Volume 9 From Green Leaves to the Undead Chapter 4 Battle for the Passage

Before the first wave of her troops was fully decimated, Salbali’s next wave launched an assault. Her aerial units, consisting primarily of Silver Pegasi, took to the skies in rapid succession, veering toward the forests on either side of the passage. Their objective was to neutralize the Phantom Undead Archers concealed within the woods; even if they could not defeat them, they aimed to disrupt their ability to effectively target the forces Salbali had deployed.

As for Li Bin, he lacked high-quality aerial units. Aside from Harpies and Vampires, only his Ghost Soldiers could barely manage to fight in the air. With the Bone Dragons reserved as a final trump card against the enemy’s dragons, Li Bin had to pin all his hopes on Reed, who was currently commanding the aerial defense. Reed did not disappoint. He positioned the massive swarm of Ghost Soldiers at the forefront, utilizing their 50% physical damage immunity to entangle the Silver Pegasi in close-quarters combat.

Subsequently, the Harpies began to leverage their superior agility, launching segmented attacks from the enemy’s rear. This tactic proved a nightmare for the commander of Salbali’s aerial units. While the Silver Pegasus was renowned as the fastest unit in the sky—second only to the Phoenix—their high speed inevitably resulted in sluggish turning capabilities. Amidst the countless Ghost Soldiers, attempting to outmaneuver the nimble Harpies was a fool’s errand.

Seeing this, Salbali was forced to deploy her remaining Silver Pegasi. Their orders were simple: ignore the aerial skirmishes and strike the Phantom Undead Archers in the woods directly. However, at that very moment, Li Bin issued a new command. He ordered the Phantom Undead Archers to disregard the units charging through the passage and focus their fire entirely on the Silver Pegasi. Li Bin understood that control of the passage itself mattered less than grounding the enemy’s air power; eliminating their mobility would grant him far greater strategic flexibility.

Salbali, of course, anticipated this, but her greatest obstacle remained the archers in the woods. Without clearing them out, even if she captured the passage, she could never safely transport her forces through it. Meanwhile, the fighting within the passage—largely ignored by both commanders—was nearing a conclusion. With the pressure from the Phantom Undead Archers lifted, Salbali’s subordinates quickly suppressed Li Bin’s defensive line. Furthermore, thanks to Salbali’s pre-arranged battle order, a fresh unit would automatically move up to reinforce the front whenever the vanguard suffered more than fifty percent casualties.

Before the aerial battle had truly reached its climax, half of the passage had already fallen into Salbali’s hands. Had she focused more of her attention there, the entire passage might have been hers by now. But as Li Bin withdrew his focus from the air war, Salbali remained fixated on the sky, granting Li Bin the perfect opportunity for a counterattack.

Li Bin summoned Ted and said, "That woman’s attention is entirely on the sky; she cannot oversee anything else right now. I will find a way to lure her Dragon corps out. When that happens, everything will depend on you." Ted nodded slowly, and the three Troublesome Knights behind him gripped their weapons with excitement.

Li Bin waved his hand, and Kadocin spread her wings and charged upward. Her appearance alone was enough to infuriate the dragons in Salbali’s camp. Kadocin’s status was no secret—formerly a princess of the Golden Dragon royal family, she had been transformed into a Nether Dragon Princess through Li Bin’s meddling. To the proud Dragon race, this was an unforgivable humiliation. Several Golden Dragons were ready to dive at her, but they recalled Salbali’s initial command: no dragon was to take flight until she gave the order. After a brief, frantic consultation with the Green Dragons, they made an unexpected move: every dragon tucked in their wings and charged into the passage on all fours.

It was only then that Salbali noticed the bizarre behavior of her dragons. Just as she intended to step forward to redirect them, the Phantom Undead Archers in the woods intensified their assault, shooting down a portion of the Silver Pegasi that had been regaining the upper hand. Seeing this, Salbali had no choice but to dispatch two squads of Silver Unicorns to accompany the remaining waves of attacking troops as they followed the dragons into the passage.

The situation in the passage transformed into a chaotic surge: dozens of massive dragons clearing the path, followed by a dense mass of troops pushing forward. Seeing the situation turn unexpectedly in his favor, Li Bin seized the opportunity. He ordered Xue Ye, under Reed’s command, to lead all the Bone Dragons to assist Reed. Meanwhile, he produced the stolen Shepherd’s Whip and began manipulating the surrounding forest.

As Salbali’s troops reached the midpoint of the passage, the trees on both sides surged into motion, sealing the passage shut. Salbali was stunned. While she knew of the Shepherd’s Whip’s capabilities, she had never imagined it could be used on a battlefield; its primary use had always been to move forests to newly conquered lands after a conflict. But now, Li Bin was using the forest to sever her connection to her vanguard—a level of cunning she had never anticipated.

Anxious, Salbali immediately made a decision: she ordered the remaining Silver Pegasi to monitor the passage while she dispatched Stone Giants to clear the path. She demanded that they reopen the sealed entrance with the utmost haste. Just as the Stone Giants reached the entrance, a Silver Pegasus rider broke away from the aerial battle, waving his arms as if trying to warn her, but he was struck down by four or five arrows before he could reach her camp. Though Salbali did not understand the rider’s warning, she realized her forces in the passage were likely in trouble. She ordered the Stone Giants to redouble their efforts in clearing the trees.

At that exact moment, the trees that had just shifted to block the entrance suddenly snapped in the middle. Five siege engines, caked in gore and flesh, burst out of the passage in a single row. Behind them was not a path paved with troops, but six more rows of identical siege engines. Salbali realized that under such an onslaught, no force—save for the flying dragons—could escape certain death. Facing the siege engines, which carried the momentum of the carnage, as they rumbled toward her main base, Salbali summoned her remaining rear-guard troops and ordered her subordinates to scatter in all directions.