Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1443 The Abyss is staring back at you

Orion let out a sigh, giving up on the notion of a brutal brawl.

"You fail to grasp it," Belthar mocked with a sneer. "A being of your inferior level simply can't fathom the secrets of the Divine Soul."

"Act like the obedient mortal you are and serve as my meal!"

"Hahaha..."

The ghostly figure disappeared once more. On this occasion, it reappeared right before the main face of the Stoneheart Titan, its mouth wide open to rip into Orion's neck.

Victory seemed just a breath away.

Suddenly, Belthar halted. His jaws refused to snap shut. His body wouldn't budge.

An unseen power had pinned him down, halting space around him.

Orion gazed straight into the ghost's eyes. His tone remained steady, weighty, and conclusive.

"The Abyss gazes back at you."

The ghostly form stood immobilized, blind to anything but what was right in front of it. Yet through the overhead mirror, Belthar's core mind witnessed it all distinctly. And fear gripped him.

Moments earlier, the emptiness had trembled. The laws governing this realm were shifting due to an external invasion.

Under Orion's boots, a shadowy realm emerged. A massive whirlpool from the depths yawned wide, rotating with deliberate, horrifying grandeur. Waves of warped gravity spread out, endangering the whole Ashenheart Domain with consumption.

Up high loomed the Mirror of Theras. Down below churned the Abyssal Vortex. Heaven clashed with Hell in a fierce struggle.

"This is..."

Leonidas drew in a sharp breath. Having managed to awaken a World Dragon himself, he identified the mark of a descending world.

"A Divine Kingdom!" Edward murmured, his words quivering. "Hulk... he's truly awakened his World Dragon and shaped it into a Divine Kingdom."

"Does that mean... he's a Fourth-Stage Demigod?"

Edward felt profoundly rattled. At last, he comprehended the Commander's statement fully. Hulk surpasses us all. It was no exaggeration.

"This is hell," Orion told the immobilized specter, "yet I wager you've never beheld the Abyss."

"It possesses a foul disposition."

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

ZZZ-ZZT!

It formed a gruesome symphony of noises.

The snapping echoed as a Divine Soul got pulverized by an overwhelming might. The crackling hissed as the specter's essence wailed in futile defiance.

Together, they resembled a cry being choked off.

POP!

In a flash, Belthar's ghostly projection burst inward. It didn't merely perish; it got obliterated. All its strength, devotion, and awareness got drawn into the swirling depths under Orion's soles.

After consuming the projection, Orion tilted his gaze toward the sky's mirror.

"Did you believe that was the finish?"

"The Abyss remains ravenous."

Orion lifted his leftover seven limbs and bellowed.

ROAAAR!

The whirlpool accelerated its spin. The gravitational force surged a thousand times stronger. The might of a full world seized the Mirror of Theras, yanking it earthward from the skies.

This was no illusion. This was no deception. Orion had called forth his genuine Divine Kingdom.

Even though the kingdom hadn't completely entered the Minor Hell, the barriers between dimensions collided in the emptiness, leaking energy via the fissures.

"No!"

"That... that's the presence of a Divine Kingdom!"

"How can this be?!"

Within the mirror, Belthar fell into frenzy. As a Third-Stage Demigod, he recognized precisely what that whirlpool signified. And he realized battling a world lay beyond his reach.

Run.

The urge shrieked inside his thoughts.

Acting swiftly, Belthar ditched the vessel. His primary awareness shot out from the mirror's rear, cutting ties with the relic. He ripped open a rift in the void and bolted, evading the Abyss's gravitational core.

"That item is the Demon King's!" Belthar's shout echoed as he faded into the distortion. "He'll claim it himself!"

It served as a final warning, one destined to linger in Orion's mind for ages. But for the moment, the foe had retreated.

Deprived of guidance, the Mirror of Theras started to quiver. Lacking Belthar's intent to hold it steady, the relic yielded to the vortex's draw.

Gradually, relentlessly, the enormous dark mirror lowered. It required hours, yet in the end, the abyssal whirlpool engulfed the Demigod Artifact completely, hauling it into Orion's Divine Kingdom.

With the task complete, Orion plummeted from above, crashing down solidly next to Edward and Arthas.

He appeared drained. His manifestation shimmered and dissolved.

"Brothers... I'm wiped out," he muttered.

Then he toppled over, his mind withdrawing into the cavern for a profound healing rest.

Edward, Arthas, Alexander, and Leonidas remained quiet, eyes fixed on the cave's mouth.

"Is the kid... worn out?" Leonidas joked at last, easing the strain.

Arthas and Alexander swiveled together, glaring at him with deep revulsion.

"He depleted his Divine Power excessively," Edward clarified. "Sleep is what he requires to recharge."

Far overhead in the turbulent void, the essence of Orion's Divine Kingdom started to withdraw, floating clear of the Ashenheart Domain.

In reality, Belthar had been deceived.

He'd been driven away by the mere idea of the Divine Kingdom. Had he lingered and battled with the mirror's aid, triumph might have been his. Orion's "Fourth Stage" rang empty—he'd bypassed kindling Divine Fire (Second Stage) and crafting a Divine Soul (Third Stage). He amounted to a fragile powerhouse with devastating force.

Yet Belthar would have faced Orion plus the four grounded Demigods. Escaping likely saved his life.

"My god... the kid's a beast," Leonidas grumbled, shaking his head. "We were once his top fighters. Now he's the one bearing our weight."

He slung an arm over Arthas's shoulders, beaming without shame. "Arthas, show me the way. How do I snag a disciple that wild?"

Arthas eyed the arm on his shoulder, stayed silent, and headed into the cave.

"Keep wishing," Alexander quipped as he trailed Edward inward.

Leonidas lingered solo briefly, watching their backs recede. He heaved a heavy sigh.

"Damn it. Now I get how Squiddy felt when we outpaced him."

"It stings. It truly stings."

Within the cavern, the atmosphere hung still.

At the heart of their rest area rested a tiny Stoneheart Titan figurine. This acted as the conduit for Orion's manifestation. Nearby stood a dragon figurine (Leonidas) and a wizard figurine (Edward).

Arthas and Alexander required no such anchors. Arthas had come in his actual form, wagering all to safeguard the volcano. Alexander employed his Asura Avatar, which demanded no base.

Arthas approached the Titan figurine. He drew a jet-black skull from his garments—a artifact brimming with necromantic might—and set it softly into one of the Titan's rocky grips.

Witnessing this, the rest followed suit.

Edward summoned a orb of sacred radiance, settling it into another grasp.

Alexander unsheathed a see-through, ghostly blade and positioned it over a third hand.

Leonidas, always the performer, skipped an object. He extended his limb, which melted into golden glow, morphing into a tiny dragon that wrapped affectionately around the Titan's fourth limb.

They poured resources into their tomorrow. And their tomorrow slumbered directly before them.