Chapter 654: Fallen Warrior
Scorching winds rushed forward, laced with the acrid stench of sulfur and smoke. Beads of sweat rolled down Brun's forehead as tension, anticipation, and dread swelled in his chest.
He closed his left eye, steadying the steel ballista and aiming at the gap on the wyvern's left chest. His finger rested on the trigger, ready to fire.
The wyvern was now less than four hundred meters away. At its current speed, it would close the distance in the blink of an eye.
Brun knew he had only one shot. If he failed to pierce the heart and kill the dragon-blooded monster instantly, then what awaited him was likely death.
Brun murmured, "Father Moradin, guide my aim."
Staring at the oncoming wyvern and feeling the blistering wind, the dwarf's muscles tensed. His hand on the ballista trembled, his heart pounding like a war drum.
Three hundred meters. Two hundred. One hundred.
It was close now.
Just one breath more and the wyvern would be in range—Brun was sure of it.
"Roaaar!"
With an earth-shaking roar, Smaug's form grew larger and larger in the dwarf's eyes, filling his entire field of vision.
"Dwarf, I told you—you'd pay the price!"
Flames and steam burst from Smaug's mouth and nostrils. His golden eyes burned with fury as he spread his wings and dove, fury and fire crashing toward Brun.
"Die, you wretched beast!"
At that very instant, Brun roared and pulled the trigger. With a sharp "click," the taut ballista string was released!
The dwarven steel ballista generated immense force. The black dragon-slayer bolt tore through the air with a shrill whistle, flying straight toward the wyvern's exposed chest.
"Shhhhkk!"
Watching the black arrow pierce the sky, Brun's face lit up with anticipation. His instincts screamed: it was a perfect shot!
Sure enough, the arrow seemed guided by fate, flying straight at the gap in the wyvern's left chest.
Brun could already envision it—the bolt tearing through unscaled flesh, puncturing thick muscle, and skewering the massive, burning heart.
And the beast before him would fall from the sky with a howl, crashing to the earth.
But things did not unfold as Brun expected.
Smaug sensed the danger, but at such close range, he had no time to dodge. He could only brace as the arrow raced toward his chest.
Yet when he saw the arrow's target, a strange smile crept across the wyvern's face.
"Claaang!"
The sound of metal crashing echoed through the sky. The black arrow struck the gap in Smaug's left chest, only for the tip to bend and twist. The shaft shattered to dust under the impact!
Brun's face went pale. "What?! I hit it! I know I did!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
But it was too late. Smaug had already closed the distance. With a roar, he opened his massive jaws, and searing fire surged from his throat.
Brun's face twisted in despair. He muttered, "No... that can't be..."
The inferno struck like a tsunami. In his final moments, the dwarf saw only brilliant, burning light.
"Boom—"
At point-blank range, Smaug released his breath. A wave of fire engulfed the dwarf and set the entire tower ablaze.
But the wyvern lord never forgot Cassius's teachings. He knew how important it was to finish the job, so he lunged into the flames, sweeping with his winged forelimbs.
And sure enough—Brun wasn't dead yet.
The dwarf's body was ablaze, crackling like it was about to explode.
"Monster! I'll kill you!"
With a furious roar, Brun raised his greatsword one last time and swung it down toward the wyvern's head.
Smaug's claw swatted from the side, knocking the sword away. Brun's burning body was sent flying.
Without hesitation, Smaug lashed out his tail mid-air. The barbed tip, sharp and deadly, stabbed straight at the dwarf's chest—
"Shrrrip!"
Flesh tore. The muscular dwarf was impaled on the spot, blood spraying everywhere.
Smaug's attack was seamless and merciless. No room for resistance.
His master, Emperor Cassius, had taught him: for dragon villains like them, there could be no mercy. Crush the enemy completely.
Even in death, Brun's face held shock and disbelief.
He had hit the target. How could it have done nothing?
Smaug lowered his head and looked at the gap on his chest, silently thankful—his admiration for Cassius deepened.
Had the arrow hit any other part, it might have killed him. But the unlucky dwarf had aimed for the left chest.
Smaug muttered in awe, "Master is truly wise... Thank the heavens for the adamantine plate."
In truth, this was all part of Cassius's twisted humor. To emulate the Smaug from his memories, he had one scale removed from the wyvern's chest.
As compensation, Cassius had Imperial craftsmen embed a full adamantine plate beneath it, painted black to remain hidden.
His reasoning? Better to bait enemies with a fake weak spot than let them find a real one.
Who would've thought that this joke of Cassius's would save Smaug's life and help kill a legendary enemy?
"Rooaaar!"
Smaug stood atop the burning tower, raising his tail with Brun's corpse still skewered. He spread his wings and let out a thunderous roar that shook all of Avenderdan.
"Lord Brun is dead!"
"He was a dragon-slaying hero! How could he die like this?!"
"By Moradin's forge... What kind of monster is this?!"
On Avenderdan's walls, the Ember Empire's assault grew fiercer. Dwarves were overwhelmed by Imperial firepower. Seeing Brun fall, despair took hold.
A legendary Warrior slain, his body dangled from a wyvern's tail as a trophy. Smaug proudly displayed it to the dwarves.
Smoke smothered the fortress. Flames consumed the walls. Ruins and dwarven corpses littered the battlefield. Artillery screamed overhead. Wyverns roared in the skies. Siege ladders braced against the ramparts. Soldiers poured in.
To the dwarves, it was hopeless. For centuries, Avenderdan had stood as a symbol of strength and defiance.
Never had they imagined their fortress would face destruction.
Yet it was happening—right before their eyes.
After just two days of battle, the Empire had taken most of the walls. The invasion advanced methodically, about to overrun the fortress.
The dwarves had suffered heavy losses. Brun was gone, and from nearly ten thousand defenders, fewer than four thousand remained.
"We haven't lost yet!" Edd stood atop a tower, raising his warhammer and roaring.
The dwarven king stood proud. At his feet lay corpses of Imperial soldiers and a crushed Dragon-Scaled Acolyte.
Even now, the defense held—only thanks to him.
"So long as one of us can stand and raise a hammer, Avenderdan has not fallen! The Highland Kingdom has not perished!"
Edd charged into the Empire's ranks, bullets flying. His warhammer swung like a whirlwind, sending blood and dust skyward. Dozens fell in moments.
"Lord of the Mountain!"
"Avenderdan shall never fall!"
Seeing their king fight like this, the dwarves rallied once more, charging behind him in yet another counterattack.
"Charge!"
"With His Majesty!"
"Retake Avenderdan!"
Weapons raised, the dwarves surged forward with Edd toward the towers seized by the Empire.
"Ratatatatata—"
Machine gun muzzles emerged from tower windows, spitting flames and bullets in sheets.
Edd could withstand cannon fire. His followers could not. They had the will, but not the royal blood or battle-hardened bodies.
As Edd pushed forward, dwarves fell behind him, mowed down in the hail of bullets.
"Boom!"
Edd leapt high and brought his warhammer down, collapsing the tower wall and crushing the soldiers behind it.
"Open fire!"
"Kill him—he's dangerous!"
Imperial troops drew pistols and opened fire. But Edd burst with power, deflecting the bullets instantly.
As always, Edd tore through the enemies alone, clearing the tower of all Imperial troops.
"We did it!" he shouted after smashing the last half-dragon soldier atop the tower.
But this time, no one answered. Behind him lay only corpses. His loyal guards had all fallen to gunfire and shells.
Edd climbed the tower and looked around. His people screamed in fire, choked in smoke.
Against Imperial weapons, the battle was hopeless. Dwarves died by the hundreds. Imperial soldiers took tower after tower with ease.
"No... it can't end like this," Edd muttered. This wasn't the end he imagined.
He had hoped that even if Avenderdan fell, it would be remembered—a legend of dwarven courage and defiance.
The Highland Kingdom shouldn't fall so easily.
It had only been two days. The Empire shattered their defenses like glass.
The tactics used against orcs meant nothing here. Their resistance felt like a joke.
To the dwarves, Edd had always been invincible. But now, even he felt lost.
Against an army like this... was their resistance truly meaningful?
Just then, a dragon's roar echoed from the skies, cutting off his thoughts and tensing his body.
"Rooaaar!"
A distant wyvern flapped its wings, sending waves of heat as it stared down at Edd. Its golden eyes blazed with battle-lust.
Having slain a legendary Warrior, Smaug felt invincible.
Now, he had set his sights on the one who had brought the Empire such losses: King Edd.
Before the war, Smaug had heard the name. A powerful dwarven king. Lord of the Mountain. Now, he saw it as a prize.
"Lord of the Mountain... has a nice ring to it."
Smaug licked his lips and exhaled smoke. Killing this dwarf would surely earn him favor with his master.
Edd looked up, unflinching. He met the wyvern's gaze, battle burning in his eyes.
"So this is the beast that killed Brun."
Edd knew Brun's strength well. His death stung deeply.
Brun had a powerful body, vast combat experience, and had slain a blue dragon in the Talilo Desert. He was known as a "Dwarven Hero."
Judging from the wyvern's massive size, it would be a tough fight. Even Edd wouldn't underestimate it.
"Come then. I'll kill you—for Brun, and for all those lost to your fire."
Edd gripped his metal warhammer tightly, eyes glowing bright yellow as he stared down the wyvern.