Every time my war hammer, "Heart of the Mountain," fell, it crushed the skull of an ogre. The impact of heavy metal meeting flesh and bone numbed my arms, but the pain had been dulled by adrenaline and a creeping sense of gathering anxiety.

  I stood on the main defense line, roaring orders. The golden "Heart of the Forge" barrier was like a wall of lamentation, temporarily keeping death at bay. The battle was tragic, but… it was still under control.

  Just then, the cannon fodder of the monster tide suddenly parted like a receding wave, as if hearing an order. A titan of a monster, deep red like clotted blood, strode slowly out of the black tide.

  "It’s 'Bloodrage'!" the centurion beside me shrieked in terror. An A-Rank monster!

  The Orc King fixed its blood-red eyes on our barrier, let out a roar, and raised that morning star—hewn from a giant tree—high into the air before slamming it fiercely into the "Heart of the Forge"! BOOM————!!! The entire barrier trembled violently, its light dimming instantly! Even the stones beneath my feet were wailing.

  I couldn't let it continue attacking the barrier! Once the barrier was cracked by such brute force, it would be a dead end for all of us! "All magic units!" I roared with all my might. "Ignore the grunts! Focus all mana on 'Bloodrage'! Pin it to the spot for me!"

  Dozens of dwarven mages on the wall immediately leveled their staves at the giant red monster. Fireballs, ice shards, and lightning spears poured down like rain! Though they couldn't deal a fatal wound, they successfully enraged it and slowed its attacks.

  Now! "All batteries—target 'Bloodrage'! FIRE!"

  In the next second, all the standby runic ballistae on the wall turned simultaneously, locking onto the same target. Whir—SHOO—!!! Dozens of bolts thicker than a man tore through the air with a piercing shriek, striking the Orc King’s chest and head at the same time! That arrogant A-Rank monster let out the most painful and indignant cry since the start of the war and crashed to the ground!

  The entire battlefield fell into a strange silence for several seconds. Then, a sky-shaking cheer of wild joy and disbelief erupted from the walls and beyond! "We... we killed it!" "Victory for Khagurem!!"

  In that moment, even in my heart, a flicker of unrealistic, mad hope ignited. Perhaps… perhaps we could hold? Perhaps I, Eric Hammer-Basder, could truly lead my people and use our steel and will to save this city!

  But that hope didn't last long.

  From the deepest part of the black tide, that massive entity composed of darkness and bone—that blood-red single eye—gazed coldly at us. Then, a beam of pure black light, deeper than night and capable of swallowing all light, shot forth from that eye!

  The target of that beam wasn't me, nor was it any warrior. It was the "Heart of the Forge" above our heads—the final protector of Khagurem!

  Time seemed to stand still in that moment. I heard a crisp crack, like the sound of shattering glass. That indestructible guardian barrier, built from centuries of dwarven runic craft and leyline energy, developed a tiny fracture from the point of impact. Then, like a spiderweb, the cracks spread to the entire barrier at an incredible speed!

  SHATTER——!!!

  I watched with my own eyes as the "Heart of the Forge"—our final defense, the crystallization of centuries of dwarven glory—shattered like a broken eggshell, turning into a sky full of golden light motes. The sight was beautiful—beautiful like a most malicious nightmare. Every point of dissipating light was ruthlessly mocking our pathetic hope of a moment ago.

  Immediately following, a dull and violent vibration traveled through the stone bricks beneath my feet from the depths of the city center! It wasn't the sound of an explosion; it was... the sound of a heart stopping.

  The Core... I didn't even have to think to know what had happened. The leyline furnace that supplied energy to the barrier had exploded because it couldn't withstand the massive force of the attack.

  The symbol of our dwarven pride, the power source for all our runic craftsmanship… destroyed.

  At that moment, I felt the blood in my body flow backward to my heart. My limbs were as cold as iron ore just dug from the depths of a snowy mountain. The cheers of the soldiers for killing the powerful enemy seemed to still echo in my ears, but now they sounded like a bloody funeral dirge composed for us all.

  It was over. These words were like a cold chisel, shattering my reason and my final shred of dignity as a Lord.

  Without the protection of the barrier, the collapse of the defense happened in an instant. I heard the monster tide erupt in a sky-shaking roar of greed and ecstasy—a sound no longer blocked by the barrier, striking my eardrums directly as if proclaiming their victory.

  I saw my most elite Iron Guard—brothers who had lived and died with me—whose brief joy of victory was instantly replaced by extreme terror. Like lambs exposed to a wolf pack, they were shredded and swallowed piece by piece by the black tide in just a few seconds.

  No... I refuse to accept this! I am Eric Hammer-Basder! The Lord of this city! I snapped awake from that ashen despair. Looking at the main force of the Iron Guard about to collide head-on with the monster tide without protection, I used the last of my will as a "Lord" to let out a heart-wrenching roar:

  "Shield wall—! All shield warriors! Use 'Strength of the Firm Rock'! Hold the line for me!!"

  My voice was my final struggle as a commander. I expected it to act like a war hammer, waking my soldiers who were dazed by fear. But there was no response. Amidst the chaos, my command was like a pebble thrown into a black ocean, failing to stir a single ripple. Under the dual shock of the barrier shattering and the core exploding, my most elite army—the Iron Guard that should have been disciplined and obedient—fell into a fatal, seconds-long delay.

  And the monsters gave us no chance to regroup. ROAR——————!!! Without the obstruction of the barrier, that black sea launched a tragic general offensive against our already collapsing defense!

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  That black wave pressed toward our entire line without hindrance. My heart sank, and my gaze instinctively turned toward the left wing!

  In the brief chaos of losing the barrier, the left-wing defense snapped like rotten wood struck by a giant hammer! I watched Centurion Harold and the Iron Guard beside him get submerged by the ocean of monsters in the first wave, without even creating a splash!

  Finished... Just as the alarm bells were screaming in my heart, a new torrent of steel surged from inside the main gate! It was Hag’s reserve! Those elite guys from the guild and the heavy-armored soldiers of the "Shield of Khagurem"! Led by those Upper C-Rank adventurers, I saw them like a red-hot blade, carving fiercely into the crumbling left-wing line!

  I saw them miraculously re-establish a defense in that swamp of flesh and blood! They roared, using shields and weapons to forcibly push back the monster tide! In that moment, I nearly roared along with them! Hope, in the most unlikely of places, was reignited!

  But that brief hope lasted only a short time.

  From the rear of the black tide, several oppressive roars echoed. I saw it… I saw the army that froze my very soul. Several Goblin Kings riding giant wargs, Minotaur Kings like mobile fortresses, and that crimson "Bloodrage" Orc King!

  That was not a single strong enemy; that was a Legion of Kings!

  It wasn't a battle; it was a one-sided crushing. I watched the line newly established by heroes with their lives be easily shredded like paper before the absolute power of that Legion. I watched those C-Rank adventurers fighting on be swallowed one by one by those massive shadows. I watched the newly ignited flame of hope be utterly trampled out by this Legion in the most cruel and unquestionable manner.

  The left wing... just like that, in less than a few minutes, was completely erased from my strategic map. And this irreparable gap would become the beginning of the end for us all.

  The collapse of the left wing was like a massive, torn wound. A black, turbid flow of monsters was pouring in from there, lunging directly at the wide-open flank of our central line!

  My heart throbbed with agony at this fatal turn of events. All my attention instinctively turned to the only pivot in the center—Hag.

  He and the remaining "Shield of Khagurem" were like a lonely reef being frantically battered by black waves. Every swing of Hag’s "Crag-Breaker" cleared a brief space in the tide, only to be filled by more fearless monsters. He was like a steel anchor pinned to the battlefield, using his flesh and will to desperately hold that line.

  But how long could that last?

  I watched the Legion of Kings bypassing the left wing. After crushing Sarah and those heroes, they turned their greedy, cruel gazes without pause toward the final, strongest resistor on the battlefield—Hag Ironmane.

  I saw the "Bloodrage" Orc King and the Minotaur King launch a simultaneous assault on Hag’s circular array from two directions! I could even feel the sturdy walls beneath my feet trembling under that destructive collision of power.

  "No..." I murmured, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the command flag.

  Then, I saw the scene I least wanted to see. I saw Gren Ironbeard—the man who was always silent yet forever my most trusted shield—abandon his defensive position to protect Hag, using his own body to take the lethal ambush of the shadow wolves.

  I saw the Minotaur King’s giant axe fall without hindrance. I saw Gren’s silhouette thrown away like a tattered doll.

  In that moment, my brain went blank. Hag... Gren...

  I saw Hag explode in a final fury like a wounded beast after Gren fell. I saw him pour everything into a final strike to slay the "Bloodrage" Orc King, and then… collapse onto one knee in exhaustion. I saw the final warriors beside him launch a suicidal, resolute charge to protect their fallen leader.

  Done. Everything was over. Tactics, command… all had lost meaning. The center… was also gone.

  The monster tide had begun to surge toward the city walls.

  "My Lord!" the guard captain roared. "They’re coming up!"

  I watched the first ogre step on the corpses of my kinsmen and climb onto the battlements. The era of strategy was over.

  I threw away the now useless command flag and took up my war hammer, "Heart of the Mountain," from the ground. "All personal guards!" My voice was no longer a Lord’s command, but a roar of a common dwarven warrior. "Hold this wall! Until our last drop of blood is spent!"

  I charged forward, pulverizing the head of that ogre with my hammer. Plasma and brains splattered across my face, but I didn't care. I was no longer the Lord overlooking the whole situation; I was just a dwarf defending his home. We fell into the most primitive, most savage blood-battle with the monsters surging onto the walls. My guards fell one by one; my bracers were already covered in dents and claw marks; my breathing was as heavy as a bellows, every swing of the hammer feeling like my muscles were tearing. But I couldn't stop, and I certainly couldn't fall. I was the last shield of this city.

  We struggled to hold on, using our bodies and will to maintain a teetering line on this section of the wall. But I watched another wave of ogres and gnolls climb up over the corpses of their kind; their numbers seemed endless.

  My stamina was being drained inch by inch by this endless black ocean. We couldn't hold.

  I raised "Heart of the Mountain" again, preparing to meet the next wave. Perhaps this would be the last time. At least, I would turn to ash alongside my city.

  In the midst of this absolute despair, an unspeakable heat—not coming from the monsters—suddenly slammed into my right side! Immediately following, a blinding flash of fire was bright enough to nearly burn through my eyes!

  I instinctively blocked my eyes with my bracer, but a massive two-headed wolf-beast pouncing toward me let out a short shriek and then… simply turned into black ash before my eyes.

  What was that?

  I turned my head in shock toward the right, only to see a massive ring of fire erupting from a central point of that battle line! The fire… actually avoided us dwarves!

  Before I could comprehend any of this, an even more massive and terrifying surge of mana rose again from that direction! The sky was dyed red, and burning meteors rained from the heavens! BOOM——!!! Those arrogant Bone Dragons in the sky didn't even have time to wail before being struck directly by several massive meteors, crashing down!

  My heart, in that moment, felt frozen yet ignited at once. This power… who exactly was it?!

  When the flames of the last meteor faded, I finally saw clearly. A golden pillar of light rose from the center of that sea of fire! A figure, uplifted by radiance, slowly ascended. That was a… dwarf?!

  That light… rose from the center of that fire! Could it be… the newcomer from Hag’s report who wiped out an entire goblin nest in one go?

  Then, six massive, holy wings unfurled behind him.

  My breathing nearly stopped. Was that… the legendary… Six Wings?

  Then, the sky was completely torn open. The Heavenly Gate opened, and the angels descended. Beside me, my guards, my people—everyone stopped fighting. They looked on in horror, and then, one by one, they dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground, offering the most primitive reverence and worship to the figure in the sky.

  I did not kneel. My legs were like they had grown roots, firmly pinned to the wall. Because I am not a common soldier; I am the Lord. My duty is not to worship, but to think.

  In my brain, like a burning runic stone had been thrown in, thoughts began to race frantically. Khagurem… was saved. Saved from absolute, irreversible destruction.

  But this power… what exactly was it? That dwarf… what exactly was he?

  I felt a deep, sovereign fear. A power that could instantly decide the survival of a city. A power that transcended my army, transcended my authority, and even transcended my understanding of this world. This power was Khagurem’s salvation… but it could also be my greatest challenge as a Lord.

  我的目光死死鎖定著天空中那道六翼的身影。 My gaze was locked onto that six-winged figure in the sky. He saved us. But will he still be a dwarf who obeys the laws of Khagurem? Or… has he become an existence I can no longer understand or control?

  This battle… though victorious, for Khagurem and for me, Eric Hammer-Basder, it has only just begun. This is not the end of a war; it is the beginning of a new storm of power and faith. And I must be prepared for it.

  Victory brings relief, but for a leader, it also brings questions. Lord Eric has witnessed a miracle, but as the ruler of Khagurem, he sees more than just a savior—he sees a power that could reshape his entire world. The war against the monsters is over, but the political and spiritual struggle is just starting.

  If you enjoyed Lord Eric's strategic and somber perspective, please follow, favorite, and leave a comment on Royal Road. How will the Lord handle a Living God in his city?