Novels by Lily Monroe

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

When Daisy was specifically named, Adrian cast her a glance. He was almost certain this was a deliberate provocation.Without evidence, however, they could not act rashly. The priority was to go there in person and resolve the situation.The reputation of Hill Group could not be allowed to suffer needless damage.Skyline City’s People’s Square—the most bustling district in the city.The Snow Beauty Secret flagship showroom under Hill Group had been completely surrounded by onlookers and reporters, packed so tightly that not even a drop of water could slip through.Two middle-aged women occupied the entrance—one sitting squarely on the ground, the other standing with her hands planted on her hips, both brimming with brazen hostility.“Your products have such severe side effects! This must be settled today! What are you going to do about it?”The store manager, Jasmine, was so anxious she could barely form words. Young and thin-skinned, she was no match for their relentless harassment.

Octavia was not comforted in the slightest—if anything, she looked on the verge of tears.“You don’t understand. Snow Wolf’s legend includes slipping past over a hundred bodyguards to take a man’s head without a sound. He once faced down an entire army alone—and almost no one survived.”“Is he truly that formidable?”Octavia nodded bleakly, as though all hope had drained from her.“In The Dark Underworld, Snow Wolf may not be the absolute best, but he’s unquestionably among the elite. He hasn’t accepted a contract in a long time.”She could only pray that he would ignore this one as well.Adrian pointed at the wolf avatar on the screen. “The Snow Wolf you’re talking about… is that him?”One glance was enough to drain the color from Octavia’s face.Not only had Snow Wolf viewed the post—he had replied.“Adrian, I am Snow Wolf. The day we meet will be your last.”After leaving that chilling message, Snow Wolf disappeared. But his response sent the entire thread into a frenzy.“Look! S

“No!”Octavia blurted it out so urgently that she choked on her own breath, clutching her chest as she coughed, her face flushed with discomfort as she looked at Adrian.“That’s far too… cough… dangerous. You can’t just… cough…”Adrian sighed and, somewhat helplessly, patted her gently on the back to steady her breathing.At last, her complexion eased. She rubbed at her tear-bright eyes and looked at him earnestly.“Brother Adrian, do you have any idea how many true masters there are on the dark web? Even the ones who remain hidden, who rarely ever show themselves—no one dares ignore their existence.”“If you really do this, I’m afraid you won’t last more than a few days.”He understood she was worried about him. But that did nothing to dissuade him.“You don’t need to concern yourself with that. Just do as I say.”Octavia pursed her lips, but she stopped protesting.Swiftly, she produced an external drive and connected it to her computer.Her slender fingers flew across the keyboard.

Adrian nodded slowly. It seemed the dark web guarded the identities of its clients with exceptional rigor.A trace of apology crossed Octavia’s face. She felt she hadn’t been of much help.“I’m sorry, Brother Adrian. For assassins like us, once the mission is complete and the payment is made, we rarely concern ourselves with anything else…”He did not blame her. This outcome had been well within his expectations.If the dark web failed to guarantee absolute confidentiality, it would never have attracted so many powerful figures to post bounties there in the first place.“Then do you know how a bounty can be revoked?” Adrian asked. “Or perhaps I could place a counter-bounty on the one who targeted me. If he dies, the bounty on me would naturally disappear.”To his surprise, Octavia shook her head, troubled.“Brother Adrian, although it’s not explicitly stated, the dark web doesn’t permit bounties to be placed on its own clients. Of course, if no one knows, you could upload the informat

Daisy reached out and gently ruffled Octavia’s hair. The girl looked no more than sixteen or seventeen—bright-eyed and disarmingly sweet.“I’ll have the housekeeper prepare a spare room for you. From now on, think of this place as your home.”“And in private, you can just call me Sister Hill.”Octavia nodded enthusiastically. “Sister Hill!”Daisy rose to speak with the housekeeper about readying the guest room. Seizing the moment, Adrian turned to Octavia.“You’re aware there’s a bounty on my head on the dark web. I assume that’s how you found me?”Octavia considered briefly, then admitted it without evasion.“I accepted the bounty through the dark web. That’s why I came.”Adrian was not surprised by her candor.“What I need from you,” he continued evenly, “is to ensure Daisy’s safety—at any cost. She must not come to harm.”Octavia was neither na?ve nor simple-minded. From his words, she quickly grasped the implication.The bounty placed on Adrian had drawn assassins to him—and in do

Seeing that the time was about right, Adrian withdrew the silver needles and gave a small nod.“The injuries in your body are no longer a serious concern. Consider it one of the benefits of following me.”“I… my name is Octavia. Thank you.”At last, Octavia lowered her guard. Since he had healed her wounds, he clearly had no intention of harming her.“When I was in Hinoku, I traveled across the entire country and still couldn’t cure these injuries. You’re a good man.”Adrian had no idea how, within the span of a single night, he had gone from rogue to pervert to good man in her estimation—but he found himself accepting the promotion nonetheless.At least he was a good man now.“I know you have your own affairs to handle,” he said evenly. “But I have two conditions. First, you must not interfere with me. Second, you must not harm or obstruct anyone around me.”Octavia nodded quickly, agreeing without hesitation.“My matters have nothing to do with you.”Only then did Adrian assent. He