Roar!
It was a roar echoing from so ancient temple. The mont that sound rang out, everything nearby seed to freeze—even Lord Ariel, still hovering in midair, looked utterly shocked.
Then the roar faded, replaced by a whisper, like a Titan god murmuring, or perhaps responding to a prayer.
In the next heartbeat, a startling change took place.
Standing on the ground, Orion began to grow—his height soared upward without limit, his body ballooning in size. Countless black runes surfaced across his skin, flooding him with unimaginable power, completely overwhelming the markings of the Curse of a Hundred Blossoms.
Crackle!
All of a sudden, huge arcs of lightning flared around Orion, as though so otherworldly presence had descended. At the sa ti, his hair lengthened dramatically, and his dark eyes churned with boundless energy.
A swirl of ancient darkness engulfed him, and his towering body now resembled a genuine mountain. He had beco a Dark Titan. Though still standing on the ground, he now lood taller than Lord Ariel, who remained floating in the air.
A mont later, Orion stretched out both hands, ready to swat Lord Ariel like a re fly.
In that life-or-death instant, Lord Ariel finally snapped out of her daze. She transford into bolts of lightning, trying to harness that power against Orion.
Lightning danced across the sky, battering the newly ford Dark Titan. But Orion just swept his enormous hands through the thunderclouds, snuffing out every flash of lightning in his path, rendering everything silent and still.
Even so, Lord Ariel's lightning form darted about in the air, and Orion couldn't corner her.
He decided on a different approach. Planting both feet firmly on the ground, he ford an arcane gesture with his hands, opened his mouth wide, and inhaled. Instantly, within a radius of 6 miles, air and electricity alike were sucked into his body—Lord Ariel included. She couldn't escape that trendous pull, and her lightning manifestation was drawn right in.
Once she was inside, streaks of lightning kept erupting from Orion's body, illuminating his abdon in a wild display. The sight was beyond belief.
All around Stormrage City, the battle had co to a complete halt. Bloodline warriors from both sides looked up at Orion in his Dark Titan form. Especially the giants—they stared at Orion as though beholding a primordial Titan god, dropping to their knees in reverent worship.
After about ten minutes, Orion's body began to shrink, returning to a normal size. When the violent energy settled, Orion stood there with a harpy grasped tightly in his hand.
He lifted the harpy high and roared in a booming, triumphant voice, "Lord Ariel is dead! Slaughter the city!"
Not a single response. Total silence consud the battlefield.
"Lord Ariel is dead! Slaughter the city!" Orion repeated. Still no one moved, everyone's gaze was fixed on him—and on the harpy he held.
"Lord Ariel is dead! Slaughter the city!"
It wasn't until the third ti that anyone snapped out of their stupor. Thundar the giant let out a trembling breath, hauled out a horn from his belt, and gave it a mighty blast.
Roar!
Then ca the abyss dragon's own furious howl as it charged forward to carry out Orion's command.
"Kill them all!"
"Slaughter the city!"
"..."
Dirtclaw felt like he'd lost his mind. He honestly doubted if all this could be real—but it didn't matter anymore. Even if this was so dream, it was a glorious one. Because Thunderwood Forest's Legendary-level being, Ariel, had just been brought down by his master.
"Cannon fodder troops, charge!" Dirtclaw hollered, his voice raw. "Kill all the n in Stormrage City, rape the won, and loot every last resource!"
Rage, bloodshed, won, plunder—he shouted every word he knew that could drive these troops wild. This ti, true disaster descended upon Stormrage City.
"That's impossible… impossible… Our mother was a Legendary-level being—there's no way an Alpha-level giant could kill her. No way…" Ella, Lord Ariel's youngest daughter, looked like she'd lost her soul, slumping to the ground, muttering again and again in denial.
"Mother… is gone?"
"No… that can't be true… it just can't!"
Emma, Ariel's older daughter, was holding herself together a bit better, using her longsword to stay on her feet. She refused to believe her mother could have just fallen like that. But when she looked over and saw Orion standing there like an ancient Titan, her mother's corpse under his foot… she couldn't deny the truth anymore.
"She's gone. Mother is gone!"
"How… how could this happen?"
Still feeling like she was stuck in so nightmare, Emma forced herself to glance at Orion once more—and what stared back at her was a chilling killing intent, an almost arrogant confidence. That cold, lethal aura jolted her out of her shock. She grabbed hold of Ella and took to the air.
"Run! We're heading back to Thunderpeak Mountain!" Emma's urgent cry finally stirred the other harpies from their stupor as they all shot skyward in retreat. Orion looked up at them fleeing, frustrated that he had no way to pursue; he lacked air support now.
Within Stormrage City, fighting continued. Thunderstorm Bearn Darkbolt and Silvershock still held firm, unshaken in their resolve to defend the city—even after Lord Ariel's death. But they ended up surrounded by Slagor, Lilith, Onyx, Thundar, and the abyss dragon, and both brothers eventually fell near Stormrage City's walls.
Half an hour later, Orion, who had slain Lord Ariel, finally felt so relief as his body began to recover. The special skill "Blood Sacrifice" demanded half of his life energy in exchange for a surge of ancient Titan power. That borrowed might was more than enough to slay a Legendary-level being, but the cost had been steep—far more than what showed on the surface.
"Honor to Orion!"
"All hail the great chieftain!"
"..."
With Darkbolt and Silvershock both gone, Slagor, Lilith, Onyx, and Thundar rushed over to Orion, ready to hail him as a hero. Orion stopped them from celebrating.
"Keep your cheers for later. First, we finish taking Stormrage City."
He ordered them inside, telling them to seize full control of the city. Right now he desperately needed a place to rest. That transformation into an ancient Dark Titan had exacted a savage toll, far deeper than anyone knew.
And the danger wasn't over yet. Even if Ariel was dead, Gareth was still out there sowhere, unseen.
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