Chapter 653: Brutal Slaughter
"Damn dragon!" Brun couldn't dodge in time and was hit head-on by the dragonfire. The searing flames engulfed him, scorching his skin as the surroundings became a sea of fire.
But the legendary dwarf Warrior, through sheer toughness, charged out of the blaze with his greatsword in hand. He rolled across the ground several times, extinguishing the flames on his body.
His entire body was now charred, his skin blackened and cracked. Even his hair and beard were completely burned off—but still, he showed no fear. He slowly got up from the ground.
Brun stared at the distant wyvern and raised his greatsword, pointing the tip at the dragon's head. He roared, "Come! Fight me with everything you've got!
I've killed real dragons before. You? You're just an oversized lizard!"
"Rooaaar!"
Smaug let out an enraged roar. His golden slit pupils flared with fury, and the scales on his face lifted with hissing steam, as if ready to burst.
"Foolish dwarf! I am a scion of the great Red Dragons, a wyvern blessed with burning royal blood!"
Clearly, Brun had struck a nerve.
As Smaug grew in intelligence, power, and status, he increasingly loathed his "lowly bloodline," ashamed that he wasn't born a true dragon.
But thanks to the ancestral blood granted by the Emperor Cassius, Smaug's lineage had broken free of its limits. He now surpassed even white dragons in nobility, and his strength exceeded that of red dragons of the same age.
To call him the strongest and largest wyvern of the Third Era was no exaggeration.
Seeing the wyvern's fury, Brun doubled down on his taunts and shouted, "A mindless beast is still just a beast! You'll never be a true dragon!
Hahaha! Go on, scream! Call out your Emperor! He's the only one worthy of facing me! But you? You're not even qualified!
Hear me! I'll sever that red lizard's head and hang it from Avenderdan's walls!"
He was trying to provoke the dragon-blooded monster into losing control. Only then could he exploit its weakness and land a killing blow.
"Arrogant dwarf! How dare you insult His Majesty—you're courting death!"
The thunderous roar echoed over the wall. Enraged beyond reason, Smaug beat his wings and launched into the sky. Flames roared as he dove toward Brun.
"Boom!"
Smaug opened his massive jaws and unleashed another blast of dragonfire. The flames instantly consumed the city wall, forcing the defending dwarves to scatter.
Smoke blanketed the skies, flames raged, and a scorching wind swept through. Sparks flew as the world became a chaotic sea of grey, black, and blazing orange.
Yet the dwarf Warrior stood firm, gripping his greatsword in one hand, gazing directly at the oncoming wyvern. He shouted, "Come, you damn freak! You'll never defeat a dwarf Warrior!"
As Smaug neared, Brun leapt up and stomped onto the wall. Using the side of the wall as a springboard, he dodged the flames and leapt high, swinging his greatsword in midair.
A jumping cleave! Yet again, a leaping cleave!
By dwarven Warrior standards, it was the most effective way to take down massive monsters. It always found a fatal opening.
"Haaah!"
Brun roared hoarsely. His greatsword tore through the air with unstoppable force, aiming straight for the wyvern's head.
Though wyverns lacked flexible foreclaws like true dragons, they did have winged forelimbs.
"Shhhk!"
Smaug flapped his wings sharply, stirring a wave of hot air that pushed his massive body backward.
At the same time, his jaws aligned with the airborne dwarf. A blinding glow lit up in his throat, and a torrent of flame surged forth, aimed straight at Brun.
Brun quickly shifted his movement, using his sword as a shield against the breath attack. But he still plummeted from the sky.
Smaug didn't let the chance slip. He intensified his breath attack while swinging his massive tail.
"Shraaak!"
With a sharp screech, the wyvern's tail sliced through the air. Its poisonous barbs targeted the dwarf.
The neurotoxin in those barbs could knock out even a land wyrm. Even a legendary dwarf wouldn't go unaffected.
Gritting his teeth, Brun gave up defending. He endured the burning flames and swung his greatsword hard at the incoming tail.
"Claaang!"
The clash of steel rang out. Brun knocked aside the barbed tail, using the rebound force to twist away and dodge the incoming flames.
"Boom!"
The stout dwarf crashed into the wall. Stone shattered, dust billowed, and a crater formed in the masonry.
"Raaaah!"
Smaug roared across the sky. He folded his wings and extended his razor-sharp hind claws, preparing to dive and crush the dwarf embedded in the wall.
He always followed Cassius's teachings: seize the opportunity and finish the job. Smaug wasn't some game boss wasting time grooming his scales.
With a crisp sonic crack, Smaug dove from the sky, carrying crushing kinetic energy as his massive body slammed into the wall.
But the dwarf wasn't actually stuck—he was lying in ambush, muscles tensed and greatsword gripped tightly.
Just as Smaug was about to crash, a black iron greatsword pierced the dust, driving straight for the wyvern's belly.
"Boom!"
The impact shattered the wall. Brun managed to dodge at the last moment but was still blasted backward. His hand numbed from the force, almost losing his grip.
Thankfully, he grabbed onto the wall's edge and avoided falling from Avenderdan.
"Damn it, how?!" Brun was stunned. His full-force strike had landed—but the dragon's belly scales blocked it completely!
His arms were numb, but the wyvern didn't even flinch. The outermost defense hadn't even cracked!
What he didn't know was that Smaug's belly had protective enchantments etched into it as the Empire's wyvern leader.
And the ancestral blood from Cassius had hardened his scales beyond those of ordinary dragons.
"Rooaaar!"
Smaug roared again, plowing through the wall like a bulldozer, charging toward the dwarf hanging on the ledge.
How is this dwarf still alive?! He's like some rock that refuses to break!
Smaug spat white sulfurous smoke, his heart filled with rage and shock.
Even in the Empire, few could endure the full breath of the wyvern lord. To fight him like this was nearly unheard of.
Seeing the dragon charge again, the dwarf quickly pulled himself up, greatsword in hand, darting along the wall and dodging claws and tail strikes.
Both combatants, locked in mutual fury and disbelief, clashed again in a chaotic melee.
"Claaang!"
The greatsword struck the tail again, only leaving a faint white mark. The wyvern remained unharmed.
"These scales are too damn tough. I need to find his weakness. Otherwise, he's unbeatable," the dwarf thought, dodging fire and gritting his teeth.
Amidst the fierce exchange, Brun carefully studied the wyvern's body.
Finally, as Smaug spread his wings and roared, the dwarf spotted it—a missing scale on the left side of his chest!
And beneath it... the heart!
Brun's eyes lit up. He locked his gaze on the exposed spot.
"If I hit that spot, pierce his heart, this wyvern dies for sure!" he thought.
But he knew landing such a precise shot in combat was nearly impossible. Just getting close to the wyvern was deadly.
And given its size, even a solid hit might not reach the heart—and might just alert the beast.
Steel Ballista.
The word popped into Brun's head.
Dwarven steel ballistas were made for monsters like this. There was no better weapon to slay a wyvern.
And they were often loaded with dragon-slaying bolts—perfect for Brun's purpose.
With resolve, Brun decided to retreat from the fight and use a ballista to shoot through Smaug's exposed chest.
"Raaah!" Smaug sprayed flames, smashing through walls as he charged across Avenderdan toward the dwarf.
But this time, Brun smirked and slipped into a tower, vanishing from the wyvern's sight.
"Coward!"
"Damn dwarf, come out and fight!"
In a frenzy, Smaug whipped his tail and slammed his body against the walls, smashing stone and destroying everything in sight.
"Boom!"
With a deafening crash, the tower Brun entered collapsed into rubble—but the dwarf had vanished.
Familiar with Avenderdan, Brun had escaped via a hidden tunnel to a ballista tower.
After wrecking everything, Smaug still couldn't find Brun. He stood atop the ruins and roared, "Dwarf! Since I can't find you, your kin will pay the price!
Smaug took off, flying toward the remaining dwarf defenders on the wall.
He spread his wings and dove, spewing dragonfire across the dwarven-held walls.
"No!"
"Flames everywhere!"
"Cough, cough! Damn beast! I'll take you down with me!"
Smoke rolled. Fire erupted. The wall echoed with dwarven screams. They writhed in flame, doomed to be ash.
Smaug circled above the southwest wall.
The wyvern flew through smoke, casting a fearsome shadow. Like a god of death, he incinerated the dwarves.
"Hide like rats, dwarves!
I'll burn your kin, your loved ones! I'll turn every last dwarf to ash!"
Death's whispers echoed above Avenderdan. Smaug roared with glee, unleashing waves of dragonfire.
"I am fire. I am death!"
This time, it wasn't Cassius's command. It was Smaug's own furious roar, from the depths of his soul.
In the Empire, the wyvern lord lacked nothing. But his instincts for destruction and slaughter were long suppressed.
Now, in this siege, he was finally free—burning Avenderdan, feasting on the dwarves' screams, completely unrestrained.
"You filthy monster! I'm right here! Fight me!" a familiar voice called from afar.
Smaug turned eagerly. Brun stood atop a distant tower, waving and shouting hoarsely.
Hearing his people scream, Brun was angrier than ever—he would give everything to kill this monster.
Beside him stood a finely crafted dwarven steel ballista, already loaded with a black, cross-tipped bolt—a dragon-slayer arrow.
When enemies meet, rage ignites.
"Raaaah!"
Smaug roared and abandoned the weak defenders, flapping toward the tower.
Fire and smoke followed in his wake. The wyvern charged like a calamity incarnate.
There was only one thought in Smaug's mind: he would burn that damn dwarf to ashes!
Brun was ready. He cranked the ballista, aiming for the exposed chest. He muttered, "Come on, come on. I'll kill you—for every dwarf lost to your flame."
The final duel was about to begin.