Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Having an Alpha-level Dark Creature for a mount is one hell of a flashy, prestigious achievement.

Aside from Orion's Abyss Dragon, the Dark Fiend is probably the coolest mount in the Stoneheart Horde.

So it's no wonder Thundar, who suddenly got his hands on an Alpha-level mount, was overjoyed—so much so that he could barely contain himself.

Especially considering his straightforward personality!

Thundar snapped back to reality, took a running leap, and landed right on the Dark Fiend's back.

"Let's go, big fella—take a bite out of that giant spider!"

The Dark Fiend let out a low growl, spun around, and charged straight for the Phantom Spider.

Covered in jet-black skin without any visible eyes, the Dark Fiend has only four limbs and a massive mouth. Its body is astonishingly pliable, making it naturally immune to physical attacks—or more specifically, it can bounce out any foreign object or blow that tries to harm it.

With the Dark Fiend's arrival, they suddenly had the ideal fighter to go toe-to-toe with the Phantom Spider.

Once Lysinthia and Thundar jumped in to help, Slagor and Earthshaker felt their burden lighten right away. They seized the advantage, and before long, the Phantom Spider was dismembered by the group.

With the Phantom Spider dead, a strange, low roar echoed from the depths of the darkness. The moment they heard that roar, all the Dark Creatures began to retreat. Even the Dark Armored Beetle that had breached Blackstone City's outer walls tried to scramble back down the same hole it had used to get in.

"Not on my watch!"

Onyx roared, raised his stone axe, and went into a whirlwind attack against the Dark Armored Beetle.

Crunch!

The Beetle's armored shell, which had been impervious this whole time, finally cracked under Onyx's relentless strikes. Seeing a piece of its shell fall to the ground, Onyx's eyes flared with lethal intent. He used his charge skill to pursue the Dark Armored Beetle down into the tunnel, disappearing from sight.

Outside the city, Rendall was having the hardest time. Right when it looked like the tentacle monster was about to be slain, it got the signal to retreat. With its remaining tentacles pushing off the ground, it jumped out of Rendall's range of attack and slipped away into the distant darkness.

"Damn it!"

"Goddammit, my dark source crystal!"

Furious, Rendall kept his blood shield up, wielding his spiked club to rampage among the retreating Dark Creatures.

…

In the low-hanging sky, that Enchanted Butterfly pulled away from Lilith after a single clash, then fluttered off into the darkness.

Meanwhile, high above, the invisible butterflies brigade had already retreated as soon as they got the withdrawal signal.

Thunderhawk Rayden and the surviving broadskull ravens had no intention of giving chase; this aerial fight had been brutal, and aside from the occasional help from the arrow towers, they'd had zero backup. That was the main reason they didn't dare chase after the invisible butterflies.

On the city wall, Delilah had stopped her chanting; the Dark Creatures' voluntary retreat signaled that they'd won this defensive battle. Still, a deep worry gnawed at her.

The Dark Creatures' coordinated withdrawal meant there was an intelligent being commanding them from behind the scenes—by far their most dangerous and frightening opponent.

But Delilah made sure none of that concern showed on her face.

"Pass down the orders: all bloodline warriors are to stay where they are and rest right in their battle positions.

"Tell the logistics team to get moving and replenish all missing supplies.

"And bring those prepared rations and drinking water straight up onto the walls!

"… …"

As for the spoils of war, Delilah didn't need to say a word. The small spiders that had been helping on the walls were already out cleaning up the battlefield.

Bang!

Just then, a great rupture sounded in the outer part of Blackstone City. Onyx burst up from underground, leaping out of the tunnel. He straightened up and heaved with all his might, hauling the fleeing Dark Armored Beetle out of the ground.

By now, the Beetle was well and truly dead. Onyx dug out its dark source crystal, then circled its corpse, sizing it up.

"Prophet, get over here and give that power of yours a try!"

Rendall, Thundar, Earthshaker, and the others, who'd returned to Blackstone City, hurried over when they saw that Onyx had taken out the Dark Armored Beetle.

"Haha, I was hoping you'd say that. Everybody step back a bit!"

Onyx tossed the dark source crystal to Rendall, then bit his own fingertip, forming seals with his bloodstained hands. He dipped both hands in the Beetle's fresh blood and began to carve a complex summoning array around its corpse.
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Half an hour later, Onyx stepped out of the blood-red magic circle, muttering a cryptic incantation under his breath.

As Onyx prayed, the circle seemed to spring to life, the runes flowing across the ground. The blood pooled around them seeped steadily into the Dark Armored Beetle's body, inscribing it with odd, arcane symbols.

At the same time, Onyx stepped closer and spat a mouthful of his own blood onto the Dark Armored Beetle. The moment his blood touched it, the symbols on the Beetle's shell began flickering one after another. As they lit up, the Beetle's previous injuries started healing, visibly rebuilding itself.

Quite a few tribespeople, drawn by curiosity, gasped in surprise when they saw it. They could hear the grinding of joints and bones as the once-dead Dark Armored Beetle rose shakily to its feet, every joint groaning as if testing a new body.

A moment later, the blood-red Beetle let out a deep bellow—a sound like a bull's call, but lower, with a metallic edge.

"It worked!"

"No way… it really worked!"

Nobody was more excited than Onyx. Because of his blood pact with this newly resurrected, crimson Dark Armored Beetle, he was keenly aware of all its capabilities.

"Heh heh, looks like I've got my own ride now!"

Grinning, Onyx scrambled up onto the Dark Armored Beetle's back. It started lumbering around the outer city with Onyx in tow. At first, its movements were clumsy, but within a few moments it picked up speed, moving with a smoother rhythm.

"Looks like Onyx and Thundar came out on top this time," Slagor said, standing side by side with Earthshaker. The two of them had formed a bond after cooperating against the Phantom Spider and were now on friendlier terms.

"All those blessings came from our great Lord Orion," Earthshaker said as he watched Onyx riding the Beetle around. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little envious, but he also knew Orion had gifted him some treasures, so he couldn't complain.

"Slagor, why don't you earn yourself some real battle accomplishments?" Earthshaker suggested. "Rack up enough of those, and the Lord will definitely have a surprise waiting for you!"

Having fought alongside Slagor and witnessed his bravery and cunning, Earthshaker felt he should steer this late-joining Alpha-level warrior in the right direction.

"Elders, the Elder of Stewardship has issued a summons! Head up to the meeting room on the city wall—urgent business!"

Delilah's message arrived, and Onyx hopped off the Dark Armored Beetle. His expression grew serious, and along with Earthshaker and the rest, he made his way back up onto the city wall.