Ashen Dragon

Du Masong's rocky avatar was massive, towering a hundred meters high, but far less agile than the Red Dragon. Cassius reacted with lightning speed, tilting his head to dodge, as a surge within his veins erupted, unleashing Chaos Flames.

This dark red flame, imbued with the essence of chaos, broke through the barrier of earth divine power, pierced the Gemstone Giant Shield, and rushed toward Du Masong's avatar.

Du Masong rolled violently, knocking aside the Red Dragon's massive claws, narrowly escaping the Dragon Breath, while the Chaos Flames burned into the ground, creating a bottomless pit.

Cassius grinned maliciously, fire tongues still coiling in his mouth: "Du Masong, if this were the Outer Planes, I might still hold back against you. But this is the Prime Material Plane!

Accept defeat. You dwarves no longer have the strength to claim Aivendel Dan. This place already—no, can only—belong to the Ashen Empire, to me!"

Du Masong remained silent, saying nothing, yet he swung his mountain-sized fist toward the Red Dragon's chest, his Silver Fire Eyes igniting with furious sparks.

"Boom!!"

Cassius flapped his wings, soaring into the air. Du Masong struck empty space, but the sheer force of that punch fractured the surrounding space and caused the Red Dragon to secretly click his tongue in apprehension.

The dwarf deity's attacks then became even more relentless. His rock-built body seemed never to tire, braving the roaring flames and launching an unending barrage of strikes—fists, feet, and his Warhammer—against the Red Dragon.

Meanwhile, Cassius relied on his agility to duel him continuously from midair.

The Red Dragon occasionally unleashed its breath imbued with Chaos, Order, Sun, and other extraordinary forces, its versatile attacks covering Du Masong's avatar with burns and cracks.

"Die!"

Cassius dove again from behind the dwarf, spewing a pillar of fire from his maw. Caught off guard, Du Masong crashed into a nearby small mountain, his abdomen pierced by the fire.

"Boom!"

Under this tremendous force, the mountain collapsed, burying Du Masong underneath. But just as Cassius lunged forward, the opponent vanished within the rocks.

In the next moment, the Rock Dwarf burst from the layers below, rising amid endless shattered stones, swinging his Warhammer high onto the back of the Red Dragon's head.

Yet Cassius abruptly flicked his giant tail, sweeping it sideways to fling the attempting assailant, the dwarf deity, away.

This was no mere clash of physical bodies but an exchange of authority and divine power, with every strike entwined in the confrontation of two forces.

Thus, Cassius and Du Masong battled from within Black Stone Mountain to stretches dozens of kilometers away, turning the land they crossed into ruins of magma and ashes, as if hit by a traveling Scourge.

...

"Cassius above..."

"Terrifying, the mere aftermath of their battle could cause mountains to collapse. Thank goodness we didn't act recklessly."

"His Majesty will surely win..."

"Someone who can fight His Majesty to this extent—who is that dwarf after all?"

At that moment, a clear female voice echoed within the imperial army, answering the baffled soldiers' questions: "That is the Shield Dwarves' Guardian God, Du Masong.

Our magnificent Ashen Emperor, our master, is fighting an authentic deity!"

All the soldiers turned to the origin of the voice, finding the speaker to be Misha, her face brimming with excitement like she had witnessed true divinity.

In truth, Du Masong had only inhabited Ed's ruined body and was under the influence of the Beastman deities, his powers vastly inferior to his divine essence.

But that didn't stop Misha from extolling Cassius's greatness and spreading tales of the Ashen Emperor's bravery against the gods.

In an instant, the people of the empire buzzed with astonishment. Though they sneered at the divine, even they could not deny the might of these entities.

"That—that truly is a deity?" one uttered in disbelief.

"No wonder, no wonder His Majesty had to act personally! Only such a being could rival him!" someone murmured in awe.

"For our protection, His Majesty has dared confront a genuine god! How can we ever repay such grace?"

Some were moved to tears, kneeling and wailing in gratitude for the emperor's bold deeds on their behalf.

Meanwhile, on the devastated battlefield dozens of kilometers away, Cassius gave no heed to his ever-adoring subjects, his face twisted into a sinister, arrogant grin.

"Du Masong, can you feel it? The world is rejecting you!

Look at your surroundings. With such colossal damage to the Prime Material Plane, can you still call yourself the Earth's protector?"

Du Masong's expression darkened instantly, though he had no retort to those words regarding his divine role, his silence betraying his guilt.

Divine positions influence personality, and having just witnessed the deaths of many Shield Dwarves, the deity was already somewhat overwhelmed. Coupled with the Red Dragon's insidious provocations, it drove him to irrational decisions.

This "Silent Guardian" emitted a rare cold snort, lifting his gaze to defiantly glare at the looming Red Dragon, making several hand gestures whose meaning was unmistakable to Cassius.

"Ashen Emperor, do you wish to stand against the entire Dwarf Divine?"

Cassius shook his head casually, replying with ease: "Of course not. I'm helping you, aren't I? Better quick pain than prolonged agony; if the Orcs invade southward, the dwarves who die won't just be limited to this number."

Du Masong's teeth ground audibly; even the patient and humble god could not restrain his hatred for the Red Dragon's shamelessness.

"This matter isn't over! Your actions have already incurred Moradin's wrath! Return Aivendel Dan before our war with the Beastman deities is resolved!"

"I've already given plenty of concessions; why don't you see that?"

Cassius let out a "heartfelt" sigh before continuing: "If the Dwarf Divine persist in pestering me, I wouldn't mind ensuring the complete annihilation of the Shield Dwarves in the High Mountain Kingdom."

Du Masong's eyes sharpened, making another hand gesture: "What do you mean?"

"You think I haven't noticed the actions of the Master of High Mountains? Do you think his petty maneuvers can elude my sight?"

Cassius slowly flapped his wings, descending from the sky as the ground sang in protest and cracked further.

Unconcerned, he smiled: "Ancient Guardian of Shield Dwarves, if your stubbornness persists, I'd be very interested in entering that half-plane and slaughtering the remaining dwarves to extinction.

But I wonder—by that time, would you still be worthy of the title 'Shield Dwarf Guardian God'?"

The Red Dragon's piercing gaze locked onto Du Masong's avatar. Those pale gold vertical pupils sparkled with undisguised murderous intent, perfecting the art of opportunistic exploitation.

"You..."

Du Masong's countenance grew ever darker as boundless rage surged within him, causing the earth itself to tremble slightly like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Were he mortal, one facing the wrath of a medium-strength deity would have prostrated themselves long ago, but Cassius's response was heightened interest instead.

The Red Dragon stretched his wings wide, unapologetically advancing a few steps, shaking his head with exaggerated concern: "If you can't track down that half-plane, and yet you insist on opposing me, I'll be left with no choice but to play the death game and cooperate with those crude Orc deities.

Surely you know—due to the blessings of fate, my bloodline even makes Tiamat covet. Tell me—if I were to combine this Dragon Blood with Orcs... what kind of Monsters might be born?"

A threat, blatant and unbridled.

And aimed at a deity, no less. Truly, nothing could be more audacious.

Had this been before the Third Era, Du Masong would have unleashed his full divine manifestation upon the audacious blasphemer, delivering him a taste of godly wrath through Divine Punishment.

But now, Du Masong's rocky visage displayed hesitance, betraying uncertainty in the face of such circumstances.