[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-577":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Ember Dragon",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1162786,1504,"Chapter 577: Dawn of Light","ember-dragon-chapter-577",577,"\u003Cp>Chapter 577: Dawn of Light\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By Moradin, it’s a dragon! A gold dragon!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve never seen such a massive and magnificent dragon! It looks like a statue forged from gold!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that our reinforcements?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden dragon appeared on the horizon, and the dwarves on the wall all looked up in awe, temporarily forgetting the orc assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The orcs noticed the unexpected visitor too and were stunned to see the dragon diving toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its whiskered face exuded majesty, and fire boiled in the pupils like molten gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Orc officers and shamans felt a terrifying pressure and shouted in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s a gold dragon!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It must be an ally of the dwarves! Quick, shoot that damned gold-scaled lizard down!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the order, the orcs hastily raised their crude bows and fired at the dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their poor-quality arrows proved useless. Most wobbled and fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the arrows that hit left no mark on the dragon’s tough golden scales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gold dragon gazed down at the masses of orcs, its vertical pupils burning with rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, it opened its jaws. Firelight surged from its throat and chest, as if a blazing sun hid within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Father Gruumsh, th-that dragon is coming!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How do we stop it?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get down!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Careful, it’s dragonfire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As orcs stared in fear, the golden dragon spread its wings wide and dove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its massive shadow engulfed the wall, covering thousands of dwarves and orcs. With a flap of its wings, a fierce gale swept forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Air burst with a thunderous roar. A wave of heat crashed down, and blazing flames poured from the dragon’s mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the orcs outside the wall were engulfed in fire. Ladders burned, and hundreds of orcs screamed as they fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It burns! Dammit, I’m on fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By Father Gruumsh! Where did that gold dragon come from?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Orcs screamed and writhed in dragonfire. Their fur clothing and leather armor scorched black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No—I haven’t set foot in Avenderdan yet! I haven’t enslaved the dwarves!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Father, I don’t want to die here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the fire, orcs fell into delirium, kneeling and begging the skies for mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the gold dragon did not stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Roooaaar!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deafening roar echoed through Blackstone Mountains, drowning out the orcs’ screams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the orcs, the dragon was death incarnate. It glided along Avenderdan’s wall, continuously spewing fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fiery belt hundreds of meters long formed outside the wall, ash flying, wildfires spreading. Heat waves distorted the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon rose and dove again and again, raining fire until every orc outside the wall was incinerated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In mere minutes, tens of thousands of orcs perished. Charred corpses piled like hills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By Moradin...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The orc siege force—it’s gone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re saved... That gold dragon must be our Highland Kingdom’s ally.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dwarves on the wall watched the fiery ruin, both relieved and amazed by the dragon’s might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked up again. The blood mist and black clouds conjured by the shamans had been burned away. Sunlight returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beams of light shone down, making the dragon’s golden scales gleam as if wrapped in holy radiance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the crude dwarves were stunned, mouths agape, unable to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elderly and wise Bjorn looked up, his voice shaking, even his white beard quivering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My kin, this noble and righteous guest has saved Avenderdan and our kingdom!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his staff high: \"He is the dawn of light!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Dawn Dragon!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Praise this mighty gold dragon!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dwarves echoed Bjorn’s cry, shouting skyward in triumph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon flapped its rippling wings and nodded slightly, as if greeting its allies on the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the battlefield below, the orc shamans panicked under the spreading fire, unable to focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bound, King Edd seized his chance, breaking free from magical chains, eyes blazing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Foul spawn of Gruumsh!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dwarf king raised his hammer high. His voice thundered, and stones gathered in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Behold! The dragon’s flames burn bright! Your savage army has turned to ash!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shamans shook their heads in horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No—impossible! The gods of Heaven Mountain are blind! Reinforcements aren’t coming!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it! There was no gold dragon in the One-Eyed God’s prophecy! This one doesn’t belong to us!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Edd glared at them, his eyes burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smashed his hammer down and shouted: \"This is your fate! Against the power of justice and order, you filthy, brutal orcs are nothing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boulders fell like meteors, shaking the earth with deafening crashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fleeing shamans had no chance. Most were flattened like meat patties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One transformed into black smoke and escaped, but Edd leapt to meet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shaman laughed madly, clutching his bone staff, chanting: \"Useless! Even dragons can’t stop Gruumsh’s Blood Spear! Dwarf king! Remember—Avenderdan will become our fortress, and dwarves our slaves!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enraged, Edd swung his hammer, voice trembling: \"You’re dead!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edd smashed the orc’s skull, spraying blood and brain matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spun in the orc horde, whipping up a dust storm with his hammer. Orcs screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tiny worm! I’ll crush you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A five-meter-tall half-orc giant charged with a bone club.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Edd crushed his knees with a single blow, dropping the giant to his knees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the dwarf leapt and smashed the giant’s head without mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edd stood slowly, drenched in orc blood. His hammer was caked in gore and chunks of flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him, not one orc remained alive within a hundred meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In moments, he had annihilated all the shamans and elite warriors meant to restrain him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such was the might of Edd Kraine, Lord of the Highlands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood in the blood, raising his hammer, shouting toward the city walls:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My people! The orcs’ schemes shall never succeed! Moradin’s light shall shine forever upon this land!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Follow me in counterattack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drive out Gruumsh’s filthy spawn!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edd exchanged glances with the dragon above, nodding in gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could not imagine what would have happened had the dragon not arrived while he was ambushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Praise Dumathoin! It’s King Edd!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By Moradin, I knew he wouldn’t fall!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Counterattack!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Drive the orcs back north!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their king emerge from the enemy horde, the dwarves surged with emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Led by Edd, they poured from the city, chasing down the fleeing orcs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demoralized by dragonfire, the orcs fled toward their northern camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their tens of thousands-strong vanguard was utterly destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dwarves cheered on the scorched, corpse-littered land, celebrating the hard-won victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Long live Moradin!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Highland Kingdom shall never fall!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Praise the stranger—that special guest! This victory would not be ours without him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They shouted the names of their gods, praised their king, and thanked the Dawn Dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Road of Glory. Orc Tombstone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vultures circled above, screeching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the front line against orc invasions, this place had become the Redblood Tribe’s main camp. Hundreds of thousands of orcs gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a plains drake’s spine, atop a throne of bones, Batu Skullcrusher sat, eyes narrow and face twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cowards.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the distance, the defeated vanguard fled, faces terrified, clothes tattered and scorched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who permitted your retreat?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Batu rose slowly from his throne, voice laced with fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Batu. A gold dragon! A strange gold dragon attacked us! We were about to take Avenderdan, but then the dragon came and unleashed fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leading officer knelt, begging, blood flowing from his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gold dragon?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Batu squinted, a strange light flickering in his empty socket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Gruumsh’s plan, the gods of Heaven Mountain had been blinded. No aid should have arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Batu’s fury exploded. His voice thundered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s no excuse for retreat! Father Gruumsh said: The weak who can’t fight for the tribe should be skewered with spears.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despair struck the officer. His legs buckled. He tried to flee again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he realized—north lay orcs, south the dwarves. There was no escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, no! Lord Batu, I fought for us! I slew goblins on Ugo Plains! I...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Batu didn’t care. He raised his axe and slashed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Slash—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood sprayed. Hundreds of fresh orc heads flew into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The retreating orcs from the south were slaughtered by their own chief, without mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thousands watched in silence. Even the air froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Batu jumped down, picked up a warm head, and held it high for all to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"See this? This is a deserter’s fate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cowards don’t belong in Nishak. Their souls rot and are abandoned forever!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember! Orcs are raiders! We must strike fear into our enemies’ souls!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He threw the head down, stomped it, then shouted, his lone eye burning with fanatic light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The One-Eyed God watches you always! Your greatest sin is cowardice!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For Father Gruumsh! Conquer and kill our foes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For Father Gruumsh!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These deserters deserve death!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stirred by Batu, the horde raised spears and swords, roaring with contempt for the retreaters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They agreed completely with Batu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In orc clans, Gruumsh’s priests not only spread faith but also purged the sick, weak, lame, or unfit—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—regardless of age or status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Survival of the fittest. The weak were discarded, fed to beasts. That was orc law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Batu climbed to a cliff top, overlooking the horde, then turned his eye south, ambition burning within.\u003C\u002Fp>",1517,"2026-06-03T12:47:18.890Z","2026-06-03T12:47:22.748Z",1,"novelbin.me","77d2785ef7b73d329b47e6ee617103c91ad964e63d390c873ba472272b421a40","ember-dragon-chapter-578","ember-dragon-chapter-576",603,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fember-dragon-cover.jpg"]