Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

The trees in Thunderwood Forest were even taller and denser than those in the Black Forest.

Under one of the massive trees, two guides stood before Orion. One was the giant warrior Thrym, and the other was a gnoll chieftain named Dirtclaw, who had been enslaved by Delilah.

"Master, this giant warrior is correct. If we invade in this direction, we'll reach Thunderhawk City in no more than a month," Dirtclaw said.

"But if you want to gather more resources, I suggest veering slightly east. That's where the gnoll territory lies."

"That land is rich with a high-grade magical plant called Foxtail. This year is a harvest year, and it hasn't been collected yet."

The information from Dirtclaw piqued Orion's interest. However, the gnoll seemed to be holding something back, and Orion decided it was time to put some pressure on him.

"Delilah, your gnoll slave has too many little schemes. Starve him for half a month."

Delilah flashing a seductive smile.

"As you wish, my dear chieftain."

At this, Dirtclaw's face immediately fell.

"Dirtclaw, tell the chieftain what you're really thinking!" Delilah commanded, her tone both playful and commanding.

Dirtclaw dared not disobey Delilah's order. He stammered, "Master, there are two other gnoll chieftains in my territory. I want to take this opportunity to eliminate them and become the sole leader of all the gnolls."

"Master, uniting all the gnoll tribes would be a great benefit to you as well."

Delilah smiled faintly, her expression unreadable.

Orion, however, stared into the forest ahead, deep in thought.

After a long pause, Orion finally spoke.

"How many gnolls are in your territory?"

Dirtclaw's eyes lit up. He knew that the real decision-maker in this group was the powerful chieftain standing before him.

"Respected chieftain, the gnoll territory currently has over thirty thousand inhabitants. Excluding the elderly, women, and children, there are more than eight thousand adult gnoll warriors."

Thirty thousand. That was an enormous number.

Because thirty thousand mouths meant a terrifying amount of food consumed daily.

Orion fell silent, hesitating for a moment.

Sensing his uncertainty, Delilah stepped up behind him and spoke softly.

"My dear chieftain, this is actually quite simple to handle."

Orion turned, his eyes filled with anticipation, signaling for Delilah to continue.

"If what Dirtclaw says is true, and most of the gnolls are elderly, women, and children, we can leave them behind to wait. The rest of the gnolls can be conscripted."

Delilah gazed into Orion's eyes, and seeing no trace of mercy in them, she continued.

"We'll divide them into two groups. The normal bloodline warriors will be integrated into our fighting force."

"As for the old and disabled, we'll form them into a cannon fodder unit and have them clear the way for us."

"Those who survive the ordeal will be the elites, worthy of further training."

Delilah's plan was clear: repurpose the gnoll dead weight and keep only the useful and trainable ones.

Though ruthless, Orion agreed with the plan.

"Heh… Looks like I made the right choice bringing you along this time."

"You handle this. Have your gnoll slave Dirtclaw carry it out."

Orion reached out and gently stroked Delilah's face, which was identical to that of his wife, Lilith.

Thankfully, their voices were slightly different; otherwise, Orion sometimes wouldn't be able to tell whether the woman before him was Lilith or Delilah.

"As you wish, my dear chieftain!"

Soon, Dirtclaw received his orders.

Dirtclaw was pleased because Orion hadn't harmed the foundation of the gnoll tribe—the women and children.

As for the elderly and disabled, they were nothing but burdens to Dirtclaw, and he believed they deserved to be eliminated.

So, Dirtclaw readily accepted the command.

The group then shifted their course slightly eastward, heading toward the gnoll territory.

---

Half a month later, they arrived at the gnoll territory within Thunderwood Forest.

The gnoll territory was a flat forested plain, with little elevation and few rocks.

In fact, the gnoll population had once exceeded fifty thousand. The reason only thirty thousand remained was that, following the orders of Thunderhawk Knight Reynard, these gnolls had dispatched ten thousand bloodline warriors to Thunderhawk City.

Scattered throughout the forest were numerous wooden tents, with smoke rising from many of them.

Suddenly, a few wolf howls echoed from the surrounding forest, startling all the gnolls.

Even the two remaining gnoll chieftains, Vilemaw and Mudsnout, rushed out of their tents.

"Damn it, Vilemaw! It's your tribe's turn to patrol today. Why did you let the wolves into our territory?" Mudsnout, one of the two gnoll chieftains, shouted angrily.

Vilemaw squinted, sniffing the air, trying to catch a scent.

"Mudsnout, I was just in the tent with you. I didn't do anything. Are you trying to frame me?"

Mudsnout spat on the ground, cursing.

"Maybe you didn't slack off, but what about your tribesmen?"

"Vilemaw, I'm warning you—this is a special time. It's the myriad races invasion. Don't tell me you don't understand the importance of vigilance."

Vilemaw was equally frustrated. He had already instructed his bloodline warriors to stay alert.

Yet, something had still gone wrong.

"Mudsnout, enough. I'll go check it out myself!"

But just as Vilemaw finished speaking, the gnoll settlement was filled with the sounds of wolf howls, screams, and the unmistakable rumble of an army charging.

Both Vilemaw and Mudsnout had fought in wars before, and they were highly sensitive to the vibrations of an approaching force.

"This is bad! We're under attack!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Don't panic! Gather the troops and fight back!"

…

Chaos erupted as the gnoll settlement was invaded by the combined forces of the Black Forest.

"Remember, prioritize seizing magical plants and crystal cores, then weapons and armor, and lastly, food!"

"If you find any special loot, report it to me immediately!"

Orion stood in the forest just outside the gnoll settlement, once again reminding Delilah, who stood beside him.

Delilah was in charge of managing all of Orion's scouts, who were also responsible for collecting the spoils of war.

Even though Orion had given these instructions countless times, he couldn't help but remind Delilah again.