Chapter 480

“What’s going on?” The Beast King frowned.

Now our beast tribe forces have complete superiority—how could there be an urgent military report?

Moreover, this messenger came from the north—I recall only a few underlings were stationed there for reconnaissance, no other beast tribe troops.

“L-Lord Beast King, urgent military report from the north!” The subordinate, granted permission, trembled as he hurried forward, then fell to his knees and handed up a leather scroll.

Urgent military report from the north?

The Beast King first furrowed his brow, but the next instant seemed to realize something—his expression changed drastically as he snatched the scroll from the messenger.

Confirming the leather seal was intact, the Beast King tore it open swiftly.

As he read the contents carefully, his face grew darker with each line.

“Roar! Damn it, how could this happen?!” Upon finishing the scroll, the Beast King was beyond rage—he roared aloud, as if ready to devour someone on the spot.

The surrounding leaders were stunned by this sudden outburst, unsure why the Beast King had become so furious.

“Where are they? Where are those damned humans now?”

“Lord Beast King, those humans have reached ten li away—monitored by a portion of our beast army and Commander Moral from the rear!” The messenger replied, trembling.

“Fools! All of you are fools! How could a mere thousand humans breach the Royal Tent Palace? They’re worse than pigs!” The Beast King raged.

“What? The Royal Tent Palace was breached? This… this…”

At this moment, the beast leaders who had been confused earlier finally widened their eyes—they now understood why the Beast King was so furious.

The Royal Tent Palace had been breached.

That was where Princess Sukama resided!

But where had these humans come from?

And how had they done it?

“You all stay here—I must go north immediately,” the Beast King said without further delay, issuing his order in a fury before descending the dais toward the north.

“Lord Beast King, what of the battlefield here?” Several leaders ordered to remain hurriedly asked.

The Beast King’s mood was terrible after this news.

If another mishap occurred here, they feared becoming his scapegoats—they had to ask first, to confirm their next steps.

The Beast King paused, glanced at the lopsided battlefield, and gritted his teeth: “Under no circumstances let a single one escape. Everything else waits for my return!”

Though unwilling, the Beast King knew these humans might become his most crucial leverage to recover Princess Sukama and his newborn prince.

…

“Commander, our light cavalry has lost over half its numbers—if we continue, we’ll lose all chance of breakout!”

“Gentlemen, if this is the case, then begin the final noble breakout! Take your heirs with you immediately!”

“Yes, Commander!” The noble lords, though reluctant, knew there was no better option.

This noble breakout was the last resort for nobles when battle reached its final moment.

It meant abandoning all soldiers to flee alone.

Though soldiers could be sacrificed as cannon fodder, at this point they became a hindrance.

In contrast, the noble lords themselves were all titled knights—when gathered, they could unleash devastating damage in a short time, greatly increasing their breakout odds.

Of course, this tactic was only viable at the last moment; while breakout chances rose, so did the danger and casualties.

The beasts were no fools—seeing the nobles break out, their leaders would join the fight.

“Adams, are you ready? Come with me now!” Marquis Austin hurried back to his formation and ordered Adams.

Adams froze, then turned pale. “Father, has the Commander decided? But the soldiers are still fighting…”

Clearly, Adams understood the implication of his father’s words.

“Adams, our entire army is now completely surrounded by the beast tribe—so even if we don’t choose this, the soldiers cannot retreat!”

“But with the noble breakout, there’s still a sliver of escape. As long as we live, there’s still hope to turn things around—we’ll have a chance to avenge the soldiers later!” Marquis Austin understood that growth required a process.

Adams was facing this for the first time—it was a crushing blow to him, just as it had been for him once.

Moreover, he didn’t say it outright: even the noble breakout wouldn’t guarantee escape.

The best outcome might be that the old guard fought to the death to carve open a path, allowing the younger heirs to flee safely.

So Marquis Austin confirmed again: “Adams, have you taken the seal and the scroll?”

Adams clenched his teeth, didn’t answer immediately, but gazed with reluctance at the soldiers still fighting.

For him, this was an agonizing choice.

“If Gervas were still alive, what would he choose? Would he support me running away like a coward?”

“Report! Marquis, the Commander urgently summons you—he’s halting the noble breakout!”

Before Adams could answer, a frantic shout arrived.

Marquis Austin froze, staring at the returning guard knight. “Are you certain?”

Had this not been his own guard knight, he might have suspected a beast tribe spy.

“Marquis, the order came directly from the Commander himself!”

Marquis Austin fell silent for a moment. “Adams, you heard that—the noble breakout is halted. Still, come with me now.”

“Yes, Father.” Adams glanced at his father and the knight—this time, he didn’t refuse.

His father’s expression had clearly not been feigned.

So he was curious—what had happened? Why had the noble breakout been suddenly halted?

Soon, father and son hurried to the Commander’s position.

Meanwhile, other noble lords had also received the news and arrived.

Upon arrival, they immediately demanded an explanation from the Commander.

“Gentlemen, look over there—just now, the Beast King left that dais!” The Commander didn’t delay, pointing to a wooden platform behind the beast army.

That platform had been built specifically for the Beast King to observe and command.

So the moment the Beast King left, the Commander noticed.

In battle, a commander vanishing suddenly was highly unusual.

“Huh? The Beast King really left—where did he go?”

“Yes! We’re in the middle of battle, and the Beast King just vanished—could something unexpected have happened?”

The noble lords turned to the dais and confirmed: only beast leaders remained—the Beast King was gone!

“Commander, could this be the Beast King’s trick—to lull us into complacency? Then we should proceed with the noble breakout!”

Though many noble lords were merely startled by the Beast King’s disappearance,

a few cautious ones suspected it was a deliberate ruse.

The Commander wouldn’t be so careless—he immediately pointed to another anomaly.

“Gentlemen, if it were only the Beast King’s departure, I wouldn’t have halted you—but look at the wolf riders—they’ve also stopped fighting!”