The black ash from the burning floated in the steam, accompanied by the thick smell of blood. Katus leaned on his greatsword and panted violently.
This was not the first time the army had fought with the Black Dragon, but he did not expect that their defense would be torn apart so quickly.
They were about to lose.
Katus didn't expect that the Black Dragon would become so terrifying without spellcasters and siege crossbows to keep it in check. The Black Dragon's unparalleled strength and terrifying speed made the proud and strong Kaki people feel helpless. They didn't have any way to keep it in check.
This strange dragon did not use magic, but it still made it difficult for them to move.
If it was just strength and speed, it would be fine, but the problem was that the Black Dragon's defense was also so shocking. Katus was very sure that this dragon's scales were harder than before. It must be!
Now, ordinary swords could not cut through its armor. Only enchanted weapons with armor piercing properties could barely give it a try.
It was too difficult.
If this continued, it was only a matter of time before they were defeated. They could not deal any substantial damage to their target.
The most recent time, the Black Dragon was almost right in front of his face, which made Katus think that he would be torn apart just like the Archmage Anthony. Fortunately, there were soldiers who didn't fear death who did their best to help him block the Black Dragon's attack. The temporary commander didn't care about the situation and did a tactical roll, which allowed him to survive.
When he was about to praise the soldier who saved him, he saw that the soldier was clamped into the cracked and sunken ground together with his armor. The soldier's armor was like a piece of wrinkled parchment, and his intestines flowed out from the gaps of the shining metal. The steaming hot blood formed a small puddle under the soldier's body.
The scorching flames were painful to the eyes, and there were screams and roars everywhere. Everyone was crazily slashing with their weapons, and even Katus didn't know if their targets were the Black Dragons or the Beastmen.
Just when he was about to lose all hope, the reinforcements arrived.
It was not that the reinforcements were slow, but the Black Dragon's actions were too fast. Roy realized that something was wrong when he saw the dragon flames and immediately ordered the backup troops to support.
In fact, it took less than seven minutes from Roy's order to the arrival of the reinforcements.
The reinforcements' speed was already quite fast.
But these seven minutes felt like a year to Katus. In this short period of time, the Black Dragon had launched more than ten attacks, reducing their numbers to less than two hundred.
If it was not for the fact that every one of them had sworn an oath of loyalty to Brendel, any other ordinary army would have thrown away their armor and fled in disarray when faced with such a loss.
Finally, the adventurers and mercenaries with different armor and weapons swarmed over. With the addition of a living force, the balance of the war, which had originally been one-sided, was restored.
Analysis results: Carbon-based life forms
Overall combat ability assessment: 60 – 70
These were the values of this motley crew. Interestingly enough, these people's ability checks were even higher than Roy's personal guards. Among them, there was no lack of strong people whose values exceeded a hundred. In the army, they were already comparable to those high-ranking knights.
But it was understandable. According to the information that Roy had spread out, the one in the wilderness was probably a youth, or even an adult Black Dragon. The purpose of adventurers was to take risks and not to die. If they did not have any skills, who would dare to step into these muddy waters and be slaughtered by the Black Dragon?
When it came to war, this scattered group of soldiers would definitely not be as organized as an army that followed all orders. However, when it came to fighting against monsters, they were well-deserved experts. They had rich experience, and they were equally capable when it came to dealing with giant dragons. They had all sorts of tricks up their sleeves.
For example, he could throw sticky bombs with a pungent smell that would cause dragons to sneeze after sniffing them. He could also construct explosive traps that would cause paralysis and dizziness. He could also use accurate dragon-hunting nets to restrict the movements of black dragons.
Although these guys could not cause any substantial damage to the Black Dragon, they were enough to annoy Caesar and greatly delay his attack rhythm.
What was even more infuriating was that these cowardly guys were slippery and slippery. They were not as tough as the army at all. They were not easy to kill at all.
At the same time, the attack of the mercenaries had also put the Stone Crow clan in a difficult situation. Even though the women of the clan had joined the battle with their weapons, the Orcs still had to face enemies that were twice their size and fully armed.
In the end, Caesar decided to ignore these flies that were using their grappling hooks to scurry around but did not dare to get close to him. He suppressed the anger that was rising in his heart and decided to focus his energy and adjust his target. He decided to deal with the elite troops that could really threaten him first.
…
On a hill less than two hundred meters away, a group of Gnolls was hiding behind a group of protruding rocks. They poked half of their heads out and observed the chaotic battle.
"Great leader, are we really going to enter the battlefield?"
A few Gnolls that were slightly stronger than the average Gnolls were hesitant and trembling. They carefully asked their leader, who was as strong as a small mountain.
Although these guys were cruel and violent, they were innately afraid of fire. They had a certain degree of fear towards burning flames.
On the battlefield below, the dragon flames were dancing wildly and the fire was raging. From the looks of it, the fire was going to spread even further. The Gnolls could not help but feel afraid.
"Cowards only deserve to be food."
Chief Hogg turned his head and squinted his eyes as he glanced at the people behind him. His sharp gaze was like a knife that cut through their faces.
The ecology of the Gnolls and the Orcs was completely different. The Gnolls believed in the absolute law of the jungle. Every leader's hands were stained with the blood of their own people. They relied on their strength and power to get to the top.
The crueler the methods, the more the other Gnolls would be convinced.
Hogg rested his curved hind legs on a rock and smelled the scorching smell of reefs in the air. He was much stronger than the average Gnoll. He could even overcome his natural psychological fear. "We must join the battle, but not now."
The great leader looked at the battlefield below and blinked. He said to himself, "Honey wine when you're idle, or clear water when you're thirsty. Which is better?"
The Gnolls looked at each other. Ever since the great leader began to flip through human books, he had become more and more fond of speaking "human" words that the Gnolls could not understand.
"His Majesty is too protective of the Orcs."
Hogg continued and turned his gaze to the Orcs below who were roaring and fighting. "No matter what, I'm afraid our status in the future will not be higher than these stupid pigs. The Gnolls who join us later will always be weaker than them."
As he spoke, Hogg, whose mane was as tall as steel needles, grinned. His saliva was sticky and his eyes were cruel. "These humans can't hurt His Majesty, but they can probably kill these Orcs. So let's slow down a little and wait for these guys to die first."
After waiting for a while, the situation on the battlefield changed. The Black Dragon simply gave up on the endless entanglement of the adventurers and attacked the regular army with all his strength.
Seeing this, Hogg rubbed the blade of his axe against the rock, bursting out tiny sparks. He changed his mind. "It's our turn."
He was worried that if they continued to dawdle, their status in His Majesty's heart would have the opposite effect.
The dirty Gnolls joined the battlefield.