Dumasong Descends

"Boom--"

A blazing white pillar of fire tore through the sky, radiating brilliant light, and descended like Divine Punishment, heading straight for the Dwarf king's chest.

"For the glory of the Shield Dwarves!" Ed swung his warhammer, letting out a heart-wrenching roar, releasing the last bit of Life Force within him.

"Rumble!"

In an instant, the earth trembled, and countless dust and pebbles flew up. A small mountain range rapidly rose from the ground, blocking the Dwarf ' path like a giant shield.

"Boom!"

The pillar of fire struck the giant rock shield, and the extreme Fire Elemental and Earth Elemental, two completely different forces, collided and intertwined, creating a Earth-Shattering explosion.

Misha, or more accurately, the pillar of fire released by Keosius from a distance, was like a scalding hot knife piercing a block of butter, instantly penetrating the rock. The reddish lava flowed slowly, making a crackling sound.

The explosion caused thick Gunsmoke and intense flames to engulf everything within a radius of several hundred meters.

Neither the Dwarf Fighter defending the fortress nor the soldiers and officers of the Empire could see what was happening, and could only sigh in disbelief.

"Moradin above"

"God, this is divine punishment!"

"No, His Majesty Ed will not die! We Shield Dwarves are a great race born from the furnace, and even such an explosion cannot destroy us!"

The Dwarf watched the explosion with bated breath, arguing amongst themselves as they defended against the imperial attack, fearing for the life of their king.

"Lady Misha!"

"This is the power of His Your Majesty Keosius! Dwarf, your king is dead, abandon your futile resistance!"

"Long Live the Empire!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted once again from the Imperial army ranks, as soldiers brandished their weapons and swaggered around.

They had witnessed such scenes countless times, always ending with the arrogant enemies who dared to stand in the way of the empire turning to ashes.

As the lava cooled, it made a crackling sound. As the wind blew, the smoke dissipated, revealing a huge hole several meters in diameter pierced through the rising mountain, as if it had been violently blasted open to form a tunnel.

Behind the mountains, the Dwarf king knelt motionless on the ground, his rock-made body charred and scarred, resembling a burnt stone sculpture.

His left chest, where his heart was located, was also empty, leaving a dark hole, clearly pierced by the pillar of fire.

"Call--"

A fierce wind blew through the gap in the chest of the Dwarf stone sculpture, and a mournful howling sound rang out.

Immediately, on the walls of Avendell Dan, the hammers and axes in the hands of the Dwarf fell to the ground one after another, making a crisp "clanging" sound.

They looked at each other blankly, feeling utterly lost and helpless, their minds buzzing, as if a taut string in their hearts had suddenly snapped.

His Majesty Ed is dead? The Dwarf stood frozen in place, some shaking their heads, others muttering, "No, no, His Majesty Ed."

"That's impossible."

No, no.

Immediately afterward, the Dwarf, gazing at the broken stone sculptures in the distance, trembled violently, wailed and cried, and even knelt on the ground, banging their heads against the earth, splattering blood all over the city wall.

Dwarf are a straightforward race that doesn't hide their feelings.

At this moment, immense grief struck the hearts of the Dwarf; they could hardly believe that their invincible king had died.

"No--"

"Your Majesty Ed!"

"He won't die, he is the Lord of the High Mountains!"

It wasn't until several minutes later that the surviving Shield Dwarves Fighter finally accepted this cruel reality:

Ed. Klein, the Lord of the High Mountains had always protected them, the king of Avendell Dan, the Dwarf king they followed and trusted, died in the flames of the dragon.

At this moment, the Dwarf lost their strongest support.

"Damn Evil Dragon Kin!"

"I will avenge His Majesty Ed! I will take you all down with me!"

"For His Majesty Ed!"

The surviving Dwarf Fighter were enraged. They roared furiously and charged at the Imperial soldiers like madmen. Some even jumped off the city walls, trying to retrieve Ed's body.

"Bang!"

"Bang! Bang!"

"Hahaha, go to Hell with your rotten stone king!"

However, what greeted the Dwarf was the cold muzzle of the Imperial soldiers' guns and their merciless taunts. The Imperial infantry dealt with this chaotic attack with remarkable ease.

Under the howling gunfire, the Dwarf fell to the ground one after another.

Even on their deathbeds, these loyal Dwarf Fighter gazed in the direction of Ed's body, laboriously extending their bloodied hands, warm tears streaming from their eyes.

"His Majesty."

"Your Majesty Ed."

Upon witnessing the complete death of the Dwarf king, the phantom of the giant dragon in the sky slowly dissipated, transforming into flowing flames.

Misha relaxed, letting out a soft groan. Her pupils returned to their normal gold color, and the powerful dragon aura vanished abruptly.

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

The Wyvern was extremely envious and even a little jealous of Misha's "exclusive favor".

—As an elder of the Ember Nest, he clearly had far more seniority than Misha and was more qualified to sign a contract with his master.

Seeing this, Smaug disregarded everything else and stepped forward, a fawning smile on his Dragon Face, drool dripping from his lips. "Misha, you truly are worthy of being your master's agent."

"You're wrong. This is not my achievement, but thanks to the master's grace." Misha shook her head gently, then pointed to the sky.

After regaining control of her body, Misha was extremely excited, her heart pounding – being controlled by the great Embers of the Burned Emperor was clearly something to be proud of and incredibly honored about.

After briefly calming herself, Misha gazed at the Dwarf's mangled body in the distance and couldn't help but sigh, "This is the power of my Lord. Even a mere thought can unleash such terrifying force."

"Yes."

Smaug flapped his wings and wagged his tail, echoing Misha's words.

"Very good, clean up the battlefield and prepare to move into the city." Misha turned her head and saw that the progress in Avendell Dan was also going quite smoothly.

Imperial soldiers are advancing methodically, forming neat ranks, easily killing the crazed Dwarf Fighter with their guns and cannons, and are about to complete the final cleanup and completely capture the fortress.

Suddenly, a mournful elegy echoed over Avendell Dan, the voice hoarse and filled with endless sorrow.

"When you no longer open your sacred eyes and remain silent."

Some of the imperial soldiers around looked up curiously and saw an elderly Dwarf standing at the very top of the palace, chanting softly.

—He was Bjorn Riley, a veteran who had followed three generations of the Lord of the High Mountains and lived for over three hundred years, and was hailed as a living fossil of the Dwarf.

At this moment, the old Dwarf was disheveled, his clothes were tattered, and his body was covered with traces of war, but his eyes were incredibly firm, as if he had made up his mind.

Bjorn was a follower of Dumasong, the "Silent Guardian," whose custom placed the funeral, which represented death, at the highest level.

The priest presiding over the funeral must compose a song to honor the life and deeds of the deceased Dwarf, a song that will never be sung aloud in homage to the eternally silent Dumasong.

At that moment, Bjorn was chanting softly, holding a final funeral for the deceased Ed.

According to the original custom, the personal markings, clan markings, and beliefs of the deceased would be woven into the beard of the dead, but Bjorn was unable to do so with enemies surrounding him.

The old Dwarf, leaning shakily on his cane, continued singing, "Holy hero, you gave your soul to your people, and your body to the earth."

An Imperial soldier asked, "Sir, should we take that old man?"

The officer made a throat-slitting gesture and said coldly, "Kill them. These priests and Cleric have many strange and unusual methods. They must be executed as soon as possible to prevent future troubles."

Throughout the city, other imperial soldiers received almost identical orders.

The imperial soldiers obeyed orders, raising their rifles in unison, aiming at the old Dwarf atop the palace, and pulling the triggers without hesitation.

"Bang!"

"Bang! Bang!"

A chaotic burst of gunfire erupted, Bjorn several streaks of blood suddenly bloomed on his chest.

Immediately afterwards, bloody holes appeared on the old Dwarf's head, abdomen, and even legs. He collapsed helplessly to the ground, where blood was everywhere.

Even so, with a smile on his lips and spitting out a mouthful of blood, he dutifully murmured, "Heroes who gave everything to protect the kingdom, the mountains will be yours."

The Dwarf's voice grew fainter and fainter, gradually turning into a soft hum, and finally fading into complete silence.

Even in death, Bjorn did not close his eyes. His head tilted to the side, facing the direction of Ed's mutilated body. His blood-stained mouth was slightly open, as if there were still a thousand words left unsaid.

At the top of the walls of Avendell Dan, the Hobgoblin Dror crossed his arms, looking down at the Avendell Dan city, a satisfied smile on his face, "Finally, it's over here."

But at that moment, the cold wind blew across the Dwarf king's mangled body, and once again through the gap in his chest, making a mournful sound.

"Whoosh—"

"O hero who gave everything, the mountains will become your tombstone, and all things will mourn for you—"

The melody of that voice was exactly the same as the elegy sung by Bjorn!

Dror's expression changed drastically, and he quickly turned his head to look at the Dwarf king's mangled body in the distance.

Smaug let out a confused howl, flapped its wings, and took to the air again, ready for battle at any moment.

Misha frowned, staring intently at the stone-like corpse, and murmured softly, "Could it be..."

"Whoosh—"

A deep, earth-like light descended from the sky, enveloping Ed. Klein's mangled body.

In an instant, pebbles flew everywhere, dust filled the air, and the surrounding rocks gathered together, making the figure in the light appear even taller and more imposing.

An unprecedented pressure spread out, and even Misha felt as if a mountain was pressing down on her shoulders, making it difficult for her to fly.

"Damn it, what on earth is that?"

"Could it be that the Lord of the High Mountains has been resurrected?"

"How is that possible? He was clearly burned to death by Lady Misha's flames! I saw it with my own eyes! Even his heart was burned off!"

When the light faded, a Dwarf with a broad chest stood on the ground, appearing in everyone's sight.

He had hair and beard that looked as if they had been carved from gray stone, earth-brown skin, and Silver Fire Eyes. His shoulders were as broad as most barns, and his arms were bulging and knotted from taut muscles. Even the warhammer in his hand was a pickaxe made of solidified magma— Lava Hammer.

Judging from his face, one could still vaguely make out Ed's features, but his demeanor had undergone a complete transformation.

"He really came back to life!"

"Keosius above!"

"So what? Lady Misha can kill him once, and she can kill him a second time!"

"These damned Dwarf are as hard as stone, they should all be burned to ashes!"

Upon witnessing this miraculous scene, the soldiers and officers of the empire discussed it amongst themselves, their faces showing surprise, but they were not too afraid.

Misha, Dror, and other high-ranking imperial officials who were aware of the intelligence had solemn expressions and were even sweating profusely.

The Hobgoblin Dror swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he revealed the Dwarf's identity. "That's not Ed. Klein! That's the Silent Guardian, Dumasong!"

Dumasong, the Silent Guardian, the protector hidden beneath the mountain peak, the Shield of the Mountain, and also the protector of the Shield Dwarves.

In the legends of the Dwarf, when Moradin appointed Him as the protector of the Shield Dwarves, Dumasong created a paradise for them at the foot of the mountains.

He created extremely beautiful natural caves and embedded them with rich and beautiful layers of shimmering metals and sparkling crystals.

He felt pleased and honored to see the magnificent artifacts the Dwarf had made from the minerals they had mined.

This Silent Guardian rarely spoke, communicating only with gestures. No one had ever seen him do anything more than mutter or sigh in front of mortals.

As the guardian of the Shield Dwarves race, Dumasong would be enraged by any killing of the Shield Dwarves.

The Dwarf in the distance, or Dumasong who descended upon Ed's remains, looked around, and wherever his gaze fell, a violent sandstorm would erupt.

"Whoosh—"

At this moment, Dumasong looked at the ravaged ground and the mountain of Shield Dwarves corpses. He sighed deeply, his face filled with sorrow, as if mourning the earth and the Shield Dwarves.

Then, He suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with barely suppressed rage.

"Keosius, run!"

The imperial soldiers he saw felt a sense of suffocation.

"Boom--"

A deep rumble echoed from the depths, and the earth trembled violently. The "Silent Guardian" did not speak, yet he expressed His rage through the earth and mountains! The entire Blackstone Mountain trembled—it was a real earthquake! Buildings in the city of Avendell Dan collapsed one after another, bricks and stones raining down on the Imperial soldiers, eliciting cries of agony from them.