---- Chapter 3362 Only Atticus and a few of the Cavendish royal family''s senior elders exchanged subtle nces. In terms of sheer nerve and presence alone, Andrew clearly outssed the younger two generations of the Cavendish royal family. Even setting martial strength aside, just his boldness and ruthlessness were beyond Cormac, the one the Cavendish family had ced their highest hopes on. Andrew released Jakob and let him stumble back to his seat.


    Without even sparing the man a nce at his thoroughly humiliated expression, Andrew swept his gaze around the room and spoke in a low, firm voice. "Right now, Holtrien is up against all three of the Western Empires at the same time. And that''s not all, we''ve also got the Dark Trinity to deal with. Any one of those threats alone could be fatal to us." After everyone in the room gave a nod of agreement, Andrew pressed on, "It''s pretty clear that Holtrien is outmatched, both in numbers and overall strength.


    So if we want any shot at keeping the enemy from crossing our borders, there''s only one way to do it" No one spoke, but every single person in the room, including Jakob, straightened up and locked in, waiting for what Andrew ---- was about to say next Andrew exined calmly, "It''s simple: we strike first. Instead of handing the initiative over to the enemy, we take it for ourselves. The moment we do that, we flip from being reactive to being in control, and the odds start tipping in our favor." Everyone in the room frowned at the idea.


    Jakob, still seething from earlier, let out a coldugh. "I get what you''re saying; you want us to go on the offensive. But have you actually thought this through? We''d be doing well just to hold our ground as it is. With a gap this wide in strength, what kind of shot do we realistically have at attacking?" Andrew nced at him and said calmly, "Opportunities don''t just show up; you build them." Jakob scoffed again. "Then exin how you build one. An offensive push doesn''t match where our strength actually is right now.


    This has never been done, not in ancient times, not now, not ever." Andrew''s voice went cold. "Who told you it''s never been done? Valerius Lloyd, the founding ancestor of the Lloyd family, did exactly this. He led Holtrien''s Eight Ancient Sects and its warriors straight into the Western Continent, and he made sure the final battle was fought on their soil, not ours. ---- "Because of that, Holtrien was kept whole and spared from the devastation of war. Through his sacrifice, he forced the Vampire Queen herself into a deep slumber.


    Does anyone here dispute that?" The room fellpletely silent. Jakob had been ready to push back, but the facts were not on his side, and he knew it. After all, Valerius had been one of Holtrien''s greatest champions. He had led the warriors of Holtrien and the masters of the ancient sects all the way into the Western Continent, nearly wiping out the vampires, werewolves, and sirens of the Dark Trinity entirely. Moreover, an existence as ancient and powerful as the Vampire Queen had been forced into slumber because of him. Every major faction in Holtrien knew that history well.


    The totemic power of the ancestor that Andrew now carried had been obtained in the Ounds, and it was all part of Valerius'' legacy. Asher asked respectfully, "Mr. Lloyd, if we''re going on the offensive, what exactly would that look like? Are you talking about a direct, head-on confrontation with the three empires?" Andrew shook his head with a slight smile. "Definitely not. The ----bined military strength and top-tier fighters of the three empires are in apletely different league from what the Cavendish royal family can field right now. So we do this in two steps.


    "First, we pull some additional forces from Azure Gate and send them north to reinforce Cliffside Gate. Second, the Cavendish royal family puts together an elite strike team and hits the joint military camp of the three empires in a surprise raid. Even if it only works once, the chances of holding Cliffside Gate go up dramatically." Asher and the others went quiet for a moment, thinking it over, and then slowly began to nod Atticus asked seriously, "Mr.


    Lloyd, when would be the right time tounch that strike against the allied forces of the three empires outside the gates?" Andrew answered, "The sooner the better, ideally within the next 24 hours. Right now, the allied forces have onlyunched one offensive. Both sides haven''t really dug in yet, and things haven''t tured into a full-blown, no-holds-barred war. "However, Azure Gate is a different story. Philip and his men are already deep in a bloody fight with the dark races. By the time things get to that point here, it''ll be toote, and the enemy will be on guard around the clock.


    ---- "Right now, the northeast front is still in a watch-and-wait standoff. This is the Cavendish royal family''s best window, the perfect strategic moment to strike hard, build real momentum, and break the enemy''s formation. Once this drags into a drawn- out war of attrition, we won''t have the luxury to pull elite forces for a raid or take any kind of risk."