Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 257: The attack of the Bone Dragons and Ghost Dragons

[Night retreats, dawn arrives]

On the Arsen continent, the dwarf kingdom had reached its final battle.

The Stoneforge Clan had been annihilated and fully captured. Only Broadbeam clan and the Ironfist royal family remained. Facing the powerful dwarf army led by Durin, the two clans had no choice but to set aside their differences and join forces.

Nori, the former Silverbeard Clan chieftain's second son who had fled to the Stoneforge Clan, was now captured by Durin and imprisoned in Grimstone.

Ironforge, once the royal city of the dwarf kingdom and the largest city within its borders, had fallen into the hands of the Ironfist clan after the dwarf king's death and the subsequent division of the seven clans.

Now, Ironforge was fortified with a hundred thousand dwarf soldiers, both inside and outside the city, waiting for Durin to walk into their trap.

Of course, they no longer had the courage or capability to launch an offensive.

Durin, Arthur, and Riven had divided their forces into three armies, surrounding Ironforge in a triangular formation, effectively besieging the city.

After absorbing the remnants of the Stoneforge Clan and other clans, Durin's dwarf army was as numerous as the forces within Ironforge.

However, Durin's army consisted mostly of civilians, whose combat effectiveness was slightly weaker than the regular dwarf army.

But the main force of this attack wasn't Durin's dwarves; it was the undead army led by Arthur and Riven.

Facing the blitzkrieg tactics of the undead, which had already wiped out two major clans, the Ironfist clan was well aware of their enemy's identity by now. They knew Durin had the undead's support and had prepared accordingly.

The dwarf kingdom's history spanned thousands of years, and as the former royal family, the Ironfist clan had extensive knowledge about the undead, thanks to the royal archives.

At dawn, the Death Spirit conveyed the undead queen's orders to the three armies, and they marched towards Ironforge.

Sophie and Durin led the dwarf army behind, while the undead, primarily airborne and requiring no logistics, moved swiftly.

Meanwhile, in Grimstone, Nori was imprisoned in the same dungeon where he had once held Durin.

His hands and feet were shackled, and the dungeon space was very confined.

Yet, Nori showed no signs of despair.

"Do you think you can hold me and torture me like this?" Nori sneered, even letting out a cold laugh. As Alex had suspected, Nori wasn't a purebred dwarf.

He lowered his head, trying to touch an earring on his ear with his hands. It was a gift from his mother, and everyone thought it was just a simple ornament, overlooking its true nature.

The earring concealed a tiny magic circle, covered by its special material, making it very discreet.

This technology wasn't of dwarf origin; otherwise, Durin wouldn't have overlooked it.

Nori fiddled with the earring, and the covering ring opened, revealing the miniature magic circle inside.

Instantly, the room filled with light, and Nori's body vanished in an instant.

Bang!

The door burst open, and a lich rushed in, having sensed the magical fluctuation from the dungeon. But it was too late.

The dungeon now only held Nori's clothes on the floor, and the empty shackles clinked as they swung.

Nori had vanished right under the noses of the dwarf and undead guards.

...

On the walls of Ironforge, massive energy cannons were mounted, and the dwarves stood ready. Their weapons and armor glowed faintly blue, enchanted specifically to combat the undead.

The walls were lined with dwarf riflemen and a few mages. These mages could only perform basic spells, relying on their wands, which was why magic wasn't popular in the dwarf kingdom.

Only the Ironfist royal family had a few dwarf mages; other clans had almost none.

In the city's central plaza, four formations of griffon riders stood ready, each armed with a crossbow and a quiver of arrows.

The Ironfist chieftain and the Broadbeam chieftain stood side by side on the wall, looking out with worried expressions.

This was their last stand. If they failed, the dwarf kingdom might cease to exist, and their clans would become prisoners.

"The enemy is here!"

A cry rang out, and the city went on high alert.

The shield activated instantly, and the dwarves loaded energy crystals into the cannons, aiming at the approaching enemy.

The sight before them left even the two chieftains in shock.

Countless undead filled the sky, blocking out the sun. Massive figures instilled fear in the dwarves, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

Arthur and Riven had brought no other undead, only bone dragons and ghost dragons, numbering over ten thousand!

These massive undead created a terrifying visual impact and pressure.

Roar!

Dragon roars echoed, shaking the dwarves' spirits. Flames spewed from the dragons' mouths, destroying everything in their path.

The dwarves' pre-made defenses on the ground were utterly ineffective, easily destroyed by the bone dragons.

The bone dragons swooped low, breathing fire, then soared high, circling back for another attack like cavalry preparing for another charge.

Ironforge's shield, under the relentless dragon breath, grew hot and strained, its energy rapidly depleting.

The dwarves inside the city were terrified, their hands trembling on their griffons' reins.

How could they defeat these dragons?

Despite their fear, the dwarves, following their officers' orders, gritted their teeth and flew into the sky to engage the bone dragons.

The size difference was immense. The bone dragons' massive bodies easily crushed the griffon riders, killing them with a single swipe.

The enchanted weapons prepared by the two clan chieftains were effective against ordinary skeletons but had little effect on bone dragons and ghost dragons.

The muskets and cannons couldn't penetrate the bone dragons' defenses, let alone kill them. The mages' elemental attacks were also ineffective, as bone dragons had strong resistance to such attacks.

Some dwarves, just taking off on their griffons, were instantly killed by ghost dragons passing through them, their souls extinguished.

In less than ten minutes, the dwarves were in full retreat, unable to kill a single undead.

The two clan chieftains were in despair. The undead's power was beyond their imagination. These giant creatures required dozens of dwarves working together to have a chance of killing one.

And even then, it was only a chance. The risk of the dwarves being wiped out was much higher.

Roar!

A massive blue breath attack, cold and deadly, surged towards the city's shield.

Arthur aimed to destroy the shield in one blow.

"Protect the shield!"

The Ironfist chieftain roared, leaping high with his weapon to block Arthur's attack. If the shield fell, Ironforge would be overrun by the undead, turning it into a fiery wasteland.

The Ironfist chieftain's hammer struck Arthur's dragon breath, forming a barrier that blocked it. He used his body to shield the city's barrier.

Zap!

Two icy blue beams struck the Ironfist chieftain, carrying soul-destroying energy. It was Riven's attack.

Boom!

A massive explosion occurred as Arthur and Riven's attacks collided, sending the Ironfist chieftain crashing down.

"Ironfist!"

The other clan chieftain on the wall cried out.

Arthur and Riven circled high, preparing for another attack.

The Ironfist chieftain stood up, tearing off his chest armor and throwing it aside. The soul-enchanted armor had saved his life, but it was now useless. Without it, his combat effectiveness was reduced.

He looked up and saw Durin's dwarf army approaching from the distance.

"Traitor!"

The Ironfist chieftain's leg armor glowed green, and he floated into the air, weapon in hand, charging at Arthur.

Flying leg armor was rare, so most dwarves couldn't fly. They were helpless against the bone and ghost dragons, forced to watch.

Arthur saw the approaching enemy and breathed another dragon breath, aiming to knock him down again.

The Ironfist chieftain, using his level advantage, shattered the attack with his hammer, only to be met by Arthur's flaming blue tail.

Wham!

The Ironfist chieftain lost balance, flying backward. His flight ability, granted by equipment, was not well-practiced.

He crashed into the ground, creating a crater. Though unharmed, he felt humiliated.

Despite his higher level, he couldn't match Arthur in aerial combat.

On the ground, he was confident he could kill Arthur in three moves.

But Arthur ignored him, continuing to attack the dwarves and the city.

"Ironfist chieftain, surrender now, or Ironforge will be reduced to rubble," Durin's voice called from the side.

The Ironfist chieftain glared at him. "Silverbeard Clan Durin, you traitor, allying with outsiders!"

"You couldn't end the chaos in the dwarf kingdom, but I can. Your throne was seized by force, wasn't it? Your words are naive and laughable. Think carefully," Durin replied coldly. He preferred not to storm the city, as it would cause more casualties.