NOVEL WEB Chapter 23: Expedition (3)_2
The black dragon suddenly exerted force and broke free from the spider silk entangling its jaws. The undead giant elephant had already slammed into it heavily, flipping the black dragon over with its massive tusks. A large number of undead spiders quickly surrounded the black dragon, wrapping its claws, wings, and tail in a thick layer of silk.
The black dragon barely managed to break free before the giant elephant charged again...
This cycle repeated endlessly. The black dragon was restrained, but it had not fallen behind in the battle. In fact, it was still holding the upper hand because these undead dealt very limited damage to it. Given a brief opening, the black dragon could potentially turn them all to ashes...
On the other side, the soldiers of the Southern Alliance charging at the city walls continued to pay a heavy price, with their blood slowly spreading across the darkened ground.
Wounded soldiers cried and wailed on the battlefield.
The war was slowly stripping away its facade, revealing its true nature, piece by piece.
Many people perhaps only realized at this moment, *"Is a 'just war' really all that different from an 'ordinary war'?"*
Countless soldiers were dying, yet their commanders still issued orders to attack.
...
The faces of the lords standing beside Richie grew pale, and they watched in horror.
Richie, on the other hand, stood motionless, gazing into the distance at Augustsburg.
...
Augustsburg stroked his chin, pondering quietly, *"I've never seen this kind of tactic before... What is he trying to do?"*
"Send two more in," he said, waving his hand lightly.
"Yes!" The Dragon Clan girl beside him saluted respectfully.
...
Soon, two more black dragons appeared behind the city walls, leaping into the fray.
In an instant, an undead giant elephant was utterly destroyed, and a dozen undead spiders were sent flying.
However, almost simultaneously, another wave of undead joined the battle.
This time, there were still three undead giant elephants and a large group of undead spiders, but also an additional bone dragon.
The battle continued.
Four undead giant elephants, accompanied by a horde of undead spiders and a bone dragon, firmly restrained the four black dragons. Like before, they were only restrained, not defeated.
Meanwhile, the Southern Army continued to bleed profusely, and their plan to assault the walls made little substantial progress. Corpses had already piled up like mountains at the foot of the walls.
...
Augustsburg grew more confused the longer he watched, "Send two more."
...
Two more black dragons joined the fight.
Simultaneously, on the opposite side, another bone dragon, along with three undead giant elephants and a swarm of undead spiders, emerged.
The situation remained unchanged.
...
"Send two more."
...
Two more black dragons joined the fray.
As before, the undead army also sent out a bone dragon, three undead giant elephants, and a horde of undead spiders.
The situation remained the same.
...
This continued, adding more and more, until there were twenty black dragons on the battlefield. The undead's strategy finally changed. They no longer sent out a bone dragon, three undead giant elephants, and a swarm of undead spiders for every two black dragons. Instead, they deployed two bone dragons and three undead giant elephants, but no spiders.
Why? Because they had run out of undead spiders. Although undead spiders were not considered powerful, they required spider skeletons that grew underground, which were not easily found.
Despite the change, the situation remained unaltered.
Augustsburg grew increasingly agitated, *"What is he trying to do? Can anyone tell me what he's trying to do?"* The Black Dragon Clan members beside him exchanged glances, remaining silent.
After a moment's pause, Augustsburg yelled, "Send ten more, just like that. I want to see what they plan to do!"
...
"One, two, three, four... This time, it's ten black dragons!" Somewhere in the camp, Simon hurried back to the tent behind him.
Inside the tent was a complex magic array, and within the array stood a group of liches.
"So, how many should we dispatch this time?" Glassley asked.
"Maybe thirty giant elephants and twenty bone dragons?"
"Are you sure?"
"Why don't we add a few more? I think if we add a bit more, we can skin all thirty black dragons alive."
"Yes, that's what the other side thinks too." Simon replied seriously, "Our goal is to make them think that just a bit more firepower will allow them to defeat us. So they'll add more, and we'll add more, maintaining the balance."
"What's the point of doing this?" Bruto asked.
*"Well... The idea is that they'll continue to increase their forces. Our goal is to get them to have a decisive battle with us here. This was Richie's idea. He said that the frontal assault on Dragon's Peak is risky."*
"Do you think it will work?"
*"I don't know, but it seems the other side is falling for it."*
...
Soon, the number of black dragons on the battlefield increased to fifty.
The clash between fifty black dragons and a massive number of undead was of no small scale. The battlefield spread well beyond the small area outside the city walls, covering nearly five kilometers. This was still due to the black dragons being tethered by the spiders, limiting their ability to fly.
Humans gradually transitioned from being the main force to merely attacking a few remote sections of the walls. Describing their efforts as "withdrawing from the battlefield" or "symbolic attacks" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
The lords finally breathed a sigh of relief, while the soldiers stared in awe at the brutal clash between the undead and the black dragons.
With the near-total loss of the undead spiders, the black dragons seemed to have a slight chance of breaking free from the ground. However, this momentum was soon stifled, as the undead sent out a large swarm of skeleton knights riding wolf corpses, wielding nets and iron hooks...
These were less effective than the undead spiders, but their sheer numbers meant they weren't going away anytime soon.
...
Augustsburg felt his scalp tingle, and the initial smile and calmness on his face were completely gone.
Fifty adult black dragons were no small number. If the opposing side had revealed such strength initially, he might not have sent his people into battle at all. But now...
*"Retreat?"*
"If we retreat now, the walls will surely be breached," the Dragon Clan girl standing beside him said.
*"Who cares if the walls are breached? I am worried about our own people now. I care that they might not be able to retreat at all."*
Richie continued to lock eyes with Augustsburg from the other side.
After a long pause, Augustsburg bit his lip and said, "Order them to retreat."
"Yes!"
...
The black dragons on the battlefield soon received the order. They all turned to look in the direction of Augustsburg, stunned for a moment.
The next moment, they were already rushing backward.
Some struggled to take flight, while others turned into human form to break free.
However, none succeeded. It seemed Richie's arrangements for the undead army were specifically designed to prevent their retreat.
The remaining few spiders and wolf cavalry effectively bound the black dragons trying to escape, even those in human form. Meanwhile, the sky was filled with bone dragons circling. Even if they broke free of the ground, they would face the bone dragons in the sky.
...
Augustsburg's eyes twitched incessantly.
It was evident that all fifty black dragons had become hostages...
*"Shall we send more reinforcements?"* the Dragon Clan girl beside him asked quietly.
*"No, we can't send any more. This is a trap."*
*"But our people..."*
*"Even so! If we send more reinforcements and they..."*
Before Augustsburg could finish his sentence, he saw another undead army joining the battle. Strangely, this undead army included Richie.
Yes, Richie raised the Silver Moon Banner and led the charge himself, riding at the forefront.
*"Is this... another bait?"* Augustsburg's eyes widened in shock.