The Age of Titans (5)
It was just as he'd expected. There was no way Taesung, the kingdom of Tiese, wouldn't have titans after Reverse succeeded in producing them. But he hadn't anticipated running into them this soon, and right here of all places.
It was the same stage where Soldier-grade titans had first been unveiled in Tayen. Though low-grade, Taesung's titan was living up to its name, tanking the full firepower of every NPC soldier atop the walls without flinching. The entire Taesung guild, titans included, focused their attacks solely on the inner gate without dispersing their fire.
But it seemed different from the Reverse Knights somehow. It raised its shield and used a specific skill, enduring focused fire for an impressively long time despite being a titan that couldn't receive heals. It felt like a defense-specialized type, much like Levendus.
Probably around 280,000 HP for a Soldier-grade... It'll have to pull back or get reverse-summoned soon.
Right on cue, the titan was reverse-summoned. The holy knight who appeared to be its rider then activated an invincibility skill and retreated.
But it didn't matter. The key to breaching this castle's inner gate was whether they had a tank capable of withstanding the powerful NPC soldiers' focused fire, even if just for a moment! While the titan soaked damage, the concentrated firepower had worn down the gate—and the instant the titan vanished, it finally crumbled.
"Nice, it's through! Everyone, advance!"
"Clear the walls from the top down, just like planned!"
Pew! Pew!
The moment players who'd been hammering the inner gate surged inside like a tide, whistling sounds began echoing from the sky. It was the arrows from Taesung's pride and joy, the Griffon Unit.
As expected from siege veterans like Taesung, the NPC soldiers raining hell from the walls were methodically cleared one by one. They were tough when the gate was still up, but once tanks and damage dealers pushed in for divide-and-conquer, the stationary NPCs weren't much of a threat. Sure, their raw power was still lethal, claiming Taesung players left and right—but the losses seemed to top out at around 20.
Even Hellfire, who always commanded the defense of Dumein Castle, had teleported here the moment he heard the news. He was the first user to possess a Reverse Knight core, after all.
Taesung's players swept into the inner bailey without leaving a single one behind. Sandro's group emerged from the entrance and waited briefly—then Hellfire arrived with about a hundred Phoenix guildmates who'd originally planned the siege.
"You're here! But is this everyone? Even for a pincer attack, can we overwhelm Taesung with this numbers?"
"Our defenders are stretched thin across six castles—this is the best we can do. Reinforcements might trickle in depending on the situation, but for now, this is it."
"Got it. You probably heard on the way, but those guys succeeded in making titans too and are deploying them in this siege."
"Yeah, I heard. Soldier-grade makes them better against NPCs than players, so they picked this spot for their debut."
"Guess we had the same bad luck with timing."
Sandro's group hurried into the inner bailey with Hellfire's guildmates.
"They've probably noticed us by now with the respawns and griffon riders. Hellfire, what's the attack plan?"
"If they're hitting the obelisk, we'll summon our titans together and hit 'em from behind. If they're waiting for us instead, don't pop yours first even if combat kicks off."
"As expected... You think holding titans till later gives the edge too?"
"Yes. A titan summoned at an unexpected moment packs the biggest punch. No telling how this plays out, but I'm counting on your quick thinking again today, Sandro."
"Riding my coattails again? Anyway, looking forward to it. This'll be the first real titan-on-titan fight—not a mock battle—right here today..."
Titan Chronicle. A battle befitting the game's title was about to begin.
Three minutes since the inner gate fell. That was all the time that had passed, yet not a single NPC soldier remained on the walls—they'd been wiped clean.
Did the Griffon Unit's pinpoint fire make it this smooth...?
The central plaza before the main keep, reached with surprising ease, was chaos around the obelisk: NPC knights defending Gewell Castle clashing with Taesung guildmates assaulting them.
From afar, IDs hadn't been visible—but up close, heavy hitters from Taesung's elite rankers stood out. And at the vanguard of the fray, one user with a hard-to-believe ID was swinging his sword like mad.
"Darius! You fucking bastard!!"
Before Sandro could react, Hellfire bellowed the curse. A rare sight from the ever-calm guild master.
Can't blame him...
Darius glanced back at the shout, then cleaved through three nearby NPCs in a flash. He shook the blood from his blade with game-realistic flair before sheathing it fluidly. The motion was flashy, matching the mesmerizing black blade of the Demon Sword—a sight Sandro hadn't seen in ages.
"Hellfire, I presume? Busy defending, yet you grace us here—looks like our new castle pushes overlapped unluckily."
"No bullshit, Darius. You giving up this castle, or fighting to the end?"
"Me, here in person, and you think I'd abandon the siege? Odd words from someone who knows me. Like that Demon Sword fiasco... Guess the rumors are true—you're past your prime, losing your edge."
"Cut the lame taunts. Either way, looks like I'll reclaim my Demon Sword quicker than expected today... Phoenix!"
"Yes!!"
"Charge—!"
Roar!
With Hellfire's cry, Phoenix guildmates surged toward Taesung. At that instant, two titans materialized in a blaze of light from Taesung's front line—blue Soldier-grade ones wielding greatswords and spears.
—What? Luck?
—As I said, Phoenix barely got one after three tries. But Taesung started earlier—probably attempted it four or five times by now. If lucky, maybe two. Darius is infamous as Tayen's luckiest bastard, after all.
The conversation with Hellfire en route flashed in Sandro's mind.
Hellfire, spot on. That prick really was born lucky. Three titans already!
Not just Sandro was stunned. Phoenix players charging Taesung froze at the sight of the hulking summons.
"Wh-what?!"
"They've got two more titans?!"
"Fucking pull god!!"
Phoenix halting gave Taesung the opening—their titans led the counter-push.
Soldier-grade or not, Sandro couldn't let them rampage. Unfamiliar with titan counters, his side could get wiped in seconds.
Melee's joined anyway—stealthing right up to them's impossible. Win the fight first, somehow!
Darius in sight had Sandro hesitating priorities—but he decided.
Hyunjung didn't even reply—barreling through the crowd, he summoned Levendas right before Taesung's titans.
Boom!
Levendus raised its shield on summon, blocking Taesung Knight's greatsword. Titan-vs-titan combat allowed parries, shielding users.
Titans needed titans to block. But destroying them? Tough with just one or two—treated like game objects, they defended and parried damage.
Thus, Sandro judged users handled the killing blows. The "Titan Destroyer" achievement cemented it.
Raids are won by DPS, not tanks!
The massive titans clashing drew players around them in a ring—perfect cover for Sandro to stealth in.
Reaching the tangled titans, he dashed, slashing a Taesung Knight's rear calf.
Clang, clang clang!
The titan, hammering Levendas' shield with its greatsword, whipped around at the sudden metal clash below. Sandro leaped onto its back.
Even in VR, clinging to a thrashing titan like an object was near-impossible amid its wild motions.
But Sandro had the item making it feasible: Great Thief Willipeng's Strange Boots!
Wearing them, he stuck to the titan, stabbing everywhere.
Stab! Stab!
Moving from back to front, Sandro activated Weak Point Capture and plunged his sword. Darting across the titan in Swift Movement, he was like a loach— but with predator fangs!
"Fireball!"
"Lightning Bolt!"
Boom! Boom!
Taesung mages fired to snag him, but spells hit the titan's back instead.
"Shield Attack!"
As the shieldless arm flailed for Sandro, Levendas stunned it. The Taesung Knight froze, eating full focused fire from Phoenix DPS.
Taesung buffers shielded hastily, but couldn't sustain—Hellfire's orange Reverse Knight materialized amid their healers, swinging its longsword.
"You again, you rat Sandro!!"
Darius' enraged roar hit Sandro mid-assault on the stunned titan. Then came the Dainess summon cry.
Thud, thud, thud!
Darius charged full tilt on Dainess. Spotting it, Sandro kept hitting.
Whoosh!
As Dainess swung, Sandro saved Shadow Step—teleporting behind the nearby spear Taesung Knight!
"What the—?"
Clang!
Dainess whirled, searching. Sandro clashed his wrists, unleashing his ace.
All skill cooldowns reduced by 90% for 60 seconds.
All skill MP costs increased 10x for 60 seconds.
The Demon Danterio's Unfair Contract bracelet. This cheat item slashed cooldowns by 90%.
Sandro reactivated Swift Movement post-duration, sticking to the spear titan and stabbing away.
Titans couldn't heal, but Sandro wielded the overpowered Holy Sword, stacked self-buffs like Indomitable Valor, and the 25% titan damage achievement. The ultimate titan counter struck blind spots relentlessly—had to hurt.
"Echo of Despair!"
A massive shadow loomed as the greatsword titan flailed—a Dainess leap skill crashing down!
Feet shifting, hands stabbing—no rest. But eyes tracked Dainess; as it jumped, Sandro eyed the greatsword titan.
8-star Shadow Step's cooldown was 30 seconds—now every 3 with massive MP cost. Sandro danced between titans, dodging Dainess again.
"What the hell is that guy?! Is there really no one who can pin Sandro down?!"
Darius' genuine fury was obvious without looking. But post-reveal, Sandro's log flooded: bindings, captures, slows—all resisted by high magic defense!
Tenfold MP be damned—Sandro rebuffed. Titans had huge MP pools; buffs and attacks refilled his via absorption! Arrows occasionally slipped through, but MP topped off fast.
Whoosh!
Dodging Dainess to spear titan's back via Shadow Step, then to greatsword's as it pursued. Perfect dog training.
Thanks to the pre-siege Danterio bracelet, Sandro toyed with Darius amid the chaos. And so, the Taesung Knight finally reverse-summoned—Sandro's strikes plus Phoenix DPS draining its near-300,000 HP.
After original Luitus, new titans emerged one by one. Thus began the sieges where titans clashed—the so-called Age of Titans.
But with it dawned the Age of the Titan Killer—soloing titans without one.