Titan King: Ascension of the Giant - Chapter 1151

Chapter 1151: A Father’s Hope

Far away, in Ashlock Canyon.

The Bone-gnawer arch lord, Balarun, stood on a high peak, his gaze fixed on the distant territory where Orion had made his camp. The conqueror’s call to arms had reached his ears as well.

“So, their destination truly isn’t here,” Balarun sighed, as if he had expected this all along. He, too, yearned for the higher planes of the Abyss, but he knew the Bone-gnawer race lacked the deep-rooted power to support such ambition.

Here, on the third level, they were titans. With him at their head, they were uncontested, free to build their strength. If they ascended, the resources they might gain could very well be less than what they already controlled. And besides, he had no other arch lords to command. That was the crippling weakness.

“Third son,” Balarun said without turning. Behind him stood Bidalun, his youngest, who was always on standby. “Would you like to see what the higher planes of the Abyss are like?”

“Father,” Bidalun replied, confused by the question. “Do you also wish to wage a conquest? When do we raise our own banner?” He had served at his father’s side his entire life; he knew the true strength of their race. They did not have the foundation for a grand campaign.

It was better to remain here, as kings, than to live in constant fear as newcomers in a higher, deadlier world. Perhaps, if his father finally ascended to the demigod realm, things would be different.

“You misunderstand.” Balarun shook his head, turning to face his son. Bidalun’s power, already at the upper-Legendary level, was a testament to his excellence. Balarun was certain that his most talented child would ascend to the arch lord realm long before his two older brothers. “I want you to follow him. Follow Orion on his conquest.”

He spoke calmly, his words carrying the weight of a decision long pondered.

“Father… are you serious?”

Balarun didn’t answer, turning his gaze back toward the horizon. After a long silence, he began to speak of the Abyss’s secrets. “Did you see those giants?” he asked, not waiting for a reply. “They are the Scourge Wardens, a powerful race from the higher planes. From what I know, they only ever follow a faction that is backed by a demigod. Which means that man, Orion, has a demigod standing behind him.”

It was Balarun’s best guess. And besides, no one was a fool. How could a leader with no real power or backing possibly dare to launch a conquest of the Abyss?

“You are no longer a fledgling, my son,” Balarun said, his voice softening. “I want you to fly on your own, to see a wider sky. I don’t want you to be trapped here on the third level, like me, unable to fly beyond the walls of this canyon.” He knew that his youngest, his most promising child, was meant for greater things.

He turned back, his eyes full of fatherly love. “Do you want to go out and see the world, my son?”

Bidalun’s demeanor was calm and steady. “Father, do you believe this Orion is truly worthy of my loyalty? Can his faction truly carry the weight of my future?”

“I do not know where their journey will end,” Balarun admitted. “But with the Scourge Wardens at their side, they are a great ship sailing into a storm. And the pride of the Scourge Wardens would never allow them to serve a weakling. I will give you three days to consider.”

He looked to the distance again, as if he could see Orion and his titans of fire.

“I will go, Father,” Bidalun said, his decision made in an instant.

Balarun turned, startled by the speed of his son’s choice.

“I will follow this Orion,” Bidalun declared. “And I will take my entire bloodline with me.”

A steady mind, a decisive will. This is the son I have the highest hopes for, Balarun thought with a surge of pride. He stared at Bidalun for a long moment, then his voice was a low rumble. “You are certain?”

“Yes, Father.”

“Then go. Now.”

“Father… take care.”

Even in the Abyss, the relationship between a father and son was much the same as in any other world: few words, silent support, and a deep, mutual understanding. The Abyss was not only a realm of sin; it was also a realm of order, where the races that thrived here had learned to absorb its evil, and to resist it.

Bidalun shifted into his true Bone-gnawer form. He spread his leathery wings, circled his father three times in a gesture of farewell, and then shot off into the distance. If he was going to pledge himself to Orion’s cause, it was better to do so sooner rather than later.

Watching his son’s form disappear, Balarun felt a pang of sorrow. He understood what his son was doing by taking his entire branch of the family. He was placing their eggs in another basket. The Bone-gnawer race was strong, but not invincible. They could be wiped out by a single, angry demigod at any time.

“Go, then,” Balarun whispered to the empty air. “A fledgling with talent and courage will one day become a lord of the sky.”

***

Tower Defense World, the 3318th Kindling Platform.

“Whoa! Hey mister, isn’t your Kindling Guardian a little… scrawny?”

Aina circled the Crossbow Sentinel that Orion had just summoned, her head cocked. In her eyes, no one’s toys were ever as good as her own.

She declared, puffing out her chest, “he’s not very impressive, or cool, or even nice to look at.”

“He’s a level-three guardian, same as your big guy behind you,” Orion said calmly from his post on the battlements. “He’ll do just fine.”

Under the protection of Aina and her grandly named behemoth, Orion had finally synthesized his first guardian. From now on, the Crossbow Sentinel would automatically farm Kindling Points and Faith for him while he rested. The earnings would be small, but they would be constant. Of course, if the monster waves were particularly intense, his sentinel could easily be destroyed.

This was the nature of a Tower Defense World. Under the endless assault of monsters, anything could happen.