In the other Dimensional Gate, which was being handled by the subordinates of the Ashford Clan, something unexpected happened. At first, they were able to resist the wave of Pangolin-Type Jinns. While these Jinns weren’t known for their powerful offensive abilities, they had very strong defenses. This made their scales very expensive, for they were used to craft armor, shields, and other defensive artifacts. The army of the Ashford Clan had been confident that they would be able to handle it. In fact, they were over the moon when they saw that such a big pie had landed on their home turf. With so many Rank 4 Pangolins, the amount of scales they’d collect would definitely bolster the armaments of the Ashford Clan. The elites in the personal troop of the Ashford Clan, the Grandmasters and the Champion, on the scene were already advanced counting the bonuses they would receive from their employer after this mission was over. But something they didn’t expect hit them while they were daydreaming about their bonuses. The Dimensional Gate’s color, which was originally white, suddenly turned red. This sight made the faces of the Grandmasters and Champion turn solemn because this kind of drastic change could only mean one thing. A Gate Mutation. This meant that the current Rank of the Gate could jump anywhere from a Tier 3 Gate up to a Tier 6 Gate. As if waiting for that moment, five Rank 5 Overlords rolled out of the Teleportation Gate, catching everyone by surprise. "Blade-Scaled Pangolins!" one of the Grandmasters cried out in shock. "Don’t block them! Move to the sides!" But despite his warning, it was already too late. The five Rank 5 Overlords, who were like spiked wrecking balls, bulldozed through the Ashford Clan’s defenses, obliterating everything in their paths. Cries of fear, disbelief, and frustration reverberated in the surroundings as the formation of the soldiers broke apart. The Champion at the scene gritted his teeth and hurriedly backed away. While there might still be a chance that he could handle a single Rank 5 Overlord, he couldn’t possibly handle five of them. As such, complete chaos descended on the battlefield. From within the Red Portal, a Red-Scaled Warlord Pangolin emerged. It was a Rank 7 Sovereign, which typically needed a party of Champions to defeat. The only one who could face such a monster in a one-on-one battle was a Throne or a Monarch. However, that only applied to one-on-one battles. The Warlord Pangolin was the leader of the Monster Tide, and his minions followed its commands. The five Rank 5 Overlords were his personal bodyguards, which would make defeating it no easy feat. While the defenses of the Ashford Clan crumbled like a castle of cards, news of what happened was immediately spread into the Sirius Continent’s network. Thirteen, who was overseeing the battle of the Hero Party, heard the beeping sounds of his Communicator, which was meant for emergency messages. He immediately checked what was happening, and the moment he saw the news, his face immediately turned grim. Three Dimensional Gates appeared within the city, including the Gate they were facing at the Southernmost part of the city. But, the Mutated Dimensional Gate appeared in the North, which was a distance away from them. The other Dimensional Gate was at the West of Glory City. It was the closest Gate to the Mutated Gate. After hearing what transpired at the North, the Defenders made a tactical retreat, allowing the monsters that they were dealing with to break through from their encirclement. Truth be told, Thirteen believed that the Captain leading the group of Wanderers who ordered the retreat had a good head on his shoulders. While it might have caused the monsters they were fighting to gain ground, it also prevented their team from being attacked from behind. If that happened, they would be wiped out down to the last man. Since the other Wanderers on Thirteen’s side of the battle were busy fighting the monsters, they weren’t aware of what was happening. But the Hero Party, who usually receive emergency messages from the Central Government, soon heard what just happened. As if on cue, Roland glanced in Thirteen’s direction. Although he was the Leader of the Hero Party, in his heart, the highest-ranked officer in the field was none other than Zion. "Everyone, we will make a strategic retreat!" Thirteen shouted. "Hero Party, guard the front. Everyone else, pull back!" The Wanderers were surprised by Thirteen’s orders and hesitated whether they should obey him or not. This was the first time that they were fighting alongside him, and while they looked up to him, they didn’t know the reason why they were being asked to make a strategic retreat. The situation in front of them was still fine, and no Wanderers had died at the moment. In short, they thought that the situation was still under control, so retreating now would only be counterproductive. Seeing their reactions, Thirteen decided to clarify his order. "A mutated Gate has appeared at the North of the City," Thirteen declared. "A Rank 7 Sovereign has emerged from it, and it has already decimated the first line of defense by the Ashford Clan. "The Monster Tide is currently headed in our direction. If we don’t leave now, they will be able to overtake all of us in half an hour. By then, escaping is no longer an option!" After hearing the teenage boy’s shout, the Wanderers finally realized why a strategic retreat had been ordered. "We will hold the front!" Diana shouted. "Everyone, back away in an orderly manner!" Thirteen, who had only ordered his Demons to cripple the Monsters, changed his order and asked them to kill as many as possible and as fast as possible. When three hundred monsters appeared to block the Monster Tide, Roland and the members of the Hero Party, who were not aware that this was Thirteen’s doing, couldn’t help but wonder where these reinforcements were coming from. However, Erica and Sherry, who knew about Thirteen’s Parade of a Hundred Demons, no longer worried that they wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath of pulling back their defensive lines.