Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

The thunderhawk's massive figure swooped down, and Orion leapt off its back, landing safely on the ground.

As soon as he landed, Onyx, Rendall, Delilah, Thundar, Lilith, and others rushed to surround him.

"Let's talk inside the tent," Orion said, raising a hand to stop the elders from bombarding him with questions. He gestured for them to follow him.

---

Inside the chieftain's tent, Orion wasted no time.

"The thunderhawk spotted an enemy in the sky—a flying Alpha-level dark creature."

"It was a massive black butterfly. I've decided to call it the Dark Butterfly."

"…"

"Do any of your tribes' histories contain records of such a creature?"

Orion kept his explanation brief, describing the black butterfly in detail. He also recounted the mysterious mist that had shrouded the horde and the Dark Butterfly's sudden disappearance.

When Orion finished speaking, the tent fell into a heavy silence. The atmosphere grew increasingly somber.

It was clear that none of the elders had ever heard of such a creature.

This was a new type of dark creature—and an Alpha-level one at that.

"Chieftain, it's clear that the blood and life force radiating from the tribes in Blackstone City are like a beacon in the darkness," Prophet Onyx finally said, his voice low and weathered.

"I fear that all the dark creatures in the Black Forest are converging on Blackstone City."

Orion nodded in agreement. He had already suspected as much.

In the past, before the Black Forest was unified, the various tribes had hidden themselves to avoid the dark creatures.

It wasn't until Orion united the Black Forest that the tribes began to band together to face the dark creatures and even take the offensive.

For example, Orion's own giant tribe:

In the past, when faced with dark creatures, the bloodline warriors would defend the stone walls of Moonshadow Valley, while the women and children either hid in caves or stayed confined to their tents, forbidden from stepping outside.

The succubus tribe, on the other hand, would seal themselves inside their stone palaces during the dark beast tides, keeping the doors shut for the entire winter.

As for the obsidian golems, they would disguise themselves as rocks, blending into the terrain to avoid detection by the dark creatures.

All these methods shared a common goal: to conceal their life force and minimize the scent of blood in the air.

But now, Blackstone City had abandoned these old survival tactics.

Such methods were incompatible with the city's development and management.

Transitioning from a tribal civilization to a town-based civilization inevitably meant losing some traditions and strategies.

In return, Blackstone City had gained new ways to survive.

The massive walls surrounding the city and the tens of thousands of enslaved cannon fodder troops were prime examples.

Blackstone City had harnessed the power of collective strength, achieving greater offensive and defensive capabilities with order and unity.

---

"As our horde grows stronger, I believe the dark creatures we face will only increase in number and grow more powerful individually," Orion said, his tone heavy.

"Take the butterfly we just encountered, or the tentacle monsters we've seen recently—creatures that were rare in the past."

"These are the challenges we must face!"

Orion's words carried a weight that wasn't meant to frighten but to prepare.

The mysterious mist released by the Dark Butterfly and its sudden disappearance were phenomena even Orion couldn't fully comprehend, let alone the others.

"However," Orion continued, his tone shifting slightly, "if we think about it from another perspective, this is also an opportunity for the horde—for all of you."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"The appearance of Alpha-level dark creatures means that if we can kill them, you all know what that means, don't you?"

Without waiting for a response, Orion answered his own question.

"It means more of you will have the chance to ascend to Alpha-level, further strengthening the Stoneheart Horde."

"Thundar can ascend. Earthshaker can ascend. Rockwell can ascend. And so can Desdemona, Vespera, Dirtclaw, Slate, Samson, Ursa…"

"When every member of our council is an Alpha-level powerhouse, how strong will the Stoneheart Horde be?"

This was true motivation.

The presence of Onyx, Rendall, Delilah, and Lilith—four Alpha-level powerhouses—served as living examples, inspiring everyone in the tent.

Orion scanned the room, noting the rising morale among the elders. His heart settled slightly.

---

"Rendall, Delilah, select some bloodline warriors with exceptional perception and vision from your ranks and form a Sentinel Corps. Their sole purpose will be to monitor the skies above our territory for enemies."

Although Orion had the thunderhawk, it couldn't always be present.

A dedicated Sentinel Corps was essential and needed to be operational immediately.

Both Rendall and Delilah nodded.

Orion thought for a moment before calling out to the guards outside the tent.

"Dace, summon Elan for me!"

"At once!"

Dace's voice rang out as he hurried off to carry out the order.

Elan was the chieftain of the Skytalon Tribe. After submitting to Orion, he had relocated his tribe to Blackstone City.

Orion wanted to include Elan, his son Lorne, and a young man named Tyrus in the Sentinel Corps.

The Skytalon Tribe currently had three hero-level flying beasts: two Wind Eagles and a Blood Vulture.

By integrating them into the Sentinel Corps, Orion could immediately enhance its reconnaissance capabilities.

---

"Delilah, the Sentinel Corps will be under your management."

"Keep a close eye on the Wind Eagles and the Blood Vulture. Make sure they're properly handled."

Delilah's eyes brightened at Orion's words.

His mention of "handling" the flying beasts was a subtle hint that contracts should be established with their handlers.

The implication was clear: Orion's instructions were directed at Lorne and Tyrus.

With the Sentinel Corps under her control, Delilah would have a powerful tool for gathering intelligence. Discover exclusive tales on empire

After finalizing the Sentinel Corps, Orion instructed the elders to further strengthen the defenses of the city walls and the underground fissure.

"As for enemies from the sky, I'll have the thunderhawk remain on high alert, and I'll stay vigilant as well."

"If I'm not in the horde, Onyx, Rendall, Delilah, Lilith—you'll be responsible for handling any dark creatures that come from the ground."

Finally, Orion gazed into the darkness outside the tent, his voice distant.

To the elders inside, his words carried a heavy weight, tinged with worry.

---

"Chieftain, the Spider Queen says she no longer needs ordinary dark source crystals," Rendall reported.

As someone who rotated shifts at the underground fissure, Rendall was well-informed about Lorelia's situation.

"Lorelia is close to Alpha level?"

"Yes, chieftain!"

Orion nodded, meeting Rendall's gaze.

This was good news.

In the midst of such a tense atmosphere, this development was a much-needed morale boost.