Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1351 Insect life

As soon as the turmoil broke out, Edwin seized control of the Golden Apple Chamber of Commerce security forces. They established a defensive perimeter with practiced skill, encasing Roderic's carriage within a barricade of steel and arcane power.

Once the last of the monsters had ceased their struggling, Edwin went back to the carriage to report to the Marquess. A look of sincere relief crossed his features.

To a seasoned merchant, a situation wasn't truly a disaster unless it involved a massive beast tide.

"Do we have a tally of the losses?" Roderic questioned, his tone strained.

Edwin paused, his grin fading. "My Lord?"

"How many have perished? Were any of the protectors struck by venomous fangs? Is the freight unharmed?" Roderic leaned forward, his gaze shifting wildly. "And has anyone identified exactly what those creatures were?"

The sudden flood of inquiries left Edwin dazed.

From his perspective, this was merely a routine skirmish—part of the overhead for doing business. However, the Marquess was acting as though they had narrowly escaped a total apocalypse. The sheer gravity of Roderic's focus indicated that this matter involved much more than simple profit and loss.

"I... I will verify the specifics at once, My Lord," Edwin replied, regaining his professional mask.

He knew better than to challenge the nobleman. Bowing low, he exited the carriage with a racing mind. Perhaps the answers Roderic demanded would shed light on the high-born man's strange paranoia.

Stoneheart City, The Palace

Inside a high-ceilinged study typically used for Lilith’s statecraft, the atmosphere was heavy with tension and thick perfume.

"I cannot pinpoint exactly what has altered," Soraya purred, pressing close to Lilith and hooking her arm through the other woman's with an exaggerated display of sisterly love. "But the change is palpable. There is something new in the air of the Titanion Realm... a sensation that makes my blood pulse."

"It is a scent!" Lorelia added from Lilith's opposite side. The smaller Broodmother was sniffing the air loudly, resembling a hound following a fresh trail.

Orion had summoned both Broodmothers back to the capital. He had detected a shift in the world's fundamental laws—a change that favored insectoid life—and he had no intention of letting the Stoneheart Horde miss a chance to exploit it.

"The density is currently low," Soraya remarked, scrutinizing the feeling. "It might stimulate the lower-tier crawlers, but the effect is negligible for anyone at the Hero rank or above."

She shifted her attention to Orion. Since discovering his rise to Demigod status, she hadn't looked away from him. Her gaze held a certain hunger—a blend of deep veneration and blatant desire. Had Lilith and Lorelia not been present, she likely would have already made a move on him.

"Master, the environmental change in the Titanion Realm is dull," Lorelia grumbled, pouting. "It isn't nearly as powerful as the evolution surge we experience in the Emerald Dream Realm."

"This is merely the beginning," Orion stated, looking at them both. They were only picking up on surface-level shifts, oblivious to the grim truth beneath the surface. "The Titanion Realm has started to fuse with another plane of existence. I suspect the encroaching world is one ruled by insect life."

He went silent for a moment, letting the gravity of his words sink in. "The laws governing physics and magic in our world are being rewritten every second. That scent you notice? It will only intensify."

This was his reason for calling them. For the insect factions, this invasion represented a potential goldmine of raw power.

"Wait! Master, does this mean war is coming again?" Lorelia bounced excitedly, her eyes gleaming. "Is the invading world massive? Is it powerful? Is it a world of bugs?"

She clapped her hands together. "It sounds perfect for me! I want to be like Soraya. I want to wield a Domain Authority as well!"

Lorelia had developed a taste for power during the conflict between the Emerald Dream Realm and the Silverwood Realm, gathering resources and evolving at a rapid pace. Now, she craved the next stage of growth. She desired to reach the rank of Arch Lord. Seeing Soraya rule the Godforsaken Land and possess a shard of the Desert's Authority had sparked a simple, transparent jealousy within her.

With Lorelia, there was no hidden agenda. She simply wanted what she saw.

"The war will not start immediately," Orion said, evaluating the situation. "The merging of laws is a slow process. But do not be mistaken: our foe will be formidable."

He stepped toward the window, gazing out over the sprawling city. "Before my own ascension, the Titanion Realm already held three known Demigods. The enemy initiated this invasion fully aware of our peak combat strength."

He turned back to face them, his expression somber. "They are certain they can consume three Demigods and their entire armies. That makes them a grave threat."

Silence filled the room. Even Lorelia stopped moving.

Lilith, Soraya, and Lorelia were powerful entities, but they remained at the peak of the Legend rank. The chasm between them and a Demigod was vast. The concept of an enemy that actively hunted Demigods was chilling.

"I have been tracking the insect populations in our lands," Orion went on. "The enemy is cunning. They are utilizing the atmospheric change to ruin us from within before a single soldier even arrives. The new laws favor the insects. Their accelerated evolution will destroy the balance of power between local factions."

"By the time the primary invasion force lands, our world will already be drowning in chaos."

Lilith stepped forward, cutting through the silence. "Using Orion's insights and data from the Sentinel Corps, we have developed a predictive model."

She passed a dossier to Soraya. Lorelia didn't bother checking it; she was intelligent but lacked the patience for reading. She preferred being given a target to destroy.

"My sister's territory in the Golden Pearl serves as a vital observation point," Lilith noted, offering a rare bit of praise to settle Soraya's earlier behavior. "The Scorpion Tribes there have been incredibly helpful with our data gathering."

Soraya smiled as she flipped through the pages.

"We anticipate the insect mutation will advance through five specific phases," Lilith detailed, her voice becoming cold and analytical.

"Stage One: Atmospheric Alteration. The environment itself shifts to favor insect physiology."

"Stage Two: Mass Evolution. Every species is affected, but insects will experience a 'Great Leap Forward' in their biological potential."

"Stage Three: Hive Cohesion." Lilith paused, her expression darkening. "You might not have seen it yet, but insect plagues are breaking out across the continent. In the shadows, we see sentient Insectoids rising from the mindless swarms."

"If we do not act carefully," Lilith cautioned, "entire ecosystems will be wiped out before the actual war even starts."