Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Silverwood Realm. On the border between the Champions Alliance holdings and the dragon territory.

Orion's Curse Avatar and Leonidas's World Dragon Avatar stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing south.

"Bro, you're really not going to even try talking to him first?" Orion asked.

"Talk? Screw that."

Orion hadn't expected Leonidas to be this aggressive after taking command of the Silverwood front. But there was no mistaking it. Leonidas had decided to invade the dragon territory, and the main host of the Champions Alliance coalition had already massed on the border.

"Let me ask you something, bro," Leonidas said, turning to him. "Is a guy more likely to listen when you've got a blade to his throat, or when you're asking him nicely? It's just logic."

The logic was sound, but Orion was still thinking strategically. The old dragon to the south was a true demigod. If they let him escape, or worse, pushed him into the arms of the Cult of Four, it would be a disastrous outcome—one he was sure the Deputy Commander and the others wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Bro, there's no room for outsiders on the Moonlight Continent. This is Champions Alliance turf." Leonidas slung an arm around the Curse Avatar's shoulders, his gaze fixed on the southern horizon. His voice was laced with a meaning that went deeper than just battle strategy. "That old dragon is a loose variable we can't afford. What happens if we're all tied up with something else? This whole continent becomes a free-for-all buffet. You can't let another apex predator build a nest right on your doorstep."

He clapped Orion's shoulder. Having not yet ascended himself, Orion didn't fully grasp how critical territory and faith were to a demigod. Leonidas, fresh off his own promotion, was feeling it acutely. He'd realized the foundation he'd built for himself was still far too shallow.

He needed more land.

The Moonlight Continent had been mostly conquered, and his partners had already carved it up. If Leonidas wanted a piece of the pie, the old dragon was his only target. And the most critical point? Leonidas was now a dragon himself—one of the purest bloodlines in existence.

"In the Silverwood Realm," he said, his voice dropping low, "there can only be one dragon."

He turned his head, his draconic eyes holding a very human, very sharp glint. "Are we tracking?"

Orion caught his meaning instantly. This wasn't just an invasion. This was a challenge, issued from one dragon to another for supremacy. A smirk touched Orion's lips. He suddenly couldn't wait to see how this played out.

"Loud and clear, General."

"Hahaha!"

They both laughed.

"I am a true dragon," Leonidas declared, his voice booming with newfound authority. "All others will either submit or die."

He threw his head back and unleashed a cataclysmic roar. Infused with the power of cosmic law, the sound wave washed over the entire world.

Far to the south, in the heart of his territory, the old dragon was jolted from its slumber.

"Sound the attack!"

Wooooooooo

The mournful cry of war horns and the thunder of drums echoed across the borderlands. The Champions Alliance coalition surged forward, a tide of steel and magic pouring south.

"Bro, the old lizard is heading this way," Leonidas said. "Got my back."

Orion nodded. He understood. This was a draconic civil war. What kind of rules applied, he had no idea. But judging by Leonidas's style, there were probably none. Unlike giants, dragons were known to cannibalize each other, with different clans forming their own brutal food chains.

While they waited, the coalition forces to the south had already met the dragon resistance. The massive troop movement hadn't gone unnoticed, but the dragon leadership had never expected their new neighbors to actually start a war. Weren't they supposed to be coexisting peacefully? Why the sudden, violent shift?

The coalition's initial posture had indeed been one of peace. But that was before Leonidas arrived. And more importantly, before he arrived as a dragon.

The battle erupted in a storm of fire and claws. Dragons and dragon beasts swarmed from all directions to meet the invaders.

"Elder Thundar, here's that pet you wanted!" a voice roared from above. "And Bro Fergus, this one's for you!"

Two colossal shapes plummeted from the sky, crashing to the earth. They were dragons, their bloodlines pure but their power only at the peak of the Alpha level. They had been effortlessly subdued by Dirtclaw and tossed to his friends below.

Dirtclaw's own power was now at the peak of the Legendary tier. Ascending to Archlord was still a distant goal, but his current strength was a massive boon to his old comrades like Fergus, Thundar, and Onyx. He owed them. In the early days of his rise, those two, in particular, had helped him more times than he could count. The chance to repay them with his own power filled him with a fierce joy.

The two dragons thrashing on the ground were hand-picked mounts for Fergus and Thundar. Onyx, unfortunately, was too massive; no ordinary dragon could bear his weight, and a Legendary dragon was too powerful for him to tame. He would have to stick with his blood-beast for now.

"Dragons!"

"Did… did Dirtclaw really just catch us dragons?"

Fergus and Thundar stared at each other, utterly dumbfounded. Before they could process it, the massive Hell-Drake Hound landed beside them.

"Hmph… Under my terrifying… wait, no, my draconic aura, they had no choice but to submit!" Dirtclaw grinned, happy to hook his boys up. The battlefield was a treasure trove, after all. If you were strong enough and bold enough, anything was possible.

"What are you two gawking at?" Onyx rumbled, walking over, his eyes filled with genuine envy. "It's a gift from Dirtclaw. Get over there and claim them before they wake up."

To ride a dragon was a dream for most members of the Stoneheart Horde. Now, thanks to their old friend, that dream was a reality.

"Heh, the prophet's right. Get to it," Dirtclaw urged. "Get them bonded and healed up. They'll make leading the cavalry regiments a hell of a lot easier." He stepped forward and gave each of the stunned dragons another swat with his massive paw for good measure.

The slap broke Fergus and Thundar from their trance. They rushed forward, one pulling out a taming collar, the other a contract scroll. These days, the Alpha-level elders of the Stoneheart Horde were well-equipped. In joint operations, the war treasuries of all Champions Alliance factions were partially opened to their allies. With their accumulated battle achievements, men like Fergus, Thundar, and Onyx could redeem rare and valuable gear from the vaults of their brethren.

As the two elders began the taming process, Onyx looked at Dirtclaw, his voice filled with sincere awe.

"I still can't believe you were once just a grunt in one of my cannon fodder troops."