The Fallen Warrior

A scorching heat wave hit him, mixed with the acrid Gunsmoke of Sulfur Scent. Large beads of sweat rolled down Lun's forehead, and feelings of tension, anticipation, and fear filled his heart.

He closed his left eye, gripped the Steel Crossbow, aimed at the gap in the left chest of the Wyvern, his finger already on the trigger, ready to pull it at any moment.

At this moment, the Wyvern was less than four hundred meters away from the Dwarf, and it would only take a moment for it to swoop down.

Bren knew he only had one chance. If he couldn't accurately strike the heart and kill the Dragon Blood Monsters in one blow, then what awaited him was most likely death!

Bren murmured to himself, "Father God Moradin."

Gazing at the Wyvern in the distance and feeling the hot wind blowing in his face, the Dwarf's muscles tensed, his hand holding the Steel Crossbow trembled slightly, and his heart pounded violently as if it would burst out of his chest.

Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred meters is already very close.

"In just one more breath, the Wyvern will be within my confident firing range, "Bren thought.

"Roar--"

With Earth-Shattering roar, Smaug's figure grew larger and larger in the Dwarf Fighter's eyes, almost filling his entire field of vision.

"Dwarf, I told you long ago—you will pay the price!"

Smaug exhaled scorching flames and steam from his mouth and nostrils, and his golden eyes blazed with fury. He spread his wings and swooped down on the Dwarf with overwhelming force.

"Die, you evil dragon!"

At that very moment, Bren let out a furious roar and pulled the trigger with absolute resolve. With a "click," the taut crossbow string was finally released! In an instant, the Dwarf Steel Crossbow generated incredibly powerful kinetic energy, causing the jet-black Dragon Slayer Arrow to tear through the air with a sharp, explosive sound as it hurtled towards the Wyvern's left chest.

"Whoosh—"

Watching the black arrow hurtle through the air, Bren's face lit up with excitement. He had a strong premonition, a Legendary Warrior's intuition telling him: the black arrow was about to hit its mark! Sure enough, just as the Dwarf had predicted, under his precise control, the black arrow seemed to have eyes, heading straight for the gap in the Wyvern's left chest.

Bren's anticipation grew even stronger; he could almost see the black arrow piercing through the skin, which was unprotected by scales, through the thick flesh, and finally through the huge, burning heart.

The colossal creature before them would then plummet from the sky with a loud wail, crashing to the ground with a deafening roar. However, things did not unfold as the Dwarf had anticipated.

Smaug also keenly sensed the danger, but he was too close at the moment and had no time to dodge. He could only let the black arrow shoot into his chest.

But after noticing the target of the black arrow, a strange smile appeared on the Wyvern's face.

"Clang—"

The clang of metal clashing echoed through the sky. The black arrow pierced the gap in the left chest, its arrowhead twisted and deformed by the impact, and the shaft even turned to dust from the force of the impact! Instantly, Bren's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in shock, "How is this possible? I clearly hit it!"

"What on earth is it?!"

But it was too late. Smaug had already arrived before the Dwarf amidst towering flames, opening his gaping maw and spewing intense flames from his throat.

Bren looked desperate and murmured, "This can't be."

A scorching wind swept in like a tsunami, and in the last moments of his life, the Dwarf's eyes reflected a dazzling flame.

"Boom--"

Immediately afterwards, Smaug unleashed a torrent of furious dragonfire at close range, engulfing the Dwarf Fighter and setting the entire Arrow Tower ablaze.

But the Wyvern leader always remembered Keosius's teachings and understood the importance of finishing off the enemy, so he plunged into the sea of fire and used his forepaws with their wide Wing Membrane to sweep across the area.

Sure enough, Bren was still alive.

The Dwarf Fighter was engulfed in flames, crackling as if he were about to explode.

"Monster! I'm going to kill you—"

He let out a heart-wrenching roar, and with his last ounce of strength, he raised the greatsword above his head and swung it fiercely at the Wyvern's head.

Smaug slammed his forepaws from the side, knocking the greatsword that was about to strike back, and the Dwarf Fighter gripping the sword was also sent flying, his body still burning.

However, Smaug showed no mercy, whipping his tail through the air, the sharp hook Ground Spike the Dwarf's chest with pinpoint accuracy—

"Sizzle!"

The sound of flesh being torn apart rang out as the Dwarf Fighter pierced through the strong, sturdy body, blood splattering everywhere.

Smaug's movements were fluid and precise, adhering to the principle of eliminating the enemy completely, leaving them no chance to resist.

His master, the Embers of the Burned Emperor Keosius, had taught him that dragon villains like them should never underestimate these tiny creatures and must be crushed to pieces.

Even on his deathbed, Bren's face still bore an expression of surprise and disbelief.

—He clearly hit the target, so how come it had no effect at all?

Smaug looked down at the hole in his left chest and felt somewhat relieved, his admiration and respect for Keosius growing even stronger.

If the black arrow had hit any other part of his body, it could very well have been fatal. Unfortunately, the unfortunate Dwarf chose his left chest.

Smaug exclaimed with admiration, "My master is truly wise and brilliant! Thank goodness for the adamantite armor he bestowed upon me!"

In fact, this also reflects Keosius's perverse sense of humor. In order to recreate Smaug from his memory, he deliberately pulled a scale from the left breast of the Wyvern.

However, as compensation, Keosius ordered the imperial craftsmen to inlay a whole piece of fine gold armor in the gaps between the scales, and even painted it black so that no one could see it.

According to Keosius's confident assertion at the time, rather than waiting for the enemy to find his weaknesses on their own initiative, it was better to create the illusion of "weaknesses" to confuse the enemy.

It can only be said that fate is unpredictable. Unexpectedly, Keosius's unintentional act, full of wicked humor, actually helped Smaug achieve victory on the battlefield and kill a legendary enemy.

"Roar--"

Smaug perched atop the burning tower, its tail, laden with Dwarf corpses, raised high. Then it spread its wings, raised its head, and roared, a cry that sent shivers down the spines of all Avendell Dan.

Lord Bren is dead!

"That was a hero who slew a dragon! How could he just die like that?"

"By Moradin, how can there be such a monster!"

On the walls of Avendell Dan, the Embers of the Burned Empire's offensive grew increasingly fierce. The dense firepower of the Imperial infantry overwhelmed the Dwarf, and seeing Bren die only deepened their despair.

A legendary Dwarf Fighter died, and his body was even hung on the tail of a wyvern as Wyvern, proudly displayed to the Dwarf.

The entire city of Avendell Dan was shrouded in thick smoke, its walls were ablaze, ruins lay everywhere, and Dwarf corpses were piled up all around. The roar of cannons was incessant, Wyvern howled in the sky, ladders were erected on the city walls, and countless soldiers swarmed in. To the Dwarf, this scene was nothing short of despair. For thousands of years, Avendell Dan had been a symbol of resilience and indestructibility.

The Dwarf never imagined that one day this fortress would become precarious and on the verge of falling.

But at this moment, such a scene was truly unfolding before their eyes, appearing before the eyes of every Dwarf.

After a fierce siege, the Empire has captured most of the city walls and is advancing steadily, about to completely conquer Avendell Dan.

The Dwarf, however, suffered heavy losses. They not only lost a legendary Dwarf Fighter, but their original force of nearly 10,000 was reduced to less than 4,000.

"We haven't lost yet!" Ed stood atop the city wall, raising his warhammer high and letting out a furious roar.

The Dwarf king stood majestically amidst the corpses of imperial soldiers, including a Dragon Scale Monk body had been smashed beyond recognition.

Even today, the Dwarf are still able to barely maintain their defenses, mainly thanks to the king's efforts.

"As long as one of us can stand up, as long as one of us can wield the hammer, Avendell Dan has not fallen, and the High Mountain Kingdom has not perished!"

Ed charged into the Embers of the Burned Empire's position amidst a hail of bullets, his warhammer swung like a whirlwind, dancing with the stones and scattering sand everywhere. In an instant, he took the lives of hundreds of men.

"Lord of the High Mountains!"

"Avendell Dan will never fall!"

Seeing the king's bravery, the Dwarf Fighter were once again invigorated and, for the umpteenth time, followed Ed and launched a tenacious counterattack.

"Charge!"

"We'll go with His Majesty!"

"Counterattack! Retake Avendell Dan!"

The Dwarf brandished their weapons and followed Ed's lead, charging toward the towers that had been occupied by the Empire.

"Da da da da—"

The machine gun muzzle protruded from the tower window, constantly spitting out tongues of fire and pouring out a dense hail of bullets.

Ed could withstand cannonballs with his bare body, but his people could not. They had strong will but not tough bodies, nor royal blood.

Soon, under the Fire Coverage of the imperial soldiers, the Dwarf king bravely charged forward, but the soldiers behind him fell one after another in the hail of bullets.

"Boom!"

Ed leaped high into the air and slammed his hammer down on the tower, instantly collapsing the wall and crushing the Imperial soldiers hiding behind cover.

"Fire!"

"Kill him, he's a dangerous person!"

The surrounding Imperial soldiers immediately drew their pistols and fired at the Dwarf king from different directions, but Ed unleashed a tremendous force that instantly deflected the bullets.

As usual, Ed stormed in with unstoppable force, killing all the enemies inside the tower and once again taking control of the position on his own.

"We won!" Ed turned around excitedly after smashing the last Half-Dragon soldier on the city wall with his warhammer.

This time, however, there was no one behind him, only corpses strewn everywhere. His personal guards, who had fought alongside him through thick and thin, had all fallen to machine gun fire and artillery bombardment.

Ed climbed to the top of the tower and looked around. He saw his Dwarf people wailing in the flames and struggling in the thick smoke.

Under the Empire's sharp guns and cannons, the war was almost one-sided. The Dwarf Fighter were powerless to resist and died one after another, while the Imperial soldiers were able to easily capture city walls.

"No, this shouldn't be like this." Ed couldn't help but shake his head; this was definitely not the ending he had imagined.

In Ed's imagination, Avendell Dan might fall, but he would be remembered by the people of the Feanso Continent, and the valiant figures and indomitable resistance of the Dwarf Fighter would be talked about with great relish.

The High Mountain Kingdom should not have perished so easily.

Keep in mind that the war has only lasted two days so far, and the Empire has utterly crushed the Dwarf ' defenses.

Faced with the Empire's army, the Dwarf' usual methods of dealing with orcs were completely ineffective, and their resistance was practically a joke.

In the eyes of the Dwarf, Ed, as the Lord of the High Mountains, has always been a symbol of omnipotence and invincibility, but this time, even he felt somewhat lost.

Faced with such an army—is their resistance truly meaningful?

But soon, a loud dragon roar echoed in the sky, interrupting Ed's thoughts and making him tense again.

"Aww—"

In the distance, Wyvern flapped its wings, creating gusts of hot air, and looked down at the Dwarf king, its golden eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.

After killing the legendary Dwarf Fighter, Smaug was quite arrogant, feeling that he was invincible.

—And soon, the Wyvern noticed the Dwarf king Ed, who had caused great losses to the empire, and saw him as a worthy opponent.

Smaug had heard of this name before the war began—the mighty Dwarf king, the noble Lord of the High Mountains— but now, the Wyvern only felt it was a great achievement.

"Lord of the High Mountains. That sounds really impressive."

Smaug couldn't help but lick his lips and exhale a puff of white smoke. If he could kill this Dwarf, his master would definitely value him even more.

Ed raised his head and stared fearlessly at the Wyvern in the sky, a fighting spirit rising within him as well.

"It was this monster that killed Bren."

King Ed knew Bren's strength all too well, and Ed was particularly saddened by his death.

Not only did Bren develop a strong physique, but he also traveled extensively and gained rich combat experience. He once killed an adult Blue Dragon in the Talilo Desert and was revered as a "Dwarf hero".

Just from its enormous size of over twenty meters, one could tell that the Wyvern that killed Bren was definitely a formidable enemy, and even Ed would not take it lightly.

"Come on. I will kill you, for Bren, and for the people who perished in the flames!"

Ed gripped the metal warhammer in his hand, staring intently at the Wyvern, his eyes gleaming with a bright yellow light.