Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Roar…

The massive Dark Fiends let out a never-ending howl. After leaping into the air, it opened its huge maw and lunged straight at Thundar.

Smack!

A giant tail lashed out overhead, striking the Dark Fiends just as it was about to pounce on Thundar. Twilight Viper released a low, rumbling hiss. Its forked tongue flickered, and those vertical pupils glowed with a cold, vicious light.

In just a short time, Twilight Viper—carrying Lysinthia and Slagor—had arrived on the scene.

"I'll go keep the Phantom Spider occupied. Team up with Twilight Viper and finish off that Dark Fiends first!"

Truth be told, Slagor was actually pretty timid, but with the high-end fighters on their side right now, he had nothing to fear.

"Got it!"

Lysinthia responded curtly, then stood on Twilight Viper's head and rushed at the giant Dark Fiends.

"Lysinthia, just immobilize that Dark Fiends—I want to tame it!"
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Even with his left shoulder badly injured, Thundar refused to give up on recruiting this Dark Fiends.

Lysinthia shot Thundar and his massive sword a quick sidelong glance, saying nothing. A few seconds later, her voice echoed through the air.

"Fine, but you only get one shot."

A look of excitement crossed Thundar's face. Without another word, he hefted his greatsword and charged toward the battlefield where Twilight Viper clashed with the Dark Fiends.

Elsewhere, Slagor was having a harder time distracting the Phantom Spider. The creature had far too many long legs, which greatly extended its reach.

Fortunately, Slagor was an Alpha-level veteran with solid combat experience, plus he was protected by both a water-based shield and armor. For the moment, at least, he wasn't losing ground.

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Over in the outer district of Blackstone City, if Thundar's ambition was high, Onyx's was even higher.

Onyx raised his stone axe and locked eyes with the Dark Armored Beetle. The killing intent between the two was palpable.

That was literal killing intent: while Thundar wanted his Dark Fiends alive, Onyx intended to hack the Dark Armored Beetle to pieces.

Once done, he hoped to try out the summoning ability he'd inherited at the Heroic Altar. Ever since he'd gotten that skill, Onyx had been itching to use it.

"WAAAGH!"

He let out a thunderous roar, seized the initiative, and charged in with his axe swinging. In the next moment, the clash of Onyx's furious bellows and the Dark Armored Beetle's bellowing growls reverberated nonstop through the outer district—neither side willing to back down.

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Beyond Blackstone City's walls, Rendall had it easiest of all the Alpha-level fighters.

Thanks to his blood shield, Rendall could go big and bold with his attacks—wild, brutal, and direct. The tentacle monster facing him was already riddled with wounds, battered in several places by his spiked club, leaving gashes and holes pouring out blood.

"Hahaha… you wretched hunk of meat—die!"

Rendall fought like a madman. Once he realized the tentacle monster couldn't pierce his blood shield, he had absolutely nothing to restrain him.

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Clang!

A metallic crash echoed. Two slim figures in the lower air clashed, parted, and then hovered apart again.

Lilith was getting more and more alarmed with each blow. She realized the Enchanted Butterfly in front of her could not only parry her physical attacks with ease but also resist her mind illusions.

Of course, Lilith had also felt the sting of the butterfly's illusions. Thankfully, she wore a butterfly hairpin that Orion had given her, which shielded her from illusions and mental assaults.

It was precisely thanks to Orion's gift that Lilith was able to keep pace with the Enchanted Butterfly. Without it, Lilith doubted she'd still be standing.

"I can't beat this thing. Guess I'll just have to keep it occupied."

Lilith accepted reality. Realizing she couldn't overpower her opponent, she dismissed any ideas of finishing it off and focused on keeping it busy instead.

Screee… Cawwww…

Up above, the battle was just as grueling. The broadskull ravens were taking the heaviest losses. Of the hundred-plus ravens sent to aid them, fewer than thirty remained.

Still, these surviving broadskull ravens had brought Thunderhawk Rayden the time and space to tear through wave after wave of invisible butterflies.

Compared to the invisible butterflies' Alpha, Rayden's lightning attacks and physical strikes packed way more bite. At least half of that airborne swarm had been wiped out.

After this bloody fight, Thunderhawk Rayden's shriek grew sharper, echoing across the skies. He was actually managing to push back the invisible butterflies' Alpha.

"I'll finish you all—I've faced down a Legendary-level fighter before!"

"Go to hell!"

Rayden's hawk cries rang out as he fought like a berserker.

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Meanwhile, in the void passage, Orion still had his eyes shut.

Sophia, on the other end, fell silent, no longer trying to woo him with seductive offers.

Orion looked up, his gaze shifting toward that empty void. He knew Sophia wouldn't just throw in the towel. The woman who wanted to bear his child had no doubt set more schemes in motion.

Right then, Orion's brow furrowed.

Since reaching Legendary level, he'd placed will projections on a few key members of the horde. Now, the projection he'd left with Lorelia was sending news that the underground fissure had started acting up at this critical juncture.

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Moonshadow Valley, underground fissure.

The entrance to the bottomless abyss was now plastered with spiderwebs, covering the sky and the ground alike.

"Warden Rockwell, stand ready!"

"My people discovered a swarm of subterranean creatures climbing out from below! The upside is we haven't spotted any Alpha-level ones yet."

Spider Queen Lorelia and Rockwell flanked the passage entrance on either side, posted there to prevent any sudden Alpha-level beast from bursting out into Moonshadow Valley.

Rockwell didn't answer. His keen stare fixed on the bottomless abyss. Glancing at the numberless little spiders stationed around the entrance and the spider scouts hanging upside down on webs armed with bows and crossbows, Rockwell's eyes narrowed.

"With this setup, not even a mosquito could squeeze through."

He kept that thought to himself, but in his mind, he was sure that if he were one of those subterranean monsters crawling upward, he'd never return.

"If an Alpha-level creature does show itself, no holding back. We'll work together to kill it on the spot."

"The horde's already in a major fight, so they probably can't send help here anytime soon."

Rockwell's comment made perfect sense, and Lorelia nodded.

After a brief pause, a squirming, crawling sound drifted up from the depths of the bottomless abyss. The first to poke into view were worm-like invertebrates, somewhat resembling earthworms—but each measuring roughly 23 to 26 feet in length.

Chitter, chitter, chitter!

Lorelia let out a hissing chatter, and countless cave spiders obeyed, plunging down into the bottomless abyss.

Thus began the underground creatures' invasion.