A Dragon against the Whole World

After deliberation, he dispatched Dragon Vein Werewolf Russell, who was exceptionally skilled and more suited for subterranean combat, to assist.

He himself stationed above the mine, overlooking everything, ready to react promptly to any unforeseen changes below, adapting to the circumstances as needed.

"As you command."

Werewolf Russell accepted the order with a deep voice.

With a low growl, he led the elite soldiers along the passages previously carved out by the tribe in the mine, advancing deeper underground to support the exploration team.

Meanwhile, Iron Dragon Solrog settled down, his enormous body lying by the edge of the mine.

He slightly closed his eyes, using his mental link with Russell to sense the situation underground, patiently waiting.

Several hours quietly slipped by amidst the sounds of wind and rain.

Suddenly, Iron Dragon’s spirit was invigorated.

Through Russell’s vision, after traversing a long and dark passage, an abandoned city relic buried deep underground emerged before his eyes.

This was an immense underground cavern.

Above.

The thick rock layers hung like an inverted sky, with countless dangling stalactites intertwined like the fangs of a giant beast.

Below.

On the irregular terrain, ancient and rugged-styled buildings stood, with faintly visible bas-relief patterns of hammers and forges representative of the Gray Dwarves’ civilization, now covered by various fungi and strange underground plants, appearing desolate and decayed.

Notably, these buildings, despite showing signs of age with cracks and weathering, remained surprisingly intact in structure.

They seemed not to have suffered from war or catastrophic damage, but rather to have been abandoned by their inhabitants at some point.

The closed enormous cavern was extremely dark inside, with only a few peculiar fungi emitting faint blue or ghastly green lights, providing some illumination.

Beyond that were pairs of eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Most of the creatures Russell brought, including himself, were naturally endowed with excellent dark vision, allowing them to see their surroundings clearly.

"Maintain combat formation, keep up with me!"

Russell growled in a low voice, his sound echoing through the vast underground space.

He identified the direction and led the elite soldiers swiftly toward the location where the exploration team had previously sent signals.

Their journey was not unimpeded.

This forgotten Underground City still housed a considerable number of subterranean beasts and magical creatures like enormous cavern lizards, harpy-like creatures emitting piercing screams, and some wandering aimlessly skeletons and zombies.

However, these beings were generally low in life level.

For the elite troops led by Russell, they were quite weak, barely causing any substantial hindrance, and were quickly cleared out.

After a while, the fast-marching team halted.

They arrived before an exceptionally grand underground hall entrance.

Despite the hall interior being full of residue and dust, the massive stone pillars and dome remained largely uncollapsed, maintaining an intact outline, showcasing the superior architectural skills of the Gray Dwarves.

Several hundred Molten Iron Followers, who had previously fought here, were resting outside the hall.

Most of them bore scars, with a few freshly deceased comrades’ bodies strewn about.

Upon seeing Russell lead the reinforcements arrive, these weary Followers immediately perked up, stepping forward to greet them.

"Lord Russell, deep within that hall ahead, is likely the core area housing the Legendary Artifact."

A Kobold leader in charge of commanding this site swiftly approached, pointing at the hall entrance said.

"Whenever we try to approach the hall’s center, a group of fully armed Gray Dwarf Spirit Bodies emerge, launching attacks on us."

"We’ve witnessed several Spirit Bodies we’ve completely torn apart re-coalesce shortly after, and charge out from the hall again. They appear to revive endlessly!"

"However, now that you’ve arrived personally, with the numbers and individual level of those Spirit Bodies, they surely cannot hinder our advance."

Werewolf Russell nodded slightly, giving a deep order, his voice spreading through the entire team: "All warriors, prepare to fight with me!"

He took a deep breath of the cold, subterranean air, first striding his powerful legs towards the tranquil and mysterious hall, with the other warriors following closely, drawing weapons that emitted clanging sounds.

Indeed, as they crossed a certain invisible boundary, a sudden change occurred.

Within the previously silent hall, came roars mixed with anger and determination!

"Intruders! Get out!"

"Defend our sacred ground, with no retreat!"

"For the glory of Marines! For the glory of the dwarves!"

One after another, Spirit Bodies donning heavy, illusory armor, wielding swords, axes, warhammers, and other weapons, materialized rapidly as if emerging from water, roaring and charging at the Molten Iron Warriors.

Though merely Spirit Bodies, their charging momentum was equivalent to a thousand troops.

Russell focused his gaze, noticing these figures were in a highly solidified Spirit Body state, emitting a faint glow, mostly around one meter tall.

With their stout bodies, thick beards, and facial contours, they had the typical appearance of Gray Dwarves.

In the blink of an eye, both sides clashed in fierce battle.

Slash!

Russell’s sharp claws sliced through the air with a piercing whoosh, smashing the head of the first charging Gray Dwarf Spirit Body.