Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1589: Birth of an Ascendant Plane

Within the realm of laws, Orion and The Lifeless Dreadgod watched as a tetrahedral rune flared with divine light. The rays condensed into thousands of holy swords that surged into the ethereal form of The Dais of Judgment, coalescing into the phantom of a lavishly dressed man.

Ghostly images flickered behind the phantom. Naked prisoners, covered in cursed brands, hung chained to The Dais of Judgment. They wailed. They begged. Their bodies and souls dissolved into nothingness, piece by piece.

"Another world descends!"

Orion wasn’t surprised. Clown and the Cult of Four had orchestrated this disaster from the start. It made perfect sense for the Cult to intervene now. He would have been more shocked if they hadn’t shown up.

"See what happens when you let yourself be played?" Orion asked, looking down at Insect Queen Moriphara. "Also, if you trespass on my turf, you’d better be ready to die."

The players were all on the board. Surprisingly, the queen’s face showed no panic. Just as Orion readied the killing blow, she dissolved into a streak of light and slipped away.

Moments earlier, atop the Planetary Hive in the Titanion Realm, an unprecedented sacrificial ritual had begun.

It was a sacrifice, and an apocalypse.

Every insectoid on the Planetary Hive—regardless of size, caste, or power—turned to ash in an instant. Even the three demigods stationed there were fed to the ritual. They died willingly, offering themselves to the swarm.

A piercing, tragic chittering echoed across the Titanion Realm, rippling through the ocean of laws. The sound built to a deafening crescendo, its extreme frequency shaking the realm itself.

A colossal insectoid altar tore through the surface of the Planetary Hive. The ground fractured. The spatial dome shattered. Amidst the destruction, massive Wormholes slowly tore open the sky. A major insectoid world smashed into the Titanion Realm.

Floating in the ocean of laws, Orion watched the situation spiral out of control. He snuffed out his last shred of Hope.

Originally, Orion planned to merge his Divine Vessel into the Titanion Realm. That alone would have been enough to suppress Insect Queen Moriphara. Even if the Cult of Four and the Profane Lands interfered, he could just fuse his Divine Kingdom into the mix to make himself invincible.

But now?

Orion never anticipated that the Profane Lands, the Cult of Four, and the insectoids would each drag an entire world into the Titanion Realm. His Divine Kingdom, once the ultimate trump card, was no longer a guaranteed win. Worse, he had to use it now, or he wouldn’t even earn a seat at the table.

Orion hesitated. Merging the Divine Kingdom meant burning his bridges. He would be permanently bound to the fate of the Titanion Realm.

Suddenly, Commander Thresh’s voice echoed in his ears. "Not bad. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a show of this scale."

Orion snapped out of his daze. "Commander?"

"Hulk, keep your Divine Kingdom out of this. That’s your final escape route. Don’t back yourself into a corner," Thresh said. "Since these fools dare to smash their worlds into your turf, let’s raise the stakes. Catch. Don’t fight it."

Before Orion could reply, a World Tree materialized in his hands. It radiated complete world Authority. As the Authority settled into his grasp, he realized what it was—the Realm’s Core of the Platinum Realm.

"Come on," Thresh laughed. "Let’s crash one of our own and show them how it’s done!"

Orion didn’t hesitate or question the order. Commander Thresh was crazy, and the madness was contagious. Embracing the insanity, Orion steered the Platinum Realm and slammed it head-on into the Titanion Realm.

Only after the impact did Orion realize how smoothly everything had gone. Why were the cosmic coordinates of the Platinum Realm so close to the Titanion Realm? Had Commander Thresh planned this all along?

He had no time to dwell on his doubts. The collision triggered a cataclysmic shift. Following the impact, absolute darkness consumed the Titanion Realm. Every living creature and conscious entity plunged into a deep slumber.

Even the mystical defenses of Blackstone City, Stoneheart, the Planetary Hive, and the Demonic Pillars fell entirely dormant.

Everything reset to zero. The world returned to the void.

Blade’s Edge Peak, Valkorath Realm.

Leonidas, Alexander, and Deputy Commander Edward arrived together, joined by a phantom projection of Arthas. They had come hoping the Commander held the answers they desperately needed.

An event as massive as the Platinum Realm crashing into the Titanion Realm had come with zero warning. Leonidas, Alexander, and Edward—all stationed there—had been completely blindsided. Once the Titanion Realm underwent a hard reset to zero, severing all connections to their demigod phantoms and avatars, the brothers-in-arms couldn’t just sit on their hands any longer.

"Come, come! It’s been too long since we all gathered. Drink with me!" Commander Thresh greeted them. "Leonidas, you’re on roasting duty. Make sure you drain the blood from the meat properly."

And so, a tent, a campfire, a whole roasted sheep, silver platters, and the Commander’s drinking horn came together for a gathering that felt both familiar and strangely out of place.

Deputy Commander Edward sat quietly beside the Commander. He brought out several crystal bottles filled with fine wines collected from his own territory. Edward wasn’t a heavy drinker himself, but he enjoyed collecting rare alcohol. He knew the Commander loved a good drink, and Leonidas, Alexander, and Arthas were absolute drunkards. Sharing his private stash with his comrades gave the Deputy Commander a distinct sense of satisfaction.

"You’re awfully quiet today, Edward," Commander Thresh said with a smile. He took a bottle from his deputy, popped the cork, and took a long, deeply satisfying swig.

"I performed a divination before coming," Edward replied calmly. "The reading showed a pattern of great joy and celebration."

His words made Alexander and Leonidas’s eyes light up. Neither spoke; one kept carving the meat, the other kept turning the spit.

"And you? Tired of isolating yourself in the Ever-Burning Volcano?" the Commander asked, turning his attention to Arthas, who was tossing kindling into the fire.

"Got bored. Thought I’d take a walk," Arthas replied.

The Commander nodded, not bothering to call out the lie.

Orion had just recalled his demigod phantom stationed in the Minor Hell world. Any idiot could guess something massive was happening on his end, and Arthas knew it. Just in case, Arthas had kept one demigod phantom active to constantly monitor the situation in the Titanion Realm.

Soon, the meat was cooked to perfection and the cups were full. The Commander raised his glass.

"A toast! To the Champions Alliance conquering the Platinum Realm!"

"Cheers!"

"To the Commander!"

"Long live the Commander!"

"Badass!"

Edward, Alexander, Arthas, and Leonidas raised their glasses and downed their drinks in unison.

"A toast! To Orion, the absolute powerhouse of our Champions Alliance!"

"Cheers!"

"To Orion!"

"The kid is a beast!"

This time, the Commander had referred to him as Orion, not Hulk. Leonidas, Alexander, and Arthas might have missed that subtle shift, but Edward caught it. He fell deep into thought, a sharp, calculating gleam flashing in his eyes.

"A toast! To the bright future of the Champions Alliance!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

When the Commander brought up a bright future, even muscle-heads like Leonidas, Alexander, and Arthas finally caught on to the underlying weight of his words.

"Lord Commander," Leonidas said, handing over the fattest, juiciest cut of roasted meat. His voice dripped with blatant flattery. "Did our boy finally give us some good news?"

The Commander shook his head. He took a slow bite of the meat and chased it with wine. Only after he had strung them all along to the absolute limit did he finally speak.

"Four major worlds just crashed into Hulk’s backyard. The Titanion Realm is about to advance into an Ascendant Plane."

The term Ascendant Plane wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to the group, but they couldn’t grasp exactly why the Commander was treating it like the ultimate prize.

Arthas lightly kicked Leonidas under the table, signaling him to keep digging for answers.

"Lord Commander, what’s the actual benefit of an Ascendant Plane?" Leonidas asked, ignoring the kick since he was dying to know himself. "Is it just like a super-sized world, like I’m picturing?"

"Let me correct you there," Edward interjected before the Commander could answer. "A world is a world, and a plane is a plane. Don’t confuse the two. A plane can be an overlap of multiple worlds, a fusion of worlds, or even worlds swallowing each other whole. The Abyss and Hell, which you’re all familiar with, are two of the oldest, top-tier planes."

Using the Abyss and Hell as examples instantly cleared up the difference for the rest of the group.

"Heh... World, plane, the semantics don’t really matter," Commander Thresh chuckled. "All you need to know is this: only an Ascendant Plane or higher can bear the full weight of a deity’s power. It is the only stage where a god can truly descend into the mortal realm."

The Commander dropped the information casually, but Leonidas, Alexander, Edward, and Arthas were utterly dumbstruck. A heavy silence fell over the fire as the terrifying implications sank in.

The Commander didn’t bother over-explaining. Instead, he dropped another bombshell—a secret known only to the absolute apex powerhouses of the cosmos.

"Furthermore, an Ascendant Plane can condense and manifest a Divine Mantle."

Hearing this, everyone except Edward looked completely lost again.

"A Divine Mantle? What the hell is that?" Leonidas blurted out, not even needing Alexander or Arthas to egg him on.

However, no answer came.