Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1562 The War Begins

"Hee hee... I remember the Master once stating: before we can claim the outside, we must first secure the inside!"

"While the continental plates are expanding, the rampant insectoid populations beyond our borders are also surging. Now is definitively not the time to march out and conquer."

A sharp, youthful voice—tinged with a playful taunt—cut through the air, drawing all eyes toward Lorelia.

Were one unaware of Lorelia's brutal ascent, they might easily mistake the Cave Spider Queen for a naive, innocent young girl at this moment.

"Can't you feel it?" Lorelia inquired. "Oh... my apologies. I neglected to consider. You are not insectoids. You lack the ability to sense the raw, vibrant thrill electrifying the atmosphere!"

Under the piercing gazes of the commanders, Lorelia remained unfazed, radiating an undeniable air of superiority. She lifted a hand, idly twirling a small braid that cascaded past her temple—a braid personally crafted by Lilith not long ago, which she cherished dearly.

"I contend that before we advance north, we must first overcome the adversaries within our own domain."

"Gentlemen, by the very moment the Master returned, the insectoid onslaught had already commenced!"

As Lorelia spoke, her eyes shimmered like distant stars. Her crimson tongue flicked out, tracing her thin lips, betraying her palpable excitement for the impending conflict and chaos.

Yet, in the very next instant, Lorelia's complexion turned deathly pale, her face etched with stark terror.

Chitter-chitter-chitter!

A chilling, immense insectoid shriek reverberated from the northern expanse of the Titan Continent. The sound was profound, abyssal, and guttural—akin to the wet, tearing sound of millions of nightmarish entities converging to devour a fresh kill.

As a Broodmother, Lorelia possessed a unique hypersensitivity to this particular screech, instilling in her a profound terror.

For a fleeting moment, every insectoid across the continent was rendered immobile by the sound.

What followed was madness. The utter, unbridled frenzy of the swarm.

The grand feast was imminent!

Roar!

From his throne, Orion opened his mouth and let loose a deafening roar that physically annihilated the invading insectoid screech.

"Lilith shall preside over the remainder of this war council. Lorelia, you will assist her."

His words were an absolute decree. The instant they left his lips, Orion took a single step forward and vanished without a trace.

"A supreme entity has arrived upon the continent. The Master has departed to intercept them!" Lorelia quickly clarified, dispelling the confusion in the room. That bone-chilling screech was the irrefutable harbinger of an insectoid Demigod's arrival.

"The council shall proceed!" Lilith declared. "Lorelia speaks with complete accuracy. Before we embark on any external campaigns, we must entirely eradicate the threats within our own borders."

With Orion's departure, Lilith ascended to the throne. In this moment, she commanded the absolute, supreme authority of the Stoneheart Horde. Perched upon her shoulder, the Fire Phoenix, Fenyra, emitted a low, resonant call. The majestic aura of an Archlord enveloped Lilith, bestowing upon her the regal, commanding presence of a true empress.

"Gentlemen. The war has commenced." Lilith placed her right hand on the throne's armrest, her expression solemn and frigid.

"Alien swarms from another dimension are poised to inundate us from every conceivable direction. They will desecrate our lands, slaughter our frontier tribes, and lay siege to our cities."

"You are the bedrock of the Stoneheart Horde. You are its living legends. You are the unyielding bulwarks that shield our people."

"Now, the Horde requires you to defend its honor and secure this vast homeland we cherish."

Lilith's gaze swept across the chamber. Led by Dirtclaw and Gustalon, the Horde's most battle-hardened commanders, each wore an expression of unshakeable determination, prepared for a fight to the very last.

"Our threats emanate from four vectors: the wilderness, the North, the sky, and the sea."

"Before I issue deployment directives, we must formulate a comprehensive battle strategy to repel the insectoid invasion."

Lilith's intellect was sharp and focused. The most pressing danger confronting the Stoneheart Horde at this juncture was the wild insectoids swarming the wilderness, their numbers escalating with every passing second.

In truth, prior to the complete convergence of the two worlds, Dirtclaw, Gustalon, and Kaelen had spearheaded the three primary legions and effectively cleansed the surface of wild insectoids. The current surge across the wilds comprised a mixture of newly arrived entities from the exosphere and dormant hives that had lain buried deep beneath the earth.

With the integration finalized and the cosmic laws settling, this era belonged to the swarm, a time marked by apocalyptic insectoid proliferation.

"Our paramount objective for this conflict is to drive back the swarm, advance northward, and achieve the unification of the continent."

As the supreme administrator of the Horde, Lilith showcased her logistical acumen with unmatched brilliance.

"To meet our strategic aims, we shall initially establish five pivotal tactical divisions."

"The First Division's responsibility will be intelligence gathering and analysis, executed by the Sentinel Corps embedded within our principal legions."

"The Sentinels are tasked with forming specialized units exclusively focused on the swarm. Their duty will involve meticulously tracking the real-time movements, the immense numbers, the classification of species, and the combat threat assessments of the approaching insectoid forces."

"Moreover, this intelligence division will secure specimens, dissect the swarm's behavioral patterns and critical vulnerabilities, and transmit this data instantaneously to the relevant combat theaters."

The true command of the Sentinel Corps resided, in essence, with Lilith herself. Since the departure of Witch Queen Delilah for the Abyssal World, Lilith had assumed complete dominion over the Horde's intelligence network.

"The Second Division shall manage our defensive fortifications. This endeavor will be a collaborative effort between the major legions and the city castellans."

"My directive is unwavering: heavily garrison all major cities. The fall of even a single city during this war will not be countenanced."

"To that end, the Horde will equip the legions with formidable artillery and cutting-edge defensive apparatus. I expect you to exploit the strategic topography of your cities and utilize local natural assets to erect unbreachable fortifications without delay."

The primary cities of the Horde had, in reality, been undergoing preparations for this contingency for an extended period. Lilith's current pronouncements served merely to finalize the established protocols and seal any latent vulnerabilities.

"The Third Division will be charged with managing foreign alliances. This crucial responsibility falls to Kaelen, who is currently holding the line at the City of Sophia in the southern reaches."

"Kaelen, provided the dragons' domain has not shifted away from the Titan Continent, you must initiate contact with them immediately. Forge a joint command structure to harmonize our military operations, facilitate resource and intelligence sharing, and rapidly stabilize the Horde's coastal territories."

This undertaking was of paramount importance. Only with a secured southern frontier could the Stoneheart Horde fully dedicate its might to its central strategic objective: the Northern Crusade. At this juncture, the dragons represented the sole dependable foreign ally remaining for the Horde.

"Rest assured, Mother," Kaelen vowed. "I shall eradicate the insectoids from the southern territories and bring stability to the region in the shortest possible timeframe."

Lilith offered a subtle inclination of her head. Her confidence in Kaelen, the inheritor of Orion's lineage, was absolute. Despite not yet formally holding the rank of Archlord, his combat capabilities already mirrored that of one.

"The Fourth Division will be dedicated to tactical countermeasures."

"The Horde's intelligence division, in conjunction with the Bureau of Weapons, will meticulously analyze the swarm's biological characteristics to devise direct countermeasures. They will engineer specialized tactics and potent anti-swarm weaponry."

"Sylvana shall lead this critical division, with Ava providing her assistance."

The insectoids, while formidable, were not omnipotent or unassailable. As biological entities, they possessed inherent elemental frailties—manifesting as a susceptibility to fire, aversion to light, or vulnerability to water. Identifying the definitive weaknesses of particular swarm castes, formulating targeted strategies, and crafting appropriate weaponry would decisively tip the scales of this war in favor of the Stoneheart Horde.

"The Fifth Division will be designated for Logistics."

"I shall personally direct this division. A wartime medical corps will be instituted under my command. Every single healer, mage, priest, and paladin within the Horde's territories—regardless of their origin—will be conscripted by force."

"Furthermore, I will personally oversee the allocation of supplies and the deployment of reserve forces in response to the fluid dynamics of the battlefield."

"My guarantee to you is this: no warrior on the front lines will endure hunger. You will advance into combat clad in impervious armor and wielding weapons of exceptional sharpness."

"And should you sustain injury, you will receive immediate medical attention and replenishment of your war materiel."

This was Lilith's unwavering pledge. This represented the grand design conceived by Orion's wife.

"Next, we shall address the operational phases. Prior to our northward advance, we must meticulously purge the wilderness of the swarm's presence..."

Every individual present understood that they were bracing for a protracted and arduous war of attrition. Whether the ultimate adversary was indeed the insectoids or some other unforeseen entity, the Stoneheart Horde was compelled to proceed with calculated and methodical precision.