After nearly half an hour, they finally wiped out all the Fire Dwarves covering the retreat. With no time to rest, Rendaen ordered the pursuit to continue.
The tracks left by the Iron Golem could not be hidden. Following the large footprints, the entrance to the Thaurissan Underground Hall was revealed to everyone.
With a few swift movements, the door was flung open. In the spacious hall, the remaining eighty or ninety puppets stood ready. Thaurissan, now taller than the puppets, stood out prominently at the back.
In addition, there was the fire giant Geddon, a strong Flamewaker, five or six Twilight missionaries in black robes, and a group of normal Dark Iron Dwarves surrounding him.
A small commotion arose in the Rendaen Army. All the Dwarves were familiar with the appearance of the Dark Iron King, and his new form surprised everyone.
Another reason is that the group of Dark Iron Dwarves surrounding him were all prominent nobles in Shadowforge City, and unexpectedly, they had all taken up arms and joined the battle themselves.
A sharp-eyed young man next to Unas exclaimed, "Fran! I see him!"
The crowd hurriedly pressed for details, and following the direction the young man was pointing, they saw that it was indeed him; the color of his hair and the way his beard was styled were exactly the same as in the portrait.
Unas immediately ordered, "There will be a hefty reward for capturing him, but be careful, I only want him alive!"
The opportunity to retrieve Firekiss was right in front of him, and he was a little excited, wishing he could spread his wings and fly over to grab Fran.
"Disgraceful traitors!" Thaurissan's voice grew louder as his body enlarged, instantly silencing the commotion. "Today is your end!"
Rendaen snapped out of his surprise and roared, "Traitor? You're the traitor to the Dark Iron Dwarves! Go look in a mirror, you monster! You're not fit to be the king of the Dark Iron Dwarves!"
"Waaah!~" Thaurissan's voice trembled with rage, "Are you challenging my throne, Rendaen! Come, let's end this with an ancient tradition, a battle to the death between you and me!"
He appeared angry, but was actually surprisingly calm. He wanted to use provocation to lure his opponent into a one-on-one fight, and Thaurissan was confident that he could completely crush his opponent with his current physique.
Rendaen such a huge advantage, only an idiot would fall for this trick. The Dwarf lord shouldn't be fooled, right? Unas had just thought this when reality slapped him hard in the face.
"A very reasonable approach. Enough Dark Iron Dwarves have died today; I don't want to see any more," Rendaen stepped forward. "Come on, have your men clear the way, and let's have a proper fight!"
Thaurissan chuckled, said nothing more, and directly ordered the puppets to retreat.
Several trusted generals beside the Dwarf lord immediately stepped forward to restrain him, trying to dissuade him. Unas also rushed over anxiously, urging, "My lord, don't fall for the trap! It's not too late to back out!"
But Rendaen was determined. "I know this is a provocation, but I just want a quick victory. Don't forget the battle beneath Shadowforge City."
He also had his own considerations. His side seemed to have a great advantage, having cornered the enemy, but the counterattack they faced was also very strong.
Thaurissan's army was nearly wiped out, but his elite forces remained. The men surrounding him were all formidable. Although the fire giant Geddon was severely wounded, the Boiling Water Corps were gone, and with no one targeting him, his destructive power was still astonishing.
The Flamewaker was said to be an ambassador sent by Firelord to Thaurissan's side, so its strength must be considerable. The Twilight Missionaries were all powerful mages, and the bodyguards of those nobles should also be formidable.
So even though the opponent may seem to have fewer people, they are actually a tough nut to crack. Even if they are destined to win in the end, they cannot accept suffering too many losses.
The battle between the water and Fire Elemental beneath the city walls had been weighing on his mind. Rendaen only wanted to preserve his forces, quickly resolve the battle here, and then return to aid Duke Hydraxis. That's why he turned the tables and jumped into the trap of the duel.
This willingness to take a gamble and risk one's life is sometimes essential, but Unas has some doubts about Rendaen's strength. Could it be that he was hiding something before?
Regardless, Unas was determined to cheat. If the duel went badly, he would intervene. After all, the ancient traditions of the Dark Iron Dwarves had nothing to do with him.
A space quickly cleared in the center of the hall, Thaurissan stepped out from the path cleared by the Iron Golems, where Rendaen, wielding Warhammer, was already waiting.
The two sides exchanged a long oath in Dwarvish, roughly stating that the duel would determine the victor, and neither side could renege or interfere; otherwise, they would face dire consequences, such as being struck by lightning and suffering a terrible death.
Listening to the Dwarf's translation, Unas felt a little guilty. He didn't know if this oath was merely moral or bound by magic; he was terrified of curses and the like.
Once the oath was over, without further ado, Thaurissan struck first, unleashing a pillar of flame. Rendaen neither dodged nor evaded, but roared to the sky, his body growing rapidly to almost two meters tall.
With a loud bang, the pillar of fire exploded on Rendaen's body, sparks flying everywhere and igniting his tattered clothes, but it did nothing to harm his pale golden body.
The crowd erupted in uproar, the Dwarves around him screaming, "Bronze Body!" "Your Excellency is truly amazing!"
It turns out that the Dwarves ' ancestors, the Earthen, were also divided into many levels and types. Those made from ordinary stones were naturally ordinary Earthen, while those made from various ores and even gems would naturally have different characteristics, thus evolving into different types of Dwarves.
Legend has it that the Bronzebeard Clan, which rules Ironforge, evolved from diamond Earthen, hence they are also known as the Diamond Family.
It now appears that Rendaen's ancestors were clearly Earthen composed of copper and tin ore, which is why he transforms into Bronze Body when using the "Ancestral Transformation" technique.
A pale golden light emanated from Rendaen's exposed skin. Achieving this level required extremely high talent and skill, greatly increasing both his strength and magical and physical defenses, almost equivalent to what Unas called "Avatar."
The Dwarf lord was confident in accepting the final battle, and indeed he had a secret weapon up his sleeve.
Now it was Thaurissan's turn to have a headache. He had anticipated that his opponent would have a backup plan, but he hadn't expected it to be so effective against him. After transforming into Fire Elemental creature, his greatest reliance was the various fire spells he had naturally learned. Now, facing the Bronze Body, their power was greatly reduced, leaving him with only hand-to-hand combat as his only option.
Fortunately, he had a significant physical advantage and was not afraid of hand-to-hand combat.
The two clashed violently in the center of the arena, exchanging blows and punches, with neither able to gain the upper hand.
Rendaen was slightly inferior in size and strength, but Thaurissan had just acquired a new body. Simple movements were no problem, but in intense battles, his weaknesses were exposed, and he kept revealing his flaws.
Rendaen seized these opportunities, smashing large amounts of rubble off his opponent with each blow, leaving Thaurissan's body riddled with holes.
With a graceful spin, the Dwarf lord dodged his opponent's massive fists and swung his hammer at Thaurissan's neck, causing the heavy man to stagger slightly. This was a rare opportunity.
He slightly adjusted his posture, preparing to add a bit of force to knock down Thaurissan, but five or six black rays shot from the enemy ranks into the gap between the two. These were corrosive arrows that were highly lethal to metal, forcing Rendaen to stop his attack.
Looking up, I saw that the ones casting the spell were the Twilight's Hammer Cult missionaries.
This was blatant interference with the duel. Enraged that his opponent was just as shameless, Unas roared, "You bastards, what do you mean by this?!"
The Dwarves on their side were also furious, cursing loudly. Unas pulled out his Silver Hammer, ready to fight depending on the situation. Both sides had their own agendas, so what was the point of a duel?
Thaurissan turned around and feigned a roar, "What's going on with you? Archbishop Gestaan, give me an explanation!"
A middle-aged human dressed in black robes stepped forward. "I wanted to stop this from the beginning, Your Majesty. This is an unfair duel; you have no weapon."
Thaurissan did not bring any weapons, but this was because his body had suddenly grown so large that his original weapons were no longer suitable. Moreover, he had not even adapted to his own body, so using weapons would only make things more difficult. Therefore, this cannot be used as a reason for the duel to be unfair.
"According to the duel oath, you have lost, Thaurissan. If you have any honor left, surrender," Rendaen said calmly, concealing his anger.
Once the duel begins, no outsider may interfere for any reason. Thaurissan's men have broken their oath and should be judged the loser. Unfortunately, there is no third-party arbitration here. How could Thaurissan possibly accept defeat willingly?
"I haven't lost! As long as I'm alive, I won't lose!" The Dark Iron King nearly went mad. "Die!"
A massive pillar of fire crashed down on the middle-aged man in black robes. Amidst the deafening roar and dust, Archbishop Gestaan vanished without a trace. A flash of purple light, and the Twilight Missionaries behind him also fled.
"The troublesome guy has been punished and gotten out of here, are you satisfied now!"
A clumsy self-inflicted injury scheme—if you can leave, you can come back. Can a spell that you don't even know if it hit its mark be called punishment?
Without a word, Rendaen charged forward, hammer raised. He had given up hope of a duel for honor and only wanted to kill his opponent quickly.
Unas pressed down on his Silver Hammer, intending to assess the situation further. However, driven to the brink, Thaurissan unleashed unprecedented energy. He disregarded the opponent's high magical defense and bombarded him with various fire spells. Combined with his massive fists, he instantly prevented Rendaen from getting close to him.
The Dwarf lord may appear unshakeable and invincible, but he has actually reached his limit. While his Bronze Body is powerful, it also puts a great burden on his internal organs, making it impossible to maintain for long.
The moment of truth is approaching; now it all comes down to who gives up first.
The flames on the fire giant Geddon flickered and contracted slightly, and even if outsiders noticed, they wouldn't think there was anything wrong with it. But in fact, he was deliberately and rapidly radiating heat to the outside world, trying to create a high-temperature environment to give Thaurissan a favorable position.
Since the beginning, the temperature in the hall has been rising steadily. Most people thought it was caused by Thaurissan's fire spells. Angela didn't pay attention at first, but when the temperature rose too much, she immediately noticed the fire giant's little trick.
Releasing freezing air to lower the temperature was too obvious, so Angela quickly informed the others, "I can't do it as silently as Geddon. Do you have any strategies?"
"Don't worry for now, Dwarves are very heat-resistant." Angela was being incredibly naive, still trying to remain silent. Unas immediately instructed, "Ignore their reaction, release the freezing air."
Large wisps of white, icy air shot out from Angela's staff, cooling everyone in the hall. The Dwarf nobles opposite her erupted in uproar and began to curse, a veritable replica of what had just happened.
Thaurissan's fists burned with intense flames; an ordinary person would likely be incinerated by a single blow, but they only left a small mark on the Bronze Body. "Aren't you going to banish your water mage? Glorious Hill Lord, even your servants have broken their oath!"
"You and I both know what's going on, you despicable Fire Dwarf leader. You should drive away that giant Fire Elemental first."
Rendaen's demotion of the Dark Iron King to the title of Fire Dwarf Chieftain instantly ignited the other's fury. "Die!"
Thaurissan finally unleashed his trump card: six walls of fire appeared out of thin air in six directions —Rendaen up, down, left, right, front, and back—instantly closing in to form a cube-shaped cage, tightly imprisoning the Dwarf lord inside.
The high temperature and pressure can instantly burn a person to ashes, making it the highest-level spell he has mastered.
Angela immediately sensed something was wrong and exclaimed, "Flame Cage! It's a spell that's said to never end until the enemy is burned to ashes. Once you're trapped inside, it's very difficult to escape. I wonder if Rendaen can hold out."
Time passed slowly, each second feeling like an eternity. Ten seconds later, Rendaen still hadn't broken free of the prison.
None of Rendaen's trusted officers seemed inclined to offer assistance, suggesting that the tradition of dueling oaths held considerable sway over the Dark Iron Dwarves. Only Unas could play the role of the black-faced one.
He took a deep breath, pulled out a long spear, gripped it tightly for a few seconds to gather his strength, then took a sudden step forward, throwing his entire body forward with all his might, swinging his arm and releasing his fingers, the spear transforming into a streak of silver light that shot out.
The shot, fired with all his might, reached its target in an instant, shattering into a spray of molten silver metal upon impact with Thaurissan's chest.
Molten Iron Barrier! There was actually a layer of Molten Iron Barrier on his body, an extremely powerful defensive barrier that could melt any iron that touched him.
Rendaen's Warhammer was made of an alloy primarily composed of Blacksteel, so it wasn't melted, which misled Unas into choosing to fire the first shot himself.
Although the iron spear was melted into molten iron, the powerful impact still jolted Thaurissan so much that he almost lost control of his spell.
Unas had no time to regret his actions. His obvious attack had broken the fragile rules. Surprised, Thaurissan immediately ordered his puppet army to advance, and the Dwarf nobles behind them followed suit, attempting to overwhelm them in one fell swoop.
The Dwarves on their side looked at Unas with complex emotions, a mixture of gratitude for his courage in rescuing Rendaen and fear that he had broken his oath. Unas, however, paid no heed to these feelings. He raised his Silver Hammer high, shouting, "There's no turning back! Brothers, kill!"