Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1394: The Price of Power

"He damn near burned his own soul to ash."

Orion reached behind his back and hauled Kaelen forward, dangling him by the scruff of his neck like a misbehaving puppy.

The consequences of the [Divine Art: Blood Sacrifice] were severe. Kaelen had been drained of so much vitality that he had physically regressed. He was no longer a young man; he was a toddler, barely three years old. And because his control over his bloodline was shattered, he was stuck in his combat form—four tiny heads bobbing, eight chubby arms flailing helplessly.

He looked even less capable than Kronos or Pallas had in their infancy. He looked like a monster’s discarded doll.

"My baby... my baby!"

Sophia snatched Kaelen from Orion’s grip, clutching the toddler to her chest. Her composure, the steel of a matriarch, finally broke. She wept openly, burying her face in Kaelen’s hair.

"I promise... I promise I’ll never let you do anything so dangerous again. Oh, Kaelen..."

Orion shook his head, watching her. He felt little for Sophia personally—their connection had been brief, transactional, and lust-driven—but he understood the dynamic. She was a single mother in a hostile world. Kaelen was her entire universe. She obsessed over his meals, his clothes, his moods. It was the kind of suffocating, desperate love that only existed when two people had nothing but each other against the world.

"Save the tears," Orion said, his voice cutting through her sobbing. "We don’t have time for this."

Sophia choked back a sob, looking up at him with tear-blurred eyes, waiting for orders.

"In twelve hours, the Demigods of the Chaos Continent are opening a passage nearby," Orion stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You and Kaelen are coming with me."

"As for the Dark Butterfly Clan... they can follow us to the Dusk Continent. I’ll find them a new home. Or they can stay here."

He leaned in slightly. "But I strongly suggest they pack their bags. If they stay, they’ll be under the microscope. The local Demigods won’t tolerate a wild card like Kaelen popping up a second time. It’s easier to snuff out a candle than to guard it against the wind."

"This place isn’t safe for you anymore."

Minor Hell Dimension. Ashenheart Domain.

While his avatar handled the evacuation logistics, Orion’s consciousness was present in a high-level briefing with his inner circle.

"You’re kidding me," Leonidas scoffed, his voice booming. "There’s something on the Chaos Continent that even you found tricky?"

Leonidas looked genuinely baffled. To make Orion—now a Demigod—hesitate, the threat had to be at least Second Circle or higher. In any faction, an entity of that magnitude was a nuclear deterrent.

The fact that Orion had stumbled upon such a heavy hitter just by showing up was unsettling.

"It actually makes sense if you think about it," Edward mused, rubbing his chin. He had been analyzing the intel since Orion dropped it.

"The Emerald Dream Realm has been mutating. We’re the newcomers here; we’ve only had boots on the ground for a few decades. We don’t know the deep lore of this place."

"We may be strong dragons crossing the river," he continued, "but the local snakes have been here for thousands of years. Just because we haven’t seen a Second Circle entity doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. It just means no one pushed them hard enough to force their hand until now."

It was a sobering thought. The Champions Alliance had their own ace in the hole—Commander Thresh. He was their ultimate failsafe. It stood to reason that the native factions had their own sleeping giants.

"That implies the Dawn Continent has something similar tucked away," Arthas added, connecting the dots.

If the Chaos Continent—which had been consistently losing ground to the Dawn Continent’s evil factions—had a hidden Demigod weapon, then the Dawn faction must have something even nastier to maintain their dominance.

"We need to watch our backs with Pollard," Arthas noted. Pollard, the representative of the Dawn faction, had cooperated with them before, but alliances in this world were as shifting as the tides.

"The waters of the Emerald Dream Realm are deep and murky," the Deputy Commander concluded. He turned to Orion. "Hulk, keep your eyes on the radar. Don’t let anyone raid our lair while we’re not looking."

He used Orion’s nickname, "Hulk," naturally. The torch was being passed. Before his ascension, Orion needed their protection. Now that he was a Demigod, the management of the Emerald Dream was effectively his responsibility. He was the new sheriff, and his friends were ready to take a step back and let him handle the daily grind.

"Hulk," Alexander spoke up. The King of Conquerors had been silent until now. "My synchronization with the Asura Sword isn’t complete yet. My focus needs to remain here. I need you to mentor Isabella for me."

"If there’s a war, throw her in as the vanguard. Let her bleed a little."

Orion raised an eyebrow. Alexander was adding to his workload.

"The Queen has talent," Alexander said, his tone judging but fair. "And she has ambition. But she’s too proud. She doesn’t know how to play the game."

"She refuses to grease wheels. She won’t lower herself to be a sycophant or a ’yes-man.’ Because of that, she misses out on opportunities. She’s falling behind the pack."

Alexander was right. In their organization, the ones who thrived—like Kraken and Makareth—were masters of soft skills. They knew how to flatter, how to network, and how to make themselves indispensable.

Take Kraken. He was a smooth talker and a shameless flatterer, but he got things done. Whether it was the Dragon War or managing the logistics of Atlantis, he was a workhorse. Because of that, Leonidas and Orion always looked out for him. When there was loot or territory, they made sure Kraken got a slice.

Isabella, on the other hand, stood aloof. She wanted to succeed on merit alone, which meant she often got passed over when the "politicians" were handing out favors.

"I respect it," Alexander said, looking Orion in the eye. "Everyone has their own way of living. If she doesn’t want to beg for scraps, fine. Let her fight for her meal."

"She’s proud. But in front of true power, pride is worthless. Break her in, Hulk. Make her useful."