Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 232: Dwarf war

The Soul Hunter paused for only 0.25 seconds before launching another attack on Alex.

"Damn, it doesn't work!" Alex quickly used teleportation to create distance. It seemed she had no choice but to use her trump card.

She released her Death Domain. Although her domain was weaker than the Soul Hunter's and would be suppressed, by compressing it to the extreme, Alex could temporarily escape the influence of the Soul Hunter's domain.

Alex compressed her domain to the smallest range, just enough to envelop herself. As expected, the fear in her heart vanished.

She took out the Return Stone and injected Mana Points without hesitation. She hadn't expected to be the first to use this newly developed item.

With a flash, Alex disappeared, leaving the Soul Hunter bewildered and at a loss.

It tried to sense Alex's presence but couldn't detect her at all, nor did it know where she had gone.

Frustrated, the Soul Hunter had no choice but to abandon the search for Alex and look for its next target.

Meanwhile, Alex reappeared on the teleportation altar. Without hesitation, she entered the Portal of Transit and headed to Emerald Hills.

Undead City wasn't safe; she feared the Soul Hunter might follow her. Leaving the Eldoria continent was the safest option.

Soul Hunters were strange creatures, uninterested in anything but souls. They hunted Lords but didn't destroy castles—unless the castle was caught in the crossfire. Otherwise, few Lords would survive.

Even in Emerald Hills, Alex was still shaken. The Soul Hunter wasn't King level, but judging by its strength, it was at least three levels higher than Alex, leading to such a one-sided battle.

What she thought was a lucky day nearly turned into her death day.

Alex informed the siblings and Sophie to avoid returning to Undead City. She wasn't sure if the Soul Hunter had left, so it was best to hide here for now.

"Esteemed Queen, you have arrived," the undead guarding the Portal of Transit greeted her respectfully.

"Uh, I'm just here to check things out," Alex said, calming herself. Fortunately, she hadn't overused Dark Barrier; otherwise, she would have been unable to use the Return Stone to escape her enemies once her mana ran out.

The four Race Kings were still discussing finding and destroying another orc camp. The Monarch-level corpses Alex had summoned were all sent here, making Emerald Hills the strongest in terms of combat power.

These orc camps were nomadic, frequently changing locations, especially the smaller ones. They moved often, making it hard to pinpoint their exact positions.

"Azure, have the specters found another orc camp?" Arthas asked Azure.

"Not yet. They must be farther away. Finding them will take time. We could also head south to search for other orc camps," Azure suggested.

"Agreed," Crane and John concurred. Multiple camps could be searched simultaneously.

Alex didn't join the Race Kings' discussion. She went to the castle rooftop to bask in the sun, recovering her Mana Points with her hairpin.

Meanwhile, north of the vast White Rock Mountains, Grimstone faced retribution from the Stoneforge Clan of the dwarf kingdom.

Stoneforge Clan and Broadbeam Clan had defeated the Silverbeard Clan and taken their territory. Seven cities were divided between the two clans, with Grimstone, the last border city, assigned to Stoneforge Clan. However, Grimstone was still in the hands of extraterrestrial visitors, and Stoneforge Clan had to reclaim it themselves.

Before the enemy even reached the city, Grimstone's alarm sounded throughout the city. Under Durin's command, dwarf troops swarmed the walls, readying their weapons to repel the invaders.

Dwarf technology was akin to that of humans, making this a true siege battle.

Countless cannons and firearms were brought to the walls. With Alex's support, Grimstone's equipment had been significantly improved, allowing for continuous fire without worrying about ammunition or supplies. The dwarves were fighting a well-equipped battle for the first time.

Xiao Mu, Xiao Hui, and Sophie also climbed the walls, observing the distant Stoneforge Clan army, which was pushing massive siege weapons, clearly prepared for battle.

"Why do I feel so anxious about this dwarf war? I didn't feel this way during the hobgoblin and undead battles," Xiao Hui said, frowning at the approaching dwarf army.

"Because dwarves are similar to humans. Your subconscious sees them as kin, making you more anxious," Sophie explained. Though it was her first time in such a scene, as a dwarf Lord, she had witnessed many dwarf deaths.

"Should we call the undead for help?" Sophie asked Durin, worried.

"No need. They underestimate Grimstone's defenses. They won't breach the city," Durin assured confidently.

A long horn sounded from outside the city, signaling the Stoneforge Clan's advance.

Sophie looked out and saw they weren't charging immediately. Instead, they brought out massive catapults, each stone larger than several dwarves combined.

As the levers were pulled, the catapults were readied. With a command, countless boulders flew towards Grimstone.

Boom! Boom!

The boulders shattered against the shield, revealing strange red shells inside.

Boom! Boom!

The red shells exploded, not with great force but releasing a strange adhesive that corroded the shield, creating holes and quickly disabling it.

The enemy charged, with countless flying knights taking to the sky and ironclad rhinos leading the ground assault, clearing the way for dwarf knights.

"Attack!" Durin ordered, and the dwarves on the walls began their counterattack.

Blue beams swept across the battlefield, piercing the ground dwarves, leaving no remains.

Countless shells fell like stars, causing massive destruction among the enemy ranks.

Dwarves manned heavy crossbows, adjusting their aim to target the airborne enemies, shooting them down with giant bolts.

The enemy suffered heavy losses before even reaching Grimstone. The Stoneforge Clan leader had expected them to have many weapons but hadn't anticipated such relentless firepower.

Didn't they consider running out of supplies for future defenses?

Grimstone had no logistics or resupply!

...

Outside Grimstone, corpses littered the ground, blood soaking the earth. Countless dwarves died in the charge.

The dwarf leader, his face grim, ordered the troops to blow the horn again, changing their strategy.

This time, the horn was short and urgent, its sound spreading across the battlefield. The dwarves understood their leader's command.

The flying dwarf knights circled above Grimstone. Without ground support, entering the city was suicide, so they waited for an opportunity.

Hearing the horn, they took out fiery red crystals from their pouches and threw them into Grimstone.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless explosive crystals fell, creating continuous explosions. The fire element within them ignited, forming a massive blaze, burning everything around.

Chaos erupted in Grimstone. The enemy no longer cared about civilian casualties. As long as they took Grimstone, the commoners' lives didn't matter.

"Fire!"

The catapults launched flaming boulders, creating red arcs in the sky, smashing into the walls. The defending dwarves suffered heavy losses, with weapons destroyed and walls crumbling.

The boulders that landed inside the city caused immense destruction, collapsing buildings and creating chaos among the fleeing civilians. Their screams and cries turned Grimstone into a scene of panic.

Grimstone's defenders suffered minimal losses compared to the enemy, but they couldn't allow the enemy to massacre civilians and destroy their homes.

"These madmen are killing civilians. How long until the shield is restored?" Durin was furious. The shield needed to be restored quickly to extinguish the fires and save the dwarves.

"Is there a way to destroy the enemy's catapults?" Xiao Hui asked. It was clear these were the main threat. Why not destroy them?

"Out of range. The catapults' range is twice that of our defenses. We can't hit them. To destroy them, we'd have to leave the city," Durin explained.

The catapults, though small from a distance, were massive. They required dozens of dwarves to operate.

"Xiao Hui, go put out the fires in the city. I'll handle the catapults," Xiao Mu said to his sister. His attacks had the longest range and should be able to reach them.

Xiao Hui nodded and flew into the city.

Xiao Mu's figure shimmered on the wall, then flashed into the sky, emitting a brilliant golden light. Several golden beams shot out, targeting the distant catapults. Some airborne enemies were also hit, falling from the sky.

With a series of explosions, golden waves spread through the enemy ranks, causing massive destruction.

Even the enemy leader, after blocking a few attacks, was shocked.

"A Monarch-level extraterrestrial visitor!"

Looking back, he saw the catapults destroyed, reduced to rubble.

In the city, Xiao Hui released her domain, dark elements extinguishing the flames.

At that moment, Grimstone's shield was restored, reactivating its protection.

With heavy losses, the enemy had no hope of taking Grimstone.

"Retreat!"

The enemy leader ordered a retreat. They had underestimated Grimstone's defenses, resulting in heavy casualties.

They abandoned their comrades' bodies and unnecessary equipment, retreating like a tide.

"They're retreating!" Sophie exclaimed from the wall.

"We can't let them escape. Seize this opportunity to capture their leader."