Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1490: Ruins of the Old Capital

This was a rare, coveted talent in the history of the Obsidian Golem race—using one’s own body to forge weapons perfectly attuned to the soul. Onyx had never dreamed he would possess it.

"A useful ability," Orion critiqued, eyeing the blade. "But the weapon is hollow. Against a heavy-hitter, it will shatter."

Orion wasted no time critiquing the flaw.

"This ability is best used as an augmentation, not a replacement," Orion advised, circling the construct. "Coat a forged steel weapon in this essence. It will enhance the edge, the durability, the weight... the possibilities are endless. You need to experiment with the composition."

He paused, tapping the stony plating on Onyx’s raised arm.

"I have a theory, Prophet. As your power grows, this dermal armor will naturally harden. But what if you fed it? If you refined rare ores or star metals into your own body... your resilience could become theoretically infinite."

This wasn’t an idle guess. Orion knew the terrifying regenerative properties of the Stoneheart Titan bloodline. It could sustain that kind of metallurgical alchemy.

"You are right, Chieftain," Onyx rumbled, his voice vibrating with a strange intensity. "I can feel it. They are hungry." He paused, correcting himself. "No. I am hungry."

Orion laughed. The accidental double entendre broke the tension.

"Well, if the Prophet is that insatiable, I won’t keep you." Orion gave him a knowing look—the kind one man gives another when appetites are mentioned—and with a wave of his hand, banished Onyx from the Divine Kingdom.

Stoneheart City, the Citadel.

With Kaelen’s return to the field, Lilith’s inner circle had gained a new member: Sophia, the Butterfly Mother.

"Here. Kaelen’s latest dispatch," Lilith said, sliding a parchment across the table to Sophia, and a copy to Ava. "They’ve reached the ruins of the old Imperial Capital."

Sophia scanned the report, her eyes only looking for her son’s name. She was new to the politics of the Titanion Realm; the history of the human kingdoms meant little to her.

"A giant crater?" Ava looked up, her expression a mix of shock and grief.

She was the Princess of that fallen line. Even she hadn’t realized her ancestral home had been obliterated so thoroughly.

"A weed choked pit crawling with bugs, to be precise," Lilith corrected, her eyes narrowing in amusement.

"The capital sits in a basin surrounded by mountains on all sides," Ava explained, her voice steadying as the strategist took over from the princess. "It’s a natural choke point. Kaelen is right. If we fortify it, we block the Dragon and Sea Races from the south and cut off the Insectoid migration routes from the north."

"Kaelen suggests the Horde establish a new fortress city there," Lilith said, tapping the map. She looked at Ava, waiting.

"According to the Royal Archives, that city was the anvil upon which the kingdom was forged," Ava said quietly. "Thousands of years ago, humanity used that geography to drive the non-human races north. It was the original line in the sand between civilization and the wild."

She paused, pushing down the nostalgia. "Strategically, Kaelen is correct."

The Stoneheart Horde had unified the continent, but not the world. The southern islands still belonged to the Dragons. The oceans teemed with hostile empires. And the Insectoids were a rot within the borders.

Peace was a fragile illusion.

"Agreed," Lilith nodded.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, she turned to Sophia.

"Your race still lacks a formal territory within the Horde. Do you have any interest in a weed-filled crater?"

The room went silent. Lilith was offering the Dark Butterfly Race the heart of the old human world.

Only Orion and Lilith held the authority to grant land.

Sophia froze, unsure how to respond to such a casual, monumental offer.

Ava looked down, masking the flicker of pain in her eyes. By rights, or at least by sentiment, that land should have been hers. But she remained silent.

"Kaelen cleared the infestation. The strategic proposal is his. The glory is his," Lilith continued, her tone light but her eyes sharp. "You can refuse, of course."

Lilith was enjoying this. Since arriving, the infamous Butterfly Mother—the woman who had supposedly forced herself on the Giant King—had been surprisingly meek. She acted less like a matriarch and more like a nervous new bride. Teasing her was proving to be a delightful pastime.

But beneath the teasing, Lilith respected her. She couldn’t fathom the sheer audacity it took to bed a Titan, let alone the foresight to bear his child to secure her people’s future.

"We need a home," Sophia said, her voice trembling but clear. "My people need a place to root ourselves if we are to integrate into the Horde."

Honest. Direct.

She wasn’t asking for power; she was asking for belonging. This was exactly the attitude Lilith wanted to see. A woman who didn’t treat her husband’s kingdom as her own home wasn’t worth pity or protection.

"Then it is settled," Lilith declared. "I will speak to Orion and have the decree drafted. The land will be granted in Kaelen’s name, for the use of your race."

It was a subtle but crucial distinction. The Dark Butterfly Race had no war merits of their own yet. Granting them land directly would break protocol. But granting it to Kaelen—an Archlord and a son of Orion—was perfectly legal.

It was also a warning.

Everything you have—your safety, your land, your future—exists because of Kaelen. Because of Orion. Because of the Titan blood.

Sophia understood the subtext immediately. The new fortress would be Kaelen’s domain. Her people would be guests in her son’s house.

It was a move of pure matriarchal dominance. Lilith was protecting her stepson’s inheritance, ensuring that the mother did not overshadow the son.

"Thank you for this mercy," Sophia stood and bowed deeply.

It didn’t matter whose name was on the deed. Kaelen was their Insect King. To Sophia, there was no difference. She was simply grateful to Lilith for opening the door.