Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

The battle had ended, but the bloodstains on the newly built walls gave them a somber, tragic air.

Prophet Onyx supported Elder Rendall as they followed behind Orion. The two of them, with Orion leading, returned to Moonshadow Valley under the reverent gazes of the others.

Orion had left Lilith in charge of the temporary command at the walls, while the rest of the elders gathered in the chieftain's tent for an emergency council meeting.

Orion downed a large bowl of black rye ale, feeling some of the exhaustion lift from his body.

"This time, the dark source crystals we've collected—20% will go to the horde's reserves, and the rest will be distributed according to battle merit."

"From that 20%, take 10% and distribute it to the support staff based on their duties. They've worked hard too."

"This task will be handled by Elder of Stewardship Delilah, with Elder of Combat Thundar overseeing it."

Delilah stood up, nodded, and glanced around at the other elders. Seeing no objections, she sat back down.

Orion could clearly see the joy on the faces of the elders.

Since no one raised any objections or comments, Orion didn't dwell on the topic. He exhaled slowly and pulled out a wooden box from his cloak, containing the Alpha-level dark source crystal.

"According to the rules, this dark source crystal belongs to Prophet Onyx."

From the moment Orion took out the box to the moment he spoke, the entire tent fell into an eerie silence.

Aside from Elder Rendall, who had his eyes closed in rest, every elder's gaze was fixed on the wooden box on Orion's table—especially Prophet Onyx.

Orion's cold eyes swept over the council members.

Then, with a casual flick of his wrist, the wooden box landed in Prophet Onyx's hands.

At that moment, Prophet Onyx held the box as if it were his most precious treasure.

After a long pause, the seasoned and wise Prophet Onyx finally calmed his emotions, pulling himself out of the waves of excitement.

He carefully put the box away, then stood up, his expression solemn.

"I swear upon the soul of our ancestors, Onyx will defend the chieftain to the death, defend Moonshadow Valley to the death, and defend our Stoneheart Horde to the death!"

With these words, Prophet Onyx not only dispelled any envy or resentment from the other council members but also solidified his loyalty.

His declaration not only earned Orion's favor but also the respect of the entire Stoneheart Horde.

"Prophet, I've seen your loyalty."

"There's a cave in the back of Moonshadow Valley, a place of peace and quiet. I'll have Elder Rendall take you there to train."

"When you successfully ascend to Alpha-level, I have an important task for you."

Prophet Onyx nodded in agreement and returned to his seat. He didn't ask what the task was—he was confident that once he reached Alpha-level, whatever Orion had in store for him would be easily accomplished.

After Prophet Onyx sat down, Orion scanned the other council members. He could sense the restlessness in their hearts.

Orion thought for a moment, then decided to continue stoking their ambitions.

"In the summer, I set the rule that Alpha-level resources would be distributed according to sequence."

"The next to receive resources will be my wife, Lilith, but after her, the next in line has yet to be determined."

"Everyone, the dark beast tides are far from over. Lilith has a chance, and so do all of you!"

Orion paused, taking the opportunity to drink another cup of black rye ale, waiting for the fire of desire to ignite in the eyes of the elders.

Once he saw their breathing grow a little heavier, Orion continued, his tone calm but deliberate.

"If not this year, then next year!"

"If not next year, then the year after!"

"Even if I fall in battle, Elder Rendall and Prophet Onyx will still be here to support our Stoneheart Horde."

"Everyone, this is the best of times. This is the era of our horde's rise!"

"Don't you want to seize this opportunity, to rise with me, and conquer the lands beyond the Black Forest?"

Orion spoke these words while gazing into the darkness outside the tent, his expression distant and profound.

"We do!"

"For the horde!"

"For the glory of the horde!"

The council members' voices rose in unison, their fervor and reverence for Orion palpable.

The Stoneheart Horde was becoming more united than ever.

Elder Rendall opened his eyes, glancing at Orion seated at the head of the table, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

Prophet Onyx also looked at Orion, his eyes filled with visions of the future.

Thundar placed a hand over his heart, feeling it race. He could almost see the day he would become an Alpha-level warrior.

Earthshaker downed a mouthful of beast-blood ale, letting out a satisfied belch before continuing to gnaw on a chunk of beast meat.

Delilah stared at Orion with burning eyes, her panties already soaked through.

"Orion's vision is so deep!"

"If only I had become his wife back then!"

"But... this isn't bad either!"

"I'm also his woman!"

...

After painting a grand vision of the future, Orion had successfully dispelled any jealousy or resentment in the hearts of the elders.

"Everyone, keep working hard. Reach the peak of Hero-level as soon as possible!"

"I look forward to leading a group of Alpha-level warriors from our tribe to conquer the outside world!"

"Land, women, wealth... they're all waiting for us to claim them!"

Orion knew when to stop. He fell silent, waiting for the atmosphere in the tent to settle.

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After a long pause, Orion finally began recounting his experience in the eastern mountains.

"In the eastern mountains, at the bottom of the canyon, there's a massive underground crevice. Below that crevice is a bottomless abyss."

"That terrifying spiked worm was over 60 feet long, covered in spikes..."

"At the time, I..."

Orion spoke in great detail, describing the terrain of the underground crevice and the appearance of the monster.

When he finished, he looked around at the council members. All of them were frowning in thought, but no one spoke.

Orion's gaze fell on Elder Rendall, one of the oldest members of the giant tribe in Moonshadow Valley.

Unfortunately, even Elder Rendall was frowning, his expression one of disbelief. It seemed he had no knowledge of the spiked worm's existence.

"In the past, we only cleared away the fallen trees that collapsed into the crevice to prevent dark creatures from climbing up. We never explored down there."

"A long time ago, your parents did venture down to investigate, but they found no important information was recorded."

"And for hundreds of years, no powerful creatures have ever emerged from the crevice."

After saying this, Elder Rendall shook his head. He had scoured his memory but couldn't recall anything relevant.

Orion felt a bit disappointed and turned his gaze to the well-traveled and knowledgeable Prophet Onyx.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om