The Situation Turns Perilous, Defeat Looms (Part 1)

After a long while, Sordil raised his head, which had been hanging down for so long, and quickly walked to Irene's side, whispering a few words in her ear.

"Irene, can you handle this?"

"My great general, rest assured, this queen is not just a pretty vase. Such a small matter is no challenge for me!"

"My Her Majesty the Queen, this is no small matter! If something goes wrong here, the front lines will be in an even more passive position!"

Seeing the anxious General Oddek, Her Majesty the Queen stepped forward without saying a word, gave him a warm hug, and whispered in his ear, "My great general, rest assured, as long as I live, there will be no problem with your rear!"

Looking into Her Majesty the Queen's eyes, which held firmness, confidence, and tenderness, Sordil embraced her slender waist tightly.

"Your Her Majesty the Queen, please rest assured that as long as I live, the enemy on the front lines will never be able to take a single step forward!"

"Hush! General, I don't need your oaths, I just want you to come back alive!"

"I will!"

Just as the two were saying their sweet goodbyes, a certain spoilsport popped out and hung out to dry some pants. (Friendly reminder: This is a parody of the Chinese idiom, "Drying pants under a flowering tree—a real eyesore!")

"Brother Sordil, let's hurry up and leave, otherwise I'm afraid Sage Dragon and the others won't be able to hold on!" (Yelibell)

Left with no other choice, Sordil had to put down his groping hands, turn around and whisper, "Sister Yelibell, go and call Brother Igneel and the others over. I have something to say to them."

"Okay!"

Yelibell responded and then walked straight toward Igneel and the others who were feasting.

A moment later, the members of the special operations teams scattered in all directions gathered together. At this time, Captain Sordil began to convey the latest combat orders to everyone by Mind Talk.

"Gentlemen, we have just received an urgent military report. The Evil Dragon of the Western Continent, aided by an internal traitor, have stormed the Central Camp. Sage Dragon is currently leading his troops in a fierce resistance, but the situation is not optimistic. The Central Camp could fall at any moment, and the frontline defenses could be breached at any time. Therefore, our celebration will likely have to come to an end!"

"What? Those guys from the Western Continent actually stormed the Central Camp? (Igneel)"

"If the Central Camp has fallen, what about the southern and North Camp? (Metalicana)"

"A traitor? How could there be a traitor in the Central Camp? (Yesveta)"

"Everyone, shouldn't our most pressing concern right now be how to salvage the situation?" (Murellia)

"Murellia is right. Our top priority right now is to find a way to remedy the situation. As for other things, we can discuss them after the defenses are strengthened!" (Yesveta)

"You little rascal, have you already come up with a plan?" (Kaldiz)

"Haha! You understand me best, Uncle! (Sordil)"

"Alright, stop joking around and just tell us the method so we can all implement it!" (Grandiere)

Since the cold beauty had given the order, Sordil naturally dared not refuse and immediately explained the method he had come up with.

"Brother Igneel, you five (the five kings) should immediately return to the North Camp and bring your troops stationed there to Norman City in the Principality of Normanchey, where you can redeploy your defenses."

"Okay, we'll get right on it!" (Igneel)

"Diphiya, you, Lindel, Murellia, go back to the South Camp immediately and inform Father and the others to retreat to Asia City in the Principality of Babaronza."

"I understand! Guys, be careful!" (Diphiya)

"Yes! I will! You all need to be careful too!"

After giving instructions to Diphiya, Sordil turned to Kaldiz.

"Uncle, later, you, along with Brother Yesveta, Sister Mevajena, and Sister Yelibell, will come with me to the Central Camp to meet Sage Dragon and the others!"

"Okay, no problem!"

After assigning tasks to each person, Sordil began issuing the retreat order.

"Brother Igneel, the five of you go into the kitchen first. Irene has arranged for someone to escort you out the back door."

"Good!"

"After Brother Igneel and the others leave, I will go into the kitchen and use magic to create illusions of the five of them, making it seem as if they are still in the venue. Once I see the five of them come out of the kitchen, you three, Diphiya, go in immediately, and I will create illusions of the three of you in the same way. After Diphiya and the other two have left safely, Uncle Kaldiz, you and the others should go into the kitchen and prepare to evacuate."

"Understood! (Diphiya, Kaldiz)"

"Oh, right! Uncle Kaldiz, I will first take you to Peterburg City of Principality of Saint Dreo. I will meet up with you after the troops have assembled, so you will have to wait for me there for a while."

"I understand! (Kaldiz)"

"Alright! Let's get started!"

As soon as Sordil gave the order to move out, Igneel five companions sneaked into the kitchen under the pretext of a food-consuming contest and began their plan.

Chigengster Plains, Ishgar Camp

At this time Central Camp was no longer as neat and orderly as it used to be. Most of the camp area had been reduced to a sea of fire, and only a small part in the northwest corner of the camp could still be seen to resemble its former appearance.

Gazing at the Ishgar legion fighting fiercely before their camp, Kelsu felt both admiration and bewilderment. He then summoned his collaborators and inquired about the reason behind their actions. (The collaborators were the entire 7th Company of the Seventh Squadron.)

"Hertz, what's in this tent? Why would they rather be surrounded by us than give up this place?"

"Kelsu, there is Teleportation Array in this tent, which is why they are unwilling to give up this place."

"Teleportation Array? You mean one of those Magic Array that can instantly send a person or object hundreds of miles away?"

"Exactly!"

Upon hearing Hertz's words, Kelsu's eyes lit up instantly.

"Can this Teleportation Array take us directly to Dragunov? (Kelsu)"

"Of course! Prince Sordil and his entourage used this Teleportation Array to travel between the Central Camp and Dragunov in the past! (Hertz)"

"Haha! This is truly heaven's help!"

Seeing Kelsu, Hertz instantly guessed his plan. Although he shouldn't dampen the new leader's enthusiasm, the limitations of the Teleportation Array were there, and it would be discovered sooner or later. Rather than facing his wrath later, it was better to point it out now; the choice was up to the new leader.

"Kelsu, if you intend to seize the Teleportation Array and use it to attack Dragunov, I advise you to give up."

"Huh? Why?"

"Kelsu, you are unaware that only those with Space Magic can operate Teleportation Array. And to use Teleportation Array to transport troops, one must have a top-tier expert who is proficient in Space Magic and possesses profound magical power; otherwise, it is simply impossible!"

"Oh? Is that so! Then..."

"Lord Kelsu, long before the war began, Prince Sordil had already begun selecting and training people proficient in Space Magic. However, even so, he only trained some auxiliary personnel who could barely operate the Teleportation Array. Whenever large amounts of supplies or troops needed to be transported, Prince Sordil still had to do it himself."

"No wonder we never see this mysterious Prince Sordil during battles; it turns out he led his assault team to the supply convoy!"

"That's exactly right!"

Kelsu glanced up at the tents not far away, shook his head regretfully, and then gave the order for a general offensive.

"Listen up, everyone! Eliminate the remaining enemy forces as quickly as possible and seize the forward camp!"

"Yes!"