CHAPTER 439: CHAPTER 25: EXPEDITION (5)

How many black dragons are there in this city named after them?

Answer: At least three thousand. That is an extremely large number.

The Black Dragon Clan has a total of twenty thousand dragons, roughly equal in number to the Golden Dragons. Among these twenty thousand, the ones truly capable of participating in battle number no more than ten thousand. Three thousand is already a significant proportion.

If these three thousand black dragons were to perish here... although the Black Dragon Clan might not necessarily lose the war, considering the power disparity with the Undead Clan, victory would definitely no longer be possible. Their only option would be to retreat to the Dragon’s Pinnacle and remain there forever.

Yes, forever. After all, the undead have no lifespan limitations, which means they could never leave the Dragon’s Pinnacle.

How is that different from imprisonment? How is that different from defeat?

At the very beginning, Augustsburg even felt that the army handed to him by the Black Dragon Elder was too small. If they could muster an army of ten thousand in one go, as long as the opponent made even a slight mistake, he could launch a decisive counterattack and claim victory.

But now, he was beginning to think it was too many.

Because the larger the numbers, the more troublesome retreat becomes. Large-scale mobilization is no simple matter, and it’s no easier even if all the members are dragons, with no humans involved. What’s more, a massive retreat of three thousand dragons—this kind of operation would be unprecedented in the history of the Dragon Clan.

"Using the Space Portal, it’s the only solution."

"If we use the Space Portal, it would take at least an hour to prepare a portal large enough for so many of our clan members to pass through. They will definitely detect the magic fluctuations when the Space Portal is activated. If that happens, they will launch their attack immediately."

"Even if we simply flew away, they would notice just the same. They wouldn’t even need to sense it; their eyes alone would suffice. At least with the Space Portal, it’s easier to defend. We could even have Dragon’s Pinnacle coordinate with us; the risks wouldn’t be as great. If we flew back directly, we wouldn’t just have to deal with breaking through in the initial stage but also with their pursuit afterward. Any direction we head could be ambushed. If we stop, we would be completely pinned down. If we don’t stop... Dragon’s Pinnacle is at least three thousand kilometers away from here. On such a journey, we’d bleed out to the last drop. And what if they have set traps for us along the way?"

After listening to the explanations of his two subordinates, Augustsburg declared without hesitation: "Use the Space Portal. Use it now, and start preparing. Gather everyone."

"What’s the timeline?" asked the Dragon Clan Girl.

"Begin preparations at eight o’clock, and have the portal fully opened by nine. Start the retreat immediately after," Augustsburg replied softly. "Within one hour, everyone must pass through. At ten o’clock sharp, close the portal."

"Will one hour be enough?" The Dragon Clan Girl questioned. "We have three thousand clan members. In one hour, that means one member must pass through the portal every second without any disruptions. The key issue is, we can’t open the portal too wide, or the preparation time of one hour won’t suffice."

Taking a deep breath, Augustsburg said, "I understand. That’s why we must divide everyone into two groups. The first group will pass through the portal as quickly as possible; do nothing else but pass through. One per second is too slow—I expect at least two per second, or more if possible. The second group will retreat in less orderly fashion; they must fend off possible attacks from the enemy and buy us time. Once we pass through the portal, we will be safe. We can have Dragon’s Pinnacle ready on the other side. If the enemy recklessly follows us through the portal... they’ll be walking to their own doom."

"Understood!" The girl pounded her armored chest and saluted Augustsburg firmly.

...

It was now early January of the Silver Moon Third Year.

Yes, yet another year had arrived. In a blink of an eye, the calendar created by Gray had entered its third year. However, this New Year was clearly not a joyous one for humanity, nor could it be. They were still engaged in the largest expedition in history—laying siege to Black Dragon City.

During the daytime, Black Dragon City was deathly silent, as if not a single living soul remained. Any sporadic noise on the streets was most likely caused by rats brazenly scurrying about, leaving behind small tracks in the snow.

The streets visible to the naked eye were littered with debris covered by snow. With no people left, naturally, no one was clearing the snow. After several recent snowstorms, the entire city was now blanketed in white. If not for the city’s outline still being discernible, it could easily be mistaken for a desolate plain.

This kind of siege was unlike anything soldiers from any nation had ever experienced. The enemy appeared to have abandoned the city entirely, yet their forces continued the encirclement without taking a single step forward. Soldiers, bored stiff, resorted to tossing stones from high vantage points to pass the time.

Of course, not a single soldier dared to question Richie’s command. After all, everyone had seen with their own eyes that there were black dragons in the city.

Time ticked by, second after second.

Undoubtedly, this was a war that was mind-numbingly dull.

"God, when are we finally going to attack?" A soldier leaned on his spear, staring down from a tower at the city-state with a look of exhaustion. "Are we going to be stuck here until all the snow melts?"