Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1397 The Chitinous Tide

Titanion Realm - Blood Elf Territory

The landscape here formed a wild mosaic of thick old woods and broad meadows. Beauty graced the area, yet the ground twisted in tricky ways, offering shelter to fierce creatures and deadly bugs.

Luckily for the traveling group, the Raptor Cavalry Regiment scouted ahead. Their huge battle beasts ripped apart the bushes, stomping monsters flat and smashing bug hordes to mush before any danger could strike.

For Tristan Greymount, shielded by this barrier of metal and hide, the surroundings resembled a vivid artwork. Each leaf, every bloom in the wild, every beam of light slicing through the treetops seemed deeply meaningful.

"Young Master, the mercenaries say that once we clear this forest, we'll be crossing the border," Adelina said. Her voice shook with thrill.

She had listened to her master's tales about the Stoneheart Horde. To her, passing that line spelled rescue. It meant they stood beyond harm.

"Adelina, do you not appreciate the view?" Tristan asked, inhaling deeply. "This is the territory of the Blood Elves. Can you not feel it? The forest calms the mind. It purifies the spirit."

He shut his eyes, relishing the breeze. "The very atmosphere is humming with mana. Can you feel the elements dancing?"

Ever since the assault from those other realms, the Titanion Realm had transformed. The disaster had twisted the magic flows, flooding the air with power that used to be rare. Now, the woods pulsed with life, thrumming with hidden strength.

"Young Master, with all due respect, the Stoneheart Horde is just ahead," Adelina insisted, brushing off his musings. She clutched her mount's reins hard. "We are almost safe."

Unlike Tristan's dreamy outlook, Adelina stayed laser-focused on mere survival.

"Relax, Adelina," Tristan laughed, shaking his head. "Look around you."

Tristan Greymount viewed Adelina's worry as completely off-base.

Leading the way marched the Raptor Cavalry Regiment from the Stoneheart Horde. Across this land, Tristan knew no fool would dare attack such might.

Thus, Tristan unwound. He passed the trip gazing at the field flowers, the views, and naturally, Adelina.

"Young Master, do you think your father and the others reached Stoneheart City safely?"

"Relax. If anyone can survive, it's that old man. He's too stubborn to die." "But..."

Adelina's words halted as a deep, rumbling buzz echoed from the forest's core.

Bzzzzzzzzzt.

It came as the clear drone of countless wings flapping together.

Tristan, who had slouched in the carriage, shot to attention. His gaze sharpened while he peered at the edges of the trees.

"Man dares not strike, so nature takes its turn?" he whispered.

At the convoy's tail, the Blood and Fire Mercenary Corps picked up the change right away.

"Brundar! Stoutgut! Bloodear! Weapons up!"

Godfrey reacted first. As a battle-hardened fighter, he followed protocol. The line stretched out, and the Raptor Cavalry rode far in front at the

lead. Hunters always hit the laggards first.

Close to the middle, watching over the royal carriage, Kronos detected the ripple in the breeze. His presence surged.

"Halt! Defensive positions!" Kronos's command thundered across the group.

Yet the call proved unnecessary. Up front, the Raptor Cavalry already turned back, their beasts howling as they shifted into a tight guard formation. Rolan had spotted the peril moments earlier than the rest.

The buzz swelled to a thunder. Darkness fell over the treetops as a writhing mass eclipsed the light.

"Leafmaws!" someone yelled.

"Holy crap! Since when do Leafmaws get that big?!"

"It's a swarm! Incoming!"

The convoy brimmed with experienced hires and lineage fighters. They identified the foe at once. Leafmaws—ravenous bugs that devoured woods and fields down to nothing. Usually just a bother, but here in masses, they turned deadly. One ruler could spawn droves of young in a burst, and they grew fast in days.

ROAR!

The Abyssal Dragon and the Raptors bellowed defiance at the humming mass, their wild cries blending into a storm of battle.

"A swarm of this size means there's a King or a Queen driving them," Rolan's voice sliced the fear, steady and firm. He moved without pause. "You lot, stay here and guard the Prince!"

He beckoned his elite guards—hardened survivors from the world clashes—to anchor the defense.

Rolan urged his Abyssal Dragon forward. He guided a squad of Raptor Knights

right into the swarm's pulsing center.

"Mother, it's a swarm," Kronos said, vaulting onto the carriage to cover Ava.

"Garrett, Lambert, Klythia, Drustan! Protect the... Prince!" Ava fixed her slip mid-word. Soaring Bird City had fallen. Her boy held royal status now.

"At once, my Lady!"

The servants from the old Soaring Bird City acted with smooth teamwork, building a three-deep barrier of shields around the carriage.

As the swarm plunged down, the hum twisted into a chilling, iron scrape

sound.

Skree-skree-skree.

It rang out as jaws snapping and shells scraping shells. They

were honing their jaws.

"Lambert," Ava commanded, her tone like iron. "Order the Soaring Bird Guards to shield the civilians. Tell them these bugs are weak individually. Any man with a stick can kill one. Mobilize every able-bodied male to defend their families!" Ava knew they neared Stoneheart lands. She wouldn't allow this journey to crumble so close to victory.

At the back, Godfrey and his seconds clenched their weapons tighter.

"The noise is closing in. Ground level, too. Lots of small impacts. Things are jumping through the brush," Bloodear noted, his gnoll ears flicking

wildly.

"Air and ground assault," Godfrey growled. "Standard swarm tactics. Larvae on the ground, adults in the air."

"Hold the line!" Godfrey pulled his massive blade, planting himself before Tristan and Adelina's carriage. "The Blood and Fire Mercenary Corps doesn't lose clients.

Not today!"

"Shields up! Crossbows, loose!"

The sky hummed with string twangs and the smack of arrows piercing shells. Chaos exploded in a flash.

Fighters hacked with axes and blades, slicing open the shells of swooping bugs. Spears pinned jumping young ones in flight. It turned into a slaughter pit. Deep in the woods, Rolan raged like a storm. Perched on his Abyssal Dragon, he swung his trident as a war deity. His beast barreled through aged trunks, leaving ruin in its wake.

Trailing him, the Lancer Raptor Cavalry struck in deadly harmony. They impaled the Leafmaws with accuracy, their rides clamping jaws to snag and pulverize the pests, gulping them down for an instant energy surge.

The Stoneheart Horde knew insect hordes well. After the Cataclysm, the Horde had formed kill teams to cleanse their domain. Rolan grasped precisely how to break a swarm.