Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1585 Predators and Parasites

The Primordial Source existed as an ocean of absolute law, a realm prior to the dawn of time and space. It was a place both utterly void and undeniably real, serving as the genesis for all matter and souls.

Countless laws drifted through the void, resembling glowing spiderwebs that cast nebula-like brilliance through the Ethereal Conduits.

Suddenly, the depths of this ocean churned, tearing open a swirling vortex within the Source. From the violent currents, a shadowy fish emerged. To this creature, the surrounding waters felt both intimately familiar and entirely foreign.

This fish was Orion.

This piscine form was a spatial technique Orion himself had devised, inspired by the feeding frenzies of blade-fish. In this transformed state, he could treat any dimension as his own waters, adapting to hostile environments with near-instantaneous speed.

Incredible. Orion shifted. The shadowy fish rapidly expanded, his flesh and bone reforming until he stood as a colossal Stoneheart titan, complete with four heads and eight arms.

Pure euphoria flooded him. It was a profound, intoxicating hunger—his very being craved The Weave of Reality and the raw World Essence. Submerged within the Essence of this place, his divine power surged, steadily elevating his combat strength to unprecedented levels.

It became clear why so many demigods chose to devour worlds. When the Planetary Hive first intruded upon the Titanion Realm, Insect Queen Moriphara's singular objective had been to consume the entire realm, initiating the brutal conflicts that ensued.

"Your strength is indeed surprising."

The Currents of Reality churned in the distance as Moriphara manifested within the World Essence. She appeared even larger than before. More tentacles writhed from her skirt-like lower half, anchoring directly into The Weave of Reality. Her physical form had grown denser, though she remained a shadowy silhouette against Orion's tangible presence.

"Observing you now, I am entirely certain," Moriphara declared, her voice utterly devoid of emotion. "Whoever guided my swarm to the Titanion Realm bears a profound hatred for you. This entire situation was a trap orchestrated for both of us."

"If you were aware it was a trap, why did you descend upon the Titanion Realm?" Orion inquired. His current demeanor was one of calm, a stark contrast to the blinding rage he had felt before entering the realm. He strode towards her, his massive titan frame towering over the queen.

"As an apex predator, if someone places fresh prey directly at your feet, do you simply turn away?" Moriphara countered. "The swarm never willingly abandons a meal."

For the first time, Orion detected a subtle ripple of emotion beneath her icy exterior—an absolute, unwavering arrogance. He understood it implicitly. The Stoneheart Horde maintained several broodmothers of their own; he was quite familiar with the swarm's relentless hunger.

A swarm could never possess too much food. As their numbers expanded, their primary concern was always the avoidance of starvation, existing in a perpetual, agonizing state of deprivation.

"Then we have nothing further to discuss."

It was a definitive statement of fact. Orion's tone conveyed the unyielding resolve of the Stoneheart Horde: they would never relinquish the Titanion Realm.

"Before we proceed with our confrontation," Orion suggested, his voice dropping to an icy register, "shall we first eliminate the vermin scurrying around our feet?"

"Agreed," Insect Queen Moriphara nodded. Once their true battle for dominance over the Titanion Realm commenced, neither would have the luxury of neglecting their own defenses. Purging the hidden entities lurking within the realm's shadows was a critical tactical necessity.

"Let us begin with him, then." Orion turned, his immense form vanishing from The Primordial Source.

Deep beneath an uncharted island, located east of the Stoneheart Horde's established territory within the Titanion Realm.

The cloaked figure, Vaelian, had sought refuge in this secluded sanctuary after delivering the rule-invading Divine Art and the Fel Fruit to the Stoneheart Horde. He had chosen to remain within the Titanion Realm solely to observe the unfolding events, eagerly anticipating the spectacle of the swarm and the Horde mutually destroying each other.

Crack. Emerging from a pitch-black subterranean pool, Vaelian's eyes snapped open. He raised his right hand, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.

"The phalanx bone that the Master bestowed upon me... it has shattered. What has occurred?" Panic swiftly replaced his confusion. Danger. Sensing the imminent threat, he vanished from the cavern in an instant.

BOOM! Before Vaelian could even fully materialize on the surface, a titanic hand descended from the heavens. The sheer impact force obliterated the island, driving the shattered landmass straight down to the ocean floor.

Moments later, Vaelian's demigod phantom erupted from the turbulent waters. He stared in utter horror at the colossal figure that blotted out half the sky. It wasn't merely a giant; it was a Stoneheart titan. It was Orion.

Absorbing the World Essence, Orion's colossal silhouette eclipsed the sun. A simple flourish of his hand possessed the might to pulverize mountains and cleave oceans apart.

"Giant King, what is the meaning of this?" Vaelian’s voice cracked with urgency. "Are we not allies?"

It was not that the veiled demigod feared oblivion, but rather, he urgently sought to comprehend Orion's betrayal before his spectral form completely dissipated.

"Allies?" Orion's voice boomed like a tempest's fury. "You peddle abominable concoctions such as The Chapter of the Profane and the Fel Fruit, and you presume to call yourself an ally? You are utterly unworthy to stand beside me."

Orion raised his hand. The heavens contorted, the very structure of existence imploding. Vaelian’s phantom was instantaneously pulverized into non-existence.

With the pest eradicated, Orion’s gaze turned towards the southern extremities of the Titan continent.

"Concealing yourselves in the open," Orion derided. "Audacious of them to establish a nest within my very domain."

A frigid exhalation escaped him, his gargantuan form vanishing in an instant as he teleported back to the Stoneheart Horde.

To the south lay the Gossamer Reach.

The Reach constituted one of Kaelen’s established territories. He had just returned from the far south, having repelled the invading swarm, accompanied by an entourage of elite guardians—the most formidable warriors the Stoneheart Horde could muster.

"Your Highness, considering the vast quantity of battle merits we have amassed, we must seize the opportunity to plunder the Horde vaults during this respite rotation," proclaimed one of Kaelen’s guards, his voice brimming with bravado. He had fought valiantly alongside Kaelen through countless brutal engagements, attesting to his unwavering allegiance.

His designation was Steeltower. Hailing from a collateral lineage of Rendall's bloodline, he had been personally endorsed for the guard by Rendall himself.

Alas, this Steeltower was no longer the man he once was.