Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Orion and his forces had left Moonshadow Valley and arrived at the southernmost part of the Black Forest, where the dense woods stretched before them.

"Chieftain, once we cross this river, we'll be out of the Black Forest and into Thunderwood Forest," said Thrym, a giant who had survived the last Myriad Races Invasion.

After enduring the trials of the dark beast tides, Thrym had grown even stronger, now reaching Hero-level. For this invasion, Thrym had been appointed as Orion's guide.

Orion nodded silently, his gaze fixed on the distant Thunderwood Forest across the river.

After a long pause, Orion turned to Prophet Onyx and asked, "Prophet, do you know why this forest is called Thunderwood Forest?"

Prophet Onyx, who had been staring at the forest as well, sighed. It had been centuries since he last set foot in this region.

"Chieftain, this forest is home to many high-level thunder-element(lightning-element) magical plants, which have nurtured numerous thunder-affinity races and beasts."

"This is a sanctuary for thunder-element beasts, which is why it's called Thunderwood Forest," Prophet Onyx explained, his voice filled with nostalgia.

"Chieftain, the Lord of Thunderwood Forest, Ariel, hails from the Harpy race, which was born here."

"Harpy are not only attuned to lightning(thunder) but also to wind. They are natural-born fliers," Prophet Onyx added.

Orion nodded, taking in the information before turning to Delilah.

"Have the scouts returned?"

Delilah smiled seductively, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Her voice was soft and alluring as she replied, "Chieftain, the scouts have returned."

"They've reported that about five miles ahead, in the dense forest, there are some gnoll scouts hiding."

"Those gnolls have sharp noses, but unfortunately for them, they can't detect succubi... hehe," she added with a playful laugh.

Orion nodded again and asked, "What's their strength like?"

Delilah's expression turned serious as she responded, "Not bad. There are quite a few Hero-level gnolls among them."

"If we engage them head-on, we'll likely lose some of our scouts."

Orion shook his head. He had no intention of letting his scouts suffer losses so soon after leaving the Black Forest.

He raised his hand, and his four guards—Dace, Otho, Beyn, and Torba—stepped forward.

"I have a task for you. Take a squad of bloodline warriors and, with the help of the succubi scouts, clear out the gnolls hiding in the forest ahead."

"As your wish, Chieftain!" the four guards responded in unison. They mounted their Frost Wolves, gave a shout, and led their squad into the forest.

"Chieftain, do you think they can handle it?" Elder Rendall asked, concerned. He knew that Dace and the others had only recently ascended to Hero-level and worried they might not be up to the task.

"Don't worry, they'll manage," Prophet Onyx interjected before Orion could respond.

"Prophet, this isn't something to joke about," Rendall said, his tone serious.

Prophet Onyx chuckled, his gaze fixed on the distant forest. "You're forgetting that Dace and the others are riding Frost Wolves—Hero-level beasts."

"Though the Frost Wolves aren't fully grown yet, they're more than capable of handling a group of gnolls."

"Those gnolls will be so terrified when they see the Frost Wolves that they won't even be able to run," Prophet Onyx added with a smirk. He was well-acquainted with gnolls, a lowly race. Centuries ago, Prophet Onyx could have crushed them with a flick of his booger, and now, they were even less of a threat in his eyes.

Moreover, the four Frost Wolves had been a gift from Prophet Onyx himself, so he knew their capabilities inside and out.

"Prophet is right. Dace and the others have more than enough strength to deal with those gnolls," Orion said, his voice filled with confidence. "Besides, don't you think my guards need some real combat experience?"

With a confident smile, Orion took the lead, crossing the river that marked the boundary between the two regions.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rendall and Prophet Onyx exchanged glances before quickly following him.

---

Fifteen minutes later, the distant forest echoed with the sounds of howling wolves and barking gnolls.

As they continued forward, Orion turned to Thrym and asked, "Last time, did you take this same route?"

"Yes, Chieftain," Thrym replied, scanning the surroundings as he remained on high alert. "If we continue in this direction, we'll come across a large grassland. That's where we met Lord Gareth."

Orion nodded and glanced at Prophet Onyx.

Prophet Onyx understood the unspoken question and elaborated, "Chieftain, that grassland is called Eagle Plains. We used to call it the Gathering Grounds."

"I'm not surprised that, after all these centuries, the strong from the four regions still gather there."

Just as Prophet Onyx finished speaking, the barking of the gnolls in the distance ceased, leaving only the continuous howling of the wolves.

"It seems the battle is over. I wonder if they left any survivors," Orion mused.

Another fifteen minutes passed before Dace, Otho, Beyn, and Torba returned, riding their Frost Wolves. Behind them, each had a Hero-level gnoll tied up with ropes.

The four gnolls had their hands bound behind their backs, and they were forced to run on their hind legs, though two of them were hopping due to broken legs.

Orion observed the scene closely, noting that two of the gnolls were missing a leg, while another had lost an eye, and the last one was missing an ear.

"Delilah, they're all yours. Get whatever information you can out of them," Orion said.

Delilah smiled seductively and motioned for two succubi warriors to follow her as she approached the gnolls.

"Oh my, such poor gnolls. Two of you have lost a leg, one of you is blind, and the other is missing an ear," she said with a mocking tone.

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The gnolls trembled in fear, unable to meet Delilah's gaze.

Orion had entrusted the interrogation to Delilah because she excelled at illusions. There was no one better suited for the task.

"Brave gnoll warriors, can you tell me why you're here?" Delilah's voice was sweet and enchanting, designed to lure them in.

"If your answers please me, I might let you go. Who knows, I might even let my succubi have some fun with you..."

"But if your answers don't satisfy me, or if you refuse to speak, well... I'll make sure you regret it."

"For example..."

Crack!

One of the succubi warriors standing beside Delilah drew a one-handed sword and, without hesitation, sliced off the genitals of the weakest gnoll.

The gnoll, already the weakest of the group, struggled for a moment before collapsing to the ground, dead.

"Oh dear, how unfortunate. He didn't even get a chance to answer my question," Delilah said with feigned surprise, her gaze shifting to the remaining three gnolls.

"So, which one of you brave gnoll warriors would like to go next?" she asked sweetly.

The three remaining gnolls were so terrified that they soiled themselves.

"I'll talk! Please, spare me!" one of the gnolls cried, groveling on the ground.

"We were ordered by Thunderhawk Knight Reynard to monitor the area for any invading enemies."

Delilah smiled, running her fingers through her hair. "Is that all?"

The gnoll, seeing that Delilah wasn't satisfied with his answer, quickly continued, "Half a month ago, Thunderhawk Knight Reynard ordered us to stay here. If we encountered any enemies, we were to report back to him."

"Master, my name is Scruff, and I'm an elder of the gnoll tribe. I'm willing to serve you! I'll do anything you ask!"

Delilah shook her head, her voice filled with mock pity. "What a shame. I don't like gnolls. After all, I'm the chieftain's woman... hehe."

Crack!

Another gnoll was killed.

Delilah moved gracefully to the remaining two gnolls, her voice dripping with sweetness as she asked, "Now, do either of you have anything else to share with me?"

"..."