Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1570 The Guardian of Blackstone

"Lady Lorelia, I desire to obliterate every last one of them as well, but... but..."

As the Legion Commander, Dirtclaw carried the heavy burden of countless responsibilities. He was no longer simple cannon fodder, nor was he the same mindless Gnoll who knew only how to bellow and strike at his adversaries. He had ascended to the role of a commander. Maintaining icy, absolute clarity was paramount at all times.

"There are no 'buts' allowed!" Lorelia sharply interrupted. "Depart and shatter those cowards lurking in the shadows into pieces. I shall maintain our defenses here."

Lorelia pointed a single, elegant finger towards the ground beneath them. It was an unspoken assurance to Dirtclaw: as long as she stood firm, Blackstone City would never fall.

Dirtclaw faltered for a mere instant, but his eyes rapidly solidified with an unyielding resolve.

"Lady Lorelia, the city is entrusted to your care! I shall proceed to tear those insolent curs to shreds!"

With those words, Dirtclaw slammed his foot down, propelling himself into the azure expanse like a veritable missile, streaking directly into the void.

In the subsequent moment, an earth-shattering detonation reverberated from the heavens. The dark clouds were violently rent asunder by the force of Dirtclaw's initial strike. A gargantuan, serpentine insectoid emerged from the tear in the void. Its horrifying maw gaped wide, slick with viscous, corrosive slime as it lunged to bisect Dirtclaw. The monstrous insect's carapace was adorned with ghastly, throbbing pustules, and its sides bristled with dense, razor-sharp quills. A solitary, adamantine horn jutted prominently from its skull. It possessed the immense length of a colossal serpent, yet it moved with the disturbing, undulating gait of a common caterpillar.

"An insectoid Archlord!"

Rendall exclaimed in utter astonishment. He could scarcely conceive that such a nightmarish leviathan had lain in wait in the sky directly above them throughout this entire ordeal. Were it not for Dirtclaw, for Lorelia, and for the protective wards meticulously erected by Orion... what devastation would have befallen them?

"Its aura and sheer oppressive presence are terrifying!" Onyx's internal shock mirrored the Archelder's in its intensity.

It was by no means an overreaction. For individuals of their standing, an Archlord-class powerhouse represented an insurmountable, colossal threat.

"There is nothing to fear. Dirtclaw possesses the ability to pulverize it with a single blow!" Amplifying the enemy's might while diminishing their own was decidedly not Lorelia's modus operandi. She held great expectations for Dirtclaw. As for whether he could truly dispatch the foe in one strike? Lorelia remained utterly indifferent.

"Bring it on!"

High within the celestial sphere, Dirtclaw's physique expanded at a rapid pace against the gale's fury. His formidable tusks jutted defiantly toward the heavens, and the talons upon his fingers instantly lengthened into deadly, scythe-like implements.

Roar! Unleashing a ferocious battle cry, Dirtclaw hurtled headlong towards the titanic insectoid.

In the very next second, every single being gazing skyward—friend and foe alike—became witnesses to the savagely brutal spectacle of a colossal insect being dismembered with bare hands.

"Something is amiss!"

"Dammit!"

Rendall and Onyx cried out in near unison. They had just detected two additional, dread-inducing auras surging forth from disparate directions.

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

Even as Rendall sounded his urgent warning, the cloud cover to the east and west was forcefully dispersed by an overwhelming wave of pressure. Two more colossal monstrosities, identical to the first, brazenly exposed themselves and rapidly closed in on the bloodthirsty Dirtclaw.

The tide of the battle had instantly turned dire. Dirtclaw was now facing an imminent ambush.

"Do not panic! So what if it's a minor ambush? Dirtclaw excels at enduring brutal punishment!"

Astonishingly, with the conflict escalating to such a perilous degree, Lorelia continued to jest, leaving Rendall and Onyx utterly bewildered.

Meeting their confused and astonished gazes, Lorelia maintained an air of complete composure, her expression one of absolute detachment. Rendall and the others remained in ignorance, but Lorelia apprehended the truth. Dirtclaw held the esteemed title of The God of the Grave within Orion's Divine Kingdom; he possessed the capability to actively channel the divine power bestowed by their Master. In simpler terms, Dirtclaw's true combat effectiveness far surpassed his outward appearance.

Bzzzt! At this precise moment, to the north of Blackstone City, the pervasive fog was violently rent apart by a deep, resonant insectoid shriek. Yet another colossal insectoid revealed its formidable form. However, this particular entity did not advance upon Dirtclaw. Instead, it plummeted directly downwards, transforming itself into a living meteor hurtling with lethal intent straight for Blackstone City.

"Not good!"

"Gird yourselves!"

Unadulterated terror flickered across Rendall and Onyx's countenances. Subconsciously, they had never perceived Lorelia as a standard Archlord; their perception still cast her as an individual requiring protection. In reality, the self-preservation-oriented Lorelia harbored absolutely no inclination to personally enter the fray.

"If the moment isn't now, then when will it be?" Lorelia's lips curved into a smug, self-satisfied smile as she slowly uttered the words in a deliberately deep tone.

Crack-crack-crack! The jarring sounds of stone fracturing, sliding, and ultimately crumbling to the ground reverberated through the ears of everyone present.

Under the completely astonished gazes of Rendall and Onyx, a pillar of black light erupted from the very center of Blackstone City's outer ring plaza. Within this column of light, a silhouette appeared that was simultaneously recognizable and utterly alien to the two elders.

Recognizable, due to its unmistakable anatomy: arms that terminated in spiraling lance-heads, a lengthy, barbed tail, wings resembling enormous cleavers, and feet like the razor-sharp talons of an eagle. Utterly alien, because the aura emanating from this shadow was firmly entrenched at the Archlord tier—a level of power this entity had never previously displayed within the entirety of the Stoneheart Horde.

"Could that possibly be..."

"It is... it's the Slaughter Tyrant! The dark entity from back then!"

At Onyx's exclamation, vivid recollections surged into Rendall's mind. It was the absolute nightmare of a dark creature they had confronted in the past.

"Hee hee... This is the very Guardian the Horde has sustained with faith all this time. Did you two genuinely not know?" Lorelia tilted her head, her perplexity evident at the Archelders' shock. Given the esteemed status and unquestioned authority held by the Archelder and the Prophet within the Horde, it seemed impossible they wouldn't have been aware of the Slaughter Tyrant's existence.

"No, we were aware," Rendall managed to reply. "However, we had never actually witnessed the Slaughter Tyrant engage in combat."

"To think the entity the Horde has revered all this time was this terrifyingly potent," Onyx murmured.

In former times, Orion had indeed spoken of the Slaughter Tyrant to Rendall, Onyx, and the core leadership, but he had never precisely clarified the true extent of the beast's strength. It was only at this precise juncture that they finally comprehended: Blackstone City had been under the protection of an ultimate predator all along.

"Look, they're beginning their clash!" Lorelia swiftly drew the two awestruck Horde elders out of their stunned state, redirecting their attention back towards the unfolding battle. Observing a conflict of such immense caliber, she reasoned, would provide significant benefits for their own martial development.

High above in the firmament, the Slaughter Tyrant transformed into a blur of black light, completely disregarding the giant insectoid's incoming strike. Instead, it plunged directly into the monster's cavernous, acidic gullet. Once ensnared within, its bladed wings, lance-tipped arms, and segmented barbed tail all became an amalgamated, lethal grinding apparatus, tearing the colossal insectoid asunder from the inside.

Overhead, enraged bellows and high-pitched insectoid shrieks merged into a deafening crescendo. The very clouds and winds were violently agitated by the clashing Archlords, effectively obscuring the sky entirely. Down below, the beacons of war were ignited. The glint of drawn blades danced in tandem with the somber shadows of swords, while volatile magical energies pursued deadly volleys of arrows. It was a sprawling, apocalyptic tableau of conflict, rendered in the vivid crimson shades of freshly spilled blood and accompanied by the unending, roaring soundtrack of pure slaughter.

"I shall go and retrieve your sustenance!"

An indeterminate span of time elapsed before Rendall finally tore his gaze from the heavens and snapped back to the present reality. He cast one final glance toward Lorelia before turning and making a swift descent down the mountain.

"I am accompanying you!" Onyx bolted immediately after Rendall.

Gazing into the eyes of the two Horde elders, Lorelia perceived a ferocious inferno burning within them. It was a wild, unrestrained fire that resolutely refused to be extinguished.

"Hee hee... The dream's veil has quietly descended. The impending darkness is soon to arrive!"

"Whether it be truth or mere illusion, a phantom or a fleeting dream... the genuine self endures, while the scattered fragments of the dream disperse upon the wind."