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Chapter 263: Stubbornness (1)

***

Damien crumpled the note he was holding in his hand and looked around the forge.

‘Ancient Suns’ that the dwarves had proudly shown him the night before, were all gone.

“How the hell did they disappear?”

The forge was surrounded by Damien and his undead servants.

It was impossible for the dwarves to have escaped the forge without being caught.

“My lord, please take a look at this.”

Dominico called out to Damien. As they moved the crates that were blocking one wall, a tunnel dug with pickaxes was revealed.

Damien took a quick look at the tunnel and it seemed very deep at first glance.

“There wasn’t a tunnel like this before… Did they really dig this new one in such a short time?”

Damien couldn’t help but be surprised.

Even though they had avoided his senses, they had dug this deep tunnel so easily.

Indeed, they were dwarves. They had succeeded in doing something that was beyond human comprehension.

“They’re going to finish it themselves? Are they really going to be stubborn to the end?”

The dwarves were a race known for their immense pride and selfishness.

However, the Hammerfell dwarves had received help from Damien on several occasions. Their chief, Kilo, had even bowed his head.

So, Damien thought they had humbled their pride, but he was greatly mistaken.

“And they even finished this in the meantime.”

Damien picked up one of the weapons in the corner of the forge.

It was a weapon made using the special alloy that Kilo had told Damien about.

For something that had been made in such a short time, it was a weapon of incredible craftsmanship.

In addition to the weapons for the skeletons to use, there were also special weapons and armor for Dominico, Miya, and the skeletons.

“My lord, this too.”

Dominico brought a staff.

It was about 1 meter long and made of metal. The handle was finished with a mineral that resembled silver.

A note was tied to the staff. Damien untied the note and read it.

– For my first and last Dark mage friend. –

Damien gripped the staff. He could feel his mana circulating through his body.

Only then did Damien realize the true identity of this staff.

It was a magic staff that Kilo had made for Damien.

It seemed to be made by mixing rare metals specialized in mana circulation in a certain ratio.

“This is ridiculous.”

Damien let out a dry laugh.

Damien was grateful, but he couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

“Dominico, arm the skeletons. We’re going after the dwarves.”

“But my lord, don’t you know where the city is located?”

The dwarves had refused to tell them the location of the city, saying that they would guide them there themselves.

Come to think of it, it seemed that they had been planning to be doing this from the very beginning.

“Don’t worry. If my guess is correct, they’ll let us know from over there.”

“Huh?”

Dominico looked puzzled.

Just then, a deafening roar erupted in the distance. It was so loud that it could easily drown out the sound of thunder.

At the same time, the whole world shook. A small earthquake shook the ground and buildings.

“This is…”

“The dwarves have detonated the ‘Ancient Suns’.”

Damien said, shifting his gaze in the direction of the sound.

“The dwarves are there. Let’s go after them right now.”

***

Kilo and the dwarves emerged from the tunnel and headed for the city.

Their steps were quick. They covered a great distance in one breath. They arrived at the point where they could see the city in one breath.

However, the dwarves did not approach any further.

This was because of the Weapon Master’s subordinates who were guarding the city.

“Ugh, what a pain in the ass.”

“How long is the Weapon Master going to keep us out?”

“I want to go into the city and lie down on a fluffy bed.”

The subordinates constantly patrolled the perimeter of the city. Kilo hid in the bushes and watched the subordinates.

“Chief, do you think it was a good idea to leave Victor behind?”

One of the subordinates then spoke to Kilo. Kilo immediately gave him a good smack on the forehead.

“You idiot! Since when did we Hammerfall dwarves become so spineless! Our ancestors would come out from their graves to beat us!”

Kilo shouted.

“And didn’t we agree beforehand? Let’s not drag that guy in without consulting him. Even if he’s a necromancer, we’re indebted to him. We can’t put him in danger.”

At that, the subordinates could only nod their heads.

As Kilo had said, it was something they had already agreed on.

“If you have time to worry about that, move quickly. We have to give those bastards a good beating.”

“Yes!”

The subordinates stepped forward. And they lowered the large cylinder they had been carrying on their backs to the ground.

“Load it up.”

The other dwarves behind them took out iron pellets the size of a fist from the leather pouches they had been carrying on their backs.

When the dwarves put the pellets into the cylinder, they rolled inside with a rumble.

And the moment they hit the bottom of the cylinder, they were ejected at an incredible speed with a loud roar.

The iron pellets that shot out soared in an arc and landed in front of the subordinates of the Weapon Master.

“Hey, what’s that?”

“Huh? It’s an iron pellet?”

Subordinates of the Weapon Master discovered the iron pellet while patrolling the area.

Their reaction was slow because it was something they had never seen before. The iron pellet fell right at their feet.

And then it exploded.

With a deafening sound, the surrounding area was reduced to ashes. As a result of the explosion, they were thrown to all directions.

“Ughh, ughhh…!”

“Cough, cough.”

Some who were directly hit by the explosion were reduced to ashes. And somehow able to avoid most of the explosions had their limbs torn off or their bodies were covered in burns.

“Let’s go!”

Kilo immediately gave the order. The dwarves ran towards the city gates all at once.

The walls surrounding the city were incredibly high and curved inward. It was as if an inverted bowl was covering the city.

They took something out of their pockets.

It was similar to clay but had a sticky consistency. The dwarves smeared it thickly on the gate.

This was the gunpowder used to make the Ancient Suns.

The basic way to use it was to put it in a jar and throw it, but when destroying large objects, it was much more effective to clump the gunpowder together and detonate it like this.

“I’ll blow it up!”

A subordinate shouted and lit the fuse. The flame burning along the fuse reached the gunpowder.

Immediately afterward, a massive explosion occurred.

The city gates were shattered in an instant. It wasn’t just the gates. Many of the city’s buildings were also blown away. It was a truly terrifying power.

“Let’s go in!”

Kilo took the lead. The dwarves followed behind him.

Not everyone did, however. More than half of the dwarves stopped at the city gates.

“Then, Chief, we’ll block the entrance as planned.”

“We’ll make sure not a single one of those bastards outside gets in!”

There were still many Weapon Master’s subordinates left outside.

They had given them a good beating, but that wasn’t enough. They knew that they would soon be swarming in.

“…I’ll trust you.”

“We’ll trust you too, Chief.”

“Please avenge our fallen comrades.”

The dwarves said with smiles. Kilo bit his lip and turned around.

“Everyone, follow me!”

Kilo led the remaining dwarves into the city.

The inside of the city was as quiet as a graveyard.

Not a single dwarf was wandering the streets. They weren’t inside the buildings either.

All the buildings had their lights off. There were no chimneys with smoke coming out either.

Originally, over tens of thousands of dwarves lived in Hammerfall City. It was a lively and bustling place.

That city was completely dead. Kilo’s heart ached.

But Kilo decided to push those emotions aside for the moment. This was not the time to indulge in such feelings.

Passing through the buildings, they emerged into the square. And there, Kilo and the dwarves could see it.

Something that occupied the entire square.

It was rectangular in shape and had a thick, elongated chimney rising from its top.

Inside, lava was bubbling. Black smoke rose from it endlessly into the sky.

At first glance, it resembled a hearth. But there was one crucial difference.

It was squirming as if it were alive.

Originally, hearths were made by piling up earth. But this was different.

Something like muscles formed its body. Those muscles were constantly pulsating. And with each pulsation, the flames within churned.

It was a horrifying sight enough to make one’s stomach churn, even just looking at it.

Someone was standing in front of that hearth.

Judging by his short stature and muscular build, he was definitely a dwarf.

However, unlike the other dwarves, he had his beard neatly trimmed. And instead of a work uniform, he was wearing a smart uniform.

Kilo shouted at that dwarf, his voice filled with hatred.

“Achilles!”

Achilles turned his head. Strangely enough, there was no white in his eyes. There were no irises either.

They were all black. As if his eyes had been gouged out and replaced with darkness.

“I thought I heard a commotion outside. So it was you.”

Kilo’s jaw clenched at Achilles’ leisurely attitude.

“You filthy traitor…”

“Traitor? I told you last time, didn’t I? It was you who drove me out first. The word traitor doesn’t fit.”

“Have you forgotten why you were exiled? It was because you and your father broke the taboo!”

Kilo said that Achilles and his father were exiled because of the plague.

But that was only half the story.

Achilles and his father were the ones who brought about that plague. It was a side effect of them breaking the taboo.

“Our ancestors told us to work only with metal! They implored us not to work with living things! And yet, not only did you and your father break the taboo, but you also kidnapped our own kind to experiment with the taboo!”

The ancient dwarves did not use only metal when creating artifacts.

They also used living things. The flesh, muscles, bones, nerves, and souls of living things – they used all of that to create artifacts.

Artifacts created in this way were not only much stronger, but they also incorporated the characteristics of the living thing.

However, it was such a horrifying technique that it was eventually banned.

Achilles and his father were the ones who delved back into this forbidden technique.

“Taboo… I don’t understand how artisans can have such a rigid mindset.”

“Shut up! Your nonsense ends here today!”

Achilles clicked his tongue.

“If you got such a beating last time, you should have run far away. Why did you come back to the city?”

“I came to smash that thing behind you!”

“Ah, so that’s it.”

Achilles turned around. And he looked at the pulsating hearth with an affectionate face.

“I don’t understand. Why would you want to smash such a magnificent hearth? And yet you call yourself a blacksmith.”

“Where are you getting that nonsense from! What did you do to create that thing!”

Kilo’s eyes appeared bloodshot.

The thought of what Achilles had done to create that hearth made him so angry he felt like he could die.

“Your leisurely attitude ends here.”

Kilo and the dwarves took iron pellets out of their pockets. As soon as Achilles saw the Ancient Suns, his eyes lit up.

“To mass-produce Ancient Suns in such a short time. I must admit, you have skill. But… surely you didn’t come here relying on that alone?”

Achilles tilted his head.

“You haven’t forgotten who’s here, have you?”

Someone jumped down from the hearth.

It was a man with weapons strapped to his back, chest, waist, and all over his body.

The moment Kilo saw the man, he muttered with a face filled with terror.

“…Weapon Master.”

***