Chapter 44: Miller Family’s Dominance(3)

By then, the glowing array spread across the ground had begun to fade. Cris’s formation had finally reached the end of its duration.

But there was no longer any need for it.

The broad avenue outside the Evergreen headquarters had fallen completely silent.

Hundreds of vehicles lay wrecked across the street, some overturned and others still burning. Smoke drifted lazily through the air, while the once-massive Eclipse force had been completely defeated.

Not a single enemy remained standing.

At the center of the battlefield stood Noah.

His breathing remained steady despite the intense battle, while his legendary daggers hung at his sides, stained with blood.

Behind him, the nine other cousins gradually assembled into a clean, disciplined line.

None of them said anything.

They simply stood there facing the hovering news drones.

They did not need to speak.

The entire nation had just watched a small squad of the Miller family dismantle a massive underworld force in less than three minutes.

The balance of power in the country had changed again.

Inside the Arvian military vehicle, an officer stared at the battlefield in disbelief in the screen before finally turning toward his superior.

"Sir, do we proceed to the plaza now?"

"What else would we do?" the commander snapped. "We at least need to tell them we were on our way to assist!"

"Yes, sir."

The officer immediately relayed the order.

Meanwhile in the 30th floor, Arthur watched the final enemy fall. His eyes remained calm as he gave a small nod of approval.

Then his cousins returned.

"Splendid."

"You all did well. Now, the nine of you enter your class evolution trials immediately and head toward the main city afterward. Noah, stay behind."

Arthur then opened his storage interface.

Several utility items and rare consumable potions appeared within his hands. These were items specifically suited for overcoming the difficulties of high-grade class evolution trials.

With a casual motion, Arthur tossed them toward his cousins.

Before he could give any further instructions, a deep rumbling sound suddenly rolled down at the street.

Heavy engines approached from the distance.

A long convoy of official military transports soon emerged and pulled up around the perimeter of the plaza. Hundreds of fully armed Arvian soldiers poured out of the vehicles, quickly establishing a defensive perimeter around the wreckage.

But their weapons were not aimed at the Miller family.

Instead, every soldier turned their weapons toward the surrounding area, clearly taking a defensive position around the Evergreen compound.

The meaning was obvious.

The military had chosen a side.

A senior officer stepped out from the lead vehicle with a high-powered loudspeaker in his hand.

"We apologize to the Miller family for arriving late! May we have a word with your leadership?" he announced, his voice carrying across the entire plaza.

The news drones captured everything.

Millions of viewers watched as the government forces openly positioned themselves around Evergreen while publicly apologizing for their delayed arrival.

The change was almost comical.

Only minutes earlier, the military had remained hesitant to interfere.

Now, after witnessing the Miller family’s overwhelming strength, they were practically declaring themselves allies.

"Oh? They are openly taking sides with us now?" Noah muttered as he glanced toward the tower window.

Before he could say anything else, Arthur’s voice came through.

"Let us go down and meet them."

A moment later, the doors of the Evergreen building opened.

Arthur stepped outside and slowly descended the stone steps.

As he walked, he casually reached into his storage interface and retrieved the epic-grade armor he had shown earlier.

He tossed it toward Noah.

"Your reward."

Noah caught the shimmering chest piece without hesitation.

The moment he equipped it, the armor immediately bonded with his data.

A massive wave of defensive energy surged across his body.

His defense increased by five hundred percent, while his movement speed also rose significantly. Intricate divine patterns spread across the lightweight armor, their subtle glow settling over his frame and transforming his already intimidating presence into that of an unyielding apex predator.

The global broadcast cameras immediately zoomed in.

Arthur and Noah began walking side by side toward the military blockade.

Arthur walked in front, standing over six feet two inches tall and dressed in a perfectly tailored dark trenchcoat. His hands rested casually behind his back, and his expression remained completely calm, as though the massive battle that had just taken place was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Behind him walked Noah.

The same man who had just annihilated an entire army now followed Arthur with absolute deference, his natural step falling perfectly behind his leader.

The contrast immediately caught the attention of viewers across the country.

"Who is that?"

"Who is the man in front?"

"Is he the Miller family’s leader?"

Millions of eyes remained fixed on the broadcast.

Noah already possessed striking, sharp features, but the young man walking ahead of him carried something entirely different.

An aura.

Something that seemed to transcend ordinary mortals.

Arthur’s face was impossibly handsome, yet it was his calm eyes that truly unsettled those watching. They contained no excitement, no nervousness, and no trace of fear. Instead, they carried a quiet, ancient weight that made even those watching through a screen feel an inexplicable sense of pressure.

Inside the Frost family estate, Amelia stared at the screen without blinking.

Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.

Her breath caught in her throat as she unconsciously leaned closer to the monitor, her fingers tightening around the armrests.

"Is that you, Arthur?"

Her voice came out as barely more than a whisper.

"No, no, no. How can he be this handsome?"

The initial shock soon faded.

A dark, twisted smile slowly appeared across her lips.

Something far more intense had awakened within her eyes as she continued staring at Arthur’s image.

"You are mine and mine alone. No one can take you from me, not even yourself."

She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.

The thought of taming someone who possessed such undeniable authority ignited a deep desire for conquest within her heart.

Back at the edge of the plaza, the senior commander stepped forward as Arthur approached.

He quickly stowed away his loudspeaker and replaced his previous authoritative expression with a warm, almost fawning smile.

"Hello, officer. I am Arthur Miller. Thank you for coming to our aid. We will remember this gesture."

Arthur extended his hand.

Commander Frank immediately grasped it and laughed with practiced ease.

"Haha, please do not mention it! We were still far too late to offer any real assistance. That young man behind you is truly something else. By the way, I am Commander Frank Lampard of the regional defense division."

Arthur glanced briefly toward Noah before returning his gaze to Frank.

"Indeed. He is Noah Miller, one of the supreme future pillars of the Miller family."

Noah’s chest immediately swelled with pride.

Those words carried more weight to him than any reward.

Being personally praised by Arthur was an honor he valued above almost everything else.

Arthur then turned his attention back toward Commander Frank.

"Well, Mr. Lampard, we need to handle our internal family matters now, so we will not invite you inside today. Let us meet another time."

His tone remained polite, but the meaning was clear.

The conversation was over.

"Of course!" Frank replied immediately. "Please contact my office directly if you require anything at all. We will take our leave now."

He gave a slight bow before turning and returning to his command vehicle.

The military convoy soon began pulling away from the site.

Inside the lead transport, an officer sitting in the passenger seat glanced nervously toward Frank. Sweat had already begun forming across his forehead.

"Commander, who was that young man leading them?"

Frank remained silent for several seconds.

He stared through the vehicle window at Arthur’s disappearing figure, his expression unusually solemn.

"I do not know," he finally whispered.

His hands trembled slightly.

"But I felt terrified standing next to him."

Frank swallowed hard before lowering his voice even further.

"There is a strong chance we were just standing in the presence of Darklord himself."