Falling

Redwood Watchtower, top of the tower.

Yusuf braced his shield in front of him, half his body protected behind it, only the upper part of his face visible to check the situation.

With Yusuf's way of holding his shield, whether Rhode chose to attack with his sword or use a spell, it wouldn't be very effective.

Yusuf continued to advance slowly. The distance that could have been covered in a few quick steps was now incredibly long.

Yusuf knew clearly that the opponent had no way to retreat. In this situation, Yusuf didn't choose to attack first but instead chose this pressing tactic, forcing the opponent to reveal an opening.

From Yusuf's perspective, as he pressed forward, the enemy retreated a few steps to maintain distance, almost pressing against the railing on the edge.

Seeing the enemy nearing the edge of the watchtower, Yusuf knew the opponent wouldn't let him get any closer. At a certain distance, the opponent would definitely react, whether by moving to the side or attacking him, either action would reveal an opening.

As soon as the opponent showed an opening, Yusuf could knock him off with a powerful strike.

Although he could attack directly at the current distance, Yusuf was clearly unwilling and preferred to wait more steadily for the enemy to reveal an opening.

Just as Yusuf had predicted, as he advanced step by step, the distance between them gradually shortened. Rhode, as if unable to bear the pressure, didn't choose to move to either side but attacked first, stepping forward and thrusting his sword at Yusuf.

The moment Rhode moved, Yusuf realized Rhode was preparing to attack. Seeing Rhode's attack method, Yusuf aimed his shield in the direction Rhode was thrusting. Regardless of whether Rhode's sword strike landed, he had revealed a significant opening.

Yusuf saw through all of Rhode's actions. His rich combat experience as a veteran warrior allowed him to react correctly at the first moment.

Rhode also understood that his attack was unlikely to succeed; he was just looking for an opportunity. As his sword was about to hit Yusuf's shield, Rhode retracted his attack and pulled his body back.

Just as Rhode was retracting his attack, Yusuf also moved.

Yusuf sidestepped forward and slammed his shield towards Rhode, intending to knock him off while the enemy was inconveniently positioned after retracting his attack. Yusuf's other hand gripped his weapon, ready to strike.

Clearly, Rhode had anticipated Yusuf's potential reaction when he attacked. Before retracting his sword, he dodged to the side, his dodging direction precisely towards the hand wielding the shield.

He avoided the impact of Yusuf's shield, but Rhode was still at the edge of the tower. As soon as Rhode finished dodging and before he could steady himself, Yusuf followed up with a horizontal sweep of his sword.

Rhode met the attack with his sword, blocking Yusuf's strike. Just as he was preparing to swing again, Yusuf's shield slammed towards Rhode from the side. Rhode had no way to block it and could only roll to the side.

Facing a fully armed warrior, Rhode might not have any advantage relying solely on swordsmanship. To achieve victory, he still needed to find an opportunity.

After rolling, Rhode was still at the edge of the tower, just in a different spot. As he prepared to deal with Yusuf's next attack, he found that Yusuf wasn't attacking but stood still with his shield raised, his expression looking somewhat grim.

It turned out that at the same moment Rhode rolled to dodge Yusuf's shield, Yusuf's strike missed, and the shield hit the railing on the side. Watching the wooden railing fall, Yusuf instinctively felt fear as he eased his force, unable to pursue further.

However, Yusuf was, after all, a veteran warrior. He instantly adjusted his state and prepared to continue pressing towards Rhode.

Since Yusuf's shield was always in front of him, Rhode couldn't find an opportunity to attack. However, Rhode also noticed that even though Yusuf had the overall advantage, he still harbored a fear of death.

Seeing Yusuf raise his shield and advance towards him again, Rhode knew the enemy had chosen the most stable method and wouldn't expose any openings for him. To defeat the enemy before him, he needed to create an opportunity himself.

Rhode realized that in this environment, Yusuf, who held a significant advantage, was still thinking of killing him steadily rather than rushing forward and engaging in a head-on clash relying on his own powerful attributes.

Yusuf's caution, which might have been a good approach in ordinary times, whether in business decisions or combat choices, had become Yusuf's weakness due to excessive prudence. Thinking of this, Rhode knew he might find an opportunity.

Watching Yusuf advance again, Rhode gripped his sword with one hand, pointing it towards Yusuf, while his other hand hung down. Several objects appeared in his hand, which he then hurled violently towards Yusuf's head.

Yusuf noticed Rhode's actions. His past combat experience made him understand that people with space rings might carry hidden weapons for surprise attacks. Seeing Rhode's movements, Yusuf naturally categorized them as such.

Looking at the objects flying towards him, Yusuf didn't dare to be careless, especially since he was still at the edge of the tower. Yusuf raised his shield, preparing to block these hidden weapons.

These objects struck the shield, and the crisp sounds of impact made Yusuf feel something was wrong.

Through his peripheral vision, Yusuf saw several objects flashing with a crimson light under the setting sun. The weapons deflected by the shield were actually just a few gold coins.

Suddenly, Yusuf realized something. Just as he was about to lower his shield, he saw a flash of bright white lightning strike from below the shield. The lightning hit Yusuf's body. Protected by his armor, although he wasn't severely injured, Yusuf felt half his body go numb.

In a normal combat situation, even if hit by this spell, Yusuf wouldn't be overly concerned. With the protection of his armor and shield, he wouldn't suffer any damage during the paralysis. However, in this situation, the paralysis, which wouldn't have been a big deal normally, was fatal to Yusuf.

The moment he lowered his shield, Yusuf also saw Rhode's actions.

Rhode hadn't chosen to attack with his sword but had, at some point, produced a shield and was charging towards Yusuf.

Yusuf was helpless. He tried to move, but his half-paralyzed body wouldn't budge. He could only steady his shield and brace it in front of him.

Shields collided. If it were a contest of raw stats, even with Rhode charging at Yusuf, Yusuf could have held his ground. But now, with half his body paralyzed, Yusuf couldn't exert any force to support himself. Hit by Rhode's full charge, Yusuf was knocked backward.

Behind him, there was nothing but a few collapsed sections of the railing.