Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1378 The Cost of Entry

[Alexander: What are the odds?]

Temptation shone clearly in Alexander's eyes. His quick question about the success chances exposed his inner thrill. Even though the Clown and the Witch appeared as mere avatars, wiping them out would deliver huge satisfaction.

[Edward: The odds are high.]

[Edward: But for us, it's a strategic blunder.]

Edward, serving as Deputy Commander, delivered the cool voice of logic.

[Edward: If we burn resources wiping out this Cult detachment, we're just doing the Sea Race a favor. We give them room to breathe. Once we recover, we'll just be facing a stronger Sea Race.]

[Edward: Killing the Clown now means throwing away our leverage. We need the Cult of Four to grind the Sea Race down.]

[Edward: In short: we'd be using brute force to fight two wars back-to-back, instead of letting our enemies destroy each other.]

Reality hit hard with this truth. Launching an attack right then would force a relentless series of battles: the Champions Alliance clashing with the Cult, then straight into facing the Sea Race.

[Edward: Most importantly, if we kill them, we lose our ticket inside. Finding the true forms of the Clown and the Witch will become exponentially harder.]

Sharp insight defined Edward's breakdown. The group faced a tough choice between quick rewards and bigger future benefits, and time pressed them to choose swiftly.

[Alexander: Leonidas, back up. Explain the Pontiff offer clearly.]

Alexander shifted gears in a flash, his thoughts sharpening.

[Leonidas: It's simple. They want to recruit Atlantis. If we help them crush the Sea Race, they cut us in for a third of the maritime territory.]

[Leonidas: And the kicker: they promised to recommend me to their Archbishops for a seat as one of the Twelve Pontiffs. A seat with actual administrative power, not just a figurehead role.]

All options lay exposed now. The team held their breath for the Deputy Commander's final call.

[Kraken: By the way, why aren't we asking Arthas?]

Kraken, sharp as always, picked up on the thick quiet from their mightiest ally.

[Hulk: Bro is busy.]

[Leonidas: Arthas is tied up.]

Orion and Leonidas answered together. They understood precisely where Arthas stood. Every bit of his attention fixed on the Minor Hell world.

Without a full-scale assault, Leonidas, Alexander, Edward, and Orion stayed in a low-energy mode most days to save Divine Power. Yet Arthas never rested.

He watched over the Ever-Burning Volcano, led battles around the central area, and funneled his leftover mind into the World Dragon egg to grasp the rules of the Minor Hell world.

Arthas pushed hard in his training. This meeting didn't fit his schedule.

Perhaps Orion's fresh breakthrough sparked it, but Arthas dove into cultivation with wild fervor. By the time he broke his isolation, the Alliance could greet a fourth-stage Demigod.

[Kraken: Got it.]

[Edward: Pass on the ambush.]

Following a heavy silence, the Deputy Commander made his ruling.

[Edward: We can't afford the cost, and we can't leave our posts. The optimal strategy is to let the Cult of Four and the Sea Race bleed each other dry. We sit on the fence and loot the corpses.]

Bitter truth laced Edward's words, yet they rang true. "Can't afford it, can't leave." Their situation boiled down to that.

Affording it proved impossible because, beyond Edward, the others—Arthas, Alexander, Leonidas, Orion—counted as fresh Demigods. Their bases lacked depth, and their Faith Energy stores remained slim. Endless intense fights would empty them out and halt their growth.

Leaving wasn't an option either, with so many duties spinning. Arthas handled Minor Hell. Orion managed the Titanion Realm conflict and the planned strike on Eldoria. Leonidas and Alexander carried their loads; the Dragon Race kept summoning Leonidas to Xanajar, the Paradise of Myriad Dragons, for years, but he hadn't squeezed in the visit.

As their domain expanded, their forces grew ever more strained.

[Edward: And don't think penetrating the Cult of Four will be easy.]

[Edward: That organization was founded by four Gods. They aren't amateurs. They will have mechanisms to ensure loyalty—magical contracts, soul binds, you name it.]

Edward drew from his own past. He belonged to the Saint Gran Council, supported by a God of Magic. He understood those murky depths well. Figures like the silent, mighty Clown and Witch wouldn't join such a group lightly; bindings held them tight.

[Edward: Leonidas, you think you're infiltrating them? Be careful they aren't inviting you in just to shackle Atlantis.]

[Edward: Think about it. If you join them, that "one-third" of the ocean they give you? It's just them taking money from their left pocket and putting it in their right pocket.]

[Edward: You jump around, thinking you're making moves, but eventually, you just end up on someone else's dinner plate.]

This served as both alert and breakdown of the snare.

To Demigods such as Leonidas, Alexander, and Orion, it hit as a stark wake-up. For Kraken, pure terror gripped him. As an Arch Lord, if beings like the Four Gods eyed him, escape would vanish.

[Leonidas: So... we just let them go?]

[Leonidas: Damn it. That feels wrong.]

Edward's sound advice aside, Leonidas burned with frustration. Skipping the battle clashed with his core.

[Alexander: Let them grind against the Sea Race first. We help a little here, steal a little there.]

[Alexander: If they actually move forward with the Pontiff recommendation, we can petition the Commander for assistance before you accept.]

Calm now, Alexander suggested the balanced path. With the Commander—the top force guiding them—stepping in, dangers would shrink to handle.

[Hulk: If Alexander is right, and that offer is real, get ready for the hazing.]

[Hulk: The Cult isn't going to hand a Pontiff seat to an outsider without a test. They'll probably demand the three Grand Marshals of Atlantis undergo a "baptism" or ritual.]

[Hulk: That's when they'll try to leash you.]

Orion shared his honest view. In the Cult's position, welcoming a strong rival, he wouldn't offer blind trust. He'd stack the odds, craft a brutal trial, and make sure they emerged from it fully tamed by the seat.