"If I remember correctly, the dwarves' mining of mithril should have alarmed the Balrog lurking underground! This Balrog killed Durin VI and then killed his son Nain I the following year. It should be him..." Roland shook his head regretfully.
"The situation is a bit strange. Why would the Dwarf King stay here to the death?" Roland looked at the stone statue of Nain who refused to surrender until his death with confusion and asked.
"Balin? Stop crying! We need to figure out what's going on! Tell me! Where does this hall lead to?" Roland walked over and helped Balin, who was in tears, up.
"The third hall is also called the Marsabul Hall! Behind the Marsabul Hall is the bridge! In the words of outsiders, it is called the Turin Bridge!" Balin looked at Roland and the others as if it was a matter of course.
"What else? How did the dwarves escape from here back then?" Roland asked immediately.
"Your Highness, what you mean is..." Omsk and Kaslo looked at each other and had their own guesses.
"Some people walked across the bridge and evacuated from the east gate, and some walked up the Endless Stairs and climbed to the top of the mountain..." Balin recalled the history of the dwarves.
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"Pa!" Roland slapped his face.
"Yes! It's the Endless Stairs. Where is it?" Roland became more and more certain of his guess.
"Before the bridge, after the Masab Hall!" said Barin.
"It seems that Nain I died in order to stop the Balrog and buy time for the people to escape!" Roland confirmed his guess.
"Look, the traces of stone crystals here extend from the cliff! And there happens to be a large mine under the cliff! The Balrog climbed up from below! If I'm not mistaken, the location of the Marsabul Hall should not be connected to the cliff. The Balrog can't enter directly from the cliff, so it can only attack the fourth hall closest to the dwarves' retreat!" Roland analyzed.
"That's right! The Masabul Hall is not connected to the big mine. Only the fourth hall and the second hall are connected to it!" Bahrain admitted immediately.
"The dwarves want to evacuate, and the Hall of Marsabul is the key! But Durin VI and Nairn I are obviously not the kind of people who will sit there and wait for death. They must have fought many rounds with the Balrog here! We can see it from the scattered stone crystal roads here! The Balrog has gone up and down this place several times!" Roland pointed at the stone crystal veins that radiated into the mine.
"That's right...it must be like this..." Balin's eyes became moist.
Roland could already imagine that scene...
The once-thriving city of Khazad-dûm's mithril reserves are gradually depleting, and the Dwarves, searching for it, are delving deeper into the earth! Perhaps one unfortunate individual has stirred the Balrog, awakening it... and then tragedy follows! The already declining Dwarven forces are depleted of their high-end combat power. Initially, the Dwarf King led several counterattacks, but this awakened Balrog is no ordinary Balrog, but the Scourge known as the "Flame of Udun"! He was once one of Morgoth's most favored men, a survivor of the War of Wrath!
Under the constant harassment of the Balrog, the Dwarves were overwhelmed. They could no longer maintain Moria, and the turning point that ultimately led them to abandon it had arrived! The death of Durin VI cast a shadow over the hearts of all Dwarves. Led by King Nain I, the grief-stricken Dwarves began to defend the Fourth Hall and summoned their people to evacuate. Groups of Dwarfs, women and children, crossed the Anduin River through the East Gate to the Iron Hills and other places, while others took the Endless Stairs to the top of Sirak Sigil and migrated to the Blue Mountains and other western territories...
The entire migration was massive, and the effort wasn't accomplished overnight. King Nain stationed his elite dwarven guards here. Clad in heavy armor capable of withstanding dragonfire, they wielded mithril shields and heavy axes, engaging in relentless battles with the Balrogs. The difference was that the Balrogs could descend into the abyss to recover from their injuries and strength using the lava, while the numbers of the elite dwarves dwindled...
I don't know how much time passed... perhaps a day or two, or maybe a month or two. Most of Moria was emptied, and countless dwarves were stranded. They came to the Lonely Mountain and built a new home—Yimlubor! Meanwhile, Nain remained steadfast in his mission as king! He steadfastly held the Fourth Hall, blocking the Balrog outside the Hall of Marsabir...
Another Balrog struck. Khazad-dûm was now devoid of civilians. A handful of elite Dwarves gathered in the ruined Fourth Hall, along with King Nain! They gazed upon the fiery figure outside the square and felt the blazing heat! The Balrog lashed the void with his flaming whip, melting the stone into crystal wherever he passed! The Dwarves stood in resolute formation, awaiting the final moment!
The elite dwarves facing the Balrog felt as if they were back on the battlefield of the War of Wrath. For the first time, fear struck them! They dreaded this unkillable monster, a force that even the Tyrants could not withstand. The last of the elite dwarves huddled together, anger and fear flashing in their eyes... but they refused to retreat!
"Kill!" Nain roared, waving his battle axe. The king of Khazad-dûm would not abandon his territory, just as Durin would not abandon his people. The moment all the people left Khazad-dûm, the dwarf army would have only victory or death!
The two sides collided once again! The massive Balrog crashed into the dwarven phalanx like a mighty army. Its scorching flame whip swept up a hapless dwarven soldier, and the third-level Berserker was burned in two before he could even resist! The aroma of burnt meat wafted out, but no one found it pleasant, only nausea and anger! Armor strong enough to withstand dragon flames was easily torn apart by the Balrog like thin paper... At that moment, the dwarves realized that this was no ordinary Balrog! This was "Udun's Fire," one of the witnesses and survivors of the War of Wrath!
"Fight! For our homeland!" Nain's teeth had already drawn blood, but he still tried hard to fight against the Balrog. The king's battle axe made of fine gold and mithril cut through the Balrog's skin again and again, and blood splattered out like magma!
"Fight! Sons of Durin!" The blood-soaked Nairn was like a god descended from heaven! At that moment, the dwarves even suppressed the Balrog, and they even pushed the Balrog back to the door of the hall. At this moment, they even felt that victory was in sight!
"Ouch! Roar!" The Fire Demon roared angrily, and a large amount of flames swept over. Soon, its injuries were almost stabilized. The dwarves were stunned at this moment. They had not expected this scene at all...
But what did it matter? Countless dwarves fell, only to be joined by newcomers. The dwarves fought braver and braver! They grew stronger and stronger! Their numbers dwindled… Nairn looked around, seeing the remains and corpses of his comrades. The entire hall was littered with destruction, and fewer than a hundred dwarves remained. He blew the war horn! The dwarves gathered around him, gazing at the Balrog dozens of meters away. Everyone knew the final battle had arrived!