Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1421: Divine Interdict

"Son of a bitch! It’s a Divine Interdict!"

Leonidas snarled, his face twisting as if physically struck. "It’s strangling seventy percent of my power!"

This was a catastrophe. He was currently inhabiting his World Dragon avatar. If this vessel was compromised or destroyed here, the backlash to his true soul would be devastating.

"The Dead Sea isn’t just water; it’s a Divine Kingdom manifesting in real-time," Orion said, his voice clipped and urgent. "Get out. Now. Before the laws solidify and lock you in."

Orion didn’t wait for a debate. He ripped a teleportation scroll open right next to his sworn brother.

Space warped violently. Leonidas vanished in a jagged flash of light, cursing a blue streak as the void energy forcibly ejected him from the Silverwood Realm.

Orion didn’t waste a second. He flashed across the battlefield, grabbing Kraken by the shoulder and hauling him back from the front line.

"Orion! What is happening? Why did the world go dark?" Kraken asked, panic rising in his voice. As he hadn’t ascended to Demigod status yet, he was blind to the metaphysical mechanics rewriting the battlefield.

"An unclaimed Divine Kingdom is crashing into our reality," Orion explained rapidly, eyes scanning the gloom. "It’s forcing its own laws onto the world. It rejects outsiders."

As Orion spoke, the deep, resonant voice boomed from the direction of Azurehold again.

"The Dead Sea descends. The Kin of the Sea shall see the light."

It was a command, not a suggestion. Instantaneously, the crushing darkness lifted from Orion and Kraken’s vision. The murky, ink-black water turned crystal clear, illuminated by a spectral glow.

"Orion... I can see," Kraken whispered, blinking in bewilderment. He turned to the Second Marshal for answers.

Orion, who had a scroll ready to evacuate Kraken, paused. He slowly lowered his hand, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly.

"The ’outsiders’ the law refers to... it doesn’t mean us."

The logic clicked into place. Leonidas was a Dragon—an alien entity to this ocean. But Orion’s current avatar was an Abyssal Dreadfin, and Kraken was a native Mermaid. To the Divine Kingdom, they were children of the water. The suppression didn’t apply to them.

"The Dead Sea descends. All who leave the water shall perish."

Another law slammed down into the fabric of the realm. This one was a cage, binding all sea life to the ocean, preventing escape. But for Orion, it wasn’t a cage; it was a hunting ground.

"We have them," Orion said, a predatory glint entering his eyes.

He looked toward the horizon. The Demigods of the Cult of Four were visibly struggling. Clown, Witch, and the others were ’outsiders.’ The Divine Kingdom was crushing them, suppressing nearly eighty percent of their combat potential.

"Kraken, kill the Witch. The law has crippled her."

Before the words fully registered with Kraken, Orion was already gone, a blur of motion streaking toward the Cult’s leadership.

Simultaneously, three massive shadows erupted from Azurehold—Morveth, Ishraena, and Amon. They had seen the same opportunity.

Orion projected his voice to the giant Demigods, marking his territory while coordinating the strike. "I don’t care about the others. The Jester is mine. I have a debt to settle."

The three Cetus Demigods exchanged glances and diverted, launching themselves at Pontiff Valerius, Pontiff Konak, and the mysterious figure shadowing them.

The counter-offensive had begun.

"Welcome to the Abyss."

A vortex of pure darkness spiraled open behind Orion.

Clown had been mid-cast, attempting to teleport away, but the vortex swallowed his void energy instantly, canceling the spell and leaving him stranded.

"The Second Marshal?" Clown stared, his painted smile faltering. "I have no quarrel with you. When did I offend Atlantis?"

The shock hit him in waves. First, that an ally was attacking him. Second, that this ’Marshal’ was completely immune to the Dead Sea’s suppression.

"Wait," Clown’s eyes narrowed, his mind racing. "Atlantis appeared out of nowhere. You’re from the surface. You’re with the Champions Alliance."

Clown was sharp. He connected the dots in a heartbeat.

"No surprise on your face," Clown noted, his voice turning cold. "So I’m right."

He wasn’t afraid of death—this was only a puppet avatar and a projected soul fragment. But he needed information. Was the Second Marshal the only mole? Or were all three Marshals of Atlantis agents of the Alliance?

Orion didn’t say a word.

This clown had lured the insectoid swarm to the Titanion Realm, attempting to destroy Orion’s home base while he was away. There would be no monologues, no villainous banter.

Orion reached out. A massive, spectral claw materialized from the void—visceral, dark, and undeniable.

Crunch.

The Abyssal claw closed around Clown. The puppet avatar and the Demigod soul projection disintegrated into dust instantly.

A Demon Claw?

You are... of the Demon Race?

Who are you?

The questions lingered in the psychic echo of Clown’s death. He died confused. As far as he knew, the Champions Alliance didn’t harbor Demons.

Orion felt nothing as the avatar crumbled. With the suppression in place, Clown had been nothing more than a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

However, the exchange had confirmed something important. The rules of the Divine Kingdom did try to suppress Orion’s Demigod soul projection. He was only safe because he kept it hidden deep inside the physical shell of the Abyssal Dreadfin. It wasn’t a permanent solution, but it worked for now.

Orion turned and teleported to Kraken’s side.

"Orion," Kraken said, his voice tight. "We’ve been made."

Three minutes prior, when Kraken had moved to intercept the Witch, she hadn’t been surprised. She had been waiting.

"Hee hee... look at you, little brother," she had teased, her voice dripping with venomous affection. "Moving up in the world? Joining the Champions Alliance?"

Kraken hadn’t responded, but the involuntary contraction of his pupils had given him away.

"How did you know?" he had finally asked, composing himself.

"Oh, your acting was flawless," Witch said, her eyes gleaming as she looked past him, sensing the Titan Orion approaching. "I didn’t see a single crack in your mask."

She looked at Kraken, her expression shifting into something unreadable.

Giants. Sea Folk. The Champions Alliance was collecting strays from every corner of the world.

It was a fascinating development.

Looking at Kraken, the Witch felt a strange nostalgia. It was like looking at a reflection of her younger self.