CHAPTER 233: THE DOMINATING BLACK WINGS ARMY

"If it keeps going like this, they’ll lose, you know? Aren’t you going to take action?"

While floating in the sky, Malverna looked at Nolan with a curious gaze.

The battle between the Valmire family and the Black Wings was fierce, but it was clear to anyone that the Black Wings had the upper hand.

Nolan stayed silent, arms folded across his chest, his eyes fixed on the fight between Aston and Galian.

So, that’s Galian, huh? His eyes narrowed slightly.

He immediately recognized the man and the army behind him—the strongest mercenary force on the continent. They had countless glorious achievements with a perfect success rate.

Many powers had hired their services, including the Holy Empire of Valtanir.

In the past, the Great Velmora Empire and the Holy Valtanir Empire clashed in the western region over a mine said to yield five billion Sharn if fully exploited.

Back then, instead of sending their own troops, Valtanir hired the Black Wings to strike Velmora. The result was devastating—nearly a thousand Velmora soldiers were killed, while the Black Wings lost only around a hundred.

His father had been furious and sent Draco and Lyra to wipe them out.

Unfortunately, the two only managed to kill half, while the rest escaped and vanished without a trace.

Still, his father had not been satisfied. He even issued a hunting order for the Black Wings and their leader, Galian.

Unexpectedly, they had the audacity to infiltrate the empire in secret and even aided the Castellan family against the Valmire family.

The Red Obsidian Trading House really does have guts, he muttered with a faint grin.

According to the Empire’s regulations, seeking help from foreign parties—especially enemies—was a grave offense. Yet the Red Obsidian Trading House had boldly hired them to support the Castellan family, which was no small matter.

"Hey! Did you hear me?" Malverna’s dissatisfied voice came from beside him.

Nolan glanced at her and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Malverna: "（ꐦ𝅒_𝅒）"

Blue veins bulged on her forehead, and her breathing grew heavy. She had thought Nolan’s silence meant he was carefully considering her question, but it turned out she was wrong.

Suppressing her irritation, she crossed her arms over her ample chest and asked again, "How are you going to handle this? Are you going to help them?"

She pointed toward the Valmire soldiers, who were losing ground and being pushed back.

"If it keeps up like this, they’ll lose, you know?"

Her gaze shifted to the Black Wings mages, who were overwhelming the Valmire family’s spellcasters.

"Besides, their mages are really strong. There are plenty of high-level ones and even some sages. At this rate, in less than half an hour, the Valmires will all be dead here. Are you really just going to stay silent?"

Nolan studied the battlefield carefully and realized her words were true.

"What do you think I should do? Is it really necessary for me to intervene?" He smiled faintly as he glanced at her.

Malverna blinked in confusion at his absurd question.

"Isn’t that obvious? Why would you even ask something like that?"

"I promised not to interfere. If I do, wouldn’t I be going back on my own word?"

Malverna instantly understood what he meant. A faint grin tugged at her lips as she offered herself.

"Do you want me to handle it instead?"

Nolan didn’t answer, but the look in his eyes said everything.

"Alright," Malverna said, stretching her stiff body. "Coincidentally, I haven’t done any warm-ups today. I should make the most of this opportunity."

"Don’t overdo it. Otherwise, Aston Valmire will start getting suspicious. Understand?" Nolan warned seriously.

"Leave it to me." Malverna nodded lightly.

Without another word, her figure vanished from sight.

Watching her departure, Nolan shook his head before turning his gaze back to the battlefield.

"Black Wings, huh? Belfor, you really are a fool. With this evidence, I can guarantee your complete destruction..." Lightning flashed playfully in Nolan’s eyes.

***

"Die!" Galian swung his sword down in a brutal arc aimed at his opponent’s head.

Clang!

Aston caught the strike, but his legs buckled under the force, the ground beneath him cracking apart.

"Hahaha! Come on, show me your strength!" Galian roared with laughter.

Gritting his teeth, Aston shoved Galian’s blade aside and slashed at his opponent’s right flank.

But Galian easily anticipated the move and blocked it. Twisting his body, he drove a vicious kick into Aston’s chest, sending him flying more than fifteen meters.

"Argh..." Aston groaned, clutching his dented armor. "That kick was brutal..."

Shock flickered in his eyes. The armor was forged from the finest material, yet a single kick had bent it inward. That alone showed how terrifying Galian’s strength was.

He struggled to rise, but before he could, Galian suddenly appeared before him and slammed a kick into his face.

Aston’s body flew again, rolling across the ground.

Blood spilled from his nose and mouth, the pain searing through every nerve.

"Hehehe... Is that all you’ve got, Aston Valmire?" Galian mocked, striding toward him at a steady pace.

Aston wiped the blood from his nose and forced himself to stand.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself, Galian," he said hoarsely. "You underestimate me too much. I haven’t lost yet!"

"Are you sure?" Galian grinned coldly, pointing at the overpowered Valmire troops. "You may still be strong, but your soldiers are not. Just surrender, Aston Valmire. I’ll give you a chance to retreat with them."

His goal wasn’t to annihilate the Valmire army, only to drive them back.

After all, he and the Black Wings had once offended the Great Velmora Empire and become fugitives.

If he slaughtered them all now, it would only stir up a massive uproar.

The Empire would undoubtedly mobilize its full might to hunt him and his army down.

The thought of the two Celestial Mages of Velmora made a chill creep down his spine.

He had only barely survived back then—and half his forces had been annihilated.

Even so, Aston wasn’t shaken by the offer. A cold, confident smile curved his lips as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Surrender? Do you really think my army and I are that weak?" he said firmly. "Even if we all die, we’ll fight you to the last man!"

Galian snorted in irritation. His playful grin vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous stare.

"Then don’t blame me for slaughtering every last one of you!"

The moment those words left his mouth, a terrifying aura burst from his body. The air itself trembled, and the atmosphere grew unbearably heavy.

Aston instinctively raised his sword, bracing for the next attack.

But then—

Whoosh!

A massive magic circle lit up in the sky. From it, a barrier spread outward, enclosing the entire battlefield.

Aston’s eyes went wide. "What’s happening!? An enemy attack!?"