Following their conversation—and now completely aligned in purpose—the two of them departed from City 12 and made their way toward Morndural City. Their speed, even when restrained, was already surpassing the supersonic threshold, and they hadn't even begun to go all out. The vast distance separating them from the capital of the Great Dwarven Empire vanished quickly, fading like a mirage behind them. Before long, the city's formidable silhouette rose in the distance.
Even from afar, it was clear that the place was nothing short of awe-inspiring. In fact, Mikael had never seen anything quite like it before.
The city wasn't simply built next to a mountain—it was fused into it, its structure woven seamlessly into the rocky mass. This gave it a towering elevation above the surrounding terrain, a strategic advantage that made it immensely difficult to assault. From such a height, defenders could spot enemies approaching from kilometers away.
And yet, that wasn't even the most striking aspect of Morndural's design—it was merely the beginning. Unlike most cities, whose defenses were made of thick stone, these walls were forged from some kind of reinforced metal that radiated an aura of durability and menace. They looked as though they could withstand anything short of maybe the strongest attack.
Atop the immense metallic walls stood massive cannons, each several meters wide and long, mounted and ready to unleash devastation upon any enemy foolish enough to approach. Mikael's enhanced vision easily picked up the small, stocky figures of dwarves tending to the weapons—armed with what looked like rifles and diligently scanning the horizon for any threats.
But the defenses didn't end there. Built directly into the wall itself were additional, smaller cannons designed to provide continuous suppressive fire in case of a siege. The configuration allowed for a layered defense, enabling the city to rain down relentless destruction from every angle.
As Mikael's gaze drifted downward, it settled on the city's enormous front gate—a titanic slab of reinforced metal so dense and sturdy that it seemed capable of withstanding even the most devastating attack without sustaining the slightest trace of damage. The sheer scale and thickness of the structure left no doubt: this was no ordinary city.
No—Morndural City was not simply the dwarven capital.
It was an unyielding fortress carved in steel and stone.
"How are we supposed to get in?" murmured Mikael, his eyes locked on the immense stronghold before them.
"We try to sneak in? Slip past the dwarves without being noticed?" Kiara offered hesitantly, her tone hovering between suggestion and uncertainty.
"Yeah, that would be ideal—especially since we don't know where the vault is and would need to do some reconnaissance to find it—but I doubt it'll work. Look there," he said, pointing at something embedded along the wall.
Kiara narrowed her eyes and followed the direction of his finger. A few seconds passed before she spotted what he meant: mounted intermittently along the walls were strange devices resembling cameras. But unlike conventional surveillance lenses, the ends of these had a glowing yellow core in place of the usual black. "What are those?" she murmured.
Mikael gave a small shrug. "I'm not completely sure, but they look like some kind of sensor—maybe a camera, or both. I can't say for certain, but judging by that yellow glow, I wouldn't be surprised if they had integrated thermal detectors…"
"And if that's true, then sneaking in is a dead end. The only stealth spell I know lets me become a 'shadow,' but even then, I can't bring you along in that form. And I'm fairly certain my body temperature doesn't disappear when I shift, so the thermal sensors would still detect me. That makes a stealth entry pretty much impossible," he muttered, his brows furrowing with frustration.
A contemplative silence followed before Kiara's expression brightened, as if struck by sudden inspiration. "If infiltration from the ground is off the table because of thermal detection, then why don't we approach from above? You could use your Weightless Wind-Explosive Style to fly us in!"
A flicker of realization sparked in Mikael's eyes as he turned toward her.
She eagerly pressed on, continuing to unfold her idea. "You could lift me up in a princess carry—it would be very comfortable…" A dreamy look briefly lit up her beautiful face before she cleared her throat and composed herself. "Anyway, we could fly high—really high—until the city is far beneath us and no one on the ground could possibly notice."
"Once we're high enough, we could just pass over the walls without any issue. After that, all we'd need to do is descend fast—fast enough that no one spots us—then find a good hiding place somewhere in the city. From there, we start a little interrogation session, get the location of the vault, empty it, and we're good to go!"
"Of course, that's the ideal version of the plan. Reality probably won't be so smooth," she admitted, her tone growing a touch more serious. "But if we do get discovered, then we simply brute-force our way through. We're pretty strong, after all!" She punctuated her words by proudly flexing her arm, showing off her bicep with a grin.
A small smile tugged at Mikael's lips as he listened. He spent a few seconds quietly considering the plan before finally nodding. "Your plan is solid. Let's do it your way."
Weightless Wind-Explosive Style
A cloak of wind erupted around Mikael, swirling in a mesmerizing display as his mana surged to life, creating elegant currents that danced with controlled fury. The wind howled gently around him, forming a vortex of power both beautiful and dangerous.
Kiara watched the sight with admiration for a brief moment before confidently closing the distance between them, her eyes filled with affection.
Unbothered by the razor-sharp winds encircling him, she approached without hesitation, fully certain that Mikael wouldn't let even a hair on her head be harmed. And her trust was rewarded—just as she passed through the swirling winds, not even a scratch appeared on her skin.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him without shame, pressing close as her weight settled into his embrace.
Mikael adjusted his stance and slid one arm under her legs, holding her securely in a princess carry—just as she had clearly hoped for. "Ready?" he asked.
Her reply came as a small, eager nod, accompanied by a soft, affirmative hum.
In response, Mikael activated the space aspect of his technique, reducing his own weight to a mere twenty kilograms. Normally, this would have drastically improved his mobility, but since Kiara was along for the ride and her weight couldn't be altered by his technique, the benefit was diminished. It was almost as if he wasn't using the space manipulation part of the Weightless Wind-Explosive Style at all.
But Mikael had anticipated this outcome, so he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he triggered a precisely controlled explosion beneath his feet. The blast launched both of them high into the sky at a speed far surpassing the sound barrier. Yet despite their overwhelming velocity, they remained completely silent—not even a whisper escaped the confines of the wind cloak.
The initial large explosion, carefully suppressed by the wind cloak, left no trace of destruction in its wake. After this, Mikael fully committed to the Weightless Wind-Explosive Style, chaining together dozens of small, rapid explosions every second. With each burst, he fine-tuned his direction and velocity, achieving precise control over their improvised 'flight'.
In just a few seconds, Mikael ended his upward momentum. The once-imposing, seemingly indestructible Morndural City had become a distant speck, tens of thousands of meters below.
Following the plan, Mikael repositioned them directly above the city's outer walls. In an instant, he brought them to a halt tens of thousands of meters in the air. Although his enhanced eyesight allowed him to barely make out the ground, the combination of altitude and dense clouds hampered visibility—he could discern the general shape of things, but not much in the way of details.
"We're way too high to see anything, darling~" declared Kiara, still nestled in his arms.
Mikael silently agreed and dove downward. He stopped just above the lowest layer of clouds. This elevation allowed them to remain effectively 'invisible' to anyone watching from the ground, especially with the thick cloud cover shielding them. And by using the breaks in the clouds in tandem with their enhanced vision, they now had a clear and usable line of sight on the terrain below.
It gave them the opportunity to begin their reconnaissance without risking discovery by the dwarves stationed beneath them.
"Want to bet that the vault is situated under or around the emperor's palace?" Kiara's soft voice echoed within the silent bubble created by the wind cloak.
"It wouldn't be much of a bet—I'd place the same wager," Mikael replied calmly. "The only issue is figuring out where exactly the emperor's palace is located…"
"Yeah…" she murmured, letting out a faint sigh.
As they spoke, their gazes remained fixed on the massive mountain range below. Earlier, they had only caught sight of the city's outer walls, which were partially fused into the mountainside. But now, from this elevated vantage point, they realized just how deeply integrated the city truly was with the surrounding peaks. At the outskirts, they could see numerous stone houses in excellent condition, each exuding a rugged elegance. The architecture stood apart from anything Mikael had seen before, with a distinctive rocky charm—many homes partially embedded into the earth, as though carved directly from the mountainside.
However, that wasn't what troubled them. If it had only been that, they might have chalked it up to dwarven culture and left it at that—perhaps glanced a bit longer out of curiosity, but nothing more. The real issue lay deeper within the city.
As their eyes followed the downward slope of the mountain-carved settlement, they noticed a trend: the further in they looked, the more luxurious the buildings became. Modest stone homes turned into grand mansions sculpted from crystal and ore, descending ever deeper into the heart of the mountain. It was clear that the terrain had been deliberately mined and shaped to allow for this inward spiral of wealth and status. Eventually, the structures vanished from view entirely, hidden beneath vast rock ceilings and cliff overhangs. The very mountain itself had become the city's new 'sky'.
And just when that sight was beginning to settle in, something else caught their attention—a structure tucked so far into the mountain that it hovered on the edge of their enhanced vision. Another wall.
This one didn't encircle the city from the outside. It was nestled within the mountain, sealed off on all sides by towering rock. To reach any deeper into Morndural, one would have to pass through it. The wall blended so seamlessly with its surroundings that it was almost invisible, an intentional and perfect camouflage.
It wasn't hard to guess what this wall represented. A barrier this deep, this well hidden, and this fortified—it couldn't possibly be ordinary.
And it wasn't. Even at a glance, it was obvious that this wall was more formidable than the city's already monstrous outer defenses. If those had seemed capable of withstanding full-scale sieges, then this inner barrier felt built to repel gods.
The metal it was forged from shimmered with a bluish tint and radiated a sense of indestructibility far beyond anything the outer wall displayed. The cannons perched along its length were larger, more densely packed, and crackled faintly with a contained, violent energy. Each one looked capable of reducing a fortress to rubble. The guards stationed along the ramparts weren't just more numerous—they carried themselves with calm precision, their movements disciplined and sharp. Their equipment was equally superior, from their reinforced rifles to the refined, high-grade armor molded to their frames.
Everything about this wall mirrored the outer one—except it had been taken to an entirely different level.
This wasn't just a second line of defense. It was a hidden bastion, a final gate, and a declaration: no one was meant to pass.
A fortress within a fortress. One that was ten times more untakeable.
"And another bet that the emperor's palace is hiding behind this absurdly impenetrable wall?" Mikael's tone carried a playful edge, but the frustration behind it was hard to miss.
"Same answer as the last one you gave me…" Kiara murmured with a small sigh. "Looks like staying discreet won't be an option after all."
"That's certain," he replied with a weary exhale.
Author Note:
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