In a battle fought in the open, there was always the possibility of retreat. As long as they retreated to a more advantageous position, the situation could easily be turned around.

So, Thomas needed to find a way to cut off the enemy's escape route and trap them here, until they were either defeated or surrendered.

Inside Valken, Wayne had been captured and was now imprisoned alongside Yuvan and the others. Seeing this, Harvey exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Wayne, how did you get caught? Did Mr. Murphy lose?" Wayne's clothes were torn, his body covered in wounds, and blood was dried on the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly disheveled.

At this point, Yuvan still hadn't realized that he had been betrayed. He had spent the entire night worrying about why no one had come to rescue him. He began to suspect that perhaps they could no longer rely on Clifford's forces. Yet, in his mind, he still hoped that Saul would come, even if Clifford had failed. Seeing Wayne captured, however, crushed any remaining hope. His heart sank.

Yuvan had already considered the possibility of failure. He even prepared for the worst, knowing that his plan to lure the enemy into the city might not work.

But Harvey hadn't. Harvey had always believed that once Clifford and Saul's armies arrived, they would wipe out the Capital Army without leaving a trace.

Now, seeing Wayne's arrival, Harvey's panic took over.

He demanded desperately, "Tell me, what happened? Did Mr. Murphy lose, or didn't they come?" Wayne pursed his lips, his eyes still flashing with defiance.

In the end, he chose to escape through Asterpeak Mountain. He left because he saw that the situation was beyond saving. He planned to head straight to the capital to seek refuge with Nicholas, but he was too late. Asterpeak Mountain had already been sealed off by the Capital Army, and he couldn't escape. Instead, he was now caught.

Harvey was beside himself with fury, his voice rising in anger.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Didn't Mr. Murphy come? If he had, there's no way his forces would have lost in a single night. They've been lying to us. Wayne, it was you! You told us to side with Prince Nicholas and to turn our backs on my brother! You and Prince Nicholas tricked us-you just wanted to use us to get to my brother's forces!"noveldrama

Yuvan's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? You betrayed me? You've all betrayed me?"

Harvey collapsed to the ground, his face pale as he said, "Yuvan, we've been with Prince Nicholas all along, but I was tricked too! Both of us were sent to Thomas as prisoners, and they planned to sacrifice me from the start."

Yuvan slapped Harvey across the face, trembling with anger. "How dare you betray me? You're my brother, and you betrayed me?"

"It's your fault for being useless!"

Harvey covered his face, his eyes full of resentment. "I've worked with Eleanor for years, planning for you But you you're nothing but a pile of mud that can't even hold itself up! You've accomplished nothing! A wise person will align themselves With the best opportunities or people that will help them succeed. So naturally, I'll choose someone more capable!"

"You..." Yuvan was enraged. "If I'm useless, then isn't it because of your incompetence?" Wayne lifted his head, casting a cold, disdainful look at Yuvan.

"Our incompetence?" he snapped. "If it weren't for you repeatedly ignoring my advice, would we have ended up in this mess? I told you not to provoke Ms. Violet, but you insisted. You sacrificed so many suicide soldiers for nothing. All you've ever accomplished was provoking the Hell Monarch's household and offending the Spencer family. All these years, you've failed to gain their support. But Prince Nicholas? He managed it."

"We've been through so much together all these years, and this is how it ends?" Yuvan still couldn't believe it.

Harvey had betrayed him, which made him angry, but Harvey was just a useless fool.

But Wayne? Wayne's betrayal was truly a blow to his heart.

"There's just too much to say," Wayne said stiffly, a sense of helplessness washing over him.

He should have known he was on the wrong side. If he had joined Nicholas earlier, the world might have already been in Nicholas' hands now.

"In the end, you only cared about your so-called reputation. Those who truly accomplish great things don't care for such trivialities. If you had listened to me during the initial battle, we wouldn't be in this mess now," Wayne spat.

"Why bring up old grievances now? Didn't you agree to everything too?" Yuvan shot back, his anger now overshadowed by cold disappointment. He never imagined Wayne would betray him.

"Could I disagree? Did you ever give me the authority to make decisions?" Wayne dragged himself to lean against the bars, looking at Yuvan with deep disgust. "Your weakness is that so many people have betrayed you, and you haven't even noticed. It's not just others-Lady Fiona betrayed you too, and you didn't even know. How can you possibly think you'll ever accomplish anything?"

"Wretched woman!" Yuvan's fury reached its peak. "She betrayed me too? I'll kill her!"

Wayne's eyes glinted coldly. "She's already fled. If you want to kill her, you're too late. You have no power left to do so."