Chapter 468: The Ancestral Tomb

When Belegar Ironhammer stepped off the helicopter amidst praise while carrying the flattened head of Iblit, Sinuoli knew the first phase of the Battle of Eight Peaks had concluded successfully; what remained was to inflict as many casualties as possible and slow the enemy's progress toward a comeback.

In the following days, besides coordinating from the center, Sinuoli personally took action several times, using the authority of a Demigod to destroy the resistance of small groups of remnants fighting a desperate battle. Cherishing his soldiers had always been a tradition of Dwarf commanders, and he was naturally no exception.

As the pursuit forces returned one after another, Sinuoli and the various remaining commanders listened to the battle reports in the throne room. The pursuit of the Greenskins had been smooth overall, as the terrain was primarily the plains of the West Badlands, which facilitated the deployment of cavalry.

The destruction of the Gork and Mork Colossus had shattered their morale, and the great battle before the plaza as well as Skarbrand's assault inside the fortress had caused the loss of all mid-level commanders of the Evil Moon Tribe. Once Iblit was killed, the retreat turned into a disorganized rout, leaving only for the Human cavalry to charge and harvest them.

The pursuit of the Skaven along the World's Edge Mountains, however, was not smooth. Although the command post of Clan Mors had been destroyed by a central blast from a commando unit led by the White Dwarf, Genuoduoer had still left behind an emergency plan.

After Skarbrand appeared, it paid little attention to the Skaven, whom it viewed as dust, and headed straight for Sinuoli. Once news of the failed summoning ritual spread, some frontline Claw Tuan commanders realized things were dire and began preparing to retreat.

During the retreat, the rats fell into their favorite pastime of infighting over command of the troops. However, it was unlikely that the legendary Beast Tamer of the Moulder Clan would be drowned; Throt the Unclean jumped out from an underground river at the critical moment, commanded his personal war beasts to devour several dissenters, and consolidated the advancing troops.

That fleeing group of Skaven had no Human adventurers blocking them in the back and no Dwarf pursuers in front, yet their escape route was naturally arduous. Not to mention Mad Dog Pass, they had barely passed through Death Pass and exited the territory of the Four Peaks before they began cannibalizing each other due to a lack of food.

Throt the Unclean was a capable officer rather than a commander; boosting morale was not his forte. All he could do was ensure rations for himself and his trusted war beasts to maintain combat effectiveness. But at this moment, when everything seemed on the verge of collapse, Cuitesi-Weitui suddenly arrived.

That Clanrat favored by the Horned Rat knew his own weight and that of the 8,000 rats in the seventy Claw Tuan behind him. If it were normal times, let alone acting as reinforcements, he would have had more than enough to serve as the main force to attack a Dwarf mining station or even a stronghold, but facing a 70,000-strong army led by a Demigod? He still wanted to live a few more years!

The two followed the severely damaged tunnel and finally arrived before the ancient great gate that King Luen had been willing to sacrifice his life to buy time to seal. A small squad of Andeglang Oath Guard silently stood guard there.

After calculating the comings and goings of the various parties, Skab summoned Sinuoli to discuss the matter of opening the Ancestral Tomb. Aisaweian and his Mistwalkers had performed impeccably in the battle, and in terms of both reason and sentiment, the rewards had to be settled.

His brother-in-law had returned in a sorry state, and Skab could only sigh that man proposes but heaven disposes. If he had to guess, the Rictus Clan's timely arrival might have been secretly guided by the Great Horned Rat, but such things were not to be spoken of to outsiders.

"Please!"

"A pity, but then again, if it were intact, why would it have been used at that time?"

After simple courtesies, Sinuoli solemnly inserted the heirloom Warhammer into the keyhole. As if sensing the arrival of the rightful owner, the scarlet Rune flickered out with a 'puff', and the gate, sealed for nearly three thousand years, slowly opened.

Sinuoli had no objections; opening the sealed Ancestral Tomb had been one of his long-cherished wishes. Those core members of the Angrund Clan who had not died on the road to reclaiming the Eight Peaks had all made a dying vow to remain unburied until the homeland was retaken and they could be interred in the clan mausoleum.

"It is a pity that the work is not yet complete, but it is already not bad. Sinuoli will have plenty of headaches once the army is disbanded, so one or two things more or less won't matter."

The two sides joined forces, and after taking stock of troops and provisions, they realized a problem—there was still plenty of combat power left, but the provisions seemed insufficient for so many troops to return smoothly to Tuobeishan; Throt's war beasts were strong but also had huge appetites.

The Griffons of Yvresse were indeed majestic and powerful, but their numbers were limited and the terrain was not suitable for them to be effective; all they could do was watch the remnants of Clan Mors enter the tunnels and head northeast.

"After you!"

Although the "Silver Dragon Horn of Caledor" had not been shown to others for thousands of years, the more the Dragon slept, the more its legendary stories were sung; for Skab, the pressure of pocketing it in public was not small.

The Norscan Dwarfs, who had not had time to rest after the great battle and had followed up with a forced march, were already an exhausted force. The rats' surprise ambush and counter-encirclement immediately put them in danger. If Aisaweian had not been willing to lead the Ta'er-Gaewo Knightly Orders to provide aerial support after receiving the distress signal, his sister Nina would truly have become a widow.

Therefore, Weitui took the initiative to slow down the march, intending to wait until the outcome of the main battlefield was clear before making further plans. If the Skaven could win, he would naturally come out to fight bravely, and if they were defeated, his contribution to the outer perimeter support would not be lacking.

When assigning combat missions before the war, since there were differences in closeness, Skab had given the "cushy job" of pursuing the Skaven to Suojiade. He had originally thought that with the support of his fifth senior brother, Master Aoji, nothing would go wrong, but he had been wounded by Skarbrand and could not accompany them, and Skab had not had time to change the arrangements.

Upon entering the gate, what came into view were two massive Rune Colossi guarding the passage behind the door, but a closer look revealed one had a dim glow, while the other had collapsed directly onto the ground. Behind them were two more equally dilapidated Rune guards; even so, one could catch a glimpse of the former grandeur of the Eight Peaks.

The designer of the tomb had clearly considered the clan's inheritance for thousands of generations, so a considerable amount of unused space had been left near the great gate.

It just so happened that Suojiade-Keluomsen arrived with the pursuers at that time. This future lord of the Norscan Dwarfs was eager to make a contribution, so he led his troops in a desperate pursuit, lost contact with the follow-up forces, and ran straight into the arms of the Skaven coalition.

The Dwarf race had a custom of passing down treasures and wealth. Generally speaking, burial objects were mementos that best represented the deceased's achievements during their lifetime and some small items they loved to carry; their actual value was far less than their commemorative significance.

The Ancestral Tomb was clearly covered under the spoils of war to be exchanged uniformly based on merit after the battle. This was also the clan's ancestral temple, and as the only direct adult male of the Eight Peaks royal family, Sinuoli did not need others to witness him opening it.

The seal, inscribed with the blood of a Rune Master as the medium, still functioned after the scouring of time. Skab reached out and touched it, and the information transmitted within entered his heart—only a Rune Master with extremely high attainments or a descendant with the direct bloodline of the clan using the divine hammer as a key could open it.