Chapter 404: the forgotten history of the Titans [GT Bonus Chapter]

By combining Bastion's protective barrier with Sevaroth's Closure Authority, Luke created a defensive structure capable of sealing cracks and openings produced by attacks.

Normally, such a combination could be used to repair damage after a barrier had already been struck.

However, Luke didn't intend to wait until an attack damaged the shield before manually activating the sealing effect.

Instead, he directly connected his energy circulation to the forged structure, allowing the Closure Authority to respond automatically whenever cracks appeared.

As long as he could supply sufficient energy, the barrier would attempt to seal those openings before the damage spread further.

"And finally."

Luke checked his energy reserves once more and discovered that they were still overflowing, especially since most of the Forged Arts he had created so far involved combinations of only two abilities.

Consequently, he decided to prepare one final defensive technique.

"Unshaken Aegis"

"Bastion's Aegis + Iron Will!"

Under Luke's control, Heaven Forge began combining Bastion's powerful protective barrier with the mental resistance provided by Iron Will.

Once the forging was completed, the resulting defense possessed protection against physical, magical, spiritual, and mind-affecting attacks, allowing the two original abilities to function as a single defensive phenomenon.

Iron Will was already an excellent ability against mental interference, and by incorporating it into Bastion's Aegis, Luke hoped that even the spiritual properties carried by the coming lightning tribulation wouldn't be able to bypass his will.

With the completion of this final Forged Art, several layers of protection now surrounded his seventy-foot Titan body, each possessing different defensive properties.

---

Meanwhile, the two Dragon Princesses had been watching the entire process from their position below the cliff, and their expressions had gradually become increasingly incredulous.

"What the heck? Is he even human?"

Emberlyn couldn't help muttering those words as she observed the numerous defensive barriers Luke had created.

Although she already knew that Luke possessed extraordinary abilities, witnessing him casually bring out so many different defenses had still exceeded her expectations.

After all, even as an A-Rank Dragon, she could confidently say that those protective layers were sufficient to withstand an ordinary A-Rank attack, with the possibility that several barriers would remain intact afterward.

Rhaenyra was similarly surprised, although her attention was particularly drawn toward the last defensive technique.

She raised an eyebrow as she examined the barrier surrounding Luke, recognizing that it possessed an unusual resistance to mental interference.

Such abilities were comparatively rare, and they were especially valuable when dealing with demons, whose attacks could often involve spiritual or mental manipulation.

However, just as Emberlyn was wondering whether Luke could still be considered human, a gentle voice accompanied by soft laughter suddenly came from behind them.

"No, he is a titan."

"Grandma!"

Both Dragon Princesses immediately turned around upon hearing the familiar voice, recognizing its owner even before looking at her face.

Standing behind them was their grandmother, Zephyrielle, who approached the two sisters with an amused smile.

"Ahh, my little princesses have become mature in a few days, while I was gone."

She came closer and affectionately embraced both of them, her teasing words clearly referring to the Luke they had been watching so attentively.

"Ahem."

Rhaenyra immediately pretended not to understand the implication, while Emberlyn's cheeks developed a faint blush upon hearing her grandmother's remark.

Noticing her younger granddaughter's embarrassment, Zephyrielle merely smiled and gently rubbed her hair.

However, Emberlyn was still curious about something she had heard earlier.

"Grandma, what's a titan?"

Hearing the question, Zephyrielle looked toward Luke's seventy-foot body, which remained seated upon the distant cliff while surrounded by the defensive barriers he had created.

"Titan is a race. And your little lover is a titan."

She answered with a smile, deliberately avoiding mentioning which of her granddaughters she was teasing.

Unfortunately, both Rhaenyra and Emberlyn understood the implication and instinctively avoided meeting her gaze.

"But isn't Luke human? After all, he was sum—"

"Yes, he was human when he came to Valtharion, but now he isn't human anymore, but a titan."

Zephyrielle interrupted Rhaenyra before she could finish her question, calmly clarifying what she meant.

However, rather than resolving their confusion, her answer only raised additional questions.

Both Dragon Princesses turned toward Luke again, watching as he continued preparing more defensive barriers around himself.

"Then Grandma, why haven't we heard about the titan race?"

Zephyrielle gently rubbed their hair before answering, a faint smile appearing on her face as her thoughts wandered toward certain old memories.

"Well, the records of the titan race were erased from the mainlands, which is the result you never heard."

Hearing that explanation, both princesses became shocked.

After all, erasing the records of an entire race from the mainlands was no small accomplishment, especially when considering how many kingdoms, empires, and ancient civilizations existed throughout Valtharion.

Zephyrielle noticed their reactions and continued explaining what she knew.

"When your grandpa went to the Endless Forest, he found an ancient tomb, and that tomb belonged to an old titan."

She paused briefly, recalling how surprised she herself had been when her husband first told her about the discovery.

"In these records, the titan said that while they were on the mainlands, their bodies were so large that even dragons of today time would looks like dwarfs in front of them."

"Really??"

Emberlyn was genuinely shocked by that claim, finding it difficult to believe that another race could possess bodies so much larger than dragons.

After all, dragons were widely known for possessing some of the largest physical forms among the races of Valtharion.

Even an S-Rank dragon could grow several kilometers long, while their grandfather's dragon form was on an entirely different scale, extending for hundreds of kilometers.

Emberlyn had even heard stories that whenever their grandfather traveled over a kingdom in his original dragon form, the entire territory would temporarily fall into darkness because his body was large enough to block the sunlight.

And now her grandmother was claiming that ancient Titans had been so large that even dragons appeared like dwarfs in comparison.

"Haha, yes, even I was surprised, but when your grandpa found the tomb, that titan's body was so large that even he with his strength couldn't be able to lift it up."

O_O

Both Dragon Princesses immediately opened their mouths in disbelief, unable to imagine how a dead Titan's body could be so heavy that even their grandfather couldn't lift it with his extraordinary strength.

However, Zephyrielle ignored their stunned expressions and continued recounting what the ancient records had revealed.

"In that record, the titan said that using their physical strength, they had defeated every being. Even with their demigod cultivation, they had defeated the gods."

"Grandma, that's absurd!"

This time, even Rhaenyra couldn't remain silent, since her grandmother's explanation was becoming increasingly difficult to accept.

After all, a demigod was still only a demigod, while a true god possessed divinity and existed on an entirely different level of power.

So how could a Titan who had cultivated only physical strength defeat an actual god while remaining at the demigod stage?

Zephyrielle understood her granddaughter's disbelief, although she continued explaining what had been recorded inside the ancient tomb.

"Well, it was said by that old titan, that they only cultivated their physical bodies. So when at the demigod stage, their body's physical damage and divinity were linked. So for them, a punch carrying divinity, or a punch carrying an elemental attack, or a punch carrying physical strength, was the same."

"Which means, for any type of attack, they had to pass through their physical defense before they could be killed."