Every noble family has its own private army.
Back when they possessed vast territories, they even had huge Awakening Tier corps. In their own lands, they were no different from the King himself.
Nowadays, the nobles confined to the Royal Capital are either originally of the Royal Court or those who led their people to the capital during the early days of the Black Tide.
Over the decades, the only official Awakening Tier armies in the Royal Capital have been the Eternal Army, the Patrol Army, the Law Enforcement Team, and the Red Army... The Wing Corps could only count as 0.1 of one.
However, there were no shortage of armed forces in secret.
Nobles, more or less, all had formed guard teams and nurtured some experts.
Their scale might be limited, but in terms of elite quality, they were second to none.
A few hundred ruffians from Duke Morton Mansion's Guard Team were the elite, with the leader possessing the strength of an Awakener at the Great Perfection of the Awakening Tier, a high-level commander.
Becky, known as "Mad Fist" and a deputy commander, cast a cold glance over the entire Entertainment City.
He didn't need to lift a finger himself.
The strongest of the guards from Green Shadow Entertainment City couldn't withstand a few moves from his capable subordinates before being blasted to the ground.
Even though several mercenary corps employed by the Entertainment City were well-ranked in the Mercenary World, with good reputation and strength, mercenaries were still mercenaries, a group of crude people. With just a bit of superficial knowledge, they fancied themselves as experts.
Becky, who originated from the Duke Mansion and was distantly related to the Archduke, knew well that the tiers of Awakening were just one aspect influencing combat power.
It was the inherited knowledge of warriors, cultivation skills, fight techniques, combat skills, magic... and the like that were key to whether one could become a master or not.
And these were all tightly held in the hands of the upper nobility.
This was the capital for the nobility to sustain their power.
What did the mercenaries have? At most, basic professional information, such as warriors' cultivation skills or low-level combat skills like Heavy Slash and Continuous Slash.
There were very few Mages.
Whereas the Duke Mansion held more advanced warrior's heritage knowledge.
For example, advanced professions for warriors like Shield Warrior, Berserker, advanced professions for Mages like Blast Mage, and so on... Of course, ordinary guards had no access to the knowledge of advanced professions, but Becky, as a key figure for cultivation, not only received the cultivation skill of a Berserker but also exchanged for several matching combat skills based on his contributions.
Frenzy Slash, Fury of Rage, Brutal Strike, and more.
Although he used fists, it made no difference... since the Duke Mansion didn't have any advanced profession that used fists.
He casually threw a punch, his Source Power burst out from his body forming a red fist force, directly demolishing a nearby shop.
"Smash it all for me."
Several Awakeners rushing toward the Black Night Tavern were blown back out.
And Mark led hundreds of men, rushing out from the central building.
Becky's eyes narrowed, "More people? It's to be expected, after all, there are nobles behind the Entertainment City. How could all the guards be those useless mercenary scums, but..."
There were gaps between the private armies of different nobles.
The gaps came from financial resources, as well as the knowledge held by the nobles.
Without words, the elite warriors from the Duke Mansion in a mix of armors clashed with Mark and his men.
The one-sided situation they had imagined did not occur.
A Duke Mansion's Awakener brandished a Combat Saber emitting a blood light, the most practical of the low-level combat skills in renown, Blood Slash.
The intense blood light extended the saber several meters,—this was the benefit of having the support of a great power, the benefit of guidance. Even if there were some freelancers who knew this skill, it would be difficult for them to practice it to such perfection.
Among the Entertainment City's second batch of guards, a one-armed man wielding a Combat Saber covered in a similarly blood light, radiating a thick Blood Evil Qi, seemed as if he had charged straight out of a Blood Sea.
The blood-trace continued, exceeding ten meters...
A column of red evil energy soared into the sky, and the ruffian disguised as an elite guard from the Duke Mansion, had his mixed-armor on his chest shattered, revealing a dark inner armor underneath.
That was the true equipment of guards from the Duke Mansion, which had three different runes inscribed on it.
At this moment, the inner armor was also slashed through, and the Sword Light cut open the thoracic cavity, revealing a ferocious wound.
The man swayed and fell.
His eyes were full of disbelief.
Being inferior in Blood Slash was one thing, but why, even though he had blocked part of the attack, was his high-level rune inner armor so fragile... as if it was made of paper.
Most of the elite guards from Duke Morton Mansion possessed the strength at the Ninth Layer Peak.
The guards of the Entertainment City were not much different.
The two sides matched each other in aura, standing off against each other.
Becky originally held the winning cards; the Duke Mansion's elites each had the combat power to challenge beyond their level.
Was different from expected.
At the start, they could still exchange a few moves, but as the battle progressed, the Entertainment City's guards seemed to grow stronger with each moment, while the Duke Mansion's Awakeners fell one after another like wheat before the scythe.
Becky, no longer as composed as at the beginning, immediately ordered, "Form up the battle formation to face the enemy."
The disorganized Duke Mansion warriors quickly regrouped in pairs or trios, those proficient in defense at the front, with their comrades coordinating attacks.
"Mages, Fireball Technique."
Dozens of people who had awakened a Special Ability and had the potential to learn Magic raised huge Fireballs in their hands.
The Fireballs merged into one, as if Heavenly Fire was descending, thundering toward the most concentrated area of Entertainment City guards.
This was the foundations of a great power!
The corners of Becky's mouth slowly curled up.
A faint light shield emerged.
Ten guards from the Entertainment City raised their hands high, and a soft white light burst forth, forming a shield-like white light screen.