Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1358 The Ashenheart Domain

Orion was completely indifferent to Ariselle's awe regarding the majesty of Stoneheart City or her perception of the Stoneheart Horde’s prosperity through her naive perspective.

His entire concentration was fixed on honoring a long-standing commitment.

Hulk: "Brother, I have attained the Demigod rank."

Orion transmitted the message to Arthas. The underlying meaning was undeniable: He finally possessed the strength required to provide assistance.

He had initiated contact because he sensed a disturbance. Arthas, who usually welcomed newcomers with enthusiasm, had been uncharacteristically terse when Tangere entered the Champions Alliance—offering only a brief "welcome" followed by total silence.

Arthas served as Orion’s mentor within the Alliance, much like Orion now guided Tangere. A natural bond of brotherhood should have been present.

This lack of communication indicated only one possibility: Arthas was entangled in something grave. He lacked the mental capacity for casual conversation.

A significant amount of time passed before a response finally arrived.

Arthas: "Leonidas mentioned you are racing against time. Can you truly spare a moment for this?"

A smirk touched Orion’s lips. Arthas remained as direct as ever, confirming he was indeed facing a crisis.

Hulk: "Brother, I am a Demigod now. My phantom is capable of traversing any distance."

Arthas wasted no more time on pleasantries. He initiated a trade, transferring a specialized teleportation scroll inscribed with precise spatial coordinates.

Arthas: "Bring your Wraith Knight legions. Leave everything else behind."

Orion gripped the scroll, contemplating the cryptic instructions.

Where exactly is Arthas located? he mused. And why request only the Wraith Knights? His behavior has been increasingly enigmatic lately.

Unknown Coordinates: The Ashenheart Domain

The territory existed as a pocket dimension, structured like a colossal, shallow basin.

At the absolute center of this sunken wasteland stood the Ever-Burning Volcano, discharging fountains of black flames into a sky devoid of stars.

This volcano served as the world’s core, the anchor for its natural laws and origin. To command the volcano was to rule as the Master of the Ashenheart Domain.

At that moment, Arthas and his primary followers were heavily entrenched.

"I claimed the kid possessed sharp intuition. If he has truly reached the Demigod stage, his combat power will surely rival our own."

Leonidas stepped out from a cavern near the edge of the crater. When Arthas shared the news of Orion’s imminent arrival, the palpable stress among the group began to fade.

"But he has only just ascended. Does he not require time to stabilize his Divine Power?"

A massive, multi-armed silhouette emerged from the gloom. The enormous sword fastened to his back made his identity clear. It was Alexander, who had successfully achieved full assimilation of his Asura Avatar.

In reality, Alexander’s swift progress was entirely due to the unique atmosphere of the Ashenheart Domain and the potent energy bleeding from the volcano beneath them.

"Hulk’s prowess... it transcends common logic."

The Deputy Commander floated out from the cave. His Demigod Phantom appeared unstable and dim, a clear indication of severe, lingering injuries.

He had attempted to extract details about Orion from the Commander, but the leader remained elusive, merely stating that Orion’s talent for defeating superior foes remained unchanged after his ascension.

"If holding our ground becomes impossible," Edward remarked with cold practicality, "we must initiate the hatching prematurely. A partial victory is preferable to a complete slaughter."

He shifted instantly from acknowledging Orion to preparing for a worst-case scenario.

"We must hold!" Leonidas bellowed, his temper flaring. "This is Arthas’s path to Ascension! Such an opportunity appears only once in ten thousand years!"

The Deputy Commander’s pessimistic attitude grated on Leonidas, though his fury was largely born from his frustration at being unable to defend the perimeter alone.

"He is correct. We stand our ground."

The voice did not originate from anyone present. It resonated out of thin air, vibrating with undeniable power.

The fabric of space distorted, and ripples of energy expanded as Orion’s figure manifested from the void.

He had broadcasted his voice across the dimensional veil before the teleportation process had even concluded.

This display of raw strength caused the onlookers' pupils to narrow. Even the Deputy Commander, a Second-Stage Demigod, was visibly stunned. Projecting sound across worlds before a stable connection was established was a feat of power he could not hope to match.

"Hahaha! Brother, you actually arrived!"

Leonidas didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, trapping Orion in a powerful bear hug that would have crushed the bones of a weaker warrior.

"Brother," Orion chuckled, tapping the massive man’s back. "When exactly did you switch your class to Blacksmith?"

From this distance, Leonidas appeared as though he had been laboring inside a furnace. His eyebrows were gone, his hair was singed, and glowing embers still clung to his armor.

More alarming was the frantic desperation shimmering in his gaze.

"Blacksmith?" Leonidas stepped back, momentarily bewildered before noticing his own disheveled state. "Bah! Just bad luck. This place is a dump. It wasn't made for living things."

He roughly wiped the soot from his brow, attempting to smooth his charred hair, clearly annoyed by the wretched environment.

"My Lord... this place is Hell."

The whisper originated from behind Orion. Ashreign, the Wraith Knight commander who had arrived with him, surveyed the terrain with grim recognition.

He wasn't being disrespectful by speaking out. The distinct atmospheric pulse of a Hell dimension was a vital tactical observation his master needed to understand immediately.

"Heh... Brother, your subordinate has a keen eye."

Leonidas glanced at Ashreign with a look of surprise. He hadn't expected a summoned unit to identify such an obscure realm so swiftly.

"Ashreign was born within a Hell world. He is intimately familiar with the scent of brimstone," Orion clarified, moving past Leonidas to greet Arthas.

Arthas stood firm, his armor shimmering with intense heat, looking as though he had endured the flames for weeks on end.

"Brother," Orion said, a faint, confident smile appearing on his face. "You have been anticipating this day for a very long time, haven't you?"

The meaning was obvious: Arthas had brought him into the Champions Alliance for this specific purpose—to fight side-by-side when the stakes were highest.

"Follow me."

Arthas shot Orion a brief look, hiding his relief behind a mask of stoicism, and turned to guide them toward the center of the volcanic crater.

"Maintain your positions here."

"As you command, My Lord."

Orion stationed Ashreign and the Wraith Knights on guard. He gave a respectful nod to Alexander and the Deputy Commander before following Arthas.

The remaining three exchanged glances and followed close behind.

The surroundings were brutal.

It was a wasteland of death. No plants grew, and no animals roamed. There was only the churning magma at the center and a heavy, soul-crushing pressure that felt like a physical weight.

"This is a Minor Hell," Arthas explained, halting at the crater's edge. A scorching wind, saturated with the stench of sulfur and corruption, slammed into them.

"The Ever-Burning Volcano lies beneath us," he said, pointing toward the dark flames dancing below. "And within those depths burns the Ashenheart."

"It is sustained by the energy of tainted souls."