Chapter 473, Fishing (Well, are there any recommendation tickets or something, give some...)._1
Demitrija had just retreated to a dense forest with his men.
From behind them emanated a cacophony of battle cries.
Swarms of mountain bandits, like a torrential flood, emerged from the forest.
They began to launch an attack in this direction.
They held iron shields and swords in their hands, howling like deranged beasts.
Boom, boom, boom!!
The soldiers started to retaliate.
Bullets and crossbow bolts were continuously pouring towards the front.
There were so many bandits that any random shot is likely to hit a target.
The once ferocious bandits, were falling one after another...
Agonizing screams echoed through the woods.
However, even more bandits surged out from the forest, as if they were not afraid of death in their attacks.
Even though they didn't take the bandits seriously.
Facing such a vast number, the rearguard soldiers and mercenaries swallowed nervously.
Bang!
The sound of cannons resounded again, exploding not far from their ranks.
The shockwave of the cannonball instantly sent several soldiers flying.
Their chest armor caved in, their mouths spewing blood.
Demitrija, with cold eyes, scanned the distance.
He saw that the heavy mist on the road had dispersed, and in the middle of the road.
A few bandits were efficiently cleaning the cannons, reloading the ammunition.
As expected, they were cannons.
Fortunately, they didn't fall into the enemy's trap.
Otherwise, few would have been able to escape.
Shoosh, shoosh!!
Demitrija, his longsword swinging, wiped out all the charging enemies around him.
He gave an order in a cold voice, "Take the wounded and continue to retreat."
Rustle, rustle!!
The soldiers began to act.
Some of them fought with the bandits who charged haphazardly, while others began to retreat with the men affected by the cannon fire.
At the same time, Demitrija, with a few, continued to withdraw.
Boom!!
They hadn't retreated far.
Their former position was once again bombarded by cannon shells.
Bits of rock and debris struck their armor with a clattering sound.
They fought as they retreated, unable to shake off the pursuit from behind.
These bandits were more familiar with this area.
Though their combat power was inferior, their movements through the dense forest were incredibly agile.
They always managed to keep up.
Relentlessly entangling and slowing them down.
At present, Demitrija and his men were stuck in a relentless fight with the bandits.
Bandits from all directions, their numbers growing.
They began to employ tactics of attrition, continuously draining their combat power.
At this moment, the stark difference in power between the regular army and the bandits was clearly evident.
Demitrija's side fought as they retreated, suffering relatively few casualties.
The bandits, however, had taken numerous casualties despite their aggressive onslaught. Read new adventures at empire
Corpses littered the forest, the blood turning the vegetation a dark red.
"Kill!!"
Seeing the heavily wounded Demitrija and his men.
The bandits, like wild animals that had smelled blood, became more excited; their howls resounding as they kept surging forward relentlessly.
In the eyes of the bandits, killing these soldiers from Lyss city was only a matter of time.
…
Demitrija and his men were forced to keep falling back.
Numerous sword slashes adorned their armor, and blood had begun to form a layer of brown scabs.
Some of the blood was their own, but most of it was from their enemies.
Though the battle continued, they could see little hope of victory.
Several rearguard mercenaries, leaning on each other, were continually muttering, "Why aren't they back yet, not back yet, damn it, where are they?" while fending off the enemy's approach.
According to the plan, the army that retreated first would establish a second defense line to cover their retreat.
These mercenaries were acutely aware of the cold indifference and cowardice of the nobility.
Seeing that the second defense line was nowhere in sight, some began to believe that they had been abandoned.
The plan Fang Hao had formulated earlier was merely to deceive them into acting as sacrificial pawns.
"How does that help us now? Let's stay alive first, don't get distracted." A fellow mercenary bitterly said.
But there wasn't much time for discussion, the bandits surrounding them increased, like an incoming tidal wave, they were surrounded.
Once a proper encirclement took place, death was inevitable.
Just as their expressions hardened, and despair set in.
The rain of bandits suddenly halted.
Upon closer inspection, they noticed that the bandits' feet were ensnared by vines growing from the ground.
With their feet obstructed, the charging bandits fell over like tumbling gourds.
Everyone turned around abruptly.
They saw three Wood Spirit Guards with their arms buried in the ground.
Their arms had transformed into vines, entangling the enemies.
Behind these Wood Spirit Guards were Fang Hao and a group of waiting soldiers and mercenaries.
Upon witnessing this, a look of joy flashed across the faces of the rearguard.
Fang Hao then said, "Deal with the close mountain bandits, lead everyone away, and retreat to the north."
"Yes!"
Rustle, rustle!!
All of them immediately charged.
Like a tiger diving into a group of lambs, they directly attacked the swarm of bandits.
The original rearguard began to fall back.
Fang Hao stood on a large rock.
He held the Thunderhawk Blade in his hand and began to concentrate his magic power.
As the magic power gradually gathered, mist began to rise around him.
This was his skill [Mist Wrap].
Ever since he absorbed the 0-level Divinity of the Lord of Thunder, Mist Wrap, an Air Elemental Spell, began to evolve.
The mist was as thick as cotton, featuring flickering sparks of electricity.
Not only could it obscure the enemy's senses, but the hidden thunder bolts were also a form of attack.
It was an upgraded version of the Mist Wrap.
When mist enveloped the forest, all of them, at Fang Hao's signal, quickly retreated without further delay.
They followed the forest trail north for about an hour's journey.
They arrived at a spacious main road.