Molten Iron and Heavy Cavalry

"Boom!"

Another barrel filled with strong liquor and gunpowder exploded in mid-air, engulfing hundreds of orcs in the raging flames.

The raging flames burning in front of the city walls, like scorching walls, caused the orcs to stop in their tracks.

"Do not be afraid!"

"Father God Gruumsh is watching over us! The brave will be reborn in the flames!"

The orc officer burst out from the crowd, raising his spear high and letting out a frenzied roar.

"Charge!"

"For Father God Gruumsh!"

Immediately, under his leadership, the hundreds of orc Fighter behind him went berserk, braving the raging flames and charging forward to the city wall one after another.

However, the ground in front of the city wall suddenly collapsed, and the orcs fell into the deep pit one after another, pierced by the sharp Steel Spikes in the pit.

"Damn it, it's a trap!"

"No, save me! I haven't even fought the Dwarf yet! I can't die here like this!"

On the chaotic battlefield, explosions and battle cries filled the air, and the wails from the deep pits were barely audible.

The orcs behind them were completely unaware of this, and kept urging each other on, pushing and shoving forward.

—Until they saw the deep pit filled with spikes and corpses, they could no longer stop and fell into it one after another, filling the pit with their own flesh and blood.

Finally, the orc officer standing on high ground noticed the anomaly, and the Hill Giant and half-orc giants carried the crossbeams to build a bridge.

The Orc Shaman brandished their Bone Staff and chanted ancient incantations, causing the rocks to grow rapidly once again and the ground to gradually close in.

The Dwarf archers on the city walls continued to fire arrows incessantly, a torrential downpour of flaming, poison-coated arrows.

This short stretch of flat land, only a few hundred meters long, was like a millstone of flesh and blood, constantly crushing any orcs that entered into it into bloody pieces.

The Dwarf ' millennia-old skills were transformed into ingenious traps and sharp weapons, ruthlessly reaping the lives of their enemies.

However, when the orcs rushed to within a hundred meters of the barrier, the hidden device on the ground was triggered again.

The Dwarf statues on the city wall suddenly opened their mouths at the same time, revealing metal tubes inside, from which countless silver needles coated with deadly poison gushed out.

"Buzz—"

A piercing shriek ripped through the air, and the entire row of orcs fell to the ground, their corpses emanating a faint, poisonous Poison Mist.

The Orc Shaman raised their hands high, their expressions incredibly devout, chanting incantations.

"Praise be to the great Father God, the one-eyed Gruumsh!"

You are the embodiment of power, you are the raging wind, you are the torrential rain, your single eye makes the world tremble, bringing with it the will of vengeance!

Their hoarse voices echoed across the battlefield for a long time, and it seemed that a miracle had truly occurred.

"Whoosh—"

A blood-smelling gale swept in, dispersing the Poison Mist that had filled the battlefield and greatly boosting the morale of the orcs, who cheered continuously, their voices deafening.

Braving a hail of arrows, exploding barrels, and falling iron balls, and after paying a heavy price, the orc army finally made its way to the city walls.

"Avendell Dan, it's just ahead!"

"Climb the walls, crush the Dwarf, and conquer Avendell Dan!"

"Quickly! Charge! The great Gruumsh is watching us! The warriors who scale the walls will be blessed by the gods!"

The tall, strong Hill Giant, orc giants, and Ogre unloaded the ladders from their shoulders and placed them on the towering city walls.

The orcs, like swarms of ants, eagerly climbed the city walls, vying to be the first hero to reach the top and gain the approval and favor of their Father God.

However, on the city walls, the Dwarf fought hard to push down the siege ladders and shoot the orcs, but the fallen ladders crushed many orcs, causing hundreds of casualties in an instant.

"Slaughter them!"

"We swear to protect Avendell Dan to the death! We cannot let these bastards get up here!"

"By Moradin, for the glory of the Dwarf!"

However, at this moment, the orcs had completely broken through the traps and arrows thanks to their numerical advantage.

They crowded below the city walls, like mottled and surging waves, repeatedly washing over the seemingly indestructible towering walls.

Bjorn stood atop the city wall, his brow furrowed. At over four hundred years old, he appeared even shorter and more hunched than the average Dwarf, yet his eyes gleamed with unwavering determination.

"By Moradin, the orcs will eventually pay the price for their greed and folly."

Three hundred and eighty-seven years ago, I witnessed firsthand them being driven north by the valiant Dwarf Fighter, and today, history is about to repeat itself.

The old minister slowly walked into the city gate, gripped the iron lever with all his might, and pulled it slowly.

"Click".

A crisp mechanical sound rang out, followed by bursts of flames and billowing hot steam from the great furnace in the center of Avendell Dan.

The molten iron that was supposed to flow to the various Dwarf houses was redirected by the valves, and tens of thousands of kilograms of molten iron all flowed towards the city wall.

The orcs looked up, feeling the heat wave rushing towards them and hearing the roaring sound, and were immediately terrified.

"Not good!"

"Watch out! What are these Dwarf up to?"

The metal caps on the city wall opened with a clang.

Immediately afterwards, accompanied by a roaring sound, molten iron gushed out and cascaded down like a waterfall.

In an instant, sparks flew as the molten iron, at extremely high temperatures, poured onto the heads of thousands of orcs and half-orc giants, completely engulfing them.

"No--"

"It's so hot!"

"That's molten iron! Get out of the way! You damned, despicable Dwarf!"

The orcs let out painful howls, trying to struggle and escape from the red-hot molten iron, but all in vain.

First, countless water vapors surged around their bodies. When all the water vaporized, their flesh and blood could only come into close contact with the molten iron at thousands of degrees.

The battlefield was enveloped in billowing steam, with only the crackling of evaporating liquid and the crisp sound of burning flames to be heard, while the screams of the orcs had become rare.

In this terrifying steel inferno, any body would be burned by the raging molten iron.

The orcs who first came into contact with Avendell Dan were all melted down in molten iron and turned into slag by the iron refined by the Dwarf.

Once the molten iron solidified, not a single orc could still stand under the city wall; only irregular blocks of iron, still warm to the touch, remained.

"Orc bastard, taste what it's like to be burned alive!"

"Hahaha, this is Moradin's punishment for you!"

The Dwarf Fighter on the city walls laughed loudly without any attempt to hide their joy at the orc army's miserable state, feeling extremely relieved.

"This could have been used to forge so many fine weapons. What a waste of such good iron."

"Yes, it's such a waste to use it to water these bastards who worship Gruumsh."

"Moradin, please forgive our actions."

The former Dwarf craftsmen gazed at the molten iron gradually solidifying beneath the city walls, sighing with regret.

Although the orcs were somewhat shocked by the scene of steam and molten iron pouring down, they did not give up their attack and still believed that the orcs would conquer Avendell Dan.

As a result, more orcs gathered around, crowding the iron-covered city walls, and began a new offensive.

"For Father God Gruumsh!"

"Crush the Dwarf! Capture the fortress!"

Ladders were erected on the towering city walls, with hundreds of orcs clinging to them, like fangs embedded in the fortress, a truly terrifying sight.

On this narrow battlefield, death relentlessly wielded its scythe, but the orcs, under the shamans' shouts, bled even more profusely.

Inside the gates of Avendell Dan, the air was heavy and solemn.

Hundreds of Dwarf cavalrymen, clad in heavy armor and wielding heavy warhammers and iron clubs, rode atop strong Big Horn Mountain Goat, awaiting the king's command.

The armor on these Dwarf cavalrymen gleamed, and even the goats they rode were covered in finely crafted leather armor.

The heavily armored cavalry, the most powerful Dwarf cavalry in the High Mountain Kingdom, had been unmatched for centuries. Bard once praised them thus, "These Dwarf charge down the hillside like collapsing rocks."

At this moment, five hundred heavily armored cavalrymen stood ready, prepared to launch a counterattack against the orcs.

Under the relentless onslaught of the orcish legions, Avendell Dan's defenses are dwindling, and if the enemy manages to scale the walls, the fortress will surely fall.

"It's time."

"A constant retreat will only embolden the orcs and demoralize our Dwarf Fighter."

We need to fight back! We must take the initiative and leave the city, letting our blood and death teach those vile orcs a lesson— Dwarf will never surrender! Avendell Dan will never fall!

Instantly, the Dwarf heavy cavalry formation roared with imposing power, their voices shaking the heavens.

Ed finally made up his mind. He mounted the huge Big Horn Mountain Goat and gripped the heavy hammer in his hand.

"Open the city gates!"

Ed gave the order in a deep voice, and then slowly pulled down the metal mask covering his face from his helmet.

"Boom--"

With a dull rumble, the Dwarf guards worked hard to turn the winch, and the heavy city gate slowly opened.

The orcs, who had been fighting bitterly outside the city for a long time, were overjoyed to see the gate open for no reason, and their voices were filled with excitement.

"Are these cowardly Dwarf surrendering? Avendell Dan is ours!"

"Hahaha! They can't withstand the orcs' onslaught!"

"Wait. What's that?"

But soon, the orcs were horrified to discover that although the city gates were wide open, what awaited them was not a demoralized surrendered army, but rather the eager Dwarf heavy cavalry.

At the very front of the army, the Dwarf king, wearing a metal mask, spoke with a heavy and powerful voice, like the beating of a war drum.

"All troops, listen to my command!"

"Charge!"

The earth trembled, and dust filled the air.

With a tremor in the ground, a torrent of steel surged out from the city gate, and the iron hooves of armored goats crushed directly into the orcs' fragile bodies.

The Dwarf cavalry rode on the backs of goats, smashing the orcs' heads with heavy warhammers and iron bars, reaping lives with ease.

"In the name of the High Mountain Kingdom, Avendell Dan will never fall!"

At the forefront of the heavy cavalry, Ed raised his warhammer with one arm, and the goat he rode leaped several meters into the air.

"Bang!"

The Hill Giant's head exploded on the spot, blood, flesh, and bone fragments flying everywhere, leaving only a headless corpse that crashed to the ground.

Using the momentum of his fall, Ed slammed the hammer into the ground, and the warhammer, blessed by Moradin, sparked.

"Boom!"

The warhammer smashed a huge crater into the ground, and with a creaking sound, spiderweb-like cracks and charred marks continued to extend.

Immediately afterwards, flames burst forth from the pits and crevices, burning fiercely and turning several orcs standing on them to ashes.

A pungent, billowing plume of smoke rose up, and an earthy, metallic stench filled the battlefield. Ed swung his warhammer once more, smashing it down on the spot where hundreds of orcs had gathered.

"In the name of Moradin! Dwarf shall never be slaves!"

Before the Dwarf king finished speaking, a hammer-shaped rock weighing hundreds of tons condensed in mid-air, and as he swung his warhammer, the giant rock crashed down.

"Boom!"

The ground collapsed, and rubble flew everywhere.

The strong wind carried sand and gravel, and the Shockwave from the collision spread outwards, causing the ground within a radius of a hundred meters to tremble.

The squad of over two hundred orcs had been buried deep beneath the rock strata, turned into a blurry pulp, and even Become One one another.

With a single strike, hundreds of orcs were sent to the Nishrek Kingdom in Gruumsh. But this was not the end. The Dwarf king even broke away from the heavy cavalry and charged into the orc army alone.

Wherever he went, sand and dust swirled, and rocks filled the air. Anyone who dared to approach was smashed to pieces by his blood-stained warhammer.

In just a few charges, nearly ten thousand orcs who were blocking the city walls were slaughtered, and for a time no orc dared to approach.

This is the Dwarf king, revered by Bard as the "Lord of the High Mountains" and the "Furnace Controller."

— Ed. Klein.

A powerful, Legendary Warrior, wielding the "Rock Hammer" said to have been forged by Moradin himself, and wearing Shield Dwarves royal family.

A hundred years ago, it was this Dwarf king who saved the High Mountain Kingdom.

In that battle, Ed almost single-handedly stopped the descendants of the Holy Fadlan, causing the old emperor to completely abandon his idea of enslaving the Dwarf.

Now, history seems poised to repeat itself.

"Moradin, Father God, please bless us through this calamity."

Ed gripped his warhammer tightly, staring intently at the restless orcs. For some reason, a bad feeling arose in his heart.

This time, the orcs have come with absolutely all their might, determined to conquer Avendell Dan.

Gruumsh's berserk blood has been awakened and flows through the orcs' veins, fueling their ever-growing ambition.

This is especially true of Monk the Maimer, the "Eye of Gruumsh." This vanguard general stands on the hillside, raising his Double-Headed Axe high, his single remaining eye filled with bloodshot veins.

"Neither the Dwarf ' traps nor their cavalry can stop the orc Fighter ' advance, nor can they frighten us!"

Before the orcs have reclaimed what is rightfully theirs, they are cowardly, shameful, and have no place to stand! The Nishrek Kingdom of the Father God, will never welcome such trash!

Remember, never stop your advance before you capture Avendell Dan!

Monk's single eye flashed red, and the veins on his strong body bulged out like the gnarled roots of a tree.

"Aww—"

A long howl rang out, and a massive black Worg, as large as a small mountain, crossed the mountain ridge and lay prostrate before the orc vanguard.

—This is the strongest dire Worg of the Red Blood Tribe, known as the "Black Hills" by the orcs who revere strength.

It is said that this proud beast once killed seven orc tamers and refused to let anyone ride on its back, except for Monk, who subdued it with his bare hands.

With his Double-Headed Axe in hand, Monk leaped onto the Worg's high back and roared at the top of his lungs.

"Charge!"

"For Gruumsh!"

Suddenly, the Dire Wolf Cavalry in the orc legion seemed to be inspired, and the Worg beneath them all raised their heads and howled, their voices mournful.

The Dire Wolf Cavalry, wielding lances and battle axes, rode their hungry, gleaming Worg across the battlefield, forming a mighty offensive.

Ed raised his heavy hammer once more, gathering the Dwarf heavy cavalry together, and roared angrily once more.

"In the name of Moradin — Dwarf shall never be slaves!"

"Dwarf will never be slaves!"

The earth trembled slightly, armored goats galloped across the ground, and Dwarf heavy cavalry advanced like a wall of steel, meeting the orc Wolf Rider.