Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1340 The Fracture in the Woods

Orion bore the heavy weight of the truth in solitude.

Certain things simply could not be spoken aloud. His grasp of the world’s core structure—honed through the very process of creation—surpassed anything his companions could imagine. Unless he kept these mysteries hidden, Kairon, Seraphina, and Evander would remain in their state of peaceful ignorance.

The situation was far more dire than a typical incursion. This encroaching dimension wasn't merely forming a bridge to the Titanion Realm like the Emerald Dream Realm had. Instead, it was overwriting it. This was a violent collision of both physical and metaphysical laws.

The effects were already becoming visible. The indigenous laws of nature were crumbling, yielding to a swift and predatory evolution of the local wildlife—most notably, the insects.

Orion pushed his senses outward. His divine perception drifted across his lands until it caught on a disturbance in the northern reaches.

The Black Forest.

The peak of summer had brought a stifling humidity to the ancient trees. The atmosphere was thick, saturated not only by the heat but by the constant drone of swarming life. Twilight and dawn had turned into the primary hunting times for monsters, making any journey a risk that only the reckless or the desperate would take.

Snap.

"Curse it! Where are all these stinging pests coming from?" Redfang growled, cleaning a glob of green fluid off his leather armor. "I’m certain the forest wasn't this crawling with them last year."

The young giant looked down at the smashed bug near his heel and ground it into the soil. It was a Viper-Fly—a vicious, beetle-like insect native to the Black Forest. Its sting carried a powerful neurotoxin; a sufficient dose could immobilize even an adult giant for several minutes. Typically, the tribe’s apothecaries, such as Rendall, collected them to produce paralysis serums.

"It’s lucky we Pandaren possess such thick fur," Zhenlo laughed, shifting the weight of his gear. "Those tiny stingers can't pierce through our coats."

Growing up together in the gritty streets of Blackstone City, Zhenlo and Redfang were close friends. They were the rising generation of the Stoneheart Horde, their spirits tempered in the presence of giants. This land was their territory, their home.

"Redfang, be honest with me," Zhenlo said, narrowing his eyes as he looked into the high branches. "Are you positive there are Bagbirds out here? We've been trekking for hours."

They were searching for a prize. Bagbirds were rare and cautious creatures, highly valued for their natural ability to create spatial storage pockets—essentially living, biological inventories.

"Are you calling me a liar, Zhenlo?" Redfang barked, his voice echoing through the quiet woods. "When have I ever led you astray? My father swore on the ancestors that the Giant King himself used to hunt Bagbirds in this very spot back in the day."

To Redfang, this area was nearly sacred ground. It was the location where Orion had first encountered the Ironbone Giants.

"I hear you, I hear you," Zhenlo said, raising his paws in a defensive gesture. "But you act like you were there to see it. It's all just stories, man."

"It isn't just stories. I saw the official records when I was at the War Camps," Redfang countered.

The War Camps served as the training grounds for the youth of the Stoneheart Horde. It was the place where commoners trained alongside the sons of Elders and the Giant Prince, all vying for a position in the elite vanguard units.

"Well, my father was a Vanguard," Zhenlo shot back, puffing out his chest with pride. "He served under a Horde Elder directly. He claims I have the talent to surpass the Alpha-level."

"Hmph." Redfang gave a mocking snort. "In Blackstone City, stopping at the Alpha-level is basically failing. I'm aiming for much more. Elder Dirtclaw reached the rank of Warden, and I’ve got more potential than he did when he was my age."

It was the typical boldness of youth, yet it was rooted in truth. This new generation was being raised with superior resources, better coaching, and higher potential than those who came before them.

"Redfang, hold on—" Zhenlo stopped abruptly, his ears twitching. "What is that thing?"

Redfang looked where his friend was pointing. High on the trunk of a massive ironwood tree, a cocoon as large as a man's head was throbbing with a sickly, glowing purple light. It shone like a signal fire in the dim morning light.

"Let's take a closer look."

Fifteen minutes later, using Redfang’s brute power and Zhenlo’s climbing gear, they managed to tear the cocoon from the tree and bring it down to the ground.

Redfang stared at the thing, feeling uneasy. "By the spirits... tell me that's not a Viper-Fly."

"Is it... changing?"

Redfang pulled his knife and carefully cut through the silk layer. A scent of acid and ozone filled the air. Inside was a nightmare—a Viper-Fly the size of a ball, equipped with two extra sets of sharp, see-through wings.

"Look at the belly," Zhenlo whispered in horror. "It's moving. The damn thing is still alive."

"Since when did the bugs in the Black Forest grow this massive?" Redfang’s voice wavered.

He gazed at the monster. A single Viper-Fly was a nuisance, he thought. But a whole swarm of these? They could slaughter an entire patrol.

"If this thing stings you, you won't just be paralyzed," Redfang noted grimly. "You'll be dead."

"We have to leave," Zhenlo said, his joking tone completely gone. "The patrol has to see this. Right now."

"I agree."

The two friends stowed the specimen and took off, sprinting toward the forest's edge. They had no idea that their find had already alerted a divine presence.

Miles away, Orion remained perfectly still, his eyes open but focused on a different plane of existence. Had this mutation happened in neutral lands or the territory of another faction, he might have overlooked it. But the Black Forest was his own domain. He was aware of every heartbeat, every leaf, and every bug within his borders.

In his memory, a Viper-Fly was only the size of a thumb. The freakish creature Redfang had discovered was an anomaly that proved his darkest suspicions.

The laws of the Titanion Realm were failing.

The insect kingdom was the first to benefit from the alien world's pressure. They were shifting, growing, and evolving at a terrifying speed to adapt to the new reality.

Orion narrowed his eyes. He would keep this information to himself.

It was a cold calculation, but a vital one. Knowledge was power. By the time Kairon and the others understood the situation, the Stoneheart Horde would already have their defenses ready.

The sight of the mutated Viper-Fly revealed something else to Orion. The clock was ticking faster. The civil war and the death of Lokiviria were years in the past, and the enemy had utilized that time effectively.

The invasion wasn't approaching. It was already here.