The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 149

Chapter 149

“Bloodblade Mercenary Corps!?”

Madan and the other mercenaries in the guild looked like they’d seen a ghost–their faces changed in a flash.

They might brag about being mercenaries, but not a single one had actually fought in a real war. Their titles were all bark and no bite, just for show.

It was like throwing a squad of walking tanks loaded with heavy weapons and explosives at a bunch of greenhorns gripping peashooters.

Sure, you could call them all fighters, but when it came to strength, the gap was massive.

“Bloodblade Mercenary Corps? What’s that?” Maria might not be a fan of Nova, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious about the mercenaries.

Actually, it was just the opposite.

Stuff like mercenary guilds and the whole dynamic between mercs and their clients was exactly the kind of thing Maria was most interested in.

For college kids like her, all this was as wild and mysterious as aliens and flying saucers.

She was planning to soak up every detail and then go back to school to blow her friends‘ minds with all the crazy stories.

Her friends would probably be like, “No way! Are you serious?“-totally losing their minds!

“This is gonna blow everyone’s minds for sure, Maria thought, practically vibrating with excitement.

“They’re the strongest mercenary corps on the planet–everyone in the biz wants to be like them!” Madan explained, sounding like he was reciting from some fan club manual.

His cheeks turned a bit red, clearly excited.

He said, “Their leader goes by the codename Bloodforge. Rumor has it that she’s actually a woman.

“But don’t let that fool you–she’s straight–up invincible, charging herself into battle and crushing everything in her way.

“I knew about Bloodforge even before I joined the mercenary guild.

“All these years, I haven’t heard of a single fight lost under her command–her top–secret, hell–difficulty tactics are like something out of legend.

“She’s the Queen of the Battlefield, the Queen of War–nobody can match her!

“Honestly… I’m a huge fan of hers. Like, seriously obsessed…”

Madan, a big, burly dude, turned beet red as he admitted it.

He was basically a superfan–way more intense than the average.

“Whoa!” Maria and the other college kids were totally blown away, mouths hanging open in shock.

They were mentally recording every wild detail from the trip, determined not to miss a thing.

So they could hype it up for their friends and family later–and hopefully make them freak out too.

“I can’t believe there’s such a legendary woman in the mercenary world!” Maria was stunned, her eyes wide with amazement.

‘If I ever get the chance, I really want to meet someone that incredible… she thought, unable to hide her awe.

“Hey, hold up-?

“Hey, young lady?”

Maria and the other college kids were listening with rapt attention to everything Madan was saying.

Meanwhile, the shepherd who’d been explaining things to them suddenly noticed Nova marching straight toward the heavily armed squad.

“Wait–young lady, you can’t go over there. They’ll stop you for sure…

“Hey, they are doing business over there–outsiders shouldn’t butt in,” the shepherd called out, trying to warn her off.

His shout caught everyone’s attention–Maria, Jake, all the other college kids, Madan, and the rest of the mercenaries immediately turned to see what was happening.

Maria, who’d just heard something way out of her usual league, suddenly looked even more smug.

Her opinion of Nova only got more dismissive.

She crossed her arms, totally convinced Nova wouldn’t get past the guards.

“Yeah, let her go–let’s see if she can get past the entrance.

“Just let her go.” Maria gloated.

She was way more interested in soaking up every last story about the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps and Bloodforge, the War Queen–she just couldn’t wait to take every juicy detail back home to hype up her friends and show off like she was part of the action herself.

And just like she’d predicted…

Whoosh!

Several Bloodblade mercenaries, decked out in full combat gear, moved as one to block Nova’s path like a

wall.

“No entry ahead! Please take another route!” one of them barked.

The Bloodblade Mercenary Corps had an army of people working for them–on any given day, over ten thousand mercenaries could be out on missions.

No wonder they didn’t recognize Nova.

Nova strode forward without hesitation, ignoring the guards as if they didn’t even exist.

She understood better than anyone else what was going on.

Bloodblade only deployed this kind of formation when dealing with traitors–it was their signature move for a manhunt.

They sealed off every inch of the canyon, layering their forces to make sure the target couldn’t escape, then closed in to take them down, leaving the betrayer totally trapped with zero chance to run.

This entire strategy–the way Bloodblade hunted down their own–was her creation. She was the one who’d taught it to them years ago.

And now, Nova stood in the middle of it all, watching her own tactics play out before her eyes.

It was crystal clear–Bloodblade had zeroed in on Ghost–Hammer as their target, labeling him the traitor everyone was hunting down.

But Nova knew the truth all too well: the real traitors were the ones who’d set Ghost–Hammer up, pinning completely fake charges on him just to hide their own betrayal.

Crimson light flashed through the canyon, slicing the air with electrifying intensity.

Nova’s gaze swept over everyone with sovereign arrogance–a mix of killer royalty and wild defiance, her eyes declaring she answered to no one.

Nova stepped right up to the Bloodblade mercenary blocking her way, meeting his eyes with a calm that radiated pure dominance.

She snapped her leg up and twisted her hips–a perfect Muay Thai side kick–driving the merc straight off his feet and sending him crashing backward.

In the blink of an eye, the merc who tried to stop her was launched flying, left sprawling on the ground as Nova continued forward without missing a beat.

She moved forward like royalty claiming her throne, her voice ringing with undisputed authority as she confronted the Bloodblade mercenaries head–on.

Her tone was all swagger and defiance with wild, unstoppable confidence.

“Seriously? I haven’t even been gone and returned that long, and now you think you can block me? Talk about guts!”