Death... and me

"How come?" Tixa asked.

"Suppose they admit that they lied about the position of the enemy army's right wing. They could simply say that your orders won't change and that you have to deal with them on your own."

Tixa shook her head, refuting Roan's words as she said, "But if we do know, I can plead that my cultivators don't want their lives to be forfeited that easily. At the very least, they would be forced to select another group since it's obviously a mission without return. Don't forget that more than half of the army is filled with people who weren't part of the army to start with. They didn't come here to die but to make War Points."

Roan shrugged his shoulders, saying in response, "Following that train of thought, you will be accused of conspiring against the orders you were given. Because of you, the cultivators won't follow the orders anymore, which would eventually turn out to be the same as if they had died. You will lose all your cultivators." Roan then added, "Well, you can say something like you let it slip out by mistake. Your punishment would probably be smaller that way."

Tixa felt somewhat cornered and even thought why she joined the army in the first place. "Nevertheless, I won't just sit still and let them use me as a scapegoat. As much as I might not care about the lives of my division, I'm not wicked to the point of sending them to suicide either," Tixa told Roan, already preparing to leave.

Roan then mentioned something else, "If you don't go, they will choose some other Dark Element team to do it. What I'm saying is, someone has to do it, whether they like it or not. Otherwise, many, many more will die in the Vilgal Center Army. The headquarters aren't sending people out to die just because they find pleasure in it. They're doing it because that's their best chance at winning the battle and saving a lot more lives than they would without using this method. Of course, that doesn't mean they care about all of us. It's just that achieving victory with the least amount of casualties is the best way to win this war."

Tixa couldn't help but stop in her tracks. "I… then should I just leave it like that?" It was then that Tixa noticed something. "Wait! Since you know all of that, does that mean you won't go?"

Roan shook his head, asking her in response, "Won't go? Why would I not? Hidden attacks are the best way to gain War Points. Since I'm not the commander, it won't matter if the rest die anyway. I won't receive any blame."

Tixa was taken aback to hear that. "Didn't you say that everyone is most likely going to die? That includes you as well."

Roan snorted in response, clarifying, "Hmph! Don't put me at the same level as everyone else. I'm very confident in my abilities to escape that place."

Tixa narrowed her eyes, asking him, "So, does this mean you're simply letting me take all the blame?"

Roan asked something else in response, "And why should I not? We agreed that you would give me 10000 War Points to help you command. However, this is pretty much a lost cause. Since that's the case, I might as well kill as many enemies as I can before I retreat on my own. You're a Transition Realm cultivator, right? You can just fly and bring a few people along with you. At least you won't let everyone die."

Tixa was just about to burst out in a fit of rage when suddenly, she remembered that Roan liked to leave clues in his words to test her intelligence. "You said… 'pretty much' a lost cause, didn't you? Are you telling me there's a way out of this situation without defying the orders?"

Roan faintly smiled when he heard the question. "You almost gave in to your anger, didn't you?"

Tixa's face became slightly red as she averted Roan's eyes. "Shut up and answer my question."

Roan then continued, "Well, I'll give you 7 out of 10 points for noticing it. Anyway, there's indeed a way out. You know which one it is already."

"I know?" Tixa got puzzled.

Roan nodded. "Isn't that obvious? All we have to do is not die after accomplishing the objective."

Tixa's mouth twitched in response. "That's where the problem lies, idiot! How do you intend to escape the enemy army's right wing? You said it yourself. They definitely wouldn't let us off the hook once we try to escape."

"Who said anything about escaping?" Roan said in response. "We won't escape at all. We're going to pierce through their defense and come out inside our own army. That's what we're going to do."

Tixa almost fainted after hearing that. "Are you kidding me? How do you expect to pierce through their army with only our division? It's way too far!"

Roan didn't agree with her. "It seems like you're forgetting one thing here. We have the element of surprise on our side. As long as we use it well, we can make it at least halfway through the enemy's lines before they react to stop us. Besides, we'll have extra help."

"Extra help?" Tixa became confused once again.

Roan didn't say anything else about that, though. "You'll see."

Tixa could only go with that answer and ask something else. "Alright, let's say we make through half of the enemy line. How about the rest?"

Roan shrugged his shoulders in response, replying, "What else is there to do? I'll command everyone so that we force our way through the other half. Fortunately, it seems like the information about the Jesvo Alliance's central army is accurate. That's all I need."

As much as Tixa had her doubts, she didn't have much choice there. "Alright. However, if I see that we're reaching a dead-end, I'll take you and a few more with me through the skies."

Roan looked at Tixa in surprise. "You would save me even though I'm obviously doing it all for myself? I won't lie. I don't really care about what happens to you if this fails."

Tixa nodded, telling him, "At least, you're trying to find a way to escape this shitty situation. Just the fact that you saw through this goddamn merciless strategy is enough for me to not let you die there. I don't care about you, but I can make use of your mind in the future."

Roan nodded after hearing that, saying, "I could flee by myself if necessary, but I guess flying with a Peak Stage Transition Realm cultivator is quite safer. Alright, I accept your offer.. Though, not that I think we will need it anyway."