Chapter 1258:- The most Shameful Moment of His Life
Chapter 1258: Chapter 1258:- The most Shameful Moment of His Life
Meanwhile, at the Emperor Faction’s main camp, Emperor Ren was sitting inside his tent while watching the ongoing battle through a special artifact. Just like the artifact being used by Boris, this artifact allowed Ren to observe different parts of the battlefield from above.
Several high-ranking military officers and trusted advisors were standing around him, constantly receiving reports from the scouts and passing important information to the Emperor.
However, unlike Boris, who was extremely satisfied with how the battle was progressing, Ren’s current expression was extremely ugly. His face looked as if someone had rubbed human shit all over it. He was furious, humiliated, and extremely frustrated at the same time. There were so many different emotions running through his mind that he did not even know how to properly express his anger.
What infuriated Ren the most was the fact that his cousin brother, Aditya, had suddenly appeared on the battlefield and completely changed the situation within just a few minutes. While Ren was sitting inside his camp and personally directing his army, Aditya had entered the battlefield and started slaughtering his soldiers on a massive scale.
And the worst part was that Ren could do absolutely nothing to stop him.
Every time Ren looked at the image being projected by the artifact, he could see another enormous explosion of crimson flames destroying a large group of his soldiers. Sometimes the explosions destroyed hundreds of archers, while other times entire groups of mages and artillery operators were killed before they could even react.
Within just six minutes of his arrival, Aditya had already killed close to one hundred thousand soldiers from the Emperor Faction.
One hundred thousand soldiers!
Ren found it almost impossible to accept this reality. These were not ordinary people who had been gathered from different villages and given weapons. They were trained soldiers who had spent years cultivating to reach their current strength. Many of them were cultivators who had received expensive training, equipment, and resources from the Celestial Dragon Empire.
And yet, Aditya was killing them in such enormous numbers that it almost looked as if their lives meant absolutely nothing.
"How is this even possible? How can a single Beginner Sixth Order cultivator cause this much destruction?" Ren shouted angrily while staring at the projected image of the battlefield.
None of the officers standing around him immediately answered his question. They were just as shocked by what they were witnessing. Although they had already known that Aditya was extremely powerful, none of them had expected him to become this terrifying after reaching the Sixth Order.
Furthermore, the Emperor Faction’s situation was becoming worse with every passing minute. Their backline had suffered enormous damage, and many of their archers, mages, and artillery operators had already been killed. Without these support troops, the soldiers fighting at the front were finding it increasingly difficult to defend themselves against the Anti-Emperor Faction’s attacks.
"Your Majesty, I believe we should issue a retreat order immediately. Our losses are already far beyond what we expected. If we continue fighting like this, we will only lose more soldiers." One of the high-ranking military officers finally stepped forward and spoke.
Hearing those words, Ren immediately turned toward the man with an extremely ugly expression.
"Retreat? Are you seriously suggesting that I order my army to retreat on the very first day of this war?" Ren asked angrily while glaring at the officer.
The officer lowered his head slightly but did not change his opinion. "Your Majesty, I understand how you feel, but continuing this battle will only make our situation worse. We have already lost too many soldiers, and our remaining troops are becoming exhausted. We should retreat for today, allow our soldiers to rest and recover, reorganize our remaining forces, and return to the battlefield tomorrow." The officer replied respectfully.
Several other advisors immediately agreed with his suggestion. They understood that Ren did not want to retreat, especially after suffering such a humiliating defeat against his cousin. However, they also understood that allowing the battle to continue would only result in even greater losses.
"Your Majesty, our backline has suffered too much damage. Many of our artillery weapons have been destroyed, and we have lost a large number of mages and archers. If we continue fighting without their support, our soldiers at the front will be placed at an even greater disadvantage." Another advisor added.
However, Ren refused to listen. "No! We are not retreating! Send reinforcements to the front! I want those soldiers to hold their positions!" Ren shouted while slamming his hand against the table in front of him.
Following his orders, the officers immediately sent instructions to the remaining commanders. However, despite their efforts, the situation on the battlefield continued getting worse.
Aditya was still firing his compressed crimson flame bullets toward the Emperor Faction’s army, and every explosion resulted in a large number of casualties. The remaining support troops were beginning to panic, while several divisions at the front were struggling to maintain their formations.
A few minutes later, another scout hurriedly entered the tent with an updated report. "Your Majesty! According to our latest estimates, the total number of soldiers killed has reached almost one hundred and fifty thousand! Out of those, close to one hundred thousand were killed by Aditya alone after his arrival!" The scout reported while kneeling before the Emperor.
Hearing those numbers, Ren’s expression became even uglier. For several seconds, he remained completely silent. His fists were tightly clenched, and the veins on his forehead had become clearly visible. He desperately wanted to reject the report, but the destruction being shown by the artifact made it impossible for him to deny what was happening.
The difference in casualties between the two factions was simply too large.
According to the latest information, the Anti-Emperor Faction had suffered around thirty to forty thousand casualties. In fact, even when counting both the soldiers who had died and those who had been injured badly enough to be evacuated from the battlefield, their total casualties were still only around forty-five thousand.
This number included thousands of injured soldiers who were currently receiving treatment at the Anti-Emperor Faction’s camp. Many of these soldiers were expected to recover and eventually return to the battlefield.
However, the Emperor Faction’s situation was completely different.
They had already lost close to one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers who had been killed during the battle. And when the number of injured soldiers was added to the number of deaths, their total casualties had already exceeded two hundred thousand.
This meant that almost half of the soldiers the Emperor Faction had brought to the battlefield had either been killed or injured.
And the number was still increasing. "Your Majesty, we cannot continue like this. If we don’t retreat now, we might lose our entire army before the day is over." One of the older military advisors said in a serious tone.
This time, Ren did not immediately shout at him. Instead, he remained silent while staring at the projected image of the battlefield. He could see his soldiers being forced backward, while the Anti-Emperor Faction continued advancing. The enormous explosions of crimson flames were still occurring in the distance, and there was no sign that Aditya intended to stop attacking.
Ren hated what he was about to do. In his entire life, he had rarely experienced such humiliation. As the Emperor of the Celestial Dragon Empire, he had always been accustomed to giving orders and watching others follow them. Yet now, on the very first day of the civil war, he was being forced to retreat because of his own cousin.
The thought alone made him want to destroy everything around him. However, regardless of how angry or humiliated he felt, Ren was still the Emperor. He understood that if he allowed his emotions to completely control his decisions, he might end up losing the entire war on the very first day.
After remaining silent for several more seconds, Ren finally opened his mouth.
"Order... the retreat." Ren said through gritted teeth, with each word sounding as if he was forcing himself to speak against his own will.
The officers standing around him immediately looked toward him.
"Your Majesty, shall we sound the retreat trumpets?" One of the officers asked carefully.
Ren tightly clenched his fists before slowly nodding his head. "Yes. Sound the retreat trumpets. Order every division to withdraw from the battlefield immediately." Ren replied while gritting his teeth so hard that his jaw began hurting.
Giving that order felt like one of the most humiliating moments of his entire life. However, he had no other choice. The losses his army had suffered in this first battle had already exceeded everyone’s imagination, and continuing the fight any longer would only make their situation even worse.
Following the Emperor’s orders, the officers immediately began passing instructions to the soldiers responsible for the military signals. Within a short period, the sound of large war trumpets began echoing from the Emperor Faction’s camp, carrying the order to retreat across the battlefield.
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