Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1307 Abyssal Beacon

The collective gaze of Hino Julius, Pyre Julius, Cima Julius, and Orion's two neighboring Demigods settled heavily upon Orion.

In a tense silence, the nine entities of immense power waited for him to make the decisive move.

Should Orion choose to strike, he would sever all ties with House Julius, likely triggering the direct vengeance of the Abyssal Ruler.

However, if he retreated, he would be branded a paper tiger. In the future, the Foundry Citadel and the Conquest Legion would be relentlessly picked apart by every rival faction. Within the Abyss, caution and withdrawal were never interpreted as wisdom; they were seen as a scent of blood in the water.

Haa...

The sound of Orion’s exhale seemed to resonate in the ears of every Demigod present.

“This war was initiated by you,” Orion stated, his voice dropping to a low rumble. “Therefore, I will be the one to conclude it.”

He lifted his head, a radiant, cheerful smile spreading across his features—though it failed to reach his frigid, lifeless eyes.

“And a war only truly concludes once the enemy is slain, wouldn't you agree?”

“WAAAGH!”

The sudden roar shattered the quiet atmosphere. Orion’s physical body seemed to dissolve, flowing perfectly into the War Scythe gripped in his hand. A spear forged of concentrated Void Law manifested, thrusting with lethal intent toward Hino.

Why target Hino?

It was because the arrogant fool had manifested in his True Form. If he perished here, his death would be absolute and eternal.

“How dare you?!”

Three voices roared as one. Hino, Pyre, and Cima launched a simultaneous counterattack, their frames exploding with overwhelming Abyssal Energy.

Three distinct laws of Divine Power collided, generating a shockwave of such immense force that it sent the War Scythe tumbling backward.

Yet, this recoil was precisely what Orion had intended.

He had been positioned at the very heart of the snare. His presence there had previously obstructed the Deputy Commander, Arthas, and the others from fully engaging the Formation.

The assault was a mere feint; the retreat was the actual maneuver. By using the impact to propel himself out of the kill zone, he cleared the path for his comrades.

“Ignite!”

Following the Deputy Commander’s shout, a torrent of Divine Power erupted from Arthas, Leonidas, and Alexander.

The entire pocket dimension was instantly reshaped. It was no longer merely hot; the very atmosphere had been converted into a massive incinerator.

It was Divine Fire.

The Deputy Commander had channeled the raw strength of the other three, refining it through his own expertise and projecting it via the Formation.

While this artificial flame lacked the absolute purity of the Deputy Commander's personal essence, it remained an extinction-level threat against First Step Demigods like Hino, Pyre, and Cima.

“No! This is an ambush!”

“He used our own force to escape the Formation!”

“Curse these Undead wretches!”

“Brother Pyre, what is the plan?!”

“Do they truly possess the audacity for this?”

Five Demigods erupted in various states of terror and shock. The final two voices came from Orion's neighbors, who stood by in paralyzed amazement.

“Brother, I must confess, I thought you might hesitate,” Leonidas’s voice echoed directly in Orion’s mind. Orion had touched down safely between Leonidas and Arthas, well outside the heart of the blaze.

“If I refrain from fighting now, they will perceive me as weak,” Orion answered, his eyes fixed on the surging inferno. “They would never stop probing and testing my limits.”

He gave a nonchalant shrug. “It is like offering scraps to a stray dog in hopes it will leave. It never works; it only invites the rest of the pack. The sole solution is to slaughter them until they are too haunted by fear to even look our way.”

He intended to etch that resolve—that absolute refusal to back down—into the soul of every member of the Conquest Legion and every citizen of the Foundry Citadel.

“Hahaha! That is the way!” Leonidas gave a boisterous laugh. “They claim that the higher one ascends and the older one gets, the more the heart fills with cowardice. You just shattered that curse, brother.”

For individuals like Leonidas and Arthas, that “curse” had been discarded eons ago. They were not bound by morality or restricted by social expectations. They lived true to their primal nature.

“Just relax and watch the display, Brother,” Leonidas added. “There is no need for us to soil our hands. This Divine Fire Extinction is a fresh creation of the Deputy Commander. These Demigods are merely the test subjects.”

Orion nodded, his perception locked onto the enemies struggling within the swirling firestorm. Though he didn't understand the complex mechanics of the Formation, he had full confidence in the outcome.

“When will your True Form be completed?” Arthas’s voice suddenly resonated in his mind.

“Years, most likely,” Orion sent back telepathically, offering the truth.

The World Tree was still building its foundation deep within the Primordial Void. To accelerate the process would only squander his potential and damage his future. He refused to commit such a blunder.

“Brother, is there something you require of me?” Orion inquired, feeling the gravity behind the question. Arthas had previously mentioned he would seek a favor once Orion achieved the Demigod rank.

“We will discuss it once you have emerged,” Arthas replied with a hint of secrecy. “For now, brace for evacuation. Slaying these men here... it will undoubtedly rouse the Abyssal Ruler.”

“A Demigod serves as a pillar of the world. When one falls, the world’s foundation trembles. The Ruler will surely take notice.”

Orion gave a quiet nod of understanding.

He had already planned for the worst-case scenario. If the situation turned dire, the Conquest Legion and the Foundry Citadel would tear a path through the world barrier and retreat into the Abyss’s Seventh Layer.

“What in the world is that?” Leonidas shouted.

Both Orion and Arthas immediately shifted their focus back to the Formation's center.

A structure resembling a volcanic crucible had manifested out of thin air. From its opening, a pale, spectral flame began to erupt.

This ghostly fire functioned as a shield, pushing back the closing Divine Fire of the Formation and carving a safe haven in the midst of the blaze.

“That... that flame is of a higher grade than Divine Fire,” the Deputy Commander whispered, his brow knitting together. Even he found it unfamiliar.

“Let me enlighten you,” Pyre Julius’s voice boomed from within the crucible, dripping with arrogant pride. “This is the Eternal Flame, an evolution of the unquenchable Demon Fire!”

“It is the very bedrock of House Julius within the Abyss. It is our mark.”

“It is merely a phantom flame. You will still burn in the end,” the Deputy Commander challenged.

As a master of fire, he saw through the deception instantly. The flame inside the Formation was “Empty Fire”—a mere projection rather than the true source.

“True, it is only a projection,” Pyre Julius conceded with a dark laugh. “However, the appearance of the Eternal Flame here in the Sixth Layer acts as a beacon. It will awaken Lord Julius.”

“Once the Lord is awake... you are all as good as dead.”

“Heh heh heh... I look forward to the expressions on your faces.”

Pyre’s warning lingered heavily in the air. The members of the Champions Alliance grew quiet.

Even Orion narrowed his gaze, his mind already searching for a way to counter the coming storm.