Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

This was Commander Thresh's voice. Deputy Commander Edward had known him for countless years—he was far too familiar with it.

Edward did not ask why. Instead, he turned to the slime molds mother deity, expressionless, and changed his statement.

"I agree to your terms, but I can only release three slime molds broodmothers."

"One broodmother has already fallen in battle, and the remaining slime molds mutants are our spoils of war."

The moment Edward's words faded, the slime molds mother deity responded.

"Fine!"

Edward was momentarily stunned, but in the end, he said nothing further.

Controlling the realm formation, he released the remaining three slime molds broodmothers. Without another word, the slime molds mother deity took them, tore open a portal, and departed the Valkorath Realm.

"Commander…you're awake…?"

Before Edward could finish speaking, Commander Thresh's voice interrupted him once again.

"Not fully awake yet. But I must force myself to regain consciousness for a moment, because something very important needs to be done."

"I had you draw that slime molds mother deity here so you would come to terms with the true extent of your own power."

"As for those fungal creatures, Arthas, Alexander, and Leonidas have all gained what they needed. Our objectives have been met."

"We mustn't drive the slime molds mother deity into a corner. In the future, she may not be our enemy."

"We, too, need allies!"

Deputy Commander Edward nodded. He understood perfectly well that demigods were not at the apex of power in this world. The stronger one becomes, the deeper the sense of one's own insignificance. This realm concealed many more horrifying beings.

While Edward was mulling all this over, Commander Thresh's voice came once more.

"Arthas has fallen into slumber. By the time he wakes, I expect the Champions Alliance will have yet another demigod-level warrior among its ranks."

"But Orion might be in trouble—I came here specifically on his account."

As Thresh spoke, two stunningly brilliant blades of light formed in his left and right hands.

"Take these and help Orion solve his problem!"

"If you delay much longer, Orion might be in real danger!"

…

In the Valkorath Realm, the assault by the slime molds mutants suddenly abated.

With the broodmothers gone, the slime molds layer began retreating, heading back toward the sea.

Not only in the northern region but in the other four major war zones as well, the same retreat took place.

Leonidas, Alexander, and the others, after receiving word from Deputy Commander Edward, knew the crisis was over.

They hurried to Bone City.

However, by that time Arthas had already entered a deep slumber and been moved into the depths of Bone City by his minions.

Deputy Commander Edward, Alexander, and Leonidas did not see Arthas, as his subordinates refused to admit them. Yet having sensed Arthas's aura and confirmed he was safe, the trio left soon after.

Though his energy was greatly diminished, there was no risk of Arthas perishing outright.

"Let's go see Hulk together."

Deputy Commander Edward turned around and, with a single gesture, conjured a magic circle that enveloped Alexander and Leonidas.

In the next moment, space rippled, and the three vanished in teleportation.

…

Near Soraya City, the fighting had not stopped.

Even though the slime molds layer had signaled a retreat, they had pushed too far into their advance and could not simply pull out without losses. The battle would continue for quite some time.

According to Deputy Commander Edward's expectations, the next phase would be a long campaign of driving out the slime molds.

About 100 miles away from Soraya City, Edward, Alexander, and Leonidas floated in midair, all slightly taken aback.

"A sea of flowers?"

"What a remarkable plant—using the slime molds layer as fertilizer."

"No, wait, there's divine power here!"

Leonidas, who spoke, was amazed to see such a field of blossoms. Ever since the fungal creatures overran the Valkorath Realm's outer territories, virtually all original beasts and plant life had been consumed. That a sea of flowers would appear here was astounding indeed.

However, Leonidas quickly sensed the presence of divine energy.

"This is definitely divine power. Hulk's aura is gone. His body must have been stripped away."

Edward was more versed in divine forces than Leonidas and Alexander. He felt it keenly: the divine energy within these flowers was purer than that of any demigod.

Put simply, this patch of flowers was the handiwork of a genuine god.

"What has this guy gotten himself into, that he actually provoked a god?"

Alexander was just as curious. He and Leonidas had been among the Champions Alliance's most trouble-prone members for as long as they'd been awakened and then ascended to Arch Lord—but they had never offended a god.

If Orion were conscious, he might have bragged about his own audacity: because he had raped the body of a goddess's avatar seed.

"Good grief, we'd better clear out these things right away. Haven't you noticed they're even more aggressive than the mutated slime molds?"

Leonidas extended his senses and quickly discovered how Zilan was ravenously drawing nourishment from the slime molds layer.

"That's exactly why I'm here."

Deputy Commander Edward chanted an incantation, and the ground beneath the flower sea rose in levels like steps, cutting it off from the slime molds layer.

After all, the plan for the slime molds layer was to treat it like a flock of sheep raised in the Valkorath Realm for Champions Alliance members to train with and profit from. They couldn't just let the Zilan devour it on a whim.

Next, countless wind blades appeared in the midst of the flower field, shredding every Zilan into pieces.

Then came an ocean of flames, and every last Zilan was reduced to ash.

The Zilan fought back. In the flames, countless new sprouts tried to draw power from the fire and grow. But within the blaze were wind blades that slashed these fresh sprouts to pieces again.

"This power…does it have a will of its own?"

Leonidas spoke in alarm, having sensed something profoundly unusual.

"It hasn't developed true sentience—only an awareness of danger, prompting it to react accordingly."

Deputy Commander Edward offered a terse explanation and intensified his cleansing efforts.

The divine power in the Valkorath Realm was merely a fragment, and for him, eradicating it was not difficult at all.

Now that the realm formation was complete, even if a god were to appear in person, Deputy Commander Edward felt confident they could respond.

"Let's go. Hulk is over there!"

At that moment, the sea of flowers looked as though it had been frozen in time. The frantic growth of the Zilan was brought to a halt.

Deputy Commander Edward stepped deeper in, finding a spot where the Zilan were thickest.

He reached out and brushed them gently aside. Instantly, the purple blossoms turned to dust.

Amid the tangle of Zilan roots, Orion's body was revealed, fully healed.

He was sheathed in silver stems, and tiny silver filaments kept sprouting out of him.

Furthermore, Orion's aura was utterly gone.

"Hulk…is he dead?"

Leonidas exclaimed, and Alexander, standing beside him, frowned.

"He's not dead yet—but he's very close!"