Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

"I believe we should request direct support from the Archbishop," Jack proposed. "A more powerful ward would make our work far easier and more decisive."

The Cult of Four possessed countless secret techniques and Divine Arts, and the Pontiffs had more than enough at their disposal to suppress the enemy. But Jack's motives were far from pure. His real goal was to entangle one of the Archbishops in this affair. He knew they held more powerful, more complete versions of the Cult's Divine Arts—knowledge he desperately coveted.

"My fellow Pontiffs, our enemy is formidable. We cannot afford to be anything less than completely prepared."

Silence fell again. There was logic in Jack's words. But repeatedly begging the Archbishops for help was a tacit admission of their own incompetence.

"That will not be necessary," Valerius stated, his voice firm. He was close to the Archbishop who had sent him. "His Grace is in a deep slumber. It would be unwise to disturb him." For a moment, a thoughtful look crossed Valerius's face, before he dismissed Jack's suggestion entirely.

"However, while we are not to disturb His Grace, he did instruct me to bring this."

A golden light flashed, and Valerius produced a pyramidal artifact from his storage space.

The moment it appeared, Jack, Konak, and Yriel froze.

"The Sacred Cage!"

The Sacred Cage, also known as the Cage of Tegyx. Tegyx was one of the four gods, a name they would never dare speak aloud.

"This…"

"How is this possible?"

The rest of the meeting proceeded on entirely new terms. Valerius and the Divine Artifact in his hands became the new focal point, forcing them to scrap some of their earlier plans.

The Cage of Tegyx was only a replica, but its power surpassed that of most relics. More importantly, it had been blessed by the four gods themselves, allowing its wielder to channel a fraction of their power. Its presence was a profound reassurance to them all.

***

Abyssal Tributary, Fiend Serpent Caves

Three days could feel like an eternity, but in the oppressive gloom of the Abyss, it passed in what felt to Orion like the span of a single deep meditation.

Following Vex's directions, the Abyssal Dragon finally carried Orion to the cavern's exit.

They emerged into a deathly silent and eerie forest of tombstones. A palpable aura of decay hung in the air, thick enough to send a chill down the spine. At least, Vex was certainly trembling.

As if sensing their arrival, a series of sickening crack and scrape sounds began to echo through the graveyard. Before Orion's eyes, tombstones began to sink into the ground as desiccated, rotting claws clawed their way out of the earth.

The risen dead were a menagerie of Abyssal horrors: demons, fiend serpents, zombies… Orion even spotted a massive Dracolich at the center of the horde, clearly their leader.

The zombies pulled themselves free and stood motionless, their faces mangled beyond recognition, their expressions blank. They simply stared, a silent, dead gaze fixed upon Orion's party.

Interesting.

Orion's eyes were locked on the Dracolich. He remembered his conversations with Makareth; it was common knowledge that the first layer of the Abyss was unclaimed land. Not in the sense of a master, but a lord.

The first layer was a world without ruling lords carving out territory. It was a chaotic paradise for any Abyssal species below the Legendary level.

Any being who ascended to the rank of lord had two choices: move on to the second layer or higher, or leave the Abyss entirely. Any lord who defied this unwritten rule would be swiftly eliminated by a power from the Abyss's deeper levels.

Clearly, the Dracolich before him had made its choice. It was clever. It had left the first layer but settled in the tributary leading to it. It had chosen to roost on the very threshold of the Abyss, a perfect strategic foothold from which it could advance or retreat as needed.

ROAR!

The Abyssal Dragon, Xalathar, was the first to break the silence. He took the Dracolich's unblinking stare as a sign of disrespect to both himself and Orion.

Orion considered for a moment, then leaped from Xalathar's back, giving the dragon free rein. Xalathar roared again and charged.

Combat was his instinct. Here in the Abyss, faced with a peer of equal power, Xalathar craved a real fight. Orion was happy to grant his wish.

The battle between the Abyssal Dragon and the Dracolich began.

Xalathar's bellow shattered the silence of the dead world. As if accepting the challenge, the Dracolich—a grotesque creature stitched together from the bones of countless monsters—threw back its head and let out a silent roar of its own.

With every psychic bellow, waves of green, corrosive energy pulsed from its maw and the seams of its body. The surrounding zombies either scrambled aside or burrowed back into the earth, clearing an arena for the two Legendary level titans.

The Dracolich's hollow eye sockets blazed with necrotic light. It whipped its tail around, crashing into the charging Xalathar.

Instantly, clouds of Abyssal energy and deathly miasma exploded outwards, enveloping the two beasts. From within the swirling vortex of black and green, roars of primal rage and undeath echoed—a brutal narrative of savage power versus cold decay.

Any monster below the Legendary level, Vex included, could see nothing of the fight's details. But to Orion, the clouds were practically transparent.

He watched the Dracolich rake with its claws as Xalathar opened its massive jaws, spewing torrents of hellfire. The two destructive forces, corrosion and incineration, tore at each other. As its hide was wounded and its blood began to flow, Xalathar only grew more ferocious, its entire body seeming to smolder as if magma flowed through its veins.

The Dracolich was its equal, its eyes glowing with a desperate madness. It knew it had to fight with its full strength or be destroyed. Yet, it was also terrified of the mysterious rider who used an Abyssal Dragon as a mere mount.

ROOOAR!

Caught in this conflict of instinct and fear, the two dragons grappled, bit, and slammed into each other, every clash a final, desperate struggle.

"I am Orion Stoneheart, the Giant-King of the Stoneheart Horde."

Orion's voice boomed across the battlefield, imbued with power.

"In the name of my lordship, I conscript you. Submit to my cause and wage war for me across the Abyss."

A massive, shadowy form—the Tentacles of Death—materialized between the two fighting dragons. A terrifying pressure washed over the battlefield, forcing them apart.

"Submit, or die."

Xalathar was completely unaffected by the pressure, but the Dracolich was slammed to the ground, pinned beneath the immense force.

"Submit, or die?"

The sudden turn of events left the Dracolich frozen in shock, utterly speechless. Orion manifested his scythe, resting the blade gently on the undead dragon's skull.