The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 27

Chapter 27

If anyone wasn’t willing to accept Nova, they could try to take her down—but otherwise, they had no right to complain.

She moved with a cold, unyielding certainty.

Nova’s voice cut through the dim light like a blazing torch, momentarily silencing everyone around her.

This was punk territory, after all. The crowd surrounding them were seasoned fighters, hardened by years of violence—some had even taken lives when they were younger.

Yet, facing such a group, Nova showed not a trace of the fear Ethan had seen in himself.

Instead, she radiated a daring challenge.

Were they really witnessing someone unafraid of death?

“So arrogant and reckless,” one of the senior men at Frostwave Bar growled, his anger palpable. “Fine—let’s see what you’re really made of.”

He shrugged off his jacket and undershirt, revealing thick muscles rippling across his chest and arms—he looked capable of crushing a man with a single shoulder.

“Nova, I’m going to teach you a lesson. Watch closely,” the burly man roared, charging forward.

His fists clenched tightly, biceps bulging with raw strength, ready to unleash a devastating blow.

A collective intake of breath swept through the crowd.

This man was Mason Quade.

Mason had spent two decades building his body into a weapon.

Rumors whispered that in his youth, he could take down twenty men on his own.

He once faced a gang of knife-wielding punks barehanded and left them broken and defeated.

As Frostwave Bar’s enforcer, Mason was the perfect choice to put this audacious girl in her place.

“Good, Mason.”

“Yeah, show her what real men can do.”

“Take her down!”

The crew roared their approval like it was a grand spectacle.

Victor watched quietly, his expression unreadable. He made no move to intervene.

He had his reasons.

First, he wanted to gauge Nova’s true strength.

Second, as the outgoing boss of Frostwave Bar, he understood better than anyone that if Nova couldn’t earn the crew’s respect, she wouldn’t survive in that role.

Amid the jeers and cheers, Mason closed the gap between them and swung a heavy fist down toward Nova.

She kept her gaze low, her expression unreadable. One foot stayed firmly planted on the stool.

Even as Mason’s punch descended, she didn’t flinch.

Instead, she grounded both feet on the stool and met his strike head-on.

“Is she crazy? She’s not even dodging that blow. With her slender frame, she’ll be in the hospital for months if that connects.”

“She’s asking for death.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Ethan’s face drained of color.

Just as everyone braced for impact, Nova pushed off the stool with her feet.

In the split second before Mason’s fist landed, her body soared over his head.

She vaulted so swiftly that no one could track her movement with their eyes.

In the blink of an eye, she was behind him—silent, like a shadow.

Her power was overwhelming; he had stood no chance.

Perhaps, with a leader like Nova, Frostwave Bar’s future would be rewritten entirely.

Mason was the first to speak, pledging his loyalty.

Once the senior figure had submitted, the rest of the crew followed suit, bowing their heads to Nova.

Their previous contempt vanished, replaced entirely by respect.

“Congratulations to our new boss—we swear to follow you to the death.”

“Ms. Blake, forgive us for our earlier offenses. We’re sorry.”

“Ms. Blake, we surrender to you.”

Their voices rang out, sincere and loud enough to shake the very ceiling.

This was a submission from the heart—respect earned through undeniable strength.

Nova had claimed it all with nothing but her power.

Ethan watched, stunned, as Nova stood there—cold, commanding, holding the entire room in the palm of her hand.

As the campus heartthrob of Saint Laurel Royal Academy, Ethan had witnessed his fair share of intense moments—fighting tournaments, taekwondo matches, free combat bouts.

Yet nothing he had ever seen compared to this.

It was a spectacle beyond anything he could have imagined in his lifetime.

It was as if he were glimpsing just a fraction of the hidden iceberg beneath Nova’s surface.

Looking at the girl before him, clearly about his age, Ethan thought silently, *She’s the Iron-Blooded Queen.*