Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1358 The Ashenheart Domain

Orion was completely indifferent to Ariselle’s awe regarding the grandeur of Stoneheart City or her naive perception of the Stoneheart Horde’s prosperity.

His entire concentration was fixed on honoring a long-standing commitment.

Hulk: "Brother, I’ve reached the Demigod rank."

Orion fired off the message to Arthas. The underlying meaning was undeniable: I possess the strength required to assist you now.

He had initiated contact because he sensed a disturbance. Arthas, who usually welcomed newcomers with enthusiasm, had been uncharacteristically terse when Tangere joined the Champions Alliance—offering a hollow "welcome" followed by total silence.

Arthas served as Orion’s mentor within the Alliance, just as Orion now guided Tangere. A natural bond of brotherhood should have been present.

This lack of communication pointed to only one conclusion: Arthas was entangled in something grave. He simply lacked the mental capacity for social graces.

A considerable amount of time passed before a response flickered on the screen.

Arthas: "Leonidas mentioned you’re racing against the clock. Can you actually afford to spare the time?"

A smirk touched Orion’s lips. Arthas remained as direct as ever, confirming he was indeed in a difficult position.

Hulk: "Brother, I am a Demigod. My phantom can manifest anywhere it pleases."

Arthas didn't waste another second. He initiated a trade, transferring a specialized teleportation scroll inscribed with precise coordinates.

Arthas: "Bring your Wraith Knight legions. Leave everything else behind."

Orion gripped the scroll, contemplating the cryptic instructions.

Where exactly is Arthas? he mused. And why specifically the Wraith Knights? His behavior has been shrouded in mystery lately.

Unknown Coordinates: The Ashenheart Domain

This realm existed as a pocket dimension, structured like a colossal, shallow basin.

At the absolute epicenter of this sunken wasteland stood the Ever-Burning Volcano, discharging torrents of black flames into a sky devoid of stars.

This volcano functioned as the world’s core, the anchor for its laws and its primary origin. To command the volcano was to become the Master of the Ashenheart Domain.

Currently, Arthas and his inner circle were heavily entrenched.

"I told you the brat had sharp instincts. If he has ascended to Demigod, he surely possesses the combat power to stand with us."

Leonidas stepped out from a cavern near the crater’s edge. When Arthas shared the news that Orion was on his way, the palpable tension among the group began to dissipate.

"He only just ascended, though. Doesn't he require time to stabilize his Divine Power?"

A massive, multi-armed silhouette emerged from the gloom. The giant blade fastened to his back made his identity clear. It was Alexander, who had successfully and fully integrated his Asura Avatar.

In reality, Alexander’s swift integration was entirely due to the unique environment of the Ashenheart Domain and the potent energy bleeding from the volcano beneath them.

"Hulk’s power... it defies all standard logic."

The Deputy Commander floated out from the cave. His Demigod Phantom was flickering and faint, a clear indication of severe, unhealed injuries.

He had attempted to extract details about Orion from the Commander, but the leader remained elusive, only stating that Orion’s talent for crushing opponents above his level remained intact after his ascension.

"If we are unable to hold this position," Edward remarked, his tone pragmatic and freezing, "we ought to trigger the hatching prematurely. A partial victory is better than a total slaughter."

He shifted instantly from acknowledging Orion’s arrival to preparing for a worst-case scenario.

"We must hold!" Leonidas bellowed, his temper flaring. "This is Arthas’s path to Ascension! Such an opportunity only appears once in ten thousand years!"

The Deputy Commander’s defeatist attitude grated on Leonidas, though his fury was mostly fueled by his own frustration at being unable to secure the area alone.

"He is correct. We will hold."

The voice didn't belong to anyone present. It resonated out of thin air, vibrating with undeniable authority.

Space warped and energy rippled outward as Orion’s figure materialized from the vacuum.

He had projected his voice through the dimensional barrier even before the teleportation process had concluded.

This display of raw power caused the pupils of everyone there to contract. Even the Deputy Commander, a Second-Stage Demigod, was visibly rattled. Transmitting sound across worlds before a stable link was established was a feat of sheer strength he couldn't hope to mimic.

"Hahaha! Brother, you actually arrived!"

Leonidas didn't pause. He lunged forward and trapped Orion in a massive bear hug that would have crushed the spine of a weaker cultivator.

"Brother," Orion chuckled, slapping the giant’s back. "When did you switch your class to Blacksmith?"

Up close, Leonidas looked as though he had been laboring inside a blast furnace. His eyebrows were gone, his hair was singed, and glowing embers still flickered on his plate armor.

More alarming was the frantic anxiety burning within his gaze.

"Blacksmith?" Leonidas stepped back, momentarily bewildered before realizing how disheveled he looked. "Bah! Just bad luck. This place is a dump. It wasn't made for living things."

He fiercely wiped the soot from his brow, attempting to smooth his ruined hair, clearly annoyed by the wretched conditions.

"My Lord... this place is Hell."

The whisper originated from behind Orion. Ashreign, the Wraith Knight commander who had arrived with him, was scanning the horizon with grim recognition.

He wasn't speaking out of turn. The specific atmospheric signature of a Hell dimension was a vital tactical fact that his master needed to understand immediately.

"Heh... Brother, your subordinate has a keen eye."

Leonidas looked at Ashreign with a hint of surprise. He hadn't expected a summoned entity to identify the obscure environment so rapidly.

"Ashreign was born in a Hell world. He is well-acquainted with the scent of sulfur," Orion clarified, moving past Leonidas to greet Arthas.

Arthas stood firm, his armor radiating intense heat, looking as though he had been standing in the flames for weeks on end.

"Brother," Orion said, a confident and slightly arrogant smile touching his lips. "You’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time, haven't you?"

The meaning was transparent: Arthas had brought him into the Champions Alliance for this exact purpose—to stand side-by-side in a battle of true significance.

"Follow me."

Arthas shot Orion a sideways look, hiding his relief behind a mask of stoicism, and turned to lead the way toward the volcanic caldera.

"Maintain your positions here."

"Yes, My Lord."

Orion left Ashreign and the Wraith Knights to stand guard. He gave a brief nod to Alexander and the Deputy Commander in acknowledgment before following in Arthas’s wake.

The other three traded glances and followed behind.

The environment was brutal.

It was a wasteland. No plants grew, and no animals roamed. There was only the churning magma at the center and a suffocating, corrupting pressure that bore down on the soul.

"This is a Minor Hell," Arthas explained, halting at the crater’s edge. A searing wind, thick with the stench of brimstone and sin, lashed against them.

"The Ever-Burning Volcano lies beneath us," he said, pointing to the black fire swirling below. "And inside that fire burns the Ashenheart."

"It is sustained by the power of corrupted souls."