Novel Full Chapter 628: A Tense Standoff
Chapter 628: Chapter 628: A Tense Standoff
Connell immediately took advantage of the chaos within the Serpent army to set his plan into motion.
He didn’t even bother to consult Charles beforehand.
In his mind, if he delivered the intelligence about the internal strife within the Serpent Empire by himself, the credit he would receive would be far greater than if he shared the achievement with Charles.
“I really am grateful for your help, but to ensure my family will be pardoned by His Highness the Crown Prince, I have no choice but to claim this merit as mine alone.”
Connell did feel a pang of guilt.
But ultimately, his greed outweighed whatever remorse lingered in his heart.
Despite his swift action, he was unable to find an opportunity to slip away from the Serpent army undetected.
General Sost had already issued strict orders: all Serpent units were to remain stationed around Withered Tree Fortress. Every squad leader was personally responsible for ensuring none of their members mysteriously vanished.
Under such orders, all squad leaders began immediately taking roll.
Charles’s sudden absence was noticed right away.
Connell was summoned by the Serpent squad captain and harshly interrogated.
“Where’s your partner?! Why did he suddenly disappear?!”
Faced with the captain’s angry questioning, Connell was forced to make up an excuse on the spot.
“Maybe he got lost? You know as well as I do, General Sost’s orders came out of nowhere. We were all fully prepared to head to the front lines.
In that kind of chaos, every Serpent squad was thrown into disorder. It’s entirely possible he just lost his way in the middle of this massive camp.”
Connell’s excuse wasn’t particularly clever, but it was just plausible enough to work.
The Serpent squad captain furrowed his brow, thinking it over for a moment.
“Maybe you’re right. I’m ordering you to go find him immediately. And this stays between us—if word of this gets out, our whole squad will be punished.”
The squad captain had plenty of his own concerns.
He had no intention of letting his unit suffer because of one missing soldier.
So he decided to turn a blind eye—at least for now—and gave Connell a chance to retrieve Charles quietly.
Connell nodded heavily.
“Understood! I’ll find him and bring him back as soon as possible!”
With those words, he quickly left.
As he walked away, a subtle smirk slowly crept across his face.
This was it—his opportunity to escape the Serpent army for good. He had no intention of finding Charles.
He had already made up his mind.
He would use this chance to flee straight back to the Stellar Empire.
Everything happening on Connell’s end was merely a minor sideshow.
Aside from the captain of his Serpent squad, no one else paid any attention to it.
At this moment, General Sost stood atop the highest point of Withered Tree Fortress, his expression solemn as he gazed into the distance.
On the horizon, a Serpent unit was steadily approaching the fortress.
This was the force led by Aldany.
“General, are you really going to negotiate with him?” Azka asked quietly, standing to the general’s left.
“Of course I am. Do you expect me to fight him outright? If a battle breaks out—regardless of who wins—the Serpent Empire loses,” General Sost said in a deep voice.
Azka clenched his fists tightly, burning with anger.
But he had to admit—Sost was right.
The force Aldany brought with him was composed entirely of elite Serpent soldiers.
Though General Sost commanded greater numbers, that alone wouldn’t guarantee victory in a head-on battle.
Which meant that any clash between them would almost certainly end in mutual destruction.
And for the current state of the Serpent Empire, that was simply unacceptable.
“There’s no need to be so tense,” Sost said suddenly, a smile creeping onto his face. “Maybe I can still convince Aldany to abandon his ambitions.”
Azka was stunned the moment he heard this, almost thinking he had misheard.
“You must be joking. He’s already committed to rebellion—what could possibly convince him to give up now?”
“He can’t be entirely confident of victory if we go to war. And don’t forget—Charles stands on the opposite side. I don’t know why Charles failed to stop Aldany from taking control of Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis, but his very presence still puts immense pressure on Aldany.”
General Sost had already made up his mind—he would use Charles as leverage against Aldany.
When Azka heard Charles’s name, he immediately nodded in agreement.
“You’re right—there’s no way Charles would ever side with Aldany. Maybe his absence from Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis was what gave Aldany the courage to make his move.”
Azka held Charles in the highest regard. He had been thoroughly awed by Charles’s strength.
“Exactly. That’s why I’m telling you—don’t put too much pressure on yourself. No matter what happens, we need to talk with Aldany,” Sost said calmly.
With those words, he rose to his feet and departed.
He was ready to lead his trusted followers to the entrance of Withered Tree Fortress, where he would await Aldany’s arrival.
Naturally, Azka followed closely behind him.
Half an hour later, Aldany finally arrived at the entrance of Withered Tree Fortress.
“General Sost, you are far too courteous. I didn’t expect you to greet me at the gate. Truly, you could have waited for me inside the fortress,” Aldany said with a smile.
But among those surrounding General Sost, there was not a single friendly face toward the man who had already declared rebellion.
Only General Sost returned the gesture with a faint, composed smile as he nodded.
“You are the High Priest of the Empire, after all. And now that Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis is under your control, it’s only fitting that I welcome you personally at the gate—to properly show you the respect you deserve.”
Though his tone was polite, every word from Sost was laced with biting sarcasm.
Aldany, however, didn’t seem to pick up on the mockery.
He nodded and got straight to the point.
“So, General, what’s your decision? Do you intend to oppose me, or have you already accepted that I am the new master of the Serpent Empire?”
The moment those words left his mouth, the air around them turned dangerously tense.
The soldiers behind General Sost tightened their grip on their weapons.
They were fully prepared to fight.
If not for General Sost’s presence, they likely would have already launched an attack against Aldany and his entourage.
Because with those words, Aldany had openly and utterly declared his betrayal.
The smile on General Sost’s face disappeared.
He locked eyes with Aldany and said coldly, “Her Majesty the Queen is the rightful ruler of the Serpent Empire. When exactly did you become its new master? Do you really think controlling Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis is enough to force me to submit to you?”
“Of course I’m not that naïve.”
A sinister grin twisted across Aldany’s face.
“You wouldn’t yield so easily, that I know. But I also know you don’t want to see the Serpent Empire utterly destroyed by the Stellar Empire. Which means you won’t dare start a war with me.
To you, submitting to me is the only way to ensure the Serpent Empire doesn’t fall. If you refuse, then a brutal conflict between us is inevitable.
And when that happens, both sides will suffer massive losses. The Serpent Empire’s elite forces will be obliterated. And after that, it won’t be able to withstand a single blow from the Stellar Empire.”
Aldany laid out his threat plainly, with no effort to disguise it.
The tension grew even thicker in the air, like the calm before a storm.
Behind Sost, some of the Serpent soldiers began cursing Aldany outright.
Aldany, naturally, paid no attention to their fury.
His gaze remained fixed on General Sost, waiting—pressuring—for an answer.
“Do you really believe the people you brought with you are that powerful? Aren’t you afraid I might just order my army to wipe every last one of you out right here and now?”
General Sost returned Aldany’s threat with one of his own.
He had no intention of appearing weaker in this standoff.
If he allowed himself to be outmatched in momentum or presence, he would undoubtedly lose the upper hand in this negotiation.
Aldany let out a cold snort.
“If that’s what you wish to do, then by all means—go ahead! But I must remind you, Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis is still under the control of my most trusted subordinates.
Even if you manage to kill me, they will destroy the Oasis entirely. When that happens, you won’t have the resources necessary to continue the war against the Stellar Empire.”
At this point, both sides had laid their cards on the table.
Each man now understood the other’s bottom line. The rest of this “negotiation” was just a show—an exchange of bluff and pressure, hoping to force the other into a fatal misjudgment.
But it was clear neither had succeeded.
Neither Aldany nor General Sost was willing to back down.
Their silence only made the atmosphere more suffocating.
A faint but unmistakable line of confrontation had formed between the two groups and those behind them.
In this tense standoff, every single person was prepared for battle.
The current situation was like a pile of dry tinder, waiting for the smallest spark to ignite a blaze—one that could burn the entire Serpent Empire to ashes.
Watching from a distance, Charles was beginning to grow impatient.
The negotiations between Aldany and General Sost were dragging on with no resolution. If General Sost ultimately chose to submit, Charles’s plan would fail entirely.
So, he made up his mind—it was time to act.
He needed to push General Sost into a direct confrontation with Aldany.
Only through conflict would Aldany be forced to activate the spies he had planted around Sost.
And only after that would Charles be able to flush out every last traitor—and eliminate them once and for all.