Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 802: A Demon is at Work

In all his campaigns, from the northern wastes to the southern shores, from the Godforsaken Lands to the worlds beyond, Orion had seen only one man, Blademaster Grommash, forge a Lord’s Stone through sheer force of will and talent.

He had seen no other. He knew just how difficult it was to obtain one without the backing of a great power. Even for Awakened survivors like Caesar and Aerin, the path to the Legendary tier was all but impassable without a patron to lend a hand.

After a long moment of consideration, just as Hayden was about to succumb to despair, Orion initiated a trade.

Hulk: Since you consider me a friend, then let this Lord’s Stone be my gift in return for yours.

To give it freely—that was Orion’s decision. On the one hand, he wanted to deepen his friendship with Hayden, and to give something of value to a friend was only natural.

On the other hand, he coveted Hayden’s ability to produce endless grain, and the food stores of his entire world. He wanted to change the nature of their cooperation, and this was the way.

"This..." Seeing the Lord’s Stone in the trade window, Hayden accepted it on pure instinct.

Hulk: If you feel you owe me, then let us change our arrangement. From now on, all the grain you produce, and all artifacts like the Cursed Scarecrows... I will buy them all. The price will be the market standard. You have to sell to someone. Is it not better to sell to a true friend?

The offer was more than fair. And through the ordeal of trying to acquire a Lord’s Stone, Hayden had learned the difference between a true friend and a hundred drinking buddies. He knew, with bitter certainty, that without a shared baptism of fire, without a common interest, friendship was a hollow word.

In the small straw house, as the snow fell ever thicker outside, Hayden clutched the stone that made his own non-existent heart pound with a fierce, joyful rhythm.

Hayden: Done. We will cooperate as you say.

With the Lord’s Stone in hand, he did not hesitate. The past weeks of begging and pleading had shown him the true nature of the world. Since Orion was the one who could produce such a treasure, he was a friend worth more than all the others combined.

Hulk: Then it is a pleasure doing business. The old rules apply. If I am not online, send it through a delayed trade.

Hayden was decisive. He opened his own inventory and transferred everything—all his grain, all his stored artifacts—in a single, massive transaction.

On this day, the grain merchant Scarecrow had officially cleared out his warehouse.

Stoneheart City, as night descended.

Orion opened his eyes, looking out over his silent fortress. He was pleased. To have secured such a vast quantity of food and so many death-ward artifacts was a great boon for the Horde.

A Legendary-tier grain merchant, he mused. I wonder what his combat prowess is like? If he is capable, I could truly consider bringing him into the Champions Alliance.

The idea took root, but he knew he needed to confirm some things first. He would have to meet Hayden in person. But there was no rush. Even with a Lord’s Stone, it would take more than a day or two for his friend to ascend.

He walked out of the fortress. Stoneheart City was ablaze with light, its streets a thriving river of people, the sounds of revelry even greater than during the day.

"Daddy!"

His daughter, Elara, sensed his presence and teleported directly onto his neck.

"Are you having fun in Stoneheart City? Do you like it here?"

"It’s fun! I like it very much!" she chirped. "But... it’s a tiny bit less grand than my Flame Dragon Fortress."

Orion smiled, gently stroking her head. "This is your home as well now, little one. This is all the territory of our Stoneheart Horde."

The Flame Dragon Fortress was the citadel Soraya’s scorpion legions had built for Elara in the Grey Mountains of the Valkorath Realm. It was her fiefdom, a place of dense elemental power with an active volcano, where the dragon egg he had gifted her still incubated in the deep heat.

"Where is Pallas?"

"Mama put him to sleep. My brother is so silly. But he’s fun to play with!"

Orion just smiled and said nothing, carrying Elara toward the inner city walls to look out upon the night view of his capital. With Elara and Kaelen in the Emerald Dream Realm, he now had five children.

All of them were healthy and strong, except for Caelus, his firstborn with Violet, who was born first but would be the last to truly live.

Thinking of him, a familiar weight settled in Orion’s heart. He had the Spring of Life now, but the World Fragment and the Abyssal Springhead were still out of reach.

The fragment might be obtained when the Emerald Dream Realm finally shattered, or by conquering another large Godforsaken Land. But the Abyssal Springhead... that was a thing that existed only in the deepest parts of the Abyss itself.

I am an Archlord now, he resolved. When matters in the Dream Realm are settled, it will be time to prepare for a journey into the great darkness.

Emerald Dream Realm, Marshlight Sanctuary.

While Orion’s true body stood watching over his peaceful, lamplit city, a storm was brewing in another world. On this day, both Leonidas and Orion’s avatar emerged from their respective palaces.

"The Silver-Eyed People are on the move," Leonidas said, his voice a low growl. "They are launching a full-scale offensive. When something seems out of place, it is because a demon is at work."

"This is... interesting," Orion’s avatar replied, his own gaze fixed on the north. For some time, small skirmishes between their scouts had been commonplace, a tacitly agreed-upon way of testing each other’s defenses.

But this was different. The main army of the Silver-Eyed was pushing forward, showing every intention of crossing the mountains in force. Their Archlords were also on the move.

"What are they planning?" the avatar wondered aloud. "The longer they delayed a major battle, the more time they had to prepare. This move goes against their own strategic interests."

He stood clad in his blood-red Ghostbone Armor, a grim sentinel staring into the coming storm.

"It seems they wish to begin the great war," Leonidas said, and then a wide, predatory grin split his face. He could feel the enemy advancing, and the warrior’s spirit within him was awakening.

"Come, my friend. Let us go and meet these two Silver-Eyed Archlords together. Their third eyes... are you not curious to see what powerful abilities they hold?"

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