Chapter 656: The God-Favored
"Impossible!"
Edd's voice was firm and powerful. He raised his warhammer toward Misha and shouted, "We Shield Dwarves were born from the flames of the forge—our bones are harder than the finest steel, and we will never bow to the wicked!
Even if I die today, centuries later, our descendants will reclaim our land and exact vengeance upon that evil dragon!"
Misha seemed to have expected Edd's unwavering response. She arched an eyebrow, not angry, merely stating coldly, "Since you insist on being stubborn, don't blame us for being merciless.
Whether you are the Children of the Mountains, the People of the Earth, or descendants of the Sun God—in the face of the Ember Empire, you are nothing but ash waiting to be consumed!"
"Roaaar—"
Smaug roared, shouting at Edd, "Miss Misha, don't waste words on this damn dwarf—kill him!"
Misha gave a slight nod, first closing her eyes, then slowly opening them. Her golden slit-pupils gleamed with radiant light, and a spectral dragon's eye appeared in midair.
That was the [Calamity Dragon Eye], capable of briefly foreseeing the future and unleashing dragon breath through it.
Suddenly, wide dragon wings unfurled from Misha's back. A tangible dragon's might radiated from her, and scales like fragments of stardust surrounded her.
Energy scales, attribute buffs, agile as a swimming dragon, energy damage protection, aerial maneuvering spells—this full enchantment loadout was the same kind of "circus act" Cassius once used.
"Such a powerful spellcaster..." Feeling the overwhelming magic surging from her, Edd couldn't help but grip his warhammer tightly and mutter.
Edd focused entirely on the battle. The threat posed by this seemingly delicate girl was far greater than the massive, vicious wyvern.
Another storm of sand and dust rose, blurring the surroundings of the Dwarven King and making the nearby earth-element forces surge even more violently.
Misha gazed down from above, extending a delicate hand. A massive, blazing fireball formed in her palm as she said coldly, "Those who resist the Empire... shall be destroyed!"
"Boom!"
A scorching pillar of flame pierced the sky, descending like divine punishment, targeting the shadow within the sandstorm.
It was the 8th-tier spell, Solar Flare Burst!
Enhanced by her draconic bloodline and the blessing of the Elemental Progeny, Misha's Solar Flare Burst rivaled even 9th-tier spells, warping the surrounding air.
Smaug dove down from above, claws bared, charging into the sandstorm, eager to avenge the earlier strike.
"Crack!"
Edd touched the ground with his warhammer—his body merged with the earth, vanishing into the rocky depths like diving into the sea.
Earthwalk Technique!
Misha's Solar Flare Burst and Smaug's dive both missed, only leaving behind a pit of molten stone.
Edd had vanished, but Misha remained calm. With [Foresight] from the Calamity Dragon Eye, she accurately anticipated his next move and prepared accordingly.
"Boom!"
As expected, the ground beneath Misha suddenly ruptured—a sharp rocky greatsword burst forth, followed closely by Edd swinging his warhammer!
"Dragonspawn, die!"
But Misha had foreseen it. She suddenly flapped her vast dragon wings and ascended, stirring a blazing wind that conjured a cloud of white-hot ash and smoke in the sky.
Cloudburn Spell!
The searing smoke cloud scorched Edd's eyes and obscured his vision, giving Misha time to prepare an even more powerful spell.
She pointed one slender finger skyward, then swiftly slashed it down—her golden eyes ablaze.
"Whoosh—"
With a mournful cry from the heavens, a blazing meteor plunged straight down, unleashing a devastating explosion across a hundred-meter radius, reducing everything in the Cloudburn zone to ash.
It was a 9th-tier spell—Meteor Storm!
"Boom—"
The earth rumbled and quaked. All of Avenderdan shook violently.
Burning stones flew in all directions, dark smoke cloaked the sky, and surging clouds of ash and fire created an apocalyptic scene.
"Oh gods..."
"Lord Edd!"
Even the dwarves still desperately defending Avenderdan's walls were drawn to the overwhelming commotion, their eyes—lit by firelight—filled with panic and worry.
"Roar! That dwarf must've been blasted to dust!" Smaug whipped his tail excitedly, letting out a triumphant howl.
But Misha's expression remained serious. She shook her head and said, "No, he's not that easy to kill. This battle... is far from over."
The air was thick with acrid, surging smoke, like the metallic stench of earth in a mine.
Within that smoke still stood a familiar figure. A deep voice rang out: "I said that dwarves are born from the forge of our Father Moradin, and we will never fear flame! The Shield Dwarves will never surrender!"
"Boom!"
That figure within the smoke suddenly raised his warhammer, unleashing a thunderous roar.
A fierce wind swept across the land, scattering the smoke. In its place came a terrifying sandstorm—a swirling vortex of rocks and dirt engulfing a hundred-meter radius.
Misha narrowed her eyes, using the Calamity Dragon Eye to discern Edd's true form.
Edd was still in his dwarf form, but his flesh and skin had been completely replaced by solid stone.
After withstanding Misha's bombardment, his body now oozed slow-moving magma, encrusted with gemstones and precious metal ore. Hot white vapor hissed from the gaps in the stone—he resembled a mutated stone golem.
Yet compared to monsters birthed from the earth, Edd now more resembled the true master of mountains and land—possessing power akin to a demigod.
Seeing this, Misha whispered, "Careful. His body is fully elementified—earth-aligned. Stay airborne as much as possible.
Also, be cautious. To defeat such a being, we must destroy his elemental core completely. Severing limbs won't kill him."
"Yes, Miss Misha," Smaug quickly replied, flapping his wings to stay high above. Even the wyvern felt uneasy at the sheer force Edd unleashed.
Misha continued, "Relax. You just need to buy time. He can't maintain this state for long. Without divine essence, his will shall soon be consumed by the laws of the earth."
"Fine, we'll wait for this dwarf to dig his own grave!"
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
The sandstorm spread further. Massive stones rained down, carving chaotic craters into the land.
Misha and Smaug twisted and darted through the air, narrowly dodging the falling rocks, while the storm below echoed with thunderous roars.
"I offer my flesh, my soul, and all that I am to these mountains! For the past thousands of years—and the next—we Shield Dwarves will remain the eternal masters of this land!
Get off my land!"
"Boom!"
The earth split open. A massive hand made of stone shot up from the ground, clawing at the airborne wyvern.
Smaug beat his wings desperately, narrowly avoiding the strike—only to be caught in the sandstorm, shrieking as he struggled against the sandy winds.
"Roaaar—"
Countless boulders rained toward him. Though Smaug dodged frantically, his wing membrane was torn—riddled with holes.
At the same time, Edd stood atop a rising rock spire, lifting a warhammer dozens of meters long and hurling it toward Smaug's head in fury.
"Damn dwarf!" Smaug clawed and thrashed wildly, dragon blood surging within him. In the face of imminent death, his power exploded, unlocking unimaginable might.
Instantly, flames churned in the wyvern's chest like a pulsing sun, and from his throat erupted a searing blaze unlike anything seen before.
"Boom!"
The stone blackened, splitting and exposing holes, as fire burst from their expanding edges. Much of the rock had been incinerated, crackling ominously.
Seeing this, Smaug roared savagely, "I'll burn you alive! Let me show you the power granted to me by my master!"
Flames surged out once more, but Edd's face twisted with rage as he bellowed, "Ignorant beast! You know nothing of the power of earth and mountain!"
"Boom!"
The ground split open again. Jagged rocks shot upward, piercing the sky, aiming at Smaug's more vulnerable underbelly.
At this moment, Smaug couldn't spare the effort to breathe fire, flapping his wings to dodge frantically mid-air. Yet his actions weren't in vain—they bought Misha precious time.
Ancient, resonant Draconic echoed through the sky, causing Edd to instinctively look up.
"You are the sole master of the Anzeta Wasteland, the supreme Emperor of the Ember Empire, the Cataclysmic Lord of Thunder and Flame..."
High above, hundreds of meters in the sky, Misha stood with closed eyes, murmuring incantations. Her crimson hair danced like tongues of flame behind her.
"Swoosh—"
Suddenly, Misha's eyes snapped open. Within the pale golden vertical pupils blazed a soul-stirring light.
In an instant, an almost tangible dragon's might expanded outward, pressing down on all life within a kilometer.
Scorching winds howled as an endless inferno erupted, dyeing half the sky in brilliant orange and crimson hues.
"Wh-what is that?!"
"By Moradin—"
"Oh gods!"
The dwarves were visibly terrified, hearts pounding, instinctively looking toward the storm's core—behind the draconic girl loomed a colossal red dragon phantom, wings blotting out the sun, making all life tremble.
The Empire's soldiers, however, were feverish with fanaticism. Morale surged, and their offensive grew fiercer. Officers and men alike shouted, "For the Ember Empire! For His Majesty Cassius!"
"Hurry! Full assault! His Majesty is watching us!"
The troops burst into spontaneous song, and the walls of Avenderdan echoed with the melody of the "Cassius Anthem".
On the battlefield of the wasteland, under this scorching storm, Edd's sandstorm was entirely dispersed. Countless fragments of rock and sand rained to the earth.
Smaug broke free from the rocky binds, flapping triumphantly in mid-air. "Dwarf, scared stiff? This is His Majesty's power!"
Edd looked up, meeting the massive dragon phantom in the sky with steady eyes. His voice was low and grave, "So this is our enemy. So that's the Ember Emperor..."
Misha gazed down at the dwarf, fire flashing in her golden eyes. The red dragon phantom behind her stared at him across space.
"Submit to the Empire, or die—this is your final chance." The cold, crisp female voice echoed through the heavens.
At this moment, Misha's body was no longer her own; it was controlled from tens of thousands of miles away by the Emperor.
Cassius knew it was unlikely the High Mountain Lord would truly submit, but there was no harm in trying—and perhaps he might uncover the dwarves' secrets.
"Never!" the dwarf king replied firmly, his voice unwavering.
Misha—or rather, Cassius—sneered. "Edd, why bother? Look around you. Because of your stubbornness, Avenderdan is in ruins, your people slaughtered, barely any survivors remain."
Guided by that voice, Edd couldn't help but look around.
What had once been a magnificent city—the crystallization of dwarven wisdom—was now devastated ruins, ravaged by bombardment, walls crumbled everywhere.
Dwarven corpses lay piled, their blood staining the walls. From an army of ten thousand, fewer than eight hundred remained.
And the Empire's assault still raged on. Even those last eight hundred warriors might soon be slaughtered by the fanatical imperial forces.
Was all this... worth it?
Doubt flickered in Edd's heart, but it was quickly replaced by unshakable resolve.
The High Highland Kingdom wasn't dead. Zane lived, as did the evacuated shield dwarves. They would carry on the kingdom's legacy. One day, they would reclaim their homeland.
And Edd himself would prove, with his life, the unyielding spirit and courage of the shield dwarves—to preserve the ideals passed down through generations!
"In your dreams, you son of an orc! You shameful bastard as dishonorable as a drow—"
Edd roared a stream of unfiltered curses, releasing all the fury he'd bottled up, spewing every dwarven profanity he knew.
Finally, the dwarf king raised his warhammer skyward, his gaze sharp and unrelenting, shouting once more the line he held dearest: "Evil dragon! Shield dwarves shall never kneel! The High Highland Kingdom shall never yield!"
Misha's gaze was icy. She slowly lifted her hand and said, "Very well. Then take your kingdom—with you into oblivion."
"Boom—"
In that instant, a dazzling blaze of fire lit up half the sky.