Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints - Chapter 685 685: Changing Strategies
Anke stumbled as he climbed to his feet.
Even though he had just been mocked by Harbor, there was no trace of anger on his face.
He simply said calmly, “You’re right. I definitely overestimated my own strength. I can’t defeat Charles on my own. I owe you an apology.”
His words surprised Harbor.
The shock flashed across Harbor’s normally calm face before disappearing quickly.
“You don’t need to apologize,” Harbor replied. “As long as you cooperate with me to take down Charles, whatever happened before doesn’t matter.”
Harbor stopped mocking him, since Anke’s current attitude was already impressive enough.
“So, what should we do next?” Anke asked, his voice lacking confidence. “Everettdean gave me several mystical beasts, but I’ve already lost two. I only have three left. And these three might not even be able to counter Charles’s mystical beasts.”
Harbor was surprised.
He hadn’t expected Anke to lose two mystical beasts in the first round against Charles.
What’s worse, the two that were lost had been specially chosen by Everettdean.
This made Harbor reassess Charles’s strength, raising his opinion of him.
“That’s definitely bad news,” Harbor said quietly, then fell into a thoughtful silence.
The two of them sat in silence in the desert for a few minutes.
Finally, Harbor spoke again.
“Even though you lost two mystical beasts, the ones you have left can still be a big help in the upcoming battle. So let’s stick to the plan I made. We can’t stay here any longer. Charles could trace us through the information you’ve left behind.”
Without saying anything more, they both left.
Not long after they left, a shadow suddenly appeared where they had just been.
Then Charles and Mousie stepped out of the shadow.
“They were just here not long ago. We’re on the right track; we just moved too slowly,” Charles said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
He had hoped to catch up with Anke quickly.
Though he had won the fight, Charles knew Anke’s strength wasn’t to be underestimated.
He desperately wanted to eliminate Anke before the final battle started.
Mousie continued searching the area for any traces left by Anke.
Charles looked up, his gaze fixed on the depths of the desert.
“Forget it! We won’t catch up now. Let’s head back. My Serpent allies must be in a panic right now. I need to calm them down.”
Although Charles and Anke’s battle had taken place underground, both of them had unleashed their powerful abilities during the initial clash. This likely caused a disturbance in the upper part of Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis as well.
The Serpents, already on edge due to the upcoming final battle, were bound to become even more frantic. Charles had to calm them down before the decisive battle began.
At the very least, he had to make sure they didn’t break down from fear before the battle even started.
At the same time, Charles changed his plans in his mind.
Before Anke arrived, betting all their resources on the final battle had seemed like the best strategy for him and the Serpent Empire. But after Anke’s arrival, the balance of power had shifted.
Even though Charles had eliminated two of Anke’s mystical beasts, Anke himself wasn’t weak, and Charles didn’t believe Anke only had two mystical beasts.
For Charles, this meant he needed to find another chance to weaken his enemies before the final battle.
Even if he couldn’t weaken the Ancient Academy’s forces, he had to weaken the Stellar Empire’s strength. No matter what, he couldn’t allow the enemy to gather their forces freely before the final battle.
With everything clear in his mind, he quickly made his way back to Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis.
As soon as he arrived at the great pyramid in the Oasis, he heard the sounds of an argument coming from inside.
The High Priest Kent and Zara were arguing.
“What’s going on?”
Charles walked into the pyramid and immediately asked.
His presence immediately silenced the argument.
Kent gave Charles a cold glance and snorted.
Zara, her voice trembling with emotion, was the first to speak.
“Our High Priest thinks we should abandon Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis. He believes we can’t win the final battle, so he’s already planning to run.”
As soon as Zara finished speaking, Kent angrily responded.
“Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis is no longer safe! Even before the final battle, the Oasis has already been heavily threatened. When the final battle arrives, there’s no way it will hold.
In this situation, of course we should move to a safer location, at least to relocate Her Majesty the Queen. We can’t put all our hopes in the victory of the final battle.”
While speaking, High Priest Kent kept glancing at Charles out of the corner of his eye.
It was clear that Kent had come up with this idea because of the battle that had just taken place in the underground area.
Charles understood. He calmly looked at Kent and asked,
“Is this idea of yours because of the battle in the underground area? You think I won’t be able to ensure your victory in the final battle, don’t you?”
This time, Kent didn’t avoid the question.
He turned to face Charles directly, his tone firm as he gave his answer.
“You’re right! I don’t think you can guarantee our victory in the final battle.”
After answering Charles, Kent turned his gaze to General Sost, who had remained silent the entire time.
“Whether it’s bringing the Sandworms to Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis, or fighting unknown enemies in the underground area, causing disturbances in the surface area… Every action you take just makes Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis’s situation worse. How can I still trust you, Charles?”
General Sost remained silent, neither supporting nor opposing the words spoken.
Charles’s tone remained calm as he asked,
“If we follow your plan, where do you intend to lead the Serpents? The entire Atacama Desert is already unsafe. If we abandon Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis, are you planning to fight the Stellar Empire in the desert?
Isn’t that a suicide mission? Even with Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis, we might not win the final battle. Without it, we’re sure to be crushed.
Even if you don’t believe in me, you surely wouldn’t suggest such a suicidal plan, would you?”
Kent fell silent, unsure how to respond to Charles’s question.
He knew his plan was risky.
But deep down, he still believed his plan had a better chance of success than Charles’s.
He thought that abandoning Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis might be the only way to give the Serpent race a chance to survive.
By leaving the Oasis, a portion of the Serpents could hide after the final battle, even if they failed. These Serpents could, in some way, carry on the legacy of the Serpent Empire.
Charles suddenly sneered at Kent’s silence.
The sound of his sneer caught everyone’s attention, drawing their eyes to him.
“I know what you’re really thinking.”
Charles slowly walked toward High Priest Kent. He stopped just two steps away, coldly staring at him as he spoke.
“You must be hoping that by abandoning Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis, you can give some of the Serpents a chance to survive. But I have to tell you, that idea is completely unrealistic.
The crown prince of the Stellar Empire is a man who never forgets a grudge. If you surrender when facing his attack, maybe he’ll give you a chance to live.
But don’t forget, the Serpent Empire has defeated the crown prince several times before. Do you think he’ll forget that humiliation? He’ll never forget it!
Once he achieves victory, he’ll send his men out to hunt down every Serpent who’s gone into hiding. Only when every last Serpent is wiped out will the crown prince consider the shame of his previous defeats erased.”
Charles’s words made the atmosphere in the great pyramid grow cold.
Both High Priest Kent and General Sost had to admit that what Charles said was true.
The crown prince of the Stellar Empire was indeed the type to hold a grudge.
High Priest Kent took a deep breath.
He still hadn’t given up on his own plan.
“Of course, I’m not saying my original plan doesn’t need to be changed. The battle in the underground area has shown that the enemy’s strength is growing.
So, I think my plan needs to be adjusted. I had originally planned to weaken the enemy before the final battle, but I hesitated due to various concerns.
Now, I believe those concerns are no longer an issue. In order to ensure we have a chance to win the final battle, I’ve decided to strike immediately and weaken the enemy.”
Charles’s words finally triggered a response from General Sost and High Priest Kent.
General Sost stood up and said seriously,
“I’ve always supported this! I’ve wanted to weaken the enemy before the final battle for a long time. I completely agree with your plan!”
After General Sost made his decision, High Priest Kent sighed.
He knew that his own plan had essentially been rejected.
