Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 194: Conquer Rockhammer City

The dwarves of Rockhammer City were stunned by the sudden turn of events, caught completely off guard.

Durin saw Bofur get flung away but wasn't sure if he was dead. He quickly moved in to finish him off, then rushed towards the still-open city gate.

Bofur, until his dying breath, never imagined that the supposed refugee was actually a Monarch level. He didn't even have time to release his domain before Durin's sneak attack killed him.

Bang! Bang!

The dwarves, snapping out of their shock, immediately opened fire, but such attacks were useless against Durin. He activated his domain, blocking all the shots, and charged into the city.

Uncertain if there were other Monarch levels in the city, Durin quickly began donning Nori's Monarch level armor, which was why he had brought it along. The other dwarves disguised as refugees were all Commanding level and followed Durin into the city.

Rockhammer City descended into chaos. Many warriors and officials were roused from their sleep, gathering their forces and rushing towards the wall to desperately hold off the enemy.

This was Rockhammer City, the logistical hub of the Silverbeard Clan. It couldn't be lost!

Soon, dwarves from within the city rushed towards the gate. Durin stood on the wall, watching the approaching dwarves. As for the guards on the wall, he had already dealt with them.

He observed the enemy's movements and confirmed that the Silverbeard Clan couldn't spare any more Monarch levels to defend Rockhammer City. As a noble, Durin was well aware of all the Monarch levels within the Silverbeard Clan.

Seeing the enemy forces gathering, Durin remained calm, knowing that reinforcements were on their way. Looking back, the fire at Fortress Three had died down, indicating the crisis was over. The black smoke had turned white, signaling the enemy's retreat, but reinforcements were still needed.

"I am Durin of the Silverbeard Clan. Bofur conspired with other clans to rebel and has been slain by me. Do you also wish to rebel?" Durin shouted from the wall, throwing down a token.

The leading dwarf officer below picked it up and examined it. The front bore the Silverbeard Clan's emblem, and the back had Durin's name. It was indeed a noble's token, a symbol of their identity.

The officer was momentarily at a loss, unsure of what to do. Rockhammer City, being an important city of the Silverbeard Clan, was naturally staffed entirely by nobles, making it unlikely for them to be swayed by Durin.

However, while they were nobles, they weren't the main branch and had no knowledge of Durin's imprisonment. The Silverbeard Clan's chieftain would never publicize such a family scandal. Only a few core members knew, and Bofur was one of them. But dead men tell no tales.

The dwarf troops below also saw Durin's token. The officer, being a direct subordinate of Bofur, knew Bofur couldn't have conspired to rebel. But given the current situation, it was clear this was a conflict among the high nobles. With Bofur dead, Durin had won. Why should he offend a noble?

"Leader, forgive us. We were unaware of City Lord Bofur's conspiracy with other clans. Our loyalty to the Silverbeard Clan is as steadfast as rock. We are at your command!" The officer knelt on one knee, addressing Durin on the wall. The other dwarves followed suit.

Seeing the officer submit, Durin relaxed his grip on his hammer. This was a smart man; otherwise, Durin would have killed him first.

Durin's subordinates were impressed by how easily he had stabilized the situation in Rockhammer City. One crucial reason was that Rockhammer City's defenses were thin, with the main forces at the front lines. Otherwise, a city like Rockhammer would have at least three Monarch levels stationed.

Meanwhile, at Fortress Three, Balin had won but didn't occupy the fortress, fearing reinforcements from other fortresses. He immediately began to retreat.

Balin's forces reached the designated location and joined the 30K dwarf army waiting there, heading straight for Rockhammer City.

Grimstone was left with 20K undead and necromancers to hold it.

...

[Night retreats, dawn arrives]

Sophie, who had stayed up all night in the castle, finally received a report from the dwarves: Rockhammer City had been successfully captured!

Excited, Sophie immediately sent a message to Alex, sharing the good news.

Alex, just waking up, saw Sophie's message and knew they now had the materials to build the undead fortress.

Alex hadn't doubted the success of the Rockhammer City assault, given the 20K undead army and necromancers. Sophie and the dwarves had proven their capabilities, achieving a brilliant victory without the undead's help.

The next target was the hobgoblin kingdom. But before that, Alex wanted to experiment with the undead fortress's features by building one outside Grimstone. This would also serve as a final line of defense for Sophie's castle.

Dismantling a fortress would return resources, but Essence Shards wouldn't be refunded. So, the location of the first undead fortress had to be chosen carefully.

After capturing Rockhammer City, they had seized a lot of loot. However, transporting all the resources to Sophie's castle was a logistical challenge.

"There's so much stuff here. I don't know when we'll be able to move it all," Sophie sighed.

The distance from Rockhammer City to Grimstone was several hours by bone dragon flight, and even longer for ground troops. The distance from Grimstone to Sophie's castle was even greater.

Alex thought for a moment and asked, "Doesn't Rockhammer City have a teleportation array?"

Sophie was taken aback. "I don't know!"

Alex slapped her forehead, almost forgetting that the dwarf clan's teleportation arrays only connected to a fixed location and weren't interconnected.

Undead City also needed its own teleportation array!

The Portal of Transit was too limited. While the undead fortress could also serve this purpose, it required carrying the fortress's Essence Shard.

"Too bad Ruby's gone. Otherwise, I'd ask her for help."

Ruby could use spatial magic, making teleportation arrays a simple task for her. Alex had asked her Dark Alchemy Warlocks if they could create teleportation arrays, but it was beyond their capabilities.

"It looks like I'll have to go myself."

Alex couldn't rely on the slow-moving undead ground troops from Grimstone. Plus, no one else could use her storage ring, so she had to handle it personally. Besides, there was a Monarch level corpse waiting for her to summon.

Alex called all the Monarch level undead capable of using the Portal of Transit to help transport the resources, ensuring maximum efficiency.

Alex and five Monarch level undead teleported to the White Rock Mountains, disappearing from Undead City.