Dragon Breath Clearing the Path, Destroying Everything!

Outside the tunnel, hundreds of ratmen were rounded up and driven into a mountain hollow. Despite their desperate pleas for mercy, the dwarven warriors remained unmoved. Moments later, the bone dragon Charles descended from the sky like an ancient beast. His massive wings stirred up powerful gusts, instilling fear in both ratmen and dwarves alike. The ratmen were too terrified to continue begging, paralyzed by the dragon's overwhelming presence.

But there was no need for them to speak. Alongside Charles came a wave of eerie blue flames. As the flames swept through, hundreds of ratmen were instantly reduced to piles of charred bones. Among the dead were Rat King Aubrey and the top officials of the Ratman Kingdom.

Yet, this was not the end. The bones soon rose again, reanimated as undead soldiers wielding weapons or charging with bare hands toward the dwarven warriors. 

"Undead resurrection?!" one dwarf shouted in horror. "You've gotten what you wanted! All the ratmen are dead! What more do you want?"

"Pathetic dwarves..." Charles growled, his voice reverberating through their minds. "Return to your kingdom and tell your arrogant king he has five minutes to decide: surrender or face war!"

"You broke your promise!" the dwarven warriors yelled, retreating into the tunnel as they fought off the undead ratmen. Soon, the small tunnel was sealed shut, leaving the undead ratmen standing aimlessly.

Charles let out a low growl, and the undead ratmen disintegrated, their soul flames consumed by the bone dragon. Meanwhile, a finely crafted crown and a scepter studded with various gemstones levitated into the hands of a Royal Justicar Knight.

Charles turned his gaze toward him. "Are these useful?"

The knight shook his head. "Not particularly, but they hold significant symbolic value. We should take them to our great lord. If he likes them, they can be part of his collection."

Charles grinned, a silent, eerie laugh. "Good idea! When we conquer other kingdoms, we'll collect their kings' crowns and scepters for our master."

"I've heard..." the knight continued, "the Pope of the Church of Light has a pair of holy wings made from angel feathers. We should seize them when we get the chance."

"And the Elven Queen's crown, a relic from the ancient Sun Elf King... our master will surely love that!" Charles added, with enthusiasm.

The Royal Justicar Knight could only stare. His casual suggestion had sparked an idea in the bone dragon that was quickly gaining momentum.

Time passed, and the five minutes were soon up. The heavy stone gate remained firmly closed. Charles raised his monstrous head. "It seems the Gray Dwarf Kingdom has made its choice, and it is the wrong one!"

He then unleashed a torrent of blue dragon breath at the gate. The magic runes inscribed on it disintegrated instantly, and the ten-meter-high stone gate exploded, revealing a deep tunnel.

"Brother, it's our turn!" Charles called out to the corpse dragon circling above. The two undead dragons spewed their corrosive breath into the tunnel. The breath, especially from the corpse dragon, was so potent it turned solid rock into sludge.

As the dragons continued their assault, the tunnel's diameter expanded rapidly, extending towards the Gray Dwarf Kingdom deep underground. The defenses set up in the tunnel—magic arrays and mechanical traps—were obliterated by the dragons' breath before they could even activate. The barrels of black powder meant to be a last resort were corroded into useless black sludge, rendering the entire plan futile.

For the undead dragons, the defenses of the Gray Dwarf Kingdom were child's play. Perhaps the dwarves had been underground for too long, isolated and forgetting the true terror of dragons, recalling only the legends of their ancestors slaying them.

The constant rumbling continued, shaking the underground space. Stalactites fell sporadically, making it seem as if the entire underground world was about to collapse. The Gray Dwarf King stood on the city wall, staring at the tunnel, where the relentless dragon breath terrified him. He knew his elite warriors stationed in the tunnel were dead without a doubt. There was no point in sending more; they would only meet the same fate.

His plan to use the black powder to destroy the tunnel and deal a heavy blow to the incoming Golden Gryphon Knights had failed spectacularly. Who could have predicted that the Golden Oasis would have dragons, and two at that? In the face of dragons, even blowing up the tunnel would be pointless, as the dragons could easily carve a new path.

The Gray Dwarf King glanced at his council members, all of whom were trembling in fear, their faces pale. If the leadership was this terrified, what hope was there for the ordinary citizens? The morale and fighting spirit that had just been kindled were extinguished by the dragons' breath.

He wondered, how could they possibly win this war?