Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1349 A Prayer for the Damned

Three Days Prior. The World of Eldoria.

Astravale Square had become a suffocating sea of humanity.

In the dim light, copper and silver coins glinted as they were tossed through the air, landing with splashes in the wishing fountain. A low, buzzing drone rose from the crowd as people murmured their prayers, the sound vibrating deep within one’s teeth.

The sky was bruised and dark. Sensing the impending violence, the white doves that usually occupied the plaza had all fled. Dressed in a heavy black cloak that swallowed her figure, Aina navigated the press of bodies. Every movement was a struggle against the human tide.

These prayers were not for mercy; they were merely the opening act for the gallows.

The Grand Duke of Astravale had reached his final day. Following accusations of collusion with dark witches, the Kingdom had condemned the entire ducal house to the noose.

"Milady, the Duke would never turn to paganism," a panicked whisper reached Aina from behind. "He and the Duchess are the most devout followers of the Holy Order. It's impossible."

Vianne, Aina’s maidservant, followed closely behind, her own identity hidden by a dark hood. While Aina remained stone-faced and silent, Vianne was a nervous wreck, her words spilling out in a terrified stream of denial.

Aina offered no reply, simply allowing the momentum of the crowd to pull her forward.

The collapse of her life had been shockingly swift. It had been less than a year since she and Vianne had run away from home to avoid an arranged marriage. Now, her father’s estate lay in shambles. Stripped of his noble title, the Duke and the rest of her family had been bound in chains.

They were currently tied up on the gallows platform, which stood like a looming shadow over the wishing fountain.

Beneath her hood, Aina’s brow furrowed. She was well aware of the truth. Her parents were fanatical followers of the Holy Order who harbored a deep loathing for dark magic. The idea of collusion was ridiculous. Growing up within those estate walls, she would have known if her father was involved in heresy.

The charges were nothing but a lie—a fabrication created by the Kingdom’s High Council to satisfy the public.

But for what purpose?

The question haunted her. To have any hope of saving them, she had to uncover the real conflict of interest at the root of this.

Was it a dispute over territory? Was it retribution for her running away? Or did it involve the new crystal vein found on their property?

As she moved nearer to the scaffold, various theories raced through her mind. Peering through the gaps in the crowd, she caught sight of them: her father and three brothers, looking humiliated and broken. She looked past her father’s second wife without a second thought; Aina felt nothing for her. The woman was irrelevant.

"Vianne," Aina whispered, keeping her chin tucked. "Do you remember where my father's right-hand man lives? We need to—"

There was no response.

"Vianne?"

Realizing the frantic whispering had ceased, Aina spun around. The space directly behind her was vacant.

A sharp, cold spike of panic hit her chest. She began scanning the multitude of hoods, but before she could search, a loud commotion broke out near the gallows.

"Grab her! She's a conspirator! She's trying to free the heretics!"

Aina’s heart sank into her stomach.

Struggling to remain unnoticed, she blended into the wave of spectators sprinting toward the disturbance. When she finally fought her way to the front, she pressed a hand over her veiled mouth to keep from screaming.

It was Vianne.

Her faithful maid was pinned face down against the cobblestones, two guard spears having been driven through her back. Dark blood flowed quickly from the wounds, filling the cracks in the stone floor.

Even in death, Vianne’s hand remained clamped around a leather waterskin.

Aina knew that flask instantly. It was Ragnall’s, her eldest brother. Years ago, he had saved Vianne from dying of thirst on the road, giving her that very skin before bringing her into the house to serve Aina.

Having grown up alongside her, Aina was aware of Vianne’s secret. The maid had loved Ragnall from a distance, a hopeless and silent devotion that ignored the gap in their social status.

Vianne must have reached a breaking point seeing Ragnall on the platform with cracked lips, dying of thirst. She couldn't stand it. Her only goal was to provide her savior with one last drink of water.

However, to the eyes of the guards, it appeared to be a rescue attempt.

Watching the familiar, broken body on the ground, tears poured down Aina’s face. But the horror was just beginning.

The disturbance caused by Vianne provided the Kingdom officials with the pretext they desired. The order for execution was moved up.

Aina watched through a veil of tears. She saw her father and brothers thrash and struggle against the tightening ropes. She witnessed their skin turn a sickly purple, their eyes bulging and their tongues swelling until they protruded, dark and bloated.

In their final, painful moments of life, they seemed to be screaming a silent message to her from across the square: Run. Run. Run.

A tidal wave of despair and grief hit Aina’s heart—an emotion so powerful it crossed through space, filling the heart of the Aina currently standing in the Tower Defense World.

Revenge… I want revenge.

The impulse was primal and absolute. Yet, she was merely an Alpha-level being. She was powerless against the strength of a whole Kingdom. The plaza was surrounded by the Templars of the Holy Order. A single mistake would have seen her hanging right next to her father.

Tower Defense World: Kindling Platform 3318

Orion sat silently within the command tent, having listened to the conclusion of Aina’s story. He didn't offer any immediate words of comfort.

Aina finished her tale and looked at him, her gaze burning with a fierce intensity that seemed almost like madness. Several minutes passed before Orion finally spoke.

"To destroy a world is a heavy burden," Orion remarked, his voice deep and resonant. "It is rarely necessary."

He leaned in closer, the light of the fire reflecting in his eyes. "But to scour the surface of a world? To eliminate the specific people and race you despise? That is a simple matter."

He locked eyes with her. "That is your world. It is the ground from which you will grow. Consider this carefully before you make such a request of me."

As a Creator, Orion had a natural distaste for the total destruction of worlds. To him, every world was a miracle, a single leaf on the World Tree. He understood the effort required for creation. Only the most malevolent or greedy would seek to completely shatter a planet. Most Gods and Demigods preferred to conquer or enslave.

Total annihilation was crude—a waste of resources.

Aina did not waver. The memory of Vianne on the stones and her brothers’ hanging bodies burned in her mind.

"Sir," she replied, her voice shaking with frigid anger. "Wipe them out. Every human in that Kingdom. And the entire Holy Order."

The malice in her soul was like a bottomless, vast ocean.

Orion gave a single nod. "Then prepare yourself."