"Of course we had to fight. It was just..."
Only after the pro-war elders quieted down did one Running Horse Clan elder hesitate, looking as if he wanted to speak but stopped himself.
The entire Great Hall grew even quieter.
Because everyone understood what the elder meant.
And that was—after they won, what then?
Normally speaking, after winning, they should be celebrating victory with joy.
The problem was, even if they won, they would only have defeated the Great Flame Empire's three-hundred-million-strong army.
The Great Flame Empire possessed the terrifying strength to defeat the Sixteen Races' Coalition head-on. With the Running Horse Clan's strength, it was impossible for them to withstand the Great Flame Empire's invasion.
There were still only two choices laid out before the Running Horse Clan.
One was to use this victory to let the Great Flame Empire know the Running Horse Clan's strength, then surrender to the Great Flame Empire and secure better treatment.
The other was to use this victory to contact the Surrounding Races and join forces to resist the Great Flame Empire's invasion and expansion.
The first choice was somewhat humiliating and would make the Various Races laugh at them.
Even looking across the entire Heavenly Spirit Star System, there were very few examples of someone winning a great battle only to turn around and surrender to the other side.
The clansmen would also find it very hard to understand.
But doing so would only damage their pride, while allowing the Running Horse Clan to secure the greatest benefits.
The second choice was extremely difficult because the Sixteen Races' Coalition had suffered a crushing defeat.
After the Sixteen Races' Coalition had been utterly defeated, it was not as if the clan leaders of the surrounding races had not contacted one another.
In fact,