Chapter 11: Dwarf Against Dwarf

The Dwarf Thunder Gunners, lying in ambush, had long been waiting for Li Mingxing’s command. The instant they heard it, they charged out from their hiding spots without hesitation, muskets already primed and aimed straight at the leading Hill Dwarves. Shots rang out.

After that volley, Li Mingxing was astonished by what he saw. The Hill Dwarves, notorious for their toughness, barely flinched. The Thunder Gunners' muskets could shatter boulders with a single shot, yet these bullets merely pierced through the Hill Dwarves, leaving them with intact corpses.

The surviving Hill Dwarves responded with remarkable speed, charging straight at the Thunder Gunners, their axes and heavy hammers raised to deflect incoming rounds.

Seeing this, Li Mingxing was startled. He shouted, “Block the road! Trap all these Hill Dwarves here!”

At his command, the Dwarf Sappers snapped to action. They leapt from hiding and slammed their black iron hammers into the ground, shattering the path the Hill Dwarves were charging across.

Afterward, the Sappers paid Li Mingxing no more heed and rushed, weapons in hand, to engage the Hill Dwarves directly.

By this time, the Thunder Gunners had fired a third volley, but this time only five Hill Dwarves fell.

As the Thunder Gunners tossed their overheated muskets to the ground, they drew their melee weapons from their belts—axes and other arms looted from Minotaurs, hurriedly distributed by Li Mingxing. Though unfamiliar, these weapons would suffice for close combat.

At that moment, Li Mingxing waved his hand and three Harpy Matrons took to the sky, each with six spring-loaded grenades strapped to their waists.

The sudden flight startled the Hill Dwarves. Seizing the moment, Li Mingxing’s Gray Dwarves rushed in, black iron hammers and axes clashing with the Hill Dwarves in brutal melee.

After a short, fierce struggle, Li Mingxing realized that the Hill Dwarves’ prowess in close combat was only on par with the Thunder Gunners once they'd discarded their muskets.

Against the Sappers, however, the Hill Dwarves stood little chance—unless they managed to gang up two-on-one, the Sappers would always prevail.

Satisfied, Li Mingxing turned his attention elsewhere, instructing Yin Haitao, who’d been hiding with him, to circle around and scout the enemy's apprentice hero.

No sooner had Yin Haitao departed than the battle shifted dramatically. Only seven Hill Dwarves remained, and suddenly, one among them let out a furious roar and seized the warhammer of a fallen comrade.

With a warhammer in each hand, he struck down a Dwarf Sapper in a flurry of blows, the Sapper unable to react before being slain.

The other Gray Dwarves cried out in dismay. From their shouts, Li Mingxing understood: at the brink of death, this Hill Dwarf had advanced, transforming from a mere warrior into a Hill King.

At that moment, the Hill King was a force unto himself—single-handedly battling two Sappers, scattering them with ease.

Li Mingxing turned to the two Thunder Gunners still pinned under his battle panthers. “You see? I told you there’d be a reason to wait. The task of slaying the Hill King is yours.”

Hearing this, a rare smile broke through the Thunder Gunners’ lingering resentment. They nodded to Li Mingxing, even politely acknowledging the battle panthers atop them.

They then produced a strip of cloth and began wrapping it around their muskets. Li Mingxing couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”

“The Hill King isn’t easy prey. We’re afraid even three volleys won’t bring him down, so we’re wrapping the barrels to force one last shot, even if it destroys the guns,” one Thunder Gunner replied.

Li Mingxing was at a loss for words. He knew what these muskets meant to their owners—they had painstakingly crafted them by hand, and normally, to even touch their weapons was an affront. Yet now they were willing to sacrifice their guns for victory. He was deeply moved.

He wanted to say more but instead waved his claw, giving permission for the two Thunder Gunners to charge.

As they rushed out, the rampaging Hill King was briefly taken aback. The Sappers leapt forward, drawing the Hill King's attention, absorbing the blows of his warhammers so he couldn’t block the Thunder Gunners’ shots.

The Thunder Gunners seized the opportunity, firing. One shot struck the Hill King’s chest, shattering his armor; the other hit his head, blinding him in one eye but not killing him.

Encouraged by their success, the Thunder Gunners advanced another fifteen meters, reloaded, and fired again. This time, another Hill Dwarf threw himself in the way, taking one bullet for the Hill King, while the second was deflected by the King’s warhammer.

The Thunder Gunners halted, quickly reloading with rounds aimed at the Hill King’s lower body. One shot was blocked, but the other struck the King’s foot.

Seeing the King still standing, the Thunder Gunners threw their muskets aside and charged closer.

Just as the Hill King thought he had survived, the Thunder Gunners' muskets suddenly reappeared in their hands, freshly loaded.

Behind them, two unarmed Gray Dwarves were grinning. They’d seen their comrades wrap their guns and realized their intent, so they’d followed, ready to help reload.

The final two shots caught the Hill King completely off guard. He was blasted off his feet, his torso riddled with gaping wounds—dead beyond doubt.

The Thunder Gunners’ muskets exploded in their hands, rendered unusable, and would need to be reforged.

Yet there was no disappointment in their eyes. They simply grabbed axes from the ground and rushed forward to lop off the Hill King’s head.

The remaining Hill Dwarves, now leaderless, stood no chance against Li Mingxing’s Sappers. In short order, they too were slain, though not before taking another Sapper down with them.

Thus, of the thirty Gray Dwarves Li Mingxing had obtained from the Gray Dwarf clan, only twenty-two survived.

The loss pained Li Mingxing, but he said little. He ordered the survivors to collect the bodies and send them to the Gray Dwarves’ clan, hoping to request reinforcements.

He added that if replacements weren’t forthcoming, the bodies should be sent to the Witch—perhaps she would want to experiment on the dwarves’ corpses.

Once the Gray Dwarves had departed, Li Mingxing exited through an unblocked path.

This time, he personally approached the teleportation portal the Witch had described. There, he saw the apprentice hero from the Radiant Alliance had realized something was wrong and was having his dozen elven archers pack up, clearly preparing to flee.

Watching from a distance, Li Mingxing quietly asked, “Can we stop them?”

“Impossible. Those are elven archers. If anyone approaches within two hundred meters, they’ll be shot. Not even the Thunder Gunners could get within thirty meters to fire,” Yin Haitao replied.

Li Mingxing could only sigh, watching in frustration as the enemy prepared to escape.

But soon, he noticed something odd—the treant follower on the enemy side, who had taken root, seemed to be in trouble.

Excited, Li Mingxing said, “Yin Haitao, have the Gray Dwarves hurry. We may still have a chance.”