Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 210 Strengthen defenses

"Perhaps your choice was the right one."

"The bad habits of the succubus race have no place in the Stoneheart Horde."

Delilah sighed softly, her voice as melodious as ever.

"Of course. I'm Orion's wife, and my vision is far greater than you think!"

"As Orion grows stronger, countless women from different races will inevitably become his partners. Am I supposed to guard against every single one of them?"

Though Lilith spoke with confidence, there was a hint of sadness in her tone.

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As Orion's wife, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of bitterness. After all, his first child wasn't hers.

"That child is special. It might take over a decade to be born. You still have a chance."

"I know."

"Do you need the succubus tribe to help you with anything?"

"Help me find a way to conceive. I want to get pregnant as soon as possible."

"…"

Tonight, the Stoneheart Horde was anything but peaceful. There was joy, but also unease.

And by the next morning, the horde was bustling with activity.

The bloodline warriors of Blackstone City were once again busy preparing for potential threats.

However, the beast tide Orion had feared didn't come.

Instead, the first disturbance occurred within Blackstone City's underground fissure.

The Alarm Sounds.

Orion was outside his tent, teaching Rolan how to wield a trident, when the alarm bells from the eastern ridge suddenly rang out.

The disturbance was coming from the underground fissure.

"Rolan, head back for now!"

Leaving those words behind, Orion sprinted toward the source of the commotion.

When he arrived at the underground fissure moments later, the scene before him made his eyebrows rise slightly.

A swarm of cave spiders had surrounded a monster, layering themselves three or four deep, blocking every possible escape route.

The monster thrashed and lunged, but it couldn't find a way out.

"Master, you're here!"

"What's going on?"

Lorelia, holding a crossbow, approached Orion with a smug expression.

"Master, this monster climbed up from the Bottomless Abyss. My children spotted it immediately!"

"I sacrificed a few of them to lure it up here and cut off its retreat."

Orion gripped his trident tightly, his expression growing serious as he observed the monster slaughtering the spiderlings.

It was a black-armored salamander, the same type of creature that Clymene had encountered in the abyss.

"Master, Delilah and Thundar are outside. Should I let them in?"

The spiderlings had relayed the news, and Lorelia had immediately informed Orion.

"Let them in."

"We'll work together to kill this thing as quickly as possible."

At Orion's command, Lorelia waved her hand.

Moments later, two figures darted into the fissure—Delilah and Thundar, who had rushed over after hearing the alarm.

"This thing climbed up from the Bottomless Abyss. Let's take it down together!"

Orion explained briefly before charging forward with his trident.

The Battle Begins.

As Orion charged, a flash of blood-red light erupted in front of him.

His Abyssal Dragon emerged with a low, guttural roar that echoed through the underground fissure.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The moment the Abyssal Dragon appeared, the black-armored salamander locked onto it.

Ignoring the surrounding spiderlings, the salamander let out a furious roar and lunged at the dragon.

The Abyssal Dragon's icy eyes glinted with killing intent as it opened its massive jaws to bite down.

But the black-armored salamander was incredibly agile—more so than the dragon.

With a quick sidestep, it dodged the dragon's attack.

At the same time, the salamander swung its massive tail, aiming for the dragon's exposed underbelly.

Smack!

At the last moment, the Abyssal Dragon countered with its own tail, colliding with the salamander's in a bone-shattering impact.

Crack!

The sound of breaking bones echoed through the fissure, sending chills down everyone's spines.

The salamander's tail had fractured.

Though both creatures were protected by armor, the Abyssal Dragon's additional layer of bone armor had absorbed much of the impact.

"Seizing the opportunity, Orion activated Titan's Rage, greatly enhancing his attributes."

With all his strength, he hurled his trident at the salamander.

Thud!

The trident pierced the salamander's body, causing it to howl in pain.

It turned to face Orion, letting out a furious roar.

But beneath its rage, fear flickered in its glowing eyes.

The salamander's fear was justified.

The Abyssal Dragon, Orion, and Thundar were all charging toward it simultaneously, while Delilah began chanting an ancient spell.

The Abyssal Dragon reached the salamander first, engaging it in a brutal melee.

Orion leapt onto the dragon's back, using it as a platform to launch himself toward the salamander's head.

Thundar, meanwhile, jumped onto the salamander's back, wielding his massive greatsword.

At that moment, Delilah's Nightmare Arts took effect.

The salamander's mind wavered, its movements faltering for just an instant.

Death Descends.

In that brief moment of hesitation, the battle ended.

The black-armored salamander collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Orion stood atop the salamander's head, pulling his Flame of Will trident from its skull.

Thundar retrieved his greatsword from the creature's neck.

"No crystal core in the head. Check its heart."

Orion searched the salamander's head but found no crystal core. He instructed Thundar to cut open its chest.

The Abyssal Dragon, meanwhile, kept its jaws clamped around the salamander's body.

Orion had ordered it to do so through their mental connection, wary of the creature playing dead.

"Chieftain, I found it!"

Thundar pulled a black Alpha-level crystal core from the salamander's heart.

The presence of a crystal core confirmed that the salamander was a beast, not an undead creature.

This discovery brought Orion a sense of relief.

To be honest, Orion was still worried about Clymene.

Although she had been transformed into a Shade Valkyrie, the Bottomless Abyss was an unknown and dangerous place. No one could predict what she might encounter.

---

"This one's yours."

Orion patted the Abyssal Dragon's head, signaling that it could devour the salamander.

The dragon, having been injured in the last invasion, had been recovering inside Orion's heart. It hadn't eaten in a long time and was ravenous.

In moments, the salamander's body was reduced to a pile of bones.

Orion glanced at Lorelia, who snapped her fingers.

The surrounding spiderlings swarmed the bones, devouring them in less than ten seconds.

Thundar handed the crystal core to Orion, who stored it away before addressing his companions.

"The unexpected has already happened. Lorelia, strengthen your defenses here."

"As you command, Master!"

Orion nodded and began walking toward the Bottomless Abyss, with Thundar and Delilah following close behind.

"This black-armored salamander had a crystal core, meaning it's a beast."

"I suspect it was drawn here by the scent of the seed."

"And it came from down there."

Orion's gaze lingered on the abyss as he spoke, his thoughts drifting to Clymene and her group.

"Chieftain, are you saying there might be more beasts down there?"

Delilah quickly grasped Orion's implication.

"Without a doubt. Not just beasts from the underground caves, but possibly undead as well."

Orion's tone grew heavier. Including the terrifying spiked worm from before, this was the second Alpha-level beast to emerge from the abyss.

Delilah and Thundar exchanged uneasy glances.

The underground fissure was the cave spiders' nest and one of the horde's most fortified locations.

If even this place wasn't safe, the horde would suffer greatly.

"Don't worry too much."

Orion's confident voice broke through their anxiety, steadying their nerves.

"No matter what comes out of the Bottomless Abyss, as long as we hold this position…"

"Alpha-level monsters? We'll kill them one by one. If two come, we'll kill them both!"

"Besides, the elders' hopes of advancing might depend on this place."

Orion's words carried both temptation and madness.

Delilah and Thundar quickly realized the significance of the Bottomless Abyss.

If Alpha-level beasts continued to emerge, the abyss could become the Stoneheart Horde's greatest resource—a proving ground for their warriors.

Of course, if they failed to hold it, the abyss would become their greatest disaster.