Chapter 517: The War - Dragon Mountains Bloodshed, part 1/5
A bluish star silently burned, floating in the void. The massive hulking shadow of the dark dragon, seemingly devouring the star's light, appeared out of nowhere.
'A good trade.'
Even though he could get approximate positions of different stars from the conquered natives, their methods were still too crude. However, with the much more accurate coordinates from the mechanical aliens he had trapped inside his divine kingdom and his much stronger authority over space, it was now only a matter of minutes for him to reach the stars he desired for his collection.
A crown manifested on the dragon's head, adorned with a small yellowish star and pitch-black miniature black holes like precious gems.
'Blue dwarf, a nice addition to my collection.'
Without hesitating for even a single moment, the dragon split a small shard of his soul and sent it hurling toward the star. The moment it touched the burning, blue surface, it bloomed with bright light, enveloping the entire star like a blooming seed.
Instantly, Vesuvius could feel the new connection to the star.
Ding!
//
You have claimed a new star class: Blue-dwarf
Bonuses: Empowered fire, plasma, light, and star affinities.
+200 to END
+200 to DEF
+500 to STR
+500 to VIT
+400 to MAG
+50 to DIV
The power of all light and heat based element attacks will be increased by 25%
//
A new, blue star appeared on his crown, joining the rest.
Though he wished to conquer more stars, he didn't want to risk damaging his soul too much, uncertain of what the near future might bring.
'Let's see if the city was conquered.'
Wasting no time, the dragon vanished, reappearing right above the white city below. To his surprise, there was no fire, no sounds of battle, not even street fights. Instead, the streets lay empty, enveloped by an oppressive silence.
'The flag—' he looked at the towers, noticing the flags of dragons waving in the wind. His surprise grew, knowing the city had powerful magical barriers that should have taken time to breach.
'They must have simply surrendered.'
Vesuvius grimaced slightly. 'It looks like the reaper and the demon are scaring everyone.' He understood it completely—surrender to him, hope for a miracle, or face death against undefeatable foes that can't be reasoned with.
'With this city, the first step of the invasion—creating a foothold on this continent, is complete. That means the army should be moving toward the Kings Mountains.' Vesuvius didn't forget the other dragon kings' request to recover their remains.
However, he didn't consider it urgent, except for the dragon mountains formed from the dead body of the metal and earth dragon king, Typhonius.
'The dragon king had the power to manipulate matter, yet they still ended up dead, their body shamed and desecrated by becoming holy mines and the capital of a dwarven council state.'
It was something he couldn't overlook—the highest form of insult to their entire race, turning the body of one of their leaders into a living space and worshiping the god that brought their downfall inside.
Momentarily, the dragon froze—a palpable wave of divine energy washed over him. Its source came from the direction of the Dragon Mountains. He immediately flapped his wings, speeding toward the horizon, following the energy's source.
'It looks like the enemies have finally moved their forces.' This time, he was ready to personally participate in the battle.
One hour earlier:
POV Wyrm Venenumius:
Enormous mountains rose on the horizon, their snow-covered peaks glinting under the sun. The highest peaks resembled the torso of a dragon, with a strip of the tallest mountains forming a line of jagged back spikes. The range continued in a long, curled line, almost like stone tails and necks. At the end, an enormous mountain rose, unmistakably shaped like a dragon's head.
To the side, massive and smooth ridges of stone spread out, almost like the resting wings of a giant, petrified dragon.
From high in the sky, Venenumius, a Draco wyrm with a dark metallic luster glistening on its natural armor, fumed with disdain. Tiny, ant-sized mortals walked through the mountains, desecrating the sacred remains.
'How dare they desecrate the remains of our king like this!' Venenumius cursed; their hatred focused on an enormous entrance in the head part of the mountains. The massive gate gleamed under the sunrise.
'Dwarves, desecrating and building inside like ugly parasites!'
"Graaah!" A roar reverberated through the sky. With wrathful fire burning in their eye sockets, Venenumius descended, the sound of flapping wings echoing behind them. As the first wyrm knight, Venenumius roared in reply, leading the charge of the knight order of the draconic empire.
POV Thorin Stonefist:
Thorin Stonefist stood guard at the massive gate carved into the head of the ancient dragon-shaped mountain. The early morning sun cast long shadows across the stone, and he squinted against the glare as he scanned the horizon. It was a peaceful morning, or so it seemed.
Suddenly, a deafening roar shattered the tranquility, reverberating through the air and shaking the ground beneath his feet. Thorin's heart raced as he looked up, his eyes widening in terror. High in the sky, he saw them—an army of armored wyrms and knights riding draconic beasts, their scales glinting ominously in the sunlight.
He stumbled backward, gripping his axe tightly as panic set in. "By the ancestors," he muttered, his voice trembling. "We're under attack!"
The sight was both awe-inspiring and horrifying. The lead wyrm, its dark metallic armor shining with a menacing luster, descended with terrifying speed. Behind it, the sky was filled with the flapping wings of wyrms and even more lesser, draconic beasts, each carrying a knight clad in formidable armor.
Thorin's fellow guards were already shouting, scrambling to prepare defenses, but the sheer number of the approaching enemy made it clear that they were hopelessly outmatched.
'An army of monsters, each equal to a small army...'
As the first of the armored wyrms neared the ground, Thorin tightened his grip on his weapon, his knuckles white. "Hold the line!" he shouted, more to steel his own nerves than anything else. "For the mountain!"
Suddenly, a deep rumble echoed through the mountain, different from the roars above.
Thorin glanced around in confusion as the ground beneath his feet shifted. Cracks appeared in the stone, and chunks of rock started to move. His eyes widened as he saw massive stone figures emerging from the mountain. Giant limbs formed from boulders, torsos sculpted from granite, and eyes glowing with the power of gods.
"Stone elementals!" Thorin gasped, hardly daring to believe his eyes.
'The ancestor god! It must be a miracle sent by our lord, the great god of metal, earth, and stone!'