Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 845: No Rules

"Bro, today I’m gonna give you the full rundown on this mission of ours."

Orion raised his cup, clinked it hard against Leonidas’s, and after downing a gulp of wine, made a show of being all ears.

Leonidas drained his own cup in one go and let out a boozy burp.

"It’s not really a mission, it’s a duel. A duel in the Crucible of the Gods."

He glanced at Orion, a little disappointed when the younger man didn’t immediately start asking questions. He hated missing a chance to show off his knowledge in front of the new guy.

Damn it, kid, you’re no fun. Don’t you know how to play along?

Orion caught the flicker of complaint in Leonidas’s eyes and guessed his thoughts. He simply pointed at his own stomach, indicating that he was starving and didn’t want to talk.

Taking the roasted beast leg Orion offered, Leonidas tore into it with a savage bite. He chewed for a moment before speaking again.

"The Crucible of the Gods is a space, one made specifically for duelists. It can provide any kind of dueling ground you want. It’s a magical place, able to simulate any environment the duelists desire. It’s a dueling world that exists somewhere between illusion and reality."

"As for whether it’s an artifact or a real pocket dimension, nobody knows. However, the Commander and the Deputy Commander speculate that it’s something like the Survivor’s Platform. Who knows, maybe it merged into our world from another one."

Orion listened intently. He knew far too little about this world, about the Crucible of the Gods. His experience and knowledge were nothing compared to old monsters like the Commander and Deputy Commander, who had lived for who knows how many years. There were too many secrets he had yet to learn.

"Getting into the Crucible requires a ticket. As for where the tickets come from, I have no idea," Leonidas admitted. "The Commander is always the one who provides them for us when we go to fight."

He pulled out two palm-sized, five-pointed star-shaped metal tickets and handed one to Orion. Orion put down his food, wiped his hands clean, and took the ticket, examining it carefully. There wasn’t much to see. The metal star had no writing on it, no special runes.

"The rules of the Crucible are not fixed. They’re decided by the two sides of the duel," Leonidas said, his expression suddenly growing serious. "In other words, there are no rules. Because the moment a rule exists, it has a loophole."

He fixed his gaze on Orion. "Bro, do you know what ’no rules’ really means?"

Orion narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and offered his own interpretation. "No rules means that in a duel, you must use every possible method—the simplest, most direct, and fastest way—to eliminate the enemy."

Leonidas let out a great laugh and clapped Orion on the shoulder. "Arthas has a damn sharp eye for talent. With a battle sense like yours, I have no idea what kind of dumb luck he had to stumble upon you."

Orion just smiled and said nothing, looking at Leonidas and waiting for him to continue.

"This duel is a five-man team battle. The Deputy Commander, Arthas, Alexander, me, and you. Two demigods, three Archlords." The laughter vanished from Leonidas’s face as he slowly recited the roster for the upcoming duel.

"Our opponents’ lineup is similar to ours: two demigods, three Archlords. However, there is one restriction. The demigods participating can only be phantoms."

Orion slowly let out a breath, a little stunned by the lineup. "Bro, the Archlords on their team... they aren’t all at the peak of the tier, are they?"

"Mm-hmm. And just like us, they’re all Awakened," Leonidas confirmed with a strange smile.

"Are their Archlords fighting in their true forms or as avatars?"

"Could be either."

A flicker of surprise crossed Orion’s face.

"You have to be mad to survive," Leonidas said. "There are always desperate fools who, seeing no other path forward, will take a huge risk and wager their true forms in a duel in the Crucible, all to win more resources and treasures."

As he said this, Leonidas clearly saw a glint of light flash in Orion’s eyes.

"That’s right. For this duel, both sides have wagered a massive amount of rare items. The winning side, besides receiving a considerable amount of world essence, will also get at least one piece of legendary equipment."

He paused for emphasis. "That’s one piece of legendary equipment each."

Orion couldn’t help but let out a gasp. Since ascending to Archlord and focusing on gathering faith to empower his avatars, he had truly come to understand how difficult legendary equipment was to obtain. From Lord to Archlord, he had killed a fair number of his peers, but had only looted three legendary pieces: the Boots of the War-Tyrant, the Titan Emblem, and the Abyssal Devil Shield. Of course, there was also the Lightning Cloak, but that was a gift from the Deputy Commander.

These few items were nowhere near enough to arm himself and his avatars. To this day, his Faith Avatar’s Asura Titan Form still had five empty hands, with no weapons to wield. For a being of its power, ordinary weapons were useless; they would simply shatter in its grip from the poor quality. Only special equipment and items of the legendary tier or higher could be used to arm it. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Leonidas’s words were a clear temptation, designed to stoke Orion’s inner desire for battle and victory.

"And if we win and you’re not satisfied with the legendary equipment you get, you can sell it to others in the Crucible. Legendary gear is something even demigods covet, let alone Archlords. At that point, you can hold out for the best offer, hold all the leverage, and trade for what you really want."

In Leonidas’s view, the Crucible of the Gods was simply a place where the strong and the confident went to plunder others and exchange goods.

"Bro, get yourself ready. The Deputy Commander has already set the match. The duel is in half a month."

Speaking of the duel, Leonidas’s expression became grim once more. It wasn’t his first time fighting in the Crucible. What he didn’t tell Orion was that his own win rate there was less than fifty percent.

Leonidas told Orion many things that day. As he got drunk, he recounted many of his own experiences, greatly broadening Orion’s horizons. Afterwards, Leonidas did not leave the Marshlight Sanctuary, but took up residence there. According to him, the avatar he would use for the duel was the very same Void Dragon avatar he was using now.

"Bro, don’t look down on this avatar of mine just because it’s only a mid-tier Archlord. When it comes to a fight, it can absolutely go toe-to-toe with a regular peak-tier Archlord," he boasted with a grin.

Orion was well aware of the Void Dragon’s combat capabilities. Its abilities—space devouring, spatial locking, and displacement—were all exceptionally special and powerful, and he greatly envied them.