Chapter 170: The Attack

Chapter 170: The Attack



The Demon King Generals teleported at the outskirts of the Dwarven Kingdom, where a huge mountain facade lay before them.

"So that's the Dwarven Kingdom, huh? No simple entry points. Only a hidden gate," Garruk muttered, his eyes scanning the towering peaks that seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky. The barren rock formations showed no signs of weakness, no welcoming path.

Morgath stepped forward, his hand tracing a faint scar on the mountainside. "The dwarves are master builders. Their defenses are not just in stone and iron but in how they blend into the land itself. It will take more than brute force to breach this."

Valeria, standing at the front of the group, took in the sight of the seemingly impenetrable stronghold. "We don't need an invitation. We'll force our way through..."

As Valeria was speaking, she noticed something strange on the ground near the Dwarven Kingdom. There were pockets of craters, charred as if something with high temperature had scorched the earth. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the marks.

"This wasn't made by dwarves," she muttered, stepping closer. "These craters... they look like signs of recent battle, but not the kind caused by dwarven weapons."

Garruk, now intrigued, followed her gaze. "What are you suggesting? That the dwarves aren't the only ones here?"

Valeria's dark energy pulsed faintly around her as she stood still for a moment, piecing it together. "It's not just the dwarves we should be cautious of. There's another threat... one that might already be inside these mountains."

Garruk frowned, his gaze hardening. "Who?"

Valeria's voice dropped, carrying a hint of the bitterness that accompanied the memory. "The humans. The ones who managed to repel me at the Akarios Islands."

At the mention of the humans, Thalor's deep laughter echoed through the barren landscape. He stepped forward, his towering frame casting a shadow over the charred ground. "The mighty Valeria, almost killed by mere mortals," he said, his voice dripping with ridicule. "So, are you suggesting we back away? Maybe we should send you in first, to see if they'll finish what they started."

Valeria's eyes flashed with irritation, but she kept her composure, refusing to give Thalor the satisfaction of a reaction. "This isn't about fear, Thalor," she snapped, her voice icy. "It's about strategy. These humans-whether they're inside the Dwarven Kingdom or not-are capable of far more than you realize. Underestimating them was my mistake once, and I won't let that happen again."

Thalor crossed his arms, still smirking. "Perhaps you're just looking for an excuse. After all, it sounds like you've already been bested by these 'humans.""n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Valeria's gaze pierced through him. "Laugh all you want, Thalor. But when we breach those gates, and if they are there, you'll see for yourself what they're capable of."

Garruk growled lowly, stepping between the two to break the rising tension. "Enough. Whether the humans are here or not doesn't change our mission. We take the Vorithium. Everything else is secondary. So Valeria, stop wasting time and let's get on with this."

"Impressive," she muttered, pushing back with her power. The dark energy around her surged, and with a powerful scream, she deflected the beam, sending it careening into the mountainside, where it exploded in a shower of molten rock.

The Stone Sentinel paused, seemingly surprised by her resilience, but Valeria didn't give it time to recover. With a swift motion, she flew toward it, her hands crackling with energy. "Let's see how you handle this!"

Channeling all her strength, she slammed her fists into the Sentinel's chest, directly where its core was exposed. A shockwave of dark magic erupted from the impact, and for a moment, the glowing core flickered.

The Sentinel let out a deep, rumbling groan, stumbling backward as cracks spread across its entire body. Valeria pressed the attack, pouring her energy into the core, her eyes blazing with

fury.

With a final, deafening roar, the Stone Sentinel's core shattered, and the massive creature crumbled into rubble. The ground shook as its remains collapsed, leaving only a smoking pile

of debris in its place.

Breathing heavily, Valeria landed gracefully beside the ruins of her defeated foe. "I expected more from the dwarves' guardian," she muttered, brushing the dust from her cloak.

But then, another three Stone Sentinels emerged from the mountain, their massive forms groaning to life as ancient runes lit up across their stone bodies. The ground trembled beneath their steps as they moved toward Valeria, each one more imposing than the last.

Before Valeria could react, Thalor suddenly flickered, his form vanishing from sight for a split second. In the next instant, he reappeared directly in front of the advancing sentinels, his dual blades gleaming. Without hesitation, he launched into a series of rapid, precise strikes, his movements almost too fast to follow.

His blades cut through the air with a sharp whistle, each strike landing perfectly on the stone sentinels. Sparks flew as the enchanted stone met Thalor's godspeed slashes, his blades moving in a blur of motion. The first sentinel barely had time to react before it crumbled into pieces, shattered by Thalor's relentless assault.

The second and third sentinels fared no better. Thalor moved between them with supernatural speed, slicing through their stone bodies as if they were nothing but brittle clay.

With a final flash of his blades, the massive creatures collapsed into piles of rubble, their

glowing cores extinguished.

Thalor landed gracefully amidst the debris, casually sheathing his blades. He glanced back at Valeria with a smug grin. "That was easy," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Valeria watched him, her expression unreadable as she surveyed the destruction. "Impressive," she said coldly, though there was no trace of admiration in her tone.