I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Unlike previous battle reports, this broadcast used the highest-level ceremonial broadcast of the Great Xia Dynasty, with a steady and solemn pace.

"Attention all."

"The joint support force of the reclusive families of Great Xia has arrived at the sixth line of defense."

"The elites of eighteen ancient martial arts families, including the Xuanyuan family, the Zhuge family, and the Ao family, have completed their assembly this morning."

"All defense zones are requested to prepare for the handover."

"Repeat."

"The joint support force of the reclusive families of Great Xia has arrived at the sixth line of defense."

Gu Yan propped herself up on the bed and sat up.

Yuzuru had already stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and stood side by side with Pei Youyi, looking towards the camp.

More than a dozen Great Xia military transport planes were parked on the open ground in the distance, their cabin doors slowly opening.

The first group to emerge were people dressed in various ancient costumes.

They did not wear military uniforms or rank insignia, but each of them exuded spiritual energy fluctuations far exceeding those of S-rank.

The leader was a man who looked to be no more than thirty years old.

He wore a long black robe with the Xuanyuan clan emblem embroidered in gold thread on the cuffs, and a jet-black ancient sword hung at his waist.

His features were extremely handsome, and his eyes and brows exuded an innate nobility and arrogance.

He stood at the top of the transport plane's gangway, his gaze sweeping across the entire camp like a king surveying his territory.

Xuanyuan Cheng, the strongest prodigy of the Xuanyuan family in the present generation, is said to have the highest concentration of the Xuanyuan clan's true essence in his bloodline in the past three hundred years. He is already SS-level at just over thirty years old.

Behind him followed an elderly man with white hair and beard, wearing a long robe with the distinctive Bagua pattern of the Zhuge family, and holding a yellowed bamboo scroll in his hand.

Zhuge Mingyuan, the astrology master of the Zhuge family, is said to be able to observe celestial phenomena at night and predict battle situations. One-third of the rune array blueprints in the Great Xia war zone were created by him.

Further behind was a burly middle-aged man, shirtless, with dense dragon scale-like runes tattooed on his skin, and a necklace made of deep-sea dragon teeth hanging around his neck.

Ao Lie, the current head of the Ao family, has guarded the East China Sea Eye for generations. He is the only SS-level powerhouse in this support force who deals with the sea year-round.

The group consists of more than fifty people from over a dozen families, each of whom is at least S-level.

Five years ago, this power would have been enough to sweep across most of the superhuman world.

It represents the absolute foundation of the Great Xia Dynasty.

They stepped off the transport plane, their military boots and cloth shoes treading on the muddy ground of the camp, without greeting anyone.

Half an hour later, at the highest command post of the sixth defense line.

Chiyomiya Hanyu, as the acting commander-in-chief, sat at the head of the long table.

Xuanyuan Cheng sat opposite her, his black robe spread out on the chair, his hands folded on his knees.

He spoke with extreme composure, even with an undisguised air of condescension.

"Ms. Chiyomiya, thank you for your hard work these past few days."

"But this is the land of Great Xia."

"Behind the sixth line of defense are the people of Great Xia."

"Now that we're here, let's take over command from now on."

"Your Japanese military can take a break now."

That was said very politely, but the meaning behind it was anything but polite.

You foreigners and defeated people can step back now.

The chief of staff of the Great Xia Expeditionary Force opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but after glancing at Xuan Yuancheng's face, he swallowed his words.

The commander of the remnant Russian Federation forces kept his head down and remained silent.

The Southeast Asian coalition representative pretended to look at the documents in front of him.

No one dared to step forward.

Gu Yan stood in the corner of the conference room.

He wanted to speak, but his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

This position of commander-in-chief was earned by Yuzuru with his life.

She was the one who guarded the Nagoya Pass, she was the last to withdraw from the fifth line of defense, and she and her staff worked through the night to devise the defensive deployment for the sixth line of defense.

Now Xuanyuan Cheng wants to take it away with just a word, what gives him the right?

Just as he was about to speak, his sleeve was gently tugged.

He turned his head and saw Yuzuru shake his head very, very lightly at him.

Then she stood up, bowed slightly to Xuan Yuancheng, her posture still composed and elegant.

"Mr. Xuanyuan is right."

"This is the land of Great Xia, and behind the defense line are the people of Great Xia."

"It is indeed more appropriate for a strongman from the Great Xia to command."

"The position of commander-in-chief is now in your hands."

"I will hand over all deployment data for the Sixth Line of Defense to your staff, and all units' communication channels will be switched by tonight."

She spoke these words in a calm tone, as if she were reciting a pre-prepared resignation letter.

After the meeting, Gu Yan followed Yu Sheng out of the command post.

The sea breeze blew in my face, carrying the smell of salt, fish, and gunpowder.

He grabbed her wrist and made her stop.

Her hands were very cold, as if they had been soaking in seawater all night.

Why did you let me?

"You know perfectly well that those people have no idea how dangerous the naval battlefield is."

"No matter how strong Xuanyuan Cheng is, he has never fought a single day in the Black Tide."

"No matter how good his tactics are, they haven't been tested with millions of lives."

"They came and tried to seize command, and you just gave in like that."

Yuzuru stopped and turned around to face him.

The sea breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead. Her face showed no resentment or grievance, only a profound and deep tranquility.

"fine."

"The position of commander-in-chief is incredibly stressful."

"Every day I watched people die, and the numbers on the battle reports jumped up page by page."

"Many of our family elders died on the front lines."

"Chiyomiya Rei-senpai, my maternal grandmother, smiled at me from inside the sealing array before she passed away."

She said, "Live well."

"But I don't even have time to go back and offer her a stick of incense."

Her voice gradually faded, like the receding tide.

"I'm glad someone is willing to take over now."

"I'm really happy."

"I don't have to shoulder everything."

"I'm human too, I get tired too."

Gu Yan looked at her.

Her eyes weren't red, and no tears fell, but the spiritual energy around her fluctuated very slightly, like a silent undercurrent beneath the surface of the sea.

He remembered the calm and confident look on her face when she first spoke to him in the spring, the way she stood on Tokyo Tower holding the pheasant sword and said to the moon, "This is the first time I'm leaving my hometown," and the words she said to him as she plunged the sword into the ground at the Nagoya pass.

She's been carrying this burden for far too long.

From the time her mother passed away when she was fifteen, she single-handedly shouldered the entire Chiyomiya family, the defense line of Sakura Country, and the command of the Eastern War Zone.

She never told anyone that she was tired.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

She didn't struggle; she simply rested her head on his chest and exhaled very softly.

The sea breeze passed by the two of them, causing the hem of her kimono to flutter gently.

"You've done a great job."

Gu Yan's voice was low and steady.