Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 323: The dragon’s roar

Roar!

A low, muffled roar suddenly caught Orion’s attention.

The dragon’s cry was faint but lasted for a long moment. It came from the north; Orion was sure of that. And that very call made the Abyssal dragon—resting deep inside his heart—thrash with unease.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Huh?"

Lilith, who had been leaning her head against Orion’s back, lifted her eyes in confusion.

"That dragon’s roar—I just heard it. Didn’t you?"

"A dragon’s roar? I didn’t catch anything," Lilith replied.

Orion frowned. For her to be an Alpha-level fighter yet fail to hear it was strange indeed.

"Go tell the four senior elders I’m heading out to see what’s going on."

And with that, lightning crackled around him, and he gave a sharp whistle. Moments later, Thunderhawk Rayden soared into the air, carrying Orion north at full speed.

–––––

Three days later, before Orion had even reached the northern edge of the black forest, he already sensed the presence of a Legendary-level aura. He recognized it well: it belonged to Ironhoof, Khan of the Desolate Plains Centaurs.

"Rayden, veer east," he called.

"Understood!"

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Two days after that, high in the sky, Orion spotted a massive blur charging northward on the ground—like a speeding freight train. Orion flickered and landed on the ground in an instant.

Ironhoof, the centaur khan, had sensed Orion’s energy too, and he came to a stop.

"What are you doing here?" Ironhoof asked first.

Orion paused, then said, "The dragon’s roar."

Ironhoof opened his mouth as if to speak but stayed silent, though shock played plainly on his face.

"You heard it as well?" he finally managed.

Orion merely nodded, looking northward.

"A few days ago," Ironhoof went on, "I was in my tent having sex with my woman when I heard this long, drawn-out dragon roar. It rattled me so much I couldn’t concentrate. That’s why I came this way, to find out what’s going on."

Orion studied Ironhoof, about to suggest they head north together, when suddenly he felt another presence—Gareth’s.

"Hold on—Gareth’s on her way here," Orion said.

Truthfully, he was a bit surprised. Logic said Gareth should still be in Thunderwood Forest, so how did she get here so quickly? Then again, Ironhoof was even more stunned by how Orion’s perception evidently far outstripped his own.

A few more days passed before Gareth finally touched down beside Orion and Ironhoof.

"I take it you both heard that dragon’s roar?" she asked.

Orion and Ironhoof nodded, seeing Gareth’s expression darken.

"I carry partial dragon blood in my veins, so I can feel the terrifying power in that roar more strongly," she explained. "It might have come from an old and powerful Legendary-level fighter."

The possibility left Orion and Ironhoof both startled.

"You two can’t hear it anymore, but I still do," Gareth continued. "It’s coming from the far north."

Orion lowered his head in thought. Ironhoof’s four hooves stamped nervously at the ground; he was obviously on edge and unsure how to handle it.

After a moment, Orion spoke in a steady voice: "I can’t sense Lord Jorik anywhere. Could this be his doing?"

"What did you say? Lord Jorik ascended to arch lord?!" Ironhoof roared, unable to contain himself.

Orion shook his head without giving a definitive yes or no.

"It can’t be Jorik," Gareth broke in. "From what I know of his bloodline, he’s not capable of unleashing something like this."

That oppressive dragon roar had been potent enough to unnerve even Gareth, so it was unlikely Jorik could manage it.

"Shall we keep heading north to check it out?" Orion asked. He truly was curious about that roar.

Ironhoof and Gareth fell silent. In reality, both had only planned to come up to the boundary of their own territories to see if they could detect anything. Venturing into Lord Jorik’s domain to probe a possible ancient Legendary-level dragon was way more risk than they cared to take.

"I’m heading back," Ironhoof decided at last, turning decisively and galloping off toward the Desolate Plains.

"That roar is way up in the extreme north, too far for us," Gareth said quietly. "Besides, Orion, we’ll be deep into winter two months from now."

She shook her head, sprouted a pair of fleshy wings from under her ribs, and flew off toward the Abyssal Chasm. Orion felt a bit of regret—if those two lords backed off, he certainly wasn’t about to go alone.

Calling for his thunderhawk again, Orion turned back to the black forest.

–––––

The dragon’s roar had kept Orion busy for nearly half a month, and in that time Julius Caesar on the Survivor’s Platform had been waiting just as long to hear from him.

While perched on Thunderhawk Rayden, Orion once again immersed his mind in the Platform—and saw a string of messages from Julius Caesar:

"Hey big guy, accept the deal! I’ve changed my mind!"

"Big guy? You there?"

"Big guy, I’ll throw in a few more B-grade crystal cores. Just tell me what that item you bought is used for!"

"…"

"Big guy, guess what—I found another one just like it!"

At that final message, Orion immediately initiated a trade request with Julius Caesar.

Caesar accepted, placing another arrow tower in the window, and confirmed the trade. With a faint smile, Orion finalized it, then explained the item’s function and limitations.

"So that’s the story!" Julius Caesar said. "Big guy, I bet it’s super useful. Well, no worries—right now I’m only hero level, so it doesn’t really matter."

To tell the truth, Caesar’s clingy, incessant plotting was a bit annoying, like dealing with stubborn glue that wouldn’t brush off. But since Orion was now firmly at the Legendary level, he felt he could be patient.

After trading some additional weapons and equipment with Julius Caesar, Orion ended their conversation.

"He’s a little pushy," Orion mused, "but he’s clever."

From their exchanges, Orion could see Caesar specifically sold stuff he couldn’t use, trading it for hero-level weaponry and elite gear Orion offered.

"When I was just starting out, if I’d had that kind of nerve and persistence, maybe I would’ve built up quicker too," Orion murmured, shaking his head in amusement. Then he added Julius Caesar to his friend list, hoping to do more business with him in the future.