos said, his voice firm. "I have decided to enlist."

He looked up, meeting her eyes with a resolve she had never seen in him before. His mind was made up. Even if she forbade him, he would find a way to go.

Ava did not answer immediately.

She picked up the Conscription Order, scrutinizing every word and analyzing every seal.

To Kronos and Elara, this document represented acceptance and opportunity.

To Ava, it looked like a death warrant.

The Civil War was a meat grinder. If there were factions within the Stoneheart Horde that held a grudge against her son—or herself—the battlefield was the ideal place for an "accident" to occur.

Ava sat in the heavy silence, the parchment weighing in her hands. The room felt suffocating. She gazed at her son, seeing the man he was becoming, and struggled to find the right words to say.