Novels by Lily Monroe

Russell Sanders’ sudden reversal left Duncan Kirk so furious he nearly suffered a heart attack.Yet he did not dare openly offend the Sanders family. After all, the Kirk family was no longer what it once had been.Moreover, the Kirks had only a single daughter, and their decline was plain for all to see.Perhaps that was precisely why their daughter had clung so tightly to the Sanders family all these years.Angry and heartbroken, Duncan Kirk nevertheless forced himself to lower his stance and continue speaking to Russell Sanders with painstaking politeness.“Russell, you know very well that my daughter has no personal grudge against Adrian. Wasn’t she acting for the sake of the Sanders family—for your sake—when she did something as foolish as that kidnapping?”There was silence on the other end of the line. To Duncan Kirk, it felt like a glimmer of hope. He gripped the receiver tightly and pressed on.“The Kirk family doesn’t have many connections anymore, but your father is differen

Skyline City, Anping Village Police Station.Nicole Kirk sat in a chair in the lobby, one leg crossed over the other, her face brimming with smug satisfaction and unrestrained arrogance.The captain who had brought them in earlier wore a troubled expression, forced to plaster on a polite smile whenever his gaze landed on Nicole Kirk.Nicole Kirk waited cheerfully for Adrian and Daisy to come out.After about five minutes, Adrian finally emerged from the inner room, holding Daisy’s hand as they walked out together.During the statement-taking, Adrian and Daisy had recounted nearly every detail of what had happened. Yet the moment they saw Nicole Kirk sitting there as calm and self-assured as ever, both of their expressions darkened.Nicole Kirk stood up, lifting her chin as she looked down her nose at Daisy and Adrian.“I told you so. Even if you called the police, don’t even think you can keep me here.”Adrian frowned and turned to look at the captain of the precinct.The captain let

Daisy had said it herself—Adrian was terrifying enough to inspire genuine fear…Nicole Kirk’s expression darkened. But at this point, there was nothing left for her to do except urge the men in black to kill Adrian at all costs.Adrian pulled Daisy into his arms and lowered his head, speaking softly, “I’ll keep you safe. Stay close to me.”Daisy nodded. Her trust in Adrian was absolute.The moment she saw him break free of the ropes binding him, a deep sense of security settled in her heart.She believed he would get them out safely. Just looking at his figure was enough to make her feel completely at ease.Nicole Kirk fired several shots in succession, but they had no effect on Adrian. Just as she was about to pull the trigger again, her vision blurred—as if a shadow had flashed past her eyes.The next instant, cold sweat poured down Nicole Kirk’s back. She tried to speak, but could only swallow hard.Her gun was gone.Yet her hand was still frozen in the posture of pulling the trigg

Daisy told Nicole Kirk bluntly that Adrian was not someone to be provoked lightly.After hearing this, Nicole Kirk nodded, propped her chin on her hand, and gave a perfunctory smile, clearly not taking it to heart at all.Whether it was Daisy or anyone else, no matter how formidable they claimed Adrian to be, Nicole Kirk refused to believe he could be powerful beyond the limits of an ordinary human.Daisy lowered her head, lost in thought.Nicole Kirk chuckled softly. “Saying all this now is nothing more than an attempt to make me release you. But you should understand—I will never let you go.”“Why?” Daisy asked.Aside from the matter involving the Sanders family, Daisy believed she had never crossed them.“Why?” Nicole Kirk grew impatient. She brushed her bangs aside and fixed Daisy with a colder gaze. “My goal today is to use you to threaten Adrian. What would I gain by letting you go?”“Don’t waste your energy. When Adrian arrives, if he’s sensible enough, I’ll have them release

Neil Peterson looked at Adrian with concern and asked, “What’s wrong, Mr. Doyle?”Adrian quickly shook his head and took out his phone to send a message to Freya.When Freya replied that the signing was still ongoing, Adrian immediately and enthusiastically accepted Neil Peterson’s dinner invitation.He wasn’t particularly fond of social dinners, but compared to being tortured by endless contracts at the press conference until his eyes and ears ached, a meal sounded positively delightful.Seeing Adrian agree, Neil Peterson broke into a broad smile.“I’ve already booked a hotel. Let’s head over together!”Though it was called a social engagement, it was really just a small group sharing a meal. The conversation flowed freely, yet no one felt restrained.Neil Peterson was the first to raise a glass to Adrian.“Today, Skyline City’s martial arts world was spared humiliation entirely because of Mr. Doyle. We owe you our respect and gratitude.”Adrian waved it off. “It’s not as serious a

At that moment, more and more people noticed Yamasato Ki sprawled behind the promotional wall, his face drenched in blood, lying on the ground as if he had been brutally injured.Yamasato Ki struggled to lift his head, trying to call for help, but instead spat out a mouthful of blood.“Someone… help… help me…”Yet no one came to his aid. Few even heard him.And those who did were struck dumb by the scene before them.The spectators fell into silence. They truly hadn’t expected this young man to be so terrifyingly powerful.Even the people from the J. Ino Karate Dojo were momentarily speechless.Suzuki Taro in particular knew all too well that although Yamasato Ki was not on J. Ino’s level, he had already reached the early stage of the Mythical Tier—a figure of real standing in the martial world.Suzuki Taro could have accepted Yamasato Ki’s defeat.What he could not accept was that it had ended the moment it began—that in the blink of an eye, Yamasato Ki had lost all fighting capabili

A tidal blaze unfurled between heaven and earth, and within the flames—“Holy Emperor…”The warriors of the Solar Kingdom froze.This moment—This was the end.Their power swelled, vast and violent.From all directions the distant onlookers—those who had kept their distance—felt their hearts lurch.The Holy Emperor had fallen.The great factions witnessing it didn’t even dare show their faces.“Kill!”“Kill that brat!”The Solar Kingdom’s elites were enraged.At once they broke into furious curses.In an instant, the crowd drowned in wrath.The strong of the Solar Kingdom were terrified.No one hesitated.All of them lunged to kill Dragon-Slayer and Anthony.“You really want to die together?”The next moment—Anthony struck once.A swath of top-tier experts exploded, their bodies smashed to pieces.Squelch!Some heads spun off into the air.Dead.The Holy Emperor had been killed.But they… were powerless.They could not keep fighting. If they did, the entire Solar Kingdom might be gro

Dragon-Slayer grunted, swallowed the pain in his seams, and rose into it, the sword-edge cutting a white arc.Beside them, Thirteen Smith muttered a curse. “Stupid kid.” The Holy Emperor only sneered, eyes full of scorn.Dragon-Slayer didn’t answer, his grip biting down. “Hnh. I’ll carve you up.”He fought with everything, every stroke meant to kill. Anthony watched, his gaze shifting—he seemed to read the intent, and held his tongue.Boom—the air rolled like a tide swallowing the field. The Holy Emperor’s rampage had passed understanding; each strike was huge and ruthless.A heartbeat later, the gale rose again. His offense poured like a rain-screen, fists and palms crossing, killing intent spearing the clouds. He was a hammer overfilled with thunderfire—blow after blow grinding down.Dragon-Slayer braced in a flash—swordlight fierce—meeting edge with edge.Boom! He staggered back several steps, heart pounding, a flicker of disbelief breaking through his eyes. Why? What in hell did h

Dragon-Slayer dropped lightly to the ground; a tap of the heel, dust settled. He raised his eyes to the figure standing high above, gaze cold, voice low but heavy enough to hold the field.Though his chest still heaved, he ground out each word: “I’m not afraid of you.”“Today, I’ll defeat you—and kill you.”“The Solar Kingdom will never be a match for Ardenia.”“Your warriors are garbage.”The Holy Emperor laughed softly, a rasp like a blade dragging over stone. “You’re sure? Sure you’re not afraid? Then today, I’ll cut you to pieces.”Dragon-Slayer stepped in instead of back, a short drive of the foot, his body tipping forward, killing intent sliding free like a naked edge. He lifted his head and met the sword-hard gaze above, unflinching.The cold in his eyes cut sharper than steel. “To me, you’re—nothing.”“Today, you die.”“I will kill you.”“You think that boy can really keep you safe?” His words fell like a war banner rammed into open ground, snapping in the gale. Wind licked hi

“Y-you—why are you this strong…”Anthony’s mouth pulled into a cold curve. “It’s not that I’m strong. It’s that you’re useless.”Before the last syllable faded, he surged upward, a raptor cutting through knives of wind and sleet, and stooped.Boom!Explosions flowered across the sky, force scattering like invisible hammers pounding the void. Killing intent poured down like a tangible blaze.He raised another fist. Before it even landed, the gale at its edge flayed the dust to air.Bang!The Holy Emperor’s chest was punched straight through. Blood burst like a flower. His armor shattered; a hideous hole tore open across his front. He was blasted backward, blood running in a steady ribbon from his lips, his eyes wide with a terror that couldn’t focus—grasping at reality’s edge and finding nothing.The rim of the armor writhed, trying to stitch itself—futile against the gaping wound.He lifted his gaze in disbelief, and for the first time, true fear flooded his eyes—the primal dread of t

He pulled a breath, dragging his sight back from the dark. He looked up into the Ardenian youth’s face—indifferent, eyes like a winter lake, unruffled.“Your strength isn’t bad,” Anthony said, mild, with a flat contempt folded into it. “Unfortunately for you, you’re facing me. Which makes everything you do useless.”He tipped his chin, the cold at his eye’s corner cutting sharper. “So this is the Solar Kingdom’s best? No more than this.”Contempt, complete and entire.“In all martial ways, speed breaks all.” He sheathed in one clean motion, his pace itself a declaration. The Holy Emperor was fast—unquestionably. But he was facing Anthony. That alone sealed his tragedy.In a handful of exchanges, Anthony had hammered the Holy Emperor’s confidence to splinters. He had never imagined the man before him could be this absurdly strong. Terror—there was no other word in the minds of those watching.To Anthony, it was nothing. His gaze stayed cold; his killing will drew tighter.The Holy Empe

The heaving air over the four quarters suddenly sank. A darkened silhouette dragged itself out of the heights of the sky, like a deeper thread of night within the night, easing toward them. It had no sound, no scent; even the grain of its aura felt sanded smooth—more secret than a ghost, like a frost-sheathed dagger settling wordlessly to the throat.A heartbeat later, a figure fell from the heights. He touched down without a sound, yet his presence tore the silence around him. It was a tyranny that needed no words; with just an inch of ground underfoot, hearts clenched.“Holy Emperor!!”“The Holy Emperor is here!”“Lord Holy Emperor, a god forever…”“Lord Holy Emperor, mighty and unyielding!”“We can kill these Ardenians now…”“We must kill them…”The boiling shouts surged like oil set alight, raising the temperature of every throat at once. The Holy Emperor revealed himself—a man in his middle years, features unassuming, but a severity honed to lethal stillness. When his gaze droppe