Chapter 658: The Beginning of the Divine War
The enraged Dumathoin raised his hand. With a simple gesture from the "Silent Keeper," the entire Blackstone Mountain quaked violently at his command.
The ground rumbled, and the mountain roared like a raging beast. Even the Empire's armies felt genuine terror and helplessness.
The sky darkened, clouds gathered, and violent winds howled—a harbinger of impending catastrophe.
"By Cassius!"
"What the hell is that dwarf doing? How did he become this strong?! It's impossible!"
"Look! Look up there!"
A draconian officer looked up in sheer terror, trembling all over, letting out a hoarse scream.
"Above us! The mountain—it's collapsing!"
"Boom—"
With a thunderous roar, Blackstone Mountain howled and bellowed. The mountainside seemed cleaved by a giant axe. Countless rocks and dirt cascaded downward like a stampede of warhorses, engulfing the land in dust.
The peak had collapsed!
The avalanche of earth and stone instantly buried nearly a thousand Empire soldiers inside Avenderdan.
This was Dumathoin's wrath! This was the Silent Keeper's vengeance!
But it wasn't over. Dumathoin raised his "Hammer of Lava" high and swung it with force. The earth responded with deep rumbling.
"Boom!"
The ground split open, and searing lava surged up, as if to consume all of Blackstone Mountain.
This was merely the beginning. In his fury, the Shield Dwarves' guardian god intended to bury tens of thousands of Imperial troops alongside the fallen dwarves!
Fire blazed in his silver-flame eyes, radiating pressure so intense that birds and beasts scattered within a hundred-mile radius.
"Damn it! Spells are failing! The Weave and space are sealed!"
Empire mages screamed. A massive, earthy-yellow hemisphere had appeared in the sky, covering Blackstone's peak—Dumathoin's divine power had sealed the Weave and space itself, leaving only pure earth element.
Such is the domain of a god. Even a mere avatar could easily crush mortals.
Drol pointed his military blade toward the dwarf, ignoring the divine identity and shouted, "Damn it—stop him at all costs!"
Tens of thousands of elite Imperial soldiers, hundreds of tanks—if they all perished in Avenderdan, his future would be ruined!
Worse yet, Drol might not survive either. Military court awaited.
And under such devastation, even escape was unlikely. He might die alongside the troops.
"Bang!"
"Bang! Bang!"
Gunfire erupted as over a hundred sniper rifles fired from various angles, launching anti-magic, anti-material explosive rounds at Dumathoin's vital points.
Then, over a hundred tanks fired in unison. Hundreds of artillery pieces followed. Wyverns soared overhead, and shells rained down in waves on Dumathoin's towering form.
The earth shook from the barrage. Dumathoin's position vanished into fire and smoke, leaving a crater dozens of meters wide.
But when the smoke cleared, Dumathoin still stood, untouched, surrounded by molten metal fragments and shell casings.
"How… how is this possible?"
"By Cassius! Not a scratch?!"
"Those are our most powerful explosives! They could vaporize a heavy tank! How did he survive that?!"
The Empire's soldiers and officers shouted in disbelief. They knew all too well the terrifying power of their weapons.
None of them had imagined anyone could emerge unscathed from such a bombardment.
Drol's face was pitch black with rage. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "Don't stop! Increase firepower! I want to see how much he can take!"
Under his command, the bombardment intensified. The shattered ground turned even more chaotic.
But the dwarf remained unscathed. Seeing the earth ravaged only fueled Dumathoin's fury. As the Shield of the Peaks, he would make these damned dragonspawn pay!
His eyes narrowed. He raised the Hammer of Lava and slammed it down.
In an instant, flaming boulders rained from the sky, slamming precisely into Imperial positions.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Dozens of steam tanks exploded. Hundreds of cannons were shattered. Snipers hiding across the battlefield were crushed into pulp.
Even worse, the rocks melted into the earth upon impact, absorbing wreckage and flesh alike into the land.
Drol's eyes turned blood-red. Grinding his teeth, he shouted, "Damn dwarf! Even if you're a god, I'll blow you to bits!"
Misha looked grim and ordered Smaug, "There's no other choice now. Pray the master intervenes. Smaug, stall the dwarf as best you can."
"Awooo?"
Watching the furious dwarf annihilating Imperial forces with mere gestures, Smaug let out a terrified howl.
After a brief hesitation, he flapped his wings and forced a dozen wyverns into action. But he didn't lead the charge—he stayed behind them like cannon fodder.
Meanwhile, Misha closed her eyes and began chanting a solemn prayer. She summoned the final ability of a Dragon Pact Sorcerer—[Interdimensional Breath].
"O supreme Ember Emperor, sovereign of calamity and flame, great red dragon of glory and victory, your kin faces an enemy beyond defeat—a dwarven god from beyond!"
Sensing the shift in divine energy, Dumathoin looked up. His silver-flame eyes locked onto the distance.
"Awooo!"
Suddenly, brainless wyverns, incited by Smaug, rushed the dwarf but exploded midair, bursting into a rain of blood.
The remaining wyverns trembled but still dove at Dumathoin under Smaug's bloodline pressure.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Stones rained down again, slamming the wyverns into the earth, fusing them with sand and rock.
Dumathoin didn't even glance at them. In seconds, he had slaughtered the entire wyvern squad, sparing only the trembling Smaug in the distance.
"D-d-don't come any closer!" Smaug flapped frantically, desperate to escape death.
Seeing the twenty-meter-long wyvern, Dumathoin finally showed mild interest. He raised his Hammer of Lava.
Earthen light filled the air. A massive wave of pressure descended. Sandstorms raged, nearly toppling Smaug from the sky. He activated his ancestral bloodline, resisting with all his might.
But with a twitch of Dumathoin's hammer, the earth rose. Jagged rocks threatened to impale Smaug.
Just then, Misha finished her prayer. Her golden eyes blazed with fire.
"O supreme master, I, Misha, humbly beseech your arrival in the name of your pact-bound servant!"
Her voice burned like fire itself.
Instantly, the pact's power exploded. The bond reignited, piercing through space and the sealed Weave to summon her liege—Cassius Claudious Norrixius!
"Zzzzt—"
The earthen sky tore open, revealing a blood-red rift like a scar across the heavens, leaking searing flame.
"Shua—"
A blazing wind howled between the peaks. A dominating dragon's presence spread out, rivaling Dumathoin's pressure.
All eyes turned upward. A dragon head with a crown of four majestic horns emerged from the rift. Its pale golden eyes glowed like molten lava.
Then came its massive wings, vast torso, and a mountain-like tail.
"ROAR—"
The red dragon glared down at the dwarven god's avatar, unleashing a furious roar. It beat its wings, sending a firestorm sweeping the earth.
Dumathoin's domain of earth retreated. Half the sky turned crimson, consumed by flame.
"By Cassius!"
"I-it's His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Long live the Ember Emperor! Long live the great red dragon!"
The Empire's troops, moments ago drowning in fear, erupted in cheers, eyes ablaze with fanatic joy.
To them, the Ember Emperor was victory incarnate. His presence alone meant the war was over.
As for the prior horrors?
Nothing compared to witnessing the Emperor in person. It was every citizen's dream come true.
Taking advantage of the moment, Smaug flapped away, shrieking in relief. "Dwarves! His Majesty is here! You're doomed!"
Dumathoin ignored the mortals' madness. He raised his head and met the red dragon's gaze with solemn eyes of silver flame.
Simultaneously, Cassius's vision filled with divine data:
[Silent Keeper - Dumathoin (Avatar Possession)]
Challenge Level: 33
Cassius quickly reviewed intel: Dumathoin, god of Shield Dwarves and mining, wielded intermediate divine power.
Before warring with the Highland Kingdom, Cassius had predicted a response from the Dwarven Pantheon—this was one of the few dwarven nations left on the Material Plane.
But he hadn't expected Dumathoin to descend personally and oppose the Ember Empire.
Still, possessing Edd's remains and impeded by orcish gods, Dumathoin was weaker than Cassius's full power.
More importantly, Cassius held their weaknesses: tens of thousands of Shield Dwarves trapped in the Molten Secret Domain and the Eye of Gruumsh.
With a calculated roar, Cassius said, "Dumathoin—you overstep! Gods of the Outer Planes have no right to meddle in Material Plane conflicts!"
The Silent Keeper said nothing but raised the Hammer of Lava, staring skyward.
Though he remained silent, Cassius understood him through divine authority. A heavy voice rang in his mind:
"Red dragon, you and your kin slaughter and pillage Shield Dwarves, seizing their cities. You've crossed the Dwarven Pantheon's line!"
Cassius sneered, "You dwarves couldn't even hold Avenderdan against the orcs. Only the Empire could safeguard it!
Had you surrendered control earlier, we could've negotiated. But your stubborn descendants left us no choice."
"Preposterous!"
Thunder echoed in Cassius's mind as Dumathoin's fury surged. Fire blazed again in his silver eyes.
The sky trembled. The ground roared.
Blackstone Mountain quaked with divine rage, ready to collapse upon Cassius.
Unfazed, Cassius raised his head and roared, "You dwarves are as stubborn as ever! Fine. Let power decide!"
In a flash, dragon wings flared. Magic light enveloped the red dragon.
Behind him, the sky became a blazing inferno. The air shimmered, and fiery storms swept the land.
Solar divine power and fire domain surged. The dragon crystal in Cassius's chest pulsed like a miniature sun.
Smoke rose from his maw. Fire danced between his fangs. His breath weapon was ready.
Dumathoin remained calm. With a grunt, he raised the Hammer of Lava and began swinging it.
"Boom—"
The earth obeyed. Rocks surged forth and coated his body, forming a towering golem-like dwarf over a hundred meters tall.
The rock giant exuded unmatched divine might, like an ancient titan of myth.
Now, the two titans stood—one in the heavens, one upon the earth—about to clash in a divine battle.