Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Every spark that landed on him was a trial by fire, tempering his body and forging his very bloodline. Vex had fully merged with the banner; he had become a true Standard-bearer. His fate was now intrinsically linked to the flaming standard, and by extension, to the future of Orion's faction in the Abyss.

"Let's go."

The Deathly Soul-Reaper led the way, his colossal scythe sheathed on his back, his cape billowing behind him. Vex, the Abyssal Dragon, and Dracolich Phorzak fell into formation, following Orion and unleashing their own oppressive auras.

With his first step, the Deathly Soul-Reaper's arch lord pressure cascaded down the mountainside. Every Abyssal creature dwelling on Starglow Peak was crushed by the force. Those closest to his path were forced to their bellies, prostrating themselves and trembling uncontrollably.

Vex, Xalathar, and the Dracolich were all extensions of that power—a demonstration for any race that might consider following him.

Orion ascended the peak one step at a time. With each footfall, a ripple of arch lord energy pulsed outwards. This was the time for a grandiose display of power; the more ostentatious, the more recruits it would attract.

Half an hour later, Orion reached the summit. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the entire world spread out beneath him.

"My name is Orion Stoneheart! I seek to wage war upon the deep Abyss, to conquer richer territory and seize greater resources for my people!" His voice boomed. "Those willing to follow me, gather here on Starglow Peak! The Abyssal Barrier will remain open here for three months. Come now, if you dare!"

CRACK!

The Deathly Soul-Reaper swung his scythe. The very sky seemed to warp and the fabric of space buckled. With a sound like tearing reality, a massive vertical rift appeared—the barrier between the worlds of the Abyss.

But a hundred-yard-tall rift wasn't enough. Orion swung the scythe again, this time horizontally, carving a second tear that intersected the first. He then turned, a colossal, cross-shaped portal blazing behind him, and looked down upon the first layer of the Abyss.

"My name is Orion Stoneheart! I seek to wage war upon the deep Abyss, to conquer richer territory and seize greater resources for my people!"

His declaration washed over the landscape again, a wave of sound traveling to the farthest corners of the realm.

"Vex, raise the banner!"

"As you command, Master!" Vex didn't know the true extent of Orion's power, but to tear open a rift of this magnitude with a casual swing of a scythe was an impossible feat, something out of a myth. With feverish devotion, he stepped behind Orion and slammed the banner's pole into the mountain's peak.

"Rally to Starglow Peak, all who would stand with my master against the Abyss!"

"Rally to Starglow Peak, all who would stand with my master against the Abyss!"

Vex roared the words over and over. Then, his body dissolved into a pool of blood, flowing up the lance and into the burning flag itself. As the banner whipped in the wind, his roaring cry, carried by the flag and amplified by the will Orion had imbued within it, echoed across the land.

"Xalathar, Phorzak," Orion commanded. "Go. Guide any willing vassals to me."

Using Legendary level beings as mere heralds was another calculated display of his might. With the barrier open, Orion had to remain behind, using his own power to sustain the gateway to the second layer.

Three months was not a hollow promise. The longer he could maintain the rift, the greater his power would appear. Most Abyssal lords who attempted such a recruitment drive could barely hold a portal open for a month.

As an arch lord, the Deathly Soul-Reaper was in a different league. Orion hoped to recruit a massive following, especially from races with high potential. This was the first step in building his army, and it had to be a decisive one.

"As you command, my lord!" they both roared. The Abyssal Dragon and the Dracolich took flight in opposite directions. As they flew, they repeated Vex's cry, their powerful voices carrying it even further.

Watching his two lieutenants depart, Orion turned back to the shimmering rift, his gaze fixed on the world beyond. He knew sustaining it wouldn't be easy. On this side, it was a display of muscle, a promise of protection to potential followers.

But to the lords of the second layer, tearing a hole in their world was a direct provocation. A new power arriving meant territory and resources would have to be re-divided. It meant danger. Lords from lower layers were almost always met with violent suppression from above.

This meant that while Orion held the rift open, he also had to be prepared for an attack from the other side. Many a Legendary level powerhouse had been annihilated during this very process.

It was why lords like Phorzak chose to hide in an Abyssal Tributary rather than push upwards. It was a perilous gamble, one taken only by those with absolute confidence in their own strength.

Orion was one of those few.

In a cave near the mountainside of Starglow Peak, a deathly chill permeated the air, and spectral lights drifted like lost souls. It felt like a netherworld, a patch of deadlands that was not quite a graveyard. It was a place of slumber.

An entire army of Wraith Knights lay dormant here, resting and recuperating.

The moment Orion had arrived and unleashed his aura, they had all awoken. They had borne witness to his entire display. Their commander, Ashreign, was an upper-legendary powerhouse. Orion's call had not been shielded from him, and the presence of an arch lord raising a banner forced him into cautious consideration.

Ashreign didn't know why this powerful being had chosen this exact spot. He couldn't be sure if Orion had deliberately sought out his Wraith Knights. The uncertainty was terrifying.

He was right to be afraid. Orion had sensed their presence from the start and had chosen this location specifically for them. An entire army of Wraith Knights? It was a prize he couldn't ignore.

"My lord," a voice rasped from the ground. His deputy, still pinned by the lingering pressure, had managed to lift his head. "Are we… being targeted?"

Ashreign was silent for a long time. "I believe so," he finally affirmed. "That lord… he wants to recruit us."

Raising a banner in the resting place of the Wraith Knights—could that truly be a coincidence? It was a possibility Ashreign refused to believe.