Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 181  Mani

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The silver bolt descended like a serpent baring its fangs at Henry. He looked up just in time to have his vision filled with blinding silver light. There was no time to evade. Instinctively, his hand reached for his sword, and with a slash faster than the light itself, he struck the incoming bolt. A deafening explosion echoed through the mountains, and a hole was torn in the clouds above them, allowing sunlight to pierce through and reach the gates of the dwarves' village for the first time in decades. Black purplish smoke enveloped the spot where Henry stood, obscuring him from view, his life or death unknown. The dwarves watched the black mist with careless, stoic expressions, certain that Henry had been reduced to ashes. Yngvi looked at the black mist with an expressionless face, his hammer crackling with tiny lightning bolts slithering around it. "You dare... you dare to attack the king!" - Leier's eyes blazed with fury as cold as ice, her words barely escaping through clenched teeth. Boris, still held captive by her, trembled with fear for the descendant's fate and his own life. Overwhelmed with rage, Leier shoved Boris aside and activated her Mana. The Tribal Tattoo on her body glowed as she rushed towards the dwarves, her form turning dark before becoming transparent with each step, blending into the surroundings. "Where did she go?" - One of the dwarf elders asked, raising their guard as they scanned the area for the woman. They were unfamiliar with such witchcraft.

Suddenly, in a heartbeat, her figure reappeared behind Yngvi, her dagger ready to pierce the old dwarf's skull. However, before her dagger could reach him, one of the elders beside him blocked her with a war hammer. Despite the heaviness and size of the weapon, her reaction speed was impressive. She mockingly locked eyes with Leier before sending her flying towards the gates with a powerful swing. Luckily, Leier managed to stabilize her body in the air and land safely on the ground. "Ye're quite fast, aren't ye?" - The dwarf said, twirling the hammer in her hands - "But yer smell really gives ye away. Ye humans have quite the distinct scent."

"Fifth Stage" - Leier silently thought, gripping her dagger tightly, her eyes scanning the other four elder dwarves - "The one in the middle…he must be a Sixth Stage."

A Sixth Stage warrior hiding inside the Screaming Valley, with the same level of strength as Luther, the supposed strongest man in these parts of the North. Someone capable of destroying a whole platoon by himself. Furthermore, there were four other dwarves in the Fifth Stage, an unbelievable force even stronger than Stahl's. However, despite knowing she had no chance of winning, the black mist surrounding the king's spot lingered in Leier's mind, fueling her fury. She resolved to kill at least one of them, even at the cost of her own life. "Look at that, she doesn't learn, right?" - the elder who blocked her, named Mani, mockingly said as he watched Leier disappear again, his blue eyes fixed on her, determined to kill - "But it's quite cute even for a hairless human female." "Ye take care of her, Mani" - Yngvi said, his eyes focused on the barbarians who seemed ready to attack - "We'll finish the others and get back to our ale!" - Yngvi's war hammer, which was even bigger than himself, shone in silver again as the barbarians courageously raised their weapons. "Don't ye worry!" Mani calmly gestured with her old hands, a happy smile appearing on her hairy and somewhat masculine face. "It's been a while since we had come out of the village. The forge was already becoming boring. And…" She paused as she blocked another attack from Leier with her hammer, sending the woman flying yet again. "It's been ages since I had a good fight." Leier crashed into the ground, rolling to her feet with a determined glare. She charged again, her movements a blur as she aimed for Mani's vulnerable spots. Mani swung her oversized hammer with precision, each strike powerful enough to flatten a boulder. Leier twisted and dodged, her agility allowing her to avoid the crushing blows. Mani grinned, her teeth bared in a feral smile - "Ye're persistent and fast, I'll give ye that." - she said, blocking yet another possible lethal attack.

Without a word, Leier darted in again, aiming for Mani's legs, hoping to unbalance her. Mani anticipated the move, bringing her hammer down in a swift arc. Leier barely managed to dodge, feeling the air rush past as the hammer struck the ground with a resounding crash.

"I can't get through her defense" - Leier thought, panting. She realized she had to change her tactics to fight against this Fifth Stage warrior. Circling around, she threw a handful of snow into Mani's eyes, temporarily blinding her. Seizing the opportunity, Leier moved in for a strike, but Mani, despite her temporary blindness, as if guided by her other senses, swung her hammer defensively, forcing Leier to leap back again.

The elder dwarf wiped the snow from her eyes, her grin widening - "Ye think ye can beat me with tricks, lass? I can smell ye even if I had no nose. It's my time now!"

Mani advanced, his hammer raised high, ready to strike down. Leier darted to the side, her movements a blur, and aimed for Mani's arm, hoping to disarm him. However, she suddenly felt a strong grip around her neck, blocking her air passage and asphyxiating her.

Mani's grip was like iron, unyielding and merciless. Leier madly struggled, her vision dimming as she tried to free herself. Mani's face was inches from hers, her breath hot and foul - "Ye fought well, lass, but it ends here"- she whispered.

Just as Leier felt her strength waning, a powerful shockwave erupted from the black purplish smoke. The force of it knocked Mani off balance, loosening his grip on Leier. She fell to the ground, gasping for air, her eyes darting to the source of the shockwave.

Henry emerged from the smoke, his eyes blazing with a purple fire, a strange red sword in his hands - "That's enough" - he shouted his voice resonating with authority.