Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 456: Hatred is powerless before power and profit

Dace, Otho, Beyn, Torba, and Grulbane all voiced their support for Rolan in turn.

Grulbane glanced at Rolan, then let his gaze fall on the group of young giant warriors behind him. Compared to when they first arrived, these younglings now looked strong and robust, eyes gleaming with resolve. A hardened determination was clearly etched on their faces.

"If Orion could see them now, he'd be gratified indeed," Dace sighed. Not accompanying Orion on his cross-realm invasion felt like a dereliction of duty to these guards. Although they were still carrying out Orion's orders, a guard's rightful place was always by the side of the Giant King, was it not?

"Let's go. Winter is coming—we should return to Stoneheart City," Grulbane said, reminding Dace, the other warriors, and the younglings, as well as himself.

---

Stoneheart City, Mysterious Tavern.

Delilah had been relatively idle lately. She came up to the second floor of the tavern, half-reclined on a lounge chair, and gazed out the window at the scenery of Stoneheart City.

"Your Majesty, that human knight who's been staying at our tavern… He's already been here for nearly two months."

"Is he short on money now?"

"No, that's not it. I just think he should harbor some hostility toward us."

"Go on."

Delilah raised her eyes, glancing at her personal guard—a succubus maidservant whose knack for scheming and intrigue Delilah held in high regard.

"Your Majesty, his name is Godfrey. He came along with the human kingdom's envoy on their last visit.

For reasons unknown, he chose not to return with them. I suspect that the human knight who died in the Colosseum might have been his companion.

He likely wants revenge but hasn't found a suitable opportunity."

Delilah said nothing, simply gazing at Stoneheart City under the night sky. Now that Stoneheart City was open to outsiders, many different races had flooded in from the blood elves' territory, the human kingdom, and the ogre lands, bringing new liveliness to the city.

Delilah felt fortunate that Orion had promptly issued the Blackstone Code. Thanks to that, the upper ranks of the Stoneheart Horde had a set of laws to govern this newly thriving Blackstone City.

"As long as he's not stirring up trouble, let's leave him be. If there's any resentment, just have someone keep an eye on him. Hatred is powerless before power and profit."

Delilah withdrew her gaze and sipped her wine.

---

Valkorath Realm, Cryptopolis City.

Three days later, at the city gate, Orion sat astride an Abyss Dragon, with Gustalon, Onyx, Earthshaker, Gronthar, Dirtclaw, Drakthul, and five armies under their command arrayed behind him.

"Gustalon, share what you've discovered," Orion ordered.

Gustalon transformed into a whirlwind, floated higher, and addressed the soldiers about what he had seen.

"About 50 miles from Cryptopolis, a new slime molds layer has appeared. We're still not sure how many mutated slime molds are in it, but it's creeping toward this city. It could reach us in half a day at most.

On the bright side, that slime molds layer has split off from the main frontline, so they can't receive support or supplies."

Gustalon spoke for a good five minutes, explaining the situation in detail.

In truth, all this was a chance Arthas had arranged for Orion to train his troops—a demonstration that one way to defeat the slime mold mutants was to isolate their layer so they'd have no resupply or reinforcements.

"Open the gates," Orion said calmly.

He glanced at Vexis, who stood on top of a massive summoned spider. She gave him a subtle nod, whereupon the north gate cracked open, slowly and heavily. The five armies plus fifty thousand sand scorpions surged out like a rising tide.

Half a day later, the Stoneheart Horde and the slime molds layer clashed for the first time. As soon as they spotted the oncoming enemy, lumps and bumps of all sizes began to swell across the slime molds layer. Oddly shaped mutants lumbered out of the seething mass of slime, taking the initiative to charge the Stoneheart Horde's forces.

The fierce battle commenced at once!

"Charge, you lot! For the Horde, for freedom, for our great lord!"

"For our wives and children, for life essence—charge! Charge! Charge!"

With a resounding canine howl, Dirtclaw took the lead at the head of the Gnoll armies. After two rousing shouts, he shifted into a giant Hellhound and rushed forward.

As the charge rang out, Orion and Vexis ascended into the skies, overlooking the clash below. Freed from Orion's presence, the Abyss Dragon unleashed its beastly nature, accelerating even faster than Hellhound Dirtclaw. It was the first to engage the slime mold mutants.

"Lord Orion, that's a living-flesh undead," Vexis said, hovering in midair. She pointed at the slime molds mutant grappling with the Abyss Dragon and explained:

"In truth, the bodies of these slime mold mutants are composed of countless pathogens. They occupy an enemy's corpse, then adapt that body according to the original creature's combat traits and their own race's attributes.

Living-flesh undead are fungal creatures that have taken over some undead body; they use slime molds as flesh, so the occupied host retains certain undead qualities as well as those of the slime molds themselves.

Lord Orion, the being fighting your mount was originally a four-horned bone-beast, but it lost its vitality and was overtaken by fungal creatures.

You'll find all kinds of variations among these fungal creatures—some are undead tyrants, some even Legendary-level slime mold dragons."

Orion narrowed his eyes, watching this living-flesh undead tear at the Abyss Dragon. He realizing just how horrifyingly evolved these seemingly simple slime molds had become.

"So you're saying this entire slime molds layer is made up of slime mold mutants occupying enemy bodies?"

Vexis nodded, neither confirming nor denying. "Some were indeed once our own people, but others were creatures brought in from other realms by the slime molds' main colony. Before invading Valkorath Realm, they surely invaded other worlds, too."

Orion never expected slime molds, which looked so rudimentary, to evolve into such a terrifying force.

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"At least this time, the slime molds layer isn't connected to the main nest(queen's nest) at the frontline. They have no reinforcements or supplies."

Roar!

A sudden draconic roar cut through the din of battle. It was the Abyss Dragon, howling in fury.