"The casualties were too heavy!"
Following instructions from the remote command of the rear staff, Lancelot led the fleet away from the vanguard fortress under attack and retreated to a safe area in the rear.
At this time, the specific casualties on the front lines were also tallied. In addition to the loss of 40,000 Void warships, many of the coalition's other fixed strongholds were also destroyed, and the battle situation began to develop in a direction unfavorable to the Alpha Universe Cluster from the very beginning.
On a certain Void celestial body that had been transformed into a war fortress, the retreating Void fleet was resting. The crushing defeat had demoralized most of the soldiers, and the atmosphere was gloomy. Everyone's face was extremely somber, and the leaders of various armed organizations were mourning as they counted the casualties of their subordinates.
Those who were killed or captured, the True God's subordinates, looked even more sorrowful.
Armed organizations are generally built around a core leader. Once that core True God disappears, the armed organization will not last long and will eventually fall apart.
Because within the organization, no one can compare to the prestige of the True God.
Baccarat approached Lancelot and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Fortunately, Holy Light, your combat strength is formidable. You slew the attacking True God, and our fleet suffered very few losses. Only 142 Void Warships Destruction. Among the high-level combatants above Demigod, the losses were negligible. The situation is quite good."
The resources and subsidies provided by the Alpha Civilization cannot conjure up living, breathing Transcendent powerhouses out of thin air, especially high-level combatants above the Demigod level, who are not so easy to recruit.
On the contrary, with the Alpha Civilization's productivity and network, they could easily produce tens of thousands of Void warships, let alone a mere hundred or so.
Although the allied forces suffered a crushing defeat overall, Lancelot and Baccarat achieved brilliant victories in the local theaters of war they were in charge of.
Unless the Alpha Civilization is foolish, they will definitely reward them with a large amount of resources and promote it extensively to boost morale.
Yinte, the leader of the Sand Sea Mad Wings, stepped forward, looking shaken. He said, "I didn't expect so many True God to fail to return from the first battle. We Sand Sea Mad Wings didn't send many troops this time, so we were lucky. But luck won't always be on our side. If we can't turn the tide of the battle, even if I don't say anything, my men will be very dissatisfied and force me to withdraw."
Upon hearing this, Lancelot glanced at Yinte and chuckled inwardly. How could a True God be unable to control his subordinates?
It's likely that Yinte himself wanted to withdraw his troops, but was too embarrassed to say so, so he shifted the blame onto his subordinates.
However, this also reveals that after this crushing defeat, the major armed groups are genuinely shaken and their mentality has indeed begun to crumble.
"It's indeed somewhat unexpected. I didn't expect the Eight Gods' Realm to be even stronger than anticipated," Baccarat added, equally astonished by the intensity of the war.
The Eight Gods' Realm went too far, and why did they choose to capture high-level combatants alive instead of killing them all, given the greater difficulty involved?
This is a problem that not only Baccarat, but also Lancelot and Yinte have considered.
The three exchanged a glance, a look of doubt flashing in their eyes.
Just then, Lancelot suddenly received a communication invitation from the rear staff. After answering, the figure of Chief of Staff Alpha appeared on the projection screen, his voice hoarse and deep as he said, "Your Excellency Holy Light, I am very grateful that you were able to kill two True God of the Eight Gods' Realm this time. Otherwise, I really can't imagine how the situation would have collapsed."
Upon receiving news of the defeat at the front, the Chief of Staff was extremely anxious, like an ant on a hot pan. Amidst all the reports of defeats, only the news of victory from Lancelot's side was a source of encouragement, which is why he sent a message to ease his mind.
"Is the situation bad?" Lancelot raised an eyebrow and asked softly.
Upon hearing this, the chief of staff gave a wry smile, briefly described the battlefield situation, and said worriedly, "Although you have won, you cannot control the course of the battle alone. The next phase will likely be very difficult."
Upon hearing this, Lancelot's eyes flickered slightly. Couldn't influence the course of the battle? That might not be the case.
But Lancelot didn't say much at this moment. He was used to throwing punches and wasn't good at talking. As for revealing his strength in advance to stabilize morale?
He didn't intend to do that.
The benefits are minimal, and you lose a good opportunity to scheme against others, while also increasing your own risk—it's not worth it.
What do he care about the losses of other armed groups?
Everyone is gathered here for the benefits offered by the Alpha Civilization; their relationship isn't exactly close.
In a sense, all the major armed groups are competitors. The mercenary market in the Alpha Universe Cluster is only so big, so it's not bad if one less group takes its share.
Of course, if we can win over the major armed groups, we don't necessarily have to send them to their deaths; it's just that we haven't found an opportunity to do them a favor yet.
"Where will those captured True God be sent?" Lancelot wondered to himself, his eyes flashing as an idea surfaced in his mind.
The chief of staff continued, "According to the staff's speculation, the purpose of the Eight Gods' Realm's first wave of such a large-scale attack was to crush our confidence in one fell swoop. They were trying to establish their authority and force the allied forces to make concessions."
"That makes sense." Upon hearing this, Yinte and Baccarat nodded in realization, thinking to themselves that as expected of strategists, their minds were indeed sharp, and they had guessed the strategic intentions of the Eight Gods' Realm.
"They've exploited the Allied Forces' weakness: their morale is low. Once their high-ranking members are killed or captured, the lower-ranking soldiers will scatter, making the remaining high-ranking members hesitant to act rashly. This turns the Allied Forces into a complete disorganized mess, easy prey!"
The chief of staff gritted his teeth and said, almost cursing the Eight Gods' Realm as despicable and shameless.
Lancelot nodded slightly, basically agreeing with the Eight Gods' Realm's conjecture.
"Logo, what do you think?" he asked in his mind.
Logo's indifferent voice followed, "My thoughts are largely the same, but there's one more point to add: the armed organizations that form the coalition don't actually care who ultimately rules the Alpha Universe Cluster. In fact, if the Crimson Moon Universe Cluster can make concessions on relevant interests, there's even a chance they could win over quite a few armed organizations."
"However, the Eight Gods' Realm seems to hold a high position within the Crimson Moon Civilization, which is why the latter has been hesitant to act. Otherwise, it's questionable whether the allied forces could even be formed."
"So what should we do?"
"Lancelot asked."
"We can gradually reveal our strength. The Golden Divine Kingdom is impregnable, allowing us to advance or retreat freely. As long as we don't have all our internal connections severed in the short term, we are virtually invincible," Logo said coldly. "The more dangerous the situation, the more your value will be demonstrated. Don't rush, take it slow."
"Yes, I understand." Lancelot nodded, then narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Do you know where those captured True God will be sent?"
"I don't know. What? You want to rescue them?"
"If we can rescue them along the way, that would be best. My real purpose is to find out the Eight Gods' Realm's intentions in capturing people. So I plan to leave Quantum Mark on some True God True God to find out where they were sent after being captured, and which faction those True God who helped the Eight Gods' Realm belonged to."
"Okay, what do you need me to do?"
"A communication-type Rune Array, capable of breaking through restrictions and constraints, preferably possessing the Freedom Trait of the Nirvana Tower."
"I understand. Just wait, I'll get it to you within three days."