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"What is the Guard Commander doing?"

At the moment he received the message, the Priest felt like he was about to explode.

Others might not realize the situation, but he was painfully aware. Two thousand of the Guardian Army, in terms of combat power, were not even a match for his eight thousand of the Holy Army, which was considered the Ancient Demons’ core strength.

And yet, with such power at their disposal, the Prince had been lost?

What kind of joke was this? Not even a King-Level could forcefully take down the Guard Commander who had the Guardian Army with him, right? That guy was...

"Priest!" the Deputy General could no longer hold back and shouted, "We must retreat quickly, or it will be too late!"

He had been closely observing the situation. The death of the Prince had a massive impact, nearly causing immediate collapse. Should they hesitate even a moment longer, once the military formation was overrun, they would likely face total annihilation!

Although he still couldn’t suppress the fierce rage in his heart, the Priest knew that the situation was now beyond salvage. If they didn’t leave now, he would become a sinner of the Ancient Demon Clan.

Just as he was about to issue the order to retreat, a cold voice said, "No!"

The Priest frowned and looked over at the speaker. It was no other than the only adult of the Imperial Clan bloodline of the Ancient Demon Clan today, and the initiator of the Sorcerer Dynasty: Zi Yue!

"Your Highness..." The Priest was taken aback. At that moment, Zi Yue was exuding a sharp aura, her attention entirely focused on the battlefield ahead, not even glancing at him. Unlike the rest, who were filled with despair, her eyes were as sharp as a sword’s edge!

"We must not retreat..." Zi Yue muttered softly, "The enemy has anticipated our retreat. I didn’t stop you from retreating before because the enemy couldn’t block us, and the most we would lose would just be those covering our rear. But now it’s different, our morale is about to collapse.

If you order a retreat now, the entire Holy Army’s morale could break instantly.

Once the formation can’t hold, we will be doomed in an instant, and there will be no chance to retreat. "

"Your Highness..."

The other did not turn back, but the Priest still didn’t dare to look into her eyes, feeling terribly guilty and even too frightened to speak to her.

For the first time, he felt so utterly devoid of confidence.

Zi Yue was different from Zhang Zhiyun. Zi Yue was a hero of the Ancient Demon Clan from the past!

She risked her life, ensuring the Sorcerer Dynasty’s plan was completed in full. If it hadn’t been for the subsequent loss of control, she would now be the queen of the Ancient Demons, and even the Guard Commander would have to listen to her.

Although her prestige had decreased somewhat due to the events of the past, she was fundamentally different from Zhang Xiaoyun. If Zhang Xiaoyun were rebuking him right now, he might have slapped him. But with Zi Yue, he simply couldn’t...

He could clearly sense that, as soon as Zi Yue had spoken, even the Deputy General who had been the first to suggest a retreat began to hesitate.

"I don’t want to discuss the mistakes the Priest made just now. Situations on the battlefield change in an instant, and no one can make accurate judgments all the time. But now that we’ve come this far, we can’t afford to make any more mistakes—or else the future of our clan will be doomed!"

The Priest looked at her, wanting to say, "Who are you to tell me I’m wrong now?"

But he couldn’t utter the words, stuck in his throat; the reason was simple: he didn’t have the guts.

He didn’t dare to confront Sparrow Bee immediately because he was afraid to gamble with his own life.

He was reluctant to retreat because he coveted the glory of achievements—and was afraid of returning without any, diminishing his prestige.

In essence, he was someone who didn’t dare to take responsibility.

If he contradicted Zi Yue now...and if the army really ended up annihilated as she predicted, then he would become the sinner of the Ancient Demon Clan.

Zi Yue’s words not only silenced him, but they also gave him a sliver of hope to shift the blame.

"Your Highness..." The Priest took a deep breath and tentatively asked, "Then what do you think we should do?"

"Intensify the offensive!" Zi Yue replied without hesitation. "In a narrow path, the brave wins. That’s a saying from the Reincarnator’s memories, and I think it makes a lot of sense. Our current situation is a narrow path; retreating will only lead to a quicker death. Since that’s the case, why not fight to the death? "

"But if we do that...if we don’t succeed, there will really be no chance to escape.

" The Priest spoke in a lower voice, "The eight thousand of the Holy Army are our clan’s main force for conquering the world. If we lose them all here, it would be nigh impossible for our clan to take down the Central Plains, and with your Sorcerer Dynasty plan having already exposed us prematurely, if our clan can’t win this battle and the Reincarnators’ Guild recovers, they will stop at nothing to hunt down and exterminate our clan. Can you bear the consequences of that?"

Zi Yue, still not turning back, lifted the corners of her mouth in a cold smile. "Are you suggesting, Priest, that the Sorcerer Dynasty plan I advocated for all those years ago was wrong?"

This guy wasn’t much on the battlefield, but he was top-notch at shifting the blame. He was clearly at fault for the command error, yet he managed to bring up ancient decisions. Quite the talent...

"The risk back then...was perhaps too great," said the Priest noncommittally.

That year, the decision had been approved by the entire clan; I had cast my vote in favor as well, and for a simple reason: if we were to follow the ancient plan, we would have to remain hidden for another entire cycle of reincarnation. By then, wouldn’t our bodies have turned into dust?

Who would want to live a life hidden in the shadows for a lifetime?

But that was then, and this is now. Even though I agreed to the resolution at the time, it doesn’t mean I’m willing to take responsibility now, does it?

"Very well!" Zi Yue nodded in agreement, "I’ll take it on!"

"Your Highness, you see... huh?" The Priest was about to argue, but unexpectedly, the other party took responsibility herself.

"Now is not the time to discuss with Your Eminence, the Priest, where the responsibility lies.

Since the Priest is unwilling to take it on, then let it be me," Zi Yue turned and looked at the Priest. "If I lose, then the sinner who led the Ancient Demon Clan to ruin will be me.

Please, give me the Army Talisman, Your Eminence! "

Priest: "....."

The Deputy General watching on the side had mixed emotions. Just a second ago, when the Priest was shirking responsibility, he felt an urge to curse. What time was it, and they were still discussing whose fault it was?

But he did not expect Princess Zi Yue to respond like that.

He had not entirely agreed with Zi Yue’s opinion before, but now... he somewhat believed it.

Perhaps... Lady Ziyue was right!

-----------------------------

"My Lord... do we not retreat now?"

In all sixteen directions, the Deputy Generals following next to their lead Generals had almost all asked the same question.

The lead Generals’ faces were also filled with anxiety as the situation was about to collapse at any moment, yet the signal from the Priest’s Army Talisman had still not been sent. What was this about?

"All soldiers, heed my command!"

Just as everyone was on the brink of breaking down, a clear and cold voice suddenly rose in everyone’s hearts, causing all the Ancient Demon Soldiers to be stunned for a moment.

The rank of an Ancient Demon Soldier was strictly defined: the Army Talisman of a unit’s lead General could only command that unit, and each time one rose a level, the authority covered became broader.

The only Army Talisman that could issue commands heard by all sixteen units was that belonging to the War Priest. Yet the voice coming through the Army Talisman was clearly not that of the Priest!

"I am Zi Yue!"

The Ancient Demons revered the moon as their totem; so far, the only one who could bear the moon as a name was that legendary figure.

"No one shall retreat, prepare to launch one final charge!"

"Huh?"

Everyone was stunned again. What did this mean? Were they being told to march to their deaths?

"Do not fear, victory is assured!"

"Your Highness..." At this moment, nearly all the lead Generals of the sixteen units instinctively wanted to erupt with curses, and they could not comprehend in their minds why the Army Talisman was with her.

Charge again? Had she gone mad?

They could not break through at the peak of their momentum, and now they were supposed to charge when they were on the verge of collapse?

Victory was assured, but with what confidence?

"Please, try once more!" Zi Yue directly interrupted all the words of rebuttal the lead Generals wanted to speak.

"Your Highness, trying any number of times is useless. As long as that assassin is still there... we won’t be able to break through to the other side..."

One of the Generals spoke out, voicing everyone’s thoughts. If it hadn’t been for that assassin, they would have already broken through this place long ago.

"You need not worry about that assassin," Zi Yue’s voice rose again. "I will deal with him personally!"