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The Titan series is my favorite so far. I appreciate the author's depiction of the overarching plot; his storytelling is very well-organized. Although this story involves many characters and two major races, it does not feel like a mere list of events, nor does it seem verbose. I'm thrilled but also excited that the story of this world is coming to the end.
The Titans said the Genesis Flame started Titania's life. It was super powerful and could create a Titan god. It was a level nine Trinket, only those close to a True Soul could use.
The Titans were a race that followed old teachings and traditions. For hundreds of thousands of years, they hadn't met a situation to use it, so none of the Titan lords tried to take it by force.
The Devourer was different. Lord Lancelot brought him into this world, but he killed his father and betrayed the Titans. He consumed the Flame and became powerful.
He didn't care about rules and only wanted to get stronger. He planned to become a god, destroy the Titans, and turn the healthy, vibrant Plane into his warship to plunder the void.
"You know when he will succeed, don't you?" Adam asked.
Lord Fast nodded. "When the Origin completely turns black and gray, and the Genesis Flame's self-protection is broken."
"It seems this enemy is much harder to deal with than I thought." Adam remembered what he had seen twice before. The black and gray already covered two-thirds of the Origin, meaning the Devourer was close to success.
Adam's provocations had made the Devourer make wrong decisions before, but the recent strange calm and retreat of the Metal Eaters showed that the Devourer had regained his composure. Now, he knew that becoming a god was the most important thing, and all else problems, including Adam and the Mage World behind him, had to give way to this.
"The Metal Eaters are bluffing," Adam said confidently.
"What do you mean?"
"In the high-level battlefield, haven't the Royal-level Metal Eaters decreased a lot, and they no longer attack first?"
"Yes, but we think this is because the Seventh Angel died, and the Royal-level Metal Eaters need to choose a new Angel to fill the vacancy," another Titan king said.
The Royals thought that after the Seventh Angel's death, the tribe was leaderless, causing chaos, so they temporarily retreated. They thought that once a new Angel appeared, the war would return to normal.
"No, the life and death of one Angel don't matter at all."
"As long as the Devourer is alive, the position of Angel can't be decided by internal elections of the Metal Eaters. The reason why Royal-level Metal Eaters withdrew from the high-level battlefield and only commanded ordinary Metal Eaters to attack is that most of the Royal-level Metal Eaters were recalled. The Devourer wants to restart the altar and sacrifice most of the Royal-level Metal Eaters to provide him with energy."
"Then he will make a full effort to devour the Genesis Flame."
Adam's thoughts became clearer. "Only this method can let him finish the devouring quickly. Maybe even the Angels will be sacrificed. Now is the weakest time for the Metal Eaters."
The lords looked at each other. At first thought, Adam's words seemed unbelievable, but after thinking it over, they found some logic in it. However, they still had concerns. "You mean we should attack first? But what if this is a trap?"
"The Devourer has been dormant for too long, and you've almost got used to his existence," Adam explained. "But you must understand that he is the real threat. Ordinary Metal Eaters, including the Angels, are just expendables. Once he becomes a god, he can create more Metal Eaters anytime."
"If this is true, he could destroy us in an instant."
"So, even if this is a trap, you must go in. You can't afford to gamble."
'Nor can I,' Adam thought. 'Those gray energies are too terrifying. Once the Devourer leaves the Origin, he will definitely have the power to kill me completely.'
The scales were heavily unbalanced. The Devourer didn't need much to crush the Titans. The Titans and Adam, however, had no choice but to put all their effort into stopping him.
...
While the Titans decided to fight to the death, a gloomy mood hung over the Metal Eaters' territory. All the Royal-level Metal Eaters, including the Angels, were gripped by fear and lived in constant dread.
For Metal Eaters below the Angels, hearing the Devourer's divine decree should have been an honor. However, if the decree was for them to die, it brought no joy.
Although the Devourer claimed to be a god, his relationship with the Metal Eaters was one of high-pressure rule, not religious faith. He had never brainwashed his people, so they did not see dying for him as an honor. He lacked the charisma to make people die for him willingly.
There had already been sporadic betrayals, and the traitors met a terrible fate. They were crushed and thrown into the deepest part of the altar.
The Devourer ordered the reconstruction of the altar to complete the count of ninety-nine. The remaining six Angels obeyed without question. They built new altars and moved the existing ones to the edge of the Land of Divine Revelation. Then they established the hundredth altar in the center of the Land of Divine Revelation.
As the main structure was completed and the sacrifices were placed, the Fifth Angel suddenly died without warning, and her body automatically flew to the top of the altar, becoming one of the sacrifices.
She was the first Angel directly killed by the Devourer.
Then, divine decrees, which had been rare over the centuries, came one after another. Each decree meant the death of dozens or even hundreds of Royal-level Metal Eaters.
They were all used as sacrifices, replacing the ordinary parental bodies that originally occupied the three tiers of the altar.
Next came the Sixth Angel, then the Fourth Angel. No one could escape. Whether they were willing or not, they had no right to say no.
The Angels, being direct offspring of the Devourer, lived or died at Father's whim. Even the First Angel was prepared to be killed.
The altars stood like grim monuments.
...
The Titans mobilized.
Seventy-seven frontline war fortresses, twenty-seven inland cities, over three hundred floating fortresses, and the Royal City itself all left their homeland, advancing into the Metal Eaters' territory.
They were determined to fight to the death, regardless of energy consumption, territorial loss, or soldier casualties.
On the path of hundreds of super weapons, ordinary Metal Eaters were like ants under a wheel, crushed without the slightest resistance.
Floating fortresses acted like escort ships of a carrier fleet, with the Royal City as the aircraft carrier. Every salvo from its weapons was earth-shattering.
The Titans were like fighter jets, ready to engage in combat at any time. When they ran out of energy and needed resupply, any fortress could provide the most comprehensive facilities.
This innovation changed the Titans' way of warfare, giving them a more efficient way to exert their strength.
They believed the Metal Eaters would no longer be their match---if the Devourer weren't there.
But there were no 'ifs'.