Ashen Dragon

"Boom——"

A blazing white pillar of fire tore through the sky, radiating boundless light, descending like divine punishment and rushing straight toward the Dwarf King's chest.

"For the glory of the Shield Dwarf race!" Ed swung his warhammer, letting out a heart-wrenching roar and releasing the last ounce of vitality in his body.

"Rumble!"

In an instant, the earth trembled, dust and countless fragments of stones soared into the air, and a small mountain range rapidly rose from the ground, like a massive shield standing before the dwarves.

"Boom!"

The pillar of fire struck the rocky giant shield, and the extreme forces of fire and earth elements collided, intertwining and triggering a cataclysmic explosion.

Misha—or more accurately, Cassius—had unleashed the pillar of fire from afar, and it pierced through the rocks as if a scorching hot blade were slicing through butter, revealing molten lava slowly oozing out, hissing and crackling.

Amid the explosion, dense gunpowder smoke and ferocious flames engulfed everything within a radius of several hundred meters.

Neither the stalwart Dwarf Warriors defending the fortress nor the Empire's soldiers and officers could discern what had just transpired, only letting out heartfelt exclamations.

"By Moradin above..."

"Gods, is this truly divine punishment?"

"No, Lord Ed will not die! We Shield Dwarves are a majestic race born of the forge, and even such explosions cannot destroy us!"

The dwarves anxiously watched the aftermath of the explosion, while resisting the Empire's attack and disputing nervously, fearing that their revered king had perished.

"Lady Misha!"

"This is the might of His Majesty Cassius! Dwarves, your king is dead—abandon your futile resistance!"

"Long Live the Empire!"

The Empire's battalions erupted into cheers once more, soldiers swinging their weapons arrogantly.

This was a scene they had witnessed countless times: enemies foolish enough to stand against the Empire always ended up reduced to ashes.

As the lava cooled and emitted crisp cracking sounds under fierce winds, the smoke dispersed to reveal a massive breach in the uplifted mountain—a tunnel several meters in diameter, crudely blasted open.

And behind the mountain, the Dwarf King knelt motionless on the ground. His rocky frame was charred and ravaged, resembling a burned stone sculpture.

His left chest, where his heart had been, was hollow, with a dark cavity left by the pillar of fire's devastating strike.

"Whoosh——"

A gust of wind blew through the Dwarven statue's hollow chest, producing a sorrowful, whistling sound.

At once, on the Aivendel City Wall, the dwarves dropped their hammers and axes one by one, the tools clanging crisply onto the ground.

They stared at each other in disbelief, overwhelmed by confusion and helplessness, as though an abruptly snapped string had silenced their minds and fractured their hearts.

Lord Ed... dead, just like that?

Some dwarves stood frozen in place, others shook their heads lightly, while some murmured: "No, no, Lord Ed..."

"This cannot be..."

"Impossible, impossible..."

Then, as their gazes fell upon the shattered stone figure in the distance, their entire frames trembled as they broke down into anguished cries, some even dropping to their knees, pounding their heads against the ground until blood splattered across the city walls.

The Dwarves were a direct, unreserved race, never concealing their emotions.

And now, the weight of overwhelming sorrow struck their hearts painfully. They could scarcely believe that their invincible king had truly died.

"No——"

"Lord Ed!"

"He cannot die—he is the Master of High Mountains!"

It took several minutes for the remaining Shield Dwarf Warriors to accept the harrowing truth:

Their protector and Master of High Mountains, the King of Aivendel, Ed Klein—their leader and trusted king—had perished beneath the fire of the evil dragons.

At this moment, the dwarves had lost their most steadfast shield.

"Damn you, Evil Dragon Kin!"

"I will avenge Lord Ed! I'll take you down with me!"

"For Lord Ed!"

The remaining Dwarf Warriors, eyes reddened, let out furious battle cries as they rushed madly at the Empire's soldiers, some even leaping down from the walls in a desperate attempt to retrieve Ed's remains.

"Bang!"

"Bang! Bang!"

"Hahaha, join your rotten stone king in Hell!"

But awaiting the dwarves were the Empire soldiers' cold rifle barrels and merciless taunts. For such disorganized assaults, the Empire's infantry handled them with ease.

Amid the whistling gunfire, dwarves fell to the ground one by one.

Even in their final moments, the loyal Dwarven Warriors strained to reach toward Ed's remains, bleeding hands extended and tears flowing warmly down their faces.

"Majesty..."

"Lord Ed..."

...

With the Dwarf King's death confirmed, the dragon's phantom in the sky gradually dissipated into flowing flames.

Misha, too, let out a faint exhale as her body relaxed, her golden eyes returning to normal, while the imposing Dragon's Might vanished entirely.

Clearly, Cassius had ended the possession, and Misha regained control of her body.

The Bipedal Wyverns felt intense jealousy toward Misha's exclusive treatment; as retainers of the Ashen Nest, they envied her obvious favoritism.

——Despite being an elder of the Ashen Nest, their seniority far outweighed Misha's, making them feel they deserved the honor of forming a contract with their master far more than her.