Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1342 The Mermaid's Bargain

A significant amount of time passed before their embrace finally broke.

"I had projected a different timeline," Seraphina whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Her chest rose and fell in rhythm with his. "I anticipated waiting five centuries, perhaps even a full millennium, for you to ascend to this peak. To finally stand as my equal."

She gazed at Orion with wide, unblinking eyes, as if she were trying to etch his very soul into her memory. Her expression was a complex tapestry of possessive love, startled wonder, and deep relief.

"To witness your rise to the status of a Demigod so swiftly..." She ran a finger along the curve of his jaw. "It contradicts all logic."

"I have to wonder," Orion remarked, pulling her closer by the waist as their warmth merged. "Why did you choose me?"

The question was justified. When the Dragon Race seized her alternate persona, Marina, she possessed the power to flee at any moment. Instead, she chose to be placed with Orion. She had submitted to him, serving as his bedwarmer by choice. Was this entire path—the intimacy, the service, the unwavering loyalty—merely the fulfillment of some vision she had received?

Seraphina offered no verbal reply. She only let a faint, enigmatic smile play across her lips.

"It could only ever be you," she breathed.

Leading with her heart, she leaned in to claim his lips once more. However, this kiss carried a different weight. It was no longer a mere act of desire; it was a transfer.

Orion felt a slick, firm object slide from her tongue into his own mouth. He swallowed it by reflex.

The Mermaid Pearl.

The moment the realization hit, Seraphina’s voice resonated within his mind, bypassing his physical senses entirely.

"Guard this for me. When the time comes for its return, you will give it back in the same manner."

Her mental projection was playful, laced with the smugness of a predator who had successfully sprung a trap.

Orion remained silent. He turned his perception inward, watching the object as it took residence within his core. Compared to the pearl Marina had once held, Seraphina’s was on an entirely different level. It wasn't a dormant stone; it pulsed with life, resembling a tiny, ethereal mermaid navigating the currents of his blood.

As it began to integrate into his being, a flood of power that was fundamentally different from Divine Power rushed through his meridians. It felt chilled, immense, and incredibly dense.

"Primordial Essence," Orion muttered, his eyes flying open. He stared at Seraphina, stunned.

This was far more than a simple magical artifact. The pearl held the concentrated Origin Power of the vast oceans of the Titanion Realm.

"Shh." Seraphina placed a slender, graceful finger against his lips. "This is our secret."

"This represents the Essence of the Sea," she clarified, her voice sinking into a secretive whisper. "It provided enough momentum to reach the first stage of a Demigod, but my progress has halted. I am trapped in a stalemate. I require an outside force to break this stagnation and establish a new equilibrium."

She shifted to straddle him, her smile gaining a predatory edge. "It is far too late to retreat now, my dear."

"So," Orion chuckled, interlacing his fingers behind his head as he looked up at her with easy confidence. "You are harvesting me. I am essentially your battery."

"Harvesting?" Seraphina let out a laugh as clear and bright as a chiming bell. "What a crude word for such an exquisite process. But in essence, yes."

She leaned closer. "The real question is... can you handle the burden?"

Orion’s smirk grew wider. "You are about to find out."

He seized her hips, his massive hands almost meeting around her slender waist.

Technically, the Mermaid Pearl was an intruder in his body. Yet, it functioned as a flawless bridge.

Having birthed his own Abyssal World, Orion grasped the laws of Origin Power with a depth that exceeded Seraphina’s expectations. Though she hadn't explained it, the truth was evident. Seraphina was more than just a mighty mermaid; she was the living avatar of the Titanion Realm's seas. While that bond granted her peerless strength, it also acted as a ceiling. She was tethered to the constraints of the realm itself.

To break those chains, Faith Energy alone was insufficient. She needed a spark—an external anomaly.

She needed Orion.

She had likely exhausted countless divinations to locate this specific thread of fate—the one path where Marina would encounter him, serve him, and lead to this very moment. Without the Marina persona, Seraphina and Orion would have been total strangers, or perhaps even bitter rivals.

Now, the Pearl was forming a closed circuit. It channeled the Sea’s Essence into Orion, and in exchange, it drew out a portion of his unique Origin Power. When she finally took the Pearl back, that blended energy would blow her limitations apart.

In the ancient language of Cultivation, this was known as "Dual Cultivation." Here, it was a specialized biological and metaphysical partnership. A mutual exchange.

And the trade was looking very profitable.

Silverwood Realm: Current's Bend

In the years following its birth, the city of Atlantis had evolved. It had grown beyond a mere stronghold into a true haven.

Guided by deep-sea currents and secret paths, the Sea Race had migrated here in massive numbers. Atlantis had risen as a beacon of liberty—a "Free City" beneath the waves where one's past didn't matter so long as they followed the law. The population had surged to over ten million, turning the ocean floor into a glittering metropolis of bioluminescent paths and towering coral structures.

On this day, the border sentries were exceptionally vigilant.

A colossal ship, designed in the likeness of a humpback whale and vibrating with the hum of magi-tech engines, passed through the outer defenses. It docked at the main harbor, the airlocks venting steam as they opened to reveal a group of visitors.

Walking onto the pier was a creature of terrifying beauty: a Marilith Naga. Her long, serpentine tail coiled with explosive power, while her upper torso boasted four graceful, yet lethal arms.

A squad of elite protectors followed her—the Knights of the Tetrarch. They were clad in massive, pressure-resistant plate armor, their features hidden behind specialized breathing apparatuses.

"Quite a sight," Kraken whispered, observing from the elevated balcony of the docking station. "Full environmental gear. The Cult of Four has much deeper pockets than I suspected."

Kraken, serving as one of the three Grand Marshals of Atlantis, let a momentary flash of greed show in his eyes before masking it with professional indifference. He adjusted his gear and walked down to greet the arrivals.

This was the formal delegation from the Cult of Four, led by a High Priestess arriving for negotiations.

"Welcome to Atlantis, beautiful messenger," Kraken’s voice boomed.

He halted a few paces from the Naga and extended a thick, powerful tentacle from his back, offering it in a low, spiraling motion.

The Coil. It was the universal sign of greeting in these depths—a display of mutual trust and power, similar to a handshake but carrying much more intimacy.

The Marilith Naga ignored the gesture. She shifted her body with fluid precision, easily avoiding the tentacle.

"Your enthusiasm is noted, Marshal," she replied, her tone icy and distant. "But I shall decline such personal contact."

Kraken pulled the tentacle back slowly. His face remained neutral, but his eyes sharpened.

To refuse the Coil wasn't merely a social slight; in the Silverwood Realm, it was a declaration of identity. To spurn the greeting was to spurn the very culture of the sea. It confirmed the suspicions held by Kraken, Leonidas, and Orion.

She wasn't a local. She didn't belong to the Titanion Realm or the Silverwood. She was from beyond the stars.

And if she was a potent female off-worlder...

Kraken’s thoughts began to churn. Could she be the 'Witch' that Hulk and Leonidas had warned them about?

He maintained a relaxed stance, aware that Leonidas and Orion were observing the encounter from the shadows. He decided to test her resolve.

"My apologies, my lady," Kraken rumbled, his voice turning low and menacing. "But if you cannot even tolerate the traditions of the Sea Race... how can you possibly hope to lead them?"