Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1508 Diamond or a Rock

Buried in the cavern's depths, Laito sensed a surge of raw adrenaline.

Contact.

Something brushed the shell. A coarse, roughened hand pressed against the hardened surface.

Laito slammed his body into the inner wall, making the massive egg sway side to side. He needed to make it clear. He had to show he wasn't worthless.

See me! I'm alive! I'm precious!

Outdoors, Ludo the Gnoll halted abruptly. His paw rested on the enormous, yard-sized egg. From his knowledge, eggs this big typically hatched into full-sized Insectoid soldiers—lethal killers set to rip out throats as soon as they broke free.

Ludo lifted his scythe, its hooked edge shining under the torch flames. The secure choice was to cleave it apart and end the danger before it took its first breath.

Yet the blade halted mere inches away.

Ludo tilted his head, ears flicking. He inhaled deeply.

Danger? Absent.

Malice? Zero.

Ludo dropped the scythe, his yellow eyes growing wide. Bewilderment shifted to a drooling, fanged smile.

A living egg. A promising giant egg. In the Stoneheart Horde's markets, raw biological value served as its own form of wealth. If it held a fighter caste, it meant a slave. If something more exotic...

"Awoooo!"

Ludo tilted his head skyward and let out a howl—a quick, pulsing call to his pack. Assemble. Treasure discovered.

Soon after, thunderous steps rumbled the earth as Redfang charged into the room, Zhenlo and Bastien trailing right after.

"Check out this prize," Ludo yipped, jabbing a claw toward the swaying egg. "Alive. Heavy. Worth a bundle in slave credits."

Right on signal, Laito bashed the shell once more, sending the egg into wild tremors.

The mercenaries' eyes gleamed with greed.

"Hah! The spirits favor us today!" Redfang roared, smacking his leg. "I called it! Guards mean riches. Maybe luck struck big. Maybe that's a Broodmother inside!"

He joked, naturally. A merc team unearthing a Broodmother was like a street rat spotting a crown in the trash—utterly improbable.

"Don't spend the profits yet," Zhenlo cautioned, always practical. "But we must have the Beastmasters evaluate it. No selling low."

"Right. Sack it quick before it hatches," Bastien urged, voice shaky.

Zhenlo fished from his belt a leather sack of hides that rippled with subtle spatial magic. He loosened the cord, and the pouch's opening stretched impossibly wide, engulfing the giant egg entirely.

"What in the hells is that?" Bastien gaped, eyes wide.

"Relax, newbie," Redfang laughed, pounding the human's back till his teeth clacked. "Beast-Keeper's Satchel. Good for tiny beasts only. Won't hold a horse. Pointless for true fighters."

Redfang snorted. "Horde Treasury overflows with junk like that. Waste of Merit Points, I say."

"That's why you're muscle with a club and I'm the thinker," Zhenlo shot back, cinching the strings. "Utility tool, you giant oaf. Figure it out. Why's the Horde price them high? Pure convenience."

He tapped the pouch, now light as a feather.

"Or did you plan to lug a hundred-pound egg to Stoneheart City cradled like an infant?"

Redfang started to retort, then shut his trap. "Fair enough. Move out. Finish the contract, then straight to the capital. Can't rely on Northguard rookies to spot a gem from gravel."

Within the satchel, everything faded to nothing.

Laito hung in total blackness and piercing chill. The stasis effect froze his body, dragging his life processes to a near halt.

They've got me.

Perfect. They show promise.

Laito's mind whirled. Smart ones would auction him to a noble family or top mage. Someone loaded. I'd hatch in luxury.

Then dread hit.

Hold on. What if they're fools?

A Giant. A Gnoll. What if hunger strikes en route? What if they skewer me for dinner?

No way! The mighty Laito won't become breakfast! My Legacy remains locked!

The freeze intensified. The lack of senses drove him mad.

Where am I? Why so cold? Ice storage? Will they ditch me here to spoil as a corpse egg?

The High Seas, World of Eldoria.

Shimmers danced over the ocean as Orion emerged from the void. Trailing him, the Mirror of Theras spread like a radiant fan, anchoring his form.

Arrayed before him were the three Sea Demigods: Coraline, Corren, and Vaelor. They clustered near a rift in existence—a Void Passage.

"Giant King," Coraline murmured gently. She'd swapped her see-through water shape for a tangible, stunning divine figure draped in emerald robes.

"Feeling inquisitive?" she queried, tone like music. "Eldoria's wrapped in a Realm Barrier. Care to learn how we slipped past to forge this portal?"

Orion stayed quiet. Curiosity burned, sure. But questions exposed gaps, and gaps meant frailty. Plus, after banishing these intruders, he and Leonidas would hire Deputy Commander Thresh to rebuild the world's shields entirely. Thresh crafted Valkorath's arrays; duplicating them was simple.

"Spotted them?" Coraline pushed, shifting topics. "The Zeythan Dreadfin Race?"

Orion fixed his stare on her. Clever, sharp, gorgeous—lethal mix.

"Certain secrets stay with the elite," Orion rumbled, voice deep with might. A sly, hunter's grin curved his mouth.

"Truly want the truth?"

He advanced, his presence clashing with hers.

"Be my mate. Share my bed. Swear fealty, and I'll murmur every mystery of this realm in your ear."

Pure bait. A bold, cocky jab to strip away the polite talk.

Coraline's face held steady, though mirth sparkled in her gaze.

"The Giant King boasts fine wit," she answered fluidly, dipping in a bow. "Coraline just chatted idly. I wouldn't dream of probing your mysteries."