The Beginning of the Counterattack

"Not yet... We need to wait a little longer..."

Hidden in a tree, listening to the brutal sounds of slaughter rising from the forest, Benjamin could not help clenching his fists as he wrestled with himself inwardly.

According to their plan, at least two-thirds of the pursuing forces had to enter the designated area before they could reveal themselves and counterattack. But before that, the main force serving as bait would clearly have to endure a harsh trial.

In the scenes he sensed, many soldiers at the rear had already been caught by The Church's knights. Some were swarmed and killed before they could resist; others stopped, gritted their teeth, and fought the pursuers for their lives, only to meet the same fate of being surrounded and attacked... It was an extremely cruel sight, especially for the wounded. They rolled across the ground, crying out in agony, only to be trampled beneath iron hooves until not even their corpses remained intact.

Benjamin wanted badly to leap out and put an end to it all, but he had to endure.

If the ambush was exposed too early, its impact would be greatly weakened. If they could not cripple the pursuers in one stroke, it would instead lead to even heavier losses in the battles to come.

Moreover, he had noticed some shortcomings in this ambush plan.

—Those chasing into the forest were all knights. Most of the priests still hovered in the sky, coldly overlooking everything below. They seemed to believe there was no need for them to act personally, and few were willing to pursue into the woods themselves.

Is there any way to lure those priests into the forest too? he asked inwardly.

"No," the System replied lazily. "They're not idiots. If the knights alone can handle everyone, why