Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1397 The Chitinous Tide

Titanion Realm - Blood Elf Territory

The area formed a rough mosaic of thick old woods and vast plains. Beauty defined it, yet the landscape proved intricate, serving as a refuge for wild creatures and poisonous bugs.

The caravan benefited greatly from the Raptor Cavalry Regiment leading the way. Enormous battle beasts ripped apart the foliage, stomping down animals and smashing bug hordes into mush right before they became dangerous.

For Tristan Greymount, shielded by this barrier of metal and hides, the surroundings resembled a masterpiece. Each foliage, each bloom in the wild, each beam of light breaking through the treetops seemed deeply meaningful.

"Young Master, the mercenaries say that once we clear this forest, we'll be crossing the border," Adelina said. Her voice shook with thrill.

She had listened to the tales her master shared about the Stoneheart Horde. In her eyes, passing that boundary signified rescue. It signified they stood beyond harm.

"Adelina, do you not appreciate the view?" Tristan asked, inhaling deeply. "This is the territory of the Blood Elves. Can you not feel it? The forest calms the mind. It purifies the spirit."

He shut his eyes, relishing the breeze. "The very atmosphere is humming with mana. Can you feel the elements dancing?"

After the assault from other realms, the Titanion Realm had transformed. The disaster had altered the energy flows, filling the breeze with sorcery that was once rare. Now, the woods pulsed with life, thrumming with hidden strength.

"Young Master, with all due respect, the Stoneheart Horde is just ahead," Adelina insisted, brushing off his verses. She clutched her steed's reins firmly. "We are almost safe."

In contrast to Tristan's idealism, Adelina stayed grounded in the goal of mere survival.

"Relax, Adelina," Tristan laughed, shaking his head. "Look around you."

Tristan Greymount viewed Adelina's worry as completely unfounded.

Leading the march was the Raptor Cavalry Regiment from the Stoneheart Horde. Across this land, Tristan felt sure nobody possessed the guts to attack such a mighty group.

Thus, Tristan eased up. During the trip, he enjoyed the field flowers, the landscape, and naturally, Adelina.

"Young Master, do you think your father and the others reached Stoneheart City safely?"

"Relax. If anyone can survive, it's that old man. He's too stubborn to die." "But..."

A deep, rumbling vibration emanated from the forest's core, interrupting Adelina's words.

Bzzzzzzzzzt.

That noise clearly came from countless wings flapping together.

Tristan, who had been reclining in the wagon, sat up straight. His gaze sharpened while he examined the edge of the woods.

"Man dares not strike, so nature takes its turn?" he whispered.

In the convoy's tail end, the Blood and Fire Mercenary Corps detected the change right away.

"Brundar! Stoutgut! Bloodear! Weapons up!"

Godfrey responded first. As an experienced fighter, he understood the routine. The group stretched out vulnerably, with the Raptor Cavalry far in front at the

front line. Hunters always went for the laggards initially.

Close to the middle, watching over the royal wagon, Kronos noticed the unrest in the atmosphere. His presence surged.

"Halt! Defensive positions!" Kronos's voice thundered across the troops.

Yet the command proved unnecessary. Up front, the Raptor Cavalry had begun turning back, their beasts howling as they formed a protective formation. Rolan had detected the danger moments earlier than the rest.

The buzz swelled to a thunder. Darkness fell over the treetops as a swirling mass eclipsed the daylight.

"Leafmaws!" someone yelled.

"Holy crap! Since when do Leafmaws get that big?!"

"It's a swarm! Incoming!"

Veteran fighters and lineage fighters filled the convoy. They identified the foe at once. Leafmaws—ravenous insects that devoured woods and fields down to nothing. Usually just a bother, but this vast quantity turned them into a disaster. One ruler could produce scores of young in a batch, and they grew up in mere weeks.

ROAR!

The Abyssal Dragon and the Raptors bellowed defiantly at the humming mass, their raw cries blending into a symphony of conflict.

"A swarm of this size means there's a King or a Queen driving them," Rolan's voice sliced through the fear, steady and authoritative. He moved without delay. "You lot, stay here and guard the Prince!"

He gestured to his elite guards—battle-hardened survivors of the world incursions—to maintain the defense.

Rolan urged his Abyssal Dragon forward. He guided a assault squad of Raptor Knights

directly into the core of the approaching dark mass.

"Mother, it's a swarm," Kronos said, jumping onto the wagon to cover Ava.

"Garrett, Lambert, Klythia, Drustan! Protect the... Prince!" Ava fixed her words halfway. Soaring Bird City had vanished. Her boy held royal status now.

"At once, my Lady!"

The servants from the old Soaring Bird City acted with smooth coordination, creating a three-tiered barrier of shields around the wagon.

With the swarm approaching, the droning turned into a frightful, rasping metallic

sound.

Skree-skree-skree.

That came from jaws snapping and shells scraping against shells. They

were honing their jaws.

"Lambert," Ava commanded, her tone unyielding. "Order the Soaring Bird Guards to shield the civilians. Tell them these bugs are weak individually. Any man with a stick can kill one. Mobilize every able-bodied male to defend their families!" Ava realized they neared Stoneheart lands. She wouldn't allow this journey to crumble so near the end.

At the back, Godfrey and his officers clenched their weapons harder.

"The noise is closing in. Ground level, too. Lots of small impacts. Things are jumping through the brush," Bloodear reported, his gnoll ears flicking

wildly.

"Air and ground assault," Godfrey growled. "Standard swarm tactics. Larvae on the ground, adults in the air."

"Hold the line!" Godfrey pulled his massive blade, positioning himself before Tristan and Adelina's wagon. "The Blood and Fire Mercenary Corps doesn't lose clients.

Not today!"

"Shields up! Crossbows, loose!"

The atmosphere rang with the twang of strings and the smack of projectiles striking shells. Chaos broke out in a flash.

Fighters brandished axes and blades, hacking at the shells of swooping bugs. Poles impaled bounding young in flight. Carnage defined the scene. Far within the woods, Rolan embodied raw power. Perched on his Abyssal Dragon, he brandished his spear like a deity of battle. His beast barreled through aged trunks, leaving ruin in its wake.

Following him, the Lancer Raptor Cavalry operated with deadly harmony. They pierced the Leafmaws accurately, their rides clamping mouths to seize and pulverize the pests, gulping them down for an instant energy surge.

The Stoneheart Horde knew insect outbreaks well. After the Cataclysm, the Horde had formed cleanup teams to cleanse their domain. Rolan understood precisely the way to break apart a swarm.