Chapter 660: The End and the King Beneath the Mountain
That was Cassius—ever foresighted, always dancing between the gods, making them grind their teeth in hatred yet utterly helpless.
At last, Dumathoin lowered his gaze and let out a long sigh.
"Sigh—"
A rare sound from the silent god. His voice was low and distant, like the chill of autumn, like the final elegy of the Shield Dwarves.
Dumathoin raised the Hammer of Lava and pointed to the ravaged, magma-flooded ground behind him. A tide of earthen light surged forth, pouring out the power of earth's authority.
"Boom—"
With a muffled roar, stone flowed like liquid. The towering stone pillars sank rapidly, bottomless rifts closed, and the crystals, gems, iron, copper, gold, silver, and mithril on the stone dwarf's body melted into the bedrock, flowing into the veins below.
These buried treasures obeyed Dumathoin like the most loyal soldiers, flawlessly following his command.
"So this is divine authority... truly enviable."
Cassius stood atop a nearby hill, calmly watching the earth ripple like waves, as if the great battle just now had nothing to do with him.
Such massive environmental manipulation was something even the red dragon could only achieve within Imperial lands, and not with Dumathoin's finesse.
Then, Dumathoin touched the ground with the Hammer of Lava, gesturing. A sorrowful song echoed on the wind across hundreds of miles.
The fallen Shield Dwarves seemed to hear their god's call. Their corpses glowed faint yellow and sank into the earth, becoming nourishment for the land.
"Dumathoin's Rest."
Born from the mountains, resting beneath the earth—a fitting end for dwarves.
At last, Dumathoin looked up. His silver-flame eyes fixed on the red dragon one final time. He sighed again, then turned into golden-yellow light and shot into the sky.
Dumathoin had departed.
In truth, even if the Silent Keeper hadn't withdrawn, he couldn't remain in the Material Plane much longer. Gruumsh had united the Abyssal demon legions and was preparing to attack his divine realm.
Weighing the costs, Dumathoin chose a ceasefire with Cassius, shifting focus to the Outer Planes—after all, the Shield Dwarves weren't extinct. Their prince was leading them to a new homeland.
In fact, this battle had been mostly a probe. Despite the spectacle, neither Cassius nor Dumathoin had revealed their trump cards.
The hundred-meter stone dwarf remained, curling into a kneeling shape, forming a silent hill.
Edd's remains were buried within, resting at last.
The dwarven elegy ended. The smoke and fireclouds cleared. Noon sunlight pierced the clouds and touched the earth.
Watched by fervent Imperial eyes, the red dragon beat his wings and ascended. Sunlight gilded his colossal frame.
"Long live Cassius!"
"Long live the great red dragon!"
"A god! Even gods must bow to His Majesty's might and kneel before the glorious Ember Empire!"
"Praise the great red dragon! He defeated a god to protect us!" Tears streamed as gratitude and awe filled every heart.
These soldiers didn't know about the non-aggression pact.
In their eyes, their Emperor had crushed Dumathoin, forcing him to flee the Material Plane.
And such a "heartening rumor" was something Cassius never discouraged. A red dragon with dreams of apotheosis welcomed any tale that raised his prestige.
"Hahaha, that dwarf god is still cleaning the battlefield. Never thought I'd see a god collecting corpses!" an Imperial soldier joked.
"Yeah, even gods are nothing compared to our Emperor!"
"How can we ever repay this kindness?" someone sang the Hymn of Cassius, now with new verses about battling gods.
High above, Cassius spread his wings, gazing down on the war-torn Avenderdan, then roared skyward.
"Roar—"
Hundreds of wyverns looked up and howled in chorus.
"Awooo—"
None louder than Smaug, the largest wyvern and their leader. His cry cracked the nearby cliffs.
Falling pebbles startled a dwarf hiding in a dark alley corner.
The dwarf, filthy and scorched, trembled where he crouched.
His name was Jarl Brick, a battle-hardened dwarf warrior, flung from the wall by Imperial firepower.
He had proudly stayed in Avenderdan, unafraid of death.
But now, he wavered.
He shivered in despair, whispering the same thought: "Lord Dumathoin abandoned us. Our ancestor... He abandoned us."
Death wasn't as terrifying as the collapse of faith.
Jarl had believed he'd fight beside the dwarven gods in the afterlife.
But now, after watching Dumathoin clash with the red dragon and leave, hope turned to despair. He began to doubt.
Would he even reach the divine realm?
Was he fated to die here in Avenderdan, buried with a fallen kingdom, wasting two hundred years of life?
Maybe... maybe...
The earth gnome officer had promised good treatment if he surrendered.
Sweat beaded on his brow. His ancestral morals clashed with his will to live.
Then he looked up at the red dragon and froze.
What a beast!
Bathed in sunlight, the Emperor glowed with a golden halo, awe-inspiring as any god.
"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"
"A flawless victory!"
"Praise the great red dragon!"
Cheers shook Avenderdan's walls.
Perhaps infected by the fervor, Jarl felt awe for the dragon who had destroyed his people.
"To kneel before such an emperor... might not be shameful." His knees trembled.
With wyverns howling and soldiers cheering, the last wall in the dwarf's heart collapsed.
He tore a filthy rag from his clothes and waved it high: "I surrender! I surrender! I pledge myself to the Empire!"
"Hold fire!"
"Good! Take him to General Drol!" ordered an officer as soldiers swarmed and took Jarl away.
Thus, the first dwarf surrendered to the Empire.
With a boom, Cassius landed atop the dwarven palace. Soldiers and officers looked up, eyes blazing.
"Your Majesty!"
"His Majesty Cassius!"
Knees hit the ground in waves. Soldiers kissed the earth beneath the dragon's wings.
Drol, Misha, and Smaug arrived.
"We greet Your Majesty (Master). May the Empire prosper forever."
Drol and Misha knelt, hands over hearts, voices trembling with emotion.
"Master (in Draconic)."
Smaug landed too, head bowed to the floor, tail wagging.
Cassius tapped the tiles underfoot, marveling at dwarven craftsmanship, then said, "You did well."
Misha quickly said, "Master, without your arrival, we would've perished in the rubble."
Drol piled on: "Yes, Your Majesty! You defeated a god! Your power surpasses the divine! Your wings shadow the sky!"
Cassius waved a claw: "Enough. I didn't come for flattery."
Drol chuckled awkwardly: "Of course, Your Majesty. You're still so humble. Rise, everyone."
In truth, Cassius had only forced a retreat from an incomplete avatar. It was no true victory over a god.
Smaug wanted to add praise but found no opening. He scratched the ground in frustration.
"This isn't the place. Follow me."
Cassius conjured a fiery portal leading to the treasure vault near Avenderdan—the Lonely Mountain Vault.
Misha, Drol, and Smaug followed into the vast, empty cavern. Only a few scattered coins and gems remained.
Misha frowned. "Master... is this the legendary vault? Damn, those dwarves cleared it out!"
Cassius replied coolly, "You're right. This is the Lonely Mountain Vault, and it was indeed emptied."
Drol gritted his teeth: "That was Imperial wealth! We could've built so many tanks!"
Smaug spat angrily: "Shameless dwarves! Greedy dwarves! They should all be exterminated!"
Never mind that he was the invader, and the wealth belonged to the dwarves.
Cassius tapped the stone floor with a claw. "Your priority now is to fully occupy Avenderdan and use it as a base to cleanse the orc tribes to the north."
Drol nodded. "Those orcs were already crushed by the dwarves, who we crushed in turn. My army can wipe them out."
Misha shook her head. "General Drol, don't be overconfident."
Cassius nodded and said, "Misha, show Drol the orcs' current state. Then he'll understand my urgency."
"Yes, Master."
Misha snapped her fingers. Fire element particles gathered into a magical image.
The image revealed endless fields of mushrooms.
Even earth gnome Drol paled. "W-what is that...?!"
"Orc spores," Cassius said. "They grow like mushrooms. Their underground eggs hatch new orcs."
Misha frowned. "If unchecked, they could plunge the North into chaos."
Drol sobered, kneeling again. "Your Majesty, I will give everything to destroy these cursed orcs."
Cassius exhaled a puff of sulfurous smoke, dissolving the image. "Good. The Empire will send forty thousand elite reinforcements, massive weapon stockpiles, and mobilize five hundred thousand Starfallers to help exterminate them."
Drol bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Cassius turned to Smaug with a sly grin. "The dragonflights have long lacked a home in North Aether. From now on, Blackstone Mountain is your nest."
Smaug's eyes lit up.
Cassius had long planned to settle hundreds of wyverns there, making it a second Wyvern Valley.
Pointing to the cavern walls, Cassius added, "And this vault, once the dwarves' Lonely Mountain treasure trove, is now your palace.
For your service today, I grant you a title—how about 'King Beneath the Mountain'?"
He grinned as he looked at the wyvern.
"Thank you, Master." Smaug trembled with joy, tail wagging, drooling with excitement.
And so, after a brutal war with tens of thousands dead, Cassius's twisted sense of triumph was finally, fully satisfied.