Chapter 23: Siege
After the full army assembled, the soldiers under Su Xiao’s command formed into long-unseen square formations. These formations would disappear after just a few battles, which was related to the military regulations Su Xiao had established.
At this moment, under Su Xiao’s command, there were a total of 72,590 soldiers, one black dragon, four Dwarf war ballistae, and over 2,000 metal crossbow bolts. Excluding supplies, this was Su Xiao’s entire war chest.
The previous Battle of Rongsha had earned Su Xiao some renown in the central battlefield. If he could capture Segona City, his reputation would soar.
Su Xiao, of course, didn’t care about that. What he wanted were tangible benefits. The previous war was just a warm-up, especially the Battle of Rongsha, where fighting alongside the soldiers under Grand Commander Nibosuo had sharply reduced the number of treasure chests Su Xiao obtained, yielding only six Epic Chests.
For any other contractor, this would be considered a very good haul. But in Su Xiao’s eyes, it was far from enough. Although these Epic Chests were classified as war-type chests with high opening rewards, the quantity wasn’t as high as he had imagined.
After his soldiers completed their assembly, Su Xiao stepped onto the black dragon’s back. The black dragon snorted out two streams of breath. Although it constantly wanted to escape, it didn’t dare show it too obviously and could only carry Su Xiao forward.
Su Xiao’s thinking was: if the black dragon’s desire to escape became too strong, reaching an uncontrollable level, he would give it two choices. One: continue helping him fight the war. When everything was settled, Su Xiao wouldn’t care where the black dragon went. Two: turn into a treasure chest.
Although the black dragon didn’t know what turning into a treasure chest meant, it could already sense Su Xiao’s malice. Between becoming a box and fighting a war, it chose the latter.
Segona City was located in the rear of the central battlefield, very close to the Secretu Kingdom. In fact, Segona City was similar in nature to Rongsha Fortress. It was one of the Secretu side’s key defensive lines. Capturing this fortress and holding it was equivalent to kicking open the door to the Secretu Kingdom and stationing troops at their doorstep.
High-speed marching began. Over an hour later, Su Xiao encountered a 3,000-strong Dwarf unit.
Both sides’ scouts had already detected each other. This Secretu Dwarf unit was fleeing toward the rear. Facing more than ten times their numbers, these Secretu Dwarves naturally wouldn’t engage.
The difference in marching speed was now fully demonstrated. Over ten minutes later, Su Xiao’s soldiers caught up with this Dwarf unit and surrounded them.
The battle ended 17 minutes later. When the fighting stopped, the ground was covered with corpses as far as the eye could see. After a quick looting and distributing the fine weapons, Su Xiao ordered the march to continue. The enemy’s 3,000 Dwarf soldiers weren’t even enough to fill a gap between his teeth.
Due to the continuous pursuit, after marching for a short while longer, a fortress city appeared ahead. Segona City had arrived.
Viewed from a distance, Segona City was like a majestic empress. Its yellowish-brown city walls were nearly a hundred meters high, lined with rows of armor plates. The iron-black armor plates were covered with downward-facing barbs, each half a meter long, to prevent enemy soldiers from climbing the walls.
Thump, thump, thump~
The rhythmic sound of shields being struck came from within Segona City. A large fireball hung still in the high sky—this was a signal of attack. Before long, other Dwarf units stationed nearby would come to reinforce.
On the city walls, rows of metal ballistae were lined up side by side. Behind the walls, hundreds of catapults were ready, the black oil barrels on them ready to be ignited at any moment.
Su Xiao’s army stopped two kilometers away. Going further would enter the precise range of the war weapons. Looking ahead, the tips of metal crossbow bolts protruded from the city walls, glinting coldly in the sunlight. These giant crossbow bolts, each over five meters long, put great psychological pressure on the soldiers.
If they charged straight in, after the Dwarves’ rounds of war weapons rained down, by the time they reached the foot of the city walls, it would be very good if 30,000 of Su Xiao’s 70,000 soldiers survived. His original idea had been to use Apollo to clear the way, but now it seemed unnecessary.
Hmm~
A war horn was blown. Su Xiao’s soldiers were stunned for a moment. Charging like this was no different from suicide.
“Kill!”
A soldier with slightly bloodshot eyes roared. He was one of Su Xiao’s first soldiers. Su Xiao’s campaigns were notoriously deadly. That this soldier had survived until now meant that even without the War Lord’s enhancements, he could enter the elite troops of the Flame Sand. The life force absorbed by the Bloodbath Battle effect, tempered between life and death, allowed soldiers to unleash their inner potential. At that point, the absorbed life force was no longer just for recovering health.
With a soldier leading the charge, the other soldiers, boosted by morale, also began to charge forward.
The scene of tens of thousands of people charging was earth-shaking. Dust rose as the soldiers sprinted.
“Release!”
A loud shout came from the city walls of Segona City, followed by the twang of ballista bowstrings.
A wailing sound came from above. Over a thousand metal crossbow bolts flew through the air, splitting apart mid-flight to form a dense, massive volley.
Pfft, pfft. Pfft, pfft…
The sharp bolts pierced through the soldiers’ bodies. Su Xiao’s soldiers fell in a large swath, screams of agony filling the air.
Just as the first volley ended, Su Xiao stomped on the dragon’s back beneath him. A blue gleam flashed in his eyes, and the same blue gleam appeared in the black dragon’s eyes.
The black dragon flapped its wings and took off, its long tail whipping as it accelerated toward the sky above Segona City.
“What is that? A Giant Rock Dragon?”
“Too small, and the color is wrong.”
“Never mind what it is, shoot it down, hurry!”
Clack, clack, clack~
Dwarf soldiers cranked the wheels of their ballistae. The bowstrings slowly drew back as the gears turned.
“Too late. Flame thrower unit, prepare…” A Dwarf officer raised his hand. He waited for the black dragon to fly closer. When it was a few hundred meters away, he swung his arm down and roared, “Release!”
Boom!
A thunderous, unified sound rang out. Lit wooden barrels were hurled into the air. Mid-flight, these barrels burst open with a crack. Flames exploded, forming fireballs dozens of meters in diameter. Several of them slammed into the black dragon’s underbelly.
Flames and explosions roared together. The black dragon was engulfed in fire. An instant later.
“Roar!”
A dragon’s roar spread out. The black dragon flapped its wings and flew out of the flames. On the black dragon’s back, Su Xiao’s black velvet cloak was covered in sparks. The fierce wind made the cloak snap and crackle.
A layer of pale blue crystal enveloped the black dragon, forming a scale-like pattern. This increased the black dragon’s defense without hindering its movement. Generating so many crystal layers, and with their high strength, cost Su Xiao nearly 9,000 mana points.
The black dragon flew above Segona City. Its gaping maw glowed a blazing red. High temperatures were brewing.
With a whoosh, a jet of black flames several meters thick blasted onto the top of the city wall. Upon impact, the black flames spread out into a wide area. As the black dragon flew, its black flames swept across the top of the city wall from right to left, covering every inch without missing a spot. The black flames weren’t just a single burst; they were a continuous stream.
“Ahhh!!”
Screams of agony came from the top of the city wall. A Dwarf covered in black flames ran blindly, like a headless fly. The black flames ignited the stonework on top of the wall, continuously burning the soldiers stationed there.
Soon, the top of the city wall fell silent. It was covered in charred corpses and weapons and armor that had been heated red-hot.
Inside Segona City, a Dwarf officer looked up at this scene. He had fought on the battlefield for 16 years and had never seen anything like this. He didn’t even know how to fight this war. That black dragon alone could massacre the city.
This Dwarf officer was overthinking things. Although the black flames were powerful, their consumption was terrifying. They couldn’t be sustained for long.
Under Su Xiao’s control, the black dragon Midis began to spew black flames into the city. After just a few seconds of burning, a wave of force surged from in front of Su Xiao. The Dwarves’ stockpile of “black oil barrels” had exploded from the heat.
A blast of wind pressure hit. Su Xiao raised one arm to shield his face. He controlled the black dragon Midis to fly directly in front of the city gate and began spewing black flames at it.
In the raging black flames, the metal city gate gradually melted into molten iron.
Standing on the dragon’s back, Su Xiao drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist. The long blade pointed at the city wall.
“Resisters, killed without mercy.”
“Kill!”
Su Xiao’s soldiers charged through the city gate, stepping on the molten iron. Su Xiao stomped on the black dragon Midis beneath him. The black dragon flew higher and continued spewing black flames into the city.
A few kilometers away, a man in a tracksuit was watching the distant Segona City. From his aura, he was a Battle Angel from Apocalypse Paradise.
“Holy… shit! This… this is being played out as a war world?”
The man’s expression was dazed. His cheeks trembled uncontrollably. He had come seeking cooperation, but after seeing the scene before him, all his calculations turned to smoke.
Behind him was a pale-faced young woman. It was Molei. She hadn’t waited for Su Xiao’s rescue but had been saved by a Battle Angel from her own paradise.
“Maybe… we should just leave. Those from Reincarnation Paradise are all lunatics.”
Molei looked at the black dragon spewing dragonflame in the distance. She suspected this thing was a big boss. Even if it wasn’t a big boss, it was a war creature.
Molei’s current thought was: she absolutely must not be encountered by Su Xiao. If he harbored ill intentions, even if he ground her into the dirt, she wouldn’t be able to resist. She would be completely at his mercy. He was already attacking “Segona City,” which was incredibly outrageous in itself. What else couldn’t he do?
“Molei, why don’t you try negotiating with your looks? Maybe he’ll think you’re cute…”
“Don’t even think about it!”
Molei turned to leave. At that moment, a heavy pressure landed on her shoulder.
“Little sister, where are you going? You set a coordinate on me earlier, didn’t you?”
Baha landed on Molei’s shoulder. Molei turned her head stiffly.
“You two can try to kill me. If you succeed, there are still tens of thousands of soldiers, a black dragon, a follower who can track you to the ends of the earth, plus my boss’s pursuit. Want to give it a try?”
Baha looked at Molei, a red gleam flashing in its eyes. It smiled, and the smile looked villainous no matter how you saw it.
“We were just passing by. You have to believe me.”
Molei forced a very strained smile. She now wanted to slap herself. Only at this moment did she suddenly realize that compared to the violators in Shadu, this hunter on the border was the more terrifying existence.