The arrival of the scout broke the awkward silence between the two. Ethan quickly said, "Good, remember the way? Lead me there later."
"I remember the route. I assure you there will be no mistakes," the scout responded.
Ethan nodded, and then formed a team with all the spearmen and two Divine Dragon Warriors.
They designated the Minotaur Dark Lord's camp as a defense position and ordered the team to secure the area, preventing anyone from taking advantage of Ethan's absence to steal the spoils of war.
Soon the Divine Dragon Warrior squad arrived, and after Ethan clearly assigned them their duties, he said to Allie, "Alright, let's go."
Allie nodded.
They both followed the scout, soon arriving at the Orc Dark Lord's camp.
The scout climbed a big tree and pointed at the smoky area, whispering, "This is where the orc warriors ended up. But there's something suspicious."
Ethan casually said, "Well, spill it."
The scout then pointed at the orc warriors and said, "Once they got to the camp, they never came out. Usually, there's still a lot of stuff left to transport from the Minotaur camp, but for some reason, the orcs didn't go back."
The information the scout provided was crucial, and Ethan immediately thought of several possibilities.
He wondered if there were not enough people in the orc camp, so all the orc warriors were sent out to transport items.
Or, the Orc Dark Lord had already obtained the most valuable items, and the small fry were of no interest to him.
Ethan recalled the last orc warrior who even wore a C-level armor.
Compared to regular orc warriors, his rank must have been higher.
The small wooden box the orc warrior carried contained architectural blueprints.
Although Ethan didn't know the value of these blueprints, judging from the high price of 300 gold coins offered by the Blood Phoenix Dark Lord, it must be a treasure.
This made Ethan's speculation even more plausible.
Another possibility that greatly troubled Ethan was that the Orc Dark Lord might actually be aware of his existence, hence gathering all orc warriors in the camp, ready to ensnare him.
After a moment of contemplation, Ethan decided to make his move regardless of the situation.
The Orc Dark Lord's camp was only a few kilometers away from the Minotaur Dark Lord's camp, and the sudden death of the Minotaur Dark Lord would undoubtedly alert him, possibly even prompt him to investigate the surrounding area.
Ethan wasn't worried for himself; his base was in the dungeon.
But Allie was a different story.
Plus, if Ethan wanted to expand his territory, he would inevitably come into conflict with the Orc Dark Lord.
A battle between them was inevitable sooner or later.
Why not strike first?
Ethan decided to launch an offensive immediately to avoid any unforeseen complications.
He summoned two Divine Dragon Rams by using the system, then recalled all the troops back to camp.
He summoned six additional Divine Dragon Warriors, just enough to form a team that could man the ram.
He then summoned two Divine Dragon Healers to ensure a constant supply of vitality on the battlefield.
Allie was also asked to summon some cannon-fodder Succubi to serve as shields for the rams.
Ethan brought out the Wraith tower from his backpack, which could summon Wraiths, excellent meat shields.
The Wraith tower could summon a Wraith every three seconds, which is why Ethan took out the tower in advance.
With enough time, he could amass a sufficient number of cannon-fodder.
With this, the pressure on the Divine Dragon Warriors at the front line would be greatly reduced.
Soon, the entire military might of Ethan was lurking around the Orc Dark Lord's camp.
Once the slower rams arrived, all troops were assembled.
Ethan stood on a wooden stump, looked around at the Dragon Warrior soldiers, and started his battle speech, "Warriors, what lies before you is a city of orc warriors. Today, our task is to break through their defenses! Some of you are new, some have been with me for a long time. But right now, we are brothers! We are the ones who can trust each other's backs! I will lead you into the charge!"
"Charge! Charge! Charge!" everyone shouted in unison.
The noise outside the orc camp drew the attention of the Orc Dark Lord.
He hurriedly shouted, "What's happening! Has the squad leader not returned yet?"
"Reporting, my lord, he has not returned."
Hearing this, the Orc Dark Lord had a bad feeling, and immediately shouted, "All orc workers, back to the bunker! All orc warriors, injured or not, get on the walls! High priest, you are in charge of casting enhancement magic on everyone, trying to raise everyone's defense!"
"Yes!"
The orc camp was instantly on high alert, and all orcs started to bustle about.
The Orc Dark Lord even personally went up to the city wall to watch Ethan's area.
As Ethan finished his speech, and the two sides stared each other down, the battle was about to begin.
With a small motion of Ethan's finger, the cannon-fodder Wraiths rushed forward, followed by goblins.
The Orc Dark Lord was already terrified, especially by the terrifying momentum of Ethan's army.
He considered all of Ethan's cannon-fodder as elite troops.
The Orc Dark Lord quickly organized archers to start firing.
Ethan squinted his eyes to observe the battlefield.
A shower of arrows decimated the first wave of attackers.
Ethan gestured again, and the second wave of cannon-fodder immediately followed.
At that moment, the Orc Dark Lord heaved a sigh of relief.
If the enemy's elite soldiers were only as strong as this, he wasn't afraid of more waves coming at him.
"Keep firing!" he yelled.
The archers let loose their arrows once more.
The second wave of arrows was noticeably less, but still quite dense.
Ethan looked behind him, the wraiths produced by the Wraith Tower couldn't keep up with the expenditure.
He nodded, the remaining goblins and wraiths charged, but this time, the Divine Dragon Warriors were behind them, forming a protective ring around the healers.
Just as the Orc Dark Lord was about to command his archers to fire again, he saw the troops behind the supposed 'elite soldiers' and immediately felt a wave of irritation.
He'd been tricked!
These were just cannon fodder!
He quickly realized he had fewer than a fifth of his original arrows left after two major volleys.
There was no choice but to order all archers to switch to melee weapons.
Opening the gates to meet the onslaught would be suicidal.
Ethan watched as the cannon fodder inched closer to the city...
100 meters.
50 meters.
10 meters!
As the goblins' blades struck the wooden city walls, Ethan couldn't help but smile.
It seemed he'd won the first round.
Before the battle, Ethan had intentionally revealed his position and staged a grand war rally, not only to boost morale but also to keep the Orc Dark Lord on high alert.
Consequently, the Orc Dark Lord committed fully to every wave of Ethan's troops, regardless of their actual strength.
This is where intelligence came in handy.
Ethan had a rough idea of the Orc Dark Lord's troops, but the Orc Dark Lord knew next to nothing about his.
With the wraiths created by the Wraith Tower, the Orc Dark Lord was misled into thinking these were all Ethan had.
Ethan turned to Allie and said in a low voice, "Allie, it's only a matter of time before the city gates are breached. When our soldiers rush in, we'll head to the back of the camp. You'll charm the soldiers near the altar, causing newly summoned orc soldiers to fight among themselves. I'll stay nearby to ensure your safety."
Allie nodded.
Ethan had everything arranged and, with his spear in hand, followed behind the battering ram, protecting its flanks.
This way, the battering ram could safely reach the city gates.
As the battering ram repeatedly hit the gates, the wooden doors were about to give way.
Ethan saw his chance and shouted through the system to all his troops, "Maintain your formation once inside the city! Divine Dragon Warriors split into two teams, one to protect the battering ram and the other to strike within the city. Healers split as well. Remember, do not break ranks!"
Ethan, carrying Allie, flew towards the back of the orc city.
Allie clung to Ethan's neck, her face flushing as she leaned into his chest.
The sound of his strong heartbeat was comforting, giving her a sense of security that words couldn't describe.
As Ethan soared through the sky, the battlefield below was ablaze.
Close combat had broken out everywhere.
Both sides were engaged in a tug of war at the city gate, but Ethan's troops were far outnumbered by the Orc Dark Lord's.
The orc's altar was still producing orc warriors to support the battlefield.
If this continued, Ethan's retreat would be inevitable.
What he needed to do now was take advantage of this moment to deliver a devastating blow to the Orc Dark Lord, capture the altar, and achieve a pincer attack to secure victory!