Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

"Today, all of you shall die!"

Perhaps driven by excitement or by a deep-rooted lust for slaughter, Orion roared toward the sky in a fury that soared to unimaginable heights. Transcendent power surged madly through every fiber of his being.

Orion's body kept growing, his frame rapidly becoming bigger and taller.

Roar, Giant!

Orion had entered his Titan Form, taking on the appearance of an ancient titan, and hurled himself toward the slime mold dragons with devastating force.

Zzzzt!

His attack carried lethal momentum: in addition to activating Swift Charge, he unleashed Instant Impact.

Sensing a mortal threat, the slime mold dragons let out a roar of its own, as though summoning death itself.

Under normal circumstances, that roar would have been terrifying, but in Orion's Titan Form, his shout also spread sonic attacks.

The two howls collided invisibly in midair, canceling each other out.

In the next instant—just as Orion drew near—the slime mold dragons withdrew every shred of exposed flesh, revealing a framework of staggeringly tough bones. Most conspicuous of all was the corkscrew-like horn spiraling from its head, menacing and jagged.

Right then, Orion teleported atop the slime mold dragons' head; his trident met the spiked horn head-on.

No deafening explosion resounded, nor did dazzling flashes of light erupt. Where the trident struck, the creature's horn was crushed like loose sand, torn to pieces. Immediately afterward, from crown to tail, Orion sliced the slime mold dragons in half like a blade passing cleanly through.

In midair, a bundle of life essence and a "survivor's chest" emerged. In the blink of an eye, Orion collected both.

Boom!

A thunderous crash sounded as the Undead Tyrant took advantage of Orion's landing, unleashing a Death Harvest.

Without Orion noticing, the Undead Tyrant had curled in on itself; countless blades on its body had locked together in a single giant whirling saw, which spun toward Orion in a vicious slash.

Having just touched down, Orion could not rely on his footing to evade. He could only thrust upward with his trident to lessen the saw's impact force.

Even so, the giant whirling blade still gouged a huge rift across Orion's back. The ice armor and Ghostbone Armor that he wore were split clean, leaving his defenses breached. Yet no blood flowed from that wound.

In his Titan Form, Orion's defenses were enormously enhanced; at present, his physical toughness exceeded even that of his armor.

A deafening clang echoed, and the whirling blade flew away. Immediately, the serpentine parasitic creature's attack followed hard on its heels.

It stretched its mouth unrealistically wide, swallowing Orion's entire arm down its throat.

Orion reacted the moment he realized what was happening. Inside the creature, he began slashing with his trident and activated Spear Barrage. An uncountable number of spider spears descended like a driving rain, piercing the serpentine parasitic creature from every angle.

But it was cunning. After landing, it rolled itself repeatedly and slithered into the nearby slime molds layer. There, endlessly replenished by that layer, its fungal creatures kept multiplying within its body, its already massive form swelling even more.

Essentially, the serpentine parasitic creature intended to harness the layer's limitless strength to wear Orion down for good. Gradually, it coiled into a dense coil beneath the slime molds layer, trapping Orion's body like a monstrous cage.

"Kill him, kill him, kill him!"

From inside the serpentine parasitic creature, wave upon wave of mental shock assaulted Orion.

"You think you can pin me down? You are not worthy!"

Roar!

The next moment, Orion bellowed in quick succession. The spider spears that had accompanied the creature into the slime molds layer now gathered around Orion once again.

Within seconds, the spears impaled the serpentine beast. During that barrage, Orion spotted his chance and once more triggered Swift Charge and Instant Impact—launching himself upward with tremendous force.

Outside, on the battlefield surface, the slime molds layer covering the ground shifted like a sheet of fabric. From beneath, lumps rose and fell, as though something below was trying to tear through.

Once, twice, three times… No one knew how long it took before the surface tore open and a figure shot upward into the sky.

Aloft, Orion found solid footing again. In his grip, he clutched yet another chunk of life essence.

Whoosh!

From behind, the Undead Tyrant—still shaped like a giant whirling blade—came spinning in for a strike it had long prepared, aiming to kill Orion once and for all.

This time, Orion was ready. Even before he broke clear of the slime molds layer, he had anticipated such a move. With a reverse grip, he used the trident to flick the massive blade aside.

It crashed down onto the ground, melted into the slime molds layer, and then vanished without a trace.

The battle ended as abruptly as it had begun.

"It ran off?"

Hovering in midair, Orion glanced down. He could no longer sense the presence of any Legendary-level foes.

"Lord Orion, it escaped!"

Listening to lich Vexis's mental transmission, Orion withdrew to the sky above his side's forward lines.

"Lord Orion, please allow me to reiterate: your power is without question! But next time, do not risk diving into the slime molds layer. Many of our allies have died there after being dragged beneath."

Orion gave no direct reply, yet Vexis seemed to sense the question in his mind and continued speaking telepathically:

"In truth, that slime molds layer is an external manifestation controlled by the four arch lord–level brood mothers."

"In there, you not only face the collective power of those four arch lords but also the endless swarm of slime molds themselves."

"If an arch lord senses your presence and focuses all her efforts on confining you within the slime molds layer, the result would be disastrous."

"This caution doesn't just apply to you—none of our warriors should venture too close to that slime molds layer."

"Otherwise, their doom is sealed."

Hearing this, Orion surveyed the battlefield. As Vexis commanded, the frontline was indeed kept about one hundred feet away from the slime molds layer. The two sides faced each other like beach and ocean: if one side became enveloped by the other and failed to retreat swiftly, they would be consumed.

"Lord Orion, you must stay alert!

"One Legendary-level foe fled a moment ago. The news about you will doubtlessly reach its brood mother.

"Next time, if something meets you in battle, it may very well be another Legendary-level peak adversary."

At these words, Orion's brows drew slightly together, and his expression grew grim.

"The fungal creatures can share intel?"

"Yes!"

Lich Vexis's voice arrived from the rear with a faint sigh.

"These fungal creatures not only share information but can send out opponents matched to the strength you've displayed—whether to kill you outright or at least contain you."

"They aren't some mindless microorganisms; they are an enemy with high-level intelligence."

"And it's all a carefully orchestrated plan of the slime molds brood mother dwelling in their main nest."

"Be careful!"

Orion did not speak. With a silent nod, he focused on recovering his strength and observing the battlefield, stepping in on occasion to rescue any of his subordinates in peril.