Charles, the Bone Dragon, Shattered by a Cannon

The cannons roared.

A rain of arrows darkened the sky, interspersed with massive crossbow bolts. Any one of these could pierce even a high-level warrior with ease. Then there were the magic cannons, their terrifying power capable of annihilating even king-tier warriors. Extraordinary-tier warriors, if hit directly, might not survive either.

But the targets of these attacks were two undead dragons soaring high in the sky. 

Hitting them was one thing; even if they were hit, the threat was minimal. The bone dragon Charles and the corpse dragon Charles, both within their saint-tier domains, could easily withstand such attacks. Even a barrage from hundreds of magic cannons would struggle to penetrate their defenses. Conversely, the magical defense shield of the Grey Dwarf Kingdom, under relentless assault from dragon breath and draconic magic, was on the verge of collapse, teetering like it might shatter at any moment.

Ultimately, their resources were insufficient. The magical defense shield of the Grey Dwarf Kingdom was barely average. While it covered a large area, its defensive strength was lacking. At best, it was a low-tier shield. A mid-tier magical defense shield could have withstood the assault from the two Charles brothers without issue. Unfortunately, the Grey Dwarf Kingdom lacked the means to construct such a formidable defense. 

They didn't have higher-level magic array masters or the necessary materials. Even powering the shield was a significant problem, consuming vast amounts of magic crystals or mana stones.

"Your Majesty, our shield won't hold much longer," one of the kingdom's high-ranking officials said anxiously.

The King of the Grey Dwarves replied in a grave tone, "Then activate the main cannon of the warship."

"But, Your Majesty, we only have one main cannon. Which one should we target?" the official asked.

The King of the Grey Dwarves looked up at the bone dragon and the corpse dragon, spewing their destructive breath from high above, and hesitated. It was well known that undead dragons, at the same tier, were generally weaker in combat than their living counterparts. But they had one major advantage: they were incredibly hard to kill.

Take the bone dragon, for example. Even if its body were blown apart, it could reassemble as long as its soul fire wasn't extinguished. The corpse dragon, similarly, could survive grievous wounds and regenerate by absorbing fresh flesh. This was the nature of undead creatures. A living dragon, if pierced through, would be gravely wounded if not killed, unlike the undying resilience of the undead dragons.

"Target either one. Just make sure you hit it," the King finally commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The official swiftly departed.

Another official spoke quietly, "Your Majesty, perhaps we should surrender. Even if we use the ancient warship's main cannon, it won't change the outcome of this war. Without the dragons, thousands of golden griffon riders are still waiting to strike. Their military strength is enough to destroy our kingdom. I fear that if we provoke them further, our people might face a massacre."

The King of the Grey Dwarves shook his head. "In all our history, never has a dwarf king bowed to another race. Not even the demons of the Abyss could make us retreat during the Great War of the Gods and Demons. I would rather die than be the traitor of the Grey Dwarves!"

He paused and then added, "After my death, you can lead our people to surrender to the Golden Oasis. It's not shameful; it's for the survival of our race. We've done all we can."

The official looked bewildered. How was it that the king could die honorably, but he would be considered a traitor for doing the same?

...

"Charles, be careful. I have a sudden feeling of danger!" 

"I know, Charles."

The two brothers communicated telepathically, sensing a shiver in their souls. It was an instinct for hidden danger, like the one they had felt before, prompting them to flee from the Zombie Dragon King.

Moments later, the bone dragon Charles trembled. His ghostly blue soul fire eyes locked onto the Grey Dwarf Kingdom's palace. Something there posed a grave threat to him. Though he wasn't sure what it was, he knew it was aimed at him. Without hesitation, he retracted his domain to envelop just his body, strengthening his defenses.

Suddenly, a deafening blast echoed. A blinding white light shot through the palace roof, hurtling toward the bone dragon Charles like a lightning bolt.

"Shit! It's a heavy magic cannon!" Charles's soul fire flickered in fear. He had learned the word "shit" from his master, not knowing its exact meaning but feeling it was appropriate to express his shock.

He flapped his wings, trying to escape. But the terrifying white light struck him directly. It pierced his domain, shattered his bone dragon body, and left a massive hole at least ten meters wide in his chest, even breaking his sturdy spine.

"Thank goodness I reacted quickly and wasn't hit in the head!" was Charles's last thought before his body disintegrated into countless pieces, falling like scattered bones, some hitting the city shield and others landing in the moat.

"Brother, help me. I need a lot of soul essence!"

"Don't worry!"

Seeing his brother's plight, the corpse dragon Charles attacked the city's magic shield with even more ferocity. The cheers from within the city didn't affect him. Such a powerful magic cannon couldn't be fired again soon unless they had saint-tier magic crystals for energy. In this time, he could destroy the shield.

Indeed, the Grey Dwarf Kingdom couldn't fire the cannon again. They watched helplessly as the shield shattered under the corpse dragon Charles's onslaught. As the shield collapsed, dozens of figures flew out, rushing towards the corpse dragon. Meanwhile, the Royal Gryphon Knights, who had been waiting, poured into the city, with elite squads heading straight for the palace. They quickly cleared out the defenders around the main cannon.

"A heavy magic cannon. Excellent," one of them said. "Pack it up and take it to the lord!"