The Rise of the Titan

"Bang!" The confident Frost Giant leader was once again slapped to the ground by Muria. This time, he had no desire to get up and continue fighting. He had deeply understood the power of the Titan; there was no need to seek more punishment. Even though this Titan had only just ascended to legend status, his strength was undeniable.

Lying on the ground, the Frost Giant leader stared blankly at the sky. The snowstorm, disrupted by his ascension, seemed to be settling down again. He slowly closed his eyes, feeling a rare sense of fatigue since becoming a legend.

He knew that all his tribesmen were watching him now, likely feeling sympathy or pity... but probably not mocking him. After all, he had lost to a Titan, which was the expected outcome. No Frost Giant would have hoped he could defeat a Titan.

"Done fighting?" Muria glanced around the frozen ground, which was littered with craters from the Frost Giant leader's falls.

The Frost Giant leader, filled with shame and anger, had waited until his newly gained power had peaked and he had gotten somewhat familiar with it before attacking Muria. Seeing the giant was now weaponless, Muria had set aside his Broadsword Spear, not wanting to bully him. Instead, he used only his fists to teach the Frost Giant about the true might of a Titan.

"No more fighting." The Frost Giant leader closed his eyes completely. He had accepted his fate; fighting a Titan was a hopeless endeavor.

"Will you follow me?" Muria asked, flexing his fingers. The cracking of his knuckles made the Frost Giant leader flinch.

"I will not betray the Frost Wolf God. It helped me become a legend." The Frost Giant leader, stubborn as always, refused Muria once more.

"Then get up and keep fighting," Muria commanded, looking down at the Frost Giant leader. "I'll beat you until you agree."

"I have already surrendered."

"But you still won't follow me."

"I already have a god I believe in. My body and soul are fully devoted to it."

"Where is the largest shrine of your tribe's Frost Wolf God?" Muria asked. "I want to have a chat with it."

"It's in the ice hut I walked out from at the start. You destroyed it."

Muria glanced at the nearby ruins and then fixed his gaze on the Frost Giant leader. "You knocked it down. Don't blame me for that."

The Frost Giant leader remained silent.

"Where is the next largest shrine?" Muria inquired. He knew a tribe this large must have more than one shrine.

"There is one here, Titan," replied one of the Frost Giant elders, a wiry but still strong giant.

"Does it have an idol of the Frost Wolf God?" Muria asked, frowning at the ice hut that wasn't even as tall as him. "If it does, bring it out."

Under Muria's orders, the Frost Giants, showing no hesitation in betraying their faith, rushed into the ice hut. Together, they carried out a 60-meter tall wolf statue and placed it before Muria.

"You..." The Frost Giant leader glared at his tribesmen in anger for desecrating their god. In the end, he dropped his gaze, powerless to defend his faith.

"I want to summon the Frost Wolf God's consciousness, to project itself onto this idol. Do you have any good suggestions?" Muria asked the Frost Giant leader.

"To summon the Frost Wolf God, you need to hold a large sacrificial ceremony. You must prepare one Soul-level and nine Gold-level beasts as offerings. Also, 199 young Frost Giant maidens must dance the god's dance..."

"Ridiculous," Muria scoffed at the elaborate ritual. He knew such complicated ceremonies were designed to enhance a god's mystery and majesty, a common practice among most faith-based deities.

"But only through such a ritual can we summon..."

"No need for such fuss," Muria dismissed the idea. He picked up his Broadsword Spear and lightly tapped the wolf statue. "Come out, I have something to discuss with you."

The casual tone and action left the observing Frost Giants in stunned silence.

"That is a god," the Frost Giant leader said in shock.

"I know." Muria's tone was indifferent as he continued to tap the statue, as if knocking on a door.

"Even if you are a Titan, you should show proper respect to a god."

"Hmm," Muria paused his disrespectful actions, thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Indeed, a god deserves respect."

He then put away his spear, crouched down, and gently patted the statue's head. "Frost Wolf God, please come out."

Seeing Muria's new action, the Frost Giant leader's face twisted. He could hardly contain himself. What did this Titan think a god was? This scene resembled a pet owner comforting their frost wolf rather than summoning a divine presence.

"Titan, this will anger the god and bring unpredictable consequences."

"Oh." Muria nodded nonchalantly. Under his hand, the crudely carved wolf statue began to emit a faint glow, a sign of divine power.

"Just as I thought, touching the power of faith immediately got a reaction," Muria smiled. Everything was going as expected.

From the moment he saw the statue, Muria had noticed the faith power entwined around it. Rather than using a ritual to summon the Frost Wolf God's consciousness, he chose to manipulate this power of faith. As faith was the source of a god's strength, making a move to seize it would surely draw the god's attention.

To the Frost Giants, Muria's action was blasphemy. But aside from the leader, none of the other giants tried to stop him.

"Mortal!" Sensing its faith being stolen, the Frost Wolf God instantly sent its consciousness down, using some of its divine power to form a partially combat-capable avatar based on the statue.

_________________________

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!] [[email protected]/INNIT]