The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 133

Chapter 133

The real shot–callers of the Greslin family were the four elders.

Their reach stretched across the entire globe.

Their agents lurked everywhere, pulling strings in the dark and running all of the Greslin family’s shady dealings.

For Damien Thorn’s father, Dean, being the head of the Greslin family was just for show–he was basically a puppet, manipulated by the four elders at every turn.

As long as the four elders still drew breath, Dean would never get his hands on any true power in the family, no matter how much he wanted it.

When Nova Blake dropped those arrogant words, even Dean, the puppet figurehead, was so shocked that his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

His face was a mix of fear and disbelief.

He just couldn’t wrap his head around what he was hearing.

He’d always thought Nova was just some ordinary, totally forgettable girl, but now she was actually brave enough to speak out against the real shot–callers in the Greslin family.

But here’s the thing…

The four elders didn’t just wield power–they held real status too.

Back when they were kids, they were thrown into the international underworld at the age of five, growing up in a world where people would eat you alive and not even bother to spit out the bones.

They’d even survived the notorious Greslin Gala, a ruthless trial where only the toughest made it out alive.

But that wasn’t all.

They’d even risen to become the Greslin family’s latest arbiters–dishing out punishment to anyone who crossed them.

These guys were so powerful, even Dean–the reigning champion of the last Greslin Gala–wouldn’t risk picking a fight with them.

But Nova Blake? She actually had the nerve to go up against them.

“You seriously think you can just slap a price tag on our lives?” The gray–bearded elder bristled, glaring at Nova Blake with blazing eyes, his voice booming through the room.

“Such reckless arrogance! Truly shameless!

“Just a kid–and you dare mouth off to us like that?

“You must be desperate to die!”

Another elder, with hair streaked half white and half copper from age, was so outraged by Nova Blake that you’d think his hair might turn completely white then and there.

Snarling at Nova, he unleashed a furious roar that reverberated through the whole room.

The sheer presence the four elders gave off was so intense, it shook everyone–men and women alike—to the

core.

Nova just shot them a cold, savage grin, eyes flashing with a thirst for payback.

“Isn’t that rich coming from you? Haven’t you always measured our lives in money too?” she snapped back.

Her contempt was palpable, every word dripping with biting irony.

She was throwing their twisted, unfair underworld rules right back in their faces.

But Nova knew better than anyone else–all the unfairness playing out right now was nothing compared to the kind of hell you’d find in the real international underground. This was just the tiniest tip of the iceberg.

“You-”

The gray–bearded elder sputtered, too livid to finish his sentence, clicking his tongue in sheer frustration.

“If someone takes out one of the elders–or finishes me off–every bit of our money and power is theirs for the taking,” Dean said suddenly, his voice calm but resigned.

He wouldn’t dare openly go against the four elders, but in a crucial moment like this, he still managed to speak up for Nova, even if all he could do was quietly offer his support.

‘So that’s how it is,‘ Nova realized, her mind sharpening with resolve.

“Oh? Then it’s settled. I’ll be the one to kill them,” she declared.

In the iron cage on the right, crowded with captives, Damien silently began to move–one figure among dozens of men held prisoner.

Without saying a word, as if backing up Nova’s outrageous claim, Damien slid each elegant finger into his jet- black gloves, the gesture smooth and intimidating.

His chiseled, handsome appearance was unmistakable, making him stand out head and shoulders above the rest of the Greslin family’s descendants.

He exuded a noble air, just like a duke beside his beloved queen steadfast, loyal, and ready to defend her against anyone.

Damien’s deep, velvet voice drifted across the room, steady as ever, catching everyone’s attention in a

heartbeat.

It was his lifelong promise–unwavering loyalty to the queen he held in the palm of his hand, ready to shield

her from the world.

“Whoever you want gone, just say the word–I’ll have your back,” Damien said, his faith in Nova absolute.

Damien’s voice was velvet and icy, every word sparing but straight to the bone. He didn’t speak much, but whenever he did, his words always sliced right through the noise.

Nova’s lashes, long and graceful as butterfly wings, lifted just a little–subtle, but laced with defiance.

With Damien backing her up, Nova was emboldened; now nothing could hold her back from going all out.

“Ahahaha…”

Right after Nova and Damien dropped their bold lines, a cocky, mocking cackle rang out, sharp and jarring- like a rooster screeching at dawn, impossible to ignore.

It was Cruz.

Cruz was doubled over, clutching his sides and shaking so hard from laughing he looked ready to fold in half like a boiled shrimp.

“Oh man, dying of laughter over here! The brooding freak actually has the guts to mouth off–what, he got a death wish now?

“This is killing me! Ahaha…” Cruz cackled like a rooster, the ugly sound grating on everyone’s nerves.

Kurt the bootlicker wouldn’t let a chance to flatter Cruz slip by. He rushed to join in, practically falling over himself to hype him up.

“Haha! You guys hear that? Get a load of it—this is comedy gold!

“Sius, you of all people, showing up with that girl and straight–up challenging the elders? Seriously?

“Are you just tired of living or what? Hahaha!”

With Kurt hyping things up, the whole crowd burst out laughing, piling on to the jeers.

“What a couple of pests,” someone sneered.

“A weak little Asian chick thinks she can kill a Greslin elder? Can you believe it?” another scoffed.

“Hey, lady! Why don’t you crawl back and spread your legs for your man instead of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?” someone jeered, voice thick with contempt.

*****

Of the four elders, the one with the most power–a thin, small–framed old man–didn’t even blink at Nova’s words.

To him, she was nothing more than a plaything–something he could crush and discard any time he pleased.

He didn’t even spare a thought for her. She was completely beneath his notice.

He just gave a cold, unimpressed snort.

“Oh, please.

“Since you all seem so prepared, let’s just get started.

“Open the cages! Let’s see how you slaughter each other!”

With a single shout from the elder,

“Screeeech-”

“Bang-

The cages holding the men and women burst open, iron bars crashing down all at once.

It was like every caged beast had just been unleashed onto a blood–soaked jungle battlefield.

Just like that, all hell broke loose.

“Rat–tat–tat, rat–tat–tat-”

The instant the gates crashed down, someone revved up their machine gun and let loose, spraying bullets everywhere–didn’t matter who got hit, it was a total slaughter.

“Die, all of you! The cash is mine, hahaha!” the shooter shrieked, drunk on greed and madness.

Before anyone could even scream or run, bullets tore through guts, blood splattering as bodies dropped like baby birds tossed from the nest.

Others hoisted their weapons and dashed off, racing to find any spot to hide before they could end up dead in the crossfire.

As soon as the gun–toting maniacs unleashed their wild spray, Nova executed a swift roll out of the open cage, weaving through the shower of bullets with razor–sharp reflexes.

Nova shot a calculating glance at the spiral staircase, the spot where the four elders held their ground.

The castle’s grand hall spanned three floors, each one curving around that winding staircase.

From every balcony–north, south, east, west–on the first, second, and third floors, one could look straight onto the staircase.

It was the core that tied every level together, the backbone of the entire place.

Her

eyes

flashed red–Nova didn’t make a beeline for Damien. Instead, she darted left, her whole body disappearing in a heartbeat.

In the blink of an eye, she was gone without a trace.

Amid the chaos, Belinda and Nonna were already cursing up a storm as they scrambled for cover behind whatever they could find.

Cruz, Kurt, and Eskin had all come within an inch of catching a bullet–barely dodging the gunfire before finally managing to regroup with the women by their side.

All six of them were now huddled together, gasping for air, hiding out at the regular staircase next to the spiral one.

“Hey, where’s Sius and his little girlfriend?” Cruz sneered, wiping the sweat off his greasy forehead with a

snicker.

“Ha! In all that chaos, I saw a couple guys lugging machine guns chasing right after her.

“Bet she’s worm food by now!”

Kurt howled with laughter, his cackling echoing around the stairwell.

Eskin’s brows knitted with concern.

The six of them quickly agreed this wasn’t a safe place to hide. They prepared to peek out and switch locations as fast as they could.

Out of nowhere, as they were getting ready to bolt, their eyes landed on something at the spiral staircase.

There–where Dean and the four elders stood–a scene erupted so startling, so jaw–dropping, it sent a ripple of disbelief and dread through everyone watching.

At the highest point of the third floor, two figures appeared—like harbingers of darkness. Without a word, moving in perfect sync, they vaulted effortlessly from the towering balcony, their feet gliding over the castle railing as if it were second nature, landing smack in the center of the spiral staircase on the second floor.

Damien vaulted down from the right flank, the sharp lines of his duke’s attire twisted into something dark and sleek–less nobleman, more midnight predator.

Just like he’d promised, Damien matched Nova move for move, locking in with her plan and never missing a

step.

Tall and lean, he moved like a shadow–by the time the four elders even registered he was there, he’d already closed the distance.

His long, powerful leg lashed out, nailing the elder with the half–white, half–copper hair square in the chest with bone–shattering force.

Damien’s foot, solid as iron, followed up with a brutal kick to the elder’s jaw–snapping it shut in an instant.

The force of Damien’s kick wrenched the elder’s jaw open, leaving him utterly exposed.

His angular, handsome face tilted downward, and even after those explosive moves, not a single strand of his

brown hair so much as shifted–a silent flex of his unshakable power.

To Damien, the elder who’d trashed Nova was nothing more than a pitiful animal, there only to be trampled. beneath his feet.

Nova dropped down from the left and, just for a heartbeat, she was taken aback–Damien was matching her move for move, like they’d been born to fight side by side.

The very next instant, her arm cut through the air in a blazing arc–without missing a beat, she pulled the pin on a grenade and lobbed it with pinpoint accuracy, sending it sailing straight into the elder’s open mouth.

Crack!

Right across from her, Damien swung his long leg down like a sledgehammer, caving in the elder’s jaw with a bone–shattering crunch.

The elder’s jaw was now nothing but splinters–broken and useless. For a few precious seconds, he couldn’t utter a single word, not even a scream.

And then, in a flash, with one merciless strike, he sent the elder–grenade wedged in his broken jaw and primed to explode–hurtling down the spiral staircase, his body flailing like a lifeless puppet.

Bang!

Just a second later, the elder’s head popped like a watermelon, the grenade blowing his skull wide open and

splattering blood everywhere.

Their perfectly synchronized assault lasted barely five seconds–a blink, and it was done.

Their teamwork was flawless, not even a hint of hesitation or error between them.

Just like Damien had sworn: anyone Nova wanted dead, he’d clear her path without question.

As her most loyal knight, Damien crowned Nova his queen in all but name, and with this explosive first team- up, they sent an elder’s head flying in a shower of blood.