Chapter 239: Unexpected "Reinforcements"

Even from far away, the White Dragon Lord could sense the dense life energy at the bottom of the sinkhole. His expression turned solemn. Seeing the human fortress ahead and the dense ring of ballistae lining the City Wall, an idea immediately formed in his mind.

"Senior, Leopold, I'm going to 'invite' some reinforcements," he said.

Reinforcements?

The two Gold Dragons had no idea what he meant, but the White Dragon Lord had already broken away from the main force, accelerating toward the human fortress beside the sinkhole.

"Let him go. We will deal with Delisve. Amos always comes up with good ideas," the Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, said to the young Gold Dragon.

Leopold nodded in agreement. In terms of strength, the White Dragon Lord was the weakest among them. But when it came to wisdom and the white dragon's terrifying wealth of knowledge, both Gold Dragons conceded defeat.

Roar!

As they approached the sinkhole's City Wall, the Ancient Gold Dragon unleashed a furious roar. Terrifying dragon might swept out in all directions like a tsunami, shocking the soldiers on the wall into unconsciousness. Some even died instantly, their hearts shattered by the sheer pressure.

Whether they fainted or died, the dragons couldn't care less about the fate of these ants. Once certain the humans lacked the ability to cause trouble from behind, the dragon army poured straight into the kilometer-wide sinkhole.

Furious dragon roars and the war cries of the Titans blended into a single deafening din.

Meanwhile, the White Dragon Lord summoned a shield of ice to protect his face and flew toward the human fortress beside the sinkhole.

Ballista bolts flew at him like rain. The vast majority struck the ice shield, while a few that slipped through at tricky angles hit his scales, producing sharp clangs.

But these bolts lacked even the most basic enchantments; they had no hope of piercing an ancestral dragon's scales. As long as they didn't hit vital spots like his nostrils or eyes, these attacks wouldn't even count as a tickle to a white dragon.

Under everyone's terrified gaze, the White Dragon Lord flew into the fortress. His massive wings smashed against a tall tower, sending shattered brick and stone flying. The ballista on the tower, along with the soldiers operating it, plummeted to the ground.

Roar!

Terrifying dragon might erupted, covering a 500-meter radius around the White Dragon Lord.

Within the range of his dragon might, all the human soldiers collapsed to the ground, drained of all strength. This oppression on a fundamental level of life was like a mouse unable to resist a cat—it was not a gap that courage or willpower could bridge.

Acting as if there was no one else around, the White Dragon Lord scanned one of the most famous military fortresses in the Madilan World. With a single glance, he spotted his target: Duke Shingesa's castle.

Who told the duke to be so flashy as to hang his noble banner right at the very top of the castle?

If he knew what the White Dragon Lord was thinking, Duke Shingesa would definitely feel more wronged than Dou E. In a perfectly fine magicless world, who could have known that an unscientific monster like the White Dragon Lord would suddenly pop out?

The White Dragon Lord strode toward Duke Shingesa's castle, leaving a trail of complete devastation in his massive wake.

Inside the castle hall, the formless, intangible, yet immensely heavy dragon might pressed down on Duke Shingesa. This iron-blooded noble, who had spent most of his life in the military, gritted his teeth and struggled to stand, but he failed time and time again.

Hearing the heavy footsteps drawing closer, a sense of despair swelled in Duke Shingesa's heart. He thought of how he had trained bitterly in swordsmanship since childhood, honing his willpower to become a renowned powerhouse in the Madilan World and earning countless honors and medals.

But right now, all that effort and honor seemed so laughable. In the face of a true powerhouse, he didn't even have the right to stand.

He lay sprawled flat on his back across the floor, waiting for fate's judgment.

The White Dragon Lord simply tore the roof off the castle as easily as opening an ordinary box.

Crash!

Glass and rubble smashed down around Duke Shingesa, but he didn't look away. He stared straight at the massive dragon head looming over the ruined castle. This existence he couldn't resist was about to decide his fate.

Although he was pinned by the dragon might and unable to move, Duke Shingesa's extraordinary willpower allowed his mind to keep working clearly.

From the moment the soldiers' panicked shouts rang out to the point where only the giant beast's footsteps could be heard outside, barely a dozen breaths had passed. It was so fast that Duke Shingesa hadn't even had time to walk out the door before being suppressed by the dragon might.

After that, the giant beast had walked straight toward the castle with a clear purpose and torn off its roof. Duke Shingesa knew it had come specifically for him.

The White Dragon Lord looked down at Duke Shingesa lying in the castle. The duke wore a set of tailored martial attire, a knight's greatsword lying haphazardly by his hand. The thick calluses on his hands told the White Dragon Lord that this duke was not just for show.

Of course, that was by human standards.

What surprised the White Dragon Lord the most was the look in Duke Shingesa's eyes. Anger, unwillingness, resignation, powerlessness... he showed many emotions, but the one thing completely absent was fear.

If someone like this lived in Nordhill and didn't die young, they would undoubtedly achieve something great sooner or later.

At that thought, the White Dragon Lord suddenly changed his mind.

The dragon might vanished as if it had never been there at all.

Feeling the crushing pressure instantly disappear, Duke Shingesa stood up in surprise. Once he regained his freedom of movement, he didn't react aggressively, because he knew any resistance would be futile.

He just stood there quietly, looking up at the golden dragon eyes scrutinizing him. Within those brilliant, diamond-shaped golden pupils, Duke Shingesa saw curiosity, and perhaps a trace of approval?!

Though Duke Shingesa didn't know what this giant beast saw in him, it was obvious that the creature possessed intelligence, and a high level of it at that. The voice that rang out beside his ears confirmed his guess.

"Submit to me! I will make you the king of all humans!"

Originally, the White Dragon Lord merely wanted to hold the leader hostage to command his subordinates—controlling Duke Shingesa so the human soldiers in the fortress would operate the Giant Slayers on the City Wall and serve as cannon fodder.

But after seeing the look in Duke Shingesa's eyes, he decided to give the man a chance.

"No, I don't want to be a king. I want power! Magical power like yours!"

Duke Shingesa stared at the ice shield floating beside the white dragon and spoke with absolute resolution.

His gaze was fervent, like that of the most fanatical believer. Only, his faith wasn't in any deity, but in power.

The White Dragon Lord grew even more satisfied with this strong-willed human noble.

"You will have a chance to obtain power, but before that, you must prove your worth!"

The White Dragon Lord reached out a claw and scooped up the standing Duke Shingesa, plucking him right out of the castle hall. Then, he opened his palm, letting the duke stand on his claw, and issued a commanding order from above.

"Order your soldiers to man the Giant Slayers and aid the Dragon Race in attacking the Titans!"

Standing on the white dragon's claw, Duke Shingesa looked around. In that short amount of time, the casualties caused by the White Dragon Lord weren't high. Now that the dragon might had receded, soldiers were slowly using their weapons to prop themselves up. Their legs trembling, they looked toward the massive white figure in the center of the fortress.

The White Dragon Lord cast an amplification spell on his hostage, and Duke Shingesa took a deep breath.

He had no choice!

"Soldiers! Assist the Dragon Race in attacking the Titans!"

Hearing their supreme commander's voice, the human soldiers exchanged bewildered looks. How could the grand duke they loved and respected surrender so easily?!

Then, their expressions turned to anger. They felt betrayed. After all, the dragons had just killed their comrades a moment ago, and now their commander was ordering them to help the enemy.

The White Dragon Lord also understood the psychology of the human soldiers. Raising his head high to back up Duke Shingesa, he declared loudly and arrogantly, "Hmph! To serve the Dragon Race is the greatest honor of your lives, you ants."

Then, he roared viciously, "Hurry up! Or else I'll kill him! And then I'll bury you all! Don't waste the chance at life your commander just begged for!"

The evil dragon's roar rattled the soldiers' skulls like thunder. At the same time, they finally understood why their beloved, iron-blooded grand duke had bowed to the vicious dragon's tyranny so quickly.

It was all so that the rest of them could live!

Tears welled up in the eyes of the vast majority of the soldiers, and they felt deeply ashamed of having doubted their commander just moments prior.

The White Dragon Lord tightened his grip slightly, drawing a pained groan from Duke Shingesa. Amplified by the spell, the grand duke's groan echoed across the entire battlefield, urging the soldiers to move faster.

Finally, one soldier broke into a run toward the sinkhole's City Wall.

With someone taking the lead, the rest immediately followed suit.

At that moment, the White Dragon Lord's voice rang out again with perfect timing.

"The lives of your commander and everyone in this city are now in your hands."

Under their commander's orders and the threat of death, the unwilling soldiers had no other choice but to help the dragons fight the Titans.

Watching the swarm of people running for the City Wall, the White Dragon Lord felt highly satisfied with the results of his scheme.

Carrying Duke Shingesa, he flapped his wings and beat the soldiers to the air above the sinkhole.

"Senior Gold Dragon! Adelaide! Get out of there quickly!"

Below, the Ancient Gold Dragon had barely just started fighting the Life Titan and hadn't even warmed up yet. But upon hearing the White Dragon Lord's shout, he chose to trust him without reservation.

"Retreat!"

The dragon army, which had already held the upper hand, smoothly disengaged from the battle and beat their wings, flying upward.

Down below, the Life Titan, Delisve, felt no joy as she watched the dragons retreating in droves.

"Hurry! Fall back!"

However, for massive creatures like the Titans and giants, the passageway of the Gate of Steel left over from ancient times wasn't particularly large. It could only accommodate two of them walking shoulder to shoulder at a time.

By the time the dragons flew out of the sinkhole, the human soldiers were practically in position.

The White Dragon Lord immediately issued the order.

"Fire!"

Instantly, ballista bolts rained down into the depths of the sinkhole.

Looking at the storm of bolts raining down from above, Delisve gritted her teeth. While she and the two legendary Titans weren't afraid of these bolts, the rest of the Titans and giants couldn't withstand them head-on.

If this portion of their kin suffered heavy losses, the Titan Race would have even less power to resist the dragons.

Seeing the bolts closing in, Delisve no longer cared about conserving mana. She rapidly chanted a spell, the mana and life energy surging madly within her body.

Legendary magic—Growth of All Things!

As the Life Titan's mana drained away, a massive swath of green plants burst from the cold earth in the dark underground. Flowers and green leaves grew wildly, shielding the Titans and giants beneath them.

Thwack! Thwack!

The ballista bolts struck the enormous plants and slid weakly to the ground.

However, even a High-Tier Legend Life Titan couldn't protect every single member of her kin.

"Ah!"

The agonized screams of Titans and giants struck by the Giant Slayers rang out again and again.