The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 638 A Series of Bad News

Deep within the Wanren Mountains, fierce winds howl between the cliffs, carrying ice and snow.

Here, two steep mountains stand like clasped hands, leaving only a narrow passage between them.

At the end of this passage, there stands a massive city wall that resembles a steel mountain range.

The gray granite was polished to a shine by the wind and snow, and the bricks were covered with dense defensive runes. The thickness of the city wall was so exaggerated that three heavy carriages could drive side by side behind the battlements.

What is awe-inspiring is not only the thickness of the city wall, but also the rows of defensive equipment displayed around the pass.

On the steep cliffs on both sides of the city wall, every fifty steps there was a heavy runic ballista or a dark cast iron cannon.

Hundreds of menacing cannon muzzles pointed menacingly at the northern mountains in the wind and snow, like the fangs of wild beasts guarding against bandits beyond the towering mountains.

This is Broken Blade Pass, the most fortified northern border of the High Mountain Kingdom, also known with awe by passing human merchants as the "Throat of Sighs".

Year-round, fierce winds pour in from the gap between the two giant peaks, the airflow rubbing against the rock walls and producing a low, mournful wail, sounding as if the mountain range itself, which stretches across the continent, is sighing.

One hundred thousand dwarf soldiers and civilians have been stationed here for generations.

Unlike Brass Pass, which was once controlled by various forces, the Sighing Maw has no human garrison, no sorcerers from the Schools, only pure dwarves.

The city walls beneath their feet were built stone by stone by their ancestors with their own hands. And deep in the mountains, underground granaries were stockpiled with enough smoked meat, dried mushrooms, and rye wine to feed an army of 100,000 for three whole years.

Although Brass Pass is often portrayed as the last barrier of the Eastern Kingdoms in human narratives, for the dwarves of the Mountain Kingdom, it is their true city wall.

With the creaking sound of the winch turning, the heavy city gate slowly rose.

The dwarven general Salut Bronzehelm led his remaining troops out of the snowstorm, helping each other into the fortress.

After their defeat at Huangtong Pass, they retreated here through wind and snow.

Each person's armor was tattered, dark red bloodstains and ice shards frozen together, and their heavy steps revealed a sense of bewilderment about the future.

The northern governor in charge of defending the city, Vargas Ironhammer, personally led his guards to greet them at the city gate and led them into the military camp behind the city walls.

As a typical dwarf general, Vargas was less than 1.3 meters tall, but if a ruler were placed horizontally, he would appear a few centimeters taller.

Because his width was greater than his height, he stood at the city gate like an immovable iron tower.

Vargas's eyes flickered slightly at the sight of Salut's disheveled appearance.

Although he knew that news of the defeat had already reached the Sighing Throat through the wind and snow, Salut still bowed his head and personally conveyed the bad news to the governor of the north.

"Huangtong Pass... has fallen."

Vargas looked at the group of defeated and disoriented soldiers before him and fell into a brief silence.

A moment later, he suddenly stretched out his thick arm and slapped Salut on the shoulder.

The immense force of the blow caused Salut to stagger and nearly fall to the ground.

"Haha, cheer up, my buddy!" Vargas's voice boomed like a hammer slamming into an anvil, making the armor of the surrounding crowd vibrate. "It's just the loss of a pass, no need to act like the sky is falling!"

Salut gave a wry smile.

“You have no idea what we are facing.”

"Of course I know, aren't they just those muscle-bound ogres?"

Vargas grinned and pointed his thumb toward the checkpoint behind him.

"Don't forget we still have this place! I can assure you, even if Brass Pass collapses ten more times, this Sighing Throat will never fall!"

Vargas's thinking was very clear.

He had read the battle report sent from Huangtong Pass. The reason that pass had fallen was simply because the barrier inside the city walls had been destroyed from the inside by human traitors.

There are no human troops stationed at the Sighing Throat, so this threat does not exist.

Moreover, the terrain of the Sighing Throat is even more treacherous than that of the Brass Pass, with sheer cliffs on both sides that are impossible to climb. The attacking side can only advance through the narrow passage in front, while the crossfire from the cannons and ballistae on both sides is enough to overwhelm any invading enemy!
not to mention--

The ogres had no reason to attack this place.

Compared to the tough nuts to crack in the towering mountains, the humans to the northwest are clearly easier to bully. Beyond the Twilight Forest lies a vast, flat plain... like a piece of easy prey.

If he were the general of the ogres, he would never have committed his troops to a desperate battle on Broken Blade Peak, a natural stronghold that is easy to defend and difficult to attack!
Looking at Governor Vargas with a smile on his face, Salut could guess what he was thinking, but he couldn't be infected by his optimism.

Chaos servants often think differently from ordinary people, and their gains and losses cannot be measured by common sense.

Especially the followers of Kalmandes.

Conquering the world was merely a means to an end for them.

They conquered cities and territories not to gain land and treasure, but merely to offer sacrifices to their chief god through the most brutal fighting.

From this perspective, this place is probably no different from the Twilight Province, and may even be more dangerous.

“I watched with my own eyes as that city wall, which had stood for a thousand years, turned into ruins in less than a day. Vargas, the Sighing Throat, is indeed formidable, but whether it is the height of the fortress, the size of the garrison, or the strength of the superhumans... it is a level below Brass Pass.”

“More importantly, we encountered that thing…” As he said this, a hint of fear unconsciously appeared in Salut’s eyes.

Vargas frowned, sensing an emotion that shouldn't have been in the dwarf's eyes.

What did you see?

“A monster clad in black armor… He caught up with us all by himself. Thanks to Gaunt for his intervention; if he hadn’t stayed behind to cover our retreat, none of my brothers would have made it back.”

Upon hearing Gaunt's name, Vargas's thick eyebrows furrowed sharply.

In the world of dwarves, Gaunt is one of the few human warriors they acknowledge as "worthy of the title Rock".

"Gunter...lost?"

Seeing Vargas lower his voice instinctively, Salut shook his head.

"I don't know... He didn't rejoin us. I hope he survived."

The atmosphere beneath the city walls grew somewhat somber, and the north wind, blowing through the "throat of sighs," seemed to howl even more mournfully.

If even Gunter isn't a match for that monster, then these guys are probably going to be a real problem...

Vargas paused for a moment, then looked down at the snow around his boots.

Then, he raised his head, pursed his lips, and spat out a mouthful of saliva as if to embolden himself.

"In the end, the reason you lost is because you trusted humans too much. Chaos was summoned by those guys! In all my years, I have never heard of a dwarf being bewitched by the whispers of Chaos."

Salut shut his mouth and let out a long sigh.

"It's too late to say all this now. Let's think about what to do next—"

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden burst of rapid bell tolled, echoing along the entire city wall.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

That's an enemy attack alarm!
A dwarf sentry tumbled and crawled down the watchtower, nearly losing his footing on the stairs and burying himself in the snow.

"Your Excellency! To the north! A large group of people is approaching from our north! They are heading towards us along the mountain road!"

Salut's face turned pale instantly.

He hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly; they were right behind him, stepping on his heels the moment he arrived.

Vargas was also taken aback.

However, that momentary daze was quickly replaced by a soaring fighting spirit.

"Prepare for battle—!"

He turned around and roared towards the city wall.

The powerful roar drowned out the clamor of the north wind and the tolling of the bells, and in an instant, it stirred up the entire valley!
Tens of thousands of dwarf soldiers scaled the city walls.

Some of them held muskets, while others held crossbows, their movements as precise as gears, smoothly operating amidst their rough roars.

Vargas turned around, laughed loudly, and slapped Salut on the back again.

"I'm going to meet those guys. I want to see what kind of creatures could scare our Lord Salut like this!"

After saying that, he bent down, picked up the warhammer, which was thicker than his head, with one hand, hoisted it onto his sturdy shoulder, and walked toward the city wall without looking back.

On the other side, howling wind and snow raged through the valley, but could not drown out the sound of footsteps breaking through the snow one after another.

Looking around, the mountain path leading to Broken Blade Peak was covered with dirty, gray-green heads and rusty weapons.

The ogres carried crudely made short axes and iron-clad clubs, their bare feet trudging through the thick snow.

These massive, humanoid monsters had long lost the ability to feel pain; only the desire to kill and eat controlled their bodies.

The heavy snow fell on their broad shoulders, feeling as weak and powerless as a tickle.

At the feet of these "giants," a dense army of goblins surged like a turbid tide.

They were only as tall as the ogres' knees, some even shorter, their thin bodies covered with all sorts of equipment and colorful paint.

Most of their weapons were found in Huangtongguan.

Among them were sharpened wooden sticks, notched daggers, tattered shields stripped from the dead, and standard imperial muskets.

Strictly speaking, as ogre worshippers, they are more intelligent than ogres. However, if we insist on arguing that they are intelligent, it is difficult to explain why they would worship ogres who use them as food reserves.

Sharp, piercing screams echoed throughout the group. Occasionally, a few animals that slowed down were kicked away by the ogres behind them with their large feet, like kicking away clods of dirt, and crashed into the snowdrifts by the roadside.

Some managed to crawl out and continue the march, while others simply became nourishment for those who came after them.

Looking around, this vast army numbered a million.

At the very front of the marching column, an exceptionally large ogre rode astride a rhinoceros-like war beast.

The beast's hide was as rough as weathered rock, and each heavy step it took shook the ground around it.

Unlike his other dull-witted kin, the ogre wore a thick fur coat over his shoulders, with only his two arms, as thick as an ordinary person's waist, exposed to the wind and snow.

His muscular arms were covered with scars and enchanted tattoos that resembled centipedes.

A knife scar running from his chin to his ear turned half of his face outward, giving his expressionless face a grotesque grin that would never fade.

Muhadi, the Skull Hunter, a warlord of the Blood Abyss Clan!

On the war beast's swaying short tail, a long string of dried heads was strung together with rusty iron chains; all of those heads belonged to powerful superhumans.

"It seems we're almost there."

Gazing at the city walls appearing at the edge of his vision, Muhadi's lips twitched slightly, making his ever-present, sinister smile appear even more cruel.

A pitch-black figure walked beside him, the person surrounded by a suffocating black aura of death, with a blunt black longsword slung across their back.

"Do you need me to break down that wall?" Vaughn asked slowly, his voice so flat that no emotion could be detected, as if the wall was just a grasshopper lying there.

"No need."

Muhadi did not turn around, but raised the blood-stained axe in his hand and pointed it at the towering Broken Blade Peak in the distance.

"I will offer the most solemn sacrifice to the great flames of destruction with the bloodiest slaughter! Let the heads of these dwarves build our first city!"

Vaughn didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly, tacitly approving of the trial initiated by the ogre warlord.

After all, those dwarfs hiding behind the rocks weren't worth drawing his sword for.

Beneath the black helmet, his gaze passed over the walls of Broken Blade Peak, ignoring the pairs of angry eyes staring into the distance.

He was waiting for that guy named Colin.

As long as he keeps killing, that guy will eventually stand in front of him.

Then--

Just as he saw in the prophecy, he was killed by him.

……

The battle began with the dull clanging of iron chains.

There were no rousing war drums, only the sound of whips whistling through the air, as a dozen cyclopes were driven to the front lines by ogre overseers using barbed whips.

Their huge, hunched bodies moved slowly and clumsily, like a group of laborers who had been enslaved for too long and had forgotten how to resist.

They bent down, used their strong arms to hug the millstone-sized boulder, and then threw it with all their might.

The boulders traced parabolic arcs as they crashed against the city walls, the dull thuds echoing through the valley and even shaking the snow off the hillside.

However, the city wall in the distance remained completely still, its grim surface without even a single extra crack!
That is the power of runic magic.

Even without relying on human magical barriers and magic technology, the dwarves in the mountains can still build impregnable walls!
"Ha ha!"

"Are you all hungry?"

"That's it?" The dwarves on the city wall burst into laughter.

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of artillery and ballistae rained down as a return gift!

Caught off guard by the sudden barrage of fire, the two Cyclopes were struck squarely, their massive bodies crashing to the ground and killing countless goblins.

As for the remaining Cyclopes, they ignored the overseers' attempts to stop them and fled back to the ogre army.

Vargas stood atop the city wall, his laughter louder than the roar of cannons.

"Go eat shit, you scum!"

The laughter pierced through the wind and snow, reaching Muhadi's ears and causing the scar extending to his earlobe to curl slightly upwards.

He tilted his head slightly.

Soon, several hunched figures emerged from the army formation.

Those were priests of the Blood Abyss Clan, their round, fat heads covered with pale animal bones, making them look like enormous infants.

They chanted complex, dry syllables, and dark red light surged from their palms, seeping into the bodies of the remaining Cyclopes as if they were alive.

The Cyclops let out a painful growl, and its body began to swell violently. Thick veins bulged beneath its gray skin, and its arms gleamed with a dark red, menacing light.

The roar was not from pain, nor from anger, but rather from a frenzy driven by murderous intent.

The dwarfs on the city wall gradually stopped laughing.

Especially Vargas.

Watching the Cyclopes pick up the stones again, he roared at the artillery commander beside him.

"What are you waiting for? Fire!"

The artillery commander was pale.

“Your Excellency…they are outside our effective firing range.”

"Then raise the cannons! Whether we can hit them or not, fire a few rounds at them first!" Vargas roared, giving the order.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the second wave of boulders soared into the air and crashed heavily onto the city wall beneath Broken Blade Peak.

Unlike the dull thuds of the previous impacts, this time the sound was like a beer bottle shattering on a wall, making a series of crisp thuds.

The dwarves standing on the city wall were horrified to discover that the granite wall beneath their feet was covered with spiderweb-like cracks!

Their runic shield—

It's been breached!

Vargas's smile vanished completely, and the Cyclops on the opposite hillside went into a frenzy.

The massive stones rained down on the dwarves' positions, destroying the fortified positions on the city walls with incredible accuracy.

Several heavy cast-iron cannons, along with their dwarf gunners, were smashed into a pile of mud in the rubble.

There were also cannons and runic ballistae erected along the mountainside.

They tried firing at the ogre positions beyond their range, but only managed to hit some goblins transporting ammunition to the Cyclops; it was far from enough to stop the relentless cascading of boulders.

Fortunately, those cyclops did not have unlimited stamina.

As the red light gradually dimmed, the bodies of the cyclops standing in the front row visibly deflated, then collapsed to their knees as if they had burned out.

They seem to have traded their lives for extraordinary firepower.

However, just as Vargas was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the ogre general in the distant army suddenly raised his battle axe and swung it down forcefully.

"Thump—!"

A long, deep horn sounded, and countless goblins, carrying ladders, screamed as they rushed toward the city wall.

Seeing the goblin army surging in like a tide, the dwarf commanders standing on the city wall drew their weapons and roared.

"Prepare!"

"Fire!"

Just as the goblin army approached firing range, the dwarven musketeers and crossbowmen standing on the city wall pulled their triggers, unleashing wave after wave of bullets onto the narrow mountain path.

Not just bullets and crossbow bolts.

There were also explosives used for mining!

The explosives from the Principality of Campbell are like a brownish-yellow paste; when detonated with a unique fuse, they can unleash astonishing power!

Faced with the continuous explosions, the goblins who rushed to the city wall fell in droves, their corpses filling the trenches and forming a ramp at the base of the wall.

The bright red blood melted the snow, gathering into steaming streams, which were then dried up by the scorching flames.

The mountain kingdom's firepower continued to pour down.

However, the number of enemies was simply too great. When all the goblins in front died, those behind continued to climb up, stepping on the corpses of their comrades.

Hundreds of siege ladders rushed to the city wall, but in the end, a dozen or so ladders were placed on the battlements.

The dwarf commanders personally wielded their swords and stepped forward, attempting to push down the siege ladders, but they were no match for the extraordinary individuals hidden among the goblins.

Unlike ordinary goblins, they have darker skin and sharper daggers, like battlefield assassins lurking on the edge of the battlefield.

As these goblin superhumans, blessed by Chaos, ascended the city walls, a brutal melee officially began, and what was originally a one-sided massacre instantly turned into a stalemate!

Fortunately, goblins are still far weaker than dwarves in terms of physical ability, and their cobbled-together equipment cannot compare to the painstakingly crafted works of dwarven artisans.

A single swing of a dwarf warrior's hammer could shatter the breastbones of three or four goblins. Even the most valiant goblin assassins, despite their best efforts, could only leave shallow marks on the armor of the dwarven superhumans, managing to kill very few by sheer luck.

The walkways of the city wall were soon covered with a layer of broken pieces of flesh, most of which were grayish-green.

The dwarves gripped their weapons, beginning to think that this massive siege was nothing special.

Until the ogres also climbed onto the city walls.

These savages don't need ladders.

They dug their thick fingers into the cracks created by the boulders and climbed upwards using their incredible arm strength.

When they roar and leap onto the city wall, they pull out their battle axes or maces from their backs, and each swing inflicts heavy casualties on the dwarves guarding the battlements.

This also caused huge casualties to the goblins who were fighting the dwarves.

However, that's not important.

Those little green men were originally their cannon fodder.

As the ogres leaped onto the city walls, the balance of victory, which had already tipped in favor of the dwarves, was reversed in the blink of an eye!
Seeing his men fall one after another, Vargas roared in anger, brandishing his warhammer, and led his personal guard into the enemy ranks.

"Die!!!"

The enraged Vargas was like a rampaging war machine, each swing of his warhammer accompanied by the muffled sound of ogre skulls shattering!

In just a few breaths, he had smashed the skulls of more than ten ogres and they fell to the ground under his warhammer!
Seeing Vargas covered in blood, the surrounding dwarf warriors were inspired and reformed their shield formation to fight the ogres again.

however--

There are just too many ogres.

Like sharks drawn by the smell of blood, their numbers multiplied as the battle intensified.

After finishing off another ogre, Vargas, panting heavily, lifted his warhammer, only to feel it grow heavier and heavier in his hand.

He could feel an invisible force corrupting him.

Including his subordinates standing beside him!

His cloudy pupils were blood red, and the thick smell of blood gradually made him lose his sense of pain and his awareness of physical fatigue.

When he looked down, he suddenly realized that there were two large holes in his chest!
Vargas broke out in a cold sweat and finally realized why the weapon in his hand was getting heavier and heavier, but he couldn't remember when the two wounds had been inflicted.

When did this happen?!

No one answered the question in his heart.

Then, his gaze suddenly passed over the layers of bloody shadows and landed on the person in the enemy's army formation in the distance.

The man was dressed in black armor, carried a blunt longsword, and was surrounded by a black aura of death.

The person didn't make any movement, just stood there quietly, but the look in their eyes seemed to carry a hint of appreciation.

'Well played.'

Would you like to come over here?

Vargas was stunned for a moment, then a look of anger rose on his face, as if he had been humiliated.

"dream!"

He roared with all his might, forcefully dispelling the fear that had frozen his blood, and charged towards the evil shadow.

The man continued to look at him, a hint of regret in his eyes.

Immediately afterwards, Vargas suddenly realized that the shadow had disappeared in front of him, as if it had never been on the city wall at all.

Damn it—

Where did you go?!
Vargas was both shocked and furious, but he had no time to think. He felt a gust of wind accompanied by a hoarse battle cry coming towards him!

"Roar--!"

Riding his war beast, Muhadi swung his giant axe, cleaving it towards Muhadi's chest.

Before he could even think about how this guy had ridden the monster up the city wall, Vargas hurriedly raised his warhammer to meet the attack.

However, the sudden, sharp pain from the tiger's mouth sent his heart plummeting to the bottom.

That iron hammer, forged through countless hammer blows, was actually cleaved in two by that battle axe!
Without the slightest pause, a dark red streak of light cleaved through his tattered breastplate, leaving a third gash in his chest!

Vargas was sent flying and crashed heavily into the wall.

He had barely let out a low groan of pain when a whistling battle axe chopped off his head, followed by a hand grabbing his beard and lifting his head up.

"Victory!!!" Muhadi roared, holding Vargas's still-bleeding head in one hand.

His rhinoceros-like war beast opened its blood-red maw and chewed up the headless corpse hanging under the battle axe.

"Do not--!"

Looking at Vargas, who had died on the city wall, even the most resilient dwarf showed a trace of despair on his face.

The surrounding ogres raised their weapons and roared in unison, the violent sound waves completely drowning out the last resistance of the "Wailing Throat".

The battle lasted less than ten hours.

Before dusk fell, the last battle flag of the High Mountain Kingdom fell into a pool of blood.

One hundred thousand dwarven soldiers and civilians were slaughtered by the ogre army that breached the pass, and very few survivors managed to escape through the narrow passage.

They piled up the severed heads into a huge mound of flesh and blood, and erected a towering totem pole in the center of the mound.

As the ogre priest chanted in a low, obscure voice, the dark red gate opened, and one after another, ogres, shaking their heads, emerged from behind the gate of chaos.

Unlike the cannibals standing on the battlefield.

They wore finer armor and held steel-forged swords and axes, their demeanor and attire completely different from their fellow tribesmen.

The head brought not only reinforcements, but also a gift from Kalmandes.

Bathed in the blood-red light, Muhadi's eyes flashed a chilling crimson, and his aura grew increasingly heavy and terrifying.

He let out a joyful growl and raised his hands upwards.

"Feed my Lord with my blood!"

In the distance, nestled among the mountains, an airship flying the flag of the Ottoman Empire hovered silently behind the clouds.

The Imperial officer standing on the bridge slowly lowered his binoculars, his face pale, and remained silent for a long time before waving his hand behind him.

It's too late for this checkpoint.

He could only turn his gaze to another dwarven city fifty miles away. However, he had no idea whether he could hold it.

In any case, one thing is beyond doubt.

This war will likely be far more brutal than the Senate anticipates...

(End of this chapter)