The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 86

Chapter 86

The expressions on the two mercenaries’ faces twisted instantly into shock, their features shifting dramatically within moments.

Without hesitation, Nova propelled her knee upward with precision, driving it forcefully into the abdomen of the mercenary on the left. He doubled over immediately, a pained groan escaping his lips as the wind was knocked out of him.

Meanwhile, the mercenary on the right narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening on his rifle just before it was ripped from his hands. Dropping the weapon without a second thought, he balled his fist and lunged toward Nova’s head, aiming to engage her in close combat.

For Nova, dealing with such inexperienced mercenaries required no deep contemplation; their moves were predictable and easily countered.

Her gaze turned icy, sharp and unyielding.

With an almost casual flick, she flung the two rifles she had seized to opposite sides, their metal barrels clattering against the ground.

Then, with one hand that seemed delicate but was anything but, she caught the mercenary’s incoming fist mid-air.

Simultaneously, her other hand shot out to seize his wrist.

In one fluid motion, she twisted his arm a full circle, wrenching it mercilessly behind his back.

“Ah—” The mercenary’s scream broke free, raw and involuntary, the excruciating pain overwhelming even his well-trained body.

Before the two men could recover from the shock, Nova reached out with both hands and locked her fingers around their necks, her grip tightening like an unbreakable steel trap.

Despite her slender frame, the girl hauled the two grown men with ease, as if they weighed nothing at all.

With both mercenaries firmly under her control, Nova slipped away from the bustling entrance of The Greenwood, vanishing silently into the dense forest beyond.

A sharp crack pierced the stillness.

Nova’s eyes glinted with cold resolve.

Even when facing her own mercenaries, she showed no mercy. In a heartbeat, she snapped the neck of the tougher-looking man.

His body collapsed to the ground like a marionette with severed strings.

Nova’s fingers remained clamped tightly around the throat of the remaining mercenary, never once loosening their hold. His eyes widened in terror, pure panic etched across his face—he seemed moments away from losing control.

Her voice cut through the tension, icy and commanding.

“Tell me! Who sent you to kill me?”

The entrance to The Greenwood and the hot spring lounge stood directly opposite each other on the first floor, aligned perfectly in a straight line.

From the hotel’s front doors, one could see straight into the lounge.

What had just transpired at the entrance unfolded in a blistering ten seconds, a rapid sequence of events so intense that Maxwell, Hannah, Zane, Claire, and Felix took in every detail without missing a beat.

Maxwell, Hannah, Felix, and Evie had all been present when Nova teamed up with Jordan and a special forces unit to capture an international fugitive in a breathtaking operation.

Yet, witnessing Nova confront mercenaries armed with guns right before their eyes was an entirely different level of shock—the sight drained the color from their faces; they all went pale, stunned beyond words.

“Is she crazy? That gun was pointed straight at her head!” Hannah exclaimed, her voice trembling.

Just imagining the scene made her shiver uncontrollably.

What kind of nerves did it take to remain calm when a gun was pressed against your forehead, to grab the barrel and shove it aside as if it were nothing?

She could almost see the bullets whizzing past Nova’s eyes.

Felix exhaled deeply, glancing around at the group beside him.

“Looks like we picked the right one,” he said quietly.

Claire stammered in disbelief, her voice cracking under shock.

“Sh-she’s actually fighting… assassins?”

This was Claire’s first time witnessing anything like this. Her startled yelp sounded almost like a panicked rooster’s cry.

Though she had heard tales of Nova’s battlefield experience, seeing it firsthand was an entirely different, far more intense experience.

Words could never capture the raw impact of watching it unfold before her own eyes.

For Claire, the most extraordinary thing she had imagined was Nova overpowering Zane.

Sure, Nova was even more beautiful than Hannah, but to face off against real assassins in the open like this? That was something else entirely.

The shock hit Claire so hard, it felt as if she’d been shoved headfirst into a trash bin.

Zane, meanwhile, felt his legs threaten to give out beneath him.

He had to admit it—he was undeniably drawn to Nova, and deep down, the idea of chasing after her and forming an unbeatable team refused to leave his mind.

“I thought I’d seen the limit of how strong Nova could be,” he thought, voice barely a whisper.

“But she’s operating on an entirely different level… far beyond anything I ever imagined.”

He muttered softly to himself, hands hanging limply by his sides.

“Guess I really underestimated her after all…”

“Call the police, now!” Hannah burst out, panic thick in her voice.

Her whole body seemed to tremble from the inside out.

“This is insane! How can she just walk away every time someone points a gun at her and not get killed?”

“Max, you handle the police.”

“I’m going after her right now!”

Hannah barely took two steps toward the hotel entrance before Maxwell grabbed her arm, pulling her back firmly.

“If you go out there now, you won’t be helping her. And it’s not just you—if I go, if Zane goes, if any of us rush out there, we’ll only make things worse.”

“We’d end up holding her back,” Maxwell said, voice low and serious.

He spoke slowly, every word deliberate, his face grave.

Hannah, who usually maintained a cool composure around Nova, was now the one losing control.

“So what are we supposed to do? Just stand here and do nothing?” Her voice quivered, fists clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

She remained the ice-cold empress of the night, heartless to her core.

That side of her had never changed.

She simply concealed it whenever her family was watching.

Now…

Nova’s gaze pierced the darkening woods, where only the faintest traces of dusk lingered and shadows consumed everything.

Now, it was their turn to be hunted.

Night was falling rapidly, the last streaks of sunset barely clinging to the horizon—orange and gold hues battling a losing fight against the encroaching darkness.

Hidden within the gloom, a simple green camping tent blended seamlessly with the surrounding trees, resembling a tiny, secret cabin tucked away from the world.

Inside the tent stood Harvey Blake, Nova’s uncle—the same man who had once done everything in his power to prevent Nova and Charles from returning to the Blake family.

The tent was spacious, a single light bulb hanging from above casting a bright glow in all directions.

From the outside, it looked like a casual weekend retreat.

But the reality was far from that.

Next to Harvey stood three burly, bearded foreign men, clad in full combat gear, their presence as intimidating as their weapons.

Harvey held a pair of binoculars, as if conducting a makeshift command post amid the wilderness.

His gaze was fixed intently on The Greenwood, its towering silhouette cutting through the forest like a giant sentinel.

Closer inspection revealed a phone wedged between Harvey’s shoulder and ear, his voice low as he spoke to someone.

“You seriously only sent two rookie mercenaries to take out that girl?”

“What if they fail? Won’t that just alert her?” The voice on the other end was sharp, laced with irritation and worry about compromising the entire operation.

It belonged to a terrifying figure from the underground world who had contacted the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps through Harvey.

His tone exuded ruthless authority, dripping with the confidence of a boss.

But Harvey shrugged, unfazed.

“I just wanted to test the waters first. If it works, great. If not—no big deal,” he replied, far too casual for a man orchestrating an assassination.

Harvey had traveled all the way to Janelle himself, setting up camp here to personally coordinate the mission—directing his assassins with silent precision, determined to make Nova disappear without a trace.

Even if those two rookie mercenaries failed…

Harvey’s eyes flicked to the largest of the three men beside him—a towering foreigner with piercing icy blue eyes.

With a confident smirk, Harvey chuckled softly into the phone.

“Don’t we still have our trump card?”

“Mr. Dorken—number thirty-nine on the International Mercenary Ranking! If she shows up, she’s finished. No way she leaves here alive.”