For a moment, everyone who heard this news was utterly dazed.

What did they mean by Kujo Naruya is dead?

Did the resurrection fail?

Or was he killed again after being resurrected?

At this moment, everyone was more inclined to believe the first scenario—someone must have successfully interrupted the resurrection ritual before Kujo Naruya could be revived.

After all, he was a powerful SSS-Class Professional.

Even if all the experts of Great Xia were combined, they couldn't possibly be a match for Kujo Naruya.

Let alone killing him—who could possibly achieve that?

However, even if it were the first scenario, it would still be extremely difficult.

To think that the surprise force dispatched by Marshal Zhao actually pulled it off.

Wei Liao held the communicator, his hands trembling with excitement.

"What on earth is the situation? Tell me in detail!"

On the other end of the communicator, Tang Qi's voice was accompanied by the sound of rushing wind, sounding somewhat urgent.

"We are currently evacuating along our planned route, so it's not convenient to say much."

"Please rest assured, Chief. We have secured the Pendulum of Life and guarantee to bring it back intact!"

Following that, the communicator disconnected, leaving only a dial tone.

Did they really succeed?

Someone murmured, still unable to believe the report Tang Qi had just delivered.

Just what kind of team did Marshal Zhao dispatch?

Not only did they actually interrupt Kujo Naruya's resurrection ritual...

...but they also snatched the Pendulum of Life right out of Kujo Koji's hands.

Wasn't it said that there were at least four SS-Rank Experts in Tokyo City?

How did they do it?

Besides Lord Gandalf, who else was in that team?

Just as the generals were left utterly baffled by this bombshell news, the communications officer brought another victorious report.

"Report! Enemy forces along multiple defensive lines of the Sakura Country have begun to retreat!"

"They all seem to be moving toward Tokyo City!"

"Our Classer used skills to pry some information from the mouths of those Sakura Country generals."

"It seems... the entire Tokyo City headquarters has been wiped out!"

"The entire Sakura Country military command is in utter chaos!"

For a moment, reports of victory poured in one after another.

It was a massive shot in the arm for everyone present!

It seems we... succeeded?

We won!

The stifling atmosphere in the command room was instantly ignited at this moment.

It was unknown who roared first, but immediately after, cheers like a collapsing mountain and a tsunami echoed throughout the entire headquarters.

Many tough-as-nails men actually embraced and wept, tears streaming down their faces.

...

One day later.

When Tang Qi led his battered squad and appeared at the Nagato Port frontline headquarters...

...all the generals who rushed over upon hearing the news fell into a long silence.

Their eyes were locked dead onto the massive golden pendulum clock behind Tang Qi.

The pendulum emitted an ancient and mysterious aura; the hands on it were completely still, as if freezing time itself.

The Pendulum of Life.

So many had been sacrificed, and even Marshal Zhao had laid down his life for this.

This Heaven-Defyingly powerful Divine Artifact was finally in the hands of the Great Xia people.

Chen Huaishu stepped forward, stretching out his wrinkled hand to gently stroke the cold surface of the pendulum.

Countless emotions flooded his heart.

Even at this very moment, he still found it hard to believe this was real.

At the beginning, although the generals of the Great Xia Military Department all supported declaring war...

...in truth, everyone was pessimistic in their hearts.

After all, the disparity in combat power between the two sides was so vast.

Everyone had prepared to burn their bridges, ready for the entire force to die on Sakura Island.

They never expected that they would actually succeed.

This could only be described as a miracle.

Chen Huaishu withdrew his hand and invited the travel-worn Tang Qi into the command room.

Except for a few Advanced generals, everyone else was asked to leave.

"Now, can you tell us in detail what exactly happened in Tokyo City?"

Tang Qi nodded, making no attempt to hide anything.

He immediately began his report.

"Reporting to all generals: before the sacrificial ritual began, we started mobilizing all Great Xia agents in the Sakura Country according to Lord Ever-changing Star Lord's plan, guiding the evacuation of ordinary citizens. The goal was to reduce the number of sacrificed people, thereby lowering the success rate of resurrecting Kujo Naruya."

"The Early Stage of the operation went very smoothly. Lord Ever-changing Star Lord destroyed the West Gate's city wall for us, but we quickly encountered the Kujo Family's trump card unit, the 'Akagi', as well as the Sakura Country's legendary Sword Saint, the SS-Rank Expert Wada Hirayama."

Hearing this, the expressions of many generals present turned grave.

Wada Hirayama alone was enough to give their frontline force a run for their money.

Tang Qi continued, "Just as we were on the verge of total annihilation, the reinforcements arranged by Lord Ever-changing Star Lord arrived."

"The one leading them was Lord Gandalf."

"In addition, there were five other SS-Rank Experts of unfathomable strength."

"Wait, hold on a second!"

General Ma exclaimed in shock.

"Five SS-Ranks?"

"When did five SS-Ranks pop up in our Great Xia?"

"And where on earth did that Ever-changing Star Lord come from?"

The barrage of questions left Tang Qi utterly bewildered.

"Shouldn't you high-level military officials know the answers to these questions better than me?"

"Why does it seem like every single one of you is hearing about this for the very first time?"

At this point, Wei Liao, the Minister of the Intelligence Department, spoke up.

"The Ever-changing Star Lord Tang Qi spoke of is the person in charge of this operation to seize the Pendulum of Life."

"His identity was classified as top secret by Marshal Zhao."

"The sudden appearance of those five SS-Rank Professionals must definitely be his doing."

"Not only that, the blue-haired girl with twin ponytails who turned the tide at Cloud Port—a suspected SS-Rank Support-type—also seems to be one of his people."

Hearing this, everyone present was inexplicably shocked.

So this was the trump card Marshal Zhao had been keeping hidden all along.

No wonder Marshal Zhao had declared war on the Sakura Country without a second thought.

Five SS-Ranks, plus Gandalf, and that blue-haired girl...

That made a grand total of seven SS-Rank Professionals!

"No, more than that."

Tang Qi's raspy voice echoed in the silent meeting room. He raised his bloodshot eyes and corrected them.

"It should be eight."

"The Ever-changing Star Lord's own strength is also at least above the SS-Rank."

"Hiss—!"

Everyone couldn't help but gasp.

If calculated this way, including Marshal Zhao and Marshal Deng who actively went into battle, Great Xia had deployed a whopping ten SS-Ranks this time!

That was a full ten SS-Ranks!

Previously, all the SS-Rank Experts on the surface in the entire Great Xia Nation combined didn't even amount to half of this number.

"Marshal Zhao... he really kept us in the dark."

General Ma muttered to himself, the expression on his face complex to the extreme.

There was shock, sudden realization, but most of all, endless admiration for the departed Marshal.

Before this, not a single person knew.

That their Great Xia Nation actually had so many hidden SS-Rank Professionals in existence.

No wonder they were able to snatch the Pendulum of Life back from Kujo Koji's hands.

This level of power was enough to sweep through any medium-sized country.