Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 1452: Grazing Grounds

"Ascetic Cyrion has returned to the Divine Kingdom. The Port Caelwyn diocese has completely fallen. The suspects are the group known as Hellscream."

The shadow’s face was expressionless, his voice flat and detached, as if he were merely reading a weather report.

"To apprehend these heretics, we require the full cooperation of the Guardian Knights in the relevant dioceses," the shadow continued. "There are too many of them. We cannot allow a single one to slip the net and flee to other jurisdictions."

The shadow had finally stated his purpose. The Inquisition had the strength to hunt heretics, yes, but they were a hammer; for a fine net, they needed the local Guardian Knights.

"Those rebels..." Maelric’s voice was cold. "Are we talking about heretics? Bandits? Raiders? Or are we talking about innocents?"

Maelric knew the truth. A significant portion of the Hellscream organization consisted of people pushed to the brink by the rapacious greed of the Holy Order itself—corruption often tied directly to members of the Inquisition.

"I do not concern myself with the believers. That is your burden," the shadow retorted, cutting him off. "I concern myself only with heresy. No heretic is permitted to draw breath upon the land illuminated by the Holy Light."

It was a clash of duty against conscience. Maelric’s face remained frozen in a scowl, but he said nothing.

To the shadow, silence was acquiescence. It was permission.

The shadow turned, preparing to fade back into the darkness.

"One more thing," the shadow added, pausing at the threshold. " according to the Inquisition’s analysis, Hellscream may have established contact with a Dark Deity. Maelric... our grazing grounds are being watched."

With that chilling piece of intelligence, the shadow vanished, leaving Cardinal Maelric alone.

Maelric stared up at the exquisite fresco adorning the main wall. It depicted the Descent of the Goddess, the ancient origin story of the Holy Order.

This was Maelric’s spiritual anchor. He was a true believer in the Goddess. Like Her, he only wanted to save the world.

But the irony was bitter. While he tried to save the world, another faction of the Holy Order was busy oppressing it.

Maelric often felt a profound confusion. Why did mercy and ugliness always walk hand in hand?

The South, Westreach Trench.

The ocean was in turmoil. The tides had broken their natural rhythm, sweeping violently across the coastal regions. In the deep sea, a tsunami was brewing.

On the seabed, shockwaves distorted the water.

Two colossi were locked in combat. With every clash, massive surges of water blasted outward from the ocean floor.

The lure plan concocted by Orion, Leonidas, and Kraken had succeeded. They had drawn out Thalryssa, the Siren Archlord who dwelt in the deepest reaches of the trench.

However, there was a slight complication.

Archlord Thalryssa hadn’t come alone; she was riding atop a massive, Archlord-level sea serpent.

At this moment, Kraken—in his giant octopus form—had wrapped his tentacles tightly around the sea serpent, restricting its movement. But atop the serpent’s head, Thalryssa realized something was wrong.

"You are not a mindless ancient beast!" she cried out. "You possess wisdom. You are an outsider!"

The ocean was full of strange horrors. Some ancient creatures possessed immense power but liked to sleep, possessing no intelligence whatsoever. When they woke, they ate, and when they were full, they slept again. Thalryssa had assumed the attacks on her kin were the work of such a beast.

She hadn’t expected to look into the giant octopus’s eyes and see the unmistakable gleam of excitement—the look of a hunter who had successfully trapped his prey.

"Outsider! Tell me! Who are you? Where do you come from?"

Thalryssa gripped her twin-pronged harpoon, a weapon inlaid with gems that served as both her staff and her blade. She clamped her mouth shut, her beautiful, oversized eyes locking onto Kraken.

Suddenly, a gill-like orifice at the base of her neck flared open, spiraling like a vortex.

"Outsider... tell me... who are you... where do you come from?"

A second voice—this one dripping with magical seduction—emanated from the vortex. It was a sonic attack so potent that even Kraken, an Archlord himself, felt his mind waver.

Seizing the opportunity, the sea serpent writhed frantically, trying to break Kraken’s hold. Unfortunately for the beast, Kraken’s tentacles were lined with spiraling suction cups. Once Kraken had a grip, "letting go" was not an option.

"Interesting," a voice observed coolly. "That sonic attack... it has traces of a Divine Art. And that face? Absolutely God-tier."

"Bro, you taking this one, or am I?" Leonidas asked, his tone detached.

"I’ll take her," Orion’s voice rumbled. "I have a slight interest in this one."

The moment Orion spoke, the avatar of the Abyssal Dreadfin materialized directly above Archlord Thalryssa.

A colossal shadow descended, followed by infinite darkness.

That was the last thing Thalryssa sensed.

When her awareness returned, she found herself imprisoned within a biological void—the digestion space inside Orion’s stomach.

"Submit, or die."

The voice was icy and indifferent, echoing all around her. Thalryssa realized she was completely immobilized. Her Transcendent Power was sealed. Even the Body of Faith within her was suppressed by a magnificent, crushing force.

She knew this force. She had felt it before.

It was the power of a Demigod.

It’s over, she thought, despair crashing over her. She looked around the slimy, pulsating walls of the digestion space. She possessed a similar internal dimension; she knew exactly what happened here.

Outside, after swallowing Thalryssa whole, the Abyssal Dreadfin shifted its target. It clamped its jaws directly onto the sea serpent’s neck.

Amidst agonizing struggles, the sea serpent was torn apart and devoured, bite by bite, by the Abyssal Dreadfin and Kraken. Not even a bone fragment remained.

"Squiddy, you got the short end of the stick," Leonidas called out, hopping from the glass vessel onto one of Kraken’s tentacles. "You did most of the wrestling and ate half the meat, but the Big Guy swallowed the Body of Faith. That’s the most valuable part."

"You need to make him owe you a favor for that!" Leonidas added, stirring the pot.

"Boss," Kraken grumbled, "I wanted to eat it too, but I can’t digest it!"

An Archlord’s Body of Faith could theoretically be absorbed by Kraken, but it would require finding a quiet place to slowly refine it over months. They were in the middle of a turf war; he didn’t have that kind of time.

Orion was different. With the Demigod phantom residing within him, he could refine the monster’s Body of Faith with ease.

"So, brother," Leonidas asked, blinking exaggeratedly at Orion. "How do you plan to handle the Siren? Adding her to the collection? Or do you have other uses?"

"If she knows what’s good for her, I’ll send her to the Divine Kingdom to manage the seas," Orion replied. "If not..."

He didn’t finish the sentence, but the implication was clear. Thalryssa was trapped in his digestion space, bound by Divine Power. If she refused to submit, she would simply be digested.

"Just be careful, brother," Leonidas warned, his tone turning serious. "That Siren might have a Divine Pact on her. I saw shadows of a Divine Art in her skills."

"Rest assured," Orion said, his confidence radiating through the water. "Divine Pact or not... even if a Demigod’s projection is guarding her, it won’t be leaving alive."

It was a bold claim, but Leonidas didn’t think it was arrogance. His brother had the strength to back it up.

"Then let’s proceed as planned."

Leonidas signaled Kraken to return to their hiding spot. Kraken waved his tentacles, propelling his massive bulk rapidly through the water.

Moments later, the three conspirators vanished back into the dark rift of the trench, waiting for the next ripple in the water.