Novels by Lily Monroe

Adrian stood encircled by the writhing shadows. The black mist dispersed and gathered, gathered and dispersed, as though inexhaustible—without end, without limit.At last, faint smiles returned to Patrick Davidson and the others.“Let him fight. He’ll never finish them all!”“He really thinks he’s invincible? There’s no escaping Priest Xavier’s methods!”“He’s finally trapped. We must kill Adrian today. If he recovers, he’ll surely come after us!”Patrick’s expression darkened, and the faces around him were equally grim.Priest Xavier laughed wildly, already savoring the vision of Adrian’s demise.“Aren’t you skilled at breaking formations? Try breaking my Yin-Yang Five Fiends Array! Hahaha!”“These shadows are endless. If nothing else, they will wear you down!”“You cannot kill them. Your attacks mean nothing to them. But they can kill you.”The madness in his expression was no longer concealed. His eyes gleamed as he watched Adrian swallowed by the formation, exultation written acro

“If you don’t believe me,” Adrian said calmly, “then perhaps I should try using my full strength.”Before the words had fully fallen, he drew back his fist, energy surging and condensing around it, and drove it straight toward Priest Xavier.No one saw him move.He was fast—absurdly, impossibly fast.Even Priest Xavier failed to react. A violent pain exploded in his chest. Adrian’s figure flashed before his eyes—then receded into the distance.Because Priest Xavier himself had been hurled away, sent flying by that single devastating punch.The arena fell into stunned silence.“This… Priest Xavier was sent flying by Mr. Doyle? One punch? Just one?” Wesley Nolan gaped, his voice thick with disbelief.Adrian had already become a height they could scarcely hope to glimpse, let alone attain.Priest Xavier crashed to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood. When he lifted his head, his gaze toward Adrian had turned venomous.Patrick Davidson staggered back, shaking his head in denial.“

Priest Xavier narrowed his eyes at Adrian’s approaching figure, an unmistakable aura of danger radiating from him.Adrian advanced step by measured step, utterly unconcerned.“Why won’t you answer me? Why do you want me dead?”He could not fathom it. He had never crossed paths with this so-called Priest Xavier, yet the man had come all the way to Skyline City for him. If this had anything to do with the Four Great Families, then perhaps it was time to reconsider whether they deserved to exist at all.Priest Xavier cast Adrian a disdainful glance.“So you’re the one who broke my formation? I didn’t believe it at first. Seeing you now, I begin to.”A flicker of confusion passed through Adrian’s eyes. A formation? What formation?Then realization struck. His gaze turned glacial.“The array around Mayor Adams… you were the one who set it up?”Priest Xavier said nothing, which was answer enough.That explained everything.Adrian smiled faintly. His complete dismantling of the array must ha

Master Xavier took two unhurried steps forward.“Call Adrian here at once. Otherwise, I will begin with your disciples.”The students helped Neil Peterson to his feet, fury blazing in their eyes as they stared at Xavier.He accepted their glares without the slightest concern.Neil steadied himself with difficulty and cast a subtle glance at one of his disciples. The young man immediately slipped away to discreetly notify the other martial arts schools across Skyline City.Raymond Mitchell and Wesley Nolan received the message and set off at once for the Martial Arts Association Hall.Within a short span of time, nearly the entire martial arts circle of Skyline City—whether directly involved or not—was converging on a single location.At Hill Group, Daisy sat in her office with a helpless expression.Adrian had slipped off again—and this time he had taken Octavia with him.She sighed. She had hoped Octavia could at least ease Freya’s workload. Despite all precautions, she still hadn’t

Skyline City Martial Arts Association Hall.Neil Peterson moved steadily among the disciples, correcting their forms one by one. From the angle of a stance to the precision of a strike, nothing escaped his scrutiny.Ronald Peterson was sipping tea when a disciple came rushing in from outside, panic written all over his face.“President! Someone’s here to challenge the school again!”Ronald choked, spraying tea in surprise. Was it just their bad luck lately, or had the martial arts hall of Skyline City become a public target?Neil frowned slightly and asked calmly, “What exactly is going on? Take your time.”The young disciple drew a steadying breath.“There are cars outside—lots of them.”Ever since J. Ino and his group had stormed in to cause trouble, the sight of black business vehicles was enough to make the disciples uneasy.Neil let out a low chuckle. If there wasn’t a commotion yet, it might not necessarily be a challenge.“No need to panic. Who has the time to come here every s

Before she could finish her sentence, a sharp crack rang out.The manager collapsed to the floor, one side of her face swelling instantly from the blow.The middle-aged man withdrew his hand, undisguised disgust flickering in his eyes.“You—”Phoebe Baldwin barely had time to point a trembling finger before another slap struck her across the face.“Ah!”She fell to the ground, clutching her cheek as tears sprang to her eyes. Then she burst into loud, unrestrained sobs—any trace of celebrity poise utterly gone.The manager, still dazed from her own humiliation, snapped back to her senses when she saw Phoebe struck as well. She hurriedly helped her to her feet.Phoebe clutched her face and screamed at her bodyguards.“The company pays you a fortune to stand there and watch? Go! Beat him! Beat him to death!”She pointed wildly at the middle-aged man, her composure shattered.But just as her bodyguards stepped forward, a wave of men surged in from every direction of the airport. Though dr

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