Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1448: Inheritance of Fire

With the arrival of the cave spiders and dragon beasts, the equation on the ground changed instantly.

Hellscream no longer needed to skulk in the shadows. They had the teeth to bite back.

"This is a land without light!"

"The true Sunless City!"

"This city belongs to Hellscream!"

Amidst the roar of the faithful, Port Caelwyn was baptized anew: The Sunless City.

Titanion Realm, Blackstone City.

While the common folk lined the streets to enter the Stoneheart Temple, elsewhere, steel was being sharpened.

Inside the Horde Hall, the air was thick with power.

The great chamber was packed with Wardens.

In the Stoneheart Horde, the title of Warden was not given lightly; it belonged only to those who had breached the Legendary level. Since the Temple opened its doors, their ranks had swelled, creating a new caste of elite warriors.

News of Orion’s planned invasion of the alien world had set their blood on fire. They clamored for war, hungry to carve out new territories and claim glory for the Horde.

But today wasn’t about them.

"Heh... My eldest daughter, Elara, has finally come of age. She is ready to march for the Horde."

Orion, seated on his obsidian throne, gestured to the figure at his side, thrusting her into the spotlight.

Elara stepped forward. She wore fitted soft armor and a crimson cape that trailed on the stone floor. She looked young—deceptively so. There was a heroic edge to her, a sharpness that belied her features.

By Giant standards, she had been an adult for years, but her physiology was unique. She had remained trapped in the guise of a six-year-old child until she fully inherited Orion’s bloodline. Only then did she bloom into the likeness of a sixteen-year-old girl.

She looked delicate. She was anything but.

The Wardens fell silent. The pressure radiating from her was suffocating. It was the crushing aura of an Archlord.

Elara didn’t bother to suppress it. She wanted them to know exactly who she was. The veterans in the room were reduced to mere spectators.

"Elara will spread the glory of Father and the Horde to this new world!"

She pressed a fist to her chest, her voice ringing clear.

Orion nodded, his expression hardening into regal indifference.

"Elara, step forward and receive your command."

His voice was a cold decree, amplified by an invisible, crushing weight.

Elara took a sharp step forward, her face a mask of solemnity. She knew this was her first step onto the path of legends.

"I appoint Elara as Commander of the First Legion. You shall lead an army one million strong. I grant you my own weapon, the Flame of Will. Your objective is the invasion of Eldoria."

"Do not fail me. For victory. For the glory of the Horde. Charge without fear."

The Flame of Will materialized in Orion’s grip. The weapon, sensing the gravity of the moment, awoke.

Crimson fire erupted from the trident’s prongs. A dense, bloody mist—the aura of slaughter—coiled around the shaft. This was its true form.

Hiss.

The sound of sharp intakes of breath filled the hall.

Every Warden knew that weapon. It was Orion’s companion, the oldest and most devastating tool in his arsenal.

To gift a relic-tier weapon like the Flame of Will to Elara, passing over the princes? It was unprecedented.

Even Elara froze, stunned by the weight of the gift.

"Do you refuse?" Orion’s voice cut through the stupor like a whip.

Elara inhaled deeply, stepped up the dais, and took the trident from her father’s hands.

"Elara swears by soul and glory. I will fulfill my duty, expand our borders, and defend the honor of the Horde and my Father."

"For the prosperity of the Horde! For the dignity of the Horde! For the glory of the Horde! I will walk through fire and death!"

She raised the Flame of Will high. The fire at the tip didn’t burn her; it flowed down like liquid, encasing her body in a thin, crystalline layer of white bone.

Frostbone Armor.

It was one of the weapon’s three awakened traits. Its appearance signified that the Flame of Will had accepted her as its master.

As for the other two traits—Chillbone Fire and Wyrm’s Death Coil—they were devastation incarnate, powers not easily unleashed.

Orion watched her, a flicker of pride behind his stoic mask.

Among his children, only Caelus and Elara had the potential to master his trident techniques. But Caelus had chosen the path of the blade, becoming a disciple of another.

Orion had no choice. The relic had to go to Elara.

Kronos, Pallas, and Kaelen were skilled, but they lacked the spark. Rolan was a contender, but he was already bonded to the Bloodthirsty Trident; that weapon had been with him since childhood and was his perfect match.

"The First Legion requires a Deputy Commander. Who among you will stand beside the First Daughter of the Stoneheart Horde?"

The words barely left his lips before the Wardens surged. Rendall, Thundar, Dace, and Ursa stepped out, eager to test their new Legendary level strength.

Orion scanned the volunteers. His gaze settled on the female warrior.

"Ursa, step forward!"

Ursa’s face lit up with excitement. She marched forward, head held high.

Orion didn’t mince words. He granted her the position of Deputy Commander immediately.

With Ursa standing at Elara’s side, Orion turned his gaze back to the assembly.

"As you have seen, the force Elara leads is designated the First Legion."

"From this day forth, the Stoneheart Horde’s military will undergo a complete restructuring. Every appointment I make will forge a new order."

A ripple of unease went through the veterans, including Lilith. Restructuring meant a shift in power. A redistribution of core interests.

For the Horde’s high command, the implications were massive.

"Times change. New talent rises with every generation. We must clear the path for them."

"The capable shall rise. The weak shall fall."

"In the future, the power of the Horde will shift toward the strong and the young."

It was a declaration of meritocracy, cold and absolute. This was Orion’s will, transmitted through the Wardens to every member of the tribe.

In truth, while power would shift, the people in this room were the core. The Horde needed them for the wars to come. Their status was secure, provided they remained useful.

"Furthermore, a new standard is set. Henceforth, every Legion Commander must possess the strength of an Archlord."

"My warriors, power is a tide. Swim against it, or drown in your own stagnation."

The Stoneheart Horde was evolving. Orion was setting the pace, forcing them to run or be left behind.