Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1613 Echo of the Insect King

The Titan Continent, City of Blessings.

Compared to the past, the city was far more bustling and prosperous. Ever since the Planetary Hive merged with the Titanion Realm, the ambient elemental density here had steadily thickened. The result of this elemental surge was a boom in the Blood Elf population, birthing more offspring and raising more powerhouses within their ranks.

Today's festivities, however, weren't due to any internal milestone for the Blood Elves. Instead, Kaelen, the Giant Prince of the Stoneheart Horde, was about to arrive. King Rommath and his Queen personally led the welcoming party outside the city gates, showing Kaelen the utmost respect.

"Your Highness, your arrival has caused the Guardian Tree of the City of Blessings to bloom," Rommath greeted. "May the Horde's glory shine upon the Blood Elf Race and the entire Titan Continent!"

Having mastered the art of flattery—and polite deception—Rommath had truly come into his own as a ruler.

"Your Highness, the Horde stands with you," Kaelen replied, placing a hand over his chest in salute. Orion had recognized Rommath as the Elven King; he had earned the title.

Kaelen bore a trident on his back. Clad in half-plate armor and half-hide, a butterfly-patterned cloak billowed around him without a breeze, exuding an imposing aura.

The pleasantries satisfied Rommath, who guided Kaelen into his palace. Moments later, inside the main hall of the Blood Elf Race's royal palace, the maids and guards withdrew. Only Rommath and Kaelen remained, seated directly across from each other. Sitting as equals meant no division between host and guest—a subtle, shrewd political move on Rommath's part.

After several rounds of drinks and courses of food, Rommath finally broached the subject.

"Prince Kaelen, do you have urgent military matters in the City of Blessings?"

The world had rebooted, expanding the Titan Continent exponentially. The Horde was swamped with endless tasks. Rommath knew Kaelen wouldn't visit simply for leisure.

"Your Highness, a military order from the Horde." Kaelen didn't bother with small talk. He handed Rommath the dispatch and took another sip of his drink.

"Deploying five thousand elven archers to the front lines?" Rommath read. "Is the Horde going to war? Who is the enemy?"

Clearly, news of The Bastion Wall and the realms beyond it hadn't trickled down to the Horde's mid-tier leaders yet. It was understandable that Rommath was in the dark.

Instead of answering, Kaelen pulled out a freshly drawn map and unfurled it across the table. "Your Highness, this is Stoneheart City." He pointed to the dead center of the map, marked by a glowing golden giant's head.

"West of Stoneheart City... right here, is the Blood Elf Race's City of Blessings." Kaelen dragged his finger horizontally to a crimson bow-and-arrow crest, indicating Rommath's fiefdom.

Before Rommath could process the scale, Kaelen's finger kept moving west to the far left edge of the continent. A long wall spanned the border, shielding the Titan Continent.

"This is The Bastion Wall. The Stoneheart Horde's ultimate defense. Your five thousand Blood Elf archers will march with my forces. We will purge all monsters and beasts along the route until we reach this wall. They will fight for the Horde, and for your people," Kaelen explained. "For every enemy a Blood Elf archer kills, your race earns glory."

Though the Glory Points and noble hierarchy systems hadn't been officially announced, whispers had already spread throughout the Horde. Kaelen didn't need to elaborate; Rommath knew that more glory meant more Glory Points.

"Your Highness, have other factions within the Horde received similar orders?" Rommath asked carefully. He wasn't resisting the decree, but the paranoia was natural.

"All of them," Kaelen confirmed. "This isn't just fighting for the Horde. You're fighting for yourselves."

Kaelen saw right through the Elven King's worries. Rommath simply didn't want his Blood Elves suppressed or treated as cannon fodder by the central leadership.

"I give you my word, Your Highness," Kaelen promised. "I won't deploy your archers in battles unsuited for them. I won't let them die for nothing. And if there are casualties, I will ensure their sacrifices forge unparalleled glory."

Rommath finally exhaled. Kaelen's guarantee confirmed this was a standard military mobilization, not a political purge designed to cripple the military strength of the vassal races.

"Prince Kaelen, my armory holds a surplus of rations and military supplies. Take them with you. Consider it the Blood Elf Race's personal support for your campaign," Rommath offered, throwing in a political favor for good measure.

Kaelen nodded without refusing. In times of war, you could never have too much food or gear. With the business settled, the two enjoyed the rest of the evening, drinking late into the night.

After seeing Kaelen off, Rommath descended into the most classified vault beneath the palace. In truth, it was less a vault and more of a cavern—the secret nest of the broodmother Laito.

Laito was the broodmother Rommath had subjugated long ago and named Hope. She was an Awakened entity, but also a creature harboring treacherous ambitions.

"Master, has the Giant Prince left?" Laito asked.

Her broodmother body had grown massive. Twelve Alpha level warrior bugs prostrated themselves around her, and the cavern floor was carpeted in unhatched eggs. It wasn't that Laito couldn't hatch them; Rommath had forbidden it. To the Elven King, he and his broodmother needed to maintain a low profile.

"He's gone. He was just here for a standard military draft. He wasn't looking for you."

During the banquet, Rommath's relentless questioning had stemmed from a single fear: that the Stoneheart Horde had set their sights on his broodmother.

"Master, I can sense it. A cataclysmic shift has occurred in the Titanion Realm, one we are blind to. If possible, I believe you should align yourself closer to the Stoneheart Horde's movements," Laito said. "Before that Giant Prince even stepped into the palace, I sensed an aura. The oppressive aura of an Arch Lord tier Insect King."

Laito stared at Rommath, her tone utterly sincere, playing the role of a devoted servant looking out solely for her master. "Master, if we want to grow, we have to ride the current. We have to borrow the momentum of the Stoneheart Horde."

Under my guidance over the years, he's grown too mature, too cautious, Laito thought, exhausted. Sometimes, I can't manipulate him without telling the actual truth. For Laito to grow, she had to rely on Rommath. And for Rommath to grow, he needed to integrate deeply within the Stoneheart Horde and pierce its true center of power.