The Seven Encloses Heaven barrier was also a perception-blocking barrier, preventing vision to the 'outside' world. This prevented the soldiers from noticing that a large Xingyuu fleet was at their doorstep! Naturally, the Prime Minister never placed all his hopes in the Featherwind Sect. As Elizabeth correctly deduced, the reliability and trustworthiness of the birds were under suspect. How could he permit the birds taking charge of such an important military operation? That would be beyond idiotic. Of course, if Ludin and Crus could take down the fleet, that would be good as well, but in the likely event that they failed, then he would be ready. A plan covering a plan… That was called strategy!
Looking at the famous flag above the Xingyuu Empire's flagship, Admiral Aura growled the name of her most hateful enemy, "Admiral Kang Bao-Zhi! Curses!"
"Admiral, signal the fleet to retreat," General Dennis shouted. "Forget about those overboard. We need to retreat now!"
The woman scanned the waters and could already count dozens of people shouting for help. They were desperately clinging to wreckage or drifting in the heavy ocean waves. From her estimates, there were probably hundreds more, scattered throughout the battlefield. It would be an extremely time-consuming and stressful operation to rescue everyone, time that the Xingyuu Empire was not about to give. Admiral Aura clicked her tongue and made her choice.
Projecting her voice across the fleet, she coldly ordered, "Retreat! Full retreat, enter formation twelve, and head to point seven! Do not engage! I repeat, do not engage!"
On the other side, Admiral Kang Bao-Zhi had his eyes fixed on Ludin and Crus's figure as they whizzed across the sky. It was unknown what he was thinking. When they left and he heard Admiral Aura's orders, he returned his attention to the battlefield. He then sneered and shouted, "Attack! Today is the day we kill Princess Elizabeth, the heir apparent!" to which his troops roared in excitement.
Riding on that high, they began their brutal assault on the bruised and beaten Alzar fleet. Pulling back their bowstrings, they let loose volley after volley of arrows. The Alzar fleet was already in disarray following Ludin and Crus's surprise attack, and the situation made things worse. There was no time to scream. The closest ships were peppered with arrows, impaling everyone on the deck and killing them instantly. The lucky souls, who were below deck, unfortunately met the same fate when the Xingyuu soldiers boarded and executed them. Sparing no one, from the young to the old, from the sailors to the soldiers, from the women to the men, blood was spilled equally. Several hundred people disappeared like that!
By now, the Alzar fleet began to respond, setting course for their new rendezvous point and abandoning those left behind. Since the Xingyuu fleet was outside of the barrier when it collapsed, they were at the perimeter of the battlefield, while Elizabeth's flagship was at the center. The maximum range of an archer was low, and the open waters made combat worse. Therefore, as long as the Alzar fleet maintained a certain distance from their enemies, then they were theoretically untouchable. That was one of the main reasons behind Admiral Aura's full retreat. The fleet was already on the verge of routing and with the heir apparent present, she had to prioritize Elizabeth's safety above all else!
Meanwhile, after several minutes of recovery, Elizabeth finally recovered her senses and the first thing she noticed was the fleet abandoning those overboard. Heated, she jumped to her feet and stumbled when the blood rushed to her head. Shirley caught her, and urged her to rest, but Elizabeth shook her head. She then shouted, "Admiral Aura, what are you doing? Stop the retreat! We need to help those overboard!"
The woman heard the commotion and frowned. "Your Highness, I can't do that."
"Why not!"
"Because you're here," the admiral replied simply. "They prepared for death when they enlisted, and I won't jeopardize your safety for them."
"That's ridiculous! No one wants to die!" Elizabeth argued.
"Your Highness, please calm down," General Dennis said on the side. "Please consider our position. If we decide to go back, our losses will only grow bigger, not smaller. Can you really ask the soldiers around you to risk their lives?"
"I…"
As she looked around at these tired and scared soldiers, they looked at her with pleading and desperate eyes. In an ideal world, her words sounded magnanimous and infallible. After all, they were all on one side. They were comrade-in-arms! But the reality was different… Going back to that battlefield meant clashing with the enemy. They already suffered so much facing Ludin and Crus's combined attack and barely escaped from that nightmare. Who was to say it would not happen again? Deep down, the soldiers did feel bad, but their minds were focused on surviving. There was no room for reflection! At their current state, forget going back, Admiral Aura believed she would be mutinied first!
Elizabeth lowered her gaze and quieted down. How could she ask them to sacrifice their lives? 'No one wants to die'… They were her own words. Did it not apply to them as well? She realized her attitude was selfish and inconsiderate. This was the cruelty of the world! At a certain point, people turned to numbers and war was the best embodiment of that principle. Sometimes, sacrifices were necessary, and no one could say whether it was right or wrong. It was just… how things were. The girl stared at the drifting figures in the water and felt depressed. They were probably begging for someone to help them, but she had to look away. It was too much for her to bear.
"Elizabeth… are you okay?" Benedict asked worriedly.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"I said I'm fine!" she screamed before apologizing, "…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell like that."
"Let's head inside." Shirley grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "Okay?"
Below deck, in her personal quarters, Elizabeth sat down with her friends around her. Despite the ongoing conflict, her maids and servants remained steady. Their professionalism was something to be admired, albeit a bit worrisome. After serving hot beverages, they quietly exited the room, leaving the four alone. On the surface, everyone was unharmed, but the tremendous physical and mental fatigue was real. Elizabeth and Freon's Core were dangerously low, a few breaths from empty. Benedict and Shirley were better off since they had few chances to show their skills. Nevertheless, the four of them shared the same exhaustion. Ludin's Seven Encloses Heaven barrier combined with Crus's Demon Wind Resurrection technique… It was the first time they saw anything like that before. It was truly a tactical-level attack, capable of changing the battlefield in an instant! If not for Elizabeth's intervention, they would have been slaughtered without a corpse!
None of them were able to relax their nerves, especially with the Xingyuu fleet right behind and the shouting of the soldiers above. It almost felt criminal to be here, being served by maids and away from the battlefield while everyone else was risking their lives. Despite that, Sir Winstin and the other Royal Guards kept watch. They were under strict orders, forbidden from letting the four step one foot out the door. The previous battle was an exception above exceptions. The Featherwind Sect's attack was too fast and gave them no time to properly react. Granted, against Crus's Demon Wind Resurrection, hiding below deck might have been insufficient anyways. From here on out, Sir Winstin absolutely refused to budge, even if Elizabeth ordered it herself!
Drinking the beverages offered some help and eventually, Freon had the mood to ask, "Elizabeth… What happened up there? What did you do? Do you know who attacked us?"
Elizabeth nodded softly and took this opportunity to try and think about other things. "It wasn't the Xingyuu Empire, but the Featherwind Sect."
"What?"
"It's a long story…"
After hearing the lengthy explanation, her friends were speechless with their skepticism apparent. Rank 3 civilization? Giant talking birds called Vogels? Nine Regrets Reincarnation vow? Communication array? What in the goddesses was all this nonsense? They were introduced to the concept of Ranks by Elizabeth in Pelangi Fortress not long ago and it already seemed farfetched. The idea that the world that they knew, the human world, was a tiny insignificant dot in the grander world was absurd! Deep down inside, they held their reservations against the idea, but went along with it to placate Elizabeth. Who would have thought that reality would come knocking on their door so soon? Although they instinctively rejected it, the facts were laid bare before their eyes. Ludin's Seven Encloses Heaven barrier and Crus's Demon Wind Resurrection technique were the greatest proof that things existed beyond their comprehension and the world was far greater than they could ever imagine! This was the true world of Sor!