"What!? How is that possible!?"


    In his view, over five hundred elite members of the Temple of Twilight had sustained heavy injuries, while the rest had minor wounds.@@novelbin@@


    Twentyy lifeless, their bodies covered in stab or sh wounds.


    However, what truly shocked him wasn''t the number of casualties but the sight of a terrifying monster corpse, about seven meters in size, lying lifeless on the ground.


    Standing on top of the monster''s corpse was Valen, his body covered in bloodstains and several sh wounds.


    Though visibly exhausted, the excitement and triumph in his eyes after ying the monster were impossible to hide.


    "Damn... How can he be this strong?" The Emissary of the First Apostle muttered in horror, taking two steps back.


    The lifeless monster was one he had summoned using a special technique, a feat that cost him two years of his life.


    Yet, the monster he had believed would trouble or even defeat Valen was clearly not strong enough!


    Valen was far too strong, and he had made the fatal mistake of underestimating him.


    "This is really dangerous..." He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists.


    To defeat the Fated One and the two heroes, the reinforcements sent by the Temple of Twilight were not enough.


    From the start, he should have brought more elite members and powerful individuals from the Temple of Twilight to confront them.


    Now, they were at a disadvantage, and if this continued, instead ofpleting the Temple of Twilight''s mission, they might end up buried here.


    "We must retreat!" he thought firmly.


    No matter how important the mission to help Velix maintain power was, their lives had toe first.


    After all, if they died, the mission would fail, resulting in a double loss for the Temple of Twilight.


    However, the decision to retreat wasn''t his to make—ity with the Second Apostle.


    He quickly turned his gaze toward the Second Apostle, who was fighting Leon, and was instantly shocked by what he saw.


    The Second Apostle, who usually dominated every fight, was now in a pitiful state.


    His body was covered in shes and cuts, blood pouring relentlessly.


    Although his body was entirely covered by a ck cloak, his exposed lips and chin appeared ashen.


    Without wasting any time, he touched his left temple and activated their secretmunication method.


    "Second Apostle, do you hear me?"


    ***


    *Boom!*


    A loud explosion echoed, and the Second Apostle was thrown from the rubble, his state embarrassingly disheveled.


    "Ahem! Ahem!" He coughed, clutching his wounded right chest.


    His body shook uncontrobly, and his eyes, visible under his hood, looked weary, as if he might copse at any moment.


    He raised his gaze and saw Leon floating a meter above the ground, the Holy Sword of Zenith gripped firmly in his right hand.


    Leon''s golden eyes shone with intensity, and the golden star mark on his forehead glimmered with a blinding light.


    A powerful pressure radiated from Leon''s body, bearing down on the Second Apostle, causing him intense pain as if his bones were being crushed.


    As his gaze lingered on the golden star, a wry smile tugged at the Second Apostle''s lips, and he whispered, "Hero''s Destiny, huh? It certainly lives up to its reputation."


    Heroes who activated Hero''s Destiny gained a massive surge in power. Anyone who faced them in that state had only one fate—death.


    "Second Apostle, do you hear me? Can we withdraw? Our situation is dire in this fight."


    Just then, a panicked voice echoed in his mind. The Second Apostle immediately recognized it—the Emissary of the First Apostle.


    "No, we can''t retreat. If we do, the Temple of Twilight''s n to align with the Holy Empire of Elysium will be over, and we won''t have another chance to rise," he replied firmly.


    "However, we are in a desperate situation," the Emissary of the First Apostle said in a frustrated, heavy tone. "The Fourth Apostle has taken the transformation pill, and he won''tst much longer. Meanwhile, the Fifth Apostle is in equally bad shape. You can see for yourself in the sky."


    The Second Apostle instinctively looked up and was momentarily stunned.


    He saw the Fifth Apostle in dragon form, being relentlessly crushed by Athena. No matter how hard he resisted, defeat was inevitable.


    Before the Second Apostle could respond, the Emissary''s voice returned: "Additionally, the Spear Hero Valen has already killed more than forty elite members of the Temple of Twilight and injured over a hundred. If this keeps up, we''ll bepletely wiped out, and when that happens, won''t the Temple''s n fail entirely? You need to make a decision, Second Apostle!"


    His words left the Second Apostle stunned, his eyes widening slightly. Upon reflection, it became clear that their position was indeed dire.


    They were facing the Fated One, the two heroes of mankind, and the Dragon Empress Athena Hellness.


    In addition, hundreds of thousands of humanity''s soldiers were waiting outside the pce walls, ready to break into the Imperial Capital at any moment.


    As the Emissary of the First Apostle had pointed out, they were on the verge of being wiped out.


    After a moment of deep thought, the pale expression beneath his hood steadied.


    "In that case, we''ll retreat and withdraw all members of the Temple of Twilight from this prolonged battle. I''ll take full responsibility if the First Apostle or the Son of God decides to punish uster," he said, his voice calm but resolute.


    "Thank you, Second Apostle!" The Emissary of the First Apostle exhaled in relief before cutting off themunication.


    The Second Apostle coughed again, struggling to rise to his feet.


    He turned his gaze back to Leon, a mysterious smile curling on his lips. "The Fated One, I''ll admit it—you''re truly powerful. It''s our mistake for letting you grow so effortlessly."


    The Hero''s Destiny mark on Leon''s forehead and the light in his eyes slowly faded as he reverted to his normal state.


    "What do you mean by that? nning to retreat?" Leon asked with a yful tone. Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire


    The Second Apostle gave a small nod, not denying it. "Yes, we will retreat. There''s no point in dragging this out any longer; we know we''ve lost."


    "Oh? You think you can just retreat, but will I let you?" Leon''s smile widened, but his cold gaze held a sharp killing intent.


    "You can try, but I assure you, you won''t be able to stop us," the Second Apostle said with a nonchnt tone.


    His form gradually became blurry, as though he would vanish at any moment.


    Leon narrowed his eyes but didn''t move. It wasn''t fear that held him back, but caution.


    He couldn''t rule out the possibility that the Second Apostle was attempting to lure him into a trap.


    Seeing Leon''s hesitation, the Second Apostle chuckled, his voiceced with meaning. "Don''t worry. I''m not retreating because I''ve given up. In the future, we will meet again. And when that happens, I''ll fight you with everything I have."


    With those words, his body grew increasingly transparent until he disappeared entirely.