Titan King: Ascension of the Giant
Chapter 716 - 716: Who gave you the courage to be so arrogant?

"War? Does it need a reason?"

Leonidas retorted, stepping forward, his lips curled in a sneer.

"Just like when you all descended upon this world, did you notify anyone beforehand?"

"You say you don't want to start a war without reason. Are you joking with us?"

"What kind of character do dark races have? Do I really need to spell it out for you?"

"Hahaha…"

Leonidas's laughter was filled with ridicule, a deep-seated contempt and disdain that came from his very bones.

Hellhound Knight Kian's calm expression stiffened, then gradually darkened, becoming bone-chillingly cold.

Kian wasn't particularly angered that Leonidas had seen through his ploy and hadn't fallen for it.

However, Leonidas's mention of dark races, and the undisguised scorn in his laughter, was something Kian could not accept, nor tolerate.

"Who gave you the courage to be so arrogant?"

"The power of us dark races is beyond your imagination."

Leonidas didn't answer, continuing his wild laughter, even more wantonly than before.

"I will go kill him!"

Behind Kian stood two figures: one was Wulfric, the lord of the Nethervarg Soulflayers, and the other was a member of the infernal beings. Both were upper Legendary-level powerhouses. It was the infernal being, Dren, who spoke.

Kian said nothing, tacitly approving Dren's intention.

Dren and Kian were of the same race, and even from the same branch. Even if the enemy was at the peak of the Legendary level, Kian believed Dren possessed the strength to fight above his apparent rank.

"Arrogant reptile, prepare for pain!"

Dragons, in the eyes of many races, were indeed considered reptiles.

Evidently, in Dren's eyes at this moment, Leonidas was also a reptile—and an extremely arrogant and presumptuous one at that.

Zzzla!

Lightning flashed. A trident wreathed in violent, crackling electricity shot forth from Orion's hand, hurtling with imposing momentum.

For this strike, Orion had used his Aura Lock skill, and the transcendent power imbued in the trident was exceptionally dense.

Just as the trident was about to reach Dren, the terrified infernal being hastily threw up a defense. A bizarre black sphere materialized, completely enveloping Dren.

Boom! The electricity crackled violently against the dark sphere.

Dren, halted before he could launch his attack, stared gravely at Orion, who had intervened.

Many elemental attributes in the world naturally countered or supported one another.

Evidently, the lightning power Orion wielded was one of the forces that countered infernal beings.

Then again, to effectively counter an enemy, the intensity and quantity of one's power also had to meet certain requirements.

Otherwise, instead of countering, one would be countered.

"Hahaha… What, scared now?"

"Come on over!!"

Leonidas's taunting laughter reached Dren's ears. The latter was now caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

"Dren, come back!"

Just then, Kian spoke, recalling the conflicted Dren.

Dren shot Leonidas a fierce glare and flew back.

The atmosphere froze. Neither side spoke further; instead, they stared at each other, observing, and continuously building up their power.

On the ground, icefield snow wolves galloped, exotic beasts roared, and cave spiders relentlessly charged.

The two armies clashed, forming sprawling battle lines in a vast and brutal tableau.

Awooo… Dirtclaw snarled, his sharp fangs bared, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, his pupils shot with blood.

A horrifying, jagged claw mark ran from above his right eye downwards, nearly splitting his head open.

Dirtclaw's opponent was a hellhound even stronger than himself.

Nearby, Thundar was entangled with a peak Alpha-level infernal being, their fight a desperate stalemate.

If not for the aid of his dark fiend mount, Thundar would have been no match for the infernal being.

Not far off, Fergus was also besieged by two Alpha-level demonic wolves. The two demonic wolves coordinated their attacks on Fergus from front and back, their tactics extremely clever, their teamwork seamless.

The trio, who had initially planned to cut through enemies as a group, had been cut off and separated on the battlefield.

Far behind the "meat grinder" of the main battlefront, Lorelia stood beside Vexis. As per Orion's request, she was learning from Vexis how to command on a large-scale battlefield.

And, based on the evolving situation, how to allocate local forces accordingly.

"Pay attention. Before the battle begins, you must memorize the terrain of the battlefield, every blade of grass and every tree in the vicinity—forests, grasslands, rivers… Based on the different scenarios, arrange your combat personnel reasonably, and also take measures to avoid any known unfavorable factors."

With no Legendary-level powerhouses currently attacking her position, Vexis was quite composed, simultaneously directing the undead armies in battle and instructing Lorelia beside her.

"After the battle commences, you must maintain a view of the entire battlefield. Try your utmost not to overlook any areas where defenses have been breached; dispatch combat teams to those points promptly."

"Timely reinforcement, at many critical junctures, can alleviate the pressure on our combat personnel. When pressure is reduced, the combatants' morale will rise."

Vexis looked up, glancing at a black aura that appeared and then dissipated in the sky, her face showing no emotion.

"This is very important. Morale is something that can influence others; it affects the combat effectiveness of the entire unit."

"The higher the morale, the more easily a unit's combat potential can be unleashed."

"To achieve this, you need to be level-headed, decisive, and flexible. From now on, you must make corresponding decisions based on the actual situation."

"…"

Lorelia's gaze was fixed on the battlefield. While directing her own young spiders, she responded to Vexis with "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm."

Learning and applying simultaneously—this was the fastest method of learning, and also the quickest way to grow.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

In the distance, volleys of bolts pierced the air, targeting distant demonic wolves and hellhounds. The bolts slammed against the shields and armor of the dark races, creating harsh, clanging impacts.

Only a small fraction of the bolts managed to kill some of the injured demonic wolves and hellhounds on the spot, their blood staining the ground.

The twang of bowstrings, the screeches of beasts, the roars of wyverns… all sorts of sounds intertwined, transforming this part of Marshlight Sanctuary into a terrifying field of slaughter.

This was the most brutal battle Lorelia had ever encountered. Before her eyes, batch after batch of her young spiders were bitten to death, devoured by hellhounds.

One young spider after another was blasted apart by the Flame Burst unleashed by demonic wolves, or ignited and ultimately reduced to ashes.

Countless young spiders were trampled underfoot amidst the howls of the demonic wolves.

The enemy was not to be trifLED with. Whether it was the demonic wolves or the hellhounds, most of them were cloaked in a layer of Fire.

Most of the time, it took over a dozen cave spiders to kill a single demonic wolf.

However, this brutal battlefield, this arduous and hard-fought struggle, seemed to have entirely escaped the notice of the figures facing off high above.