Pillar of Yita

Then there were Hilveld’s black-clothed subordinates. Fang Hong noticed that as soon as these men stepped onto the bridge, they demonstrated extraordinary agility, crossing it without taking much more time than the Silver Weslan Rangers.

The only ones left were the Heavy Cavalry.

Fang Hong divided these men into two groups: the general Heavy Armored Professions and the Paladins. As the general Heavy Armored Professions began preparing to cross the bridge, the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team’s Gunslingers were clearly getting restless.

At that moment, Fang Hong had the leading Knight gather the Paladins and launch a countercharge at the enemy.

He specifically instructed the Paladins not to use the Paradise Steed ability immediately, because if the other side wasn’t intent on engaging them in battle, whether or not they charged on their mounts would make no difference.

And in fact, his guess was confirmed. Sometimes humans are such strange animals that once they have a concrete plan, they can become overly focused on their current goal and overlook some less important details.

The Paladins left behind by Silver Weslan were not many, just four or five, and if the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team had been willing to take losses, engaging in a decisive battle at full strength might have been possible. But they obviously forgot this point, so when the Knights wheeled around for the countercharge, the men scattered like birds and beasts, retreating into the buildings on both sides.

Fang Hong arched an eyebrow upon seeing this scene, realizing that his guess had been correct—the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team wanted to keep their commanding Skill for a more critical moment. Their mentality was identical to that of the Elite from that day.

Sophie, witnessing this scene, also realized something and whispered softly, ”Wait, you’re doing... ”

But Fang Hong simply turned around and raised his right hand.

The Paladins of Silver Weslan in the distance were obviously watching the situation here closely. Seeing his gesture, they immediately abandoned the pursuit of the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team’s members, turning to retreat from the battlefield.

But how could the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team’s Gunslingers let them leave? As soon as the Knights turned, these men indeed emerged from the ruins and chased after them again.

However, at that moment, Parker and the Silver Weslan Rangers, who had already reached the other side of Lonely Bridge, also received their orders. They raised their crossbows and shot Smoke Arrows into the pre-arranged distances.

The Smoke Arrows descended from the sky, and the smoke they emitted enveloped the Silver Weslan Paladins just at the edge of its range.

It was then that the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team’s Gunslingers were astonished to see that, within the dust and smoke, the Silver Weslan Paladins activated their Paradise Steed Skills—not to charge at them, but to turn around and retreat.

”Damn it!” the men realized only then, instantly understanding the Silver Weslan Paladins’ ploy. What they hadn’t expected was that the normally noble Silver Rose would also employ such a tactic.

Using a mounted charge to retreat?

Although it wasn’t unheard of for Paladins to do so, naming it ’Justice Retreat’, witnessing such an unconventional tactic on the Silver Rose was somewhat surprising.

The Jiefulite Red Cloak Team’s Gunslingers instantly became frantic, no longer caring about maintaining distance—for if they did, the others would cross the bridge. Moreover, by then they had realized that the few Paladins left by Silver Weslan were not their match.

Unfortunately for them, few anticipated that their charge would be covering the last distance they would travel in this world after the Stargate.

As the Gunslingers emerged from the range of the smoke, they looked up to find that the Paladins had stopped running and were waiting leisurely a short distance away, watching them with something like pity in their eyes.

This discovery stunned everyone from Jiefulite.

Could it be that the Silver Weslan Paladins had given up resisting?

But it didn’t quite seem that way.

And then someone felt something was amiss and, looking behind instinctively, screamed, ”We’re under attack from behind!” The Jiefulite Red Cloak Team’s Gunslingers turned around only to find two columns of Silver Weslan Heavy Armored Knights flanking them from both sides.

”Wait, how could they be there!?”

”Look in front, no one is there!”

Someone suddenly shouted aloud.

It was only then, to their horror, that Jiefulite’s men realized that the iron chains overhead were completely void of people at that moment.

Although they clearly remembered that, when those Paladins charged at them earlier, the other Heavy Armored Professions were still gathering and about to cross the bridge via the iron chains to the other side.

But at this moment, those men were nowhere to be seen.

More precisely, they had appeared behind them.

And it was not until then that the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team’s men realized something, staring back at the vast smoke in bewilderment. That smoke hadn’t been covering the Paladins’ retreat route after all; it was just a diversion to move another group of Heavy Armored Professions into position.

And the uniform thundering of the Paladin’s retreat had perfectly masked the sound of the others flanking to their sides. Caught in their eagerness to pursue, they had unwittingly charged straight into the enemy’s encirclement.

But when had the Commanders of Silver Weslan begun to employ such tactics?