A blinding beam of crimson light suddenly erupted from the severed neck of the blood-colored crystal statue, piercing straight toward the dome like a sharp sword. The beam slammed violently into the rock ceiling above Cinder City, and the entire subterranean space began to rock and roll!
Massive amounts of rubble and dust cascaded down from above. Starlight quickly conjured a shield, intercepting the falling rocks for the group.
The tremors lasted for a long while before gradually subsiding. When everyone looked up, they couldn't help but gasp in unison.
The rocky dome overhead was now riddled with hideous cracks. Black-red energy flowed within those fissures, writhing and expanding like a living thing.
“It’s destroying the stability of the underground space!” Maela shouted in terror. “If the dome collapses, all of Cinder City will be buried!”
“If every clone we eliminate produces another light beam like that... and if the Stone Troll King’s clones are defeated at the other gates... this entire underground space will definitely be wiped out!”
As if to confirm their worst fears, a deafening explosion suddenly echoed from the North.
Immediately after, a second crimson light beam tore through the air, slamming hard into the overburdened dome. Giant blocks of rock fell like rain, and a sentry tower on the city walls was instantly reduced to ruins.
“Damn it, if this keeps up, we’re going to be buried alive! Are there any emergency measures in Cinder City?” Starlight asked urgently, watching the cracks multiply across the sky.
Reminded by his words, Maela slapped her thigh. “Right! I think I heard my master mention before that there’s a divine statue above the Great Furnace in the center of Cinder City. That place is the core defense measure for the entire city—there might be a way to reinforce things there!”
Starlight’s eyes flashed with resolve as he made an immediate decision. “Fine, we’ll split into three groups. Maela, you go check if that statue can help! Po Kong, you and Xia Duo head South. You have to find a way to stop the Stone Troll King’s clone before the dwarves defeat it. Ideally, seal it, or at the very least, push it out of the main space before finishing it off. Can you do it?”
“Understood! I guarantee I won’t give those stone lumps a chance to self-destruct!” Po Kong nodded. “Little Shadow, let’s go!”
With that, he and Xia Duo transformed into two streaks of light, racing toward the southern district. Simultaneously, Maela took off with long strides toward the Great Furnace at the city’s center.
“Then the East is up to the two of us!” Starlight turned to the girl beside him and held out his hand.
Moen gave a slight smile and took his hand with practiced ease. “Let’s go. I’m ready.”
Both of their figures blurred in the next instant as Starlight used space magic to teleport them hundreds of meters away. This rescue mission, a race against time, had officially begun!
...
Starlight gripped Moen’s hand tightly, flashing repeatedly through the intricate alleys of Cinder City. Their figures appeared on the rooftops of bell towers, beside lava conduits, and atop the roofs of forging workshops.
In just one minute, they had jumped dozens of times.
Shua—!
Following another abrupt teleport, they landed on the tiled roof of a dwarven residence. Moen’s face had turned pale.
The girl’s slender fingers were squeezing Starlight’s palm tightly, clearly enduring the discomfort brought on by the rapid spatial jumps.
“Do you need a short rest?” Starlight looked down at Moen and asked softly.
“No, I’m just a little dizzy. After teleporting with you so many times, I’m almost used to it.” Moen took a deep breath and shook her head firmly.
Seeing this, Starlight didn't hesitate further and pulled her away again.
Fortunately, their current position was not far from the eastern wall. After a few more movements, Starlight could already hear the thunderous shouts echoing from the distance.
The rhythmic thrumming of the dwarf warriors’ war drums intertwined with the roars of the Stone Trolls, causing the very air to vibrate.
“We’re here!” Starlight steadied himself after one final teleport.
This time, they landed firmly on the battlements of the East Gate, taking in the battlefield before them.
The defensive configuration of the eastern line was similar to the western one, but the number of Stone Trolls attacking the city was significantly lower. The dwarf warriors had successfully pushed the monsters back beyond the moat; their orderly shield walls and dense volleys of arrows made it impossible for the towering enemies to advance a single step.
However, what truly caught their attention was the earth-shaking Saint Rank duel taking place directly in front of the city gate.
Two dwarf warriors, both under a meter and a half tall but radiating staggering auras, were battling a five-meter-tall Stone Troll King clone with enough force to shake the ground.
One was a red-bearded dwarf wielding a double-edged battle axe, every strike carrying the power to split mountains. The other was a silver-armored dwarf swinging a chain hammer larger than himself, the heavy head tracing glowing, fiery arcs through the air.
Judging by their ability to project battle qi and glide through the air, they were two of the four existing Saint Rank experts of the dwarf race that Maela had mentioned.
“Those are the patriarchs of the Silver-Beard and Gold-Palm families!”
Moen’s ears twitched as she keenly caught the shouts of the dwarf soldiers below.
The Stone Troll King they were besieging was covered in wounds of varying depths. Purple-black blood continuously seeped from its cracked rocky skin, yet it continued to attack frantically, as if it had no regard for its own life.
“We have to stop the two patriarchs first! If they kill the Stone Troll King clone, it’ll be too late!”
“Alright, I’ll handle stopping them.”
Sharing a knowing look, the two leaped from the wall together and resolutely joined the fray.
“Please, stop!” Starlight’s voice thundered across the battlefield via magic. “You cannot kill this monster!”
However, the two patriarchs, caught in the heat of battle, had no time to heed the warning. The Silver-Beard Patriarch’s chain hammer was already descending toward the Stone Troll King’s head with the force of a thunderclap, while the Gold-Palm Patriarch’s battle axe was swinging toward its chest.
At the critical moment, Moen’s magic took effect. Countless emerald vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the two patriarchs’ weapons like living things.
With two muffled thuds, the attacks—infused with Saint Rank power—were halted mid-air after shattering several vines.
“Who goes there?!” The Silver-Beard Patriarch’s eyes widened, his silver-white beard bristling with rage.
But when he saw the newcomers clearly, the lightning on his chain hammer visibly dimmed. “Elves? And... a human?”
The Gold-Palm Patriarch also checked his assault, a hint of confusion flashing in his golden eyes. “Outsiders? Why do you hinder us from slaying this demon?”
In that brief window, Starlight released a whirlwind at the Stone Troll King, forcibly pushing the battered clone dozens of meters away and temporarily interrupting its self-destruction process.
“Patriarchs, please listen to me! This Stone Troll King is a clone that will explode! Killing it will only trigger an even more terrible disaster!” Starlight landed before the two of them and explained rapidly.
“You brat, what kind of nonsense are you talking? This is our prey!” The Silver-Beard Patriarch’s white beard stood on end as he roared.
The Gold-Palm Patriarch was relatively calmer, but his golden eyes were also filled with suspicion. “Young human, this is clearly their King. Slaying it will end this war!”
The two held their weapons across their chests, looking ready to strike at any moment.
Moen quickly explained, “Please, look back at the ceiling in the center of the city! We just killed a clone, and if another one succeeds, all of Cinder City will be buried underground!”
The dwarves present followed Moen’s finger and looked into the air, just in time to see a massive stalactite fall from the heights, smashing a giant crater a hundred meters away.
Only then did they notice that the rock ceiling was covered in terrifying cracks, with black-red energy pulsing through them like veins.
“By the Fire God's beard! What do we do now? We can’t just let this thing be!” The Silver-Beard Patriarch finally lowered his chain hammer slowly and asked.
“Seal it temporarily instead of killing it.” Starlight turned toward the Stone Troll King clone as it struggled to get back up. “We need your strength to suppress its movements for now!”
The two dwarf patriarchs silently exchanged a glance. “You had better be able to do what you say... human.”
Rate on N.U.
