Chapter 513: Chapter 513: New Year’s Eve Attack (2)

"Suppress your aura," Demon Emperor Zerathos commanded, raising his left hand.

The Cardinals of Pride, Lust, and Envy, along with all members of the Underworld Gate, immediately obeyed.

Demon Emperor Zerathos gazed at the magnificent city wall standing in the distance. It was Solvaria, the capital of the Great Velmora Empire.

"We will arrive shortly. Unite and clear the way for me. Remember—you must prepare sacrifices. At least ten thousand people each. If you fail, you will accept the punishment," he threatened coldly.

A chill ran down everyone’s spine. Even the Cardinals of Envy and Lust felt intimidated by his aura alone.

’As expected of the Demon Emperor... he is truly terrifying,’ the Cardinal of Lust muttered with admiration.

Although she was powerful, in front of the Demon Emperor, she was nothing more than an ant.

Yet that was precisely what excited her and reignited her zest for life.

"All right. Now, go!" Demon Emperor Zerathos ordered indifferently.

They all nodded before disappearing from view.

Demon Emperor Zerathos smiled faintly as he whispered, "Let them be stepping stones for me while I wait to launch a full-scale attack on the capital."

The desire to destroy the capital burned within him. However, he was not a fool.

He could sense powerful auras coming from the direction of the capital.

Despite his confidence, there was no harm in letting the worms he brought overwhelm those powerful figures first.

Even if the gain was small, it was still useful.

***

"There are two hundred of us. If we subtract the three of us, that leaves one hundred and ninety-seven. I will divide them fairly," the Cardinal of Pride said calmly. He pointed at the Cardinal of Envy and continued, "You will take sixty-seven people, while you, Cardinal of Lust, will take seventy members. The rest will be my responsibility. Does anyone object to this division?"

He looked at them one by one, his gaze serious. They could not afford to fail the Demon Emperor Zerathos’s orders.

The consequences were too great, and he did not want that to happen.

"I have no objection," the Cardinal of Envy replied casually.

"Neither do I," the Cardinal of Lust added.

"Good!" Cardinal Pride nodded in satisfaction. "Then let’s split up and attack the capital from all sides."

After that, he led sixty members of the Underworld Gate and vanished from sight.

Cardinal Envy and Cardinal Lust did the same, moving in different directions.

The two would attack from the west and east. Coincidentally, those areas offered easier escape routes.

If the situation turned unfavorable, they could retreat.

***

"They’re taking too long. Are they devising a strategy? That’s too much, isn’t it?" Nolan sighed deeply.

His face, hidden behind a mask, showed clear impatience.

In his view, someone like the Demon Emperor should be impulsive, the type to act purely on desire.

That was why it felt strange to him that the Demon Emperor had not acted immediately and instead chose to prepare such a strategy.

"Don’t underestimate him. Ignis is extremely intelligent. He’s not a demon who acts without thinking. Otherwise, how could he have ambushed me and seized the Demon Empire’s throne in such a short time?" Malverna said from beside him.

Nolan glanced at her and replied playfully, "Isn’t that because you’re stupid?"

Malverna: "..."

Blue veins bulged on her forehead as anger surged within her.

Just as she was about to teach Nolan a lesson, three powerful auras suddenly shot toward the west, east, and south of the city.

"They’re here, but I don’t sense the Demon Emperor’s aura. Don’t tell me he’s using his subordinates as bait," Nolan muttered with a small chuckle. "You’re right—he is smart and cunning. But that’s fine. I’ll take the one on the west, and you handle the one on the east. As for the south, we don’t need to move. Orion, Cassiopeia, and Draco will block them."

Malverna gave a small nod. She stood up and vanished from her spot.

Nolan waved his right hand. Instantly, a space portal appeared before him.

He stepped inside, and his figure melted away, disappearing completely.

***

The Cardinal of Envy continued to fly forward with her forces. As the city walls drew closer, the face hidden behind her mask showed obvious excitement.

"Hehehe... later, when chaos breaks out, I’ll sneak into the palace and take the treasures inside. An empire that has stood for a thousand years must have something valuable, right?"

She rubbed her palms together eagerly. Once, she had been a famous treasure hunter.

However, after offending the Celestial Empire of Velgranth on the western continent, she was relentlessly hunted, left with nowhere safe to hide.

Fortunately, the Holy Apostle gave her a chance, allowing her to live peacefully without being detected by them.

Even so, the treasure hunter within her never disappeared. Money and wealth... that was her true reason for attacking the capital.

As she was lost in dreams of sudden riches, a cold wind suddenly blew from ahead.

She looked up and saw a giant black fist hurtling straight toward her.

Her eyes widened. She hurriedly raised her weapon to block the attack, but it was useless—

Boom!

Her body, along with the sixty-seven people behind her, was blasted downward and slammed into the rough, snow-covered ground.

"Argh..." The Cardinal of Envy groaned, clutching her aching chest.

"Who... who attacked me?!" she shouted, her voice echoing in all directions.

Buzz!

Suddenly, a streak of light flashed across the sky.

From within the light, Malverna’s figure emerged, like a goddess of the night descending from the heavens.

She wore no mask or disguise, fully revealing her flawless appearance.

When the Cardinal of Envy saw her, a single word surfaced in her mind: beautiful.

That beauty was enough to enchant even her, a fellow woman.

However, she quickly snapped back to reality as pain from the earlier attack surged through her body once more.

"Was it you who attacked me?" she asked coldly as she slowly got to her feet.

Although her body still ached, she showed no sign of weakness. Any hint of it would put her in danger.

Malverna descended further, stopping seven meters above her.

"Yes, I attacked you," she replied indifferently. "You intend to attack the capital, don’t you? I won’t allow that."

The Cardinal of Envy clenched her teeth and commanded, "Everyone, raise your weapons! Attack her!"

But no one answered. She turned around, and her eyes widened as disbelief washed over her.

The sixty-seven members of the Underworld Gate she had brought with her were... dead.