Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1564 Glory on the Battlements

The south. The City of Stoneheart.

With the world's darkness instantly vanquished, warfare had already erupted.

As if obeying an unspoken decree from a celestial power, the ceaseless hordes of wild insectoids from the desolate regions surged with ferocity toward the closest urban centers. Thus, the most formidable and vast insectoid tide in the recorded history of the Titanion Realm was brought into existence.

"In the lingering embers of conflict's blaze, sorrow is merely scattered by the wind."

"As a warrior, I shall immortalize the battlefield's grandeur within the chronicles of ages and heroic epics."

"..."

The one reciting such verse was the Giant, Brundar. After countless nights steeped in drink at The Silent Goblet, absorbing the bard Cloudsong's unending narratives, this warrior of the savage Giant bloodline was surprisingly attempting his hand at poetry.

Brundar brought his spiked mace down in a mighty swing, pulverizing a mutated ant that had breached the city wall into a gory, chitinous mess.

"For glory! For our homeland!"

In echoing Brundar's cry was the Dwarf, Stoutgut. He, too, was a familiar patron of The Silent Goblet and consequently recognized the precise epic Brundar was referencing.

"Heroes drenched in gore, a symphony of steel and bone!"

Not to be outdone, the Gnoll, Bloodear, let out a fierce roar as he spun his dual blades, bellowing the verses Stoutgut had omitted.

"Hahaha! Well spoken! Excellent verse!"

Not every combatant could recall the bard's ballads verbatim. The comrades-in-arms who were unable to remember the lyrics simply erupted in boisterous laughter, their voices joining the savage chorus amidst the carnage.

A whirlwind of blades, an unending torrent of bravery. In this very instant, every soldier within the Blood and Fire Mercenary Company felt a deep, transcendent calling. They all grasped that by participating in this war engulfing the entire continent, even the most obscure among them would be indelibly marked in the annals of history.

"Commander, do not solely revel in the slaughter! Grant us a verse as well!"

Bloodear guffawed wildly as he bisected a gargantuan, mutated flea with a clean strike, issuing the challenge to Godfrey, the knight who was methodically impaling foes in the vicinity with his spear.

Godfrey looked up, his face and brow streaks of crimson. Insectoid ichor.

The current disposition of Godfrey was as unyielding as ancient stone. His attacks were merciless and definitive; every motion he executed radiated deadly precision. Gazing upon his squad, the blood-splattered knight offered a warm, unsettlingly serene smile.

In the ensuing moment, he lifted his spear and roared.

"War horns rend the skies, iron treads crush the earth!"

"Advance the ranks, dauntless and unbreakable!"

"Glory, within my soul!"

"Glory, in my grasp!"

"Glory..."

Amplified by the thunderous acclamations of his entire squad, Godfrey brought his spear down with immense force. A dazzling surge of power erupted from its tip, utterly annihilating the insectoid horde in his immediate zone.

Then, to the stunned disbelief of all onlookers, Godfrey leaped over the battlements, directly into the fray against an Alpha-level insectoid.

Brundar, Stoutgut, Bloodear, and the others faltered momentarily, but their ingrained combat reflexes swiftly reasserted themselves.

"Slaughter!"

With a soul-shattering roar from Brundar, the members of the Blood and Fire Mercenaries annihilated the foes directly before them, vaulted from the ramparts, and charged toward Godfrey's engagement.

As the mercenaries descended from the wall, the regular forces of the Stoneheart Horde seamlessly advanced to seal the breach, leaving absolutely no vulnerability in the defensive perimeter. This meticulous tactical deployment had been pre-arranged by the commanding strategists long before the conflict commenced.

The insectoid swarm pressed against the city in a choking, undulating mass. At this precise juncture, parallel scenes of brutal combat and soaring valor were unfolding across all the cities of the Stoneheart Horde.

...

"Roaring so fiercely... are they perhaps not contemplating a war of attrition?"

Not far along the ramparts, the burly Nico wielded a colossal greatsword. With each sweeping arc of his weapon, he efficiently bisected the tick-like insectoids scaling the parapets, dispatching them with the same ease as swattering bothersome flies. The fact that Nico could eliminate foes while simultaneously observing the Blood and Fire Mercenary Company indicated he possessed ample reserves of strength.

Naturally, his flanking by a contingent of elite gladiators proved exceptionally advantageous.

"Riches and companionship sway the hearts of mortals. Even a knight cannot entirely resist such allure!"

The individual responding to Nico was Kadir. Kadir held the position of Vice President within the Stoneheart Horde's Cross-Realm Merchant Alliance. With President Tristan occupied in another dimension, Kadir was free from pressing administrative duties. He had simply elected to accompany his good friend Nico to the battlements to contribute his part to the Horde's defense.

When the insectoid swarm descended, all the diverse groups taking refuge within the Horde and inhabiting the City of Stoneheart, irrespective of their stature or origins, urgently dispatched their representatives to the city walls. Their purpose was to lend their strength and dutifully fulfill their communal obligations.

As the proprietor of the Colosseum, Nico, a figure who relished any chance to display his prowess, especially in a situation that promised both high visibility and minimal peril, seized this moment. He promptly suspended all arena activities, assembled a select cadre of gladiators who had valiantly earned their freedom, and led them to the battlements. Under the protective umbrella of the Horde's seasoned army, they commenced their duty, happily accumulating valuable military merits.

"To be perfectly candid, that man is truly a pitiable soul."

The 'pitiable soul' Kadir spoke of was, without question, Godfrey. As a knight, Godfrey's unique progression system had initially operated entirely apart from the established nobility structures of the human kingdoms. Consequently, it also existed outside the recognized frameworks of the Stoneheart Horde.

"After dedicating years to arduous cultivation, he finally succeeded in harmonizing his knightly lineage with the martial disciplines cultivated within the Stoneheart Horde. Such a profound decision could not have been made lightly."

"He is fundamentally different from you and me. Godfrey embodies the essence of a knight; he possesses innate talent, a fierce pride, and harbors his own distinct aspirations."

In stark contrast to Nico's broad, forceful combat approach, Kadir wielded his single-handed sword with exceptional grace. Each precise lunge was a testament to his masterful skill; every calculated strike found its mark with lethal accuracy, ensuring immediate incapacitation. With a swift movement, Kadir plunged his blade into the carapace of an insectoid, then drew it free, casually flicking the ichor from the steel onto his sleeve.

"His ambition is to shatter the absolute limitations imposed upon a knight!"

"He yearns to ascend to the rank of Archlord!"

"He strives to conquer even greater heights!"

As Kadir articulated these ambitions, an additional surge of insectoids began to scale the fortifications. He paused his monologue momentarily, raising his gleaming blade to confront the new onslaught.

Squelch!

Propelling his sword directly into the head of an approaching bug, obliterating its cranial matter, Kadir effortlessly withdrew his weapon and continued his relentless assault without missing a beat.

"To achieve the Archlord status, the acquisition of a Lord's Stone is indispensable. On this entire continent, such a critically important strategic resource is exclusively housed within the deepest, most secure vaults of the Horde."

"Furthermore, the sole form of acceptable tender for securing a Lord's Stone is unadulterated military merit."

From Kadir's perspective, regardless of how passionately Godfrey engaged in combat or how intensely he seemed consumed by the act of slaughter, his actions were entirely justifiable. The willingness to shed his own blood and place his very existence on the line to sculpt his destiny was an endeavor deserving of unwavering admiration.

"My companion, listening to your profound insights has unexpectedly cast a pall of melancholy over me," the robust Nico lamented. "Given my own limited aptitudes, does a truly promising future remain beyond my reach?"

Despite Nico's words conveying a sense of utter defeat, the swiftness and brutal efficiency with which he swung his massive greatsword remained entirely undiminished.

"The future remains an uncharted territory. All possibilities are within grasp," Kadir softly intoned.

His quiet utterance was immediately overwhelmed by the thunderous, sea-like clamor emanating from the chaotic battlefield.