Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1557: Clown’s Grand Design

"It’s inconsequential." Orion spoke with absolute conviction and unwavering confidence. "We are facing massive upheavals, but the insectoids are facing the exact same shifts. As long as both sides are dealing with volatile variables, we have room to maneuver."

"It’s not the same," Seraphina countered. "The enemy is undoubtedly more experienced than we are. They definitely foresaw these shifts and likely made contingency plans well in advance. What’s truly terrifying is that we’ve lost our greatest trump card."

As she spoke those last words, a trace of bleak sorrow touched her face. The wild, silver serpents of lightning dancing across the firmament had utterly obliterated the realm-warding array she, Evander, and Kairon had painstakingly constructed. In the face of the world’s absolute, peerless cosmic laws, their massive defensive formation was erased in an instant, without so much as a ripple.

At the mention of the wards, Orion’s brow twitched involuntarily. Its destruction was indeed a bitter loss, stripping the Demigod alliance of the Titanion Realm of a massive tactical advantage.

However, Orion’s primary concern wasn’t the imminent descent of the insectoid swarms. It was the other volatile threats waiting in the wings.

Without the protection of the realm-warding array, while Orion and his allies were locked in a bloodbath with the insectoids, Demigod factions from other worlds could easily invade and carve out a piece of the pie in this newborn world. If it were just ordinary Demigod factions, it would be manageable. But if the Titanion Realm caught the eye of an overwhelmingly powerful dark god... forget about seizing more territory; Orion might not even be able to hold onto the Titan Continent.

"Orion, what’s on your mind?" Seraphina noticed his distraction.

"I’m thinking we might be in serious trouble."

"Oh?" The furrows on Seraphina’s brow deepened.

"With the boundary wards destroyed, we aren’t just defenseless against the insectoids; we have no shield against the prying eyes of Demigods from other realms," Orion explained. "Moving forward, if we make even a single misstep, we’ll end up doing all the bleeding while a third party swoops in to reap the spoils."

At this realization, Orion jolted as if waking from a nightmare. He thought of Clown.

This entire catastrophe in the Titanion Realm had been single-handedly orchestrated by Clown. Once the insectoids descended, would the Cult of Four backing Clown also step in to claim a piece of the realm? Given Clown’s nature, if the Cult of Four couldn’t commit their full strength, wouldn’t he just lure other dark gods to the slaughter to spite them?

Drip! A bead of moisture rolled down Orion’s cheek. It was impossible to tell if it was rain or cold sweat. A chilling dread crawled up his spine.

Ever since ascending to Demigod status, he had let his guard down regarding Clown. With his newfound raw power, Orion hadn’t considered the man a direct physical threat. Yet, only now, staring down the barrel of Clown’s machinations, did Orion finally feel the suffocating pressure the bastard could exert. Clown’s true strength was never in head-on slaughter. It was in his endless, overlapping conspiracies.

"Seraphina... this world is truly about to descend into chaos."

Only at this exact moment did Orion fully realize that the insectoid swarms were merely the first enemy Clown had sicced on him. With the Emerald Dream Realm serving as a prime precedent, the Titanion Realm was absolutely going to be targeted by other Demigod factions. Orion shuddered to even consider the possibility: what if Clown was using him and the Stoneheart Horde as bait to orchestrate another massacre against the rest of the Champions Alliance?

"Keep watch. I need to think this through." Orion turned, strode back into the palace, and slumped onto his throne, closing his eyes.

...

Survivor’s Platform, Champions Alliance Public Channel.

Orion first adjusted the channel’s warding permissions, ensuring that no member below the Archlord rank could intercept the following exchange.

Hulk: "Brothers, we need to talk. It’s about Clown."

Less than five minutes after the message was sent, every single core member—whether deep in slumber or not—was jolted awake.

Leonidas: "Brother, did you finally catch Clown?"

Leonidas: "Don’t hold back on my account. Beat him half to death."

Leonidas knew Orion’s true strength; the scenario he suggested was entirely within the realm of possibility.

Arthas: "Clown is cunning. He won’t be caught that easily."

Alexander: "It’s not that I’m underestimating Hulk, but I know exactly how hyper-sensitive Clown’s danger intuition is. Leonidas, the odds of your scenario are practically zero."

For Arthas and Alexander to surface at the exact same time meant they were undeniably together in the Minor Hell realm, with the former likely waking the latter.

Kraken: "If it’s Clown, I’m probably out of my depth. But if Witch shows up, I can take her on."

Kraken’s chime-in showed his keen self-awareness. He knew exactly where he stood on the power ladder and which enemies he could realistically handle.

Makareth: "Traitors must die!"

Makareth: "Count me in for the purge, bosses!"

Makareth: "I want to see exactly who has the balls to betray the Champions Alliance!"

Makareth was reckless, his tone brimming with arrogant bluster. Yet, a closer read of his messages revealed he conveniently avoided naming exactly who he planned to face. Purging traitors, cheering from the sidelines, and handling logistics still counted as a contribution, right?

Edward (Deputy Commander): "Speak. What exactly is the situation?"

The moment the Deputy Commander spoke, the public channel fell dead silent. No one dared to utter another word of nonsense.

Hulk: "Here is the situation. Recently, Clown set his sights on my Titanion Realm. He leaked its coordinates to an insectoid-dominated world. Through his machinations, he forced the two realms into a catastrophic merger..."

Orion kept it brief, summarizing the critical events unfolding in the Titanion Realm.

Hulk: "Right now, the realm-merger is entering its final stage. Both sides’ boundary wards have been annihilated. The Titanion Realm has lost all its defensive measures against the outside void."

Hulk: "If I were Clown, I absolutely wouldn’t pass up this chance to carve out a piece of the pie for myself and the Cult of Four."

Hulk: "Furthermore, it’s the perfect opportunity to suppress me, or worse, set a massive death trap for the rest of the Champions Alliance."

Hulk: "If I were in his shoes, even if I was losing the war, I would drag as many evil Demigod factions into the Titanion Realm as possible just to spite my enemies."

Orion laid out his speculations and deepest fears. The channel fell into a heavy silence as everyone weighed the horrifying probability of his words.

Alexander: "Looking at the grand progression of events, this has Clown’s fingerprints all over it. Operating in the shadows is his absolute favorite pastime."

Leonidas: "That damn wooden puppet. His favorite trick is piling up a hundred seemingly insignificant events to detonate a world-ending catastrophe without anyone noticing."

Arthas: "There’s no need to guess. Clown is absolutely going to stick his fingers into the Titanion Realm’s pie. Even if he doesn’t personally take the field, he’ll operate through proxies to claim his share."

After hearing Orion’s account, Alexander, Leonidas, and Arthas all corroborated his theories. The current apocalyptic state of the Titanion Realm was undoubtedly part of Clown’s grand design.

Arthas: "Ever since that bastard joined the Cult of Four, he’s gained access to countless dark secrets. He absolutely foresaw exactly what would happen during a realm-merger."

Arthas: "With his petty, vindictive nature, there’s no way he lets Hulk get away with destroying his Avatar and ruining his previous plans. He’s coming to settle the score."