Titan King: Ascension of the Giant
Chapter 714 - 714: The scent of estrus is everywhere here

The sea is vast and mysterious. At high tide, the surface may appear calm and placid, but beneath it, undercurrents surge.

The tide, in its silence, rises swiftly.

A strong current is now sweeping towards the coastline of the Stoneheart Horde's territory.

This unusual change was detected by members of the Sentinel Corps.

The scouts stationed by the Stoneheart Horde at the seaside were, in fact, a squad of Tidecrab Shield Warriors that Delilah had transferred from the northern city of Lysinthia.

Strictly speaking, this small squad of Tidecrab Shield Warriors could also be considered a Sea Race unit.

By placing them at the seaside, aside from camouflage, Delilah also intended to gain early warning of any danger.

It had to be said, this was a very clever move by Delilah.

"Is the tide coming in?"

Atop the escarpment, Delilah stood at the forefront, with Dace, Otho, Ursa, Drakthul, Gormathar, and the others behind her. All of them were looking out towards the sea.

They all heard Delilah's murmured question.

But in their minds, this observation signified the potential arrival of Sea Race warriors.

War was beginning to brew.

"Elder of Stewardship, what is our next step?"

Faced with Dace's inquiry, Delilah didn't quite know how to answer.

The sudden frame-up and the gradually rising tide had disrupted the Stoneheart Horde's plan to excavate the grand canal.

If they ignored it, they would inevitably be harassed by the Sea Race.

If they prepared for war, the excavation plan would be delayed.

Most importantly, the Stoneheart Horde was not currently prepared for sustained, imminent conflict with the Sea Race.

Thus, Delilah hesitated.

"Dace, Otho, the excavation of the canal cannot stop. Increase the workload of the slave groups."

"Drakthul, make preparations for a retreat. If the situation becomes untenable, we will temporarily withdraw inland and return to continue digging after the tide recedes."

"Ursa, Gormathar, transfer some strategic supplies here. If necessary, you will board the Sea-Devouring Warship and engage the Sea Race's combat teams."

Delilah began to arrange matters in an orderly fashion.

Having received their orders, the others now had a clear direction, and their expressions were all filled with fighting spirit.

After the others had departed to carry out their tasks, Delilah faced the sea, an extremely grave expression on her face.

With the Sea Race attacking, who could guarantee that there wouldn't be Legendary-level powerhouses among the invading forces?

This was Delilah's greatest worry.

As a precaution, Delilah closed her eyes, communicated with Orion's will projection, and reported the situation here.

"Don't worry. Use this opportunity to test the combat strength of the seadragon race and gather more intelligence on the Sea Race."

"I can't return from my side for the time being, but I will have Soraya return to Stoneheart City as soon as possible. She will then come to Ironveil Escarpment with Xalathar to support you."

Orion's voice echoed in Delilah's mind. The arrival of two Legendary-level powerhouses to reinforce her gave Delilah immense confidence.

Delilah opened her eyes. As she gazed at the distant sea, an aura of world-defying dominance erupted from her.

"The Waveborn Seadragon race?"

"This sea region will, sooner or later, belong to our Stoneheart Horde!"

"…"

---

Emerald Dream Realm, Marshlight Sanctuary.

Marshlight Sanctuary was the domain of the Hellhound Knights.

By the time Orion and Leonidas entered the territorial range of Marshlight Sanctuary, large combat forces of Hellhound Knights and Nethervarg Soulflayers had already gathered there.

Furthermore, the Zephyrkin Swifts from another territory were currently rushing towards Marshlight Sanctuary.

"My Lord, the enemy is already not far from here. That damned Yvaine has still not arrived. This is a sign of her disrespect towards you."

Wulfric, the lord of the Nethervarg Soulflayers, currently in a werewolf-like form, stood in the palace, showing extreme deference to the Hellhound Knight Kian, who was seated on the throne.

"Yvaine is on her way. Her habitat is a bit far from mine; her delay is excusable."

"But My Lord, the enemy is about to arrive."

"No matter. We will first resist the invading enemy. Yvaine can serve as a reinforcement unit, attacking the enemy from the rear in a pincer movement."

From the throne, Hellhound Knight Kian's voice carried a metallic timbre—very ancient, very old.

Kian was not a gnoll; he was completely different from Dirtclaw. He belonged to a dark race, infernal beings who tamed Hellhounds.

For Kian, the term "invaders" didn't quite apply in this context.

On the contrary, the appearance of Orion and Leonidas excited Kian, the Hellhound Knight.

Because his Hellhound mount had not fed in a very long time, and the flesh and blood of foreign lords were its favorite food.

"Wulfric, control your kinsmen. In the face of war, any who retreat shall become food."

"As you command, My Lord!"

Elsewhere, on the border region of Marshlight Sanctuary.

Ever since entering Marshlight Sanctuary, Dirtclaw had felt a sense of familiarity, a kind of homelike belonging.

"Thundar, don't you really think the air here is incredibly fresh?"

"I smell my own kind, and... ooh, the scent of female Hellhounds in heat!"

"Mmm… That's a very wonderful smell!"

Thundar glanced at the utterly enraptured Dirtclaw, whose constantly twitching nose indicated that his excitement was truly genuine.

Thundar sighed. "Yes, Dirtclaw, this is Hellhound territory. And you're acting like one in rut. Focus!"

"Hehehe… Just the mention of Hellhounds is enough to get my blood pumping, Thundar!"

The giant Thundar, hearing this, straightened his posture, deigning not to pay Dirtclaw any further attention.

"Bro Fergus, do you smell it? The scent of estrus is everywhere here."

"Just by the smell, I can imagine how beautiful and sexy the Hellhound chicks here are."

"This might just be Dirtclaw's paradise…"

Seeing Thundar ignore him, Dirtclaw turned to pester Fergus instead.

While Dirtclaw was smelling wonderful things below, Orion and Leonidas, high above, sensed a tense atmosphere.

"Bro, when the battle starts, deal with those small fry quickly, then we team up and strive to eliminate that Arch Lord as soon as possible."

The notion of a one-on-one duel simply didn't exist for Leonidas.

If it did, it would only appear when Leonidas was bragging.

This was war; Leonidas wasn't foolish enough to engage in duels with the enemy.

Since it was war, they would take whatever path led most easily to victory.

As long as victory could be achieved, Leonidas was capable of employing any means necessary.

"I understand. As soon as I see an opportunity, I will deliver a fatal blow to the enemy."

"Hahaha, bro, on this point, you're much more enlightened than Squiddy."

Evidently, this was not the first time Leonidas had engaged in such underhanded tactics.

His previous talk about dueling Arch Lords one-on-one with Orion was all just a joke.

"That fellow's aura is getting closer. He probably sees us as prey."

"Hehehe, it's been a long time since I've experienced this feeling of being underestimated!!"