Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1366: The Pontiff’s Gamble and the Great Exodus

"Jack, what do you think? Is this feasible?"

Valerius turned, directing the question to the Clown. As the only one among them who had crossed swords with the Atlantean Demigods, his opinion carried the most weight.

"It’s worth a shot," the Clown replied, his painted smile unreadable.

He wouldn’t oppose it. If the recruitment succeeded, he would share the credit. It would mean another powerful ally within the Cult of Four’s ecosystem, someone who owed them a favor.

As for his plans to elevate the Witch? Those would have to wait. Long-term strategy required patience.

Standing in the shadows, the Witch felt a bitter bile rise in her throat.

She and the Clown had descended upon the Silverwood Realm with a dual purpose: to crush the Champions Alliance and to win over Pontiffs Yriel and Valerius. These were supposed to be the stepping stones to her ascension.

Instead, Atlantis had emerged from the abyss and shattered her chessboard.

Damn it... damn it all.

Why?

She glared at the Clown’s back. Why are you agreeing to this? Why aren’t you fighting for me?

But the Clown ignored her gaze, chatting casually with the other Pontiffs as if she weren’t even in the room.

Titanion Realm, Human Kingdom

The news of the coming dimensional merger and the impending Great Change had started as a whisper among the elite.

The kings, the arch-mages, the heads of great houses—they knew first. They made their preparations in silence, securing assets and fortifying strongholds. Once their safety was assured, the information began to leak downward.

Panic didn’t explode; it seeped.

Ironically, the terror didn’t start with the slaves or the commoners. They had nothing to lose. The panic began in the middle—the minor nobility, the landed gentry whose estates lay far from the safety of the major cities.

They saw the great houses liquidating assets. They saw the caravans of gold moving toward the capital. And they realized they were being left behind.

Fear is contagious. It spread from noble to merchant, from merchant to soldier. Soon, even the great cities were thick with the scent of doom.

But while most nobles were fighting tooth and nail to buy their way into the overcrowded capitals, a few clever souls—and those with no other choice—looked elsewhere.

In Soaring Bird City, the mood was different.

One day after Kronos returned with his elite guard, Ava, the city’s ruler and the Kingdom’s eldest Princess, stood in the central plaza.

"Citizens of Soaring Bird," her voice rang out, amplified by magical arrays to reach every corner of the city. "I am Princess Ava. And it is with a heavy heart that I confirm the rumors. The invasion is real. The world is changing."

A hush fell over the crowd.

"A calamity is coming that these walls cannot withstand. As your Lord, my duty is to your lives, not to these stones."

She took a breath, steeling herself.

"Therefore, I am dissolving the administration of Soaring Bird City."

Gasps rippled through the plaza.

"You have two choices. You may pack your belongings and head for the Kingdom’s central cities. I will issue travel passes to anyone who asks. The Kingdom will not abandon you."

It was a lie, and everyone knew it.

A travel pass was just paper. In times of chaos, refugees carrying their life savings were nothing but walking loot drops. The roads would be swarming with bandits—many of whom were likely former soldiers or desperate commoners turned predator.

Even if they survived the journey, the central cities would bleed them dry before letting them through the gates.

Ava paused, letting the reality sink in. She hated this. She was royalty; she had been raised to protect her people. Abandoning the city felt like a betrayal of her blood.

"Or," she continued, her voice gaining strength, "you can take the second path."

"To our north lies the territory of the Blood Elves, and beyond that... the Stoneheart Horde."

"It is the domain of a Demigod. It is a fortress that will stand when others fall."

She gestured to the massive figure standing beside her.

"This is my son, Kronos. He is the Young Lord of this city, and he is a Prince of the Stoneheart Giants."

Kronos stepped forward.

He had assumed his True Form—a towering construct of muscle and stone, with four heads and eight arms, looking like an iron pagoda made flesh.

He didn’t speak. He simply released his aura.

BOOM!

A wave of Legendary-level pressure washed over the square. It was heavy, suffocating, and undeniably powerful.

The crowd gasped, eyes wide with awe. Many were seeing a Lord-class powerhouse for the first time.

Ava beamed. This was her son. He wasn’t just a warrior; he was a prodigy. He was on the path to becoming an Arch Lord, perhaps even a Demigod like his father.

And because of his strength, she was no longer the hidden woman. She was no longer the shameful secret kept in the shadows. Kronos had walked into the Giant King’s court and demanded her place in the sun.

"Kronos offers you his protection," Ava announced, her voice ringing with newfound authority.

"He has the power to shelter you within the Stoneheart lands."

"Pack what you can carry. Join us. We march for Stoneheart City tomorrow morning."

"I give you my word: your lives will be defended, and your property will remain your own."

That was the hook.

Soaring Bird City was a trade hub. Its people—merchants, mercenaries, craftsmen—had grown rich trading between the Human Kingdom, the Blood Elves, and the Giants. They were practical people. They knew the value of a strong backer.

The smart ones, the ones who understood the concept of diversifying risk, had already moved assets into Giant territory. For them, this wasn’t an evacuation; it was a relocation.

"You have one day to decide," Ava concluded. "We leave at dawn from the North Gate."

The speech ended, but the work was just beginning.

"Princess! What about our shops?"

"Will the Giants eat us?"

"Can we bring our livestock?"

The crowd surged forward, a thousand questions filling the air. Ava stayed, answering them one by one, her fear replaced by the busy, exhausting work of leadership. She had a city to move.