Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints

“Why are you looking at me with that strange expression?” Charles asked Zara with a smile.

Zara finally snapped out of her thoughts.

Her face shifted with hesitation and doubt.

After a pause, she asked, “Were you two just acting?”

“Of course. If I had fought with full strength, how could Connell have lasted that long? And my mystical beasts are far stronger than his—if it were a real fight, his beasts would have been killed in an instant.”

Charles smiled as he finished arranging Connell’s mystical beasts.

“So, what should we do next?” Zara had calmed down.

She more or less understood the situation now, but she still needed Charles to clearly state their next steps.

“Since the battle here is over, we should head to support General Sost. We must strike hard against the Ancient Academy and the Serpent traitors under Aldany’s control.

But we must not kill the commanders of Ancient Academy or Aldany himself—we have to let both of them escape.”

Charles quickly laid out the plan.

Zara smiled faintly and replied, “That way the Stellar Empire’s inner conflict will only get worse, right? With so many factions gathered under the crown prince, the tensions between them must already be sharp.”

Charles gave Zara a look of approval.

“It seems you’ve grown wiser than before. You wouldn’t have been able to grasp something this complex in the past.”

His words made Zara happy at first—but then she realized he was also implying she had been foolish before.

“What do you mean? I wasn’t stupid, I just hadn’t been through these kinds of things yet!”

“You’re right about that. But let’s not waste time—let’s move out.”

And so, Charles and Zara rushed toward General Sost’s battlefield at top speed.

Before they arrived, both Sost and the enemy had already reacted.

General Sost felt at ease.

Zara’s successful retreat meant Connell would soon be defeated, and afterward, Zara and Charles would come to his aid.

With the three of them together, wiping out the enemy here would be easy.

But Maxwell and Aldany were in a panic.

Even as the fight raged fiercely, the two of them started throwing blame at each other.

“This is all your fault! If you had acted sooner, we wouldn’t be in such a desperate situation!” Aldany roared furiously.

“Blame me? It’s clearly your Serpent warriors who are too weak. You couldn’t even hold half the defensive line—what right do you have to accuse us of anything?” Maxwell shot back without mercy.

The outcome of this battle was already clear—it was a failure.

If they somehow managed to escape alive, they would still face the wrath of the Stellar Empire’s crown prince.

When that time came, they would have to find a way to shift the blame onto someone else.

This argument between them was nothing more than a rehearsal for that.

After quarreling, both men calmed down.

The battlefield had become dire. Connell had already failed, and the royal guards had fled.

With only their own forces left, there was no way they could hold out any longer.

Both of them were thinking about retreat. But retreat was no simple matter, especially when facing such powerful enemies.

“If we want to escape successfully, we must leave behind a strong force to cover our retreat,” Aldany said darkly.

Maxwell stayed silent, waiting for him to go on.

“I can provide an elite Serpent unit. But in return, you must also provide an elite force,” Aldany said, his eyes fixed sharply on Maxwell.

If Maxwell refused, he might turn on him in open conflict.

Maxwell’s face darkened as he thought quickly about what to do.

Aldany was right—without leaving behind an elite unit, escape would be impossible.

But even if they sacrificed their best soldiers, would they really make it out?

General Sost alone was hard enough to deal with. Once Charles and Zara arrived, their defenses would collapse completely.

To Maxwell, the only real option might be to scatter and flee separately.

“I think there’s a problem with your plan,” Maxwell said coldly.

“What problem? Are you saying we shouldn’t retreat?” Aldany shot back sharply.

“Of course we should retreat. But your plan leaves behind too few elites. My suggestion is this: you and I each take only a handful of our most trusted followers, and leave everyone else here to cover the retreat.”

Maxwell’s words left Aldany stunned.

“Are you sure about this? Won’t this be the same as deserting the battlefield? His Highness the crown prince will never forgive us,” Aldany asked, his voice trembling.

Aldany was still deeply afraid of the Stellar Empire’s crown prince.

After all, the number of Serpent tribes under his control had already shrunk compared to before.

And after so many battles, the power of those tribes was far weaker than it once had been.

His life and death now rested entirely in the crown prince’s hands.

Seeing his hesitation, Maxwell let out a cold laugh.

“Cut the knot or get strangled by it! We can’t afford to hesitate. Charles and Zara haven’t arrived yet, but once they do, we won’t even have the chance to run. Think whatever you want—I’m leaving on my own.”

With that, Maxwell walked away.

He quickly gathered his closest followers and laid out his escape plan.

Though they were terrified, none of them dared refuse. If they did, Maxwell would simply abandon them here.

So, Maxwell took his men and fled.

Aldany didn’t try to stop him. He didn’t give any orders either.

In truth, he had fallen into a state of panic. He couldn’t decide whether to run or stay.

If he fled, the crown prince would punish him. But if he stayed, he would surely die here.

He knew all too well—General Sost, Zara, and Charles hated him to the bone.

If he fell into their hands, his end would be miserable.

At last, he made up his mind.

Without even bringing his trusted followers, Aldany fled alone.

By the time Charles and Zara arrived, the Stellar Empire’s vanguard could no longer hold.

The soldiers left behind began looking for Maxwell and Aldany, but of course, they found nothing. Both commanders had already escaped.

With their leaders gone, the vanguard’s morale collapsed instantly.

The Serpents all surrendered, while the members of the Ancient Academy were slaughtered to the last.

The surrendered Serpents were sent to the rear to do hard labor.

Having crushed the Stellar Empire’s vanguard, Sost, Zara, and Charles were all overjoyed.

They celebrated together.

“This victory not only removes the greatest threat facing Withered Tree Fortress,” Charles said with a smile, “but also buys us much more time to strengthen our defenses.”

Zara nodded. Having learned from Charles’s guidance, she understood quickly.

Sost hesitated for a moment, then also realized the truth. He smiled.

“After suffering such a crushing defeat, the Stellar Empire will be thrown into chaos. They won’t dare launch another reckless attack. We might even gain ten more days to prepare.”

General Sost’s judgment was indeed a little too optimistic.

But Charles and Zara said nothing more.

After all, at this moment, they did have reasons to be hopeful.

At the entrance of Gold Fortress, a ragged royal guard came galloping in on horseback.

The sight shocked everyone.

The guard looked like he had just returned from a crushing defeat.

“Could it be that our attack failed?”

“Of course it failed! Look at the state the royal guard is in—how could the attack have succeeded? And didn’t you see the heavy look on his face?”

“I didn’t notice. Besides, he’s wearing a mask! How could you see his expression?”

“Don’t listen to him. Maybe it was actually a victory, and he’s just in a hurry to bring the good news to His Highness the crown prince.”

“If it was a victory, then why does he look so battered?”

“Because the enemy must have been very strong.”

The common people argued noisily among themselves.

But of course, there was no way they could come to a real conclusion. And even if they did, it wouldn’t change anything.

At the very top of the tallest tower deep within Gold Fortress, the crown prince sat coldly reading a letter in his hand.

Everyone around him kept their heads lowered, their faces grim.

When he finished reading, the crown prince’s hands trembled slightly.

Then he roared in fury:

“Useless trash! Not only did they fail to complete the mission, they also suffered enormous losses! I will see them punished severely! No matter who they are, no matter which faction they belong to, they will pay a heavy price!”

The crown prince’s anger had reached its peak.

The letter clearly described the conflict between Maxwell, Aldany, and Connell.

And during the later stages of the battle, both Maxwell and Aldany performed disgracefully—choosing to abandon their posts and flee.

That betrayal only fueled the crown prince’s rage even more.