Chapter 409: Dragon Crag

Although they did not know the direction or who the enemy was, the morale of this Dwarf army was exceptionally high. The Ancestor Chosen of the Ancestor Gods walked at the very front, the young Clan Chief followed by his side holding the Oath Stone that had been passed down for thousands of years; what could be more glorious than this?

The few who were in the know were not so relaxed; they were distributed at key nodes of the formation, moving forward quickly with heavy hearts. After several days of marching, the clansmen who had been there deduced the possible destination, and rumors spread through the ranks.

Snorri remained silent about this; he was not sure if there were any followers of that so-called Golden God among these people, nor did he know if they had the means to communicate with that fellow from afar.

Combining his talent and the system, he could sense the aura of evil, but Golazi was not necessarily an evil god. Even if he had mentally branded her as an unpardonable lackey of Chaos at the first opportunity, one could not be idealistic about such an important matter.

"Scatter the brothers throughout the entire army; once anyone shows signs of acting up, subdue them immediately!"

After explaining the situation to Belegar Ironhammer, despite his constant muttering to vouch for his subordinates' piety toward the Ancestor Gods, the last bloodline of the Angrund Clan ultimately supported Snorri's approach.

The further they went down the mountain, the more dilapidated the roads and leylines became, making the march of the army dragging the Artillery even more difficult. But Snorri knew well that all fear stemmed from a lack of firepower, so he insisted on not abandoning them to travel light.

As they stepped into the designated area of Dragon Crag, the system displayed the local level of corruption in a timely manner. Looking at the value, which was incredibly high—not just by the standards of the Dwarf Realms, but even by Human standards—the other contingency plans became obsolete. Why investigate further? Just go for it!

"Everyone, the Father God and Mother God have passed down an oracle: the residents in the stronghold ahead dare to worship evil gods other than them! Such thoroughgoing Heretics must be judged!"

When Karak-Azul, whose original form was barely recognizable, appeared clearly in the eyes of the army against the setting sun of the Badlands, Snorri stopped his advance, jumped onto his Doom Anvil, and spoke in a loud voice.

"What? Worshipping an evil god?"

"By Grungni's beard! This is unheard of in thousands of years!"

"Last month, or maybe the month before, my nephew's distant cousin seemed to mention it in the tavern."

This explosive news threw the army into chaos. What they were going to do at Dragon Crag had been the most important topic around the campfire every night, but neither the youngest Little Beard nor the Ancestral Spirit who had returned to the mortal world could have thought of this.

Snorri, of course, knew that the clansmen would find it hard to accept and digest; after all, from the time Dwarfs were created until now, they had always stood in opposition to the word "evil god."

"It's been a long time since I personally conducted pre-battle mobilization; I can't let my signature skills get rusty!"

While opening the system to release the ritual, Snorri muttered to himself. Over the years, as his prestige grew day by day, he didn't need to hold worship activities to boost morale before battle as much.

"The grace of the Ancestor Gods has descended upon you; prove your piety to them! Obey my orders: control all personnel in the stronghold. Those who refuse to cooperate, subdue them by force! Those who dare to resist, kill without mercy!"

Feeling the power and fury surging within their bodies, the army of Keladeluomen no longer hesitated in the slightest, and they strode toward the small stronghold on the mountainside.

Back then, after the Dragon Slayer Shikaoke slew the dragon, he briefly recaptured the fortress itself, but the battered city was no longer sufficient to defend against the subsequent Greenskin attacks. He and his followers built a small city on the mountain path in front of the main entrance to house themselves.

"This is the army of the King of the Southlands, the Ancestor Chosen of the Ancestor Gods, Storm Hammer Snorri Thorsson! The rightful master of Karak Eight Peaks, King of the Angrund Clan Belegar Ironhammer, is also here! Open the gates at once!"

"Ah?"

"How could they be here?"

Gotrek's booming announcement sent the few guards on the stronghold's gate tower into a panic, but before they could answer, the hot-tempered chosen of the Dwarf God of War swung his Battle Axe at the gate.

"Stubborn! Gotrek, move aside, let me use the Artillery!"

Snorri was even more direct; the Artillery—

Wasn't the whole point of dragging it all the way from Keladeluomen to do exactly this? No matter how small a Dwarf stronghold was, they wouldn't skimp on the materials; without heavy weapons, a siege couldn't be fast.

"Boom—!"

Accompanied by several loud bangs, the iron gate of "Dragon Crag" was blown open. The warriors who had received the gods' grace swarmed in, shouting the action policy Snorri had just set while pinning down every living person they encountered.

"Not enough people! Where are those Heretics?"

Scanning the Dwarfs and a small number of Humans being held in the square, Snorri frowned. Clearly, the numbers didn't match the intelligence, and none of the stronghold's leading figures had appeared.

"Res, respected Ancestor Chosen! You have finally noticed this abandoned land; please, please believe in my loyalty to them!"

Before the words were finished, a guy dressed as a guard scrambled out from behind the crowd, hugging Snorri's legs and crying out.

"Loyalty? Hmph, tell me where they are, and it might still count as making amends for your crimes!"

"This way, those, those fallen fellows are gathering in an abandoned mine behind here. The Gaoshou claims to have received the temptation of Go, no, that demon there! I can take you there right now!"

"If you dare to play any tricks, the Western Depot will make you understand that death is sometimes a kind of happiness." After dropping this threat and leaving a small portion of soldiers to guard the stronghold's residents, Snorri took the guide and headed straight for the mine.

"Report! Your Excellency Gaoshou, the Ancestor Chosen has suddenly arrived with a large army; I fear he does not intend to recognize the status of the god Golazi!"

Meanwhile, in a hall where the dome and support pillars were plated with gold, a guard who had escaped in the chaos spoke urgently to a thin figure wearing a golden silk robe. Although this person was of Dwarf height, his body proportions were by no means the square shape common to Dwarfs; he was so thin that his waist was almost as slender as an Elf's.

"Snorri Thorsson? Didn't he just return to Gaoyuanbao? How did he suddenly appear here?"

The Gaoshou stroked his smooth beard; the richness of this person's Beard Rings rivaled those of the master of Tongshanbao, Belegar's father-in-law Lord Lagos, and his slender fingers were covered in luxurious rings.

A few days ago, he had spent a great deal of effort to dig out a small group of elite Rangers who had infiltrated, thinking he could have a few peaceful days, but he hadn't expected the main force to kill their way to his door in the blink of an eye.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

"To be able to escape with one's life from the hands of the Master, you truly have some skill; I presume you can bring me enough pleasure and honor!" Listening to the knocking at the mine entrance, the Dwarf licked his lips and muttered.