Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 537: Cheers

[Sprint Crash!]

James surged forward, raising his gigantic axe high. The tip of the blade lunged straight toward a Three-Tails Night Stalker of the hero-level peak.

[Mighty Sweep!]

The Night Stalker's tail lashed out behind it, knocking James back.

James adjusted seamlessly, ramping up his strength in a sideways sweep.

Then came a spinning cleave!

A deep grunt and a furious roar sounded together as the colossal axe collided with the Night Stalker.

Slash!

The more James fought, the fiercer he became, feeling his blood boiling in every vein.

At this moment, he was certain the Giant King Orion was watching him.

Seizing the advantage, James unleashed every ounce of his power. Blood coursed through him, activating his awakened bloodline skill, [Death Execution].

In this state, James was fearless, his senses sharpened.

"Die!"

Death Execution was James's most formidable move. The bloodline's energy wrapped around his massive axe, making the blade instantly triple in size.

Screeech!

The colossal axe came crashing down, splitting the Three-Tails Night Stalker clean in half.

"WAAAGH…"

James raised his axe high, saluting Orion's vantage point.

Stepping toward the Night Stalker's corpse, James removed the dark source crystal and headed back to the stands.

Having finished his fight, he now became a spectator.

"Ha ha ha... Giant King Orion, do you see that giant's axe? It was forged by us dwarves!"

"That war axe rings a bell. I recall it was crafted by one of our dwarf smiths."

Harbek was thrilled. The giant who'd just taken the field was using a dwarven-forged weapon. That alone felt like free publicity for dwarven craftsmanship.

"Is that right? It looks like your people's handiwork is indeed popular."

Orion didn't seem overly impressed. He remembered he had once gifted James a hero-level war axe himself.

Why James wasn't using that weapon was something Orion had no information about.

Even so, Orion was pleased.

Because James was improving!

In Orion's earliest tribe, many giants had failed to keep pace with Orion's progress or with the Horde's growth.

They either retired, died in battle, or simply fell behind.

Plainly put, most of the elders from his parents' and sister's generation had either stepped down or were simply gone.

Of those who grew up alongside Orion, few remained in his presence.

Now, James was one of them.

In the Blackstone Tribe, genuine ascension only truly began in Rolan's generation.

Right from the start, they enjoyed Orion's and Arch Elder's protection.

Their potential and their environment for growth far exceeded what previous generations had.

Up to now, not many in the Blackstone Tribe had managed to become Alpha-level beings. In fact, they were extremely rare.

There was a reason for this: the potential of the previous two generations was exhausted.

Only when Rolan and other younglings matured would the Blackstone Tribe experience its real surge of talents and power, triggering an era of monumental growth.

Until then, every bit of investment was just laying groundwork.

Seeing James pulled Orion into a brief moment of reflection, causing him to zone out slightly.

"Giant King Orion, are you thinking about how to buy more weapons from us dwarves?"

Orion smiled, tacitly allowing Harbek to believe what he wished.

Only after Harbek emptied his giant goblet in one gulp did Orion speak, in a casual tone.

"The dwarven people and the Stoneheart Horde's territory lie far apart. Selling more weapons to us would be beneficial for both sides."

That was a fact, and Orion did want to reason with Harbek.

However, at times, reason wouldn't necessarily work.

"Yes, it's beneficial for sure, but you don't understand."

"I don't understand?"

"Exactly. You have no idea. If we sell more weapons to you, humans and blood elves won't be happy."

Harbek, somewhat drunk, let slip some candid words.

Of course, nobody could be sure whether he did so deliberately or not.

Orion poured an entire barrel of ale down his own throat by way of reply.

Balance!

Clearly, dwarves weren't just smiths by trade—some among them were quite astute.

The Five-Race Alliance traded and exchanged goods with one another, but they also deliberately controlled the scale of that trade, hoping to maintain a certain equilibrium among the races' strength.

This was a stance championed by many conservative factions who valued stability.

"So, the dwarves are happy with this arrangement?"

"Or, do the dwarves feel satisfied with the volume and scope of trade they have with the Stoneheart Horde?"

Before Harbek could respond, Orion asked in an inscrutable tone.

"Do you want to keep others happy, or do you want to keep yourselves happy? What would you choose?"

At some point, Orion had set down his barrel, staring intently at the dwarf before him.

Harbek, pinned by that question and that gaze, grew uneasy.

This unease didn't stem from fear or danger, but from wrestling with the right or wrong of his choices.

The atmosphere grew tense and stifling.

"Come on, cheers!"

"To the friendship between the Dwarves and the Stoneheart Horde!"

"I believe weapons forged by dwarves will surely capture the hearts of giants and every other race in the Horde."

Orion raised his goblet in a toast, breaking the momentary silence.

Sometimes, knowing when enough is enough is simply the best course.

"Cheers!"

Harbek grinned, sidestepping the previous awkwardness. He raised his goblet to drink with Orion.

"This challenge is a treat from me to our guests and to my people."

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"Mr. Harbek, don't you plan to let your people take part?"

"Oh, right, we mustn't forget Lord Bloodscale!"

Orion reminded Harbek of the dwarves, and also acknowledged the dragon representative, Bloodscale.

Bloodscale was a blood dragon, more or less a dragon-kin mutation, only at the Alpha peak level.

He sat among them in the capacity of a dragon emissary.

Normally, he wouldn't be qualified to sit as an equal with Orion or Harbek.

Even so, Orion and Harbek both chose to overlook him most of the time.

High status without matching strength often leaves one feeling overshadowed, and this truth applies everywhere.

"Dwarves can join?"

"They must! But remember, our colosseum has one rule: only by killing your opponent can you walk out."

Orion's lips curved in a faint smile. Though he claimed he was informing, he was actually goading.

"Giant King Orion, are you looking down on dwarves?"

"Dwarves never fear combat, for we possess the sharpest weapons."

Orion nodded and remained silent, a wry smile suggesting he awaited Harbek's next move.

"Tordek, step forward!"

"Show everyone in Stoneheart City the might of the dwarves."

From a row of attendants emerged a solemn dwarf named Tordek.

He stood out markedly, for his weapon was a warhammer taller than he was.

Tordek headed for the Colosseum, dragging his warhammer along behind him.