Chapter 915: The King of the Dark Dwarves

Seeing King Brokk’s transformation, the clown Ogu shifted his gaze to the warhammer, instantly understanding why the dwarven king had been able to resist the Giant-Spore Blight.

A tribal relic, in essence, was simply an artifact that concentrated faith energy. Such items could be powerful or weak.

A weak one, like the banner on Lord Orion’s old war tent, was practically useless. King Brokk’s warhammer, however, was in the powerful category.

Barring any special forces that could neutralize faith energy, the weapon was like a self-contained body of faith—not unlike the forbidden art Orion had once acquired to help him ascend to arch lord.

“Who are you? What have you done to my people?” King Brokk roared, his own power surging with his anger.

The only response was a stiff, cold smile from the puppet on the iron throne, and the condescending gaze of a higher being looking down on a lower one.

“Insolent wretch!” To King Brokk, who now possessed the power of a half-arch lord, such an attitude was an insult to him and to all dwarves.

He moved, raising his warhammer, and brought it down on the puppet as if he were striking an anvil, a wave of searing flame trailing in its wake.

“Honestly,” the puppet sighed, “trash of your level is truly unworthy of my attention.”

It raised a hand. Ignoring the blistering heat and flames, it snatched the warhammer from the king’s grasp, leaving King Brokk staring in utter disbelief.

“I imagine,” the puppet said, its voice filled with a mocking, playful tone that was somehow even more repulsive, “that without this little trinket, you can finally complete your transformation into the King of the Dark Dwarves and become my capable subordinate.”

King Brokk didn’t care about the taunting tone. “What? Dark Dwarves? You… how did you…?”

It was clear from his horrified expression that he knew of the Dark Dwarves. They were a taboo subject, a forbidden part of dwarven history—a mutated, treacherous, and evil existence.

The Dark Dwarves were to the dwarves what Lysinthia’s Gorgons were to the serpentfolk: an irredeemable enemy that must be destroyed on sight. The only difference was that Dark Dwarves were even more violent and bloodthirsty.

“Heheheh… you should be less concerned about them, and more concerned about yourself,” the clown’s voice echoed softly.

Without the protection of the tribal relic, the Giant-Spore Blight that had already taken root in King Brokk’s body began to take effect.

Visibly, the king’s skin began to shift, from yellow to green, then to blue, and finally to a deep, necrotic black. His height shot up rapidly, and the muscles all over his body bulged and hardened under the influence of the parasite.

“Yi, do you see?” the puppet asked, turning its head to look at Torin, who was now walking slowly into the throne room. Its voice was dripping with pride.

As for Torin, his eyes were wide with excitement and ecstasy as he watched the dwarven king’s horrific transformation. At last, he would stand at the top of the continent’s pyramid, ready to speak to those high-and-mighty figures as an equal.

Stoneheart Horde, Stoneheart City.

Delilah once again entered Orion’s great hall. This time, there were no outsiders present.

She sashayed toward him, winding herself into his arms as he sat on the throne. Her eyes smoldered with a familiar invitation, her whole body seeming to blush a faint pink as she began her seduction—a game of conquest and surrender that she never tired of.

“Is there news?” Orion asked, his voice calm. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her still.

Delilah’s body went rigid for a fraction of a second. The gesture was a clear signal: business first. She leaned against his chest, hesitating, unsure how to begin.

“Is it about Kronos?” Orion asked softly.

Delilah looked up, her eyes wide with shock. Although the assassination attempt on Kronos had happened in the human kingdom, any clever analyst who studied the event would eventually point the finger at the Stoneheart Horde, and specifically, at her succubus race. The existence of Pallas was motive enough.

This was why she had hesitated, unsure how to explain.

“You know?” Her voice was laced with panic. She hadn’t ordered the attack, nor had Lilith. But could one of their subordinates have acted on their own? She couldn’t be sure.

“Your eyes are full of panic,” Orion said, his voice gentle. He reached out and tilted her chin up, forcing her rose-colored eyes to meet his.

“I know you didn’t do it. I put you in charge of the Sentinel Corps because I trust you completely. So why,” he asked, a playful glint in his eyes, though his tone was serious, “don’t you trust me?”

“No… it’s not that…”

Before Delilah could finish, Orion leaned down and captured her lips with his. He trusted the succubus sisters. If he couldn’t even trust them, the entire Stoneheart Horde would be nothing more than a burden to him.

A long while later, when her lips were swollen and red, he finally let her go.

“The incident happened in the human kingdom. I don’t have any leads to investigate it myself right now,” Orion said, holding her close. “Let this matter drop. The Sentinel Corps is not to get involved.”

“The one pulling the strings is that human, Baron Torin. He’s behind the attack on Kronos and the incident at Soaring Bird City.”

He told her the truth calmly. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Torin? How is that possible? He absolutely does not have that kind of power!” She was certain of this, her conclusion based on all the intelligence and data they had on him.

“Torin doesn’t,” Orion agreed. “But the entity standing behind him does. That’s why I will have someone else handle this. The Sentinel Corps is to stay out of it.”

Delilah frowned, trying to puzzle out who could possibly be backing Torin.

“Don’t worry about it,” Orion said. “You’ll understand when things become clearer.”

His hands slid down her back, and his now-unruly touch made Delilah understand what was coming next.

In the last moment before she lost her train of thought, she managed to report one last piece of intel.

“The evil mist over Soaring Bird City was dispersed by priests from the human kingdom. The city is now under reconstruction, and the territory has been granted to Princess Ava.”

She tried to continue, “Don’t you want to know why the human kingdom would do…”

But her words were cut off by a soft cry as Orion’s hands tore through the fabric of her dress.