Chapter 177 - 176: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

The mountain path connecting Grey Soil Village and the Black-collar Tribe had seen so much traffic recently that the weeds were completely trampled away. The path had even widened enough for two or three horses to ride abreast.

Babulin was currently leading his squad along the path toward the Black-collar Tribe.

Soon, a group of Cavalry appeared on the path ahead.

"Quick! Turn the horses around! Retreat!"

Babulin gave the order without hesitation, and his squad immediately turned and fell back.

They had long grown accustomed to these provocations and were even using the enemy’s pursuit to hone their squad’s Riding Skill.

Uunei Knight of Sain Territory led his men in pursuit.

He hadn’t known a single day of peace since being transferred to the Black-collar Tribe.

If you gave chase, they wouldn’t fight.

If you didn’t, they’d dare to ride right up to your gates.

Uunei was on the verge of a mental breakdown because of these bastards.

"You sons of bitches! After them! Don’t let them get away today!"

The two forces galloped along the mountain path. Just as Uunei’s men crossed the halfway mark, a second wave of riders burst out from the adjacent Forest Land.

"Hahaha! You Sain Territory fools! You’re finished!"

The color drained from Uunei’s face. "It’s an ambush! Retreat! Quickly!"

He hastily led his men in retreat. Horn and Babulin joined forces and gave chase, but they didn’t press too hard, allowing their opponents to escape.

His heart pounding, Uunei scrambled through the main gate of the Black-collar Tribe’s fortress and ran toward Philton’s quarters.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

He hammered on the door. "My lord! It’s an emergency, my lord!"

Inside, Philton was still fast asleep. Awoken by the urgent knocking, he was clearly in a foul mood.

"Who is it?!"

He grumbled furiously.

Ever since arriving at the Black-collar Tribe, Philton had acted as if he were its Lord.

The Black-collar Tribe may have been poor, but with a population of over a thousand, there were still a few decent-looking young women to be found.

As for meat, wine, and other provisions, he had brought a large supply from Sain Territory, so he had no trouble feasting and drinking daily.

So, Philton had been living quite comfortably, especially after yesterday’s annual festival.

Startled awake, he glanced instinctively at the women sleeping soundly on either side of him.

’They must have been exhausted from last night’s festival,’ he thought. ’The knocking didn’t even stir them.’

"My lord, those Knights from Grey Soil Village are back!"

Uunei’s words broke Philton from his reverie. ’Is that all? Just this nonsense again?’ he thought.

To be honest, he’d been nervous the first time they crossed the border. But after they did it again and again, always fleeing the moment they were chased, he had grown used to it.

In Philton’s opinion, although relations between Sain Territory and Mountain Forest Town were poor, a bloody conflict was unlikely to erupt anytime soon.

Besides, Ronin was still at Wushan Castle. Without an order from his Lord, Philton didn’t believe that Ridder would dare launch a reckless attack on the Black-collar Tribe.

"Uunei, haven’t I already told you? If they show up, just take some men and drive them off. Why are you bothering me with this?"

"Are you deaf? Or do you just not understand what I’m saying?"

"Do you still want your position as vice-captain or not?"

The tirade left Uunei both flustered and angry, but he didn’t dare utter a single word of complaint. He was genuinely afraid of losing his vice-captain position to that Joffrey.

"My lord, this time is different!"

He explained hastily, "This time, there are more than thirty of them!"

"What?" Philton’s heart skipped a beat.

In the past, Grey Soil Village sent five or six Cavalry at most. Why so many this time?

’What are these bastards planning?’

"Is Ridder with them?"

As he asked, Philton circulated his Fighting Qi, flushing out the last dregs of alcohol and sleep. His mind cleared instantly.

He leaped out of bed and quickly threw on his clothes and Battle Armor.

"Ridder isn’t there. It’s still the members of the Wilderness Tribe, led by Babulin and Horn."

Uunei said hurriedly, "They aren’t fighting to the death, just hurling insults at us the whole way. They called us fools and wastes of space, and said Lord Reisen is all bark and no bite—a great fool and an even greater waste."

Hearing that Ridder wasn’t present, Philton relaxed considerably.

These provocations could be dealt with after Baron Reisen returned from Wushan Castle. He had no desire for a direct confrontation with Ridder if it could be avoided.

Since Ridder wasn’t there, even though Grey Soil Village had brought more men today, they were probably just here to stir up trouble and drill their troops.

’Fuck, do they really see us as their sparring partners?’

Fury blazed within Philton. "Let’s go! Today, we teach them a harsh lesson!"

He was unwilling to face Ridder directly, but that didn’t mean he was afraid of Grey Soil Village. If a real fight broke out, Baron Reisen would be there to cover for him.

Philton mounted his warhorse and quickly assembled the Knights and Cavalry of the Knight Squad.

As the gates of the Black-collar Tribe were thrown open, they surged out like a flood.

On the mountain path, Horn and Babulin had slowed their pace and were not far from the border.

Hearing the thundering hooves, they exchanged a look, not of panic, but of sheer excitement.

"They’re coming out!"

"Look, the one in the lead is Philton!"

"After all these days, the bastard finally couldn’t take it anymore!"

"Hahaha! Let’s turn back! Brothers, let ’em have it! Shout every curse you know!"

When Philton saw the enemy turn and flee, his rage burned even hotter. He drew the Longsword at his waist. "Everyone, charge! Today, they will pay the price!"

With a roar, his Fighting Qi condensed into a massive Sword Aura that shot forward. Unfortunately, with three to four hundred meters between them, the attack dissipated before it could connect.

Horn roared with laughter, shouting with all his might, "Philton, you’re useless! Is that all you’ve got? You should have let Joffrey come back!"

Babulin chimed in, "If Joffrey were here, he’d never hide in his shell like a turtle!"

"Hahaha! Maybe Reisen put Philton in charge of the Black-collar Tribe because he values that turtle spirit of his!"

Philton could have controlled his temper if they hadn’t mentioned Joffrey. But at the sound of his rival’s name, his rage became uncontrollable.

He had once been the second-most powerful Knight in Sain Territory, but now he was relegated to third. He hated nothing more than being compared to Joffrey.

Hearing their taunts now, his eyes turned bloodshot with fury.

Philton viciously whipped his warhorse’s rump, spurring it to a sudden burst of speed. "You bunch of cowards! If you’re real men, stop and fight me!"

His warhorse was of excellent quality, and he quickly closed the distance between himself and Babulin and Horn. A savage grin spread across his face.

"Today, I’ll send you all to Hell!"

But just as he was about to strike, the thunder of hooves and battle cries erupted from the Forest Land beside them. A dark figure rapidly closed in from the corner of Philton’s eye.

He instinctively glanced over, and his blood ran cold.

’It’s Ridder!’

A terrible thought flashed through Philton’s mind. ’Are they... is Grey Soil Village attacking the Black-collar Tribe?’

"Ridder, what do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to tear up the agreement between Ronning Baron and Baron Reisen?"

Ridder paid him no mind. He spurred his horse onward, rapidly closing in on Philton from the side. Enveloped in Fighting Qi, man and horse moved as one.

He violently raised the Great Sword in his hand and, as their horses galloped past each other, swung it at his opponent’s head.

Philton was horrified, but he didn’t forget to defend himself. He raised his own sword to meet the blow.

CLANG!

Ridder’s Power was already greater than his opponent’s. Combined with the momentum of his charge, a single strike sent Philton flying from his horse.

"Kill!"

He roared, and Babulin, Horn, and the others immediately wheeled their horses around to charge the Black-collar Tribe’s Knight Squad. Simultaneously, the Archers in the forest let loose a volley of arrows.

The Archers’ Arrows posed a limited threat to the Knights, as a Professional Knight could react in time, batting the projectiles aside with their Longswords.

The regular Cavalry, however, were not so lucky.

A few with quick reflexes managed to raise their Shields to block the Arrows, but many who reacted too slowly were pierced through and fell from their horses, dead on the spot.

SWOOSH!

Amidst the arrow storm, a thick, blue water projectile shot toward Uunei Knight.

It was the Water Arrow Skill, cast by Jenny, the Intermediate Water Attribute Mage.

Uunei Knight never expected Magic to be hidden within the volley of Arrows. By the time he noticed, the water arrow was already upon him.

"Fuck!"

He could only swing his sword at the projectile and unleash his Fighting Qi, but his hurried reaction was clearly not enough to stop the spell.

The Water Arrow Skill slammed into Uunei, knocking him from his horse.

In an instant, the Black-collar Tribe’s Knight Squad was thrown into chaos.

"Everyone, charge!"

From the forest, Elron roared from atop his horse.

An intense, milky-white light erupted from his body. As the light fell upon the soldiers, it washed away their fear and pessimism, making them braver.

The Light Attribute Basic Level Magic Vitality Skill was an area-of-effect spell. With Elron’s current strength, he had more than enough energy to cast it several times, invigorating all his comrades.

"Kill!"

The invigorated Cavalry charged out first, preparing to break through the Black-collar Tribe’s Knight Squad.

The Infantry followed excitedly behind them, ready to clean up what was left.

Mountain Forest Town’s first true battle had begun in the wilderness.