Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1407: Tempering the Prince

By "we," Lilith referred to the inner circle of Orion’s consorts.

Represented by Lilith herself, these women were all powerful in their own right but stuck below the threshold of Archlord. They were desperate for any avenue of advancement, and the Stoneheart Titan bloodline was a tantalizing path to greater power.

"You can," Orion said, his voice devoid of emotion. "But understand this: if you undergo the transformation, you will never bear my children."

The room went cold.

"If you become Stoneheart Titans, you become my kin," Orion explained. "You will share my bloodline directly. Biologically, reproduction between us will become impossible. Whatever chance existed before vanishes the moment the ritual is complete."

The color drained from both Lilith’s and Soraya’s faces.

For them, the ability—or at least the potential—to carry Orion’s heir was their most valuable political card. It was a privilege they could not afford to discard.

"However," Orion continued, shifting the mood, "there is the Platinum Tri-Drake Effigy."

He tapped the second scroll. "This technique allows a Legend-rank warrior to condense a draconic idol. The power it projects is comparable to an Archlord’s Body of Faith."

"I intend to place this in the Horde’s treasury," Orion announced. "It will be available to anyone in the Tribe who has reached the Legendary rank."

Lilith and Soraya stared at him, stunned into silence. It took a long moment for the magnitude of his words to sink in.

"Orion," Soraya stammered, pointing at the scroll. "Are you saying this technique allows a Legend to rival an Archlord?"

"Not rival," Orion corrected. "It allows them to project the presence of one. The Effigy condenses your own faith energy, granting you access to methods usually reserved for the higher tier. Against a true Archlord, it won’t win you the fight, but it might keep you alive long enough to escape."

He wasn’t exaggerating. Archlords rarely summoned their full Body of Faith for skirmishes. A Legend with this technique could bluff or defend against casual strikes effectively.

Even with that caveat, Lilith and Soraya swallowed hard.

"You will understand its nuances once you learn it," Orion said, rolling up the scrolls. "Our allies possess this technique as well. If you encounter someone using it in the future, it is highly likely they are on our side."

He turned his gaze to the Scorpion Queen.

"Soraya, the Alliance behind the Stoneheart Horde is expanding its influence. We are establishing a new division called the Platinum Authority."

"I need you to temporarily relocate to Soraya City in the Valkorath Realm. Using your Sea of Sand as a foundation, I need you to breed massive numbers of small scorpions and train the commanders who control them."

Soraya’s ability to mass-produce soldiers from the sand was unmatched. She could raise an army far faster than Lorelia could.

"In the beginning, we will have to front the resources ourselves," Orion added. "Consider it an investment. Once the Platinum Authority is fully operational, the Alliance will reimburse us with interest."

Soraya smiled, covering her mouth with a delicate hand. "Rest assured. If those esteemed patrons in the Alliance have a use for me, I will not disappoint them."

She had seen the Demigods surrounding Orion in the Emerald Dream Realm. She knew the caliber of power he dealt with. More importantly, she appreciated that he was asking her, negotiating with her as a partner rather than ordering her as a broodmother. It was the kind of respect that solidified their bond.

Orion nodded, then turned his eyes to Lilith. The warmth evaporated from his voice.

"Prepare a supply cache. I need enough provisions to sustain three fully manned standing armies for ten years."

Lilith blinked, sure she had misheard.

The standard standing army of the Stoneheart Horde used to be one hundred thousand strong. Now, a standard army was half a million, and they were pushing toward a million per formation.

Was Orion asking for ten years of supplies for nearly two million soldiers?

Is he joking? Lilith thought, panic rising. If we pull that much out of the treasury, the Horde’s reserves will drop by thirty percent overnight.

Before she could voice her objection, Orion continued.

"Select three of our best armies. I am sending them, along with the supplies, to the Alliance’s base of operations. They will be placed under the direct command of the Platinum Authority."

His expression darkened. "Tell the soldiers this: once they leave, their lives are no longer in my hands. They will have to fight for their own survival."

A chill ran through the room. Orion spoke with the grim finality of a funeral rite.

Just as Lilith thought the orders were finished, Orion delivered the final blow.

"When the three armies are assembled, Pallas will join them. He will serve as a Legate."

"Pallas is of age," Orion said, staring past her. "He needs to be tempered."

Sending the Giant Prince was a calculated move. It wasn’t just about training Pallas; it was about setting an example for the troops being sent away. Orion was showing them that no one was exempt—not even his own blood. If the Prince was going into the grinder, the soldiers could have no complaints.

Lilith felt her vision swim. She swayed, nearly collapsing.

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at him, pleading silently. But Orion sat on his throne, his face as still and impenetrable as the abyss itself. The decision was made. Pallas’s fate was sealed.

Beside her, Soraya opened her mouth to offer comfort but closed it without a sound. Pallas was Lilith’s son. Soraya had no right to interfere, and speaking now would only draw Orion’s ire.

"Furthermore," Orion said, his voice softening slightly as he addressed the unasked fear, "once Kronos finishes constructing his fiefdom, I will send him and Rolan to the Abyssal World. They need to cut their teeth there."

"You are their elder," he told Lilith. "Prepare yourself for their departure as well."

Mentioning Kronos was his way of comforting her. He wasn’t singling out Pallas. Unless they reached the rank of Archlord on their own, all his children would face these trials. None could hide under his wing forever.

"The great upheaval is coming," Orion sighed, leaning back. "We are merely the shield for the younger generation. The future belongs to them. The Stoneheart Horde needs them to conquer new territories, not inherit old ones."

For a brief moment, a rare sense of relief washed over him. After years of bloody campaigns, he no longer had to lead every charge personally, trident in hand.

There was a harsher truth he didn’t speak aloud.

Compared to Caelus and Kaelen, his sons Pallas and Kronos lacked innate genius. Even after transforming into Stoneheart Titans, their mental fortitude and adaptability lagged behind their brothers. If they didn’t face death and hardship now, they would never bridge that gap.

They needed the fire to forge them.