Having tasted the sweetness of Pescara's plunder, Jole was insatiable in his desire to attack Rome further, for him success meant innumerable wealth, and even if he failed, it was no big deal, and no one could stop him if he wanted to escape!

However, others did not think so, the city of Rome was extremely well defended, with high and thick walls and fortresses on all sides, and it only took a small number of troops to defend it against an enemy ten times as strong. Coupled with the fact that there are many strong people in the Holy See of Light, with the strength of the Mermaid Kingdom and the Illyrian Alliance, it will definitely not be able to break through the city in a short period of time. And once reinforcements from the north and south arrive, the operation is likely to be reversed.

Moreover, their ultimate goal was to prevent Western Rome from entering the war, and if they marched into Rome, they would greatly offend the Holy See whether they succeeded or not. In order to maintain the prestige of the so-called God of Light, I am afraid that the other party will retaliate frantically at all costs, which will only outweigh the losses.

Crowd disagreed, and the proposal to march into Rome was rejected on the spot. But if you retreat like this, it seems a little uninteresting, now that Pescara has been breached, it happens that the city of Rome is empty, and can only send 20,000 troops to support, this is a golden opportunity.

Although there are only 10,000 troops in the Mermaid Kingdom and the Illyrian Alliance, they are all true elites. And the other side wants to protect the city of Rome, and will not send the strongest troops to fight, at least the Pope himself must sit in Rome just in case, and will not easily go out in person. That's the case. Only a few cardinals came, and they didn't know the details of the coalition. Thought that with twice the army, they could push the opponent back. If they can defeat them in battle and capture one or two cardinals, the sneak attack will be a perfect end.

After the discussion is over. The men soon returned to command their troops and prepared for the fierce battle that was about to begin.

The clock was fast approaching.

Daedalus, Idas, and three other cardinals led 20,000 reinforcements to the outskirts of the port of Pescarra.

Along the way, they took in numerous refugees who had escaped from the port, including many deserters, as well as a large number of nobles, mercenary groups, and armed merchant groups who had suffered heavy losses in the attack. They had been crushed in the previous battle, and they had to flee with their heads in their hands. Now that he finally encountered a large army, he was so frightened that he decided to join the reinforcements and counterattack Pescara together.

As a result, the strength of the troops, headed by Cardinal Daedalus of the Diocese of Europa Prairie, increased to more than 25,000 men. At this time, there was more and more information about the incoming enemy, and various sources confirmed that the other side really only had about 10,000 people. On the air side, both sides have floating fleet cover. The opponent has three black dragons to help, and they also have five cardinals joining forces, and the strength of the two sides is not far apart. However, with more than twice the number of troops on your side, you should have no problem defeating the enemy.

Daedalus was even optimistic. The only thing to worry about now is if the enemy flees immediately. Then with the support of the Mermaid Kingdom, they will definitely be able to break through the interception and leave smoothly, so they must surround the enemy on land no matter what!

By this time, the sun was about to set, and the influence of mist and drizzle made the sky dark.

The counter-attacking troops marched to the wilderness plains on the outskirts of the harbor and began to rest for the next wave of the enemy. Countless glittering cross battle flags fluttered on the plains, and the 20,000 troops wearing white light armor were arranged in strict battle formations, and the momentum was quite majestic. In the center of the formation is an ornately decorated metal platform. This magical artifact, called the 'Sacred Ark', is an alchemical artifact blessed by the God of Light himself, and possesses incredible power.

Daedalus was sitting on the ark at this moment. Frowning at Pescara, who was silent in the darkness in the distance.

After a while, a small group of cavalry galloped from the front, and the leading knight rushed to the bottom of the holy ark and said to Daedalus: "My lord, the flood waters in Pescara have basically receded, and we have not found any trace of the enemy in the city for the time being, and the opposing floating fleet and naval fleet have also left the harbor and retreated to the open sea!"

Daedalus and Idas looked at each other, their brows furrowing even deeper. It had been rumored that Pescara had been submerged by the waves, and now that the sea had disappeared and the scouts had not discovered the enemy, what was going on, had they already retreated and fled?

"What now?" Idas asked.

Although the two belonged to different factions within the Holy See, Idas decided to cooperate with each other when faced with a common enemy, so as not to give the enemy an opportunity.

After pondering for a moment, Daedalus said, "Reorganize the stragglers who have escaped from the harbor, and send a team of Knights of Atonement to strengthen their strength, so that they can enter the city immediately and reach the dock as quickly as possible." If the enemy has already left, forget it, and if the enemy is retreating, then be sure to bite the enemy as much as possible. If the enemy hasn't started to retreat, then their task is to take the harbor and set up defenses there to cut off the enemy's retreat!"

Idas nodded, but in his heart he didn't quite agree with Daedalus's arrangement. Because those deserters have long been frightened, and once they encounter a sudden blow, they will easily collapse again. Although the Knight of Atonement is very powerful, if it is affected by the collapsed allies, will it still be able to exert its due strength?

Daedalus then said: "The main force follows behind the forward, divided into three wings, left, center, and right, and advances while searching, and must be careful not to fall into the ambush of the other side. As for the floating fleet, continue to keep a close watch and be ready to strike at any time!"

Several nearby knights took the order and left.

Moments later, a procession of hundreds of elite Knights of Atonement came out of the line in front of the stragglers who had gathered in a haphazard manner, regrouped them and set out for the city. Immediately after that, in the majestic chant, the army also began to move slowly, and dozens of phalanxes held aloft their cold and shining weapons, and marched forward in three teams with neat steps......

(To be continued......)