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

"As for your vice presidents, those two fools couldn't tell right from wrong. They tried to hand me over again and again just to satisfy Ganz Kingdom and keep them from causing trouble. They're lucky I didn't kill them!"Russell Kirk frowned. "So you don't think you did anything wrong? You refuse to admit it?"Emptiness bristled. "You're being ridiculous! Do you even know what happened? You're demanding an apology from Adrian when you're just as clueless as those two old fools!"That drew a humorless laugh from Russell Kirk. "You people really have no idea what you're doing."As the last word left his mouth, a powerful wave of energy burst from him and swept across the mountaintop. Adrian held his ground, but Emptiness and the others were forced back.Russell Kirk's smile was gone. "I'll ask you one more time, boy. Do you admit you were wrong?"The surrounding Big Mountain shook. Rocks tumbled down its slopes as if the world were coming apart."I did nothing wrong! Enough talk. If you

Thousands of sword blades rained down on Adrian. Their sheer force seemed capable of shredding anything trapped beneath them in an instant.Even from a distance, Neil Peterson and the others felt a surge of instinctive fear. Compared to this, the sword formation they'd faced earlier had been nothing.Their faces changed. Could Adrian withstand it? Several of them were about to rush to his aid when he moved.He took one step.A golden dragon burst from his body, blazing with light.A second step. A second dragon followed.Then a third, a fourth...until the ninth.Nine golden dragons soared into the sky and struck the formation from every direction. In an instant, it shattered.Elder Greatsword froze. So did Neil Peterson and the others. They were still staring at the dragons when the formation broke apart, as suddenly as a popped balloon.It had been Elder Greatsword's ultimate move. He had expected it to seriously injure Adrian. Instead, it had accomplished nothing.For the first time

Emptiness fought with sweeping, powerful strikes, his staff whistling through the air."You bastards thought you could bully my sister-in-law? Who do you think you are? Want a piece of Lord Buddha? Come on, then!"One swing of his staff killed several disciples.Octavia was the quietest of the three. She moved unpredictably, and every time she appeared, her katana claimed another life. She was like death stalking through the night.In less than a minute, all twenty disciples Azure Lotus Sword Sect had brought down the mountain were dead.Only Elder Greatsword and five guardians remained."I thought Mr.Doyle was the only one getting stronger so quickly. The three with him have improved a lot too!""Following Mr.Doyle really was the right choice. Somehow, he always turns things around."The crowd watched with fierce satisfaction. They had lost so many comrades to Azure Lotus Sword Sect. Now Adrian had come, and at last those deaths were being avenged.Adrian walked toward Elder Greatswo

At the foot of the mountain, Neil Peterson and the others looked at the bodies of their fallen comrades, grief weighing on them."What do we do? With that sword formation in place, we can't get up there."Quentin Newman hesitated. "Maybe we should wait for Mr.Doyle. If he hasn't arrived by eight, we'll risk everything to rescue them."The others nodded. The clash had shaken them. Against Azure Lotus Sword Sect, they were hopelessly outmatched.Time dragged on. By the time they had tended to the bodies, it was half an hour before eight.As they watched the clock, Elder Greatsword strode out. He looked down at them from the mountainside."Time's almost up, and Adrian still hasn't come. So he's a coward after all. I've wasted a whole day waiting for him! Bring out the three women."Before long, Daisy, Serena Hill, and Tabitha Grant were dragged outside.Seeing the state they were in, Benson Doyle and the others could no longer hold back."Miss Daisy, are you all right? You old bastard, i

The three women struggled to move farther back, desperate for some sense of safety.The disciples rose with leering smiles and started toward them. Just then, a disciple on guard hurried in."Elder, a lot of cars have arrived at the foot of the mountain. There are too many to count. We don't know who they are."Elder Greatsword opened his eyes. "Could it be Adrian? Let's take a look."The disciples were reluctant to leave, but they had no choice but to follow him. One of them turned back at the door."Don't even think about running. That useless Adrian can't save you. You might as well let us enjoy ourselves before you die."Once they were gone, Daisy looked anxiously at the other two. "What do we do? Adrian's overseas. Can he make it back in time?"Serena Hill was frightened too, but she had been through more than the others. She forced herself to stay calm. "Don't be afraid. Adrian will come back for us."Elder Greatsword stood with his disciples on the mountainside, watching a mass

"Those old-timers in Dark Chamber are no pushovers, and neither is their Chamber Master. Don't make an enemy of them if we can avoid it. It would only bring us trouble."The disciples nodded obediently.Elder Greatsword gave the scene one last look, then led his people into the night....Meanwhile, Adrian and the others were playing beach volleyball.Loisa turned to him as they sat in the sun. "How's Daisy been lately?""Good. The company's growing, so she's busy every day.""That's good. Daisy's a wonderful woman, and I can tell she cares deeply about you. I think she'll only grow more capable with you beside her. You two are a good match."Adrian smiled. "Thanks. I think so too."For a moment, they were just two friends talking honestly. Then Adrian's phone rang."Neil? Did something happen?"Neil Peterson sounded anxious. "Adrian, it's bad! People from Azure Lotus Sword Sect came to Skyline City last night. They seriously injured everyone we had protecting Miss Daisy. They've take