Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1377: Do we want to go big?

To the intense gaze of Pontiff Valerius and the Cult of Four, the three leaders of Atlantis appeared to be locked in a profound, mystical trance. Their eyes were closed, their breathing synchronized, suggesting a high-level secret technique used to deliberate on the fate of nations.

In reality, they were just shit-posting in the public channel of the Survivor’s Platform.

It was the one place where their conversation couldn’t be intercepted.

[Leonidas]: Holy crap. Holy crap! You guys are not going to believe this. I’m actually going to be a Pontiff. A real damn Pontiff!

Leonidas’s frantic message acted like a depth charge, blowing the lurking members out of the water.

[Alexander]: Have you lost your mind?

To Alexander, this sounded like the beginning of a bad joke—or worse, a mental breakdown. Was Leonidas about to pull a Clown and lose his sanity?

[Isabella]: Alexander, if he defects, I’m taking him out. Permission to engage?

Isabella was hot on Alexander’s heels. With the strongest heavy hitter in the Alliance seemingly backing her, her words carried a lot of bravado.

[Leonidas]: Watch your mouth, little girl. Who exactly do you think you’re going to "take out"?

If Alexander had threatened him, Leonidas would have laughed it off and told him to bring it on. But Isabella? Her arrogance rubbed him the wrong way. She was a rookie barking at a veteran.

[Kraken]: Cool it, Boss. If you actually turn traitor, we won’t need the rookie. I’ll hunt you down myself. Call it a mercy kill. For the greater good.

There was the difference. Kraken said the exact same thing—a threat of death—but coming from him, it felt like camaraderie. It was a promise between equals. Leonidas didn’t get angry; he actually felt a strange warmth at the phrase "mercy kill."

[Isabella]: Squiddy, who are you calling a rookie?

Kraken was slick, but Isabella wasn’t stupid. She saw the ladder he offered and climbed down, shifting her aggression away from the terrifying Leonidas. Not that she was truly afraid of him—Isabella viewed every Awakened as a stepping stone. Leonidas was just a target she hadn’t reached yet. Currently, her sights were set on surpassing Orion and Kraken. Her ego was stratospheric.

[Kraken]: Not my problem. You’re Hulk’s girl. Take it up with him.

Kraken, the master of deflection, instantly parried the aggression and redirected it toward Orion.

[Kraken]: Hulk told me himself. Said you were his... well, you know.

Before Orion could even type a response, Isabella snapped.

[Isabella]: Hulk! Get your ass out here. Explain this right now.

[Isabella]: Who is "your girl"? What is that supposed to mean?

Orion’s reply only threw gasoline on the fire.

[Hulk]: My mistake. You aren’t a girl.

[Hulk]: You’re an old hag.

[Hulk]: Don’t ask me how I know. You just admitted it yourself.

Orion wasn’t great at de-escalating, but he was a master at flipping the script. If someone handed him a bag of burning trash, he’d gift wrap it, stomp on it, and hand it back.

[Isabella]: That’s it. We are done. I challenge you, Hulk. I’m going to kill you.

Her rage bled through the text interface. It was a declaration of war.

In the shadows of the chat, Tangere watched in horror.

It’s obvious Leonidas is joking, Tangere thought, sweating. Can’t she tell? And now she wants to fight the Hulk? Can he handle her? Wait... Hulk brought me in. If she kills him, is she coming for me next?

Tangere felt a phantom chill run down his spine. As the newest member, lurking and overthinking was his primary contribution.

Maybe I should go back to my home world for a bit, he mused. Just until the heat dies down. Lay low.

His instinct for self-preservation—the classic behavior of a camper—was kicking in hard.

[Edward]: Clear the channel.

The chaos instantly evaporated. Deputy Commander Edward’s text carried the weight of a gavel strike.

Simultaneously, Isabella and Tangere realized something terrifying: they had been muted. The conversation vanished from their screens.

They had been locked out. The adults were talking now, and they didn’t have the clearance to listen.

[Leonidas]: Where’s Mak? Usually, he’s the first one to jump in when I start talking trash.

Under normal circumstances, Makareth would have been spamming the chat, likely beating Kraken to the punchline. His absence was glaring.

[Edward]: He is unavailable. He is ascending to Arch Lord.

The news hit the trio like a bolt of lightning. Leonidas, Orion, and Kraken exchanged looks in the real world, their eyes still closed.

Makareth had awakened the Lord’s Stone himself. If he had enough Faith Energy—which he certainly did after occupying the Demondrake territory for over a decade—his ascension was guaranteed. Even with the interference from the outside, Edward’s will projection had secured the area.

For Leonidas and Orion, this was fantastic news. It meant they had another heavy hitter to drag into their schemes.

[Leonidas]: Commander, when Mak wakes up, give me a shout. With his... unique personality, he’d be perfect for an inside job. Actually, scratch that. If he’s an Arch Lord, he deserves a cut of the action.

It was a stark change in tone. Makareth was Edward’s recruit, so Leonidas used a respectful, negotiating tone—far different from how he treated Isabella.

[Alexander]: Focus. The business at hand.

[Alexander]: If you don’t explain yourself clearly, and you actually become a Pontiff for the Cult of Four, I will personally send you to the afterlife.

Again, a death threat. But coming from Alexander, it felt reassuring to Leonidas. It was the feeling of having a treasure so good you wanted to share it, but enjoying the impatience of your friends too much to spill it immediately.

[Leonidas]: Heh... alright, listen up. This little empire we built, Atlantis? It worked too well. We got their attention.

[Leonidas]: Right now, sitting across from me are four Pontiffs and a High Priestess. The Clown is here. The Witch is here. Valerius is here.

[Leonidas]: Boys, I have a question.

[Leonidas]: Do we want to go big? What if we ambush them right here? What if we wipe out the Cult of Four’s entire leadership in the Silverwood Realm in one shot?

The proposal heavy and intoxicating.

Orion felt a spike of adrenaline. Everyone’s eyes, even in the mental projection, seemed to light up.

It was a gamble of insane proportions. But if they pulled it off? If they decapitated the Cult’s power base here and now?

The rest of the Sea Race would be easy pickings.