The stone dwarf roared to the heavens and swung His arms, hurling a colossal boulder weighing ten thousand tons and measuring over ten meters across toward the red dragon high above.
This was no ordinary stone, but a terrifying weapon imbued with the divine power of the earth. The energy bursting from within it would be enough to bring a majestic floating city crashing to the ground, reducing it to ruins.
Yet the red dragon showed no fear. He parted his gaping maw, and horrifying dragonfire erupted from deep within his throat. The dragon crystal at his chest shone like a miniature sun, radiating boundless brilliance.
*Boom—!*
With the sound of tearing air, a blinding pillar of fire struck like a colossal red-and-white greatsword. It cut through the sky, impaling the giant boulder and detonating it in midair.
Burning rocks rained down upon the earth like scattered celestial petals, setting off one terrible explosion after another across the ground. Yet compared to the magnificent clash between Cassius and Dumathoin, this was nothing more than an insignificant splash.
After piercing the boulder, the pillar of fire infused with divine solar power surged onward toward Dumathoin, hurtling straight for His vessel on the Material Plane—the body of Ed.
Yet the titanic stone dwarf stood unyielding. Countless diamond-hard gems sprouted along His arms, coalescing into a translucent, mirror-smooth shield of colossal proportions.
This hexagonal gemstone shield spanned over thirty meters. If cut into gems, there was no telling how much exquisite jewelry it could yield.
Dumathoin was, after all, the master of mineral veins. For the sake of this battle, He had commanded the subterranean veins, gathering every gemstone buried within a hundred li right here.
*Boom!*
Two mighty elemental forces collided. The gemstone shield held against the column of fire Cassius unleashed, its shimmering surface reflecting part of the heat back into the air.
Behind the great shield, Dumathoin raised the Magma Hammer. Churning with molten rock, countless fragments of metal—iron, copper, gold, silver, mithral, and more—erupted from deep underground, shooting up toward the red dragon like an inverted rain of sharp needles.
*Roar—!*
Seeing this, Cassius roared toward the heavens and fully unleashed his authority over the Elemental Plane of Fire. Flaming meteors trailed across the sky and plunged downward, colliding midair with the sharp metal shards.
In an instant, the sky was overtaken by meteors and flames while the earth was enveloped in an endless storm of metal fragments. As they crashed into one another, roiling fire clouds churned above, showering the earth with burning metallic slag.
These precious metals were exceptionally pure and staggering in quantity; in ordinary times, people would risk their lives to plunder them. But now, onlookers simply stared at the earth-shaking battle in the distance, shivering in terror before this apocalyptic might.
*Boom!*
The stone dwarf swung the Magma Hammer and slammed it viciously into the ground beneath His feet. The earth groaned in a deep thrum as countless sharp stone pillars erupted from the bedrock—similar to Ed's technique, but vastly more terrifying in power.
Each stone spire rose a hundred meters high like a sheer peak, thrusting upward like heaven-cleaving greatswords aimed at the red dragon's belly, neck, and other vital spots.
Yet Cassius was remarkably fast. With a whoosh of his dragon wings, he whipped up a ferocious gale, his colossal form blurring into a brilliant crimson shadow that darted back and forth through the churning fire clouds.
He moved so swiftly that mortal eyes could scarcely track him, catching only the savage trails left behind in the flaming clouds and the occasional flash of scales and claws.
At the same time, bolts of thunder roared down from the sky, crashing directly toward Dumathoin's head, accompanied by fireballs like miniature suns plummeting from every direction.
Each of these formidable attacks carried enough power to claim the life of an ordinary true dragon, yet they could not harm the dwarven deity manifested in this avatar.
Dumathoin's gaze hardened, His frame snapping taut. Adamantine and mithral surfaced upon His skin, forming armor of extraordinary spell resistance that weathered the crashing thunderbolts.
Dazzling light flared from His eyes of silver fire, detonating the terrifying fireballs in midair, while the lashing flames were drawn into the Magma Hammer to feed its heat.
Then, the roiling fire clouds pressed down toward the earth like a tidal wave about to engulf the land. Superheated steam swept across the ground, hot enough to roast any mortal to a crisp.
Yet thunder, flame, and fire clouds were nothing more than a diversion. By now, Cassius had climbed ten thousand meters into the sky, and he was plummeting straight down.
Intense downforce bore down, carrying the stench of brimstone and gunpowder. The entire world seemed to shudder under the dragon's dive.
Dumathoin gripped the Magma Hammer tightly and raised His gemstone shield, bracing for impact. His stalwart frame radiated an earthy, profound ochre glow.
The next instant, the red dragon tore through the fire clouds and thick smoke, spewing the dark red Breath of Chaos as he pounced upon Dumathoin!
*Boom!*
The collision shook the heavens and earth, rattling the world itself!
The ground abruptly sank several meters under the dragon's pounce, fissures spreading like dense webs as molten lava surged upward.
The surrounding Blackstone Mountains shook and swayed violently, triggering massive landslides that buried countless creatures beneath stone and earth.
Though Dumathoin blocked with His gemstone shield, caught off guard by the sheer momentum of the impact, He was driven deep into the ground.
Struggling with all His might, He swung the Magma Hammer. The hammerhead glowed with an ochre halo, carrying enough force to shatter space itself as it smashed toward the red dragon's head.
Though Dumathoin's stone avatar was enormous, standing a hundred meters tall, it lacked the red dragon's agility. Cassius reacted instantly, tilting his head to dodge before the fundus vessels within his body surged, unleashing chaotic flames.
This dark red fire, imbued with the essence of chaos, broke through the divine barrier of earth, punched through the gemstone shield, and surged straight toward Dumathoin's avatar.
Dumathoin rolled violently aside, knocking away the dragon's talons and narrowly evading the breath weapon. The flames of chaos bored straight into the ground, burning a bottomless hole into the earth.
Cassius grinned savagely, embers still flickering around his maw. "Dumathoin, if we were in the Outer Planes, I might show you some deference! But this is the Material Plane!
"Admit your defeat! You dwarves no longer have the strength to hold Evindeldan. This place already belongs—and can only belong—to the Cinder Empire, to me!"
Dumathoin remained silent, uttering not a word. Instead, He swung His fist—massive as a hillock—straight for the red dragon's chest, sparks of fury bursting from His eyes of silver fire.
*Boom!!*
Cassius beat his wings and took to the air. Dumathoin's punch struck empty space, but the force of the blow cracked the surrounding space, drawing an inward click of the tongue from the red dragon.
From there, the dwarven deity pressed His assault with escalating ferocity. His stone body seemed impervious to fatigue, weathering the raging inferno as He relentlessly battered the red dragon with fists, kicks, and His warhammer.
Cassius relied on his superior mobility, keeping Dumathoin locked in combat from the air.
From time to time, the red dragon unleashed varied breaths imbued with diverse powers of chaos, order, and the sun, deploying an unpredictable repertoire that left Dumathoin's avatar covered in scorch marks and cracks.
"Die!"
Cassius dove once more behind the dwarf, spewing a column of fire. Caught unawares, Dumathoin was sent crashing into a nearby peak, His abdomen pierced through by the fiery blast.
*Boom!*
Under the immense force, the peak collapsed with a roar, burying Dumathoin beneath it. Yet by the time Cassius pounced down, His foe had vanished into the stone.
In the next moment, the stone dwarf burst through the earth, leaping high amid an explosion of shattered rock, and swung His warhammer toward the back of the red dragon's head.
Cassius abruptly whipped his tail upward and swept it across, batting the dwarven deity away before He could land the sneak attack.
This was no mere collision of flesh and stone, but a contest of authority and divine might, with every strike carrying the collision of opposing cosmic forces.
In this manner, Cassius and Dumathoin fought their way from Blackrock Mountain across dozens of li. Like walking natural disasters, they left behind a wake of ruined wastelands drowning in magma and ash.
...
"Cassius above..."
"Terrifying... The mere shockwaves of their battle can bring down mountains. Thank goodness we didn't act rashly earlier."
"His Majesty will surely win..."
"To think someone could fight His Majesty to such a standstill... Just who is that dwarf?"
Right then, a clear female voice echoed across the imperial ranks, answering the soldiers' confusion: "That is Dumathoin, patron deity of the shield dwarves!
"The great Cinder Emperor, our master, is doing battle with a genuine god!"
The soldiers all turned toward the source of the voice. The speaker was none other than Misha, her face flushed with excitement as though she were beholding a true miracle.
In truth, Dumathoin was merely possessing Ed's battered remains, and His attention was divided by the orc pantheon; His current strength was entirely incomparable to His true divine self.
Yet this did not stop Misha from extolling Cassius's greatness and proclaiming the Cinder Emperor's heroic feat of doing battle with a deity.
In an instant, an uproar rippled through the imperial troops. Even if they scoffed at the gods, they could not deny the formidable might of such beings.
"Is... is that really a god?" someone murmured in disbelief.
"No wonder! No wonder His Majesty had to step in personally! Only a being like that could ever rival His Majesty!" another chanted, his heart surging with emotion.
"To protect us, His Majesty Cassius has actually made an enemy of a true god! How could we ever repay His Majesty's kindness?!"
Some broke into tears, falling to their knees and weeping bitterly, deeply moved by the Emperor stepping forward to defend them.
Yet on the devastated battlefield dozens of li away, Cassius gave no thought to his devoted subjects, wearing only a savage, arrogant grin.
"Dumathoin, can you feel it? The world is rejecting you!
"Look at the surroundings! After causing such widespread destruction to the Material Plane, can you still call yourself the Guardian of the Earth?"
Dumathoin's expression darkened, but He had no answer to Cassius's accusation.
A divine portfolio influenced a deity's personality. Having just witnessed the deaths of so many shield dwarves, His judgment had been clouded by grief and fury. Goaded by this maliciously cunning red dragon's relentless provocations, He had acted rashly.
The Silent Keeper let out a rare cold snort, glaring up at the red dragon overhead as He formed several gestures, His meaning conveying clearly into Cassius's mind:
*Cinder Emperor, do you intend to make an enemy of the entire dwarven pantheon?*
Cassius shook his head and replied breezily, "Of course not. I am helping you! Better a swift end to pain than a lingering agony. If the orcs had invaded south, far more dwarves would have died than just this handful today."
Dumathoin gritted His teeth. Even a deity known for being quiet and steadfast was infuriated by the dragon's sheer shamelessness.
*This matter is not over! Your actions have already incurred Moradin's wrath! Return Evindeldan before our war with the orc pantheon concludes!*
"I've already made enormous concessions. Why can't you understand that?"
Cassius sighed with "deep earnestness" before continuing, "If the dwarven pantheon continues to pester me, I wouldn't mind wiping the shield dwarves of the Mountain Kingdom... completely out of existence."
Dumathoin's gaze turned sharp as He gestured again: *What do you mean?*
"Did you think I didn't notice what that Lord of the Mountain was up to? Did you think his little tricks could escape my eyes?"
Cassius slowly flapped his wings and descended from the sky, causing the ground to groan and form several new fissures.
He paid it no mind, smiling faintly as he said, "Ancient guardian of the shield dwarves, if you continue to refuse to see reason, I'd be more than happy to enter that demiplane and slaughter every last remaining dwarf.
"I just wonder... when that time comes, will you still be qualified to be called the 'Guardian of the Shield Dwarves'?"
The red dragon fixed his gaze upon Dumathoin's avatar, unvarnished killing intent radiating from his pale golden vertical pupils. He had taken the art of kicking someone while they were down to absolute perfection.
*You...*
Dumathoin's face grew darker still, boundless fury held in check within His chest. The earth trembled faintly in response to His emotional shifts, like a volcano on the brink of erupting.
If a mortal were faced with the wrath of an intermediate deity, they would likely have fallen to their knees begging for mercy long ago. Yet Cassius's interest only grew.
The red dragon spread his wings and took several strides forward without the slightest fear, shaking his head with a sigh. "If I cannot find that demiplane, and you insist on making an enemy of me, I will have no choice but to burn all bridges and cooperate with those uncouth orc deities.
"As you likely know, favored by fate as I am, even Tiamat drools over my bloodline. Tell me—if such dragon blood were combined with orcs... what kind of monsters would be born?"
A threat. A blatant, naked threat.
And a threat directed at a god, no less—nothing short of sacrilege. What could possibly be more audacious?
If this had been before the Third Age, Dumathoin would likely have descended in His true divine form long ago, making this reckless blasphemer taste a deity's wrath and feel the true might of divine retribution.
Yet now, Dumathoin's stony face flickered with shifting expressions, actually revealing hints of hesitation and wavering.
—Because the red dragon was not wrong.
If He continued to pursue this matter and drove this ascendant red dragon into an alliance with the orc pantheon, catastrophic consequences would inevitably follow. And those consequences were something even He could not bear.
Chapter 655