Chapter 512: Chapter 512: New Year’s Eve Attack (1)

"What a powerful aura! Is the enemy attacking?"

Orion, who had been standing leisurely by the window, was startled. His expression turned serious as he narrowed his eyes warily.

Whoosh!

Lyra, Cassiopeia, and Draco suddenly appeared beside him.

They stared into the distance with grim expressions.

"Is it an enemy attack?" Cassiopeia asked gravely.

"It seems so. What are we waiting for? Let’s stop them immediately!" Lyra urged.

"Wait a moment," Orion interrupted, raising his left hand. "Don’t you notice? Their aura has suddenly disappeared."

The three of them were shocked. They spread their perceptions, and sure enough, the powerful aura had vanished without a trace.

"What happened? Could the enemy be retreating?" Cassiopeia asked doubtfully.

Orion fell silent for a moment before answering, "I don’t know. But we have to investigate to find out."

He turned to Cassiopeia and Draco and ordered, "You two come with me. Lyra, stay here and keep an eye on the palace. If there’s a sudden attack, report it to me immediately. Do you understand?"

Lyra nodded firmly. "I understand, Orion. Leave it to me."

"Then let’s go, Cassiopeia and Draco!"

With that, his figure turned into particles of light and vanished.

Draco and Cassiopeia disappeared as well, leaving Lyra alone.

"I hope nothing bad happens," she muttered with a long sigh.

She waved her left hand, and her body instantly transformed into a butterfly, flying into the sky.

...

"What are you doing, Nolan?" Seira looked at him curiously.

Nolan lowered his left hand and smiled faintly.

"It’s nothing. By the way, I need to take care of something first. Can you look after Mother and Eliza for a while? Oh, and this little dragon too," Nolan said as he handed Eira to Seira.

"Ehhh! Master, what’s going on? Why are you leaving me?" Eira complained, puffing out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Nolan gently pinched her cheek to calm her down. "I’ll only be gone for a moment. Wait here with my sister, okay? Be a good dragon. I’ll bring you lots of delicious chocolate later."

The moment she heard the word "chocolate," her face lit up.

"Okay! I’ll be a good dragon and wait for you to come back!"

Seeing how easily she was persuaded, Nolan simply smiled and said nothing more.

He turned back to Seira. "Please take care of them, sister."

Seira nodded. "I understand. If you need my help, just say the word. I’ll do whatever I can."

She didn’t know where Nolan was going, but as his sister, she could only hope that he would be safe.

"Thank you." Nolan felt relieved.

He said goodbye to his mother and Eliza first. As usual, the little girl wanted to go with him, but his mother managed to persuade her.

At last, Nolan was able to leave with peace of mind. He walked toward the right side of the square and soon disappeared from view.

After making sure no one was around, he opened his right palm.

A black mask appeared instantly. As he put it on, his aura changed drastically.

"Well then, let’s get this party started..."

Whoosh!

His figure vanished in the blink of an eye.

...

"Hahaha! Soon, we will destroy the Great Velmora Empire!"

Flying through the sky, the Cardinal of Pride couldn’t hold back his laughter.

He had harbored hatred toward the empire for a long time, and at last, after many years, he finally had the chance to take his revenge.

"You look very happy, Pride. Are you that eager for revenge?" The Cardinal of Envy glanced at him playfully.

"Hehehe..." The Cardinal of Pride grinned. "You’re right, Envy. Since you’re new here, I can understand your ignorance. The Great Velmora Empire killed my parents. Even now, my hatred over their deaths has not faded."

He clenched his fists and ground his teeth.

If it weren’t for his lack of power, he would have taken his revenge long ago.

But that didn’t matter anymore. The time had finally come, and he was eager to slaughter the members of the imperial family—especially the emperor, Ragan Lorian!

The Cardinal of Envy merely smiled in silence. In truth, she didn’t care about the Cardinal of Pride’s revenge at all.

They all had their own goals, and hers was to seize the riches hidden in the imperial palace’s treasure vault.

Yes, she had come only for money—nothing more. As for grudges or the Demon Emperor’s ambitions, she didn’t care at all.

’What a fool.’ The Cardinal of Lust, who was flying beside them, shook her head.

Like the Cardinal of Envy, she was a newly appointed member of the Seven Cardinals.

And her goal wasn’t glory or loyalty to the Demon Emperor, but simple amusement.

She was incredibly strong, and that was precisely why she felt bored—her life had become monotonous.

By chance, she encountered the Holy Apostle, who invited her to join the Underworld Gate.

Without a clear purpose in life, she accepted his offer and became one of the Seven Cardinals.

Unfortunately, four of her comrades—whom she had never even met—died during the attack on the imperial palace that night.

They continued rushing toward the empire, as the distance to their destination was vast.

Moreover, they had to minimize the risk of being detected by the empire’s powerful figures.

Half an hour later, they reached the empire’s northern region and continued flying toward the capital.

Demon Emperor Zerathos stared into the distance and whispered coldly, "Tonight, the empire will be drowned in blood."

...

Malverna sat calmly atop a tree trunk, her eyes closed, as if trying to steady her turbulent thoughts.

"Aren’t you impatient to kill him?" Nolan’s playful voice sounded beside her.

She opened her eyes and looked at Nolan indifferently.

"Maybe, maybe not. I really don’t know how I feel," she replied honestly. She stared at her right palm before continuing in confusion. "For some reason, my hatred for Ignis isn’t as intense as it used to be. It feels as if the fire of hatred has been extinguished. But I know that if I let him live, I won’t be able to rest in peace until I die."

In the past, she had only one goal in life—to kill Ignis by any means necessary. Strangely, months later, that goal began to fade.

The feeling was so unfamiliar that she sometimes found herself daydreaming in quiet places, just like now.

Nolan studied her for a moment, then gently patted her head.

"It’s because you’ve started to enjoy your life. Back then, you had no one by your side. But now, you have me, Elina, and the others. Right?"

Malverna was startled by the sudden pat. Yet, after hearing his words, she fell into deep thought.

’Is that really the case?’ she wondered silently.

Malverna didn’t know. This was the first time she had ever felt something like this.

"Alright, don’t worry about it," Nolan said casually as he pulled his hand away. He looked up at the sky and grinned. "They’re coming. Let’s welcome them."